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Other

A Salute to All Nations… Well, Actually, Just Canada

Happy Victoria Day!

Our neighbors to the north certainly are polite enough not to make a big deal, but we’re happy to have any excuse to celebrate these days. As a result, today we’ll all put on some plaid, watch hockey, and do shots of maple syrup as honorary Canadians!

To celebrate all things Canadian, here’s some blog posts from the past for your enjoyment.

That time Canada made our 25 Drinks of Christmas Countdown

A Photo Tour of the Canada Pavilion

Photos from Canada’s Refurb in Progress in 2019 (aka See Canada Dry)

Shopping in the Canada Pavilion

That time when Canada had multiple flavors of sweet popcorn to try

A review of the Le Cellier brunch with the Chef and the Mom

What do you think is the best part of the Canada Pavilion? Let us know in the comments.

The post A Salute to All Nations… Well, Actually, Just Canada appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

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Disney Parks

Disney Springs announces new Cast Members to promote physical distancing guidelines

disney-springs-reopening

When Disney Springs reopens on May 20th there will be some new Cast Members on hand to promote physical distancing guidelines.

Guidelines such as all guests and cast members wearing facemasks, social distancing, and even temperature screenings.

Here are the guidelines outlined on the Disney Springs website.

As we begin to reopen Disney Springs with a number of shopping and dining locations beginning May 20, we are looking ahead to May 27 when we will begin to reopen more of our Disney owned shops and restaurants, including World of Disney, D-Luxe Burger (mobile order) and the Marketplace Co-Op. With that as our next milestone, we are eager to welcome back our Guests, some Cast Members and third-party Operating Participants with the safety and well-being of all at the forefront of all our planning efforts.

As we navigate through this unprecedented time as responsibly as we can, we have implemented a number of new safety measures based on guidance from health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and appropriate government agencies. We, along with third-party Operating Participants, are all committed to a responsible reopening of Disney Springs.

For Cast Members, Operating Participant employees and Guests, there are 6 key things to know before arriving at Disney Springs, and they include:

  • Limited parking and reduced entrances
  • Temperature screenings prior to entry
  • Face coverings required for Guests ages 3 and up
  • Physical distancing practices including physically-distanced queues and physical barriers
  • Temporary operation modifications, including reduced hours at select locations and no scheduled entertainment offerings or high-touch interactive areas
  • An increased focus on disinfecting and sanitation, including the addition of hand-washing stations and hand sanitizers in key areas

Since many of these measures will be new and may evolve, we want to be sure Guests, Cast Members and Operating Participant employees are aware of all these changes.

 COVID-19 Warning

We have taken enhanced health and safety measures—for you, our other Guests, and Cast Members. You must follow all posted instructions while visiting Disney Springs.

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable.

By visiting Disney Springs you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Let’s keep each other healthy and safe.

Guest Parking and Entrances

During this initial phase, Guests will be directed to self-park in the Orange and Lime garages; all surface parking lots will be closed. At opening, we have also reduced Guest entryways to 4 locations: Orange and Lime garages, along with the Hotel Plaza Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge and the rideshare location. Guest access to Disney Springs from the Grapefruit garage will be restricted.

Temperature Screening

All Guests are required to undergo temperature screenings upon arrival at Disney Springs.

  • Guest Screening: During this initial period, Guests will undergo temperature screening in these locations: the second-floor exits of Orange and Lime parking garages and the Marketplace Entrance (to serve Guests from the Hotel Plaza Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge and the rideshare drop-off lot). Based on guidance from health authorities, anyone displaying a temperature of 100.4 F or above will be directed to an additional location for rescreening and assistance. Those with temperatures above 100.4 will not be allowed entry; those in their party will not be allowed entry either.
  • Employee Screening: Cast Members and Operating Participant employees will be required to complete a health screening and temperature check at home, prior to coming to work.

Limited Contact

Following guidance from the government and the medical community regarding enhanced screening procedures and prevention measures, we have made some temporary adjustments that include limited-contact Guest Services to ensure a responsible and enjoyable environment for everyone.

  • Face Coverings: All Guests ages 3 and up, Cast Members and Operating Participant employees are required to wear an appropriate face covering. Guests must bring their own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when dining.
  • Physical Barriers: Physical barriers have been added in select places where it is difficult to maintain strict physical distancing guidelines. These may be visible in areas around cash registers or at Guest Relations, for example, to help ensure proper distances between people.
  • Cashless Transactions: At this time, it is recommended all Guests use cashless or contactless payment options, such as credit cards, debit cards, Disney Gift Cards, Disney Rewards® Redemption Cards and mobile wallets—including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Guests may purchase a Disney Gift Card at select Merchandise locations and Welcome Center (Guest Relations) to pay without cash.

