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Disney Parks Other

NBA To Vote Thursday On Resuming Season At Disney World

The National Basketball Association suspended its 2019-2020 season earlier this year as a response to the recent global events.

NBA Experience

Since the season was paused, the NBA has been in talks with potential locations to resume games including Las Vegas and Disney World. And next week, the NBA will make its decision on how the season will proceed.

Disney World was recently referred to as the “front-runner” with the potential to host the remainder of the season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the NBA commissioner and other league officials have notified the Board of Governors of their goal to resume the season on July 31st. The board will vote on Thursday, June 4th, to determine the specific date and setting for the remaining games.

NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, has reportedly recommended finishing the games in Orlando and the board is expected to approve this proposal.

NBA Experience

The league will continue to work with the National Basketball Players Association to determine the schedule and safety protocols if the season is to resume. We will continue to keep you updated on this developing story.

You can read more about Disney World’s reopening plan here!

Were you following the 2019-2020 NBA season? Let us know your thoughts about resuming the season below!

Related posts:

  1. Disney World is the Reported Frontrunner to Host the Rest of the NBA Season
  2. The BIGGEST Time Wasters in Disney World — And How To Avoid Them!
  3. When Does Disney World Start Putting Up Its Christmas Decorations?

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Entertainment, Featured, Walt Disney World, Basketball, basketball season, Disney, Disney World, espn, ESPN Wide World of Sports, National Basketball Association, NBA, nba 2019-2020 season, NBA Season, walt disney world resort

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Disney Merch Disney News Disney Parks Other

Everything Disney World is Refunding Right Now!

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.”

You can read more about Disney World’s Ticket extension policy here!

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!

You can read more about the reservation system here!

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.

You can read more about Disney World’s Annual Pass refund process here!

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.

You can read more about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets here!

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.

You can read more about the dining cancellations here!

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 Parks Other

#DisneyMagicMoments: Joe Rohde and Jon Landau Celebrate the Third Anniversary of Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Pandora – The World of Avatar

Sivako! We’re celebrating Pandora – The World of Avatar, which three years ago this week officially welcomed guests inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort for the first time. And as you may imagine, the story behind this lush, awe-inspiring place goes back … quite a bit further.

To tell that tale, we brought together two of the lead creative partners responsible for developing the land: Joe Rohde, portfolio creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, and Jon Landau, producer of “Avatar” and its sequels. These two visionaries assembled a team of thousands to turn a wondrous cinematic digital world into a complete physical environment that inspires and thrills.

I have a great level of respect and admiration for the creativity and the commitment to design that both Joe and Jon have brought to the entertainment industry through the years. Pandora – The World of Avatar is a wonder of our world and has truly ushered in a new era of immersive storytelling at Walt Disney World Resort.

As you listen to Joe and Jon, you’ll learn how Pandora – The World of Avatar meshes with Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You’ll hear them discuss the similarities between developing a themed environment and a major motion picture. And you’ll gain an understanding of how the stories of the film, the land and the park complement one another.

I’m so excited to share this #DisneyMagicMoment with you, I feel like I could … uh … fly. Enjoy!

For more #DisneyMagicMoments like this in the future, keep checking back with us here at the Disney Parks Blog.

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort, Imagineers, Pandora – The World of Avatar, Video, WDW

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Disney Parks Other Star Wars

Keep an Eye Out for Stormtroopers from A Galaxy Far, Far Away at Disney Springs

There’s already a lot of excitement happening out at Disney Springs this week with the reopening of the iconic World of Disney store, but we’ve also come across some visitors from a galaxy far, far away. If you spent some time at Disney Springs on Wednesday, you may have spotted some First Order Stormtroopers patrolling the area, on the lookout for members of the Resistance!

Stormtroopers at Disney Springs

We hear they’re stationed on some balconies these days. If you do see them, it’s probably best to snap a photo from afar and “move along,” as Stormtroopers may not appreciate you getting too close. And, if you’re feeling particularly brave, sport some of the Resistance gear you may have picked up on a visit to Batuu! Of course, if you’re more of a First Order sympathizer and want to fly those colors … well, the Stormtroopers will appreciate that, I’m sure.

