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Thanks,
Tom Bricker
With all the information about the parks reopening I am still wondering if you can exit and reenter your selected park on the same day.
Hi, I have an idea for a topic you could write about and illustrate with photos. Maybe you could rate all the Disney pools according to how much shade is available around them. Thanks for your great blog.
Hello Tom,
I personally am not sure why I’m even asking this, as I can see a pattern that you are unable to or perhaps choose to not reply to many of folks’ questions or reach outs….but being that you seem to be a supernova of Disney, maybe I’ll get lucky. I like to think I’m quite gifted with finding information that’s greatly hidden, but I’ve come up dead here and have begun to grow increasingly frustrated. Disney wants people to give them money and risk their health to come back to the “magic that awaits you”, yet takes away many of the reasons people love it so much, while at the same time, providing no updates, information or communication so their “cast members” can answer people’s questions. Everything is a secret.
With that said, I’m wondering if you have heard any rumblings of why the California Grill (Contemporary) and Ohana (Polynesian) Restaurants are indefinitely delayed? With all the reservations needed to access dining and the parks, along with the 35-40% capacity requirements in restaurants once opened, why would these 2 not be opening? I am a DVC and Plat AP holder and we have a trip planned for August and staying at the Polynesian for 2 weeks. I find no articles, news updates, hotel regulations etc, stating why (other than Yelp, which for some reason states CG will open on 7/10). Where that came from, I have no idea, but if they are opening on Friday, why would reservations not be open to the rest of public (to at least try and get in). Nevertheless, these 2 restaurants are the prime real estate of our twice yearly disney trips and is a bit devastating, when you take into account that “Tony’s” is accepting reservations and Germany has gone Family Style. So, if you are able to, I hope that you can respond with anything you might have heard or know. Planning this year, setting alarms to wait in virtual queues and ridiuclous secrets on Disney’s part are really getting annoying at this point. My family and I invested a lot in Disney because of our unprescendented love for it – even accepting that they took away the dining plan selfishly, to make more money back. I realize this is little in the grand scheme of things, but still important to us and many other families. I appreciate any insight you might have. PS: Can you PLEASE date your articles? I don’t think you realize how many people actually look to see how new the read or update is. Thank you, Jennifer
One of the biggest mistakes Disney made was to remove the large , stunning water feature in the middle of the Great Ceremonial House. That feature was able to transport visitors to paradise. The present small feature is not attractive at all. I would also like to know who picked out the furniture for the lobby. It is extremely uncomfortable and unattractive. Did the interior designer even try to sit in any one of those pieces???? I know that change can be good and sometimes necessary. But change for the sake of change is often unwise.
Hi Tom,
In regard to Disney changing the Hall of Presidents, what exactly is going to be changed?
Personally, I love it the way it is.
Thank you,
Eileen Keane
So I got a scenario for you Tom: As an AP, can I make a 14 day resort reservation in January for say…… Boardwalk Resort, and then use my 14 days of AP park reservations for 14 days in August…… go to WDW in August….. and them cancel out of the January resort reservation? Seems like a way to get around the 3 day limit, right?
Hi, are there any offers at the end of the year? my dream is to go.
I’ve noticed that there’s no park availability for Disney Passholders on a particular day but there is for visitors with resort reservations and for visitors with tickets. According to their calendar, all entries for annual passholders are pretty much taken for July but there is availability for those with resort reservations and tickets. Does Disney plan to open up that availability to annual passholders as it gets close to that date?
Regarding the re-theming of Splash Mountain in Disney World, do you know when the ride will be closed for construction. Thank you.
Hello Tom,
My wife and I are trying to cancel our Platinum Annual passes and constantly get “All circuits are busy now”. Is there a web site or email address where we can cancel?
Just wondering . . . I saw somewhere that the in park table service restaurants will be serving on a first come first served basis instead of reservations while resort and Disney Springs restaurants will be taking reservations. Is the correct or just a bad rumor? I’m asking because I see that Be Our Guest isn’t on the app for taking reservations yet.
Hello Tom. I’ve gotten through to the new ticket booking page a few times but it always says that my family is not linked. I’m positive I’ve done this. I’ve been trying for 5 1/2 hours now. Can you tell me step by step how to link my vacation package? I reserved a hotel, tickets, dinning plan (which is cancelled now) and photo. Please help me.
Help! We are currently booked for the last week of August of this year. We booked this last year, at the end of that trip. We are trying to reschedule this year’s trip for next year. We reached someone two dats ago, who told us to call back today. We can’t get through to anyone!! Been on the phone for hours. We are worried we won’t be able to reschedule, and they seem to be prioritizing new bookings. Help!!
