Aloha! Cast Members at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa celebrated a special moment on Sunday, Aug. 29 in honor of Aulani Resort’s 10th anniversary. Aulani Resort’s own Aunty and Uncle hosted the moment with Disney friends by their sides, including the music loving ‘Olu Mel. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse also revealed their brand-new outfits – reserved just for their visits to Aulani Resort.
And, Guests can experience the music of a new song that premiered celebrating Aulani Resort. Watch the 10th anniversary ceremony celebration with ‘ohana and friends.
We previously shared the news that Walt Disney World is introducing a new Annual Pass program at Walt Disney World. While it differs from the new Disneyland “Magic Key” Annual Pass program, east coast Disney fans can still expect four new tiers when Disney World passes go on sale on September 8. We’ve been getting used to changes taking place at Disney – including the reveal of the Disney Genie and the upcharge of the former complimentary FastPass service in the Parks. Not only is the free perk of FastPasses gone, but we’ve slowly seen Disney remove complimentary MagicBands for Disney Resort Guests, as well as Annual Passholders. The complimentary Magical Express Service to and from the airport is also going away. And now, another former “freebie” has been scratched off the list. Disney’s PhotoPass service will no longer be free with the purchase of an Annual Pass.
The new Walt Disney World Annual Passes include the Incredi-Pass for $1299, the Sorcerer Pass (only for Florida residents or Disney Vacation Club Members) for $899, the Pirate Pass (only for Florida residents) for $699, and the Pixie Dust Pass (only for Florida residents) for $399. Basically, if you’re not a Florida resident or Disney Vacation Club member, the one pass you can purchase is the Incredi-Pass for $1299. Select passes to have block-out dates to be aware of as well, with fewer block-out dates the higher you go up in Pass tiers. And now, Disney has announced you can ADD ON the previously included PhotoPass option.
If you’ve never used Disney’s Photo Pass, it’s a service that includes a professional Disney Photopass Photographer taking a photo of your family and/or friends using special Magic Shots with props, surprise Disney character visits, or just a standard happy Disney photos in front of the Magic Kingdom Cinderella Castle for example. There are select PhotoPass locations spread throughout Walt Disney World theme Park. Once the photo is taken by a photographer or from a ride photo, your Magic Band or PhotoPass Card is scanned and the image is uploaded to your My Disney Experience account. You can buy photos individually or you can purchase Disney Memory Maker which allows you to have all of your photos for one set price. As a Disney Annual Passholder however, this service was included in your Pass, so it was a perk to use regularly for all the great Disney PhotoPass photos.
The official verbiage stated on the Walt Disney World Resort website states: “Disney PhotoPass Downloads: Capture every magical moment with unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads for just $99 plus tax for the year—or even less when renewing your pass.” Obviously, Disney fans aren’t happy they will need to dish out an extra $100 to take advantage of the occasional Magic Shot and PhotoPass Photos … and took to social media to share their disappointment in another upcharge:
When Disney announces their new annual pass programs and are charging extra $100 for photopass pic.twitter.com/TabH5gLxiP
— 💀Jonathan (Already Deceased) Neira💀 (@futureman116) August 30, 2021
I can’t wait to hear from the media list how paying 22% more for no blockout dates while losing PhotoPass and having to pay extra for Genie and water parks is actually a good thing!
45% price increase for DVC members and Florida residents who visit when kids are out of school during the holidays. 56% with PhotoPass. https://t.co/1sz4VFC0fJ
Are you willing to pay the extra $99 plus tax to add on the PhotoPass to the Annual Pass cost to capture magical moments on your Disney vacation? We’ve been Annual Passholders for some time now and use PhotoPass regularly for the majority of our Disney photos. We likely won’t be purchasing the PhotoPass pictures add-on going forward. We suppose the good news is that we do still get a free new Passholder magnet as Disney’s way of saying “thank you” for being a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder.
By now, you’ve probably heard about the unusually low attendance numbers at Walt Disney World recently. In fact, crowds are the lowest they have been since the parks first reopened in July 2020.
September is usually a great time to visit Walt Disney World with regard to crowds; attendance is typically not overly high. But what makes the recent dip in crowd numbers different is that the lull in attendance seems to have been going on for a few weeks now.
Is it because people don’t feel as safe at the parks since the Delta variant of the coronavirus is running rampant? Have would-be Guests canceled their plans because they have heard so much about Central Florida’s high incidence of COVID cases? Or are they simply waiting until October so they can experience the parks during the actual 50th anniversary?
It’s really anyone’s guess, but what we do know is that attendance is low right now, and those low numbers have prompted Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make some changes to its park opening procedures. You may remember that rope drop at Hollywood made a comeback recently. Traditional rope drop usually has Guests waiting at different spots before the park opens, depending on which attraction they plan to experience first.
Before rope drop returned, social distancing was the name of the game, so Guests weren’t strictly held in certain areas in an effort to reduce large gatherings in small areas. Instead, it was possible to head into the park and start experiencing that Hollywood magic up to an hour before it formally opened, as long as you didn’t need to park a vehicle, which Guests couldn’t do until the park was officially opened.
And now, in true Disney fashion, an extra helping of the Magic is being handed out to Guests of Hollywood Studios!
Rope drop as we know it is not in place at Hollywood at this time (though we know that can change without warning), so Guests aren’t being made to wait in specific locations while they wait for the imaginary rope to drop. Instead, lately, even though the posted opening time for the park is 9:00 a.m., the attractions are up and running a half-hour before then, and Guests are welcome to get their Golden Age of Hollywood day started 30 minutes earlier!
A new daytime show is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Disney has released more details on the show, and we’re super excited to see it!
From a Disney Cast Member;
Beginning Oct. 1 as part of the Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary celebration, “Disney KiteTails” will take the magic of nature and Disney storytelling to new heights, immersing everyone in a gala performance of color and movement at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
It’s all set to happen several times daily at the Discovery River Theater, near DinoLand U.S.A. As you make your way into the space, you’re joined by a team of performers bringing with them a colorful collection of oversized props and kites adorned with Disney animal friends from “The Little Mermaid,” “a bug’s life” and “Finding Nemo.” Original, worldbeat arrangements of favorite Disney tunes fill the air, and the excitement builds toward the launch of an impressive show of kites over the lagoon.
Watercraft zoom into view, pulling with them dynamic kite trains and enormous, three-dimensional kites depicting familiar characters from “The Lion King” or “The Jungle Book.” From one performance to another, you may see Baloo the bear dancing in the sky or Zazu the red-billed hornbill chasing after Simba. These remarkable kites, some as large as 30 feet in length, are inflated by moving through the air, allowing characters like King Louie or Timon and Pumbaa to soar like never before!
The team behind “Disney KiteTails” has been hard at work getting everything ready to open Oct. 1.
