Walt Disney World Coronavirus / COVID-19 Reopening Plans
Last updated 20 Sept 2021
The Port Orleans Resorts reopened on 14th October 2021 (Riverside) and 28th October 2021 (French Quarter). Bookings recommenced on 8th July 2021. This page is now considered as archived for reference purposes only.
This website is somewhat different to the multitude of general Disney-related resources around the internet in that we focus specifically on matters relating to the two Port Orleans resort hotels and their guests. There are many other sites that cover the rest of Walt Disney World in intricate detail so I don’t intend to duplicate all of that information here. However in these unprecedented times, as Walt Disney World gradually reopens its operations after the complete closure from mid-March until mid-July 2020, the following summary will hopefully prove useful.
The latest information as of 20 Sept 2021 regarding the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels is as follows:
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20 Sept 2021: All Star Sports' reopening date of 9 December has been indefinitely postponed to allow them to undertake unspecified refurbishment work. No new opening date has been communicated.
7 July 2021: Disney today informed travel agents of the planned re-opening dates of the remaining Walt Disney World resort hotels, including our very own Port Orleans Resorts! Guests will be able to make bookings starting tomorrow (8 July) for the following dates:
- 16 September 2021: Disney’s All Star Resort Music
- 14 October 2021: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort Riverside
- 28 October 2021: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort French Quarter
- 9 December 2021: Disney’s All Star Resort Sports
15 June 2021: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort (the regular non-DVC hotel room section) has been given a re-opening date of 26 August. Just the remaining two All Star Resorts and Port Orleans to go now.
23 April 2021: Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (the regular non-DVC hotel room section) has been given a re-opening date of 2 July 2021.
15 December 2020: The reopening date for the All Star Movies Resort has been further delayed by another month until 22 March. Dates have also been announced for the Beach Club (30 May 2021) and Wilderness Lodge (6 June 2021). Sadly this would tend to imply that nothing is expected to happen with our Port Orleans Resorts until at least mid-June, unless demand increases noticeably in the meantime anyway.
21 October 2020: Disney today announced a re-opening date of 9 February 2020 for the All Star Movies Resort. Nothing for the other All Star Resorts as yet, nor for our own Port Orleans Resorts, but at least things are very slowly moving in the right direction. The fact that they are planning to open just one of the three All Stars may mean that Port Orleans could also get a split re-opening date when it does occur. Only time will tell.
29 September 2020: Disney announced that they are laying off a massive 28,000 cast members across their Florida and California sites, most of whom had previously been furloughed. Presumably with the end of the financial year imminent, and no end to the current crisis in sight, the company had to make some tough decisions based on predicted forthcoming attendance and revenue. Sadly, this awful news includes the loss of many entertainment cast members, including Riverside’s own “Ya Haa” Bob Jackson who had been the River Roost Lounge’s hugely popular night-time entertainer for 23 years. I wish Bob all the best for the future; he has been the heart and soul of Riverside for 23 years, and whenever the resort eventually re-opens it just won’t be the same without his infectious, tirelessly energetic performances. Good luck Bob, you will be sorely missed — no one made more fun than you.
24 June 2020: Walt Disney World has just announced their forthcoming reopening plans for the Resort Hotels, and sadly it’s not good news for Port Orleans fans. It was already known that the Fort Wilderness campground and the majority of the DVC Villas were due to open on 22 June, and now Animal Kingdom’s Jambo House Villas, Pop Century and the Contemporary Resort have been slated for 11 July to coincide with the theme parks’ re-opening. A number of other resorts now have staggered dates from then through to 14 October, but neither of the Port Orleans locations even have a date listed as yet, indicating that Disney do not expect to re-open them before Halloween at the very earliest. Guests with existing bookings who still wish to visit Walt Disney World should expect to be relocated to other Disney Resort hotels.
Update 24 June: Disney just released the WDW Resort hotel rates for 2021, and Port Orleans (along with the All Star Resorts, Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge) do not have any availability listed for the entire year. Whether this means that Disney is just not releasing any booking availability until they have announced confirmed re-opening dates, or if they genuinely do not expect some or all of these resorts to reopen for perhaps another 12 months, is unclear at the moment.
22 June 2020: The new park-entry reservation system opens online on the My Disney Experience website (not the app) at 7am EDT for guests with existing hotel bookings as long as they also have valid park admission passes linked to their account. [Update: it broke, you may have to wait a while to get in] On 26 June Annual Passholders without hotel reservations will be able to book reservations, but there is a limit of three booked dates held at any one time. On 28 June off-site guests with any other ticket types will be able to make reservations. All of these bookings are subject to availability due to park capacities, and sadly we can expect a pre-reservation system to remain in place for the foreseeable future — perhaps until September 2021.
