1900 Park Fare is a well-liked character eating expertise at Grand Floridian Resort that serves breakfast and dinner, however is (nonetheless) briefly unavailable ~4 years after the closure of Walt Disney World. This covers restaurant reopening rumors, modifications we count on to see if the Supercalifragilistic and Cinderella meals return, plus potential royal replacements.
Walt Disney World is generally again to regular on the restaurant entrance, with a handful of character eating experiences being the largest exception. Amongst these, by far the 2 we obtain essentially the most questions on are 1900 Park Fare and Bon Voyage Journey Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. The latter reopened immediately, however has been character-free ever since. It’s little shock that longtime followers wish to see each return, as they ranked extremely on our listing of the Finest Character Meals at Walt Disney World.
Earlier than we fall deeper down the rabbit gap, we should always bluntly reply the titular query: we don’t know. Nobody does. Should you’re merely searching for a confirmed reopening date for 1900 Park Fare, Walt Disney World has not introduced one. Formally, nobody is aware of. If you wish to be notified when there’s concrete information about 1900 Park Fare, subscribe to our FREE electronic mail publication! Whereas we don’t have something official, there’s a good quantity that may be surmised or speculated…
For individuals who are unfamiliar with it, 1900 Park Fare beforehand supplied two distinct character eating experiences. Within the morning, there was the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast. This was a fabulously festive, all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast buffet! “Popp in” for custom-made omelets, fluffy mini pancakes, Mickey-shaped waffles, carved ham and extra. Disney characters at 1900 Park Fare for the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast included Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, The Mad Hatter, Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh. It was fairly the eclectic crew.
Within the night, the character eating expertise reworked into Cinderella’s Fortunately Ever After Dinner, a fascinating buffet dinner hosted by Cinderella and Prince Charming. The Princess’ storybook buddies joined within the festivities as visitors had a ball eating on delectable seafood, salad, pasta and beef specialties. The culinary picks are consultant of a number of “kingdoms” from across the globe and embrace such kid-friendly fare as hen, cheese pizza, and macaroni & cheese.
The character of those character eating experiences is related as a result of meals that includes face characters (usually which means princes and princesses–however Alice, Mary Poppins and Mad Hatter would additionally qualify) however have typically been slower to return. Not solely that, however these which are again have been sluggish to scale up. To not spoil the phantasm, however that is all as a result of staffing shortages–discovering performers appropriate for sure roles has been no straightforward job.
It wasn’t till final spring that princesses lastly returned to Cinderella’s Royal Desk, and that’s the most iconic character meal in Walt Disney World’s flagship park. Akershus Royal Banquet Corridor didn’t restore breakfast and lunch till final summer time, and that’s the highest character meal in EPCOT. It struggled to maintain up with ADR demand at first, and nonetheless isn’t utterly again to its preclosure working hours.
It’s not simply the eating places, both. Meet & greets nonetheless aren’t fairly again to their pre-closure capability, which is why wait instances for characters spike throughout the daytime hours in Magic Kingdom throughout Celebration Season. These performers are wanted for the after-hours occasions, decreasing their availability throughout regular operations. Staffing shortages are getting higher–however they’re nonetheless not utterly resolved to pre-2020 regular.
Staffing is just not the one obstacle, simply what stored 1900 Park Fare from being amongst different character meals to first return in bodily distanced kind. If staffing had been the one problem, there’s a very good probability Walt Disney World would’ve introduced the return of 1900 Park Fare’s character breakfast and dinner in time for final Christmas.
The opposite nonetheless ongoing problem is the reimagining of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. This started in 2022 and remains to be a work-in-progress. It is a multiple-pronged venture that’s bringing new visitor rooms (see Grand New Rooms at Walt Disney World’s Flagship Resort for a glance inside) together with modernizations with “Enchanted Gardens” because the unifying visible fashion.
Should you’re undecided what meaning, it’s roughly the look of the lobbies and hallways of the outlying buildings–Victorian meets trendy meets Mary Poppins motifs. We really like this aesthetic rather a lot, and assume it delicately balances themed design with the expectations of standard visitors dropping a ton of cash to remain at Walt Disney World’s so-called flagship resort, and not anticipating it to appear to be “grandma’s home” (a quite common criticism). It’s definitely not excellent, nevertheless it does in addition to potential satisfying demos with preferences which are usually at-odds.
Together with the visitor rooms and customary areas, most eating places on the Grand Floridian have additionally been modernized. This consists of Enchanted Rose Lounge, Citricos, Narcoossee’s, and Victoria & Albert’s. It could be a colossal stretch to assert that there’s any unifying fashion amongst these eating places–they’re far and wide. However the level is that they’ve all acquired main refreshes in the previous few years.
