Category: Other

NBA To Vote Thursday On Resuming Season At Disney World

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 30, 2020

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.

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

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

Tags Basketball, basketball season, disney, Disney Entertainment, Disney World, espn, ESPN Wide World of Sports, Featured, National Basketball Association, NBA, nba 2019-2020 season, NBA Season, Walt Disney World, walt disney world resort

Disney Food Disney Parks Other

NEWS: Character Dining to be Temporarily Canceled in Disney World

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 30, 2020

Disney World has been rolling out new information about their parks’ reopening — set to begin on July 11th.

Cinderella Castle

In preparation for the reopening, Disney has canceled all existing dining reservations and dining plans until a new reservation system is unveiled. But Disney just offered clarity on one specific dining experience we have been wondering about: character dining.

Disney has been reaching out to guests who had booked Disney World dining plans to notify them that character dining will NOT be available when Disney World reopens.

Snow White

Thanks to our reader, @ashleyrakow , we have access to one of these emails. The message states, “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.”

©Disney via @askleyrakow

We understand that this statement is very limited and does not provide you with a lot of information. What we do know is that at this time Disney has suspended new dining reservations but they have not shared which specific dining locations will reopen when the parks reopen. There is potential that character dining locations could open, just without characters for the time being (again though, Disney has not released specifics). When Disney does give us more information on dining reservations and open restaurants, we will make sure to update you with the latest information.

When it comes to characters, Disney has shared that meet and greets will be temporarily unavailable but that characters will still be available in some capacity.

As things continue to change, we will continue to provide you will the lastest news. We are here to help you during this strange time, so if you have any questions at all, please let us know!!

You can learn more about Disney canceling dining reservations here!

Did you receive a notification that character dining will not be available? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Character Dining, Character Meal, Disney, Disney character dining, disney dining, disney dining plan, disney dining reservation, Disney World, disney world character dining

Tags Character Dining, Character Meal, disney, Disney character dining, disney dining, disney dining plan, disney dining reservation, Disney World, disney world character dining, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World

Disney News Disney Parks Other

UPDATE: Guests With Rescheduled Disney World Trips Due To Closures Receive 35% Room Discount In Place Of Canceled Free Dining Plan

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 30, 2020

Now that Governor Ron DeSantis has approved Disney World’s proposal, Disney will officially reopen July 11th. Disney World’s reopening has come with a LOT of changes. At this time, Disney is no longer accepting new hotel reservations and guests cannot purchase tickets as Disney rolls out their new reservation system.

Mickey Waffle at Magic Kingdom

Last night, Disney shared that ALL FastPasses and dining reservations were suspended for the time being. They also shared that they were canceling the Disney Dining Plan through September 2021.

And tonight, many guests are receiving an email with even more new information. Huge thanks to DFB reader @ashleyrakow who shared her email screen shot with us so that WE can share it with you!

Ashley’s original Disney World vacation was canceled as a result of the theme park closures, and upon rescheduling her trip to a July date, she originally received a “consolation” Free Disney World Dining Plan as part of the new vacation.

According to the email, Disney “will be modifying your package to remove the dining plan,” since all currently booked Disney Dining Plans have now been canceled. The email goes on to say, “As an accommodation, the price of the package will be adjusted to reflect a 35% savings on the room portion.”

Interesting! When info on the 35% discount was released yesterday, Disney had shared that you would have to rebook to a later date in order to receive the 35% discount. This no longer seems to be the case.

The email goes on to share that, “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.”

©ashleyrakow

Therefore, this 35% discount was automatically added to the rescheduled package in place of the Free Disney World Dining Plan.

If Disney releases more information regarding this discount or the Disney Dining Plan, we will be sure to let you know. We know things are constantly changing and are hard to process, so we’re here to help. If you have any questions at all, please let us know and we will do our very best to get you the answers you need!!

Had you purchased a Disney Dining Plan? Let us know in the comments below.

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, Walt Disney World, disney dining plan, disney news, Disney reopening, Disney World

Tags disney dining plan, Disney News, disney reopening, Disney World, Featured, Walt Disney World

Disney Merch Disney News Disney Parks Other

Everything Disney World is Refunding Right Now!

Post author By disneyfoodblog.com
Post date May 30, 2020

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.”

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

Disney News Disney Parks Other

Disney World Cancels Disney Dining Plan and Suspends Character Dining

Post author By chipandco.com
Post date May 30, 2020

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

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.

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

Tags Characters, DDP, Disney Cancels, Disney character dining, disney dining plan, Disney World, Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World