Author: disneyfoodblog.com

When it comes to Disney World, the only constant is change! And due to the historic closures that started in mid-March, we anticipated some pretty BIG changes were on their way.

Some of these, however, completely blew our minds! Even WE didn’t see some of these changes coming! Let’s dive into the weirdness, shall we??

The NBA and MLS are calling Disney World home!

Perhaps the strangest change coming to Disney World is that for the next few months, they will be the home to two major sports leagues! Talk about worlds colliding!

The NBA is all but certain to resume their 2019-2020 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. In addition, the MLS is also making moves to play out the rest of their season at Disney World, too!

While the NBA moves in, the players and staff will occupy three Disney World Resort hotels. This would be for the duration of their season, which includes gameplay from July 31 through October 12.

Catch up on the news that the NBA will resume their season at Disney World!

The DVC Resorts are opening before the theme parks…and all the other resorts!

A common and understandable theory amongst fans was that Disney World would possibly reopen the theme parks first — before any resort hotels — to control crowd levels. With limited park capacity assured, keeping the resorts closed for the time being seemed like an obvious way to mitigate large amounts of visitors.

But it seems as though that guess was FAR off the mark!

Disney announced that their Disney Vacation Club resorts at Disney World, in addition to Fort Wilderness Lodge, would reopen on June 22, nearly three weeks ahead of the theme parks reopening.

The announcements surrounding Disney World’s hotels got even more surprising from there! We recently learned that Guests can modify their existing reservations (a first since Disney announced their reopening dates), but with a huge catch: they are required to rebook into a DVC Deluxe Villa, or a cabin at Fort Wilderness. As of this writing, new bookings for hotel reservations are still unavailable.

Once Guests arrive at the resorts, their stay will look very different from previous visits to Disney World. Resort hopping will not be an option, unless you have a confirmed dining reservation at the resort you’d like to visit. Other experiences and amenities will not be available initially, including spas, playgrounds, arcades, and character experiences.

Read more about the changes coming to Disney World Resort hotels here!

FastPass+ is temporarily suspended altogether.

One of the most shocking announcements that has been made in recent weeks is the total suspension of FastPass+, which resulted in all existing FastPass+ reservations being canceled.

While this announcement came as a surprise, once it was explained, we could see how this was a necessary decision! Disney mentioned in their announcement that the additional queue space will help in managing and maintaining the physical distancing necessary during this initial reopening period.

Additionally, the parks will be open to such a limited number of people, FastPass+ won’t really be necessary according to our calculations.

At this time we do not know how long FastPass+ will remain unavailable. This is definitely a major shift in how guests will be planning their days at the Disney World parks for the time being.

Read more about Disney’s decision to temporarily suspend FastPass+ here!

The Disney Dining Plan is temporarily suspended

In addition to the announcement that FastPass+ would be temporarily suspended, we also learned that the incredibly popular Disney Dining Plan would also be suspended for the time being.

This announcement came when we also learned that all existing Advance Dining Reservations were canceled. With limited capacity enforced at Disney’s restaurants, we weren’t too surprised to learn about those reservations needing to be reconfigured. Any guest who had an impacted reservation will have the ability to rebook at a later date.

To hear that the Disney Dining Plan is being completely halted was a shocker to us! We have no information at this time as to when the Dining Plan may resume.

Learn more about the suspension of the Disney Dining Plan here!

Extra Magic Hours are temporarily suspended

Another major announcement that surprised us quite a bit is that Extra Magic Hours will be temporarily suspended. This came as a shock to us because major theme parks like Universal Orlando are continuing some version of extended park hours for their hotel guests.

Extra Magic Hours are a great tool to disperse crowds, especially when it comes to those morning arrivals. It’s also at least one free perk Disney can still extend to their resort guests, who are seeing more and more amenities being suspended or limited ahead of the parks and resorts reopening. It’s unclear why Disney has made this decision to halt this resort perk for the time being.

Learn more about Disney’s decision to temporarily halt Extra Magic Hours here!

The theme parks are reopening sooner than we thought

Ultimately, the string of changes coming to Disney World that have surprised us are all within the context of the theme parks reopening. In the bigger picture, we are a bit surprised at how SOON the theme parks are reopening.

Part of our surprise comes from the fact that Disney World’s sister park, Disneyland, has been pretty quiet in their reopening plans. Just last week Disneyland announced their reopening timeline weeks after Disney World announced their plans.

When states are slow to reopen much smaller businesses like movie theaters and gyms, it seems as though something as huge as Disney World wouldn’t be so quick to open their doors again. However, what we have observed in recent weeks is that Disney is taking EVERY precaution to keep its Guests and Cast Members safe.

Catch up on many of the changes coming to Disney World when they reopen mid-July here!

It seems like every day there are new, surprising announcements ahead of the theme parks reopening! Disney certainly knows how to keep us all on our toes, and we are learning more and more about what the theme park experience will be like with every new headline! Keep an eye on DFB as we continue to provide you with the most up-to-date coverage on Disney World’s historic RE-opening!

See all the reopening details of Disney World here. 