Stormtroopers at Disney Springs

Disney Springs is in the midst of a phased reopening. The World of Disney store opened its doors Wednesday, along with other Disney-owned and -operated venues D-Luxe Burger (mobile order) and the Marketplace Co-Op. For the latest information about the reopening of Disney Springs, including what you need to know before you arrive, operating hours and a list of open locations, visit DisneySprings.com/reopening. May the Force be with you!

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Walt Disney World Resort, WDW

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What’s New at World of Disney in Disney Springs: Inflatable Minnie Ears, Baby Yoda Plush, and Gifts for Grads!

As of yesterday, several Disney-owned locations reopened in Disney Springs.

World of Disney

And while yesterday there was over a three-hour wait to get inside World of Disney, today we walked right in! Let’s take a look around and see what’s in stock at the moment!

Disney Springs began a phased reopening last week with third-party stores and restaurants, but yesterday Disney-owned stores such as World of Disney and Marketplace Co-Op began reopening as well.

Ears Section

World of Disney has posted its hours as 10AM to 10PM (the same as Disney Springs) so we were a little surprised to see the store was open to guests at 8AM today! A Cast Member we spoke to said they decided to get an early jump on the day in order to “get a better handle on things.” At this time we’re not sure if the store will be changing it’s operating hours because she seemed to imply they are taking things day by day!

Men’s Section

And unlike yesterday, we didn’t have to use the new virtual queue system to go shopping at World of Disney today! Like we said, we simply walked right in because there were hardly any crowds!

2020 Merch

While we did see some Cast Members wearing gloves restocking the shelves, we DIDN’T see a few items we spotted yesterday.

See how different Disney Springs looks today compared to yesterday here!

Sold Out

The Baby Yoda Plush for $24.99 has sold out and they don’t know when he will be coming back. 

Baby Yoda Plush is Sold Out

They had about ten of the left from yesterday when the store reopened, but they’re already flown off the shelves!

Read more about the super-popular Baby Yoda Plush here!

Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction merchandise is also completely gone.

Pirates of the Caribbean Minnie Plush and Other Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction Merch is Sold Out

Yesterday, they had a few February’s Pirates of the Caribbean Minnie Plush and March’s Mad Tea Party stuff left, but it has already vanished!

Read about this SOLD OUT collection here.

There was plenty of other great merch in stock, though! In fact, the salesfloor and shelves at World of Disney today looked just as full to us as they did before the closure. And even though we knew some of it had been around since before the parks closed, there were plenty of new items we haven’t seen in real life yet as well!

World of Disney

Since we were trying to be mindful of not handling the merchandise too much, we didn’t catch prices on all of these items, but a lot of what we saw today has also recently appeared on shopDisney, so we’ll link ’em for you when applicable!

Ink & Paint Collection

We spotted some Ink & Paint merchandise was still in stock along with the adorable Sorcerer Mickey Loungefly which magically had appeared at the parks last February.

Ink & Paint Collection

It was a much smaller display than we had seen previously, and sadly no Ink & Paint Coffee Mugs are available at this time!

Check out some of the items in the Ink & Paint collection here!

Neon Collection

Previously we’d never seen this collection before, except on our computer screens! We can assure you, these colors really pop in person!

Neon Collection

Click here for more info on the Disney parks’ new Neon Collection!

The Neon Mickey Plushes were all lined up, looking for a good home!

Neon Mickey Plush

And we also spotted the new Neon Walt Disney World Hat with a see-through visor! Very cutting edge!

Neon Hat

We spotted some new Youth Neon Shirts

Neon Merch

…as well as the Jerrod Maruyama Neon Mickey Figurine!

Neon Mickey Figurine

There was even a tail-wagging Neon Spirit Jersey for Pets for $36.99! 

Neon Pet Spirit Jersey

Meanwhile, humans were going nuts over the new Neon Loungefly Backpack! Love the little Mickey ears!

Neon Loungefly Backpack

The neon straps it has on its back are totally awesome while the rest of the bag is made of a tinted neon blue plastic!

Neon Loungefly Backpack

And there were plenty of Neon Crocs for adults still in stock as well!

Neon Crocs

We also discovered a bunch of the equally-groovy new Tie-Dye Spirit Jerseys were in stock!

Tie-Dye Spirit Jersey

Check out how colorful and amazing the BACK is!

