The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived… Walt Disney World is open and welcoming guests again! After closing nearly four months ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom have officially reopened today, July 11th. EPCOT and Hollywood Studios are also set to open a few days from now on July 15th.

Earlier this week, Walt Disney World opened for Cast Member and Annual Passholder preview days before officially reopening to the public. With these preview days we got to see some of the new safety measures and procedures in use, as well as catch a glimpse of some of the new entertainment offerings, which you can also see a little bit of in this video from Disney:

Now that Disney World is open again, guests will need a Park Pass reservation for each day and they will also have their temperatures checked before entry. Masks are also currently required for anyone ages two and up, and physical distancing markers are present in all queuing areas. For added comfort and safety, Disney World has also added sanitizing and hand washing stations throughout the parks as well as rest areas where guests can remove their masks for a while.

Though regular parades and shows are temporarily on hold, new character cavalcades make surprise daily appearances in each of the four parks. So far we’ve seen characters like Gaston and Merida riding horses around Magic Kingdom, and Winnie the Pooh’s friends Piglet, Rabbit, and Eeyore on the Main Street Trolley. We’ve also seen characters on parade floats including Mickey and friends, Goofy and friends, Pooh and friends, and Tinkerbell on several smaller floats and the Disney Princesses riding by on larger parade floats. Over at Animal Kingdom we’ve seen Donald’s DinoLand friends float by on boats, as well as the Discovery Island Drummers. You can see the full list of the characters and musical performers we can expect to see at all four parks now that Walt Disney World is open again in our “Walt Disney World Changes” article!

For an added fun surprise at the end of the Passholder Preview days, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and several Cast Members waved goodbye to all of the visitors for the day. Even though the guest experience may be a little different now that Disney World is open again, it is so wonderful to see that Disney has found a way to bring back that special “Disney magic” that you can only find at their theme parks!

We are excited to see what new, fun experiences Walt Disney World has planned for visitors now that they have reopened! Stay tuned for more updates and articles that cover the reopening of the parks, including EPCOT and Hollywood Studio’s reopening on July 15th and a look at the Taste of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival!

To everyone visiting the parks again now that Walt Disney World is open, “Welcome Home”!

While you’re here, check out some of these related articles to help you get the most out of your vacation now that Walt Disney World is open again:

As always, we encourage you to visit Disney’s website for all official information and to make sure that none of this information has changed since this article was written. We update our website and articles as often as we can, but it is always a good idea to double check Disney’s official website before booking any resort stays or visiting the Walt Disney World Resort.

Last Updated July 11, 2020