Categories
Disney Business Disney Cruises Disney Movies Disney Parks Other

Nevermind, J/K! 14 Times Disney Promised Us Stuff That Didn’t Happen!

Welcome in, friends! Gather around and listen to a tale of the cool things Disney had planned for us but for one reason or another just weren’t meant to be!

We know what you might be thinking, “Disney? Overly ambitious? Noooo way!” Ahh, but it’s true — although it’s often “fun to do the impossible,” sometimes the impossible isn’t very easy to do!

Let’s explore a few failed projects from Disney’s past. Keep in mind, ALL of these things were officially announced by Disney and many were being worked on at various stages before their plans fell through!

Disney’s America

A third U.S. Disney park???

That’s right — in 1993 Disney announced plans to build a 3,000-acre history-themed park — but only the American parts — right outside of Washington, D.C. in Prince William County, Virginia. The response was generally positive…until a press conference in Disney World less than 2 weeks after the park was announced.

©Disney

Creative Director of the America project and then Senior Vice President of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Weis said, “How can you do a park on America and not talk about slavery? This park will deal with the highs and lows…We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave, and what it was like to escape through the Underground Railroad.”

Disney America Concept Art ©Disney

That statement started the downfall of the park. It led then-CEO, Michael Eisner, to dismiss the critical public response to the slavery comment by Weis. He said people couldn’t possibly expect they were going to whip guests like slaves. He stated further, “We’re not going to put people in chains.”

Michael Eisner (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)

Not surprisingly, the idea of “Disneyfying” some of America’s historical lows didn’t sit well with many. This led to growing concerns that Disney could do more damage to American history than good.

The head organizer for the Black History Action Organization called for a boycott of the proposed park. She felt that slavery was not suitable content for a theme park setting and she feared it would result in, “little souvenir slave ships” sold in the gift shops, among other things.

Disney America Concept Art ©Disney

There was fear that the lure of a flashy theme park would take visitors away from the tourist sites in D.C. Even the land they selected was brought into question — it was steps away from some of the largest battles of the Civil War. Many thought it was in bad taste to have the next Disneyland adjacent to where hundreds of thousands had died. There was fear the historical land in the area could be destroyed over time by increased visitors.

Disney America Concept Art ©Disney

In response, a large group of American historians publicly opposed the project. As public approval of the project grew, protests began to take place in the nation’s capitol demanding Disney be stopped. With growing public disapproval, Eisner informed the public they were backing out of the project one year after it was announced.

But Disney didn’t scrap this project entirely. Bob Weis’ next project was Disney California Adventure. A few rides proposed for the America project were worked into this new park. Soarin’ Over California and the Condor Flats section of the park were pulled from ideas for the America park. Grizzly River Run came from an idea for a Lewis and Clark expedition-themed white water rafting ride.

Lewis and Clark Expedition Ride Concept Art ©Disney

Next time you’re walking around Disney Califonia Adventure in Disneyland, keep an eye out for carryovers from this failed America park!

Hyperion Wharf

Remember when Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs) had a whole section called “Pleasure Island?” Back in 1989 the section that sits between the Marketplace and the West Side was opened as Pleasure Island, a diverse warehouse district loaded with unique clubs open each evening. It was branded as an escape for adults and for a number of years it was quite popular.

Pleasure Island Logo

After the turn of the century, though, interest started to wane and Disney began looking for ways to inject life into the space. In 2005, Disney leased a large portion of the land to what would later become Raglan Road Irish Pub but was having trouble finding other tenants in such an “adult-oriented” space.

The clubs that inhabited Pleasure Island began to close their doors due to lowered interest and the ongoing recession, and in 2008 the last clubs there closed their doors.

Raglan Road Was the First Resident Post-Pleasure Island

Desperate for a way to fill the gap between the marketplace and the West Side, in 2010 Disney announced construction on a new project to fill the space called Hyperion Wharf.

©Disney

Disney called Hyperion Wharf, “a nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th-century port city and amusement pier…by day, the bustling port district will draw guests in with its stylish boutiques and innovative restaurants and by night, thousands of lights will transform the area into an electric wonderland.”

©Disney

Demolition even began on the site, but stopped almost as abruptly as it began in February of 2011. The Pleasure Island signs remained up, but construction walls surrounded the now-demolished site. And it sat that way for 2 years. 

Disney Springs

In March of 2013, plans for Disney Springs were announced. They promised to completely rebrand the entirety of Downtown Disney into one coherent themed shopping district.

The Marketplace and West Side sections remained but the area that Pleasure Island resided in was rebranded as The Landing, better blending in with its surrounding areas. By 2015 the majority of work was completed on Disney Springs and the area was officially rebranded to what we know today.

