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Disney Parks Other

PHOTOS: What to Expect at Disney Springs Now That More Stores Are Open

When Disney officials announced that Disney Springs would re-open in phases, I wasn’t sure how long and spread out each phase would be. Now, we have entered the second phase in which some Disney owned and operated locations have reopened – the biggest of which is the massive World of Disney store. This new phase brings a surge of Disney energy back into Disney Springs. A member of our field research team ventured there to scope out what was open and what it is like to visit Disney Springs during this next reopening phase.

Disney Springs Food Trucks Are Gone

Virtual Queue for World of Disney and Marketplace Co-op

Most likely this will not be the case long term, but at the moment guests wanting to enter World of Disney or Marketplace Co-op need to enter a “Virtual Queue.” What that means is that you check in with a Cast Member at the entrance to the store, providing your phone number, and they will text you when it is your turn to enter the store. This is similar to the system that is used for waiting for a table at many full-service restaurants at Walt Disney World. The challenge is that the communication about this from Disney to its guests has not been that great. This resulted in lots of folks crowding around the entrance, unaware of what to do. Our field team counted 359 people in line for the virtual queue, as in to get their name into the system, at World of Disney around 10:45 a.m. on reopening day. I am hopeful that this is purely because of reopening day hype.

World of Disney Exit
World of Disney Purchases

Other Disney Owned Locations Remain Closed at Disney Springs

Many of the smaller venues that are owned and operated by Disney have not yet reopened. Places like Candy Cauldron and Disney Style at West Side remain closed. We can theorize multiple reasons for this including staffing, the size of the venue, and overall demand each particular retail location not warranting the cost it would take to have it open at the moment. Reopening stores in phases does allow Disney and their hardworking Cast Members to get used to the new procedures before expanding the locations. To our field research team’s deep dismay Amorette’s Patisserie and The Ganachery also remain closed.

Candy Cauldron Remains Closed
The Ganachery Disney Springs Remains Closed
Amorette’s Disney Springs Remains Closed

Exit Only Doors at Many Locations

To help with social distancing and crowd flow, many location have designated entrance doors and exit only doors. It is interesting to see the signs in place. One has to imagine that this may get difficult to manage if Disney Springs becomes busier over the summer once the theme parks reopen.

Additional Changes at Disney Springs

Required face coverings and temperature scans do remain in place, and will for quite some time. Additional changes to Disney Springs include the elimination of paper guide maps. The brochure stands were removed from the entrances to Disney Springs. The LEGO Store is another location that reopened this week, but the interactive play area remains closed – no surprise there. The Disney Food Trucks were removed from the West Side – goodbye cookie dough food truck, we barely knew thee.

LEGO Store Play Area Closed Disney Springs
Disney Springs Maps and Guides Removed

With all this reduction in offerings at Disney Springs there was one surprising addition: Stormtroopers. These Stormtroopers stood on a balcony in the Town Center, above Ever After Jewelry, with First Order banners draped beneath them. Their addition surprised me immensely. Turns out they are their to provide an entertaining way to get social distancing messaging across. Perhaps they are also a test for how to incorporate this type of entertainment and messaging into the theme parks when they reopen.

Ever After Jewelry Disney Springs Remains Closed – And the First Order has moved in

Our field research team, having visited Disney Springs a few times now, recommends bringing multiple face coverings or masks if you plan to be at Disney Springs long, to help with the heat, rain, and humidity. We also encourage you to be prepared for adjustments in procedures at the situation progresses. We will keep you posted with updates to our TouringPlans blog and social media channels.

Goofy’s Candy Company Disney Springs Closed
Disney Springs Sprinkles Cupcakes Closed
Daily Poutine Disney Springs Is Now Open

As mentioned, it seems Disney could have done a better job communicating the virtual queue process for its big merchandise stores. Other than that, things seem to be going fairly smoothly at Disney Springs, all things considered. Will you visit Disney Springs anytime soon? Let us know in the comments.