That leaves 1900 Park Fare and Grand Floridian Cafe, each of that are not-so-coincidentally positioned on the foyer stage of the principle constructing. Because the room reimagining and overhaul of outlying buildings has wrapped up, building crews have moved into the principle foyer, which is being executed in phases.
Crews paused their work for final yr’s Christmas season, persevering with exterior on the roof and exterior of the principle constructing (which is now largely completed) however not contained in the foyer. On the time, we had been instructed that they’d resume inside after the vacations in 2024. Frankly, I’d’ve anticipated that to begin by now, nevertheless it has not.
We had been additionally instructed that 1900 Park Fare and the Grand Floridian Tea Room wouldn’t return till after the reimagining is completed, and that Grand Floridian Cafe would shut briefly to obtain a refresh throughout the foyer reimagining. These are the final ‘old fashioned’ eating places at Grand Floridian, and all of them are (over)due for modernizations.
All of that is smart, particularly not reopening 1900 Park Fare solely to shut it once more “in a couple of months” as soon as the resort reimagining progresses to that time. The issue is, that’s been the considering since late 2022/early 2023. By now, 1900 Park Fare may’ve been working for a yr or so earlier than closing for reimagining.
Someplace alongside the best way, we’re assuming there was a delay. It is a pretty protected assumption in the event you merely have a look at the timeline and the pauses within the venture at Grand Floridian. Additionally, in just about all different building round Walt Disney World within the final ~4 years. Virtually nothing has been accomplished on schedule, with delays as a result of staffing shortages, allocation of assets, and so forth.
In a logical and supreme world, 1900 Park Fare could be reimagined alongside the foyer, and open in time for Spring Break 2024. So that will be our prediction if Walt Disney World had been doing this strategically and had limitless assets at their disposal. At current, there’s no indication that’s the case–no building exercise has been noticed in or round both.
Should you imagine current rumors, that Spring Break 2024 timeframe for the reopening of 1900 Park Fare checks out. Nonetheless, we’re extra skeptical. There have been a couple of false begins with 1900 Park Fare, even amongst Forged Members on the Grand Floridian who had heard that it will be reopening and transfers would begin quickly.
At this level, that doesn’t actually make sense except the celebs align and Walt Disney World is ready to full the foyer reimagining within the span of a pair months. One other different is Disney dropping out and opening 1900 Park Fare in just about the identical kind because it existed up till March 2020. Whereas each are believable, they strike me as squandered alternatives that I don’t assume Walt Disney World will wish to cross up.
So as an alternative, our prediction is that 1900 Park Fare reopens when it reopens. Very insightful, we all know. However that’s mainly a method of claiming that it’s going to not be timed strategically, and as an alternative will occur when it’s capable of occur. At this level, our greatest guess is just not till Summer time 2024 on the earliest, except work is already occurring contained in the venue already and no matter occurs contained in the foyer goes to be a light-weight refresh relatively than a fully-fledged reimagining. (Hey, we instructed you up entrance that we don’t know when it’ll reopen! Given the circumstances right here, we expect it’s inappropriate to make a shot-in-the-dark guess at a date.)
When 1900 Park Fare lastly reopens, don’t be stunned if it appears totally different. In truth, count on it to look totally different. And I don’t simply imply the inside, which just about assuredly will obtain a refresh earlier than reopening. The breakfast and dinner may characteristic totally different characters. Truthfully, it wouldn’t shock me if 1900 Park Fare is overhauled totally, to the purpose that the outdated idea is unrecognizable.
I don’t say this with any inside information or perception, however the Grand Floridian is Walt Disney World’s flagship resort and 1900 Park Fare felt antiquated even in March 2020 following the debuts of Storybook Eating at Artist Level (a retrofit) and Breakfast à la Artwork with Mickey & Mates at Topolino’s Terrace (a model new restaurant at Riviera Resort). Even had the closure by no means occurred, I wouldn’t have been stunned if 1900 Park Fare acquired a serious overhaul between then and now.
As for what it would resemble, look no additional than Royal Banquet Corridor. As to which one (there are a number of!), both the brand-new one at Disneyland Lodge in Paris or the one contained in the fortress in Shanghai Disneyland (see our Royal Banquet Corridor Overview). The brand new Disneyland Paris restaurant is elevated character eating, with a commensurate worth: ~$100 per particular person.