Main Street Theater

If you’ve been to Disneyland’s Disney Califonia Adventure, you may be familiar with the Hyperion Theater. This is California Adventure’s large, dedicated theater that shows broadway-quality versions of some of Disney’s biggest stage shows to guests daily. But did you know Disney World was supposed to receive its own live-stage venue at one time!

©Disney

The massive indoor theater (which was to be called Main Street Theater) was announced in 2017 and would have been built at Magic Kingdom behind Main Street U.S.A. Guests would have accessed the theater near Tony’s Town Square. Permits were filed and artists’ concepts of the building were even released. But the project never broke ground. In 2018 Disney removed it from their page of projects coming soon.

Muppet Studios

Ever wonder why Muppets Courtyard at Hollywood Studios even EXISTS? Don’t get us wrong — we totally LOVE this part of the park, but did you ever wonder how it came to be?

Muppet Vision 3-D

Muppets Courtyard was originally a small piece of a much bigger idea! Disney had conceived of a Muppets Studio land concept which would have included The Great Muppet Movie Ride that Muppets creator Jim Henson described as, “a backstage ride explaining how movies were shot…and all the information is wrong.” There was also a Swedish Chef cooking school, and a pizza joint run by Gonzo!

Muppet Studios Concept Art ©Disney

Then-Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, wanted to outright own the Muppets brand and was in deep talks with Jim Henson to make that happen when Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney MGM Studios) opened. Henson was even on hand at the dedication of the park.

Things took a turn though in 1990 when Jim Henson passed away. The first portion of the new Muppet Studios had already been completed at this time but had not opened — Muppet*Vision 3D. Henson’s children decided that they needed to hold on to their father’s legacy and decided to stop all work with Disney on the proposed land or selling of the Muppets brand.

The Muppets

Frank Oz, who voiced a number of the Muppet characters alongside Henson (you might know him better as the voice of Yoda in Star Wars!), spoke to the Henson family pleading with them to let their father’s work on Muppet*Vison 3D be shared with the world. The family agreed and only allowed Disney to open the Muppets Courtyard area with the attraction. The rest of the plans were put to rest.

PizzeRizzo

We may not get the Muppet themed land that Jim Henson had envisioned in Hollywood Studios, but the legacy of the characters still lives on in the park. We’ve even seen a slight expansion of the Muppets in the area a few years back when the Pizza Planet restaurant located in the Muppets Courtyard was re-themed as PizzeRizzo, a fast-food pizza joint run by none other than Rizzo the Rat from The Muppets!

Discovery Bay

In the 1970s when Disney was working on adapting Jules Verne’s novel Island at the Top of the World into a movie, Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter developed a steampunk paradise called Discovery Bay.

With Victorian-era architecture fused with technological marvels, the land was going to be inserted into Disneyland where Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge currently resides. In 1976, a scale model of the land was put on display in Disneyland’s preview center on Main Street, U.S.A. to excite guests about the new land. 

Discovery Bay Concept Art ©Disney

Numerous attractions including a Nautilus simulator and restaurant (both based on Jules Verne’s book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), along with a magnetic roller coaster, a river rapids ride, and hot air balloon attraction were in the works for Discovery Bay.

Discovery Bay 20,000 Leagues Restaurant Concept Art ©Disney

Island at the Top of the World, the movie that the land would be framed around, was a box office flop. As Tony Baxter put it, “People are so skittish that instead of saying ‘We did a bad Jules Verne movie,’ they go ‘Well, people don’t want to see Jules Verne movies.’” Executives were scared that if the film had flopped, the idea of a steampunk fantasy world built around the same ideas wouldn’t catch guests’ favor either.

Shortly after, funds and efforts were channeled towards the construction of Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland, and the project was shelved. Some elements of the rides were later applied at other parks such as Tokyo DisneySea’s Mysterious Island and its attractions (also Jules Verne-inspired), and the Dreamfinder’s ship from the original Journey into Imagination attraction at Epcot.

Beastly Kingdom 

Have you ever looked at a lamp post or a bench as you enter Animal Kingdom and noticed that a dragon is displayed at the center of the designs?? There’s a reason for it — original designs for the theme park called for a fantasy land that was never built. It was called Beastly Kingdom and it’s where guests could’ve met some very unusual creatures! We’re talkin’ mythological beasts such as dragons and unicorns!

©Disney

The land would have been divided into “Nice, Beautiful, and Dangerous” territories while an attraction called “Quest of the Unicorn” would have taken guests on a maze-like adventure! Beastly Kingdom would have also featured a Fantasia-inspired boat ride with music and characters from the classic film.

