Disney announces MAJOR CHANGES to the Park Pass Reservation System

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

Disney has announced some major changes to the Park Pass Reservation System at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in California and those changes go into effect, August 23, 2022. (And we have to admit, we kinda like at least some of these changes!)

Disney’s Park Pass Reservation System is among those things that many Guests would rather not have to deal with as a part of their Disney vacations. It is a product of the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020, but it has remained in place at the parks, largely as a means of crowd control. (Though we don’t know that the system necessarily helps with crowds in the parks.)

Here’s a look at what’s changing:

The User Interface

One of the first things Guests will notice is an update to the Park Pass user interface. This means that the new interface will gel with other systems already in place at Disneyland and at Disneyland Paris.

Every Guest will be able to use the same Park Pass Reservation System. Before the changes took effect, Annual Passholders and Guests with multi-day tickets had to use a different interface and a different system. Park Pass reservations already in place will move over to the updated interface, and Guests with reservations won’t need to do a thing.

Reservations Tied to a Ticket

Previously, park pass reservations were linked to a Guest, and not to a ticket. But effective August 23, Park Passes will be tied to a ticket, meaning Guests can hold different types of tickets, such as an Annual Pass, a single-day ticket, etc., and choose which ticket to which a Park Pass reservation will be linked.

Ease of Use

Now Guests will be able to book Park Pass reservations for any ticket type–and all in a single transaction. Guests will also have the ability to book those reservations for as many as 30 Guests per transaction. (Formerly, Guests were limited to reservations for only 12.)

crowds at magic kingdom

Guests will also have the ability to change the email address associated with a specific reservation. This allows for Guests to use an email address that is different from the one used with their My Disney Experience account, though this doesn’t change the email address used with the account. Sadly, Guests are still unable to make a Park Pass Reservation via the My Disney Experience app. (We’ll just keep our fingers crossed on that one!)

A few other things to note

  • The update to the Park Pass Reservation System allows Guests to have the ability to modify their reservations without canceling an existing reservation first.
  • Guests must still make their respective reservations via the official Walt Disney World website.
  • Click here for more information about the new updates to the system and to find answers to some of your questions about the Park Pass Reservation System.

Disney Animatronic “Spins” Uncontrollably

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

In recent years, Walt Disney World and Disneyland have both stepped up their attraction game quite a bit, offering incredible, state-of-the-art experiences that completely immerse Guests into the attraction.

Flight of Passage in Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a jaw-dropping good time, and the upcoming TRON Lightcycle/Run coaster will be sure to please thrill chasers once it opens in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.

However, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, located in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is perhaps Disney’s most ambitious and high-tech attraction, featuring multiple ride systems and amazing animatronics, at least when things go to plan.

Due to the high-tech nature of this attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has multiple breakdowns and closures fairly often, resulting in Guests becoming frustrated after waiting so long for the ride while in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

We have seen many, many examples of breakdowns since the ride has opened, but never have we seen a malfunction quite like the one shared on social media recently.

Rise of the Resistance attraction at Disneyland Park

A video went viral recently all over social media including Twitter and TikTok, and showed Kylo Ren, the main antagonist of Disney’s sequel Star Wars trilogy spinning uncontrollably. You can check out the hilarious video below, shared by @roberttolopi:

@roberttolppi

Is it supposed to just spin in a T pose?#disneyland #starwarsland #starwarsride #riseoftheresistance

♬ You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead Or Alive

As you can see, Guests approach the end of the ride, where Kylo Ren finally confronts Guests. Usually, the ship is hit by gunfire from other ships, causing a big metal beam to collapse on top of Kylo, and Guests have their final opportunity to escape.

However, as you can see in the video, this is not so much the case. The Kylo Ren animatronic figure just spins around uncontrollably while “t-posing,” certainly not the intimidating encounter he was probably hoping for. This is not due to a breakdown, however as the original poster of the video edited the video to make it seem like the animatronic was spinning.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Guest Almost Struck By Lightning at Disney

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Over the last few weeks, we have seen multiple examples of the intense amounts of rain at Disney World, with several attractions being evacuated. Some Guests found themselves in an unlucky position when the rain started – on board the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom.

This trend continued at Disneyland Paris, with the Resort facing harsh temperatures and even harsher storms, leaving both Parks completely underwater. However, None of the Disney Parks seem to have as brutal weather as the Walt Disney World Resort faces on a regular basis, with high temperatures and brutal humidity beating down on Guests daily.

