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Jun 9 2020

Why Disney World Cancelling Everything Is Actually A Good Thing

Slowly information is beginning to trickle out from Walt Disney World ahead of the resort’s phased reopening on July 11, 2020. The official Disney website is now being updated frequently with important “Know Before You Go” information that will be critical for anyone planning a visit over the next few months.

Much has been covered throughout the Disney community of bloggers, vloggers, and podcasts about the new health and safety policies that will be in place as well as speculation as to what a Walt Disney World will feel like under the new normal. So instead of rehashing all of that, let’s take a look at the silver lining to this situation if you happen to have a visit in the near future.

WHY DISNEY WORLD CANCELLING EVERYTHING IS ACTUALLY A GOOD THING

So if you’re like me, you may have had a Walt Disney World vacation planned for months down to every detail. You got up early 180 days out to book all of those dining reservations for the restaurants you’ve been wanting to try, painstakingly created a plan outlining which day you would spend in each park, and again got up by dawn to book those hard to get Fastpasses for Flight of Passage, Slinky Dog Dash, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. You were so excited, your kids were so excited, everything was all set and ready to go…until is wasn’t. I feel your pain.

I understand that given everything going on in our country and around the world today, that a vacation that has been disrupted in some way or even postponed to next year is not the end of the world. But for anyone that is going through this, me and my kids included, it is disappointing. And guess what? It’s okay to be disappointed.

But here’s the good news, that silver lining I was talking about…it’s actually a good thing that Walt Disney World is cancelling everything. Honestly, it takes the pressure off; it takes the pressure off you, and it takes the pressure off the resort and cast members. We are all starting at zero…zero expectations…zero reservations, and that can actually benefit all of us.

There are automatically high expectations when you spend six months or more planning for something, eagerly anticipating something. Think weddings, graduations, holidays. We can’t help it, we’re human, of course we want it all to be perfect. Those amazing lifelong memories we’re all striving to create, right?

But with Disney cancelling all dining reservations and Fastpasses, and shifting the planning window to just 60 days out, we have the incredible opportunity to make the most of this situation. It is very likely that capacity limits will remain low for quite sometime, which translates to less crowded parks. Yes, it’s true, we might be missing some of the things that makes Disney, Disney, like parades, fireworks, shows, and character greetings, but imagine being able to ride your favorite attractions several times with little to no wait. Think for a moment about being able to leisurely walk along the pathways of the parks taking in the architecture and magical details without a crowd. What would it be like to go to the park and actually be spontaneous?

What if on this Walt Disney World vacation, you could actually slow down, enjoy the moment, and not feel like you need a vacation afterward?

If you have a trip booked in the next few months, I encourage you to take advantage of what could be a once in a lifetime relaxed and slower paced Walt Disney World vacation, if you let it. Zero expectations…zero reservations (except park admission, of course)!

WHAT I AM DOING ABOUT MY UPCOMING TRIPS

In my recent posts Disney World Reopening To Begin July 11 Upon Approval, Disney World Closed Indefinitely, Disney World Is Closed – Now What? and When Will Disney World Reopen, I shared what I am doing about my upcoming Walt Disney World vacations that I have scheduled throughout the rest of 2020.

As a quick update, I have now had to cancel my April, June, July, and August trips so far. I have one more Walt Disney World vacation currently scheduled during in early fall 2020 For the moment, I am still hanging on to the reservation and hope that I will be able to go.

I do have some concerns though, like will the resort hotel I’ve booked, Caribbean Beach Resort, be open yet, will I be able to reserve theme park admission for my travel dates or will there not be enough capacity, and will I physically be able to withstand the high Florida heat and humidity while wearing a mask without shows like Carousel of Progress or Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor open to cool off in.

In addition to those concerns, there are other considerations such as will the non-essential travel ban still be in effect in my home state of Colorado, is the reward of visiting Walt Disney World during this time worth the potential risk to the health of myself and my loved ones, and can I truly enjoy myself or will my worry and anxiety get the best of me?

For all of us with Disney World travel plans scheduled in the near future, we are going to need to do some serious thinking to decide what is best for ourselves and our families during this unprecedented situation.