Physical Distancing and Capacity Measures

Managing the number of Guests visiting Disney Springs has been a major consideration as we implement physical distancing guidelines based on recommendations from health authorities and government officials. One of the ways to do that is to limit the number of Guests and Cast Members at any given time for each location. Additional measures include:

  • Signage: Directional signage has been installed to assist Guests to responsibly move throughout the property. Additionally, ground markings will help promote proper physical distancing when queuing is needed at a location.
  • Training: We are also training Cast Members to engage with Guests and promote physical distancing guidelines in common areas and queues.

Cleanliness and Sanitization

We’ve increased cleaning and disinfection in high-traffic areas such as public elevators and escalators, handrails, benches, tables, handles, restrooms and more. Additionally, Disney Springs will open with hand sanitizer and hand-washing locations, and Guests are highly encouraged to use these while visiting.

Cast Training

We’re further emphasizing our strong culture of health and safety among Cast Members and Operating Participant employees, and will continue to provide new training and reinforcement as we navigate through the reopening phases.

About These Measures

As part of these efforts, Guests may see other changes to our retail and dining offerings, as well as other experiences. Though it may be different from the last time you visited, these new measures are designed to offer a magical Disney experience in a responsible way.

We understand that these times are challenging, and we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigate as responsibly as we can. Together, we can find new ways to have fun while being diligent to maintain proper physical distancing.

Frequently Asked Questions

View frequently asked questions about the phased reopening of Disney Springs—as well as related updates.

More Information

In addition to the information shared here, please see the Walt Disney World Resort Property Rules for more details.

There are no other details about the new Cast Members at this time.

To see a full list of Restaurants and Retail locations opening at Disney Springs click the links below.

From our friends at chipandco.com

Categories
Disney Parks

3 Things We Hope We DON’T See At The Disney Springs Reopening This Week

CityWalk at Universal Orlando began a phased reopening on May 14th, and we were there to report back.

There were a number of new health and safety measures implemented including temperature checks, limited hours, and social distancing protocols. Overall, we thought the reopening of CityWalk went pretty smoothly, but there were a few things that we hope NOT to see when Disney Springs begins its own phased reopening on May 20th.

Let’s check ’em out.

Use of Paper Menus Instead Of Digital Menus

When dining at Margaritaville, we were given disposable paper menus which our server informed us are thrown away after each use. This adheres to sanitary standards, but if this practice is maintained for long, it’s costing a TON of money and creating significant waste.

If we’re gonna go to the effort of implementing a new system, let’s do it in a sustainable, inexpensive, and even more sanitary way by using digital menus that can be scanned with your smartphone.

Margaritaville Menu

I imagine we’re going to be in this “new normal” for a while, so if restaurant guests get used to digital menus, it can be the wave of the future.

PLUS it will be WAY easier for restaurants to change their menus if they run out of a dish, highlighting a new special menu item, or offering a short-term discount (you know, to get rid of the stuff that’s NOT selling). Just changing the code on a website vs. re-printing hundreds of menus week after week? That could save SO MUCH MONEY, which is something restaurants definitely need to be thinking about right now.

Wine Bar George at Disney Springs has announced that they will be using digital menus upon reopening. And we recently visited Plancha Restaurant at Four Seasons Orlando, where guests could scan a QR code in order to view the menu.

Plancha Digital Menu

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll see more digital menus at Disney Springs restaurants — and everywhere else — instead of disposable ones!

Limited To-Go Food Options

We also noticed there were few to-go food options at CityWalk. We were able to mobile order at Voodoo Doughnut and Red Oven Pizza Bakery, plus Auntie Ann’s Pretzels offered their standard grab-and-go service. But the carry out service at Margaritaville was unavailable — to order any food or drinks, we had to put in our name and wait for a table.

Red Oven Pizza Bakery

We would have liked to have had more to-go options so we could get a substantial meal to carry out with us instead of having to wait the 2.5 hours to dine-in!

Limited Access to Masks Outside of the Entrance

All guests are required to wear masks at CityWalk as part of the additional health and safety measures. And this same requirement will be implemented at Disney Springs. But we did find some confusion about the availability of masks outside of the CityWalk entrance in case a guest forgets theirs.

According to the Universal website, masks are available for sale outside of the entrance to CityWalk, but we weren’t able to find any there on our visit. There were plenty stocked at the Universal Studios Store, but since guests wouldn’t be able to get that far without a mask, that wouldn’t help in an emergency.

Face coverings

We hope that Disney Springs either offers masks for sale outside of the entrance or has a large stock of disposable masks for guests who may have forgotten theirs!

Overall, we were impressed with Universal’s handling of the CityWalk reopening. But, we did notice a few not-so-great processes that we hope Disney doesn’t replicate at Disney Springs!

