Tag: disney dining plan

UPDATE: Guests With Rescheduled Disney World Trips Due To Closures Receive 35% Room Discount In Place Of Canceled Free Dining Plan

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 30, 2020

Now that Governor Ron DeSantis has approved Disney World’s proposal, Disney will officially reopen July 11th. Disney World’s reopening has come with a LOT of changes. At this time, Disney is no longer accepting new hotel reservations and guests cannot purchase tickets as Disney rolls out their new reservation system.

Mickey Waffle at Magic Kingdom

Last night, Disney shared that ALL FastPasses and dining reservations were suspended for the time being. They also shared that they were canceling the Disney Dining Plan through September 2021.

And tonight, many guests are receiving an email with even more new information. Huge thanks to DFB reader @ashleyrakow who shared her email screen shot with us so that WE can share it with you!

Ashley’s original Disney World vacation was canceled as a result of the theme park closures, and upon rescheduling her trip to a July date, she originally received a “consolation” Free Disney World Dining Plan as part of the new vacation.

According to the email, Disney “will be modifying your package to remove the dining plan,” since all currently booked Disney Dining Plans have now been canceled. The email goes on to say, “As an accommodation, the price of the package will be adjusted to reflect a 35% savings on the room portion.”

Interesting! When info on the 35% discount was released yesterday, Disney had shared that you would have to rebook to a later date in order to receive the 35% discount. This no longer seems to be the case.

The email goes on to share that, “This modified package and price will be provided in a new confirmation. You will receive a refund of the difference in the package price if you have already paid in full or a reduction in amount due if you have not yet made final payment.”

©ashleyrakow

Therefore, this 35% discount was automatically added to the rescheduled package in place of the Free Disney World Dining Plan.

If Disney releases more information regarding this discount or the Disney Dining Plan, we will be sure to let you know. We know things are constantly changing and are hard to process, so we’re here to help. If you have any questions at all, please let us know and we will do our very best to get you the answers you need!!

Had you purchased a Disney Dining Plan? Let us know in the comments below.

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, Walt Disney World, disney dining plan, disney news, Disney reopening, Disney World

Tags disney dining plan, Disney News, disney reopening, Disney World, Featured, Walt Disney World

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Everything Disney World is Refunding Right Now!

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 30, 2020

Things have been shaken up in Disney World and we are here to help you sift through it all.

Epcot Monorail

Quick recap: Disney World closed in March, kept accepting reservations, announced reopening dates, then wiped out existing dining and FastPass+ reservations. Now what? Disney is still sorting our their plan of action for the reopening, but let’s take a look at each part of your vacation to see what they are currently refunding!

Disney World plans to open Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on July 11th followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15th. To help limit the parks’ capacities, Disney is rolling out a new reservation system. But what does that mean for guests who already booked resort reservations?

Disney World Resort Hotels

As the closure has been extended, Disney has been cancelling and refunding hotel reservations that were scheduled during the closure automatically.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney retracted their previous announcement that Resort Hotels (Other than Disney Vacation Club and Disney’s Fort Wilderness) would be reopening and have not released a reopening date for these other hotels. However, in order to accommodate guests with existing reservations, Disney World placed a hold on new hotel and ticket reservations. Guests with existing Resort reservations will have priority access to the new park reservation system.

Disney World Tickets

As we mentioned, you can’t purchase a new ticket right now, because Disney is focusing on guests with existing tickets for the time being. But with all the different types of Disney tickets available, Disney World is handling each one a little differently.

Park Tickets

Unexpired multi-day park tickets or date specific park tickets that would have been valid on March 12th are still being extended through December 15, 2020. Or, you can apply the value from an unused ticket towards a ticket at a later date.

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom

At this time, park-hopper add-ons will NOT be automatically refunded. According to a Cast Member we spoke with, “It will not happen automatically do to the fact that we currently do not have information on if our Guests will be able to park hop.”

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway sign

Disney’s new reservation system will require guests to book a ticket for a specific date, similar to how Shanghai Disneyland reopened. Guests with resort reservations will have priority access to this new system. Guests will also be required to have a valid park reservation and admission before they can book dining or other experiences. We will keep you updated when we hear more details about this new system!

Florida Resident Discovery Disney Tickets

Florida Resident Discovery Disney Tickets are currently valid through September 30, 2020.

Disney World Annual Passes

Disney stated that Annual Passholders might have access to special experiences and priority booking once the parks reopen. However, the website is still reflecting the same cancellation policy from the closures.

Special Ticketed Events

During the closure, Disney has been refunding event tickets for cancelled events including Disney’s After Hours, Villains After Hours, Early Morning Magic, and H20 Glow Nights.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom

Disney has discontinued ticket sales for upcoming events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but a Cast Member confirmed that — as of now — the tickets are still valid. We will keep you updated as we learn more about these parties.

Disney World Dining

In anticipation of the reopening, Disney has canceled all existing dining plans and dining reservations “including Disney dining plans included in packages.”