Hi Tom,
Are you able to get through and make park pass reservations? I’m still getting the info page.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the blog, I’m in Southern California (A Disneyland Parks Annual Pass holder).
My son and I are going on a road trip to Disneyworld and wonder if we’ll be able to make reservations for at least one park and a hotel? It seems new reservations aren’t being made for this summer. Do you know any details?
Hi Tom,
Thanks so much for all of your work making sense of Disney (pre- and post-Covid)! I’ve been a regular reader since June 2019 when I booked our October 2020 trip.
I know you don’t specialize in Disney Cruise Line issues, but I saw that you posted information about DCL back in March. My family has a cruise scheduled in October 2020 (right after our parks trip) on the Disney Fantasy, and to the extent that it is useful for other people with Disney Cruises booked in the fall, I have an update about how they’re dealing with cancellations:
We are booked on the Disney Fantasy, for which cruises have been canceled through August 1, for an October 19th departure. We are in the concierge level, which came with a non-refundable deposit of around $1000. We have a deadline to pay the balance (several thousand more) on June 21. Disney Cruises has provided no information on (i) what changes will be made to the cruise, or (ii) whether the cruise will be completely cancelled. Guest Services has confirmed that if we cancel now and forfeit the $1000 deposit, and Disney Cruises ultimately cancels the cruise entirely later on, they will not refund the deposit. They have also confirmed that they are not extending in any meaningful way the deadline before which final payment must be made or penalties will be imposed. They can’t tell me (and don’t know themselves due to changing CDC guidelines) what changes will be made to the cruise (e.g. cancellation of the Broadway shows, parties, fireworks, kids clubs, etc.). Essentially, they are asking customers to predict what will happen 5 months in the future at penalty of losing a significant amount of money, while they are reserving the flexibility to make decisions up until the day before the cruise.
Given how things are looking now, and based on the parks’ guidelines (though I know they’re different companies), my best guess is either (i) the cruise will be cancelled entirely, or (ii) there will be massive changes to the programming where everything you pay for for a Disney cruise with your kids (the shows, the parties, the kids clubs, etc.) is canceled, and you’re paying to sit in your stateroom in an enclosed boat where there is no control over contact or disease spread. Because they are not refunding the deposit, Disney Cruise Lines is getting a massive windfall at the expense of its customers.
I know things are crazy and I completely sympathize with Disney trying to do its best to sort things out. My issue with the DCL stance is that it ignores the reality of what fall will be like. Based on the website and what Guest Services repeated to me, they haven’t updated their Health and Safety Guidelines since March.
Hi Tom,
Your website is a wealth of information and these days, I read it daily. Thank you for the time and effort you put into the research and writing! I just wanted to request that you add the date of publication on the top of your articles. With information coming out so quickly these days, I think that would be helpful. One article that had up-to-date info could be out of date 48 hours later.
Sincerely,
Sara
Tom, your search does not seem to work anymore.
I know you have posted about Festival of the Arts, I think favorably.
I would like to read it again, but cannot find it.
Can you please enable the search feature.
Thank you,
Julia
Hi Tom,
The blog is awesome! I appreciate the work that you put into it. Could you do a blog posting on your thoughts on how the Splash Mountain theme is based on the animated movie, “Song of the South”? What are your thoughts on this article in the Washington Post about folks who think that Disney should change the theme of this ride as the “Song of the South” movie is pretty racist.
Keep up the good work and please stay healthy!
Thanks,
Mark
Tom, I look at your website at least daily and appreciate your information and enthusiasm. I’m not recalling any of your blogs addressing whether pools will be open when the the resorts open (DVC anyway). Thoughts?
Have a vacation planned (Sept. 28 – Oct. 2) during the 2020 International Food and Wine Festival. What rumors might you be aware of whether this event will take place at all or in a reduced capacity? With the changes, fairly certain we will cancel, but if this event is still moving forward, some consideration may still be warranted.
Thanks!
Hi Tom, So I had a Bounce back offer with the free dining plan in August the 14-28. So Disney sent me an email yesterday with my now modified plans. Is there anyway to post a picture of it on your website so people can see what they sent. The names & reservation # is blacked out. Thanks Chris
Hi Christopher – that is funny as I have a Bounce Back offer with the free dining plan where we are scheduled from July 30 to the 8th of August and have heard nothing directly from Disney nor anything on the app except where they took our ADR away. We are to stay at Coronado Springs also which from the NBA going to be there will also give us a change of resorts too. Have asked our travel agent about maybe rescheduling to next July/August (because of teens and high school sports) and she said that at this time she was not able to book for that time yet I have seen some that have rescheduled to next May.
Tom – is there a way to get our reservations moved to about the same time next year and how can we go about that?