Quest of the Unicorn Concept Art ©Disney

Budget cuts are the reason why Beastly Kingdom never came to be. As Animal Kingdom developed, they realized that caring for so many animals was going to be much more costly than originally anticipated. This led CEO Michael Eisner to have to choose which section of the new park would be cut: Beastly Kingdom or the Dinoland, U.S.A. section of the park. He chose to save Dinoland.

Dinoland, U.S.A. Won Out Over Beastly Kingdom

Pandora: The World of AVATAR currently sits right where Beastly Kingdom was supposed to be. Hey, we didn’t get dragons and forest sprites, but we DID get banshees and the Shaman of Songs!

Disney World’s Phase 2 Resorts

When Magic Kingdom first opened its gates in 1971, two resorts opened with it: Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Disney World’s Phase 2 plans included Asian, Venetian, and Persian-themed hotels built along Seven Seas Lagoon.

Asian Resort Concept Art ©Disney

The main reason these resorts never saw the light of day was the 1973 oil embargo. Tourism dropped off significantly causing Disney to divert funds to the construction of a new park to lure in guests — Epcot.

Venetian Resort Concept Art ©Disney

The other reason that construction never took off was that the shores that the resorts were planned to reside on were too unstable to build on. When workers initially hammered pylons into the swampy earth to test out the sites, the pylons were swallowed up by the soft ground beneath them. Construction costs would have had to rise significantly to offset the issues with the terrain.

Persian Resort Artwork ©Disney

Eventually, work on resorts resumed, but CEO Michael Eisner decided that guests would rather not visit heavily culturally themed resorts and instead focused on a seaside hotel inspired by the lavish resorts on the Floridian beaches — Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. 

Epcot’s Unbuilt Pavilions

When Epcot opened in 1982, there were a total of nine pavilions in the World Showcase; there are now 11. But did you know there’s actually space for a LOT more pavilions to come to World Showcase? Disney announced plans for Phase 2 pavilions which include the countries of Equatorial Africa, Israel, Spain, and Venezuela back in the early 80s.

Canda Far and Wide

Plans for most of these never-built pavilions were halted over financial troubles. In some cases like Spain, deals were negotiated to begin construction, but changes in the leadership of the country caused plans to fall through. And over the years, it seemed like Italy and Germany might be getting a new neighbor when Puerto Rico, Iran, Soviet Union, and Switzerland were in talks to fill in the empty space. As you can see, none of these plans were successful either.

The Legendary Years

Ever wonder why Disney’s Pop Century and Disney’s Art of Animation Resorts almost have an identical layout? It’s because they were originally part of the same project! While one-half of Disney’s Pop Century Resort called “The Classic Years” opened in 2003, Disney’s Art of Animation was supposed to be the other half of the SAME resort! It was going to be called “The Legendary Years” and its buildings were going to be themed after the 1900s-1940s!

©Google

In 2001, before Pop Century even opened, The Legendary Years section was abandoned to cut costs during a recession. For years, guests could see the clearly abandoned hotel just across the bridge from Pop Century.

Disney World Legendary Years Hotel

Construction did eventually resume and the build-out was completed in 2012 as Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Instead of getting a Roaring 20’s theme (maybe not as…um…kid-friendly as once believed?), the resort now features themed rooms and family suites based on The Lion King, Cars, The Little Mermaid, and Finding Nemo. 

Disney’s River Country

While you might know all about Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, Disney World’s very first water park is long gone! Disney’s River Country was originally located on the shores of Bay Lake near Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and had a similar rustic vibe. The water used in the park was even sourced directly from Bay Lake and a number of slides allowed visitors to slide into the open waters of the lake!

©Disney

Although the water park had been there since 1976 and was only supposed to close down temporarily for a scheduled winter refurb in 2001, it never reopened. This was around the same time that the Legendary Years hotel was abandoned for a similar reason — the 9/11 recession. To cut costs, Disney just never reopened the park. It sat abandoned for years until very recently when it was demolished to make way for Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge

Disneyland’s Luxury Hotel

In March of 2018, Disneyland announced plans for a new luxury hotel near Downtown Disney. Disney planned to build a 4-Diamond resort after the City of Anaheim introduced a tax break geared specifically at this level of luxury resort being built in city limits.

Disney shifted the location of the resort slightly after the initial specifics were agreed upon between Disney and the city, which resulted in a number of Downtown Disney businesses closing to make way for the project including Rainforest Cafe and Earl of Sandwich.

©Disney

The city of Anaheim decided that moving the site of the hotel and the resulting closure of other businesses because of it changed the terms of the project too much, so they put the project on hold. This led Disney to outright cancel plans for the resort. Shortly after the project was canceled it was revealed construction would begin instead on a new Disney Vacation Club 12-story tower adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel.

