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Disney Parks

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

We’ve been exploring what a reopened Disney Springs is like for a few weeks now.

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Disney Springs

With new health measures, requirements, and capacity limitations; things have definitely changed in Disney World. The reopening of the theme parks is on the horizon, so we’re taking a look back at what our first steps back in Disney mean. Here’s everything we’ve learned from two weeks in a reopened Disney World!

Wearing a mask isn’t the worst thing ever.

Perhaps the most jarring change that we’ve had to get used to is wearing masks when we’re in Disney Springs. What we’ve learned here is that even in the Florida heat, wearing a mask is not the worst thing ever. Would we rather not be wearing masks? Yes. But you definitely get used to wearing one quicker than you think!

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Cast Member with required face mask

If you’re concerned about comfort, check out the tips we’ve put together about wearing your mask around Disney. We also have some recommendations for the most comfortable masks we’ve found so far. We also think they can be super fun when you get a pretty or fun pattern. Disney even came out with a series of official Disney mask designs you can check out!

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Disney Cloth Masks ©Disney

We also learned that you CAN eat and drink while walking around Disney Springs. With this, remember to use your best judgment — you CAN pull your mask down to take a sip of your drink, but try not to leave it down. Try to remain considerate of others as you snack!

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Masks

If you’re worried about the heat, go in and out of shops to cool off some. There are TONS of stores you can step into to get some much needed AC. We also recommend picking some restaurants you’ve been meaning to try and use that as an excuse to sit down and take a break from your mask — if you’re sitting and eating, you’re free to remove your mask, and you can try some new FOOD at the same time!

Disney is serious about new health measures.

We’ve also learned that Disney’s new health measures are rules, NOT guidelines. Physical distancing, temperature checks, and masks are all musts for guests in Disney Springs and Cast Members will let you know when you’re not following one of the health measures.

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

World of Disney Social Distancing Stickers

We spotted a few Cast Members reminding guests to replace their mask if they had removed it without eating or drinking! You can refresh yourself on the scope of these new rules with our full breakdown HERE.

Cast Members are still bringing the magic.

Speaking of Cast Members, they are something that HASN’T changed in Disney World. As we’ve seen over the past few weeks, Cast Members are STILL bringing the magic — even from behind their masks.

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Cast Member

We’ve had a wonderful time interacting with the Disney Springs Social Distancing Squad and Guest Services Cast. We’ve been cracking up at the fact that STORMTROOPERS are one of the more lighthearted means of enforcing the new rules as well!

Cast Members still are just as awesome at putting a smile on guests’ faces — with good reason. One Cast Member told us that they underwent training for how to be friendly and expressive with their eyes when they can’t show their smiles to guests.

Crowd levels can be a little wonky.

Something else we’ve learned in the past few weeks is that attendance in Disney World is unpredictable right now. We’ve seen some CRAZY crowded days and some days where it seemed like we were the only ones there.

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Lines around World of Disney

We’ve seen everything from a six-hour wait to get into World of Disney to entirely empty areas of the complex. Of course, some of this has to do with what’s reopening, the day of the week, and the weather, but we’ve learned NOT to have expectations when it comes to crowd levels from day to day!

Things definitely FEEL different.

The biggest thing we’ve learned is that Disney World definitely feels different. Sure, we expected this, but there was a part of us that hoped things would just fall right back to the way they were before all this. It’s STILL Disney and STILL has all the good that comes with it, but it’s changed just a little bit.

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Disney Springs

If you know that being around people or wearing a mask is going to be difficult for you, build up your tolerance in advance. Wear your masks on walks around your neighborhood to get used to the way they feel, especially outdoors in the heat.

On top of that, know your limits and your surroundings. Be aware of “getaway” spots that will be less crowded if you need to get away from people for a moment.

What We’ve Learned From Visiting a VERY Different Disney World

Disney Springs

Things DO feel different but Disney is still Disney. We still love strolling the streets of Disney Springs even with these changes. The parks could still feel just as magical when they reopen, even if there’s a different experience that accompanies the old feelings. We’ll be here every step of the way to give you the best tips, tricks, and advice to make returning to Disney World easy for YOU too.

What have you learned with Disney World open again? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, cast members, disney springs, disney springs reopening, Disney World, Disney World reopening, face masks, guest services, health measures

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Disney Business Disney Financials Disney News Disney Parks

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Walt Disney World takes up thousands upon thousands of acres in Florida.

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Cinderella Castle

And it should come as no surprise that Disney has to pay a LOT of taxes on said acreage.

But, according to The Orlando Sentinel, the amount of money Disney should pay in property tax, is well, to be debated.

