Author: touringplans.com

Browsing the merchandise shops at Walt Disney World can be quite fun, especially in some of the well-themed environments of the shops inside the Disney theme parks. But, the days of leisurely browsing a theme park merchandise shop doesn’t sound too appealing to many folks, like myself, who try to limit their time indoors. Thankfully, Disney and the other theme parks have done a good job of setting up their shops to be as safe and clean as possible. The shopping experience does look a lot different than it used to, so let’s review what it’s like to shop at Walt Disney World right now.

Designated Entrances and Exits

The most noticeable change to Walt Disney World merchandise shops is the designated entrance and exit locations. When deciding to go into a merchandise shop you’ll need to pay attention to signage. Generally the entrances and exits are well marked, but it does take some getting used to. It can also be frustrating at larger stores to have to walk quite a bit down to the entrance, such is the case with Discovery Trading Company at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Once inside the shop you’re free to roam as you wish. I felt a little uneasy my first time walking into a shop as I try to stay outside as much as possible right now. I tried to move through the store just once, not doubling back and not lingering too long. This is, of course, my choice and preference. You are welcome to browse stores as you wish, though there is signage asking guests to minimize touching of the merchandise. The exits are located near the registers, so while entering the store may take a few extra steps, exiting each store is pretty quick and easy.

Limited Capacity

Though we haven’t really seen it happen much, capacity is limited at all merchandise shops. It is a rare occasion but it has happened in which a store reaches capacity and guests must queue outside. When World of Disney reopened at Disney Springs it was quite a sight to behold as people lined up to get in, even though there was a Virtual Queue. There was also high demand at Briar Patch, Splash Mountain’s gift shop, when Magic Kingdom reopened and Disney announced the re-theme of Splash Mountain. This also lead to a virtual queue for the shop.

Physical Distancing

Besides finding the designated entrance and exits, the other big thing to be aware of is physical distancing. As we’ve observed, it is easy to do when there are markings to guide guests. It is not as easy when there aren’t markers around. While browsing a few of the shops I noticed how I really needed to make an effort to keep space around me if I paused to look at any item. Other guests would often come close as they too browsed items.

Once you are ready to check out there are distancing markers near the register. It is very easy to follow these markers and made for a more comfortable experience.

Protected Registers

Wrapping up your shopping experience at Walt Disney World concludes at the registers, which have a clear protective barrier. Cashless payment is preferred. Depending on your card type you may have to use the touch pad. Generally, there is sanitizer nearby. Overall Cast Members are great about sanitizing after guests leave an area. However, I observed a few instances in which sanitizing did not take place in between every guest checking out, but certainly once there was a gap. Just something to be aware of, which is why I carry my own sanitizer even though there is an abundance provided throughout Walt Disney World.

In the end, I will continue to hold off on browsing merchandise shops. If there is something specific I know of thanks to our team’s reporting, or if there is a special reason to visit, then I will. But for me, the days of browsing a shop just for fun are currently on hold.

What about you? Are you still interested in browsing Disney’s merchandise shops?

The post What Is It Like Shopping at Walt Disney World Right Now? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: In the Parks, Merchandise, Observations, Shopping, shopping, shopping at Disney World

It’s a whole new world of vacation planning these days; but thankfuly, it’s still the same magical Walt Disney World we know and love despite Disney’s new implementation of health and safety measures. Still, certain elements of your vacation are different than you remember, particularly when it comes to your Disney Resort experience. So to know what to expect from a Disney Resort experience during COVID-19, here’s What You Need to Know About a Disney Resort Stay Right Now Part II. You can read the first part of this series here.

Not All Resort Restaurants Are Open

Even if a Disney Resort hotel reopened, that doesn’t mean all of their restaurants and dining options have. At the time of writing, certain dining locations such as ‘Ohana, Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White, Boma – Flavors of Africa, Trail’s End Restaurant, Citricos, Victoria & Albert’s, all dinner shows, and more have still not reopened.

For restaurants that are open, be aware that some menus are more limited than usual and restaurant capacity is limited. So even though crowds are lower than usual at this time, a dining reservation is still recommended. Also, in-room dining has been suspended at the resorts; however, it looks like the Yacht Club may be an exception to the rule.