Port Disney

A planned resort area in Long Beach, CA called Port Disney was announced in 1990. It would have featured a marine-themed amusement park called DisneySea along with a marina, and a cruise ship port! In fact, the RMS Queen Mary would have served as a focal point of the resort! The idea for the park revolved around a heavy focus on conservation and marine life.

©Disney

Additions to Disneyland in Anaheim required just the city’s approval, but to build in Long Beach required approval of state and local governments, making it much harder for Disney to do as they liked. The project never had a coordinated effort from everyone involved at Disney, so much so that some believed Disney never had a true interest in constructing the park, though millions were spent in the early stages of planning.

Although plans were scrapped for this project in favor of a new project called westCOT (which we’ll get to next),  the name DisneySea and some of the ideas for this theme park were taken over to Japan and used for Tokyo DisneySea which opened in 2001.

westCOT

Oh, but things get ever WEIRDER from there for Californians! Similar to Florida’s Epcot, Disney conceived westCOT! It’s basically exactly what you’re thinking! The blueprint even called for replicas of classic Epcot attractions such as Journey into Imagination and an even BIGGER Spaceship Earth! Budget restraints kept westCOT from becoming a beautiful reality.

©Disney

Instead of ending up with a bizarro-version of Epcot (and its famous World Showcase BUT with different countries!), we got Disney California Adventure Park instead.

S.S. Disney

Last but not least, let’s discuss one of Disney’s most ambitious ideas — the S.S. Disney. The S.S. Disney wasn’t going to be a cruise ship like you’d find with Disney Cruise Line — it was a full-fledged floating theme park.

©Disney Magic

16 to 18 classic Disney attractions such as it’s a small world, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, and Roger Rabbit’s Toontown Spin were all planned to be aboard! There were also plans for 6 restaurants, gift shops, and more. Guests would board the ship in the morning and have 8 hours at sea to ride rides and explore.

S.S. Disney Model ©Disney

Eisner was on board with the idea (get it?) until his partner and President of the company, Frank Wells, passed away in 1994. The planning group at corporate didn’t want to do a floating theme park any more with Wells out — they wanted to do a cruise ship instead. This began Disney’s foray into cruise lines and in 1998, the Disney Cruise Line set sail.

For all of the incredible lands, theme parks, and more that the Disney Company has created over the years, it’s interesting to take a look back at the projects that didn’t get off the ground.

What do you think of these plans that Disney told us about but never finished? Which ideas would you like to see them revisit someday? Let us know in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, disney california adventure, disney merchandise, Disney Springs, disney’s hollywood studios, Disneyland, Downtown Disney Anaheim, Epcot, Featured, magic kingdom, News, Tokyo Disney Sea, Tokyo Disneyland, beastly kingdom, broken promises, didn’t deliver, disney california adventure park, disney cruise line, disney world phase 2, disney world’s asian resort, disney’s america, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, disney’s luxury hotel, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, disney’s river country, disney’s venetian resort, disneysea, epcot phase 2, Epcot World Showcase, hyperion wharf, main street theater, muppets studio, Pandora, phase 2, port disney, ss disney, the legendary years, unbuilt pavilions, westcot

Categories
Disney Food Disney Merch Disney Parks

9 Things We Learned The Hard Way From Our Biggest Disney World Disasters!

While you may know us to be quite the Disney World experts,  trust us when we say we didn’t start out this way!

Cinderella Castle at Night

We actually had to figure out some stuff at Disney World through trial and error or after peril befell one of our family members (or us!).

That’s why our team wants to share with you a few lessons we learned at Disney School of HARD KNOCKS. Well, alright, we made that place up, but let’s just say, these are all true stories from some of our real-life misadventures!

1. Left Our Phones in a Rideshare or Minnie Van

How many times have you FINALLY arrived back at your hotel after a long day and are getting ready to check your messages only to realize you just left your phone in the backseat of some stranger’s car? No? Just us?

How to Get Your Phone Back From a Rideshare Service

Believe it or not, we have MORE THAN ONE personal experience on this matter! I was so excited about going to Disneyland once that I left my phone in the back seat of an Uber I took from the airport. I had to figure out how to call the driver WITHOUT my phone!

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland

Luckily, I realized my mistake pretty quickly and it wasn’t THAT big of a disaster, even if it felt like that way at the time! ? I was able to log into my Uber account with my husband’s phone and use the “contact your driver” feature in the Uber app.

Disneyland’s Magic Happens Parade

It got us in touch with the driver and he was able to circle back and drop off the phone for us within 20 minutes. Now, the Uber website states they’ll charge a “return fee” whenever this happens, but we weren’t charged anything (either this fee didn’t apply until more recently, or our nice driver spared us!). Either way, we provided him with a nice cash tip for his troubles!

