Planning a Walt Disney World Vacation in 2021 or 2022?
Perhaps you were all set for your Disney World Vacation pre-Covid, or perhaps you were planning to go in the not-so-distant future and like the rest of the world, had to postpone your travel plans. As vaccinations are rolling out across the world, you, like many, probably have the itch to travel! Perhaps your children are getting older and that trip you were supposed to take a year or more ago is an even bigger priority now.
Disney is always changing one way or another. This is especially true in the wake of the global health crisis. A Disney World Vacation in 2021 or 2022 could look incredibly different from 2020. Whether you have been to Disney World many times, or if you had planned a vacation that had to be postponed, one thing is for certain – a lot has changed!
Do all these changes mean there is no more magic? Of course, not! What is means is that planning is more important than ever. Here are some of the most important changes, and while we expect some of these changes are going to disappear, it could be possible that others will be permanent.
Face Coverings
If there is one thing that is certain, it is that policies around face coverings are constantly changing. At the time of this post, Disney has just announced that face coverings will be required on all Disney transportation as well as indoor locations for all guests ages 2+.
Prior to July 30th, Disney required everyone, fully vaccinated or not to wear face coverings when on all Disney transportation. For fully vaccinated guests, this was the only area that a face covering must be worn. For unvaccinated guests, face coverings were optional outdoors, but required in all indoor locations. Disney however did NOT require proof of vaccination, which in our view, made this policy extremely ineffective. These most recent changes will make it much easier for Disney to enforce these safety measures and will remove the honour system for guests that chose not to wear masks indoors.
All face coverings (whether disposable or reusable) should:
Be made with at least 2 layers of breathable material
Fully cover the nose and mouth and secure under the chin
Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
Be secured with ties or ear loops and allow the guest to remain hands free
Face coverings should not contain valves, mesh material or holes.
Innovative Technology
Disney has increased the options available through the My Disney Experience App. You now have the following options to help limit contact:
Mobile order service for dining
Restaurant walk up list – if you don’t have a dining reservation but would like to join a waitlist
Mobile check in for dining reservations
Scannable codes for restaurant menus
Online check in at your Disney World Resort
Disney has also launched Disney MagicMobile Pass. This new app will allow your smartphone to act like a Disney MagicBand. You can use it to enter theme parks, link your photos from Disney Photopass, gain access to a virtual queue to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and in the near future, access to your Disney Resort Hotel folio.
Park Reservations
To control crowd levels, in addition to having a theme park ticket, all guests ages 3+ will also need a park reservation. While this may be unappealing for the guests that like to decide which parks to visit once they arrive, it is unlikely to affect most guests. To maximize the magic, we have always recommended that guests have their theme park days locked down prior to arriving so that we are able to book dining and fast passes for that park.
If there was a flex day planned into your vacation, this system could prevent you from having all theme parks available to you.
Park Hopper
Park Hopper ticket options have now returned to Disney World, allowing guests to enter more than one theme park on the same day. However, there are some important changes. There will be set hours daily for which park hopping is allowed. These hours will start no later than 2 pm. You MUST check into the park for which you had a reservation first or you will not be allowed to enter a second park.
For the Star Wars fans in your group, it is also important to note that if you park hop to Hollywood Studios (it is not your first park of the day), you will not be allowed to join a boarding group for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Dining Reservations
Almost all table service dining reservations can now only be made 60 days in advance. This is a huge decrease from the previous 180 days in 2020. This shorter window will likely make some hard-to-get dining locations incredibly difficult. At Travel By Pixie Dust, while we cannot guarantee a dining reservation, we can guarantee that we will be online as soon as reservations open, 60 days before your arrival to help ensure you and your guests get everything on your wishlist.
Disney Dining Plans
While Disney has announced that dining plans will return, they have not announced a date for when they will return. In addition, the cost for the dining plans has not been announced, however it is safe to assume that the costs will increase compared to 2020.
Planning a trip to Walt Disney World without a dining plan can be stressful. Every meal is a-la-carte. One of our favourite benefits of having a dining plan is that other than gratuities and alcoholic drinks above the 1 included, you could enjoy your Walt Disney World Vacation, knowing before you leave that most of the trip is paid up in advance.
