Guidelines For Reopening Theme Parks in Central Florida Shared by Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force

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

Today was a big day in Central Florida. The Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force held a meeting this morning (April 28) to discuss guidelines for reopening businesses which would include Walt Disney World. Below you will find what WDWInfo.com has pulled from the video meeting as to what the task force discussed. Details include how the day-to-day workings may look for the Disney parks, hotels, and restaurants upon reopening.

Theme Parks

  • Guidelines:
    • Tape marking of 6 feet apart in ride/attraction queues
    • Staff to regularly wipe down surfaces at random
    • Phase 1 and 2:Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
  • Mandates:
    • All employees required to wear facemasks
    • Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles
    • Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit
    • Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
    • Wipe down of all railing and surfaces regularly
    • Phase 1:50% capacity
    • Phase 2:75% capacity

Hotels

  • Guidelines:
    • Phase 1: Housekeeping services to be limited and allow for minimal guest and employee exposure
    • Phase 1: Promote, if available, mobile check-in
    • Phase 1: Housekeeping services only clean upon request, or when guests depart
    • Phase 1: Allow employees to work from home if not playing a critical role in serving guests
    • Phase 1: Only deliver room service to guests’ doors
    • Phase 1: Provide self-parking
    • Promote social distancing for all guests and staff
    • Recommended touchless sanitizer at entry
    • Increase cleaning services/additional sanitation services through cleaning companies
    • Phase 1 & 2:Staff who are 65+ are encourage to stay home
  • Mandates:
    • All employees required to wear facemasks
    • Hand sanitizer at entry to be in plain visible sight
    • Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
    • All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home
    • Front desk to sanitize themselves on a regular basis
    • Consistent cleaning of all guest areas
    • Front desk to utilize sneeze-guards
    • Remove all service items in guest rooms to include glassware, coffee cups etc.
    • Mini bars not to be stocked
    • Do no offer self food services
    • Space pool furniture according to distancing guidelines
    • Pool gates and pool chairs to be sanitized regularly
    • Door handles, elevator button and railing to be sanitized regularly
    • Remove all coffee makers from guest rooms
    • Remove all guest collateral items, except for those that are single use
    • Sanitize guest keys before and after each use
    • Sanitize bell carts after each use
    • Phase 1 & 2:No conferences

Imagineer Joe Rohde & Dinoland U.S.A – Part 5

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Imagineer Joe Rohde has been taking Disney fans on an online digital tour of Animal Kingdom through his Instagram, providing deep backstory on its ethos and culture. He’s discussed the Tree of Life, Africa, Asia, and Expedition Everest, but now we’re heading to the American southwest to Diggs County and DinoLand, U.S.A.!

Joe starts out be giving us some context for the accuracy of the dinos you see in the land…

“A lot of our Disney’s Animal Kingdom research took us to far away foreign countries… But it also took us to some of the great paleontological sites in North America. Paleontologists like Phil Currie and Bob Bakker were kind enough to instruct us.

We are very liberal about the dinosaurs that you encounter in this land, both in geography and chronology, though they are Cretaceous era creatures….if you see something that looks like a fossil of a Prehistoric creature, it is either a real fossil of a prehistoric creature or a replica of a real fossil. (The Carnotaurus in the queue line for the ride is a composite. The real Carnotaurus is smaller.) The interesting thing about dinosaurs is that they are created by our imagination as a result of research and speculation….Because of this, there is always debate about their true nature. That debate is embedded in the land in the context of many of the graphics.

Dinoland has a lot of humor and because of that I think we can relax some of the seriousness of some of the other themes and get away with some hijinx.”

Joe continues in another post about all the dinos you can find in the land…

“There is of course the Brachiosaurus at the Gateway. Triceratops in the queue. The famous and controversial Sue tyrannosaur fossil. A Parasaurolophus in the Boneyard. A Pteranodon, a Styracosaurus, another Tyrannosaur skull, an Allosaurus skull and a Hadrosaur skull and Phobosuchus skull in Restaurantosaurus. The Brachiosaurus is substantially modified… Other than that, these are the same casts you’re going to see in a museum.”

Now, let’s take a time-rover drive through the exciting attraction “Dinosaur!”

“Dinosaur” in Dinoland at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of our few IP-based attractions. At the time, the film had groundbreaking CGI effects. Originally there was a Styracosaurus out front for no better reason than it’s my favorite dinosaur…and the attraction was called Countdown to Extinction. We renamed it when the film came out, but the link to the film was already there. It may not be obvious, but such decisions have to be made years in advance. You don’t get a figure that looks like a character in a movie unless you start way before you open.

The Carnotaurus in the ride is substantially bigger and wider than a real Carnotaurus would be. This is because we had to fit a whole bunch of machinery inside of it. So we invented a new species, Carnotaurus robustus. A real Carnotaurus is a pretty weird looking animal to start with… With really really stubby short arms. Our Carnotaurus kind of reaches out towards you with his little hands… But I’m not sure a real one could even do that.

Many plastic toy Carnotauruses seem to be based on our interpretation which is odd because it’s so specifically distorted for our own attraction reasons. Many toy Carnos are red…why?!? That’s a weird color for a big predator. We chose it for narrative and scenic reasons. They are often thicker and toad-faced like ours. Their arms reach out. Go check. Just do image search on Carnotaurus toy. Then look up Carnotaurus sastrei, the scientific specimen. Sometimes a popular image just takes over. Shows you the power of art.”

Lastly, Joe discusses some real folk art that you can find only at Dinoland!