How to Get Your Phone Back From a Minnie Van

If you happen to forget your phone in the back of a Minnie Van at Disney World (hey, it happens when you’re super distracted by all the magic that’s in the AIR!) you can call (407) 828-3500. If you’re traveling by yourself (and thus need to use a phone since you no longer have YOURS) visit the nearest Guest Services and they’ll likely be able to get a hold of your driver on your behalf!

Minnie Van

Remember — time is of the ESSENCE! As soon as you realize your phone’s disappeared and you suspect you may have left it somewhere, reach out and CALL SOMEONE or go to Guest Relations! If you wait too long, you might not get your phone back, and that truly WOULD be a disaster!

2. Suffered a MAJOR Wardrobe Malfunction!

One of the most frustrating things at Disney World involves fighting with clothing that just can’t cut the mustard! You’ll be pushing your shoes, shorts, socks, and shirts to their absolute limits —  and many of these every-day articles of clothing can buckle under the sheer brutality of Disney World’s conditions! ?

How to Protect Thyself Against Chafing

Alright, ladies (and some of you fellas, too!) — you know what we’re talking about! Even if none of us want to fess up to the embarrassment of rubbing our “chicken tenders” (a.k.a. upper thighs) raw while walking through the parks, it happens to the best of us!

Princess Aurora Probably Gets Chafed TOO!

That’s why we love glide-on anti-chafe sticks! These look just like a stick of deodorant but you rub them on to reduce friction just about anywhere. These work well for shoes that are rubbing your feet the wrong way, runners use it for their arms, and there are lots of other applications.

If your legs are the primary problem, though, we’ve also been known to throw on a pair of bike shorts (like these!) to spare our thighs from being sacrificed to the chafing gods, too. Always make sure you test drive any shorts you’re bringing to Disney World with a long day at the zoo or mall first to see how they hold up to heavy walking!

Dreaded Melted Mickey Ice Cream Bars and Other Frequent Stain-Offenders

You might not realize something you’re snacking on has just dripped ALL over your shirt or pants until it’s TOO LATE! In our profession, this happens A LOT!

Premium Mickey Ice Cream Bar at Disney World

That’s why we highly recommend bringing a Tide Stain Remover Pen or a similar product to help pre-treat any stains you may encounter so that they don’t end up permanently ruining your clothes!

© Amazon

Did you know you can even wash your clothes at any Disney World Resort property? Each hotel is equipped with its own self-service laundry facilities for all guests. The washers and dryers also utilize an app called LaundryView which will text you when your clothes are done! How NEATO is THAT?!

There’s a Reason Why Travel Sewing Kits Exist

Several Disney resorts used to equip their rooms with cute little sewing kits back in the day (you can still sometimes get one from the front desk of your resort if you’re in need!). To cover our bases, we pack a small travel sewing kit! This handy Travel Sewing Kit sold by Amazon does the job nicely!

© Amazon

Throw in a few safety pins while you’re at it for any quick-fixes, too! Our mothers always taught us to have a safety pin handy “just in case” and you’d be surprised how many times that little tip has gotten us out of a bind!

You Can Never Bring Enough Hair Ties. Never.

Maybe you don’t normally pull back your hair in your everyday life, but trust us — if you’ve got medium to long hair, you’re going to get VERY hot walking around the parks! That’s why we always bring lots of spare hair ties to make sure we don’t overheat at the parks!

© Amazon

Some of the gift shops sell hair ties, but it’s much cheaper to bring them from home. Pack them in your suitcase as well as in the bag you’re bringing with you to the parks and bring MANY! The more, the merrier! That way, in case a few break, you’ll still have plenty of back-ups!

3. Our Glasses Just Flew Off on a Ride

It can be pretty traumatic losing your glasses on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, especially if you need them to SEE! This has happened with our sunglasses, too (and hats…and Minnie Ears…)!

How to Get Your Glasses Back

Depending on the ride (and where they flew off), Cast Members might be able to help you retrieve them, but more than likely you’re going to have to wait out until it’s safe for someone to go get them. That puts you (and your vision) out of commission for a long time if you didn’t bring a back-up pair (which we highly recommend you have a spare if you need them to properly see!).

New Years Glasses

If you don’t have a back-up pair of glasses, consider bringing a sports strap to secure them to your face! You can also take your glasses off and put them in your pocket before the ride starts, too! ?

4. Our Kids Were Terrified of Rides

If your kids are young and it’s your first time taking them to Disney World, you might be very excited to introduce them to some of your favorite rides such as Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, or Pirates of Caribbean…but here’s why that’s not always the best idea.

