food IS a theme park
One of our favorite places to get a meal that we constantly call “hearty” is the Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room at the U.K. Pavilion at EPCOT.
Rose & Crown Reopening
But the Dining Room part of Rose and Crown has been closed for refurbishment since February, but we recently noticed that reservations were open again as of March 21st. Today is the day, and the Rose & Crown Dining Room has officially reopened!
When Disney World reopened in July of 2020, there were some pretty MAJOR changes in place. These include mask mandates, physical distancing guidelines, the cancelation of fireworks, parades, and character meet and greets, and the temporary suspension of FastPass+ and the Disney Dining Plan, just to name a few (not to mention the parks reopened with a freshly-painted pink castle!).
Magic Kingdom
Since then, however, there have only been MORE big changes that could have major impacts on your upcoming Disney World vacation. Some of the guidelines that were in effect last summer are no longer the case in 2021 while others have changed since inception! Let’s take a look at some of the biggest changes in Disney World SINCE July 11th, 2020!
Things at Disney World have definitely changed following the park closures.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
We’re constantly watching for Park Pass Reservation availability, ordering a LOT more on Mobile Order, and dealing with a whole new world where FastPass+ is suspended. On top of all that, there’s limited capacity at the parks.
Bonjour, mes amis! We are headed to the City of Lights, and taking you along with us. We’ve been anxiously awaiting the reopening of Chefs de France and OUR TIME HAS FINALLY COME!
Chefs de France reopening entrance
Chefs de France is located in the France Pavilion at EPCOT and has consistently served up pretty great food. You know we were one of the FIRST people in the door when this spot reopened on October 8th. Let’s see if the food is just as good since reopening!
Last month, we learned about a MAJOR update coming to select Disney World Table Service Restaurants. We then noticed that the My Disney Experience app had added Mobile Order to one of our favorite table service spots, Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge!
Olivia’s Cafe
Since then, we’ve noticed two more restaurants pop up with the Mobile Order Table Service To Go feature: Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Resort and The Wave…of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. But now it looks like another restaurant will be getting the feature soon, too!
Just last week, a new dining feature was added to the My Disney Experience app for Walt Disney World guests.
Sanaa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
The new Mobile Dine Walk-Up Waitlist allows guests to view Table Service restaurants that have available seating for walk-up guests. That said, as a brand new feature, only two restaurants in Disney World were previously available on the walk-up waitlist: Sanaa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Topolino’s Terrace in Disney’s Riviera Resort. [Read more…]
Disney World has been open for almost a month now and it definitely feels…different.
Guest Relations Cast Member
It is a new normal — and we’re not the only ones still adjusting. Disney is having to contend with some complex and unexpected situations in and around the parks. Already, we’ve seen a few changes to how Disney World is handling its reopening; let’s take a look at a few of the BIGGEST!
UPDATED 8-16-20
Many guests, including us, have been back in Disney World to dine at our favorite restaurants again (how we’ve missed Homecomin‘s Cheddar Drop Biscuits).
Shine Bar and Social
And dining locations around the parks and resorts have been following strict health and safety regulations with Mobile Dining Check-in, distanced seating, limited menus, and more. Still, some guests have had affected Advance Dining Reservations now that Disney World’s park hours have been shortened beginning September 8th. We’ve got the scoop on how Disney will handle this.
Disney World has been in the process of reopening for over a month now and we’re getting used to the new normal.
Topolino’s Terrace Dining Room
We’ve been adjusting to the new health measures like face masks and temperature checks, and it seems Disney has done some adjusting of its own. Though we’ve already had to get our temperatures checked in Disney Springs and at the theme parks, Disney World just updated its temperature screening mandate to apply to table-service restaurants in the resort hotels.
If you're looking for information related to the current closures and their effect on the Disney Parks, click here for all the up-to-date details and click here for answers to dozens of reader FAQs.
On May 20th, Disney Springs began a phased reopening. And we’ve been there every step of the way to see how each business has been adapting to the changes.
Disney Springs
In fact, we’ve been visiting every day so we can report back on all the dining, shopping, and safety info you need.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
