Disney Characters Bring Magic to Stranded Hotel Guests

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Disney Resorts

On September 28, Hurricane Ian hit Central Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. There were strong winds, flash flooding, and power outages across the area — including at the Walt Disney World Resort. While some Guests had managed to get out of town before the storm hit, other Guests decided to stay and ride out the storm, while others found themselves stranded at the Most Magical Place on Earth because all Orlando airports were closed.

Because of Hurricane Ian, Disney shut down its theme parks on September 28 and September 29 — and may extend it to September 30 — so Guests staying on property were stuck in their hotels. However, Disney still wanted to make sure they had the most magical time possible.

Enter some classic Disney characters.

Multiple Guests took to social media to share pictures and videos of the characters that came out to interact with Guests in the lobby area of various Disney World hotels.

Wilderness Lodge was not the only place Disney characters were spotted. Disney’s All-Star Sports saw Goofy, Max, Chip, and Dale sitting down with Guests to enjoy a movie.

Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck were seen hosting another dance party at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, much to the delight of Guests.

In addition to closing the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom, Disney also closed Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and Disney Springs. Disney Springs was originally scheduled to reopen on September 29, but Disney chose to keep it closed. 

Phased Reopening for Disney World Announced

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

Hurricane Ian has rocked central Florida over the last 24 hours. As the sun rose on the waterlogged state this morning the storm began to run out of steam and was downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Ian is currently on Florida’s East Coast, with rain bands still affecting much of the state.

The storm is expected to be on its way out to sea and on its way north by Friday. Because of the flooding and damage to the area, albeit minor damage, relatively speaking Disney is acting in an abundance of caution to protect Cast Members and Guests and despite rumors to the contrary,  the Resort will be enacting a phased reopening today Friday September 30, 2022.

Hurricane Ian has battered down on the area and as it moves away, time is needed as clean up efforts commence. Many are still without power. Many Cast Members lack the ability to report to work still and as such, the staggered openings help alleviate not only Guest traffic but allows Cast Members ample time to make arrangements.

It is unknown what exactly is meant by the phased reopening. Disney has not yet released Park hours but we would.imagine that each Park will have a different opening time to stagger the demand in the morning. They have promised more information will.come regarding the details and hours later today.

The official announcement from Disney reads:

“Update on Hurricane Ian: We are seeing the impacts of Hurricane Ian across Florida and are thinking of our neighbors in Central Florida and across the state. We will share more information about our plan to support relief efforts for our Florida neighbors soon.

We thank our first responders and community leaders for their courageous efforts in preparing for and managing the storm’s impact. To our cast members in Florida and in South Carolina, thank you for selflessly taking care of our guests.

We continue to closely monitor weather conditions as we assess the impact of Hurricane Ian on our property. While theme parks and many operating areas remain closed to guests today, we anticipate weather conditions to improve this evening. Walt Disney World Resort will resume theme park and Disney Springs operations in a phased approach starting on Friday, Sept. 30. Operating hours will be updated later today on DisneyWorld.com/weather.”

Figment Is Getting His Own Movie!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

It’s been a wild time in terms of Disney movies, both animated and live-action. Disney has been creating some truly great movies recently, like Encanto, Turning Red, and the highly-anticipated upcoming sequel Disenchanted. On the flip side, there have been some less successful films like Lightyear and the recently released Pinocchio. There are a number of other live-action films coming down the pike — including Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan and Wendy. However, there is one movie that was just announced that may surprise you.

According to a report from Deadline, Disney is going to make a movie about the adorable, purple dragon, Figment.

Per Deadline:

A Disney film is in the works featuring the character Figment, a small purple dragon who serves as the mascot of Epcot’s Imagination Pavillion in Orlando. The feature hails from Seth Rogen’s Point Grey with Pokémon Detective Pikachu‘s Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit set to write, Deadline has learned.

Rogen and his producing partners Evan Goldberg and James Weaver have released various TV and film projects under their Point Grey banner including Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, Amazon’s The Boys and The Boys Presents: Diabolical, as well as This Is The End, The Interview,The Disaster Artist, and An American Pickle.

Up next, they have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on deck.

The writing team of Hernandez and Samit penned 2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu, 2021’s The Addams Family 2, and created the upcoming Hulu animated series Koala Man, premiering in 2023.

At this time, we have no idea what the story will be about, but hopefully, they can do justice to Figment — who has become more popular over the years and is now the symbol of EPCOT.

Figment has become so popular that, when Disney released a Figment popcorn bucket at the 2022 Festival of the Arts, people waited in line for 5 hours to get their hands on one. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro also shared that a Figment meet and greet will be returning to the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT in the near future.

Disney Campground Guest Shares Experience Evacuating to Free Resort Hotel

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Hurricane Ian hit Florida on Wednesday just one mile per hour shy of a Category 5 storm. While coastal areas like Naples and Fort Myers will get the worst of the storm, Central Florida expects tropical storm-level winds.

“This is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told constituents on Wednesday. Approximately 2.5 million Floridians are under mandatory or voluntary orders to evacuate.

Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando International Airport (MCO), and other Orlando attractions are closed Wednesday and Thursday. The Tampa area could see flooding and a storm surge between eight and ten feet.