The post PHOTOS: What to Expect at Disney Springs Now That More Stores Are Open appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Dos and Don’ts, coronavirus, disney reopening, disney springs reopening

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Disney News Disney Parks

New Staggered Opening and Closing Times for Park Hours at WDW

With the announcement of the reopening plans for Walt Disney World yesterday, a variety of changes were mentioned that were expected: masks, hand washing stations, and so on. Even the predicted reservation system and reduced crowd levels were mentioned. What wasn’t mentioned, but was updated on Disney’s park hours web site last night, were the changes in park hours.

Here’s the updated schedule currently on the Walt Disney World web site:

Magic Kingdom

  • Magic Kingdom will be open, starting July 11, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Morning Extra Magic Hours are listed on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and Evening Extra Magic hours are listed on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Select dates also have the hard ticket Early Morning Magic in Fantasyland event from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., although this may change.
  • There will be no parades or fireworks.

Epcot

  • Epcot will be open, starting July 15, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (This will be a fixed time for all of Epcot instead of staggered opening hours for Future World and World Showcase.)
  • Morning Extra Magic Hours are listed on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Evening Extra Magic hours are listed on Tuesdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
  • There will be no nighttime fireworks show.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open, starting July 15, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Morning Extra Magic Hours are not listed for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Evening Extra Magic Hours are listed on Sundays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • There are no parades or “fireworks and nighttime spectacular” (including Fantasmic!)  shows listed.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open, starting July 11, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Morning Extra Magic Hours are listed on Mondays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Evening Extra Magic Hours are not listed for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
  • There are no nighttime showings of Rivers of Light listed.

Disney Springs

Disney Springs will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. In all likelihood, by the time the theme parks reopen, we would expect all businesses at Disney Springs to have reopened.

Disney’s Water Parks

As of today, hours are listed for Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach starting on June 11. Both parks are listed as open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and there are still mentions of H2O Glow Nights for Typhoon Lagoon on select nights. Disney had not made any sort of announcement about the reopening of the water parks, and this was not included in their presentation to the Orange County board yesterday. It is possible Disney will make another request for reopening shortly, or it could be that those hours will disappear off of the web site in the future. We’ll have to wait and see.

Why the Change?

Although Disney has not given insight into their reasons for the changes in hours, it is likely for logistical reasons regarding bus transportation at the resorts.

  • To allow for less crowded buses, you’ll need to run more buses for a park’s opening and closing time peaks. Staggering opening hours means that you can have the same number of buses show up at a resort to pick people up, but they will be able to go to the same location instead of servicing all four theme parks for the same morning opening time.
  • Staggering opening and closing times may also permit buses to be taken out of rotation for additional cleaning and sanitizing.
  • For park openings, you will need additional room for people to line up, with appropriate distancing, in queues to get on the buses. Having the surge of people come at staggered times will allow for increased room to spread out the lines for the buses.
  • For park closings, staggering the times means you can send additional buses to a theme park to try and clear the rush faster to try and avoid quite as many people standing in lengthy queues.

Are These Shorter Hours 100% Certain?

It’s Disney–nothing is 100% certain. It is possible that, as procedures play out with the reopening of the parks, hours could be adjusted. Should hours change, we will keep you updated. In the meantime, more than ever, if you plan a vacation to Walt Disney World this summer, remember to pack your patience.

What do you think of these reduced hours? Would they make you less likely to vacation to Walt Disney World this summer, or are you excited to have “sleep in” days automatically built into your schedule? Let us know in the comments.

The post New Staggered Opening and Closing Times for Park Hours at WDW appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), coronavirus, walt disney world

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Disney News Disney Parks

VIDEO: The NBA at Walt Disney World, Q & A

Recently, the NBA indicated that they were looking at bringing the NBA season to Walt Disney World and Wide World of Sports. For basketball fans like Brian and Guy, this is a match made in heaven, and they couldn’t wait to talk about the possibility of it happening. Did you miss their live broadcast? No worries–we’ve got you covered. Check out the recording here.