Quick Service is a Different Experience

Quick service restaurants at both the parks and resorts have adjusted for our current global situation in a number of ways. First of all, as opposed to ordering at registers, guests mobile order outside of the location using the My Disney Experience app.

Once guests receive a notification that their order is ready, they then enter the restaurant where only certain tables are available to allow for social distancing. Beverages and other items that were previously self-serve are now served by Cast Members instead.

You Need the My Disney Experience App More Than Ever

During this time, several new features have been added to the My Disney Experience app to aid with social distancing. For instance, guests are now encouraged to use the new mobile check-in feature on the app instead of visiting the host stand to check in. Mobile check-in also allows guests to note any dietary or mobility issues and if they’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, first visit, or more.

Another change is how guests read the menus. Instead of traditional menus, guests are encouraged to scan a code with their mobile device to access a digital menu as opposed to using paper.

Just recently Disney introduced another new feature on the app allowing guests to join a wait list at certain Disney World restaurants. This can be used to see whether a restaurant can accept walk-ins and to check approximate wait times. At the time of writing, guests can use this feature at resort restaurants at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and at Whispering Canyon at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Modified Resort Check-in Experience

Guests are asked to use the My Disney Experience online check-in service before arriving at their Disney Resort hotel as opposed to checking in at the front desk. Those who use online check-in will receive a notification when their room is ready along with their room number, allowing them to bypass the front desk completely.

Note: This doesn’t mean guests are not allowed to check-in or visit the front desk. Cast Members are still there to help.

Guests without MagicBands can use the My Disney Experience digital key feature on the app to open their room door. Disney says guests can visit the front desk for their MagicBands at their convenience.

Lastly, for guests who have questions or don’t want to visit the front desk, they can chat with a Resort Cast Member during their resort stay on the My Disney Experience app.

New Health and Safety Measures

Just like the parks, guests should expect social distancing markers throughout the resort, particularly outside the gift shops, dining locations, boarding areas for transportation, and at the front desk and concierge. There are also designated entrances and exits at shops and restaurants.

One of the biggest changes at both the parks and the resorts is that guests are required to wear face masks at all times. The only exceptions are when seated at a restaurant, at a mask-free zone, or when stationary to eat and drink.

Guests planning to use Monorail transportation or when dining at Disney Resort restaurant should expect to have their temperature taken upon entry. Anyone displaying a temperature of 100.4 F or above will be directed to an additional re-screening. Those with temperatures 100.4 F or above will not be allowed entry; those in their party will not be allowed entry either.

Non-DVC resort rooms receive light cleaning service every other day. This includes new towels and amenities, trash and used towel removal, wiping down surfaces, and possibly vacuuming. Guests may also decline this service upon request.

Finally, the following services have also been suspended or modified: valet service with the exception of guests with disabilities who may require assistance, club-level service, in-room celebrations, shipping services, dry-cleaning and valet laundry, package delivery to Disney Resort hotels from the parks, and resort airline check-in.

Using Magical Express

Disney Resort hotel guests can still take advantage of Disney’s complimentary Magical Express service to and from the Orlando International Airport. However, luggage delivery for those arriving at and departing from the airport is not available. Instead, guests will be responsible for picking up any of their checked luggage from the airport’s baggage claim and have it loaded onto the Magical Express motor coach. Fortunately, luggage assistance and storage at the resort is still available!

When departing from Walt Disney World, guests need to bring all of their luggage to the Magical Express motor coach and to check it in with their airline upon arriving at the airport.

Have you experienced the Disney Resort hotels during these unprecedented times? Are you planning to book a stay at a Disney Resort in the future? 

The post What You Need to Know About a Disney Resort Stay Right Now Part II appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Resorts, Walt Disney World (FL), Disney Deluxe Resorts, disney dining, Disney Moderate Resorts, Disney Resorts, Disney Vacation Club, Disney Value Resorts, disney world, DVC Resorts, Magical Express, My Disney Experience App, walt disney world

If you’re going to Walt Disney World this fall and you’re looking for dining opportunities, a few new additional ones will be popping up here soon!

As part of the phased reopening of the parks, both the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be adding both counter service and table service opportunities for Guests to be able to enjoy.

