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!
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Did you receive a notification that character dining will not be available? Let us know in the comments!
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Is there any further info on the Halloween party? I know they are having it as of now but with no parade, fireworks, shows, or character meets, is it even worth having the party still?
Premium price for a no longer premium vacation. And…. we’re done here. Canceling.
Devon, I guess that will be up to the people attending — the worth of it, I mean. So far there’s no other info available yet.
I received a email from Disney stating they are going to be canceling all of our dining reservations and experiences but the email didn’t say anything specific about character dining. It does mention in the email we will be able to rebook when the new system is available. We are suppose to go the middle of August. I’m not canceling just yet. We are waiting to see what Disney does.
Does anyone know how this will work for people who purchased the package where you received free dining with upgrading to park hopper tickets? Obviously we won’t need hopper tickets now & we upgraded to the deluxe dining plan as opposed to quick service. I know they are cancelling the dining plan, but since it was a “free dining plan” with upgrading to hopper tickets, will we still get a refund????
I also received a email from Disney stating they will be canceling our dining reservations and experiences. The email doesn’t mention anything about character dining, but we also do not have a meal plan. The email does say we will be able to rebook for dining once the new reservation system is available. We don’t go until the middle of August. We are waiting to see what things look like once the park reopens before we make the decision to reschedule.
Disney no longer sounds fun! It’s a very expensive vacation that can’t even guarantee park admission. It’s just not worth going until the mask and other restrictions are fully lifted.
No character dining, no fireworks, no parades, no fast passes, and no reduction of ticket prices for a less than magical experience. No thanks. Also, WHY are my comments not being posted? and Why are they suddenly being moderated?
So are they taking 35% off rooms for the people that are having their dinning plan taken away?
That’s what is looks like from the email response. Or am I reading this wrong?
I want the option to cancel my annual pass as a FL resident. I signed up not knowing all these restrictions and deleted offerings would take place. I cannot wear a mask all day in the heat as it caused me to have severe panic attacks due to my claustrophobia. I won’t be back until all this is not required and the entertainment goes back to what it was. We literally went every other weekend before all this happened.
Go ahead and take the characters out of it. Just open the buffets!! Serve them cafeteria style if need be but bring back Hollywood & Vine and Crystal Palace for breakfasts PLEASE. There is no other table service breakfast at HS that I’m aware of.
Mallori, our understanding of the email is that guests who had to rebook during the Park closure and were given free DDP for that rebooking will have a 35% room discount because Disney has now cancelled that DDP.
Kat, I would expect a refund for anything you paid above and beyond the free dining and possibly for Park Hopper upgrades if you end up not needing/wanting/being able to keep those. Hopefully we’ll learn more soon!
So sad that Disney took the position of cancelling so much. I feel at this time I will not be re booking any travel, awaiting refunds and sorely disappointed.. it’s just not worth the expense of travel and hotel and then not be able to get the experiences you were counting on. I don’t know about anyone else but my nephew want to hug Donald Duck,not view him thru plexiglass while wearing a mask.
I got an almost identically worded email, but the sentence that starts “As an accommodation… adjusted to reflect 35% savings…” has been omitted from mine. I do feel like we should be getting a discount if there aren’t going to be any parades, fireworks, or special events happening during our stay!
The 35% discount is for hotel reservations. They are still charging full rate for park tickets. I think they should be half price!
DFB, I understand cancelling dining reservations, but the dining plans themselves? What are your thoughts on this?
Tina, Disney Parks Blog said this in the announcement: “As a result of limited capacity, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all existing dining reservations and experience bookings, including Disney dining plans included in packages.” It sounds like they’re planning for drastically reduced capacity when restaurants reopen. Sorry I don’t have more info for you.
DFB Sarah no worries, just crazy times right now. Disney has also said dining plans are cancelled through September 2021. Hope that changes as everything gets settled into the new normal.
Tina, we hope so, too.