Disney suspends FastPass service, cancels dining reservations

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Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at Disneyland Resort (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

ORLANDO, Fla. - Disney is suspending its FastPass service, pausing ticket sales, and canceling existing dining reservations as the theme park operator cautiously moves forward with plans to reopen in Florida this July.

On Friday, the state gave approval for Disney World to reopen. Disney will reopen its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks on July 11 followed by Hollywood Studios and Epcot on July 15.

Reopening with the slate of temporary changes will help theme park staff better manage park capacity, according to the company.

"We will automatically cancel existing FastPass+ selections and share any future updates on the service at a later date," the company said adding that Extra Magic Hours, which are extended theme park hours available to Disney World Resort hotel guests and some non-hotel guests, will also be temporarily suspended.

Disney is seeking to focus on guests with existing tickets and reservations for the time being before it resumes sales of tickets and Disney Resort hotel reservations, Disney said.

Disney's reopening in July would end a months-long shut down that stifled business for Central Florida's biggest employer. The parks have been closed since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the park works to limit capacity, it will also cancel all existing dining reservations and experience bookings, including Disney dining plans included in packages.

However, dining and experience bookings will reopen with more limited numbers closer to when the parks reopen, according to Disney which did not specify when.

When it does, Disney will also shift from a 180-day booking window to a 60-day booking window for dining and experience bookings "to allow guests to make their plans closer to their visits."

Disney also warned that for the foreseeable future, its FastPass+ service, allowing guests to skip the line for popular attractions, will be suspended in an effort to better manage capacity at its attractions and maintain physical distancing.

Disney's proposal came in tandem with SeaWorld's reopening plans, which is also waiting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' approval.

SeaWorld Orlando has also been given the green light by DeSantis to begin reopening. SeaWorld plans to reopen June 10 for an employee appreciation night. Then, on June 11, they will reopen to the public.

Both theme park operators are seen as a pivotal piece in Florida's tourism industry.

Fox Business contributed to this report.