by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
July 1, 2020
As we reported Monday, Disney World guests whose previous dining reservations were cancelled when Disney pulled the plug to make way for their new Park Reservation System were able to begin rebooking their Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) yesterday (Tuesday, June 30).
So, given the fiasco that became the booking process for many guests last week as they tried to claim their “Park Reservations” online, overwhelming the website, how did the re-entry into the dining system go? For our family, the experience was … okay.
The process was fairly smooth. I got on to the My Disney Experience section of the Disney website right away. I’d decided to wait several hours to access the system, figuring it would be easier once the initial crush of diners had subsided. There really wasn’t much difference between booking these dining reservations and booking dining reservations a year ago. Where the breakdown occurred was that there were fewer restaurants available for booking. Not surprising, based on the fact that character dining and buffets are dark at the moment, and overall attendance at the parks will be limited.
However, there were dining locations that were not open/not available that were surprising to me, such as Chefs de France (listed as temporarily unavailable) and Columbia Harbor House (quick serve, but not on the roster of opening locations). Oga’s Cantina, which had initially been on the list of venues slated to open, is now missing from the roster. Sci-Fi Dine-In is on Disney’s list of re-opening restaurants, but when I tried to book there, the calendar wouldn’t advance beyond August 29. Epcot’s Tutto Italia was not listed on Disney’s roster as opening, but dining reservations were available when you checked Tutto Italia’s availability page. Over at Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we always make a stop for zebra domes, the Lodge’s quick serve location, The Mara, is not opening yet, nor is Jiko – The Cooking Place. In many cases, things weren’t always what they seemed. You needed to look closer at the reservations availability, and not just at the master list, because the two didn’t always agree.
How did we make out with our own rebookings? We were able to recapture about half of the original reservations we’d had before the restaurant power down, not always on the same days or times though. Among the disappointments? We lost the Edison and Oga’s (neither is currently on the list of opening restaurants) and Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White at Wilderness Lodge (it’s character dining – not happening right now).
For those looking for modified character dining experiences, both Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera and Garden Grill at Epcot, currently the only locations with character appearances at meals, still had reservation slots available. In the end, though, we decided the pricing wasn’t worth a “dance-through” by Mickey and friends, as opposed to the normal photo taking/autograph session we would typically experience with character dining. At Topolino’s, there were two slots available at 8:30 am and 10:55 am for “Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends” on the day we checked. At Garden Grill, there were three slots available in our time frame (5:45, 6:20, 6:35).
Other dining locations that we always visit that aren’t scheduled to open yet are the quick-service locations Woody’s Lunchbox (how we love those Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwiches and BBQ Brisket Melts!) and Columbia Harbor House. We were thrilled to see, however, that Flame Tree Barbecue over in Animal Kingdom is opening. Well worth the stop – a quick serve with delicious portions big enough to share, with seating under gazebos along the river to relax for a while.
If you are looking to rebook your meals, here’s a tip: Make a list of which parks your Park Reservations are in before you begin looking at restaurants, because that will distinctly limit your choices and your meal times. Park closing times differ dramatically. Our family usually visits a park in the morning and early afternoon, then park hops to Epcot, since that is where we think some of the best dining is. Park-hopping is off the menu right now, so you’ll have to make sure that the restaurant you are booking lines up with the park that you have Park Reservations for – on a specific day - or you aren’t getting in to the park to mosey on over to the restaurant when it’s time to eat.
Walt Disney World’s dining page has information on the availability of meal reservations at Resort hotels, Theme Parks and Disney Springs dining locations, as well as the Know Before You Go page to help you with rapidly changing information. And it is rapidly changing. With Florida’s COVID cases on a steep rise, things may even be different by tomorrow.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
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