The magic is returning to Walt Disney World, and soon, you can too! We are so excited for 2021 vacation packages to go on sale this week. Walt Disney World will look a little bit different when it reopens. We're not quite sure how long the changes will last, but we are confident that Disney will do an amazing job keeping guests safe and entertained. 

If you want to visit Walt Disney World in 2021, NOW is the time to reach out to your Travel Professional! Due to the new Park Pass reservation system, you may need to be flexible with your dates in order to ensure Park Pass availability. Booking early will give you the best chance of making Park Pass reservations with ease. 

A few changes to note for 2021: 
- No dining plans: right now, Disney has stopped selling their dining plans. We hope to see them come back in the near future. Dining reservations are now booking 60 days prior to check in!
- Park Pass reservations: once your travel professional has made your 2021 package reservation and it has been linked to your My Disney Experience account, you will need to immediately make your Park Pass reservations. If you need some guidance on how to do that, you can read our blog post here! 

We are so excited to help get our clients trips to Walt Disney World booked and planned! If you have questions, please reach out to your RTR Travel Professionals. We are hoping that additional availability for 2020 will be opening later this summer, and we will be sure to update you when we hear more!

Lauren Regan, Travel Professional with Road To Relaxation Travel
Travel planning has always been something I loved to do. I found that researching a trip and learning everything I possibly could about a destination was something that gave me immense satisfaction. However, I knew that not everyone enjoyed this aspect of traveling as much as I do.

​In January 2016, I joined Road to Relaxation Travel. My goal: to make my client’s vacations as stress free as possible. I know that my clients don’t necessarily get to travel as much as they’d like to - and I want them to have the best possible experience they can.

This morning, Disney rolled out the new Disney Park Pass reservation system! If you are planning to visit Walt Disney World between July 11, 2020 and September 26, 2021, then you'll need to make a Park Pass reservation for each day you wish to visit the parks! 

The process is fairly simple, but we wanted to show you guys how to make these reservations step by step so that you know what you are doing! As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to your Road to Relaxation Travel Professional! While we can't make your Park Pass reservations for you, we can try to help in any way we can!

Step 1: My Disney Experience
Make sure that your reservation is properly linked in My Disney Experience by logging in here: WDW Website Login.

Step 2: Go to the Park Pass System Page
The Park Pass System page can be found here: Disney's Park Pass System.
Or by hovering over My Disney Experience and selecting "Park Pass System"
from the drop down. When the page loads, click the "Make a Disney Park
Pass Reservation" button.

Step 3: Choose Your Travel Party
Select the people you are traveling with from the list. If you do not see
someone on here, then they have not been linked properly. Please refer to
Disney's guide on how to link family and friends here: Link Friends & Family.

Step 4: Choose a Date and Park
After you choose your travel party, you will need to choose the date and park
you want to visit. You can check park availability online prior to making
reservations here: Availability Calendar. Make sure to choose "Resort
Reservation" if you have a package!

Step 6: Review Reservation & Confirm
After confirming the park hours, the screen will advance and show you the
reservation you just made. At the bottom of the screen is a checkbox to
acknowledge that you have read the terms and conditions, along with a
Covid-19 Liability Waiver.

If the system is working, the process is not difficult and doesn't take very long at all.   Of course if you have any issues, let your Road To Relaxation Travel Professional know so we can assist you if possible.

Today we received some of the most anticipated updates as it pertains to Walt Disney World, mainly the Park Reservation System.  I promise to condense this down as much as possible, but let's just jump right into the details.
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EXISTING TICKET HOLDERS

• Guests that currently have a Walt Disney World Resort Reservation WITH either Valid Theme Park Tickets or Annual Pass will be able to make Park Reservations on Monday June 22nd.  These MUST be linked in My Disney Experience.   
• Guests that currently have an Annual Pass WITHOUT a Walt Disney World Resort Reservation will be able to make Park Reservations on Friday June 26th.
• Other existing ticket holders that do not fall in the previous categories will be able to make Park Reservations on Sunday June 28th. 

NEW TICKET SALES & PACKAGES

• New Disney Resort hotel packages and theme park tickets for 2021 will go on sale by Sunday June 28th.
• Based on availability, sales of 2020 Disney Resort hotel packages and tickets will go on sale at a later time yet to be determined.

NOTABLE ITEMS

• If you have a Walt Disney World room only reservation for 2020, in order to make a Park Reservation you must have a valid Theme Park Ticket.  Your RTR Travel Professional can add the tickets to your reservation beginning on Wednesday June 24th.  Once this is added and linked through your My Disney Experience, you will be able to make Park Reservations.
• You can only reserve ONE park per day.  At this time, Park Hopping is not an option for your Theme Park Tickets.