Tie-Dye Spirit Jersey

But that’s not all the new merch we spotted! In fact, Disney World’s summer line has just arrived!

Click here to learn more about the new Disney parks Tie-Dye Spirit Jerseys!

Summer Collection

Babies — get ready to have some fun in the sun with these adorable new Summer Onesies!

Summer Onesies

Check out even more items in the new Disney World summer collection here!

And check out its matching Summer Hat which has a reversible design!

Summer Hat

If you’re looking for us later, we’ll be lounging poolside with these new Summer Flip Flops featuring colorful fruit designs!

Flip Flops

And did we happen to mention how perfect they’ll look with our new Inflatable Minnie EarsThese things are even more GORGEOUS in person!

Inflatable Minnie Ears

We also spotted the new Watermelon Hip Bag for $29.99 which is so wonderfully cute!

Watermelon Hip Bag

And we said “aloha” to the new Men’s Summer Shirt which has Dole Whips and Mickey Ice Cream Bars all over it!

Men’s Shirt

This Youth’s Summer Shirt was puttin’ off some sunny vibes!

Summer Youth Shirt

And even if the forecast calls for some rain, we wouldn’t mind dodging a few raindrops in this adorable new Rain Jacket! It’s also patterned all over with Mickey Ice Cream Bars along with pink flamingos and flowers!

Rain Jacket

We also spotted a few summer styles that made us feel right at home like this new Summer Shirt!

Summer Shirt

And for Ladies, we thought this Summer Tank Top said exactly what we were thinking.

Summer Tank Top

We also really liked Summer Hair Kit! It costs $14.99 and it’s packed with the essentials…

Summer Hair Kit

…aka colorful scrunchies! We’ve found out you can never have too many hair ties on a hot summer day!

Summer Hair Kit

But the new piece of summer merch we’re most obsessed with is this Walt Disney World Visor!

Summer Visor

It’s kinda retro and futuristic at the same time!

Class of 2020 Merchandise

Speaking of bright futures, check out the exclusive graduation items we spotted at World of Disney today! We spotted some Mickey Grad Caps embroidered with 2020!

Mickey Ear Grad Caps

And there were lots of Class of 2020 Socks in stock as well which we had spotted previously in Downtown Disneyland before the closure.

Class of 2020 Socks

We also spotted these Mickey Graduation Ear Headbands for $29.99! 

Mickey Graduation Ear Headbands

If you or someone you know is graduating this year, check out this special message recently sent out from Disney World here!

Kitchen Collection

We’ve been spending a lot more time in our kitchens lately, which is why we’re super excited to show you some new accessories to make your meal prep even more magical! We love this adorable new Mad Tea Party Mixing Bowl Set for $34.99!

Mad Tea Party Mixing Bowls

The set includes three ceramic mixing bowls inspired by our favorite Alice in Wonderland-themed ride!

Mad Tea Party Mixing Bowls

And how cute will these new Mickey and Minnie Salt and Pepper Shakers look on your dining table?

Salt and Pepper Shakers

The set costs $19.99 and each shaker looks like a coffee mug! These would make a great gift for the Disney mug collector in your life!

Salt and Pepper Shakers

We never thought we could love a Spoon Rest so much until we laid eyes on this Mickey balloon-shaped one for $9.99!

Mickey Balloon Spoon Rest

And we had to ask a Cast Member what this item was since we weren’t really sure at first. It turns out it’s a Mickey Balloon Toothpick Holder for $9.99!

Toothpick Holder

How fun would it be to grill up some burgers with this new Mickey Apron for $29.99?

Mickey Apron

Don’t worry! If you’re a Disney couple that enjoys cooking together, there’s also a new Minnie Apron for $29.99!

Minnie Apron

And there are even matching hot pads! Here’s the Mickey Pot Holder for $14.99.

Mickey Pot Holder

And here’s the Minnie Pot Holder for $14.99 with her iconic red and white polka dot bow. Beautiful!

Minnie Pot Holder

And check out these new sets of Disney Dishes we just spotted!

Disney Dishes

Each set includes six unique designs and costs $26.99! Here are the plates you get in the “Pluto” Dish Set!

Plate Set

And for you alphabet lovers, we spotted several ABC Disney Coffee Mugs were still well-stocked!