Recently, the Walt Disney World Resort faced some intense storms accompanied by lightning strikes. Several Guests were able to capture photos of the strikes, and the results are unbelievable.

magic kingdom crowd levels memorial day weekend

Hospitality Professional and Director of Revenue Management Scott Campbell (@scottcampbell) shared a few pictures of the storms, with one photo in particular actually showing lightning that nearly struck them as they rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. You can see the full suite of photos linked below:

Campbell went on to show the Park shortly after the storm:

Disney Park fan and enthusiast Corey (@CoreyWDW) shared another jaw-dropping photo of the lightning:

To round things off, Brayden (@SirBrayden) caught an incredible photo of The Tower of Terror with lightning surrounding the top of the building, making for an intimidating but fitting sight for the end of Sunset Boulevard:

Disney Names its 2022 Disney Legend Honorees to be honored at the D23 Expo

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Disney has revealed the company’s selections for the 2022 Disney Legend Award recipients, and each one is to be honored at a special ceremony during the 2022 D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Over the years, the Disney Legend Award has been given to actors, actresses, Imagineers, Walt Disney Company employees and executives, animators, musicians, and other very special individuals who have made unique contributions to The Walt Disney Company.

D23 Expo: Robin Williams at the 2009 Disney Legends ceremony

What is a Disney Legend?

Per Disney Fandom, being named a Disney Legend is quite an honor, one that is awarded to those who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. The Disney Legends program was established in 1987, and award recipients are honored during a special ceremony.

Selections are carried out by a committee, made up of several key people with The Walt Disney Company:

Recipients are chosen by a selection committee, formerly appointed and chaired by the late Disney Legend Roy E. Disney, Walt Disney’s nephew, former vice chairman, and director emeritus of The Walt Disney Company. The committee consists of long-time Disney executives, historians, and other authorities. Roy Disney died on December 16, 2009. Disney’s corporate headquarters in Burbank, California, features a plaza honoring the recipients outside Team Disney – The Michael D. Eisner Building. Each honoree is represented by a bronze plaque; the plaque features the recipient’s hand prints and signature if they were living when named a Disney Legend.

Who is among the Disney Legends Class of 2022?

The Disney Legends Class of 2022 is an impressive one. It includes actors, actresses, Imagineers, a very special Marvel hero, and many others. The list of 2022 Disney Legends also gives off some very “frozen” and “black-ish” vibes. Here are just a few of the honorees.

Anthony Anderson

anthony anderson

Anthony Anderson’s impressive acting career spans many years. Part of his most recent projects include executive producing and appearing in the ABC sitcom black-ish spinoff series titled, grown-ish and mixed-ish.

Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell hardly needs an introduction. Her first Disney role involved lending her voice to Hiromi in the Studio Ghibli classic The Cat Returns, for the its United States DVD release in 2005. But she’s best known for lending her voice to Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2.

Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman will be named a 2022 Disney Legend posthumously. Per D23:

Boseman joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the African Super Hero Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War before bringing the character to the forefront of his own solo film, Black Panther, which received critical acclaim, broke global box office records, and had a social and cultural impact felt globally. The film received seven Academy Award® nominations, including Marvel’s first-ever Best Picture nomination. 

chadwick boseman

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey has enjoyed a long acting career. Dempsey is a two-time Golden Globe® nominee and SAG Award® nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series. Fans will remember him for his iconic role in Disney’s Enchanted, in which he played divorce attorney Robert Phillip alongside Amy Adams’ character, Giselle.

Dempsey returned for the second installment of Enchanted, in production now. The film, Disenchanted, will be released on the Disney+ streaming platform later this year.

Josh Gad

Funny man Josh Gad–the voice of Olaf the Snowman in Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2–is also being honored with a Disney Legend Award for 2022. Gad has gone on to reprise his role of Olaf in several shorts related to the smash hit feature films, and in a new series of shorts, just released in November 2021, called Olaf Presents.

Per D23, Gad’s Disney credits are many:

“Some of his notable Disney credits include Mickey’s 90th Spectacular (2018), The Disney Family Singalong (2020), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Modern Family (2011), and Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (2020).”

Josh Gad: 'I don't think we did justice to what a gay character in a Disney film should be' | The Independent

Jonathan Groff

Another member of the voice cast of Frozen and Frozen 2 is being honored with a Disney Legend Award as well. Jonathan Groff has a long resume of credits to his name, but Disney fans may recognize him best as the voice behind Kristoff, the Sami ice harvester who falls in love with Princess Anna in Disney’s 2013 Frozen.

jonathan groff

Idina Menzel

Yet another voice actress from Disney’s Frozen film franchise is being honored for her contributions with a Disney Legend Award. Idina Menzel is best known for sharing her voice with Queen Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, Frozen 2, and related short films. Her powerful voice and impressive range give her a singing quality unlike any other’s.

Idina Menzel - Official Website

These are only a few honorees in the Disney Legends Class of 2022. Honorees will receive their Disney Legend Awards during this year’s D23 Expo on September 9, 2022 as part of the Opening Ceremony festivities.