Whereas I definitely wouldn’t wish to see that value copied, I may see the meal being cloned for Walt Disney World–proper right down to the character costumes and costliness. As somebody who would like to see extra meals with Mickey and Minnie in distinctive costumes, I’m completely on board with that half. The regal appears of Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Pluto and Goofy discovered elsewhere are incredible. (I’d even take Jester Goofy to combine issues up!)
Once more, I do know completely nothing. However I see the newer character meals at Walt Disney World that began rolling out in 2018-2019, then this elevated expertise at Disneyland Lodge in Paris (to not point out ones on the Grand Californian and Hong Kong Disneyland Lodge), and I can’t assist however surprise when Walt Disney World goes to get in on the motion in some capability.
One of many large the reason why this resort reimagining has occurred within the first place is as a result of Grand Floridian was reportedly not assembly the requirements of Walt Disney World’s flagship resort. As an entire, eating was/is not one space the place the resort falls brief. Nicely, with one exception: 1900 Park Fare because it existed earlier than–a considerably random seize bag of characters–was not flagship caliber.
Don’t get me unsuitable, we beloved 1900 Park Fare–it made our ‘better of’ listing. However in the event you dropped me blindly into 1900 Park Fare with no prior data, I don’t assume I’d’ve guessed that the rag-tag band of characters and meal was the top-tier resort character eating expertise at Walt Disney World. I’d’ve guessed that’s Breakfast a la Artwork at Riviera.
Remodeling 1900 Park Fare into Royal Banquet Corridor or Enchanted Backyard Restaurant (HKDL model) makes infinitely extra sense for the flagship Victorian resort. It additionally “permits” Walt Disney World to cost a boatload more cash, so win-win for everybody, I assume. (Nicely, besides for many who beloved the outdated 1900 Park Fare or don’t take pleasure in paying $100 for a meal…two not-so-minor exceptions!)
In the end, it is a lot of phrases to say “I don’t know” when Walt Disney World will reopen 1900 Park Fare on the Grand Floridian. The primary level is that 1900 Park Fare will return sooner or later, most likely in 2024 after the resort reimagining is accomplished. Nicely, except it receives a brand new identify earlier than returning, by which case, technically it received’t be 1900 Park Fare that’s reopening.
The large unanswered query is the scope and scale of the Grand Floridian resort reimagining of the foyer stage and, by extension, the diploma to which modifications are deliberate for 1900 Park Fare. If the principle constructing overhaul is per the outer ones, there may very well be a number of extra months to go–the venture won’t be completed till proper earlier than the beginning of the Christmas 2024 season.
If it’s extra on par with the (very) mild refresh executed to the foyer at BoardWalk Inn, it may very well be completed inside a matter of weeks–by Spring Break. So there’s a variety of prospects based mostly on the ambition stage of the foyer reimagining. It actually relies upon upon whether or not Walt Disney World believes their flagship resort falls in need of actual world luxurious and opulence, and if they’ve the urge for food for it’s a veritable building zone for half the yr.
If I had been accountable for Walt Disney World, I’d most likely intention for a center floor. There are methods of updating the resort and its aesthetic to make it look much less dated (sadly, much less themed additionally comes with the territory) and including assertion items as a signifier of luxurious and lavishness. New carpet, furnishings, and fixtures–issues like fortress chandeliers. Once more, Imagineering simply completed up work on the Disneyland Lodge in Paris (see above); cherry-picking the most effective, greatest impression components from that multi-year reimagining could be savvy.
From my perspective, a wholly redone 1900 Park Fare is the lowest-hanging fruit on that entrance. Character eating is comparatively straightforward to rework, and that area is basically a clean slate that may very well be redone right into a royal character eating expertise by way of regal wall coverings, character portraits, and different decor (that will additionally assist compensate for the noticeable lack of home windows).
Maybe most significantly, character meals are extremely marketable. Disneyland Paris has leaned closely on Royal Banquet in its marketing campaign for the redone Disneyland Lodge, and Disney’s Riviera Resort likewise closely makes use of photos of Mickey and buddies from Topolino’s Terrace. No higher solution to sign {that a} Walt Disney World resort is “match for royalty” than with pictures of Queen Minnie and King Mickey Mouse greeting their loyal topics!
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Your Ideas
When do you assume 1900 Park Fare will reopen? Have you ever executed breakfast or dinner right here? Would you favor it to remain because it was pre-closure, or for a Royal Banquet Corridor or Enchanted Backyard Restaurant kind character eating expertise exchange it, that includes Queen Minnie, King Mickey, and different members of their royal courtroom? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions about your experiences is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas or questions beneath within the feedback!