What are your thoughts about the NBA at Walt Disney World? Is this something you’d be excited to have happen, even if you wouldn’t be able to see it in person? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), basketball, coronavirus, ESPN Wide World of Sports

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Disney Parks Disney Vacations Other

Select Disney Vacation Club Resorts to Open This June

Today, the Walt Disney World Resort shared their initial plans for reopening the theme parks to the Orange County Economic Task Force. With a proposed reopening of July 11 for both Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom and July 15 for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, the question that was quickly asked is what about the resorts. Well, we have a bit more information regarding that piece of the puzzle.

According to the Disney Parks Blog, at this time, due to the fact that the parks will see reduced capacity when they officially let Guests return, the Walt Disney World Resort is temporarily pausing new Disney Resort hotel reservations so that there can be a focus on those Guests with existing tickets and reservations. With that being said, beginning June 22, Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World will reopen to members and Guests, as well as Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. For those who would like to visit some of the other Disney Vacation Club resorts in either Vero Beach, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, they will be re-opening to members and Guests starting on June 15.

For those looking to stay at the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels overall, they will officially reopen on July 11.

To keep Guests as safe as possible, plans will be put in place to support required physical distancing. In addition, there will be enhanced cleaning measures, along with a number of other safety and cleanliness protocols that will be implemented as part of this planned phased reopening based upon applicable guidance from health authorities and government agencies. Also, Cast Members as well as guests 3 years of age and older will be required to wear appropriate face coverings not only in the theme parks, but also in common areas of resort hotels.

Additional information on enhanced health and safety measures and operational changes for reopening locations will be shared soon. Do keep in mind that these policies are subject to change as conditions are monitored and updated guidance has been received from health and government authorities.

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From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: News, Walt Disney World (FL), coronavirus, Disney Vacation Club

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Disney Business Disney News Disney Parks Other

Walt Disney World Presents Reopening Plan to the Orange County Economic Task Force

Today, the Walt Disney Company submitted its plan to the Orange County Economic Task Force in an effort to re-open the Walt Disney World Resort following the coronavirus closure. During this meeting, it was announced that the Walt Disney World Resort would be reopening on a phased reopening schedule beginning in July.

The first parks to reopening will be the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom beginning on July 11. Then, on July 15, EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be reopening to Guests.

According to the report given to the Orange County Economic Task Force Meeting, there will be a number of things that both Guests and Cast Members will need to adhere to in order to enter the parks. Here is what we know so far:

  • First, there will be significant limits on attendance. To make sure that this occurs, in order to enter the theme parks, you will need to sign up via an advance reservation system. Disney did not share how that reservation system would work initially, however they did share that they would release that information at a later date.
  • There will be enhanced protective measures put in place. For example, the parks will be requiring face coverings for Cast Members and Guests, and putting an emphasis on hand washing. In addition, there will be sanitation stations available for Guests and there will be and physical barriers where appropriate. For example, Guests will find plexiglass at retail and restaurant locations where social distancing cannot be maintained.
  • There will be physical distancing and capacity limits enabled at the theme parks, restaurants, retail, attractions, buses, monorails, and other transportation modes. In addition, parades, fireworks, and other events that create crowds will be suspended for the time being.
  • Of course, there will be an emphasis on enhanced cleaning both onstage and backstage across high touch locations and surfaces.
  • Guests and Cast Members will need to have their temperatures taken via contactless handheld devices.
  • There will also be a reduction of Guest and Cast Member contact points. These will include things like putting an emphasis on increasing mobile food ordering, pausing meet and greets with characters, not allowing Guests to enjoy play areas that can be found throughout the park, and contactless payments (like ApplePay, MagicBands, etc).

As Guests get ready to head to the parks, they will see “Know Before You Go” messages provided so they are aware of the new safety protocols. Cast Members will also be on hand to regularly communicate new protocols via the Social Distancing Squad who are there to inspire Guests to follow guidelines. Finally, there will also be signage found throughout the resort reinforcing these messages.

This plan, while approved by the task force, has not yet been approved by the Mayor or the Governor of Florida.

You can watch the meeting here for full details.

Currently, no information was provided about Disney Resort hotels or water parks.

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From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: News, Walt Disney World (FL), coronavirus, Orange County Economic Task Force Meeting, walt disney world