Between booking your hotel stay, tickets, dining reservations, and more, there’s a lot to keep track of when planning your Disney World vacation.

Cinderella Castle

And, if you’re hoping to dine at any of the popular Table Service restaurants in the parks or resorts, you probably know how important it is to book your dining reservations early. But, today guests looking to book their dining reservations may have some difficulties.

Earlier today a fantastic reader sent us a message and let us know that they were trying to make dining reservations for their upcoming trip (and were within the 60 day window), but when they went to look for reservations there was no availability at ANY of Disney World’s restaurants. So, we did a little digging.

Yak & Yeti

Right now, Disney World dining reservations typically open for guests 60 days in advance of their vacation, early in the morning on the My Disney Experience app and on Disney’s website. But today, it looks like Disney is experiencing technical difficulties which are preventing guests from securing their reservations.

Be Our Guest Restaurant

This morning, we opened up the My Disney Experience app to try and make a dining reservation and we received a pop-up notification saying that “Dining Reservations and Experiences Are Temporarily Unavailable” and that “new dining and experience reservations cannot be made online or by phone.”

©Disney

We then gave Disney Dining a call at (407) 939-3463 and have been on hold for some time waiting to be connected with a Cast Member.

It appears the Disney Dining website is experiencing technical difficulties at the moment. So, if you were planning to visit the website or use Disney’s app to make your dining reservations today, just keep that in mind.

Cinderella’s Royal Table

We will continue to keep an eye out for updates on this situation and let you know what we find. Stay tuned to DFB for all the latest!

Click Here to Check Out The SECRET to Getting the Hardest Reservations in Disney World!

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Are you experiencing this issue making your reservations? Let us know in the comments.

The post Disney World Dining Reservations System is DOWN first appeared on the disney food blog.

There are a few sneaky rules in Disney World that you might completely miss and end up breaking.

Crowds

If it’s truly by accident, you won’t get kicked out of the parks. But we’re here to let you know the rules you need to stay aware of to keep yourself out of any tricky or awkward situations.

Check out the Disney World rules you break without knowing and more in our latest DFB video!

The post DFB Video: Disney World Rules You Break Without Knowing It first appeared on the disney food blog.

Guests looking to make dining reservations Wednesday morning are temporarily not able to do so via the Walt Disney World website, My Disney Experience app, or even by calling.

The image below displays the message that is popping up in the My Disney Experience app currently.

There is no indication at this time of when the systems will be back up and running, but we will place an update at the top of this article when things are back up.

Let’s be honest…Disney World vacations can cost a LOT of money.

A vacation to Disney World doesn’t usually come cheap.

There are so many upgrades and bonus experiences that you can pay for in the parks and resorts, and some of them are not worth the cost! But which ones ARE? Today, we’re sharing our list of the most expensive things in Disney World that are actually worth it — as long as you have the room in your budget!

Character Meals

If you want to dine with Disney characters, be prepared to pay around $50 per person (and even more if you visit Cinderella’s Royal Table or Be Our Guest Restaurant!). However, at most locations you’ll get a TON of food and you’ll get the chance to interact with some of your favorite pals!

Breakfast with Donald at Disney’s Riviera Resort!

If your kids have particular Disney friends that they love, this could be a really fun experience for them. But it’s not just for kids — many adults enjoy this experience as well. And some of these meals are home to some truly delicious food. At this time, most character meals are either plated meals or served family-style (meaning no buffets) and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality! Some favorites have been the family-style breakfast and lunch at Tusker House Restaurant in Animal Kingdom (with Donald and friends in safari gear) and Topolino’s Terrace at the Riviera Resort for breakfast! If you’re looking for a really memorable meal, this may need to make the top of your list!

Here’s How Character Dining is Different Right Now!

Fancy Dinners

And speaking of delicious dinners, let’s talk signature restaurants! There are some restaurants around Disney World that will cost much more than what you’re probably expecting to pay for food, but they’re great for a special occasion or a date night.

Looking for something fancy? This is a great choice!

Places like California Grill, Le Cellier, Victoria & Albert’s, and others offer a true fine dining experience — something that you may not expect to find at a theme park! These restaurants have higher caliber ingredients and intricate menus, plus very talented chefs and top-notch service, so you may walk away having eaten the best meal of your life. 