So for now I will wait to see how the initial reopening plays out in Disney World, and how the pandemic progresses in our country and globally, before making my final decision about my remaining 2020 vacation. I will continue to keep you posted here and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I would love to hear what you’re going to do, so please comment below or hit me up on social media!

WHAT’S NEXT?

In the meantime, while things slowly reopen, I will continue to share the latest Walt Disney World news and information here. You can still expect to see posts filling you in on all of the fun things coming up at the most magical place on earth!

Please stay safe and well, and I will see you in the parks real soon!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you rescheduling or cancelling? Have any tips or concerns?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

May 27 2020

Disney World Reopening To Begin July 11 Upon Approval

Wednesday morning, May 27, 2020, Disney finally made the official announcement that we all have been waiting for since they closed…Walt Disney World has proposed beginning a phased reopening on July 11, 2020 pending local and state approval.

WHAT DOES DISNEY HAVE TO SAY?

On Walt Disney World’s official closure page it reads:

Following the recent reopening of Shanghai Disney Resort and Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort, we’re pleased to share that more Disney magic is coming back. On May 27, we submitted a proposal to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force in Florida describing our approach for a phased reopening of Walt Disney World Resort theme parks planned to begin on July 11.

WHEN WILL DISNEY WORLD REOPEN?

Disney Springs began to reopen on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. The Disney Vacation Club properties at Walt Disney World as well as Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground are slated to reopen to guests on Monday, June 22, 2020. Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are scheduled to reopen on Saturday, July 11 followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

WHAT WILL DISNEY WORLD BE LIKE WHEN IT REOPENS?

The health and safety of both guests and cast members will remain the primary concern as Walt Disney World begins to reopen this summer. Based on the presentation made to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, visitors can expect enhanced protective measures including masks, physical distancing, additional cleaning and sanitation, temperature and health screenings, as well as limited contact enhancements throughout the resort.

If you are planning a visit to Walt Disney World in the near future, you can anticipate that Disney will soon begin to reach out to you with more details about the new safety measures via email, snail mail, and the My Disney Experience app with an enhanced “Know Before You Go” campaign. This program is meant to educate, communicate, and engage upcoming guests so that everyone has realistic expectations about what a Walt Disney World will look like during this time.

More specific details will be released as the reopening date draws closer, but as of now Disney has announced these initial protocols:

As we all must work together to promote the health and safety of everyone, cast members as well as guests 3 years of age and older will be required to wear appropriate face coverings in theme parks and common areas of resort hotels. All guests will also undergo temperature screenings prior to entering a theme park; cast members will also have temperature checks. Cashless transactions are recommended, and cleaning and disinfection procedures will be increased in high-traffic areas.

There will also be limited theme park capacity requiring advance reservations, through a new system that Disney will unveil soon. The schedule currently shows each theme park scheduled to be open approximately 10 hours per day with staggered opening and closing times.

WHAT I AM DOING ABOUT MY UPCOMING TRIPS

Spaceship EarthIn my recent posts Disney World Closed Indefinitely, Disney World Is Closed – Now What? and When Will Disney World Reopen, I shared what I am doing about my upcoming Walt Disney World vacations that I have scheduled throughout the rest of 2020.

As a quick update, I have now had to cancel my April, June, and early July trips so far. I have two more Walt Disney World vacations scheduled during 2020…one during the late summer and one in the early fall. For the moment, I am still hanging on to the reservations and hope that I will be able to go.

I do have some concerns though, like will the resort hotels I’ve booked, Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach Resort, be open for my travel dates, will I be able to reserve theme park admission for my travel dates or will there not be enough capacity, and will I physically be able to withstand the high Florida heat and humidity while wearing a mask without shows like Carousel of Progress or Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor open to cool off in.

In addition to those concerns, there are other considerations such as will the non-essential travel ban still be in effect in my home state of Colorado, is the reward of visiting Walt Disney World during this time worth the potential risk to the health of myself and my loved ones, and can I truly enjoy myself or will my worry and anxiety get the best of me?

For all of us with Disney World travel plans scheduled in the near future, we are going to need to do some serious thinking to decide what is best for ourselves and our families during this unprecedented situation.