Ease Your Kid Into Thrill Rides and Dark Rides

Even if your kid has been to other amusement parks, they’ve never seen anything like Disney World or Disneyland! The Disney parks can be truly overwhelming — and maybe even a little frightening! 

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom

And even though some Disney rides seem really tame to YOU, through a child’s eyes they can be MUCH scarier! That’s why some younger kids need help working up to bigger attractions.

You know your kid best, but our best advice is to start with some tamer dark rides such as Peter Pan’s Flight and it’s a small world. Once they’ve mastered a few of these milder experiences, THEN you can ramp them up to bigger stuff!

Rock N Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios

For example, after you ride it’s a small world, you can explain Pirates of the Caribbean is very similar but does involve a teeny, tiny drop in the dark. Riding Pirates of the Caribbean first is risky because your kid might think all of Disney’s rides have an unexpected “element of surprise” to them, which simply isn’t the case at all! Learn from our mistakes — start mild and work up to wild!

5. Someone Got Dehydrated

The struggle is real to stay well-hydrated at the parks, especially if you’re drinking lots of coffee, soda, and the occasional alcoholic beverage. Signs that you’re getting dehydrated include fatigue, headache, muscle cramps, lack of sweat, and confusion — all things you should be constantly on the lookout for, especially on hot, sunny days.

Drink Lots of Water

If it’s a million degrees and you’ve been pounding nothing but Starbucks drinks and beer, it’s time to slow your roll and drink plenty of water.

Even if you’re drinking plenty of liquids, that doesn’t mean they’re hydrating your body. Coffee and alcohol actually dehydrate you! If you’re enjoying lots of these beverages, make sure you’re increasing your water intake as well.

Night Blossom at Pongu Pongu

Bottled water is available throughout the parks as are drinking fountains and even bottle refill stations. You can also ask for cups of free ice water from any quick-service restaurant by asking a Cast Member. Some dining locations throughout Disney World also provide free self-serve dispensers of ice water, so be sure to look around.

If Someone’s in Trouble, Get Help

Dehydration can happen quickly with adults, but it happens even faster with kids. Plus, kids might not realize they’re getting dehydrated until things start to go downhill fast. Always monitor how much water your children are drinking, and at the first sign of trouble, find a Cast Member for help.

Magic Kingdom

You can head directly to any First Aid Center (which are located at every park) or find a Cast Member nearby. They will assess how severe the situation is and will help you by any means necessary. Whether it’s providing food, drink, or a cool place to lie down and rest, they will be there to assist you.

6. Someone Got Heatstroke

Heatstroke is another dangerous situation that can creep up really fast at Disney World — and it’s super-serious. If your body temperature goes above 104° (usually due to prolonged exposure to the sun), you start to get a swirly, dizzy feeling that might eventually lead to passing out!

How to Avoid Heatstroke

You can help prevent heatstroke from occurring by wearing clothes that are lighter in color (darker clothing absorbs light whereas light-colored clothing will help reflect the sun’s rays better). Limit your time outdoors and take frequent water breaks.

Even if you just take a quick trip through an air-conditioned gift shop, it will help cool off your body temperature.

Rocking Chairs in Liberty Square

Make sure you’re eating regularly, too. You’ll probably want to consume more calories than you’re used to (we know, how cruel of us to suggest!). Since you’ll be burning a lot of calories walking around, your body will likely need more energy than it usually does.

What to Do If Someone Faints

If someone loses consciousness or looks like they’re about to, you must get them cooled down as fast as you can and seek help! Things can go from bad to awful really fast, so you want to act swiftly.

In fact, some of us have experienced heatstroke before or seen family members pass out and know it can happen out of the blue! Each time a Cast Member has swooped in and helped us get through the whole ordeal.

Cups of Water Ready to Take

In fact, Cast Members are stationed throughout the parks so that someone can quickly respond if an emergency should arise. And if hospitalization is required, Cast Members will arrange to get you and your family out of the park and to the emergency room.

Of course, if it’s less serious, they can provide you with a place to cool down and get your blood pressure back to normal before you’re back up and walking on your feet again.

7. Someone Got Sick

If a member of your family feels like they might be coming down with something or forgot to bring their prescription medication along, there are a few ways to get the medical treatment and medicine you need.

See a Doctor

Many practitioners now offer virtual doctor’s visits. Check with your family’s doctor to see if they offer this feature, otherwise, for most minor symptoms, you can talk to a doctor using an app. These virtual doctor’s visits are often at least partially covered by most major insurance carriers, so we recommend checking with your insurance to see if they recommend one before your visit.

Spaceship Earth

Doctors can call in prescriptions you may need for a variety of ailments. And here’s another tip — if your kiddo gets the flu while you’re out of town, you can usually get prophylactic tami-flu for yourself through a virtual doctor visit via an app. Note — we are NOT DOCTORS, but this was our experience.