What announcement has surprised YOU the most? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, Walt Disney World, disney dining plan, Disney Vacation Club, Disney World, Disney World reopening, DVC, extra magic hours, FastPass+, mls disney world, NBA Disney World

Shortly after the Disney World parks announced they were closing back in March, MagicBand orders were suspended.

But with select Disney World Resort hotels set to begin reopening on June 22nd, MagicBand selections for future check-ins returned a few days ago!

So, for guests with a future hotel stay in the books, what MagicBands are currently available? Let’s take a look!

We can choose from MagicBands themed after characters and attractions, or a good old-fashioned plain color.

There are Star Wars and Marvel designs available as well!

We spotted some super unique (and adorable!) character designs — check out that Stitch!

There are great options for Disney princess fans too!

And if you’re looking to rep your love of Disney World in general, there’s a cool retro Walt Disney World design, and a gorgeous Cinderella Castle pattern!

Keep in mind that the MagicBand designs are subject to change based on availability — so if you have a Disney World hotel stay coming up and you see something you like, be sure to head to your My Disney Experience account to make your selection!

Here’s EVERYTHING We Know About MagicBands and Disney World’s reopening plans!

Which MagicBand design is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney world magicband, Disney World MagicBands, MagicBand, magicband orders, MagicBands, personalized magicbands

If you ordered a Disney face mask, you might be getting it SOON!

At the end of April, Disney released a line of character-themed face masks for pre-order. A variety of designs were made available, including Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel-themed masks!

The masks were available for pre-order on shopDisney.com. If you placed an order, you might be receiving it soon! We placed three pre-orders last month, and we received an email today saying that one of our orders is on the way!

We weren’t able to pull up the tracking information, so we don’t have an expected arrival date yet. Also, it appears that only one of our three orders has been shipped at this point.

But, if you did place a pre-order for a Disney mask, be sure to keep an eye on your email since they have now appeared to have started shipping!

Click here to read more about the Disney character face masks!

Did you place a pre-order for Disney Masks? And if so, have you received an email that they’ve been shipped yet?

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, Featured, News, disney face mask, Disney Face Masks, Disney merch, Disney merchandise, Shipping, shopdisney

As Disney theme parks around the world prepare to reopen, other Disney experiences are also preparing to start operations back up.

And that means that Disney Cruise Line is getting ready to set sail once again!

Though all sailings through the end of July have been paused, sailings of the Disney Magic are canceled into mid-October and and Alaskan sailings are canceled through mid-September, some ships are getting ready to cast away in August!

And if you want to board a Disney Cruise this year, there are currently FOUR special offers for deals on DCL’s website.

Right now, Disney Cruise Line is offering 25% off staterooms in the Verandah Category with Restrictions on select sailings of the Disney Dream in September!

The cruises include sailings of the four-night Halloween on the High Seas Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral for sailings on September 6th, September 10th, and September 14th. Depending on your date, these sailings will be $732 or $752 per person, based on double occupancy.

Florida residents can also get some SERIOUSLY great discounts on cruises through the end of 2020 right now.
Florida resident rates are available for select 2020 sail dates from Port Canaveral and Miami, for three-, four-, and five-night sailings.

And when we say this is a GREAT deal we mean it! For instance, cruise fare for two guests is $1,550 for the November 28th sailing of the Very Merrytime Western Caribbean Cruise from Miami.

There are also Special Military Rates for select 2020 sail dates out of Port Canaveral for three- and four-night Bahamian cruises. For example, a three-night cruise on the September 3rd sailing cruise fare for two guests is $1,098.

And all you Canadians out there also get a deal! Right now, Disney Cruise Line has up to 25% off select sailings of a three-night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral or the September 10th sailing of the Disney Dream, which is a four-night Halloween on the High Seas cruise.

Whether you want to get a lil spooky on the high seas or just want to relax in the pool and hang out with Captain Mickey, you can do so at a discount! And while Disney Cruise Line ships are currently sailing, when they DO get back on the ocean, you know we’ll keep you updated!

For MORE Disney Cruise Line discounts right now, click here!

Will you be sailing on a Disney Cruise later this year? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney cruise line, Disney News, News, disney cruise line deals, disney cruise line discounts, Disney Dream, disney fantasy, disney magic, Florida Resident Discount, miami, military discount, port canaveral

We think the Evil Queen would approve of this villainous mug!

We spotted all kinds of interesting things on our trip to Disney Springs today — like delicious, fruity beers, and a gorgeous Alice in Wonderland tumbler!

And something especially wicked caught our eye at World of Disney. Check out this awesome Poisoned Apple Color-Changing Mug!

The mug is inspired by the poisoned apple concocted by the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And when the mug is filled with a hot beverage, the black design turns green!

Plus, you don’t even have to visit World of Disney to grab this awesome mug — it’s also available at shopDisney! You can snag one to serve up your next batch of potion for $19.99!

Check out pictures from The Coca-Cola Store in Disney Springs which reopened today!

Do you own any Disney mugs? Let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, color changing, Color Changing Mug, disney mug, disney springs, disney springs shopping, Disney Springs World of Disney, evil queen, Poison Apple, Poison Apple Mug, snow white mugs, World of Disney