Gus and Jaq from Cinderella will be joining the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection, celebrating Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary.
Descendants star Anna Cathcart announced the inclusion of the mice on social media today. Gus and Jaq will share a gold statue and hoist a 50th anniversary medallion between them.
Disney Cruise Line has updated its Know Before You Go page to include information about 5-night or longer sailings. This comes following the announcement that Disney Fantasy would resume sailings in September, with sailings longer than 4-nights planned to begin in October.
According to the update, guests on these longer cruises will be required to take a PCR COVID-19 test prior to debarking the ship on their final day. Here is what the Disney Cruise Line website says:
Debarkation Day COVID-19 Testing: All Guests (adults and children, regardless of age) on 5-night and longer sailings are required to undergo a PCR COVID-19 test administered by Inspire Diagnostics on the ship prior to debarking. A $65 test fee will be charged to the folio of all Guests 12 years and older. Guests under 12 years of age will be tested at no charge. However, Guests booked on 5-night and longer sailings who choose to provide proof of vaccination will not be required to take a COVID-19 test upon debarkation.
Just a few days ago, Disney CEO Bob Chapek stated the following about the impact of the Delta variant on their theme park business:
“In terms of the Delta variant, we see strong demand for our parks continuing.”
Disney CEO Bob Chapek
Despite this claim, Walt Disney World is seeing a definite impact from cancellations and unwillingness to travel by tourists as the summer winds down.
According to internal sources, hotel occupancy on Disney property was expected to be at 93% this upcoming weekend. It is now expected to be at just 65%. Overall, they are seeing occupancy drop about 10% week over week.
Similar numbers are being reported by non-Disney hotels in the area as well, at least those we spoke to.
With school starting back up in most of the United States, and with this downturn in travel, the Walt Disney World theme parks are noticeably less busy right now. In fact, Boarding Groups for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance were available until 4pm on one evening, and eventually, they even allowed guests in without a Boarding Group. This is the first time this has ever happened at Walt Disney World.
More and more information has been released about the upcoming new film Haunted Mansion. A new report is telling us more about the ghost that will be seen on-screen.
The first of these characters is William Gracey and his wife, described as “a wealthy Creole couple in their early 30s, the Graceys are free people of color from 19th century New Orleans.” These character descriptions closely match those of Master Gracey from The Haunted Mansion lore, both in the ride and the comics. Gracey will be a non-speaking role. In addition, other non-speaking ghosts include those of The Mariner, The Butler, The Bride, and the Dueling Ghost. Like Gracey, most of these ghosts have previously existed as characters in Haunted Mansion lore.
We will also see Woman with Rose, Man in Dynamite Suit, Quicksand Man, and The Ballerina; however we haven’t heard anything about beloved characters Madame Leota or the Hatbox Ghost. Although we hope they will be making an appearance, no information have be released.
This will be the second time this classic attraction hits the big screen. In 2003 we saw The Haunted Mansion but it didn’t receive great reviews. We are hoping this new film does better at bring the attraction to the big screen.
We’ve been waiting to hear when FastPass+ would be returning and today we finally have an answer regarding its future. FastPass+ will be retired and replaced by a new paid offering this fall as part of a new digital service called Disney Genie.
From a Disney Cast Member;
We’re almost ready to let Disney Genie out of the lamp!
Coming this fall to Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, Disney Genie is a complimentary and convenient new digital service designed to create your best Disney day. We’ve been listening to your feedback – you want planning to be easier, you want more flexibility and you want better tools to help you make the most of your visit – and that’s exactly what Disney Genie is here to do. We’ve made significant investments in this cool new technology, which guides you through our theme parks with tips that can help you reduce time in lines, discover magic around every corner and take the guesswork out of “what’s next.”
Built right into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps, Disney Genie service will maximize your park time, so you can have more fun. It includes a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more – just tell Disney Genie what you want to do and it will do the planning for you.
Here are a few more features:
For even more convenience and flexibility, there are two other options for enjoying our theme parks, through a queue we are introducing called the Lightning Lane entrance that also saves you time in line:
Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of your visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, great for those who love the Park Hopper option. Attractions continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue at certain attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – to maximize flexibility.
While the FASTPASS, FastPass+ and Disney MaxPass services will be retired, we’re incredibly excited about the flexibility and choices Disney Genie service provides. You can choose from all of our new options, a mix of them or none at all, and continue to have a great experience no matter how you decide to plan your best Disney day.
We are also making some enhancements to our Disability Access Service (DAS) program, including new options to enroll in the program pre-arrival and for DAS participants to select attractions directly in the app. These options will be available in addition to our existing, in-person DAS program. Visit our Services for Guests with Disabilities page DisneyWorld.com and Disneyland.comfor more details.