Everything You Need To Know About Visiting Walt Disney World In 2021

It’s been a LONG year, so when it comes to travel, most of us are READY TO GO, myself included. But what, if anything, is changing about vacationing at Walt Disney World? Today I’m going over everything you need to know about visiting Walt Disney World in 2021. (At least as we know of today.)

Let’s start with the modifications that were made in 2020. From what we’ve heard, these will all remain intact for the beginning part of the year. (It remains to be seen how and when these will shift as the general population begins taking the vaccination but will provide updates as we receive them.)

TRANSPORTATION

Both the Magical Express and resort transportation will continue to operate in 2021 with some of the modifications that we have seen this year. Those modifications include:

Magical Express

Both luggage pick-up and hotel airport check-in services will remain temporarily disabled as we head into the new year. It will also be more important than ever to reserve your magical express service before arrival as buses will continue to be filled following CDC social distancing guidelines.

Resort Transportation

Shuttle bus, sky liner, monorail, and boat transportation will also continue to run as they have been for the later part of 2020. For shuttle bus operations, expect to find interior partitions and reduced capacity. In the sky liners, you’ll receive your own gondola. For monorail operations, expect to receive your own car. One new thing of note for the monorail service in 2021 is that it will not be making a complete loop. Due to resort renovations happening at the Polynesian Resort, the monorail will not be making any stops at this resort. Guests staying at the Polynesian will need to rely on bus or water transportation to get to Magic Kingdom. Speaking of which, for all boat/water transportation expect to find limited capacity restrictions which could increase wait times during open and close of the parks.

RESORT RESERVATIONS

Resort Availability

Most resorts have reopened or will reopen by 2021. These include:

The remaining will be opening back up on a rolling basis. Some of those include:

March 22, 2021	Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
May 30, 2021	Disney’s Beach Club Resort
June 6, 2021	Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Summer 2021	Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

What to Expect From Your Resort Stay

In addition to understanding which resorts are open, there are also a few things to note with regards to general services. All quick service dining options will continue to be mobile order only. Guests are also encouraged to check in online to cut down on cast member contact. At the time of check in, guests will have the option to decline housekeeping services. That said, it’s important to note that all housekeeping services have already been modified for safety. This means that housekeeping only comes to your room every other day, and when they do it’s just to empty your trash and switch out your towels. They are not allowed to do anything beyond that.

PARK HOURS

Another change that is likely to carry over into 2021, is the elimination of Extra Magic Hours. This means, that even if you’re staying at a Disney resort you won’t be able to get into the parks any earlier than the listed times. As capacity has been limited to 35%, we’ve noticed that park hours have also been decreased. Our one recommendation is to try and arrive to each park at least 30-60 minutes before the listed park opening time. This is the best way to maximize your time in the parks.

PARK RESERVATIONS

At the present time, it appears that Disney will be continuing the use of the Disney Park Pass System. This requires all guests to make an advanced reservation to visit any of the Disney parks. You will need to purchase your tickets in advance in order to do this. For those unfamiliar with who the Park Pass System works, it’s pretty simple. Once you’ve purchased your tickets and signed up for Disney’s My Disney Experience account, you’ll just link your tickets to your account. From there you will be able to choose which parks you want to visit on which days.

PARK HOPPING

Park hopping will be back for 2021! Beginning January 1, guests will be able to add park hopping back into their itineraries. Obviously it will be working a little differently than we’re used to but still a very exciting announcement. For those guests with a park hopper ticket, you will need to make a Disney Park Pass reservation for the first park you plan to visit in advance. Then after 2pm, you are able to hop over to any other park you’d like. The only catch is that you have to check in at the park you reserved first before you can hop over to the new park.

Additional Note: Guests who park hop to Hollywood Studios will not be able to join the Rise of the Resistance virtual queue. You must have a Park Pass reservation in order to join the queue.

FASTPASSES

At this time, it is unlikely that FastPasses will be returning in early 2021. This means there is no way to skip the lines at any point during your stay. While the lines can be intimidating, they do seem to move quickly. Parents of small children will continue to have the option to ride swap.

MAGIC BANDS

One of the biggest NEW changes in 2021, is the elimination of complementary magic bands. Your previous magic bands should still work for park access, purchases, and mobile ordering, etc. but Disney will no longer be providing these as part of your vacation packages. They are rolling out a new mobile function which will allow you to do all of the same things your magic band can do from your phone. More to come on this feature as it’s rolled out.

PHOTOPASS

For those planning on using Walt Disney World’s PhotoPass service, it’s highly encouraged that you purchase your Memory Maker package in advance. PhotoPass photographers are no longer allowed to take pictures of guests with guest cameras or phones.

DINING

This is probably the category with the biggest changes. First is the elimination of the Disney Dining Plan. Unfortunately, there are not enough dining options at present to accommodate the Disney Dining Plan offering. Next is the timeframe for advanced reservations. Dining reservations can only be made 60 days in advance of your trip now. Disney HAS, however, added a new feature to My Disney Experience which is a virtual walk-in waitlist for many restaurants. If you are unable to secure an advanced table service reservation, try the waitlist when you get there. We did this on our most recent trip in November and it worked like a charm!

CHARACTERS & ENTERTAINMENT

Character meet & greets as well as character dining experiences will continue to be paused heading into 2021. There is one exception to this rule. Tortuga’s at the Riviera Resort does still have a modified character breakfast. Characters are not able to come to your table, sign autographs, or pose for pictures with guests, however, so, it’s really more of a “show” than a typical meet & greet.

Stage shows, fireworks, and parades will also continue to be on pause. In their place are small, unplanned cavalcades featuring your favorite characters. These happen several times throughout the day. I am also hearing that fireworks and other nighttime entertainment is being tested for return in 2021. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

For more information and regular updates regarding park operations, be sure to visit the official Walt Disney World website’s Know Before You Go section.

We hope you found this post on Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Walt Disney World in 2021, helpful. If you have additional questions, please drop them in the comments below. If this all feels a bit daunting, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to help you as you gear up for your next adventure.

Is this your first time visiting a Walt Disney World resort? If so, check out my Ultimate Walt Disney World Planning Guide for some additional information.

Lindsey

December 20, 2020