So for now I wait to see how the initial reopening plays out in Disney World, and how the pandemic progresses in our country and globally, before making my final decision about my remaining 2020 vacations. I will continue to keep you posted here and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I would love to hear what you’re going to do, so please comment below or hit me up on social media!

WHAT’S NEXT?

In the meantime, while we wait for things to slowly reopen, I will continue to share the latest Walt Disney World news and information here. You can still expect to see posts filling you in on all of the fun things coming up at the most magical place on earth!

Please stay safe and well, and I will see you in the parks real soon!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you rescheduling or cancelling? Have any tips or concerns?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Mar 31 2020

Disney World Free Dining Recovery Discount

Over the weekend, Disney released a Free Dining Recovery Discount for guests whose vacations have been impacted by the Coronavirus. Let’s take a look at the details and how this discount stacks up.

DISNEY WORLD FREE DINING RECOVERY DISCOUNT DETAILS

Here are the details of this deal according to Disney:

We recognize the impact these uncertain times have had on our Guests. If your recent Walt Disney World reservation was affected, then you may be eligible to enjoy a special summer vacation package offer. After all, summertime is the perfect time to make the kind of cherished memories that we all need—now more than ever.

Eligible Guests can take advantage of a vacation package offer that includes accommodations at a select Disney Resort hotel, park admission and a Disney dining plan—valid for arrivals most nights June 1 through September 30, 2020 when you book through May 31, 2020. This offer is valid only for Guests who previously booked a vacation package or room reservation to stay at a Disney Resort hotel at Walt Disney World Resort for travel dates March 16 to May 31, 2020. Offer not valid for reservations travelling these dates that were cancelled before March 1, 2020.

This offer is subject to availability. Length-of-stay requirements may apply. Everyone in the same room must be on the same package. Theme park tickets valid for admission beginning on date of check-in and must be used within a limited number of days, depending on length of stay and ticket.

HOW DOES THE DISNEY FREE DINING RECOVERY DISCOUNT STACK UP?

How this discount stacks up really depends on your feelings and experience with the Free Dining Discounts in the past. If you’re a fan of the convenience and simplicity of the dining plans, then this is probably a big win for you. If however, you’re looking strictly at the cost, this may not be as good of a deal as it seems at first glance. You’ll want to spend a few minutes actually crunching the numbers to see if it makes sense for you and your family. Remember with the Free Dining Discount, you will be paying full rack rate for your room, and potentially missing out on some sizable room only discounts in the future if Disney reopens and struggles to fill rooms. You’ll also want to keep in mind that value and moderate resort hotels will receive the Quick-Service Dining Plan, while deluxe resort hotels will receive the Disney Dining Plan that includes Table Service meals that require gratuities that will need to be paid out of pocket. Over the years, I have done Walt Disney World vacations with and without the dining plan, and being a small eater, I have always found a room only discount to be a much bigger cost savings while paying for my meals out of pocket. To get pricing for your vacation if you qualify for the Free Dining Recovery Discount, please call 407-939-4251 directly. This discount cannot be booked online at this time.

WHAT I AM DOING ABOUT MY UPCOMING TRIPS

In my recent posts Disney World Is Closed – Now What?, When Will Disney World Reopen, and Disney World Closed Indefinitely, I shared what I am doing about my upcoming Walt Disney World vacations that I have scheduled throughout the rest of 2020.

As a quick update, I am still hanging on to my early and mid summer trips for now. I did reschedule my April trip to September and added an August trip while I was at it. I have several Frontier Airlines flight vouchers that are going to expire by October 1 so I am trying to use as many of them as possible, knowing that is very unlikely Frontier will extend them. As quickly as things are changing now, I currently plan on waiting until a couple of weeks before each trip to decide whether or not to go, unless something else decides for me, like Disney World still being closed, Frontier cancelling my flight, a CDC travel advisory, or the mandatory quarantine of 14 days still being in place when arriving in Florida.

I would love to be able to visit Walt Disney World this year, but looking at the big picture, this really is not a major concern. The most important thing right now, is that we all do what we can to save lives, stay well, and slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Eventually life will return to normal, and we will all be enjoying the magic in person once again!

