Disney World And Coronavirus: How To Rebook Your Vacation

When each state can relax social distancing measures will vary. Florida has a four-phase plan to fully reopen the state, ranked from Phase 0 to Phase 3. Florida partially reopened under Phase 1 on Monday, May 4. This means restaurants can open but operate at no more than 50% capacity but bars, pubs and nightclubs with 50% of sales or more from alcohol must remain closed. State parks, public beaches and large venues like movie theaters, arcades and auditoriums can reopen with strict social distancing measures. Theme parks, however, should remain closed.

Theme parks fall into the second phase of the reopening plan. During Phase 2, theme parks may consider reopening with capacity limits, strict social distancing, and proper cleaning and disinfecting measures. Theme parks may return to normal operations with limited social distancing measures under Phase 3.

Under Florida's Phase 1, many retail locations like those found at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World's retail, dining and entertainment complex, are able to open. Disney announced that a limited number of third-party businesses at Disney Springs will reopen on May 20. That means that restaurants and shops not owned by Disney can open, while those owned by Disney, such as World of Disney, will remain closed for now. Disney Springs will operate with limitations on capacity, parking and hours as well as enhanced cleaning measures and a face mask requirement for guests and cast members.

It's impossible to say when Disney World will fully reopen, especially as the coronavirus situation is constantly changing. One of the top tips for planning a Disney World vacation in general is to book at least six months before your planned travel date, so consider going in late fall 2020 or early winter 2021. Dining reservations open up 180 days before the first day of your trip, so if you hope to get that coveted Be Our Guest dinner spot or a meal at California Grill, you'll want to jump on that at the 180-day mark.

If you have a travel agent and didn't book through Disney directly, be sure to contact your travel agent directly so they can reschedule your trip and cancel any reservations for you.

If you were planning on flying from your hometown to Orlando, be sure to modify your airline reservation. One of the first things you should know about coronavirus and travel is that airlines such as American, United, Delta and more are waiving change fees for certain travel dates or allowing customers to cancel flights and use the funds toward another flight at a later date.

In order to modify your reservations for hotel rooms, Fastpasses, meals and more, just log into Disney World's planning site and pick a new pair of dates. If you can't do so online, you can call the appropriate reservation line. Though Disney reservations are available beginning July 1, you can modify your booking at any time if the resort opens before or after that date.

MagicBands are sent to Disney World hotel guests and can be used as hotel room keys, credit cards, theme park tickets and more. If you already placed an order and your MagicBand has shipped, you'll still get it. If you were going to pick up your MagicBand at your hotel during the cancellation period, your order will be automatically canceled and refunded.

If you're the kind of person who goes to Disney World every year or multiple times of year, you may be an annual passholder. If you've paid in full, all annual passes will be extended for the number of days the parks are closed. You can also request a partial refund by calling 407-939-7277. 

If you're on a monthly payment plan, Disney has automatically stopped payments. If you do nothing, your pass expiration date will stay the same and payment will resume once the parks reopen. You can also call 407-939-7277 to postpone your payments and have them automatically resumed once the parks reopen, with an extension for the number of days the parks were closed.

To rebook dining, you can go to Disney World's planning website, search for the restaurant you want and the dates you are planning for your rescheduled trip. Dining reservations open up 180 days before the first day of your vacation for onsite guests and 180 days in advance for all others. So be sure to log on early to secure your table at one of Magic Kingdom's best restaurants.

Disney World's Fastpasses are not automatically transferring with your reservation. When you nail down your new dates, you can make three Fastpass selections per day for your entire stay 60 days in advance of your first night if you're staying at a Disney hotel. If you're staying offsite, Fastpasses open up 30 days in advance. Log on to Disney's planning site so you can walk right onto Splash Mountain and the rest of Magic Kingdom's best rides.