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Spaceship Earth

Disney is suing Property Appraiser Rick Singh over its property taxes, saying that its 2019 property tax appraisals were too high. The company has filed a dozen lawsuits in the Orange Circuit Court.

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom

According to Singh spokeswoman Beth Watson, “[Walt Disney World] had been undervalued for decades by previous property appraisers.” Meanwhile, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said, “As we have shared before and as a matter of public record, we have challenged the property appraiser’s assessments and we will continue to dispute the errors by the property appraiser as any property owner in Orange County would do.”

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Cinderella Castle Makeover Was Stopped Due to the Halt in Construction

According to Disney’s lawsuit, Singh listed the value for EPCOT at $539 million, Magic Kingdom at $504, Animal Kingdom at $435 million, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at $394 million. Disney didn’t say what it thought its resort’s value was, but called Singh’s numbers “excessive.”

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Lawsuits between Disney and the Orange County Property Appraiser’s Office are a regular occurrence. According to the Sentinel, this has been happening every single spring since 2016, and Disney has “dozens of court cases”  pending.

News: Disney Is Suing Orange County in Florida Over Property Tax Appraisal

Epcot Monorail

When this latest lawsuit gets resolved, you KNOW we’ll keep you updated.

What do you think of Disney’s latest lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, Disney News, disney parks, disney’s hollywood studios, Epcot, Featured, magic kingdom, Walt Disney World, Disney, disney lawsuit, Disney World, Lawsuit, Orange County Property Appraiser’s Office, Orlando Sentinel, property taxes, Rick Singh, taxes

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Disney Merch Disney News Disney Parks

MagicBand Orders and Customization Are BACK Ahead of Disney World’s Reopening!

Walt Disney World resort hotels are getting ready to reopen soon, like, really really soon.

MagicBand Orders and Customization Are BACK Ahead of Disney World’s Reopening!

Boardwalk Entrance

And as guests get ready to head back to Walt Disney World, things are getting back to normal on My Disney Experience.

Today we noticed that MagicBand selections and alterations are BACK for future check-ins at Disney World hotels!

MagicBand Orders and Customization Are BACK Ahead of Disney World’s Reopening!

©Disney

When going to your reservations on Disney World’s website, you can once again pick the color of your MagicBand, choose to upgrade to a customized MagicBand, or decline a MagicBand!

MagicBand Orders and Customization Are BACK Ahead of Disney World’s Reopening!

My Disney Experience screenshot

While this can always change again, this is a HUGE development for those planning to head to Disney World this summer. Previously, Disney World temporarily SUSPENDED MagicBand orders after the park closed. But they seem to be back now! However, Disney has yet to update its official website reflecting this change.

MagicBand Orders and Customization Are BACK Ahead of Disney World’s Reopening!

MagicBands

There are a LOT of changes coming to the check-in process and Disney World hotels in general in anticipation of a reopening, so your MagicBand is going to be more important than ever before. And you’re going to want to make sure it’s cute (as well as functional), so be sure to customize it before your stay!

Are you staying at a Disney World hotel this summer? Let us know your plans in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, Disney News, disney parks, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, Customizable MagicBand, disney hotels, Disney merch, Disney World, disney world hotels, Disney World reopening, MagicBand, magicband orders, MagicBands, My Disney Experience

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Disney Food Disney Parks

We Know When Brunch is Returning to Raglan Road in Disney Springs!

Brunch lovers rejoice!

We Know When Brunch is Returning to Raglan Road in Disney Springs!

Raglan Road

Raglan Road Irish Pub reopened in Disney Springs on June 10th, and there was a line of (socially distanced) guests ready to return!

Prior to the closure, Raglan Road offered brunch until 3PM on Saturdays and Sundays — and we wondered when we could expect this fun weekend activity to return to the restaurant as well!

We Know When Brunch is Returning to Raglan Road in Disney Springs!

Pancakes at Raglan Road Brunch!

So, a member of our team contacted the restaurant and confirmed that Raglan Road plans to resume brunch on Saturday, June 20th! As of this afternoon, we were able to find reservations for Saturday available on OpenTable.

We Know When Brunch is Returning to Raglan Road in Disney Springs!

Raglan Road Reservations Available on OpenTable

So, if you’re looking for somewhere to get your brunch on in Disney Springs, you can get your fix at Raglan Road starting next weekend!

Have you been to brunch at Raglan Road? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, brunch, disney springs, Disney Springs Brunch, disney springs reopen, disney springs restaurant, Raglan Road, raglan road brunch

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Disney News Disney Parks Disney Vacations Star Wars

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Of all the upcoming Disney World updates, we’re pretty excited to see what Disney does with the Star Wars Hotel.

