As of June 22nd, select Disney World Resort hotels have reopened!

With several major changes to the Disney World Resort hotel experience, we’re here to help you get a feel for what it’s like to visit a newly reopened hotel! So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the answers to your frequently asked questions about Disney World hotels!

Which Disney World hotels will be reopening?

While previously we knew that Disney Vacation Club resorts and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort would be reopening on June 22nd, Disney recently released a complete list of which hotels will be available for guests soon!

Disney hasn’t officially said when Disney’s All-Stars Resorts, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort (both French Quarter and Riverside), Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House (non-DVC rooms) or Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (non-DVC rooms) will reopen, but we’ll be monitoring the situation and hopefully will be able to provide more information soon.

Which Disney World restaurants will be reopening?

At first, Disney only confirmed a few restaurants would be reopening on June 22nd (you can view the full list here). And for now, Topolino’s Terrace’s breakfast is the only character meal being offered at Disney World.

But now, Disney has shared its FULL LIST of restaurants that will be reopening July 11th and July 15th.

Some menus are being reduced and some dining experiences may be modified — for example, we just learned Be Our Guest Restaurant will only be offering a table service Prix Fixe lunch and dinner menu while breakfast is being discontinued for the time being.

When dining in Disney World, guests can also use the new Mobile Dine Check-In feature which you can read more about here. 

Disney has also confirmed which attractions, entertainment, and shops will be reopening soon.

See what’s character dining is like now at Disney World!

Are rooms being left vacant for 24-48 hours between guests?

Universal Studios has stated they would try to allow 24-48 hours to pass between reusing their guests’ rooms, but Disney World hasn’t made any official statements regarding this matter.

From our experience today, there appears to be a fraction of the guests that these hotels normally see, and the Disney World resorts feel really empty.

See how Disney World has modified its guest rooms here!

What’s going on with Club level?

All Club-level service will be temporarily unavailable until further notice.

In-room celebrations, dry cleaning, and valet laundry services are also not occurring at this time.

Laundry Services

Self-service laundry facilities are still available at this time for Disney World resort guests to use.

Guests can also utilize the Laundry View app to see if a washer or dryer is available or check if their laundry’s done before leaving their room! Read more about this free feature that makes doin’ laundry at Disney World less of a hassle here!

Click here to learn more about self-serve laundry at Disney World right now

Will I still receive a gift card if I choose to decline housekeeping services?

Before the temporary closures, Disney World’s moderate and value resorts offered guests a Disney gift card worth $10 for each night of their stay, excluding their final night, if folks opted out of daily housekeeping services. It was called the Service Your Way promotion and it wasn’t made available at Disney World’s deluxe resorts.

However, we confirmed with a manager today Service My Way will is not being offered for the time being. All guests may choose to decline housekeeping regardless of whichever resort they’re staying at, but as of right now, they won’t be issuing gift cards if you decide to forgo cleaning services.

Will Disney’s Magical Express deliver your luggage to your room?

Disney’s Magical Express is running back and forth from Orlando International Airport and will shuttle your luggage to your resort.

However, Bell Services cannot drop off your luggage unless someone is in the room. For us, it has been hard to get a call through to Bell Services and it took quite some time to receive our luggage. But Disney has stated Cast Members are still able to deliver luggage to rooms — just not escort guests to their rooms.

What other deliveries are being handled at the Resorts? Can I get food delivered if I’m there to receive it?

Grocery delivery is a convenient (and often cheaper!) way to get common goods such as bottled water, breakfast cereal, diapers, and other items sent to your resort.

We’ve been able to confirm services such as Instacart, Garden Grocer, or any packages you have mailed to your hotel up to a week before your arrival date can still be delivered to your resort. You can also still get food delivered to your resort via Postmates, Grubhub, or any other delivery service. Note that there’s a $6 fee charged if you want any delivery brought to your room, otherwise you can pick it up at the front desk area.

Read more about having groceries or packages delivered to your newly reopened Disney World resort here!

Are the resort fitness centers open?

In addition to most of the resorts’ pools we’ve visited today, we’ve noticed Disney World resorts’ fitness centers are open but mostly vacant.

Some locations may have reduced hours and capacity, and instructor-led fitness classes will not be available for the time being. Fitness and sports courts are also open with social distancing in place.

Are the resort still providing free shampoo and conditioner?

Mini toiletries are still available at the resorts that previously offered them. We found these in our room at Bay Lake Tower this afternoon.