What protocol do you want to see when Disney Springs reopens? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com

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Disney Parks Other

We Asked Our Readers: “Should Disney World Give out Free Masks for Guests?” Here’s What They Said.

Disney World is taking its first step towards resuming operations, with the phased reopening of Disney Springs starting on May 20th. The Disney Springs reopening plan includes several health and safety measures, one of which is required face coverings for both guests and Cast Members.

Cinderella Castle

And since masks are mandatory, we wanted to know if our readers think Disney should provide them for guests.

Based on statements from Disney executive chairman (and former CEO) Bob Iger, it’s been evident for some time that when Disney World reopened, there would be multiple additional health and safety measures implemented.

And now that Disney Springs is planning a phased reopening beginning on May 20th, we have a first glimpse into the protocols the shopping and dining area will follow.

Disney Springs

Safety measures will include increased cleaning procedures, reduced capacity and operating hours, limited-contact guest services, additional safety training for cast members, and required face coverings for both guests and Cast Members. You can see details on Disney Springs’ health protocol here.

Disney Springs

Since it’s confirmed that guests will be required to wear face masks during the initial stages of reopening, we wanted to get our readers’ thoughts on whether or not Disney should provide them. So, we asked our followers on Instagram, “Do you think Disney World should provide free masks, or should guests be required to bring their own?”

And people were quick to chime in! We received 423 responses in the first few minutes and of those, 210 said YES Disney should provide masks, 165 said NO it’s not Disney’s responsibility, and 48 said IN SOME CASES Disney should provide free masks. Here’s a visual breakdown of the results!

Pie Chart of Our Readers’ Responses When Asked If They Think Disney Should Provide Free Masks for Guests

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons people gave behind their responses!

“Yes, Disney World Should Provide Guests with Free Masks!”

Coming in as the most popular response, 50% said yes, they do think Disney World should provide free masks for all guests. Several people said that if Disney is making masks an ongoing requirement, they should have them available. “If masks are required then they should have them on hand to provide to guests in need.”

Others also pointed out that this would help Disney with enforcing the policy. “Yes! That way they can ensure everyone is being as safe as possible.”

©Harvey’s

Many readers also pointed out that Disney could provide plain masks for free, but allow guests the opportunity to upgrade to a design or pattern for an additional fee. “Provide basic ones, then charge more for nicer ones like they do with MagicBands.”

“No, It’s Not Disney’s Responsibility to Provide Masks”

On the other hand, 39% said no, they don’t think Disney is responsible for providing guests with free masks. They said guests should come prepared, and instead of handing out masks for free, Disney could sell them at a reasonable price for those who lost or dropped theirs. “No, but they should make them available for sale outside [the entrance] for a small fee.”

Others also pointed out that making masks available for purchase, instead of giving them out for free, would allow Disney to create more fashionable designs that make them more appealing to wear. “They could be the new Minnie Ears. Another way to add a pop of Disney.”

World of Disney in Disney Springs

Overall, this group felt that the responsibility should lie with the guests. “Nope. If you aren’t responsible enough to bring one, you aren’t taking it seriously enough.”

“Disney Should Provide Free Masks in Some Cases”

And some people saw the situation as a little less black-and-white — 11% said Disney should provide free masks in some cases. Many agreed that they do think guests should bring their own face covering, but since things can get hectic on vacation, Disney should have backups available in case a guest’s mask is lost, forgotten, or dropped. “People should be responsible for their own but Disney should have some at the ready to give if needed.”

Disney Springs

Others pointed out that since guests have been known to disregard the rules or not pay attention to the required changes, Disney should have masks on hand for any guests who missed the memo. “Guests should bring their own. But people don’t listen, so they should have backups just in case.”

So, it seems our readers are relatively evenly split on this one! Half of the respondents think that Disney should provide free masks for guests, and they pointed out that this also provides Disney with the chance to upsell for different designs. On the other hand, many readers think that guests should take responsibility and come prepared.

There were definitely some solid points all around — and keep in mind, you can always buy a Disney face mask now so you’re prepared regardless of the face-covering policy when the time comes for your next Disney World vacation!

Do you think Disney World should provide free masks, or should guests be required to bring their own? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com

Categories
Disney Movies Disney+ Marvel Other Pixar Star Wars

New movies coming to Disney+ Soon from Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar

Coming to Disney+

Coming to Disney+ this summer is Marvel Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man, and the Wasp, Solo a Star Wars Story and Incredibles 2!

Disney+ in the UK had all of these available when they launched back in March and they are expected to come to the US very soon.

Disney+ recently announced Infinity War will release on June 26th, with Ant-Man and the Wasp releasing on August 14th.

Solo: A Star Wars Story comes out on July 10th!

and the Incredibles 2 on July 31st only on Disney+!

To see a full list of movies and tv shows coming to Disney+ this June just click here!

From our friends at chipandco.com