Dining can be very expensive at Disney World depending on what dining experiences you and your guests desire. At Travel By Pixie Dust, we have expert advice on every dining option available to you. We will work with you to help you book dining experiences that will help you stay on budget even if it’s a-la-carte.
Character Dining & Character Meet and Greets
Character dining is slowly returning to Disney World at select restaurants. While the characters are in the restaurants, they no longer come to your table, and currently it is not possible to get photos with the characters.
Character meet and greets in the parks have also not returned, however there are multiple opportunities for you to see your favourite characters around Walt Disney World.
FastPass+
FastPass + is Disney World’s front of the line reservation system for attractions. Every guest that has a ticket, is entitled to select 3 front of the line experiences per day at the same theme park. Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort were able to select these experiences 60 days prior to check in compared to 30 days for non-Disney World Resort guests.
FastPass + has not yet returned to Walt Disney World, and Disney has not provided any information as to whether it will return.
Of particular interest is that in Disneyland Paris, Disney has brought back FastPass +, however it is now called Disney Premier Access a service for which you must pay for. The cost of the program fluctuates between 8 and 15 Euros per guest per attraction.
It would be incredibly disappointing to see Premier Access replace FastPass+ at Disney World. In keeping with Walt’s vision, every guest and family should be treated equally regardless of money. A guest staying at a value resort had the same in park benefits as a guest staying at deluxe resort.
With FastPass + not being offered, it will make some attractions incredibly difficult to experience and the amount of waiting, if not planned properly could be hours per attraction.
At Travel By Pixie Dust, we are experts at which experiences have the longest wait times. We will work with your travel party to find out which attractions are important and help you build a strategy so that you can experience all your must-do's.
Extra Magic Hours
Prior to the global health pandemic, extra magic hours provided guests staying at a Walt Disney World resort extra time in theme parks on select days. These extra hours would be either before the park opened to non-Disney World Resort guests or after the park closed.
Now, all Disney World Resort guests, can enter any Disney World theme park (with a valid ticket and theme park reservation) a half hour before all non-Disney World resort guests.
Disney has also announced plans to allow for extra hours after theme parks close, for Disney World DELUXE Resort guests, however a start date for this benefit has not been announced.
Fireworks
Fireworks have returned to Magic Kingdom. While it was recently announced that Happily Ever After will be retired this summer, a new fireworks show is coming to Magic Kingdom to commemorate Magic Kingdom’s 50th anniversary on October 1st 2021.
Epcot Forever has also returned to Epcot until September 28th, 2021. Starting on October 1st, 2021, the brand-new Harmonious nighttime spectacular will replace Epcot Forever. Complete with fireworks, fountains, magnificent lighting, visual effects and multimedia magic is one of the largest ever created for a Disney Park.
Over at Hollywood Studios, Disney has recently announced that commencing August 1st, 2021, you can see the Wonderful World of Animation Show again. This show features projections on the Chinese Theatre of Disney animated movies, showing off over 90 years of animation! Characters from your favourite Disney and Pixar films star in sequences that celebrate friendship, magic, family and adventure! In true Disney fashion, the show has Mickey Mouse at the centre of it all, and of course, the show includes a few fireworks!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Set to open October 1st, 2021, is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, located in the new expanded France pavilion at Epcot.
In this 4D ride experience, join Chef Remy on a daring culinary caper that will captivate all your senses as you zip, dash and scurry through the bustling kitchen, dining room and walls of Gusteau’s famous Paris restaurant. C’est magnifique!
Disney’s Magical Express Service
Disney is discontinuing its complimentary bus service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Disney World Resorts effective Jan 1st, 2022. For guest arriving prior to Jan 1st, 2022, Disney has extended the complimentary service from the resorts back to MCO provided you are departing by January 10th, 2022.
Luggage delivery and Resort Airline Check-in are also no longer offered.
Mear’s bus service which currently runs Disney’s Magical Express has announced that they will be offering a paid service between MCO and all Disney World Resorts, however the cost for this service has not yet been announced.
All these changes, may have you wondering if now is a good time to plan a Disney World Vacation? The decision ultimately comes down to what is best for your family. Working with a travel professional has never been more important than it is today. At Travel By Pixie Dust, we want to learn what you and your travel party want out of a Disney Vacation. We will work with you to help you make an informed decision on whether to book now or to wait. And best of all – all our services are FREE!