First to open up will be Gaston’s Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. The shop that is known for the Magic Kingdom cinnamon rolls will be reopening on September 4. Then on September 24, Guests will be able to return to the table service dining location, Cinderella’s Royal Table. The restaurant, which is found inside Cinderella Castle will be returning with a fantastic menu, however the Disney Princesses will not be returning just yet.

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, on September 25, Minnie’s Seasonal Dine will return to Hollywood & Vine on September 25. Get into the spooky spirit with Minnie’s Halloween Dine where Guests will still be able to wave and snap photos of Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse and their friends. There is also Halloween décor and music, spooktacular food, and more!

Finally, the counter service location, ABC Commissary at Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopens for walk-in lunch beginning October 8

For those looking to dine at the table service dining experiences, they will be available for reservations beginning on September 11 and they can be made at DisneyWorld.com and in the My Disney Experience app.

Need assistance in finding dining? Try using our Disney World Dining Reservation Finder which can help you locate a hard-to-get dining reservation at Walt Disney World!

The post More Dining Options Coming to Walt Disney World appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Dining, News, Walt Disney World (FL)

Before we get started, here’s a little primer for the uninitiated: DVC stands for Disney Vacation Club. DVC is Disney’s version of a timeshare program. However, rather than traditional timeshares where you purchase the rights to stay at a particular property during a particular week, with DVC your purchase entitles you to use “points” that can be used at a range of Disney and non-Disney locations (and on a range of Disney experiences such as cruises or Adventures by Disney trips) at any time of the year. There is an annual grid published that details how many points you have to “spend” to stay in a particular hotel, room type, and date. For example, a studio-sized room at Disney’s Old Key West resort during January might “cost” as few as 10 points per night, whereas a three-bedroom until at Disney’s Grand Floridian resort during Christmas week could “cost” as many as 227 points per night. The more desirable the location and/or time of visit, the more points your stay will “cost.” The catch is that you receive a new tranche of points each year and have a finite amount of time to use those points (typically during one current “use year” plus an additional year).

Disney Vacation Club is very much a “use it or lose it” proposition. You’ve paid for points, often to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars, and if you don’t use them, they’re gone forever. Points are flexible enough that, most of the time, even if you have a calendar hiccup, you can figure out a way to use them by traveling on a different date or staying in different accommodations.

But what happens if you find yourself in circumstances where you can’t be flexible? Like, say, having a medical situation that precludes travel for an extended time period. Or, for example, a significant curtailment of travel from your home country to the United States. Or, you know, a global pandemic that includes all of the above and a whole lot more. You get the idea.

So what do you do? DVC owners who are unable to use their points themselves (for whatever reason) have long turned to an ancillary DVC points “rental” market to attempt to recoup some of their expenses. When you rent out your DVC points, you are essentially letting someone else use your points, for a fee.

In “normal” times, a modest subset of owners have conflicts and choose to rent out their points to friends or family, or through an agency that brokers deals between DVC owners and potential travelers for use of rental points. If you find a motivated owner that’s eager to unload some points, it’s sometimes possible to stay in a deluxe resort for the equivalent of a moderate resort price.

Fast forward to pandemic times, when lots and lots DVC owners are skipping their annual trip to Walt Disney World. If ever there was a “buyer’s market” for DVC rental points, this would seem to be it.

So let’s take a look at what’s happening.

For our case studies, I’m looking at one DVC point rental aggregator, DVCreservations.com. [Please be aware that there are many other similar agencies, as well as without-the-middleman deals you might find via friends/family or on internet fora.]

Here are some possible scenarios:

November 3 – November 9, 2020 (seven nights).

DVCReservations has available a Studio Villa at WDW’s Saratoga Springs resort for $1,340, or $191.43 per night.

Take a quick hop over to the official WDW website and find that they are offering the exact same room for $459.33 per night. Yes, there are a number of discounts available to bring that $459 rate down for some guests. Florida residents, military personnel, and WDW annual passholders are typical discount recipients. For example, as a WDW passholder, my quoted rate for a Saratoga studio for those dates is $275.60 per night. That’s cheaper than rack rate, but still $85 per night more than the rental point rate.

And by way of comparison, that rental rate of $191 per night is in line with the current quoted rack rates $182 per night at Pop Century or $213 at Disney’s Art of Animation resort. (Discounts are available for some guests.)

