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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!

Related posts:

  1. The Rubber Duckie Drink RETURNS! We’re Back at The Boathouse in Disney Springs on Reopening Day
  2. Disney World Confirms That Dining Reservations are Currently Unavailable
  3. Review: One of the BEST Disney World Restaurants to Come Home To ❤️

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

Disney Character Dining

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

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. 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.

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.

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

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These NEW Disney World CHANGES Went Under the Radar Last Night!

There was A LOT of news about Disney World last night! And with huge updates like the suspension of FastPass+, the cancellation of all Disney Dining Plans and dining reservations, and details about the new reservation system for park entry, some of the other new info has gone relatively unnoticed!

Spaceship Earth

Here are the Disney World announcements you might have missed!

All Experience Bookings Have Also Been Canceled

In addition to FastPass+ and dining reservations, Disney World also announced that all experience bookings such as behind-the-scenes tours have also been canceled. 

Information from the Disney World Website Regarding Canceled Experiences

According to Disney, these experiences were canceled in order to promote social distancing among guests. We reached out to Disney and at this time they are not providing information regarding which behind-the-scenes tours and experiences are being canceled. They did however inform us that Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets are valid at this time.

Click here to read our update regarding Mickey’s Not-S0-Scary Halloween Party! 

Updates to the Dining and Experience Booking Window

Also, while all Disney dining and experience reservations are canceled, there will be changes implemented when guests are able to book again. When reservations resume, guests will be able to book dining and experience reservations up to 60 days in advance.

Information from the Disney World Website Regarding Updates to Dining and Experience Reservations

The shortened booking window will allow guests to make their plans closer to the date of their trip. We know that this can really put a damper on plans, especially if you already had dining reservations or like to plan ahead. As more information is shared regarding this new reservation window, we will be sure to give you all the details!

Click here to read more about the cancellation of Disney Dining Plans and dining reservations.

Park Hopper Add-Ons Will NOT Be Automatically Refunded

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.” Keep in mind, this was what we heard this from one Guest Relations Cast Member and could possibly change. Disney has not shared specific information on if guests will have the ability to park hop or not at this time.

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom

Guests who are interested in changing their tickets may call the Ticket Services department at (407) 566-4985.

Click here to learn more about the Disney World park reservation system.

While dining, FastPass+, and park reservations have received most of the attention since last night’s announcements, these are a few of the other changes that you may have missed! We’ll continue to be on the lookout for more information regarding the reopening of the parks and keep you informed with any updates.

Click here to learn about the updates to the Disney World mask policy.

Do you have a Disney World trip planned this year? Let us know in the comments.

Related posts:

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From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, disney parks, disney’s hollywood studios, Epcot, Featured, magic kingdom, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, behind the scenes tours, booking window, disney dining plan changes, Disney World reopening, Disney world reopening plan, disney world tours, park hopper, Walt Disney World Tours

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Confirmed: Disney World Will Offer Annual Passholder Previews

Moments ago we shared with you the news that Disney World launched a new Annual Passholder webpage with new information on the reservation system.

Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World

There was another HUGE bit of information on this page that we thought we’d share. While Disney mentioned “soft openings” in their proposal, they did not specify who would have early access to the parks.

Now, on this page, Disney World has confirmed Annual Passholders will receive early admittance to the Disney World theme PARKS. The website states, “As we prepare for the reopening of the parks, we’re planning a special preview opportunity for Annual Passholders. We look forward to sharing details with you soon.“

Screenshot from Disney World’s Website

Now that Universal Studios has begun to allow its Annual Passholders to preview the theme parks early, it appears Disney World has announced a similar plan for its APs.

Big Thunder Mountain

In fact, a few of our team members with Annual Passes received an email which states, “We truly value the role our Passholders play in making the Walt Disney World Resort experience so magical. And as our re-opening progresses, we are planning a special Passholder preview opportunity to access the magic.”

Those are all the details we have so far, but we’ll be sure to let you know when and how you can reserve your spot when the time comes so you can start planning!

Are you an Annual Passholder? Let us know if you’ll be attending the preview in the comments below!

Related posts:

  1. All Your Questions About the New Disney World Passholder Payment Changes ANSWERED
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  3. Disney World Parades, Fireworks, and Character Meet and Greets Will Be Temporarily Suspended When Theme Parks Reopen

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
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Sephora Has Reopened in Disney World and They’re Offering A DISCOUNT For Frontline Workers

This week, Disney-owned locations like World of Disney reopened in Disney Springs.

Disney Springs

Now, a few more third-party locations have just reopened their doors and one of these spots had QUITE the appeal!

We went to check out Sephora this morning to see what new safety and health procedures have been put into place only to find that the store had already hit capacity!

Sephora

But while this might make it sound like there were a lot of folks shopping, we mostly had the store to ourselves! You see, Sephora is only allowing a few guests in at a time, so we waited outside until a group of guests left. Then it was our turn to enter the store!

Sephora

An associate handed us a freshly sanitized shopping basket so we could do some serious damage!

Sephora

New safety signage was sprinkled throughout the store. This includes notices about testers no longer being offered and all Beauty Bar services being temporarily suspended.

Safety Measures at Sephora

Sephora was also providing a special 10% off your entire purchase offer for healthcare workers and first responders as a nice way of saying thank you!

Sephora Sign

The store itself looked immaculate. Associates were busily wiping down counters. While Sephora is still accepting all forms of payment, contactless pay is being highly-encouraged.

Sephora

And here’s something interesting — Sephora employees have been trained to help match your shades just by looking at you! Normally you can apply some foundation to the back of your hand to find your perfect match, but the friendly lady who helped us find ours from six-feet-away!

Sephora Employee

She was also able to look up our account to make sure we went home with the right color! All of the Sephora employees are also wearing a button with their faces on it so you know what they look like without a mask! While the store hopes to sell masks soon, they are currently accepting returns and have a free bag offer with any $75 purchase!

Sephora Bag

At check out, they’ve placed social distancing markers designating where each guest should stand while waiting to make their purchases.

Sephora

After ringing us up, the cashier gave our bag a fresh spritz of sanitizer before handing it to us!

Sephora

All in all, while it is a different shopping experience since we can’t test out our favorite fragrances and cosmetics, the store was clean and the experience and the process overall went very smoothly.

Check out our recent shopping trip to Basin in Disney Springs here!

Have you visited Disney Springs yet? Let us know in the comments below! 

Related posts:

  1. Here’s The Complete List of Retail Locations That Are Reopening in Disney Springs on May 20th!
  2. Review! We’re Dining at T-Rex in Disney World, But Will Our Meal Be Dino-MITE??
  3. Before You Go To Disney Springs, You Need To Know These 10 Things We Experienced At CityWalk Last Week

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney springs, limited capacity, no testers, safety measures, sephora, social distancing