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.
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
