
Disney’s and Spa has some of the most popular and highest-rated restaurants at . It is also the resort’s flagship hotel, and often the most expensive to stay at, offering high-end amenities in terms of recreation, spa services, gift shops, and , at least when all of the restaurants are open. While staffing shortages remain the biggest culprit in why some locations at the remain closed, it is worth noting that nearly half of the have yet to reopen.
As of this writing, Victoria & Albert’s, 1900 Park Fare, and the Garden View Tea Room are currently closed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, while the Grand Floridian Cafe, Narcoosee’s, and Citricos have reopened, along with the resort’s quick-service location, Gasparilla Island Grill.
The three table service restaurants that are currently open are more than many other Resorts have to offer, and when factoring in the resort’s close proximity to the and area hotels around like Disney’s and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, there is no shortage of restaurants for Guests staying onsite. Still, there is an argument to be had for the thought that a resort that costs upwards of $600-700/night should have all of its restaurants open.
When will all of the Grand Floridian’s restaurants be open again? Here are some speculations…
1900 or the will likely be the first to reopen at this . When they will reopen remains unclear, though. In terms of staffing, the requires minimal staff compared to the resort’s other restaurants. If it is only open for a couple of hours a day for afternoon tea, or even if it initially reopened only on weekends or select days, the staffing does not require as many Cast Members as the resort’s other restaurants.
Disney’s Perfectly Princess Tea at the may take longer to come back (assuming it does return, a recent look at ‘s website indicated that the page with information on this event seems to be redirecting to the homepage). This experience included characters, and therefore character attendants, so it seems logical that we would see regular afternoon tea return first.
1900 Park Fare, while requiring lots of staff as a character dining location, could theoretically reopen without characters like Cape May Cafe did at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. Hopefully this is not the case, but if staffing is the issue, it is certainly possible for the buffet to reopen and have the characters return later.
Victoria & Albert’s is a trickier one. As a AAA Five Diamond restaurant, there are multiple facets to staffing Victoria & Albert’s, and if the numbers are not there yet it is possible this restaurant will take longer to return. In addition to highly experienced waitstaff, Victoria & Albert’s requires sommeliers and multiple chefs, and these positions are more challenging to fill during a staffing shortage as there are simply less people with the qualifications to begin with.
In the latest earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that staffing shortages are the major culprit in why certain locations around Walt Disney World are still closed, and that the shortages are the reason for Disney essentially controlling capacity with the Disney Park Pass Reservation System.
With resorts, however, controlling capacity is more difficult. Even if fewer rooms are booked at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, these restaurants are a draw for Guests visiting from other resorts and even for locals looking for restaurants to go out to eat. And, with the heavier crowd levels, we have seen throughout Walt Disney World so far in 2022, it seems to reason that crowds are going to seem heavier while some dining locations, shops, and hows are still closed.
Another possibility is that most of the locations that are currently closed will remain that way until the eventually returns. For now, especially during busy weeks at , most reservations have Guests traveling to , so it is possible that additional restaurants aren’t in the plans quite yet.
We will keep you updated as more restaurants continue to reopen around Walt Disney World, and we hope to be back with more news from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa soon.