WHAT’S NEXT?

In the meantime, I will continue to share the latest Walt Disney World news and information here. You can still expect to see several posts a week, filling you in on all of the fun things coming up at the most magical place on earth once it reopens!

Please stay safe and well, and I will see you in the parks real soon!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Will you be booking the free dining discount?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Mar 28 2020

Disney World Closed Indefinitely

Friday afternoon, March 27, 2020, Disney finally made the official announcement that we all knew was coming…Walt Disney World is now closed indefinitely.

WHAT DOES DISNEY HAVE TO SAY?

On Walt Disney World’s official closure page it reads:

The safety and well-being of our Guests and employees remains The Walt Disney Company’s top priority. As a result of this unprecedented pandemic and in line with the direction provided by health experts and government officials, Walt Disney World will remained closed until further notice.

WHEN WILL DISNEY WORLD REOPEN?

While this situation continues to change by the moment and no one knows for sure how this will all play out, we can try to make an educated guess based on the information we have so far. Many medical experts and scientists have shared that they estimate the Coronavirus spread should peak in approximately eight to ten weeks. If that does turn out to be true, and we begin our countdown from when places across the country began trying to “flatten the curve” as March 16, 2020, the day President Trump released his “15 Days to Slow the Spread,” then we can estimate the peak to be around mid to late May 2020.

If we notice as a country that the number of new cases of the Coronavirus are starting to decline, then we could slowly see businesses begin to reopen and restrictions to be lifted. If cases of the Coronavirus do start to decline in May as optimistically predicted and Disney begins to slowly reopen at that time, we could hopefully see the Walt Disney World resort back up and operational at some point during the summer season.

WHAT WILL DISNEY WORLD BE LIKE WHEN IT REOPENS?

In China, where Shanghai Disneyland closed on January 25, Disney has been slowly resuming normal operations since March 9 by opening a limited number of restaurants and shops. All guests are having their temperatures taken prior to entry and are being required to wear masks during their visit. It would be safe to anticipate that Disney may take a similar approach here in the states, slowly coming back on line with restrictions for guests.

Rumors abound about what these restrictions may be from not allowing guests from outside the United States initially, or possibly not even outside Florida. There is also much speculation about how the Disney World experience will be impacted once it reopens. I’ve seen talk about limiting attendance, implementing more virtual queues like Rise of the Resistance for the more popular attractions, keeping character greetings and character dining closed, only opening certain attractions that allow for social distancing while keeping things like Carousel of Progress, The Enchanted Tiki Room, and similar shows shuttered, and only allowing mobile ordering at counter service restaurants with tables spaced six feet apart. While no one knows exactly what a Walt Disney World vacation will look like once this passes, probably not even top Disney officials at this point, I think it is safe to assume that we will see some adjustments and limitations at least initially.

WHAT I AM DOING ABOUT MY UPCOMING TRIPS

In my recent posts Disney World Is Closed – Now What? and When Will Disney World Reopen, I shared what I am doing about my upcoming Walt Disney World vacations that I have scheduled throughout the rest of 2020.

As a quick update, I am still hanging on to my early summer trip for now. I did receive an email from Frontier Airlines recently offering me $200 in vouchers in addition to the credit I would get if I would go ahead and cancel my summer flights. While that is a fantastic offer, I am not willing to give up hope quite yet.

WHAT’S NEXT?

In the meantime, while we wait for things to get back to normal, I will continue to share the latest Walt Disney World news and information here. You can still expect to see several posts a week, filling you in on all of the fun things coming up at the most magical place on earth once it reopens!

Please stay safe and well, and I will see you in the parks real soon!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you rescheduling or cancelling? Have any tips or concerns?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Mar 22 2020

When Will Disney World Reopen

Now that the reality of Walt Disney World along with much of the country being closed is starting to sink in, and we all have some time on our hands as we hunker down at home, the obvious question among Disney fans with upcoming vacations is, when will Disney World reopen?

While no one knows for sure, probably not even top Disney officials at this point, there are some clues that might give us some indication on when we might be able anticipate Walt Disney World reopening.

