Disney World and Disneyland to accept new reservations starting in June

A reopening date for Disney resorts has not yet been announced

US Disney parks to begin accepting new reservations 1 June (Getty)

Walt Disney World and Disneyland are accepting reservations for June, after the parks closed indefinitely in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

After originally planning to open the amusement parks at the end of March, The Walt Disney Company announced last week that both US resorts would be closed indefinitely.

According to the company, the decision to close both the California and Florida parks was made “in line with direction provided by health experts and government officials".

“While there is still much uncertainty with respect to the impacts of Covid-19, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees remains The Walt Disney Company’s top priority,” the statement read.

However, according to announcements shared on the websites of both Disney World and Disneyland, new reservations will be accepted from 1 June on - despite neither park having an official reopening date yet.

According to the company, the reservations are open for guests planning a future vacation as well as guests with existing reservations that need to be modified.

“As always, guests are able to modify these bookings if Walt Disney World Resort opens before or after that time,” the updated statement reads.

The theme parks will also be waiving “Disney-imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in for reservations with arrivals through 30 June,” to provide additional flexibility.

Additionally, Walt Disney World guests who have unused, previously purchased park tickets “with a valid use period beginning 12 March 2020 through the closure” will have their tickets automatically extended to use any date through 15 December 2020.

“We will continue to carefully evaluate this complex and fluid situation,” Disney said.

Previously, the company revealed that it would be continuing to pay its park employees through 18 April despite closing.

“The Walt Disney Company has been paying its cast members since the closure of the parks, and in light of this ongoing crisis and increasingly complex crisis, we have made the decision to extend paying hourly parks and resorts cast members through 18 April,” a statement released 27 March read.

While reopening dates have not yet been announced, statistical analysts believe the resorts will see “above normal attendance” eight to 10 weeks after they do reopen.

“Once Disneyland reopens, we expect that it will take eight to 10 weeks for attendance to reach normal levels and then attendance will be above normal as people reschedule their cancelled vacations,” Steve Bloom, statistical analyst for Touring Plans hypothesised, according to The Orange County Register.