Meanwhile, larger dispensers of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner are still installed on the wall at the resorts which had them prior.

Like we’ve recently seen at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort with their in-room shower products, the bottles are being freshly sanitized between guests’ stays, and sealed with a plastic wrapper with a “clean” sticker.

Is grab-and-go food available? Can I take off my mask to eat it if I’m walking around? Can I eat by the pool?

Convenient grab-and-go items are still available at the select restaurants that have reopened. Although all the snacks you’re used to might not be available (we noticed bakery cases aren’t being stocked with fresh goods in most places quite yet).

Tables have been spaced apart and guests are allowed to remove their face masks while they’re seated, lounging, or swimming in most Disney World pool areas.

We got a few mixed answers regarding when face masks must be worn at the resorts’ pools. One lifeguard said if guests are walking around the pool deck, they’ll ask you to wear to your face masks. Other resorts told us face masks are “strongly recommended” in pool areas (basically once you pass through the gates) but are no longer mandatory once you’re inside.

See what it’s like to swim in a newly reopened Disney World resort’s pool!

Can I visit other resorts’ quick service restaurants?

A confirmed dining reservation is required for day Guests (those not staying overnight) and is highly recommended for Guests staying overnight at a Disney Resort hotel — that’s their official word on the matter and was confirmed by several Security Cast Members we spoke to today. Our dining reservations were checked before being permitted to enter a resort other than where we have our hotel reservation.

However, we noticed after our dining reservation at Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian, the walkway to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort was open and guests could walk back and forth between the two resorts after initially getting into one. The same is true if you have a reservation (resort or dining) at Disney’s Beach Club or Disney’s BoardWalk Inn.

Click here to see what we thought of reopened Grand Floridian Cafe!

Are the Disney World resorts allowing Ride Share?

Ride Share services are currently being allowed inside Disney World resorts to drop off or pick up guests. They are also allowed at Disney Springs.

For now, Minnie Vans are temporarily unavailable and will resume at a later date.

Is there a capacity limit for pools?

Disney World has stated there would be a limit to how many people are allowed to swim at one time, however, there were very few people at the pools today, so there wasn’t a need for guests to wait outside for their turn to enter.

There were several lounge chairs available and signs that asked guests not to move chairs around since they’ve been spaced apart for social distancing. We hope to learn more details regarding what exactly are the pools’ capacities limited to at a later date.

Is pin trading still happening?

Pin trading hasn’t been happening anywhere at Disney World between guests and Cast Members since the closures, and now that the resorts have reopened, we can officially say it’s not currently happening at the hotels either.

Pinboards are potentially available at hotel gift shops, but pin books and boards at the front desk have been suspended. Disney is probably aware that they cannot entirely eliminate pin trading that takes place between two guests, but for now, it looks like we’ll have to wait and see if and when pin trading with Cast Members resumes again.

Click here to learn more about the current status of pin trading at Disney World!

Can I take the bus to a different Disney World resort?

Disney’s official policy is that to enter a resort you need a resort hotel reservation or an Advance Dining Reservation for that resort at the time you are entering. There are buses running to and from Disney Springs and we have not seen added security to check if guests have the necessary reservations. However, this does not mean that a Cast Member will not stop you to verify that you are allowed to be at the resort you’re visiting. 

If you have a valid dining reservation, feel free to take the bus to Disney Springs and then over to the hotel of your reservation.

Click here to learn more about taking the bus in Disney World right now.

How long does transportation take with physical distancing?

Right now, you don’t need to worry too much about wait times. Though we did have to wait a while for a bus to arrive, there weren’t exactly a ton of people trying to ride the bus. Disney World is currently pretty empty. We rode the bus twice — once completely alone, and once with one other person on it. However, this could change as guests begin to return to the resorts.

We know that the Monorail and Skyliner are unavailable at this time and the buses are operating with zone seating to keep guests distanced. In the instance that there is a higher demand on the buses, this could make for long transportation wait times. We’ll have to keep an eye on the situation to see how Disney intends to mitigate these issues.

Click here to learn about the closure of the Monorail and Skyliner!

We know this is a BIG change to finally get back inside the Disney World hotels and we’re here to answer any and all questions that you may have. Keep firing off those questions you may have about the Disney World resort hotels, and we’ll keep answering them for you!

Read more about the changes Disney World hotels have undergone this summer here!

What questions do you have about the newly reopened Disney World Resort hotels? Let us know in the comments!