Hi there, Elaine!
Oh boy, a winter escape to the magical
Walt Disney World Resort in January sounds like the perfect thing to look forward to in the new year. Your travel party sounds like a lot of fun, too! Thanks for connecting with me directly regarding how to manage your dining reservations, should anything change on vacation.
I’m excited to hear that you’ve secured
dining reservations for each night. I also like to add structure to my vacation days with a planned sit-down meal to ensure we take time to rest, share stories and laughs about the day, and enjoy all the wonderful dining experiences the Walt Disney World Resort has to offer! If some of your party decide to do something else in the evening or retire early, please know that the
dining cancellation policy will be in effect where you should alter your reservation more than two hours ahead of the dining time to avoid a fee. Your party change from eight to five people would alter the seating arrangements and plans the restaurant has for the dining service; it’s not only a courtesy to adjust the reservation but you risk being charged for the additional no-show seats if cancelled too close to your dining time. I always like to think I’m sending pixie dust out to another family who may be able to now enjoy a dining experience if I cancel in time for someone else to pick up the seat.
Everyone understands that things change, especially on an active theme park day and when traveling with little ones. You can easily make these adjustments to your reservation in the
My Disney Experience App by navigating to the upcoming reservation and selecting “Modify” to edit the plans to seat five rather than eight people. If this is not possible, please be sure to alert the host team upon arrival so they can accommodate your party in the most appropriate seating arrangement for your meal and adjust the total guest count. You may also request support from the front desk team at your
Disney Resorts Collection hotel or any
Guest Relations location, including the
Guest Experience Teams in the theme parks (find them under the blue umbrellas).
Balancing our forward-looking plans with on-site spontaneity is always the key for my family vacations, and it sounds like yours too! I often shift our plans once on site based on anything from our son’s mood to the weather, or even accommodating something incredible we discovered and didn’t plan on. I know your hard work in securing the practically perfect dining location each evening will be time well spent as you enjoy some incredible meals and make special memories together. The
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will be going on during your visit; sampling the many flavors from around the world and learning about culture through visual and performing arts may be another fun way to engage the children during this visit without a formal sit-down meal that day.
I hope this was helpful in knowing what to do as any plans change or moods shift once you arrive on vacation. Please let us know how else we can help you make the most of this incredible winter escape.
Wishing you many dining delights and extraordinary sights on your trip!
Amy