If you are thinking about a Walt Disney World trip in 2021, please let your Travel Professional know as soon as possible.  With the current reservation setup and resort availability, we will want to get you reserved as soon as possible when the window opens so you don't have to stress!  Our professionals are on top of all the updates and are prepared to handle your vacation plans.
​
Stay tuned into the RTR Travel Blog as we do have some more WDW updates to share, but we wanted to get this one out first to help aid our 2020 Walt Disney World clients!

As more businesses begin opening in the United States, we are also seeing some of our favorite islands and resorts beginning to open too!  This week we received important information from our partners at Sandals in regards to their opening plan throughout the Caribbean.  It's important to note that all of these dates are subject to change, so please verify with your Travel Professional when beginning to plan your next big adventure! 

Let's run down the islands and resorts so that we can start planning your great summer or fall esacape!

Antigua - Island reopened to Tourism on June 4th
Sandals Grand Antigua - Open Now!

Jamaica - Island reopens to Tourism on June 16th 
Sandals Montego Bay - Opens June 16th
Sandals Royal Caribbean - Opens July 2nd
Sandals Negril - Opens August 7th
Sandals Ochi - Opens September 3rd
Sandals South Coast - Opens October 1st
Sandals Royal Plantation - Opens October 8th

Bahamas - Island Reopens to Tourism on July 2nd
Sandals Emerald Bay - Opens July 2nd
Sandals Royal Bahamian - Opens November 1st

Saint Lucia - Island Reopens to Tourism on July 7h
Sandals Grande St. Lucian - Opens July 7th
Sandals Regency La Toc - Opens July 14th
Sandals Halcyon Beach - Opens November 1st

Grenada - Island Reopens to Tourism on July 7th
Sandals Grenada - Opens July 7th

Barbados - TBD on date for Reopening to Tourism
Sandals Barbados - Open TBD
Sandals Royal Barbados - Open TBD

​There is still time to take that romantic getaway with your partner this year!  Remember the Caribbean is Calling Your Name and Road to Relaxation Travel can plan your Next Big Getaway!!  Your Travel Professional is up to date on all the entry requirements for each island along with any resort specific procedures.  We are always here to ensure we put the Relaxation back into your Vacation! ​

Universal Orlando opened to onsite guests and Annual Passholders (with reservations) on June 3rd & June 4th!  We headed down to Florida on the 3rd to check into Hard Rock Hotel and see what was happening here at Universal! We arrived at Hard Rock Hotel and were immediately impressed with all the safety measures Universal is taking to keep their guests safe.   Here are some of things they are doing:

• There are social distancing markers and reminders everywhere.
• Most lines have been moved to virtual.
• You are given hand sanitizer before boarding any ride.
• 3D Glasses are handed out individually.
• You are loaded in a social distancing manner at all attractions by party size.
• Most Quick Service locations have mobile ordering available.
• You wait to be seated at a table at most Quick Service locations to accommodate social distancing.
• Hotel rooms are not being serviced while guests are checked in to the resort.  They are cleaning after guests leave and trying to leave rooms empty for at least 24 hours.
• There are signs recommending that only one party at a time ride in each elevator.  
• Team Members are constantly sanitizing high touch areas.​

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​Our experience has been absolutely amazing.  Team Members are friendly and cheerful as usual.   Everyone has been really helpful and polite even when they have to remind us to wear our masks or to social distance.   There has been very little inconvenience in all of the changes.

We do have the Unlimited Express due to staying at one of the Premier Onsite Hotels.  I feel like this is even more important than during previous visits.   Many attractions only have the option for a Virtual Line or an Express Pass.  Having the Express Pass keeps us from having to be on our Universal App throughout the day trying to get an Express Pass.   

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure does now have a virtual line.   This is a nice change from when the parks were open previously.   It still does not have an Express Pass.

There has been lots of concern about wearing face coverings in the parks.  Honestly, it is hot at times.   And some of my masks were itchy at times.  However most of the time, it is simply not a big deal.   We saw many children wearing masks throughout the parks and we did not witness one meltdown.  We met one mother and daughter who had a different mask themed for each land in the parks.  There were so many creative masks including three versions sold by Universal.  Personally I took two face coverings each day.  I took a neck gaiter and a mask.  I really liked wearing the neck gaiter on the attractions as I didn't have any concerns about it flying off.  However every once in awhile I wanted to switch out to a mask just to have a different fabric on my face.   

Lockers are in use for many rides and the lines there with the social distancing and sanitizing can get long.  That was probably the largest hiccup I saw at Universal.  As always, we recommend doing Universal without a bag, if at all possible, to best utilize your time.

Overall, we are extremely impressed with how Universal is protecting their guests.   We are enjoying our visit and haven't found much hassle in the new procedures at all.   If you are ready to travel, let your Road To Relaxation Travel know.   Universal Orlando would be a good place to start!