Get Medicine

Most resorts sell common over-the-counter medications for pain relief, upset stomach, and cold and flu; but for other stuff, you can take a Rideshare service to a nearby pharmacy or have the medicine brought directly to you.

Gift Shop Options

Turner Drugs is a local pharmacy near Disney World that specializes in delivering prescriptions to travelers. They will deliver any prescriptions to your resort for a fee (it cost us around $9, but it was well worth it not having to disrupt our vacation too much).

Turner Drugs will also deliver prescriptions to the FIRST-AID LOCATIONS INSIDE THE PARKS! Note that Turner Drugs does NOT file with your insurance, so you may have to pay significantly more out of pocket for your prescription. BUT they do provide documentation so you can submit a claim to your insurance company once you return home.

Just remember — when you’re picking up your prescription at the First-Aid location in a park, you’ll need to have the actual prescription there to give to the cast member.

Epcot First Aid Sign

Get Rest

If you’re sick with something contagious, the best thing you can do for yourself (and others) is to stay in your room. Order some room service or have food delivered. Relax, watch some Must Do Disney, and get the rest you need!

Once you recover, you can hit the parks again. And if you’re not contagious but just having a bad allergy day or asthma-related issues, still try to take it easy until YOU feel better! Don’t over-do-it even though you want to experience everything Disney World has to offer! You might end up making yourself too sick to enjoy anything!

8. Mishaps Leading to Injuries Occurred

Disney World is a truly magical place, but that doesn’t prevent slips, trips, and spills from happening. You can still fall flat on your face in front of Cinderella Castle!

What To Do if Someone Gets Injured

Whether you scrape your knee getting out of the pool or get rammed in the shins by a rogue stroller, you might get injured on vacation — accidents happen!

Any minor injuries such as cuts, scrapes, and mild abrasions won’t require much more than a little antiseptic spray and a band-aid. We like to carry a travel-sized first-aid kit with us, but you can also ask for bandages and more at any First Aid Center or at Guest Services!

First Aid

More severe injuries (like hyperextending your leg, breaking your wrist, or stitches) will most likely require extra care. If something happens, Cast Members can call other Cast Members over and form a circle around the injured person to provide the guest with some privacy while they assess the situation. They can then arrange transportation out of the park for you or your family member should you need to get to a hospital or urgent care center.

Need a great travel First-Aid kit to toss in your park bag? Click here!

9. We Became Lost Parents

This is the polite term Disney uses for when you accidentally get separated from your child, which can happen in an instant!

What To Do if Your Child Is Missing

First of all, it’s important to teach your children about what they should do if they get separated from you. Make sure they have your cell number memorized (If they’re too young to remember a phone number, many parents swear by these temporary tattoos you can write your number on!).  Tell them it’s very important to find a Cast Member and let them know that they are lost. You can tell them they can identify a Cast Member by looking for their oval name tags.

Look For the Oval Name Tags!

All Cast Members are trained to bring any lost children under the age of 10 directly to the Baby Care Centers in the theme parks to wait for their parents while kids over the age of 10 are brought to Guest Relations.

Guest Relations

Although this is every parent’s worst nightmare, try to stay calm. Believe it or not, this happens ALL THE TIME in Disney World and, in our experience, the parents get more freaked out than the kids!

Locate the nearest Cast Member and they will work quickly to report the lost child. Make a mental note of what your child is wearing each day (or snap a picture!) so you can provide a description if necessary. Disney World is a BIG and crowded place, so trust the process and Cast Members will reunite you as soon as they can.

We know we’ve just rehashed some very unhappy times from some of our most MEMORABLE Disney trips, but rest-assured these are worst-case scenarios only! Your Disney World vacation is MUCH more likely to go off without any major hiccups, and even if it doesn’t, Disney’s wonderful Cast Members have got your back!

Has disaster ever struck you or your family at Disney World? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, Disney News, disney’s hollywood studios, Epcot, Featured, magic kingdom, Special Stuff, Walt Disney World, cast members, chafing, dehydrated, Disney World, faints, first aid center, forget medicine, get sick, get to hot, Glasses, have medicine delivered, heat stroke, heatstroke, injury, kids are terrified of rides, laundryview, left phone behind, lost glasses, lost phone, minnie van, missing glasses, over heated, passes out, scared kids, see a doctor, sick at disney world, stained clothes, sunstroke, throws up, travel size sewing kits, turner drugs, wardrobe malfunctions, washing your clothes

Categories
Disney News Disney Parks

Baby Babirusa Born At Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

animal kingdom

A new baby babirusa has been born in Animal Kingdom!