These Are the Best Restaurants for 2021 in Disney World!

Deluxe Resort Stays

Staying at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, or even Disney’s Riviera Resort may be worth it if you’re looking to splurge. You can enjoy a room with nicer amenities and more space, plus maybe even a special theme park view!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Your resort will have more features and nicer restaurants to choose from (often multiple sit-down locations and lounges are found at Deluxe resorts), and you’ll often be closer to a park. You likely won’t be limited to just taking the bus everywhere (unless you’re staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge but in that case, you have loads of animals surrounding your resort so there’s a big positive!). And on top of it all, the Deluxe Resorts just feel like a relaxing getaway — the perfect place to come home to at the end of a long day in the parks! 

These hotels don’t come cheap though. At the time of writing (AKA dead of summer!), standard rooms at these resorts range from around $400-700 minimum per night, depending on the resort. 

9 Absolute Lies About Disney World Resort Hotels — Click Here!

Special Tours

Guided VIP tours may be worth it if you can afford the cost. You’ll get to skip lines for select rides, go behind the scenes, and you’ll have a knowledgeable guide with you throughout the day! These tours are not for the faint of wallet — private guided tours run between $425-750 per HOUR for a minimum of 7 hours with up to 10 guests (admission not included!).

VIP Tour Guides

There ARE more affordable tours though (when available). If you’re visiting Animal Kingdom, make sure to check out the Wild Africa Trek. This tour is particularly unique because you’ll travel through the exhibits of Kilimanjaro Safaris and get a backstage look at animal care. You can do all that for $139-249 per person for the 3-hour tour. 

Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Backstage/history tours at Magic Kingdom are also very fun for big Disney fans because you get a look at how things work in the areas that guests don’t typically get to visit and you’ll probably learn some fun facts about park history and design that you didn’t know before. Depending on which tour you take, you may have to shell out the big bucks, but it’ll definitely be a park day unlike any other!

The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me in Disney World — Click Here!

Food Events

Fireworks dessert parties can be worth it if you really want that special view or you REALLY love dessert. You’ll get an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet including alcohol at most, which just sounds like the perfect way to end the night!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries from Happily Ever After Dessert Party

We also really enjoyed the Circle of Flavors: Harambe at Night event at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It was a progressive meal-type experience with special entertainment and activities, and the food was spectacular all for $125 per person. 

Circle of Flavors: Harambe at Night going on at Rafiki’s Planet Watch

Food events like this will pop up from time to time, and if you have the room in your budget to try one out, we often recommend it!

There you have it — 5 things that are often actually worth the splurge in Disney World! We’ve tried a lot of expensive things over the years, but these take the cake for some of the experiences we don’t mind pulling out our wallet to try. Stay tuned to DFB for more tips on how to plan the best vacation ever!

Click Here to See Our Ranking of the Most Expensive Food in Disney World!

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What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever done in Disney World?

The post The Most Expensive Things in Disney World (That Are Still Worth Doing) first appeared on the disney food blog.

Headed to Disney World soon?

Grand Floridian

You’re probably getting ready to look into accommodations. Well, we’ve got GOOD NEWS for Annual Passholders and Florida Residents! Disney just launched a special room offer just for YOU.

Passholders can book the new Summer Room Offer now through September 4th for most stays in select hotel rooms from August 8th through September 4th. After an initial booking window, Florida Residents will be able to book the offer beginning July 7th.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

The offer could net you a stay at:

• a Standard Room at Disney’s Pop Century Resort for $149+ per night
• a King Bed Room at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort for $249+ per night
• a Family Suite at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort for $349+ per night
• or, an Outer Building – Garden View Room at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa for $449+ per night.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

The offer is valid for stays between 1 night long and 14 nights long. Again, Annual Passholders can book RIGHT NOW and Florida Residents will be able to book starting July 7th.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

As always, stay tuned to DFB for the latest news about special offers and discounts!

Click here to see MORE Disney World offers!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Will you be booking this offer? Tell us in the comments! 

The post NEW Summer Hotel DISCOUNT Released for Disney World Passholders and Florida Residents first appeared on the disney food blog.