ABC Disney Mugs

You can also pick these up online if you’re unable to swing by!

See the entire ABC Disney Collection here!

Other New Merchandise

You didn’t think we were done shopping yet, did you? There’s still plenty left to look at! We spotted this new Sleeping Beauty Journal for $29.99 in the stationary section!

Sleeping Beauty Journal

While the cover is bedazzled with jewels, the inside is just as lovely. Check out these illustrations!

Sleeping Beauty Journal

We discovered this Cinderella Journal for $29.99 as well featuring some of our favorite animal friends on the cover!

Cinderella Journal

This one also had some beautiful artwork inside as well as lots of blank pages for note-taking.

Cinderella Journal

We can’t wait to try on this new Snow White Headband when we get home, now that our hair is down to our waists, something like this is stylish and practical!

Snow White Headband

We also spotted this super adorbs Youth Sequin Shirt for 29.99 with a cute little Minnie peeking up from the bottom!

Youth Reverse Sequin Shirt

But the sparkles don’t stop there! This new Youth Minnie Purse for $14.99 has lots of glitter and even a rainbow!

Youth Minnie Purse

Meanwhile, we know our little ones are going to love this new Minnie Hair Tie Set for $14.99!

Minnie Hair Tie Set

And can we just say how jealous we are of these Kids Rainbow Light-up Crocs? 

Kids’ Crocs

The Neon Crocs are great and all, but they don’t light up like these do! Man, kids get all the best stuff!

Kids’ Crocs

Minnie looks so adorable on these new Treat Yourself Journals for 16.99.

Treat Yourself Journals

There is also a new set of matching Treat Yourself Pens for $17.99 in pretty pastel colors!

Treat Yourself Pens

Speaking of pretty pastels, check out this fabulous tie-dye Minnie One-Piece! We wish this came in adult sizes, too!

Minne One-Piece

And this Youth Minnie Hoodie for $44.99 is pretty incredible too!

Youth Minnie Hoodie

Check out all the BLING it has on the back! So stinkin’ cute!

Youth Minnie Hoodie

We also spotted these adorable Minnie Keychain Pouches to clip onto your bag for your Airpods or charging cables.

Minnie Keychain Pouch

And these new Minnie Pom Pom Ice Cream Keychains are our newest obsession. SO CUTE!

Pom Pom Ice Cream Keychains

We also found these adorable Minnie Door Hangers for $7.99.

Minnie Door Hangers

And this new Minnie Backpack is going to drive our girls crazy! It’s so sparkly and FUN!

Minnie Backpack

Minnie has really been working overtime since the parks closed. She also posed for this new line of Minnie Phone Cases!

Minnie Phone Cases

We also spotted some new summery Beach Towels (which work just as great as Bath Towels, too!).

Beach Towels

And now that our pajamas are getting a little too worn in, check out this new Women’s Castle Pajama Set for $49.99 we’ll be replacing them with!

Women’s Castle Pajama Set

We also love this super comfy-looking Women’s Little Mermaid Sweatshirt for $44.99!

Little Mermaid Sweatshirt

And just when we thought we might be moving on from Briar Rose Gold, we spotted these miraculous Rose Gold Suitcases for $159! They also had plenty of Rose Gold Loungefly Backpacks in stock!

Rose Gold Suitcases

Check out the newly redesigned Briar Rose Gold Minnie Ears here!

While we’ve been loving the new Ashely Eckstein Designer Minnie Ears, we spotted a few new items in the Her Universe collection today including these Star Wars Leggings and Star Wars Tank Top!

Her Universe Star Wars Leggings and Tank Top

But Ashley Eckstein makes stuff for dudes too, like this Star Wars Shirt! Love the vintage graphics!

Star Wars Shirt

And for you Mando fans, even though the Baby Yoda Plush is sold out, there were plenty of Baby Yoda Shirts and Baby Yoda Spirit Jerseys still available!

Baby Yoda and The Mandalorian Shirts

Learn more about the Baby Yoda Spirit Jersey here!

Well, friends! We hope you had as much fun shopping with us as we had with you! We’ll be back soon to show you more new merchandise soon!

Check out our full experience at World of Disney here including what safety measures they’ve put in place!

What were you hoping to see in World of Disney? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
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