Her name is Kirana which means “sunbeam” in Indonesian and its the first one born in Animal Kingdom! Her parents are Betty and Mentari, you might have seen them at the park while you enjoyed a ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari during one of your visits to the Walt Disney World Resort.

Babirusas are an endangered specie, part of the hog family, they are native to the swamps and rainforests of the Indonesian Islands, that’s why the Animal Kingdom team gave her the name of Kirana.

Also did you know male babirusas can grow tusks as long as 17 inches that even go through their snout? Their upper ones can actually grow so much that could penetrate their skin curving back towards their forehead and sometimes back into the skull as well.

This “deer-pig” story is another successful one for Disney’s Animal, Science and Environmental Team as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This plan assures responsible breeding for endangered species such as babirusa pigs and hartmann’s mountain zebras! 

The birth of this baby babirusa is a great step toward the worldwide conservation and understanding of the species that will help to ensure a future generation for these vulnerable animals.

So next time you are at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, don’t forget to go on the Kilimanjaro Safari and say hi to Kirana!

Until then, you can learn more about animals at Disney here! Hope you enjoy it.

Credit: Disney Parks Blog

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: DisneyNature, News, Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World, animal kingdom, baby babirusa, Conservation, DAK, Disney Animals, disney magic moments, disney magic of nature, Disney Nature, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, kirana, WDW

Categories
Disney Parks Disney Vacations

News! Florida’s Vacation Rentals Near Disney World Have Been Approved to Reopen

After being shuttered for many months, Florida is well into Phase One of its gradual reopening.

Disney Springs

Just yesterday, we saw several third-party restaurants and shops resume business at Disney Springs and last week Universal Studios’ CityWalk took its first reopening steps. But while Disney and Universal-owned hotels and theme parks will remain closed until further notice, some vacation rental properties in the area have just been given the green light to start reopening.

According to News 6 WKMG, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has approved an outline that was submitted to him last week allowing Osceola County vacation rentals to reopen.

Palm Trees

“We appreciate the quick review of our plan and the State’s realization that the vacation rental home sector is a massive part of our economy,” Osceola County Chairwoman Viviana Janer said. “We know that this action will have a ripple effect in our community as there are so many small businesses that support the vacation rental market – from housekeepers to lawn and pool maintenance workers, to security staff and caterers, to property managers and companies that handle the numerous details that surround a successful vacation.”

Earl of Sandwich

Osceola County, a major tourist destination that comprises a portion of Walt Disney World Resort, has over 30,000 licensed vacation home rentals.

City Works

Osceola Country included some of the key details in the plan they gave to Florida’s Governor which included:

  • Property owners and managers have to adopt guidelines that are in place for businesses
  • They must follow reopen guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting for all lodging
  • Property owners will be asked to provide coronavirus guidance on local restrictions put in place during a guest stay
  • Any guest coming from a highly-infected area must reserve a minimum stay of 14 nights and follow CDC’s self-quarantine guidelines
  • Vacation rentals are not allowed to be used for gatherings that exceed the maximum occupancy

So far, Osceola County is the first to have its plan passed by Governor Ron DeSantis. We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops.

Are you planning to visit Florida soon? Let us know in the comments below. 

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under:

Categories
Disney Parks Other

Welcome to the World, Little Piglet! Babirusa Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Babirusa piglet

We are squealing with delight! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating a first for the park: the birth of a babirusa piglet. And, it’s a girl! Our Disney animal care team has chosen to name her Kirana, which translates to “sunbeam” in Indonesian.

Babirusas are part of the hog family, native to the swamps and rainforests of the Indonesian Islands. They’re known for their unique snouts and magnificent tusks that can grow up to almost 17 inches! Close relatives of the babirusa also live at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, such as the warthogs on Kilimanjaro Safaris and the KuneKune pigs at Affection Section.

This birth is another success story for our dedicated team of Disney animal care experts, as parents Betty and Mentari were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP) overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The SSP assures responsible breeding for endangered species, such as the babirusa pigs and Asha, the Hartmann’s Mountain zebra foal recently born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Over the last 15 years, Disney animal care experts partnered with reproductive biologists and the SSP to “crack the code” on breeding a babirusa pair. The piglet is making an important contribution toward the worldwide conservation and understanding of the species, which will help ensure a future generation for these vulnerable animals.

The Disney Conservation Fund has supported projects in Africa for more than 20 years to inspire grassroots conservation and improve livelihoods. These projects can help protect Africa’s amazing wildlife and benefit the hogs – such as babirusas – living in these habitats.

The piglet is healthy and bonding with mom inside their den at the park. To learn more about hogs, visit DisneyAnimals.com.

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort, WDW