©Disney

So if you grabbed an advance dining reservation, you booked a Disney Dining Plan with your trip, OR you received a free Dining Plan with your vacation package — these will be automatically canceled and refunded. This cancellation applies to plans from May 28, 2020 through September 26, 2021.

All pre-paid dining or dining experience reservations will be automatically refunded and you will not be charged a cancellation or no-show fee.

Be Our Guest

Note: This does not mean Disney will not have dining plans or reservations by 2021, they are just clearing their current bookings to make way for a new system.

Once the new reservation system is live, the traditional 180 day booking window will change to a 60 day booking window prior to the reservation date. Additionally, if you are a Tables in Wonderland member, your membership will be extended by the number of days the parks are closed.

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Similar to the park reservation system, once the new dining reservation system goes live, guests with existing reservations will receive priority access to rebook dining reservations.

Now What??

A LOT has changed in the past several hours, so things are very much up in the air. Take a deep breath and know that you aren’t alone in this. We’re tracking down as much info as we can and will keep you posted here at DFB with the most up-to-date news we have!

If you have questions about your booking, you can call (407) 934-7639 for Disney Customer Support or use the chat feature to message with someone on the Disney World website. To cancel or change your reservation, you can do so online using My Disney Experience.

As you can imagine, Disney World is receiving a high volume of calls and messages, so there might be a bit of a wait. If you booked your trip with a travel agent, you can contact them for more details and for next steps. We’re in this together and please let us know your questions so we can help you out as much as possible!

If Disney World adds or changes any refund policies, we will keep updating this post with the newest information!

Click here to learn more about Disney World’s CONFIRMED reopening dates!

What questions do you have for us about the reopening? Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to get the answer to you!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney dining tips, disney parks, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, advance dining reservation, After Hours, dining, Disney, disney accommodations, disney dining, disney dining plan, Disney free dining, disney hotel, disney reservations, disney restaurant, disney springs, disney springs dining, disney springs restaurant, disney ticket, Disney World, disney world resort, disney world resort hotel, disney world ticket, free dining, free dining plan, hotel reservations, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, table service dining, walt disney world resort

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Disney World Cancels Disney Dining Plan and Suspends Character Dining

Post author By chipandco.com
Post date May 30, 2020

Disney has just sent out an update for guests with a Disney Dining Plan and guests Booked on a Free Dining Package.

As you know, as part of our plans for a phased reopening of Walt Disney World Resort, we have made the difficult decision to cancel existing dining and experience bookings through the end of the year. For your awareness, Guests with these bookings are receiving notifications from Disney that their reservations will be impacted.

Today notifications are going via email to guests with promotional or paid dine plans.

Please see below for examples of the letters that are going out to guests:

Resort hotel Guests who purchased Dining Plan, have a Dine/Experience Reservation

Resort hotel Guests who purchased Dining Plan, have a Dine/Experience Reservation and tickets

As we plan for the reopening of our Disney Resort Hotels and Theme Parks, we are keeping the wellbeing of our Guests and Cast in mind. And we’re here to help you as we introduce new measures focused on delivering an enjoyable and magical experience for everyone who visits.

Unfortunately, these new measures have also required us to cancel any dining reservations, experience reservations and FastPass+ selections you may have made.

As a result of physical distancing, capacity in restaurants and availability of dining experiences is very limited and certain experiences such as Character dining cannot be provided.

Because of this, we have also made the difficult decision to cancel and temporarily no longer offer Disney dining plans.

We recognize the inconvenience this poses and we’re deeply sorry. We will be modifying your package to remove the dining plan. The price of the package will be adjusted accordingly and your modified package and price will be provided in a new confirmation. You will receive a refund of the difference in the package price if you have already paid in full or a reduction in the amount due if you have not yet made the final payment.

There’s nothing you need to do at this time. We will be contacting you shortly with more details about the process to secure new reservations, including our new dining and experience reservation window which will accommodate selections up to 60 days prior to arrival to allow for planning closer to your visit.

At this time, while systems update, we are temporarily suspending all modifications. However, you have the option of canceling your entire reservation at any time.

We’re putting a great deal of thought into helping you return to the magic and appreciate your patience.

For more information, please visit disneyworld.com, call 407-W-DISNEY (934-7639), or contact your travel professional or Member Services.

Select third party operated restaurants and certain other experiences may not be canceled.

Resort hotel Guests who are booked on a Free Dining package

Resort hotel guests who are booked on a Free Dining package w/ ticket

Unfortunately, these new measures have also required us to cancel any dining reservations, experience reservations and FastPass+ selections you may have made.

As a result of physical distancing, capacity in restaurants and availability of dining experiences is very limited and certain experiences such as Character dining cannot be provided.

Because of this, we have also made the difficult decision to cancel and temporarily no longer offer Disney dining plans.

We recognize the inconvenience this poses and we’re deeply sorry. We will be modifying your package to remove the dining plan. As an accommodation, the price of the package will be adjusted to reflect a 35% savings on the room portion. This modified package and price will be provided in a new confirmation. You will receive a refund of the difference in the package price if you have already paid in full or a reduction in amount due if you have not yet made final payment.

