Following our earlier observation that dining reservations and the Disney Dining Plan were unable to be booked at this time, we now have some more details to share.
Mickey Pretzel!
It looks like guests planning to visit after Disney World’s reopening will NOT be permitted to have a Disney Dining Plan initally, among other big changes!
According to Disney, “we have made the difficult decision to cancel all existing dining reservations and experience bookings, including Disney dining plans included in packages.”
DOLE WHIP!
Additionally, Disney stated, “We will reopen dining and experience bookings with more limited numbers closer to when the parks reopen. We will also shift from a 180-day booking window to a 60-day booking window for dining and experience bookings going forward to allow Guests to make their plans closer to their visits.”
©Disney
Note that the statement from Disney specifies impacted reservations will be from May 28th, 2020 all the way to September 26th, 2021. This is due to international bookings being made into 2021.
NOTE: This DOES NOT MEAN that Disney will not have dining reservations or Disney Dining Plans in 2021, as far as we know. It only means that they’re clearing out their current bookings so that they can release a new system to accommodate the lower capacity that the parks, restaurants, and hotels will be servicing.
Disney has also stated select third-party dining and experiences possibly may not be canceled at this time. So be sure to check your My Disney Experience when you can.
If guests were recipients of the Free Disney World Dining Plan offered to guests impacted by the closure, their plans will be canceled as well and they will have the option to rebook at a later date with a hefty 35% room discount.
Guests who hold a resort reservation or a canceled dining reservation will be given priority rebooking once that is announced.
Note that Disney World has also canceled FastPass bookings and has suspended their FastPass System temporarily. Click here to read more about this development.
So What Should You Do NOW?
Deep breath. Don’t panic. If you have a current Disney World hotel package you still have your hotel reservations.
Disney has stated that they will re-open Dining Reservation and Experience bookings closer to their opening date and that lead time — usually 180 days — will be shortened to 60 days. But you should still be able to make dining reservations and experience bookings for your vacation.
As for the FastPass system, Disney seems confident that the limited capacity of the parks will offer significantly reduced wait times for attractions and rides. We’ll keep our ear to the ground for more details there a well.
That said, we understand that many of you had already booked the *perfect* plans for your vacation — some of you having rescheduled multiple times already — and for that we truly feel your pain. This is a very difficult time when it’s so hard to book these trips in the first place.
If you have worked with a travel agent to plan your trip, contact them for more details and for next steps. If you booked your trip yourself, DO. NOT. FRET. We will get more information from Disney about the new booking procedures and we’ll share them with you ASAP. Things are gonna be a little bit different here for a while, but stick with us here at DFB. We gotchu as far as Disney info, details, and advice. And if you have any specific questions, please let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them…or find answers to them.
Click here to learn more about Disney World’s proposed reopening procedures
Disney Park Reopening Details and Info
Click HERE for the All Latest Updates
Click HERE To See FULL LISTS of the Rides, Attractions, Shopping, Entertainment, and Restaurants Opening in Disney World!
TUTORIAL: How To Use Disney World's NEW Park Pass Reservation System
ALL Disney World Reopening Procedures
Disney World Hotel and Ticket Booking Information
We’re Visiting ALL the Reopened Disney World Hotels and Have All the Need-to-Know Details
We’re LIVE in Disney World's Magic Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
We’re LIVE in Disney’s Animal Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
We Got a FIRST LOOK at Disney World’s New Character Cavalcades and Entertainment!
Everything You NEED To Know About Wearing Masks in Disney World
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What do you think of these cancellations? Let us know in the comments!
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Ben, it appears that is the case. But things are evolving as I type this, so things could change.
Will food and wine fest still happen in september,2020.
Is there a chance that they will bring the Dining Plans back?
We are booked September 1-8 202. So my understanding is I can rebook at a later date with the 35% discount on room but no dining plan. Is this correct?
I want to cry right now. This was my daughters birthday present we gave her in February.
We can’t possibly afford to pay $5000 and now ALL of our food out of pocket.
Am I the only one who thinks this is insane?
