Disney Cruise Line Named World’s Best by Travel + Leisure Readers

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

As the Disney Wish sets sail on her maiden voyage in just a few days, we have more exciting news to share: Disney Cruise Line was named the Best Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Line by the readers of Travel + Leisure!

This year marks the fourth in a row – and sixth time in the past eight years – that Disney Cruise Line sits at the top of this list. To generate its annual rankings, Travel + Leisure asks readers to rate cruise ships on the quality of their service, staterooms, food, entertainment, itineraries and shore excursions.

Cast Members and Crew at Disney Cruise Line are proud to know that our guests continue to love their Disney cruise vacations year after year, and we can’t wait for them to experience the Disney Wish soon!

Infused with more Disney storytelling than ever before, the enchanting ship is filled with one-of-a-kind entertainment and innovative firsts. These include the first Disney attraction at sea, family dining adventures themed to “Frozen” and Marvel, an immersive tour of the Star Wars galaxy, interactive virtual quests that unlock hidden magic around every corner, original Broadway-style stage productions, signature fireworks at sea, a real-life wonderland for kids, an expanded collection of experiences exclusively for adults, and more.

The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on July 14, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Car Locator – New App Feature Coming to Disney Parks

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

One tip we give over and over again is to take a photo of the row where you parked in a Walt Disney World theme park parking lot. Soon, Disney is giving guests another way to remember where they parked.

From a Disney Cast Member;

How many of us can remember a time we had trouble finding our car in a Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort parking lot? Well, say goodbye to that as we are bringing you a new car locator feature presented by State Farm to the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps!

The feature will first launch at Walt Disney World Resort this summer and will be available at Disneyland Resort later this year.

Car locator is a complimentary feature that uses location technology to find and save your parking details. The feature functions best when you enable Location Services, Bluetooth, and Notifications on your mobile device.

The feature will be available at all four Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Springs, Disney Water Parks, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. All you have to do is open your My Disney Experience app and tap the car locator card on your home screen—or you can use the Feature menu (☰) for access.

After that, follow the prompts to enter your parking information. If you choose to enable location permissions on your device, car locator can help fill in the details for you. When you’re ready to leave, return to car locator for your parking information.

In addition to helping you find your car at the end of the day, you can tap into a variety of other convenient features to make your Disney visit easier! From mobile merchandise checkout and mobile food ordering to the direct-to-room service at Disney Resort hotels, the My Disney Experience app helps free up more time for you to enjoy attractions and experiences. And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the MagicMobile service, which is a great contactless way to enter the theme parks and enjoy other helpful features like linking your Disney PhotoPass photos.

State Farm is sponsoring the new car locator feature and the brand-new planDisney Podcast that offers insightful tips, helpful suggestions, and inside looks for guests preparing for an upcoming Disney Parks vacation as ways to help Disney introduce more magical experiences to its guests.

Be sure to have the latest update of the My Disney Experience app so you’re ready when car locator launches this summer! Later this year, the feature will launch at Disneyland Resort. Stay tuned for more updates!

Man Arrested After Attempting to Bring Gun To Hollywood Studios

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Another day, another gun at Disney World. This time, it was at Hollywood Studios. The weapon was detected by Walt Disney World’s tireless security team. This comes just on the heels of another incident.  Reports of people attempting to bring guns to the theme parks are on the rise, 2020 saw more attempts to bring a gun than any other year before it and that trend has unfortunately not slowed down.

35 year old Nathaniel Franco Freeman reportedly sat his bag down on a security table to be inspected when he got visibly agitated and opened the bag. He then asked the woman he was with if she had removed something. According to the arrest report he turned to the woman with him and asked “did you take it out?” while searching his own bag.

A search of the bag found a 40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun concealed in the bag with 13 rounds. Authorities were called and Orange County deputies conducted on check on Freeman and the weapons serial number and discovered Freeman did not have a concealed carry permit.

Florida law permits the carrying of concealed weapons, but only with a valid permit and private property owners do have the right to disallow weapons of any kind, permit or not. Disney does not allow the carrying of any weapons on its property. Freeman was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. It is not known at this time if he is banned from Disney Parks in the future. However, given Disney’s past decisions regarding incidents like this one, it is likely.