So why would you choose a $191 per night points rental at Saratoga over $182 or $213 at Pop or Art of Animation? (Let’s assume that you’re not eligible for a passholder or other special discount on the value room.) The difference is that with Saratoga, you’re staying at a resort with more amenities. Examples include: more pool options, the community hall, on-site golf courses, and most notably walking distance to the Disney Springs shopping and dining area. Disney Springs access is particularly important during the pandemic when the theme parks close early. [Note, other Saratoga amenities such as the Senses Spa and the Turf Club restaurant are currently on hiatus.] An additional factor is that the Saratoga Studios include a kitchenette with a microwave oven, coffee maker, toaster, and larger refrigerator. If you’re planning on making some meals on your own, this alone could be the deciding factor.

September 23 – September 26, 2020 (four nights).

DVCReservations has availability at several hotels. Let’s choose a standard view one-bedroom villa at the Boardwalk Villas. The rental point rate is $1,106, or $276.50 per night.

Compare this to the undiscounted rate of $833 per night for that one-bedroom Boardwalk Villa! Even looking at something like the annual passholder rates of $500.00 per night and you can see that the rental point rate is a deal. Consider also that the rack rate for those dates at Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort, a moderate level hotel, is a similar $298 per night.

At the Boardwalk Villas, you’re getting deluxe amenities such as walkable access to a greater number of restaurants and easy walking access to two of WDW’s theme parks, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Plus you have a full kitchen (stove, dishwasher, large refrigerator, washer & dryer, etc.) at the Boardwalk Villas that does not exist at a location like Caribbean Beach.

Another factor to think about during pandemic times is that many of Disney’s hotels are currently closed. So, while the Boardwalk Villas (DVC) are open, the attached Boardwalk Inn hotel is not. If you love staying at the Boardwalk, the Villas are your only choice. If you’re not a DVC member, then renting points there is the only remotely cost-effective way to stay.

So what’s the down side of renting points?

First, there may be available rooms through Disney directly that are not possible via rental points. Second, there are differences in things like cancellation policies that merit serious consideration. But once you’ve gotten a handle on that, it can make big financial sense to look at DVC rental points as an alternative to booking through Disney, particularly now when there is generally good availability and pricing for rental points.

Have you saved money renting DVC points for your vacation? Let us know what your experience was like in the comments.

The post Can Renting DVC Points Save You Money on Your Disney World Vacation Right Now? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disney Vacation Club, Resorts, Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), DVC, Renting DVC Points, renting points, save money

It’s a unique time at many Walt Disney World resort hotels–some are closed and others are only partially reopened. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is only partially opened, with the Disney Vacation Club portion being available. The iconic dining experience of ‘Ohana is not available, nor is Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. Thankfully, Tambu Lounge has reopened, as have some shopping options.

First, let’s revisit the current Polynesian Village merchandise, which offers bright colors and patterns that reflect carved tiki creations, and has been out since late 2018. A new Coconut Style Mug has arrived, at least.

• Polynesian Village Resort Coconut Style Mug – $23.99
• Polynesian Resort Journal – $17.99
• Polynesian Spirit of Aloha Mug – $19.99
• Polynesian Resort Maui Light-Up Ornament – $24.99
• Polynesian Pattern Tori Richard Dress – $78.00
• Polynesian Resort Aloha Tank Shirt – $34.99
• Polynesian Resort Stitch Shirt – $34.99
• Polynesian Resort Maui Shirt – $34.99
• Polynesian Resort Maui Magnet – $9.99

Also at BouTiki merchandise shop is a wonderful collection from WonderGround featuring Trader Sam’s tiki drinks. Both coasts are represented in this beautiful art. This collection debuted late 2019, but it hasn’t been seen at the Polynesian in a while.

• Trader Sam’s Mug Tank – $34.99
• Trader Sam’s Mug Tumbler – $19.99
• Trader Sam’s Mug Art Postcard – $4.99
• Trader Sam’s Mug Art Matted Print – $39.99
• Trader Sam’s Mug Art Pillow – $27.99

Are you a fan of Disney’s Polynesian Resort. What do you think about the delayed reopening?

The post Polynesian Village Merchandise Includes Trader Sam’s Collection appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Merchandise, Resorts, disney mugs, Disney Shirts, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Trader Sam’s