Brooke, from a conversation we had with a cast member this morning, the decision was based on expected reduced restaurant capacities as dictated by federal guidelines and the possibility that not all restaurants will be open when the Parks and Resorts open. But this is evolving, so if we learn more (or something different), we’ll update.
Following up on my comment last night about our free dining incentive that we booked in January for our trip in September. I got through to a cast member this morning. She had very limited information but said that based on the info she has been given it seems like we will receive a discount on our existing reservation to make up for the loss of free dining and park hopper will be refunded/removed from the total cost. She was very helpful with the little information she has. I felt bad for her because it seems like they don’t know much more than we do.
Kathy, you’ll need to reach out to Disney about that.
Rick, your Disney Dining Plan should be automatically refunded, according to Disney.
Nonna, you might want to call Disney directly to inquire.
I read about this last night and I FREAKED out and hardly slept. Now, I’m calm. It felt like I was sucker punched in the gut a second time (after having to cancel my April 2020 trip). I’m only concerned that IF I cannot get any Park reservations during the October week we already re-booked (off-site hotel) with airlines, rental, etc. I then have to worry about finding another future week to use my pre-purchased Park Tickets. Either way, we ARE flying down to Orlando in October for some type of vacation!
I’ll take my $8,500 October anniversary trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas instead. Unless you’re sandblasting or painting, these ridiculous masks aren’t doing anything for you. I’ve been planning this trip for over a year. Got all the dining reservations I wanted, including anniversary night, and now they’re all canceled. I have to wear a mask unless I’m eating or drinking. No thanks.
Cassidy, thanks for the update. I’m sure you’re correct about the info they’ve been given.
Claire, you’re not the only one, though I’m sure that doesn’t help much. We expect Disney Dining Plan will come back… but we have no information or hypotheses on when that might be. As for the discount, you will want to talk to Disney about whether they’ll apply it to your current reservation. Hopefully they’ll sort it out for you. Good luck!
Shirley, we are awaiting information about Food & Wine. We will update as soon as we know.
JC, what a cast member told us when we asked was that Disney World restaurants will operate at a much lower capacity, and the DDP cancellations are a way to mitigate future problems with that. Unfortunately, we don’t have any other info than that.
Hi, we’re travelling from the UK in October and staying at Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge, unfortunately with the removal of the dining plan we are now too close to holiday date to save up to pay for food the duration of our trip so will have to rebook for next year. So disappointing that Disney have decided to cancel the dining plan completely, we’ve waited 2 years for this booking and had all our dining reservations planned. I can understand cancelling reservations to give everyone an equal opportunity to book at 60 days but don’t understand the logic behind complete removal of the dining plan
I realize people are upset with all the restrictions and cancellations. This is a polite way of Disney to get you to postpone your trip till next year. I don’t blame them. Think of all the prepaid and prebooked tickets they have to squash down to fit into a park day in a park with low capacity. Our trip? Next year
I’d like to add from UK today I called disney as we have free dining plan included in a sept 2020 visit and we are going to move it and rebook for 2021. We have been told to sit and wait for emails and they have not been told that the 35% discount is valid for uk bookings
Hi
We are travelling from the uk and upgraded from free breakfast at all star sports to quick service dining plan through our tour operator tui. I spoke to both Tui and Disney cast member this morning and they both said different things. Tui said the package is still valid but Disney said they will contact is soon and that it will be cancelled. I don’t understand why quick service is cancelled?
My vacation is booked from October 13-23, 2020. Does that mean my dinner reservations were canceled as well?
Thank you for taking our questions. We cancelled in May and moved it to July with the free dining package. We want to get the 35% discount at a later date in the fall. Should we be calling Disney to move the trip right now, or should we wait to hear from them.? It still seems like we can’t book anything at all right now to get that discount. Last time we called and gave them our reservation number to move everything.
We are extremely disappointed, and my heart goes out to everyone who has planned a very special trip, and has had everything happen so suddenly.
Colleen, it’s up to you when you’ll feel comfortable calling. If it were me, I’d be anxious to plan, so I would call right away, but that’s just my personality. However, it’s possible you could wait to speak to a reservations cast member only to discover he/she doesn’t have the info you need when it’s all still relatively up in the air. Good luck either way!