Earlier information:
- The Disney Springs shopping and dining district is now mostly open. The Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will reopen on 11 July, with Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios following on 15 July. The theme parks will be operating with restricted/staggered opening hours, with no Extra Magic Hours. There has been no announcement about dates for reopening the water parks.
- In order to safely control capacity, all guests will be required to pre-register for each specific theme park visit online, simply holding a valid ticket will not permit admission on its own. Park-hopping facilities will not be available.
- The new park-entry reservation system opens online on the My Disney Experience website (not the app) at 7am EDT on 22 June for guests with existing hotel bookings as long as they also have valid park admission passes linked to their account. On 26 June Annual Passholders without hotel reservations will be able to book reservations, but there is a limit of three booked dates held at any one time. On 28 June off-site guests with any other ticket types will be able to make reservations. All of these bookings are subject to availability due to park capacities, and sadly we can expect a pre-reservation system to remain in place for the foreseeable future — perhaps until September 2021. New ticket sales are currently still on hold, so all of this applies to existing ticket holders only. See the Disney Website for more details on what you’ll need to do.
- Pre-entry temperature scanning will be performed on all guests, so please DO NOT travel if you are already unwell or have any COVID symptoms as you will not be permitted to enter Walt Disney World properties. See floridahealthcovid19.gov/travelers/ for current travel advice.
- The initial theme park experience will have a number of major modifications, including no direct character interactions, and no large-scale entertainment such as live shows, parades, water shows, or fireworks which attract closely-packed crowds. The after-hours Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween parties have all been cancelled for 2020. There will be no Limited Edition or similar special product releases in the parks, nor will there be any facility for package delivery to the front of the park or to your resort hotel.
- Face coverings will be required for everyone aged two or over in any public areas (indoor and outdoor) throughout Walt Disney World, and additional sanitisation and social distancing measures will be in place. Orange County have introduced a requirement for face coverings to be worn in ANY public locations within their county from 20 June.
- Dining and Attractions will be operating at reduced capacities and ALL existing pre-COVID reservations (FastPasses, ADRs, Tours, etc) have been cancelled and will need to be re-booked based on revised availability once the new entrance registration system is in place. Some sort of virtual queuing system for rides and attractions will probably be implemented, but at present no details have been released.
- The Disney Dining Plan (all versions, both free and paid) has been CANCELLED until at least the end of the year. Refunds will be issued, or 35% accommodation discounts offered to guests who made bookings with inclusive dining plans.
- Resort Hotels will begin reopening in phases, starting from 22 June. Fort Wilderness will be first, along with the Deluxe DVC villa accommodations which can inherently provide better social distancing for guests. Some of the restaurants at those locations will be re-opening too, but none of the popular character dining experiences apart from Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s new Riviera Resort. Online direct-to-room checkin is being strongly encouraged, along with contactless payment methods.
- As of early June yet there are no projected dates for the reopening of Port Orleans or the other resort hotels (a suggested date of 11 July was quickly removed from the Disney website). It is possible that, depending on initial demand and capacity, some existing bookings may get switched to other resorts. Update 21 June: Port Orleans unlikely to reopen any time before the end of October, see the Walt Disney World Resorts Information Page for details of other Resort opening dates.
- Visiting other resort hotels will only be possible if the guest already has a booking or a dining reservation, so casual visits to other locations will not be possible.
- Magical Express and the resort theme park buses will be operating, but capacities and restrictions are as yet unknown. The same applies to the Magic Kingdom area monorails. Minnie Vans and Valet Parking will not be available. The status of water craft is currently unknown.
- Resort swimming pools will mostly be open, but the main feature pools may have restricted hours or capacities. Other known closures include: Arcades, Campfires, Dog Parks, Boat and Cycle Rentals, Playgrounds, Spas, Salons (including Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique), Fun Runs, In-room childcare, special classes/sessions (e.g. drawing, food, hula classes, or animal interactions). It is planned for housekeeping to attend to rooms every two days, with additional linen and supplies being provided.
- On 10 June, the Disney Parks Blog posted a lot more information about the new pre-arrival “enhanced cleaning” room sanitisation process, including this infographic summary:
The above is just a brief summary of the currently understood reopening plans, for more information please keep an eye on local blogging sites who are posting updates multiple times a day, such as WDW News Today, Kenny the Pirate, and of course the official Walt Disney World website and Resorts page.