On Monday, Walt Disney World Resort announced that Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort would close from Wednesday, September 28 to Friday, September 30. Guests affected by the closures, like Amber Rose (@magicalrvrunner on TikTok), are beginning to document their experiences on social media:

@magicalrvrunner

We trust @Disney Parks to make the best decisions. #rvlife #hurricaneian #hurricaneian #disneyresorts #fortwilderness #fortwildernesscampground #hurricaneiantrack #hurricaneian2022 #disneyworld #rvtiktok

♬ original sound – Amber_Rose

“We’re staying at Fort Wilderness Resort and just got hurricane notices from Disney,” Amber said in her first video, posted on Monday. She showed now-empty, evacuated campsites. “All of these sites were full this morning.”

In her second TikTok, Amber showed the crowded lobby at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds:

@magicalrvrunner

#hurricaneian #fortwilderness #fortwildernesscampground #hurricaneian2022 #rvlife #rvtok #camperlife #campers #disney #waltdisneyworld #rundisney

♬ original sound – Amber_Rose

After visiting the lobby, Amber updated her followers once again:

@magicalrvrunner

Sorry for the scattered talking. A lot goes through your mind when you need to pack up 4 kids quickly. Grateful for Disney’s calm in the chaos. #hurricaneian #waltdisneyworld #fortwildernessdisney #fortwildernesscampground #disneyresorts #rvtok #rundisney #rvlife #rvlifestyle #rvtiktok #hurricaneianprep

♬ original sound – Amber_Rose

“We were just told that we need to pack our RVs up and evacuate,” Amber said. “We have until tomorrow, but our options are limited, if we wait until then, on what to do, where to go… We chose to move tonight so that we didn’t have to split our family up.”

As she drove through a storm at Fort Wilderness Resort on a golf cart, Amber explained that her family would pack up their RV, park it in the Magic Kingdom parking lot, and head to a new Resort.

mickey mouse in front of cinderella castle

In her fourth video, Amber showed all the RVs parked in the Ursula Parking Lot at Magic Kingdom’s Transportation and Ticket Center on Monday night:

@magicalrvrunner

Ursula lot nonetheless… #hurricaneian #hurricanianflorida #rvtiktok #rvliving #camperlife #keystonebullet #fortwilderness #fortwildernesscampground #disneyworldresorts

♬ original sound – Amber_Rose

“The CMs were very helpful and answered any questions we had,” Amber explained. “Since we are a larger family, we were sent to Art of Animation. Port Orleans was an option for smaller families.”

In the comments, Amber revealed that Disney didn’t make Guests pay for the new Resort. However, in a final video on Tuesday, Amber said that her family chose to leave Walt Disney World Resort:

@magicalrvrunner

We knew we were safe in a Disney resort, but we also knew had time to get out of FL and try to save our vehicles/RV. #hurricaneian #hurricaneianprep #hurricaneflorida #hurricaneseason #fortwildernessdisney #fortwildernesscampground #artofanimationresort #artofanimation #disneyresorts #rvtok #rvtiktok #camperlife

♬ original sound – Amber_Rose

“After watching the hurricane strengthen and shift, we decided to check out early. The lobby at Art of Animation was slammed,” Amber explained. “Things are replaceable, but we knew we had time to leave.”

Amber showed a crowded lobby at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and dozens of RVs parked at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Amber stated that while she knew her family was safe at Disney, she also knew they had time to save their RV from potential damage.

We hope everyone in the path of Hurricane Ian stays safe. 

Disney Announces Huge Perk for Guests with Tickets Affected by Hurricane Ian

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Via InsideTheMagic.net

On Tuesday afternoon, out of an abundance of caution and in keeping with the company’s dedication to Cast Member and Guest safety, the Walt Disney World Resort announced plans to close temporarily as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba on Tuesday morning before continuing on its path toward Florida. The storm is expected to gather strength, intensifying into a Category 4 storm before making landfall on Florida’s west coast somewhere between Tampa and Fort Myers. It’s unclear at this time whether the storm will make landfall as a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane.

TRACK, MODELS, SATELLITE: Hurricane Ian enters Gulf of Mexico on projected path toward Central Florida

In response to the impending arrival of the hurricane, multiple entities across Florida announced plans to close. Many of Florida’s airports announced details about plans to close, including Orlando International Airport near Disney World, which had already scrapped plans for the dedication of its brand-new $2.8 billion Terminal C because of the hurricane’s projected path.

Terminal C - Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Around midday on Tuesday, Central Florida’s major theme parks and theme park resorts began to announce their respective plans to close in response to Hurricane Ian’s projected arrival onto Florida soil and the path it’s expected to take once it makes landfall.

SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Studios Orlando Resort announced plans to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, as did the Walt Disney World Resort. Legoland is also closing, as is Kennedy Space Center, but the space center will continue with normal operating hours on Wednesday with plans to be closed on Thursday.

magic kingdom universal

Because Hurricane Ian is, by nature, largely unpredictable, it’s impossible to say with 100% certainty when Florida’s theme parks will resume regular operating hours. However, the hope is for them to be open on Friday, pending weather conditions, damage, etc.

Now Disney World has made an announcement that will hopefully help some Guests breathe a sigh of relief.

As reported by Scott Gustin in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon:

Per Disney World’s website:

Partially used multi-day theme park tickets with a validity window impacted by closure due to Hurricane Ian will be automatically extended to allow use of the remaining unused ticket days through September 30, 2023. In order to enter a park, both a park reservation and valid ticket for the same park on the same date is required.

Simply put, Guests who had begun using their park tickets but were unable to use them all because of the closure on Wednesday and Thursday will not lose the unused days remaining on their tickets. Instead of the usual expiration of the tickets, which depends on the ticket purchased, park tickets affected will be good through September 30, 2023.

For more information, visit Disney World’s website by clicking here.