Erin, yes, they will be cancelled if they have not been already. ADRs will resume at a later day, according to Disney, and if you’re looking for Disney Springs third-party restaurants, you can book those on OpenTable so far.
Jennifer BT, we don’t know why either. My personal hunch (and it’s really just that) is that Disney needed to clear out their reservations in order to migrate to the new theme park reservations system. We may never really know, but unfortunately, per a cast member we spoke with today, Quick Service DDP is also cancelled. I would add, however, that perhaps international bookings will end up with different outcomes, so it won’t hurt to keep pushing for information.
Thanks for the info, John P.
We have a son with Autism he wanted to do to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park this year. I put a trip together around this in mind . I just check and as of 4:30 PM EST Mickey time all my Dining Reservation from the meal plan are still showing up in My Disney’s Experience. I just can not see going and spend over 8K and not have everything that you would normal get. I think I will just have to wait until next year. The idea of face mask is just so wrong at WDW. Wearing a mask can really give you that false sense of security sometimes, that you are protected from a virus. A mask is a way that you can help protect others more than you, However with so many deaths you have to look at anything to help keep us safe from this killer virus
Thank you for keeping us unto date on all the news about things going on at WDW in the time we are in.
Will masks have to be worn in Disney for the rest of time. If so there will be many vacationers not visiting there any more.
I don’t really understand why they’re cancelling DDP through September 2021! Seems a bit extreme given we’re only in May 2020!
I rebooked my trip for the end of Feb 2021 and my free dining offer – I had paid to upgrade from free bfast to Quick Service – was honoured (UK third party travel agent, not direct with Disney).
I thought I’d booked far enough out to not have to worry but if they cancel my Dining Plan I hope I get the money refunded!
I get not offering the Dining Plan on new reservations or even for the first couple months of opening but 18 months?!?
Hope DFB are right that they’re reinstated.
Persoanlly I’m going to wait until my travel agent contacts me for now… And try not to stress!
Good luck not stressing, Lily!
Charlene, I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that question yet.
Sad, disappointed are the words I need to say to express how I feel. Had a trip booked for December 2020 and just received the email about no Dining plans, now I hear there will be no Dining Plans until after 2021. May need to visit Universal Studios instead or something else for my family vacation in December. While I understand the precautions I don’t understand the cancelling of the Dining Plans which is one of the main reasons I book on Disney property. I can now book off property and probably have a cheaper time. Disney has taken away the magic that was Disney. Disney has proven once again that some dreams don’t come true.
Hi Team!
First off you guys are amazing for taking the time to explain all of this to us! Thank you so much!
From what I have gathered on all of the comments I have 3 things to ask.
1. I see you think the DDP might come back, is it a possibility for this year at all or not until 2021?
2. Will Character dining come back at all this year or is that still an unknown?
3. Lastly, we have booked Club Level, so is the food experience still going to be available?
Thanks Again!
If park reservations are the new norm, I am assuming park hoppers will also be cancelled, but guess I’ll just wait and see. We’re meeting our son, daughter in law and granddaughters there for Christmas week. Told my daughter in law that this will either be the best Disney World trip we ever had or the worst. I’m staying optimistic.
DFB Sarah – I’m a little confused. We have a “room only reservation at Allstar Resorts for November 2020, with no park tickets and no dining. I’m very confused with the wording that Disney is using. I understand that APs and DVC members will have the opportunity to make a reservation first for park entry, but what about people who have existing “resort only” reservations? Do we fall into that priority category for park reservations? Also, can you explain something to me about the parks reservation system? Will we be able to make a park reservation if we don’t have Park tickets purchased yet? I get the feeling that the purchase of a park ticket, and and/or having a “park reservation” are two different things? I know you will need both for park entry, but I’m just wondering if you can make a park reservation without a park ticket? I really hope you can clarify some of this for me. Thank you!