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Star Wars Lightsaber Experience

The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is set to be a 2-night ultra-immersive experience that opens in 2021. Aboard, you’ll be able to look out windows into space, operate the ship’s defense systems, and offer guests the chance to wield their own lightsaber. Woah! That lightsaber experience sounds pretty cool and, before today, we weren’t sure how we could ACTUALLY wield a lightsaber. Now though, Disney might have developed some tech that could help!

If you’ve hung around DFB before, you might know that we love to look into the patents that Disney is filing for their newest inventions. Well, we spotted one patent that has some pretty interesting language — some language that might be an EXACT description of part of Galactic Starcruiser’s lightsaber experience or a similar experience elsewhere in the Disney Parks!

The patent is for a new system that helps to bridge the gap between virtual reality (VR) experiences and the outside world. We’ve imagined that VR could be a good solution for bringing lightsabers to this reality and this patent seems to indicate that that’s EXACTLY what Disney intends to do. Fair warning! These details are pretty on-the-nose, so if you don’t want spoilers about a possible lightsaber experience, click away now!

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Sabers assembled!

Here are the pieces of the patent that could be describing a lightsaber experience. It says, “a VR user is instructed that…a tool or weapon (such as an energy sword or saber that is the physical object in this example) will be made available for their use. In the VR world, they will use their superpower of telekinesis to concentrate on moving the tool/weapon, and, when they concentrate with enough energy, the tool/weapon will fly through the air and land…in their hand.”

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

A robot moves the lightsaber handle into your hand as if it is flying through the air. ©Disney

HOLD UP. Energy sword or saber? Telekinesis? Disney…did you mean to say “LIGHTSABERS” and “THE FORCE!?” It sure sounds like Disney has come up with a way for us to use the force to summon a lightsaber to our hands. Needless to say, we are freaking out.

The patent goes into even more detail saying, “The user is…asked to stretch out their hand to see whether they can cause the object to leap into their hand from a distance away… The user is asked to move their hand back and forth slowly to see whether they can attract the physical object… When the user moves their hand…the object holder rocks the physical object back and forth. The rocking strength is varied by the control system from barely moving to rocking back and forth violently as if trying to fly depending on how close the user’s hand is to the future ideal interaction position in the later VR experience.”

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Imagine the sparkly object is a lightsaber handle. ©Disney

This is super interesting. Basically, the patent says that, prior to putting on any sort of helmet, you’ll be tasked with bringing the lightsaber to your hand with the Force. Of course, we’re first-time force users, so we won’t be immediately successful.

But, this “pre-show” as the patent calls it has two important effects. First, it “trains” the user where their hand should be for later in the experience (without the user knowing), and it helps with the story as the user feels like they’ve really accessed the Force. But the lightsaber can’t come flying into your hand just yet.

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

Trying out hilt parts

The patent continues, “After the user has tried unsuccessfully to pull the physical object to them without the [Head-Mounted Display] on, they are advised that their powers will be increased by dawning the [Head-Mounted Display] helmet, which may be disguised as a helmet from a particular movie or animation to fit the VR experience and/or otherwise themed to enhance the overall experience.”

Hmm…how could they theme the helmet, do you think? We have an idea. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Luke uses a blast shield helmet to help him see through The Force. Another training helmet is used with Jedi Younglings in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. So there’s even in-universe precedent for a themed lightsaber-training helmet.

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

©Lucasfilm/Disney

The patent goes on in less detail about how the system can be configured for sword fighting, “In some cases, the handover robot (or other robot with an object manipulator) may be controlled not to simply provide an object but to provide other physical interactions with the participant such as a sword or other fight in which a physical object strikes or contacts the participant’s body or an object they are already holding.”

Spoiler Alert: The SECRET Behind How We Could Get REAL Jedi Powers at a New Disney Attraction!

VR view of the lightsaber fighting portion. ©Disney

Um…WOW. Did Disney REALLY just come up with a way to give us Jedi powers!? We’re honestly freaking out. Obviously, we won’t have any idea how this tech will be used until we see it applied in Galactic Starcruiser or elsewhere. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping an EXTRA close eye on those Disney patents and crossing our fingers that we’ll be using the force next year!

Do YOU think this tech is for the lightsaber experience? Share your thoughts in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, Galactic Starcruiser, Walt Disney World, Disney Invention, Disney Patent, Disney Tech, disney vr, galactic starcruiser, Star Wars hotel