At this time, while systems update, we are temporarily suspending all modifications. However, you have the option of canceling your entire reservation at any time.

We’re putting a great deal of thought into helping you return to the magic and appreciate your patience.

For more information, please visit disneyworld.com, call 407-W-DISNEY (934-7639), or contact your travel professional or Member Services.

Select third party operated restaurants and certain other experiences may not be canceled.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Characters, Walt Disney World, DDP, Disney Cancels, Disney Character Dining, Disney Dining Plan, Disney World

Tags Characters, DDP, Disney Cancels, Disney character dining, disney dining plan, Disney World, Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World

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BREAKING NEWS! Disney World Will Temporarily Suspend Extra Magic Hours Upon Reopening

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 29, 2020

Disney just announced a series of significant announcements that will have an impact on guests with 2020 arrivals. Already, we have heard about Disney’s plans to implement and advance reservation system for guests to access the parks.

Magic Kingdom

With Disney World intent on opening in mid-July, Disney has needed to adjust to fit the new health and safety protocols in place, which have included the cancellation of dining reservations, Disney Dining Plan packages, suspending FastPass+ and canceling all FastPass+ reservations. We saw some suspicious activity on Disney’s website over the past 24 hours or so, and now we know why.

Disney has also announced that upon reopening, they will temporarily suspend Extra Magic Hours. There is no further information at this time for how long this suspension will last.

In a statement made on Disney Parks Blog, Disney stressed that these decisions reflect the “guidance from health authorities and appropriate government agencies.” This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates as they are announced.

Do you currently have a 2020 reservation and have been impacted by these recent announcements? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, Walt Disney World, cancelled fastpass, cancelled reservations, disney dining plan, Disney World, Disney World reopening, extra magic hours

Tags cancelled fastpass, cancelled reservations, disney dining plan, Disney News, Disney World, Disney World reopening, extra magic hours, Featured, Walt Disney World

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BREAKING NEWS: Disney World Cancels ALL Disney Dining Plans And Current Dining Reservations

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 29, 2020

Following our earlier observation that dining reservations and the Disney Dining Plan were unable to be booked at this time, we now have some more details to share.

Mickey Pretzel!

It looks like guests planning to visit after Disney World’s reopening will NOT be permitted to have a Disney Dining Plan initally, among other big changes!

According to Disney, “we have made the difficult decision to cancel all existing dining reservations and experience bookings, including Disney dining plans included in packages, through the end of the year.”

DOLE WHIP!

Additionally, Disney stated, “We will reopen dining and experience bookings with more limited numbers closer to when the parks reopen. We will also shift from a 180-day booking window to a 60-day booking window for dining and experience bookings going forward to allow Guests to make their plans closer to their visits.”

©Disney

Note that the statement from Disney specifies impacted reservations will be from May 28th, 2020 all the way to September 26th, 2021. This is due to international bookings being made into 2021.

NOTE: This DOES NOT MEAN that Disney will not have dining reservations or Disney Dining Plans in 2021, as far as we know. It only means that they’re clearing out their current bookings so that they can release a new system to accommodate the lower capacity that the parks, restaurants, and hotels will be servicing.

Disney has also stated select third-party dining and experiences possibly may not be canceled at this time. So be sure to check your My Disney Experience when you can.

If guests were recipients of the Free Disney World Dining Plan offered to guests impacted by the closure, their plans will be canceled as well and they will have the option to rebook at a later date with a hefty 35% room discount.

Guests who hold a resort reservation or a canceled dining reservation will be given priority rebooking once that is announced.

Note that Disney World has also canceled FastPass bookings and has suspended their FastPass System temporarily. Click here to read more about this development.

So What Should You Do NOW?

Deep breath. Don’t panic. If you have a current Disney World hotel package you still have your hotel reservations.

Disney has stated that they will re-open Dining Reservation and Experience bookings closer to their opening date and that lead time — usually 180 days — will be shortened to 60 days. But you should still be able to make dining reservations and experience bookings for your vacation.

As for the FastPass system, Disney seems confident that the limited capacity of the parks will offer significantly reduced wait times for attractions and rides. We’ll keep our ear to the ground for more details there a well.

That said, we understand that many of you had already booked the *perfect* plans for your vacation — some of you having rescheduled multiple times already — and for that we truly feel your pain. This is a very difficult time when it’s so hard to book these trips in the first place.

If you have worked with a travel agent to plan your trip, contact them for more details and for next steps. If you booked your trip yourself, DO. NOT. FRET. We will get more information from Disney about the new booking procedures and we’ll share them with you ASAP. Things are gonna be a little bit different here for a while, but stick with us here at DFB. We gotchu as far as Disney info, details, and advice. And if you have any specific questions, please let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them…or find answers to them.

Click here to learn more about Disney World’s proposed reopening procedures

What do you think of these cancellations? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney dining plan, disney free dining offer, Disney World reopening, free dining

Tags disney dining plan, disney free dining offer, Disney News, Disney World reopening, Featured, free dining, Walt Disney World