So we have two rooms at the pop century booked for 8 nights with dining plan for 6 adults (as defined by Disney). Cost of the dining plan on its own is $3,744. If the cost of a room is $178 per night, Disney wants to give us a 35% discount, or $997. How is that equitable? That gives each adult $21 to spend on food each day – hardly the same as a character dining meal, a quick service meal, 2 snacks and refilable mug. Seems to me they should credit the cost of the dining plan to the package, not a room discount.
Hi, Arlene. I’ll do my best to clarify as much as I can, but Disney has, unfortunately, not offered us all the details we’d like to have. They’re saying guests with “existing reservations” will get first access to the new theme park reservation system. Disney has also noted that you need valid park admission and a theme park reservation to enter a Park. However, to my knowledge, Disney has not specifically said a guest needs a ticket on top of a Resort reservation to gain that first access to theme park reservations. I think, because the situation is evolving, your best bet will be to call Disney (or chat with them on DisneyWorld.com) to clarify. Sorry I can’t be more helpful; we’ll keep digging and updating as more details emerge.
Danielle, great questions. Sadly I don’t have anything definitive on the first two. The language Disney is using indicates that the character dining and DDP will be back… but there’s no timeline available (and perhaps it doesn’t exist). For #3, that’s a great question — and I haven’t heard anything. I’ll pose it to the team to see if we can get any info about this.
Rayman, there’s not yet an established/announced timeline for bringing back DDP. Disney cancelled DDPs, they say, because restaurant capacities will be so limited.
DFB is doing a great job in relaying factual information! Thanks for all you do to keep us informed.
Hi there! I wanted to go to WDW in May 2021 to celebrate my 50th birthday. For a special trip we wanted to stay in a resort hotel. We were also waiting for the free dining plan as this would make our trip more affordable.
I live in the UK .
Do you think the free dining plan will happen at all in 2021? Should I go later in the year ? Can’t see any incentive in paying more to stay onsite anymore.
The only bonus is the free transportation system at the moment. No dining plan,no fast passes,no booking ahead for restaurants. Is it worth going at all??
Since we live in CA, we only get out to Florida about every 10 years. I honestly feel betrayed by Disney ‘s announcement. I had tours and dining reservations confirmed and secured with a credit card for October. Now I have to try and rebook and also hope I can actually get into the theme park with their new reservation system. Disney’s covid response is overkill. I’m okay with wearing face masks even though I feel I’m suffocating. The temperature check is fine but honestly, it won’t catch asymptomatic carriers. If people are willing to go to the theme parks, it’s a choice to assume the risk so why punish visitors who already made that decision to still visit? For everyone who already had confirmed reservations and packages, Disney did all of us wrong.
They just cancelled all our dining reservations. Including our Victoria and Albert’s reservation. Those are so hard to get. I was so excited when we got it, now I’m totally bummed…..
Obviously things are in flux right now. I still have my September strip booked (with a free dining plan) and the DDP is still showing in the reservation. Will have to see what happens when we get contacted about any changes.
I also agree with many other comments here that a 35% room discount is far from equitable to a free quick service dining plan for 3 people for 8 nights.
Joanne, no way to know about DDP’s timeline at this point. We’ll update whenever info emerges.
Becky, it’s our pleasure!
Any idea if you get an admission reservation say into the magic kingdom for a specific day can you leave the park to go back to your room and re/enter the park later that afternoon !
DFB Sarah
I have reservations with the free dining plan that was offered as a promotion In January. My arrival date is July 7. Obviously it’s going to be canceled but I still have not received an email about the 35% off for a future reservation. I’m seeing some people with August reservations have received emails. Am I eligible for the discount and have all emails gone out? This is so much stress. I get there are bigger problems out there to worry about but I love Disney to no end.
Mary, I don’t know if all emails have gone out. It seems like things are unrolling slowly. Based on what you’ve communicated, it seems like you’d be eligible, but I truly don’t know. You’ll want to reach out to Disney for the official word.
VP, another great question… for which we do not have an answer yet. When more info is released, we’ll definitely update. I’ll make note of this question so we can look into it.
DFB Sarah,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. You’re the only blogger who has out of all of them.
Thank you again and Stay safe!
You’re so welcome, Mary. We’re doing what we can!