WHAT DOES DISNEY HAVE TO SAY?

On Walt Disney World’s official closure page it reads:

In line with state and federal guidance, Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney owned-and-operated hotels are currently closed through March 31. All locations at Disney Springs are also temporarily closed.

WILL DISNEY WORLD REOPEN ON APRIL 1?

Based on Walt Disney World’s website, optimistic guests might be hopeful that the resort will reopen on April 1, 2020. Although, no official statement has been released yet, and this is pure speculation on my part, I find it extremely unlikely that this will be the case. Given what is currently happening with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country and around the world, it is difficult to imagine that Disney World would reopen so quickly.

If we take a look at what is happening currently in the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on March 9, schools are closed across the state until at least April 15, and now public beaches, bars, nightclubs, and restaurant dining areas have been closed indefinitely. Each day as the number of diagnosed cases of the Coronavirus rises in Florida, more restrictions are being put in place and more establishments are closing. With this current trend in the state as well as the country as a whole, I would be shocked if Walt Disney World opened on April 1, 2020.

IF NOT APRIL 1, THEN WHEN WILL DISNEY WORLD REOPEN?

So if it is unlikely Walt Disney World will reopen on April 1, then when might it reopen? While this situation continues to change by the moment, we can make an educated guess based on the information we have so far. Many medical experts and scientists have shared that they estimate the Coronavirus spread should peak in approximately eight weeks. If that does turn out to be true, and we conservatively begin our eight week countdown from when places across the country began trying to “flatten the curve” as March 16, 2020, the day President Trump released his “15 Days to Slow the Spread,” then we can estimate the peak to be around mid May 2020.

If we notice as a country beginning in mid May that the number of new cases of the Coronavirus are starting to decline, then we could slowly see businesses begin to reopen and restrictions to be lifted. In China, where Shanghai Disneyland closed on January 25, Disney has been slowly resuming normal operations since March 9 by opening a limited number of restaurants and shops. It would be safe to anticipate that Disney may take a similar approach here in the states, slowly coming back on line, in case another outbreak occurs and they need to shut down again quickly.

Optimistically, if cases of the Coronavirus start to decline in mid May as predicted and Disney begins to slowly reopen at that time, we could hopefully see the entire Walt Disney World resort back up and operational for the busy summer season.

WHEN WILL DISNEY MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT?

Disney is still slammed with people cancelling and rescheduling vacations that were scheduled during this initial closure period that runs through the end of March.

Disney will most likely make an announcement sometime in the next few days that will extend the closure for another couple of weeks possibly through the Easter holiday. Don’t expect Disney to say they will be closed for more than a two or three weeks at a time. It is much easier for them to manage shorter incremental closures, not to mention, they are undoubtedly wanting to remain optimistic and reopen as soon as possible.

WHAT I AM DOING ABOUT MY UPCOMING TRIPS

In my recent post Disney World Is Closed – Now What?, I shared what I am doing about my upcoming Walt Disney World vacations that I have scheduled throughout the rest of 2020.

As a quick update, I have now rescheduled my spring trip to early fall 2020. It was a difficult decision, I didn’t want to give up hope, but realistically I couldn’t imagine Walt Disney World would reopen at a time the Florida schools were scheduled to still be closed. It took a couple of hours on the phone, but Disney moved my reservation and kept my bounce back offer to later in the year, and Frontier Airlines allowed me to reschedule my flights without having to pay any change fees or difference in fare. So while I am disappointed that my trip was postponed, it didn’t cost any extra to make the changes for which I am very thankful.

I am still hanging on to my early summer trip for now. I did receive an email from Frontier Airlines this weekend offering me $200 in vouchers in addition to the credit I would get if I would go ahead and cancel my summer flights. While that is a fantastic offer, I am not willing to give up hope yet.

WHAT’S NEXT?

In the meantime, while we wait for things to get back to normal, I will continue to share the latest Walt Disney World news and information here. You can still expect to see several posts a week, filling you in on all of the fun things coming up at the most magical place on earth for the rest of the year and beyond!

Please stay safe and well, and I will see you in the parks real soon!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you rescheduling or cancelling? Have any tips or concerns?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!