ORLANDO, Fla. – People missing the magic and the great food can soon smell the churros at Walt Disney World as some its theme parks are set to reopen Saturday.
Disney fans can now book their next trip to the most magical place on earth as cast members have been preparing for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom to reopen this weekend. Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot will open July 15 marking the end to Disney’s longest closure since it shut down its parks in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Though thrill-seekers and character lovers typically head to the parks for rides or photo ops, Disney’s reopening is also welcoming back the sweet treats the magical land has to offer and unique themed dining experiences that people have missed over the last few months.
Disney says it’s made a number of modifications in the interest of guests’ health and safety when it comes to its dining experience. Cast members have stepped up cleaning protocols and have been trained on the innovative technology that guests can now utilize to get a taste of what Disney dining areas have to offer.
As far as sanitization, the company says seating and dining areas will be cleaned between guest seatings. Disney also says its increased cleaning procedures in other high-traffic common areas as well.
Self-serve options are now an option of the past. Instead, beverages, condiments and other items previously available as self-service will be served directly to guests.
Many Walt Disney World restaurants are also implementing technological changes to help minimize contact.
Dining areas are utilizing reduced-contact menus. The company says most quick-service theme park restaurant menus will be available in the mobile order section of the My Disney Experience app. Guests will also be able to order ahead from wherever they are in the park and pick an arrival time so they can plan around their fun. All it takes is a tap on the screen and parkgoers can pick up their food at a designated pick-up area. Disney says the service supports debit, credit and gift cards as forms of cashless payments.
Disney’s app also has a new feature, offering mobile dining check-in for select table-service theme park restaurants. As a guest’s check-in window for a dining reservation nears closer, they’ll get a push notification on their phone. Guests can also begin the check-in process by scanning a QR code in the restaurant’s lobby. The app will walk guests through the check-in process, confirming their arrival time and party details. Guests will then be notified when their table is ready. While guests will be encouraged to use this new mobile check-in option, they will still be able to check-in at the restaurant’s podium, as well.
Menus will also be displayed as signage at restaurants. At select table-service locations, people will also have the option to scan a QR code with their smartphone to access a digital menu.
To learn more about these new dining features, head to Disneyworld.com/dining.