Pro Wrestler Accused of Sexual Assault Fired From Disneyland

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Disney employs hundreds of thousands of people around the globe — from the employees who work at its studio lots in places like Burbank, California, to the cast and crew that work on its dozens of films and television shows, to the tens of thousands of Cast Members who work at its theme park. While Disney does its best to employ people who truly emphasize the Disney magic, sometimes people slip through the cracks. That appears to have happened recently when they employed someone who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women.

Recently, a photo went viral of pro wrestler Joseph Meehan — professionally known as Joey Ryan — working at Disney’s World Famous Jungle Cruise at Disneyland Park. The account that snapped the photo — The Ringside Roster — tagged Disney and said that Ryan was fired from his job with Impact Wrestling because he had been accused of sexual assault.

The photo was picked up by The Los Angeles Times, which reached out to Disney to ask about Ryan’s employment. Per The L.A. Times:

A former professional wrestler who has been accused by several women of sexual misconduct worked briefly on the Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland before he was recently dismissed, park officials said Wednesday.

Joseph Meehan, known in the wrestling world as Joey Ryan, worked for the theme park for about three months in a probationary status until Disneyland declined to hire him as a full-time employee, according to Disneyland officials.

“Mr. Meehan is no longer employed by us,” a Disneyland spokesperson said, declining to elaborate on why he was not given a permanent job and whether the harassment allegations played a role in that decision.

The theme park’s screening process for potential employees includes a criminal background check, but Disneyland officials said that check did not alert them about the harassment accusations against Meehan, under his stage name, that appeared in social media posts, wrestling fan sites and sports blogs in recent years.

Meehan has worked as a professional wrestler since 2000 and was one of the founding members of the Pro Wrestling Geurilla. He has denied all of the sexual assault allegations brought against him and has filed at least seven libel and slander lawsuits against his accusers. However, The L.A. Times found that he had either dropped the suits or not pursued them, with one being dismissed by a judge.

Disney Releases More Details on TRON Lightcycle/Run Coaster!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

It seems like it has been forever since Disney announced that they were bringing a brand-new roller coaster to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. The coaster would be called TRON Lightcycle/Run and would be just like the one that is currently one of the most popular rides at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort. The project was first announced at the D23 Expo in 2017 and the plan was to have the ride open for Guests when Walt Disney World began to celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 1, 2021.

Unfortunately, no one could have predicted that a pandemic would shut down Disney Parks across the globe and put every project on indefinite hold. TRON is still under construction at this time and no opening date has been given. However, the ride is currently undergoing test runs, which means that things are nearly complete, and we could be getting an opening date at any time!

TRON Lightcycle/Run

TRON Lightcycle/Run is based on the 1982 Disney movie TRON and, in honor of the film’s 40th anniversary, Disney is sharing even more details on what Guests can expect from the new roller coaster. Disney Parks Blog shared:

We’re in the testing phase for what will be one of the fastest coasters in any Disney park, and I know you’re going to love it. When this attraction is complete, you’ll climb aboard your very own Lightcycle and launch into the Grid for a race through a dark, computerized world.

Our story picks up following the events of “TRON: Legacy,” whose main character, Sam Flynn, is now opening new gateways into this digital realm at specific locations around the world. The first portal he created is at Shanghai Disneyland with the original TRON Lightcycle PowerRun, and now Magic Kingdom guests will get their turn through this second gateway.

When you enter the attraction’s queue, you’ll feel as if you’re digitized and entering the Grid for a special Lightcycle race alongside your family and friends. You’ll all join Team Blue (hence the color of the wheels in the photo above) for a high-speed launch into a competition against Team Orange. As you swoop and swerve your way around the course, your goal is to be the first to race through eight Energy Gates and secure your victory. Will your team have what it takes?

Again, we do not have an opening date for the new attraction at this time, but it is hopefully not too far away since test runs are well underway. You can get yourself in the TRON mood and build up excitement for the ride by watching both TRON and TRON Legacy — both of which are available to stream on Disney+. The animated series TRON Uprising is also available to stream.