“When we were building Disney’s Animal Kingdom The House of Blues was being built at what was then an expansion of Downtown Disney. They had employed a prominent folk artist, Gregory Warmack, who went by Mr. Imagination. We enlisted him to create an actual work of American folk art in front of Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures. He came out to our site and created the concrete dinosaur in this photo.

His other work has been shown or exists today in places like the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the American Visionary Art Museum in Maryland, The Smithsonian, The Dallas Museum of Art. I believe that the work he created for us is not actually included in his curriculum vitae. It should be. So I hope some art historian is looking.

He has since passed away, but I think it’s kind of interesting that our tribute to the unsung folk arts of America includes an actual work of unsung Folk art.”

Make sure to check out Joe’s Instagram for his own pictures and many more adventurous stories.

Behind The Camera @ Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom

We are still in the midst of celebrating Earth Month! What better for Disney to continue the celebration than sharing another photo captured by a Disney Photographer. See the story behind this stunning photo from DisneyParksBlog here:

Earth Day is very important to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and our entire company, so I’m especially pleased today to share this photo of a blue-throated macaw I captured at the park several years ago. The presence of this critically endangered species at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is part of the conservation work happening at the park every day, which continues even during these unprecedented times. This is one of my all-time favorite photos I’ve taken as a Disney photographer, showcasing the #DisneyMagicofNature. 

Back in 2014, Disney’s Animal Kingdom was preparing to unveil “Animal Encounters: Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight,” featuring free-flying macaws. The “pandemonium of parrots” is breathtaking to watch in the skies over Discovery Island, and required intensive preparation to bring it to reality. 

The team consisted of trainers and handlers with a deep love and understanding of birds, plenty of patience and positive reinforcement … and oodles of bird treats! They worked tirelessly with the macaws, teaching them to circle above the park during the show and then return to their trainers when the demonstration ended. 

Part of the training process involved stationing tall mechanical lifts around the park; attached to these lifts were baskets for trainers to stand in, with wooden perches affixed to the baskets where the birds could land. The trainers – plenty of treats in hand – climbed into the baskets and were raised above the treetops at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, using the treats as positive reinforcement to acclimate the birds to flying a circular route around the park. The macaws flew from lift to lift, alighting ever so briefly on the perches to collect a treat before zipping off to the next trainer. 

To help the park promote this amazing new offering, I was invited inside one of the lift baskets during a training session, hoping to snap a photo of a bird in flight with the iconic Tree of Life and majestic Expedition Everest as a backdrop. There was only one catch: As the birds flew up to the perch, I had to quickly duck down into the basket so I didn’t distract them. Now, I’m well over six feet tall, the basket is only about three feet wide and six feet long, and there’s another person in there with me. Not a whole lot of space to maneuver! But there I was, about seven stories above Disney’s Animal Kingdom, wearing a hard hat and full safety equipment while holding a camera and simultaneously hiding from and taking pictures of fast-moving macaws. From the ground I must have looked like a construction worker with a paralyzing fear of birds. 

After several unsuccessful attempts, I started to find a rhythm. As the birds flew toward the perch, I framed up a shot where I hoped the macaw might eventually be, then braced the camera against the rim of the basket, ducked down to hide from the bird and blindly clicked the shutter as it landed. It took a couple of mornings up in that basket to fine-tune the process and hope for just the right moment, but I eventually snagged the photo you see here of a beautiful blue-throated macaw flaring its wings as it prepared to land. All in a day’s work for a Disney photographer.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little piece of magic from my Disney career. Keep checking back for more!

25 Yr Impact For The Disney Conservation Fund

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

Today is a huge milestone for the Disney Conservation Fund as it celebrates 25 years of making an impact! As we celebrate Earth Day and this Disney Conservation Fund milestone, check out the details below from DisneyParksBlog:

As Dr. Mark Penning recently wrote, during these unprecedented times, we can look to nature to bring us hope and inspiration. This Earth Day, the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) marks a milestone — 25 years of recognizing and supporting conservationists and communities that embody that hope and inspiration.

Check out this inspiring anniversary message from one such conservationist, world-renowned primatologist, Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & U.N. Messenger of Peace.  You can learn more about Dr. Goodall’s inspiring story with a new documentary called JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE, premiered on April 22, on Nat Geo, Nat Geo WILD, and streaming beginning Earth Day on Disney+ and Hulu.

Thanks to generous donations from people around the world, the support of our employees and cast members, and funding from The Walt Disney Company, the DCF has directed $100 million to protect the magic of nature since 1995. We have supported 600 respected nonprofit organizations –and counting – that are working with communities to save wildlife, inspire action and protect the planet. Grants directed to these organizations have helped protect more than 315 million acres of habitat and 1,000 species globally from lions and leopards, to butterflies and bees. 

These achievements are made possible by strong collaborations and dedicated people, who continue to inspire us and provide hope for our planet. We’re grateful to the members of the Disney Conservation Team Wildlife staff, who lead best-in-class scientific programs to conserve wildlife in Disney’s backyard and beyond, connect people to build a network for nature, and care for the planet through everyday actions. We’re also grateful to the hundreds of Disney employees and cast members who review funding proposals, raise and monitor funds, share stories that inspire people to make a difference, and expertly care for animals and our planet each day.

You can read more about Disney Conservation projects in our new FREE digital book: “The Disney Conservation Fund: Carrying Forward a Conservation Legacy”. Inside you will find some incredible stories highlighting organizations like the International Crane Foundation and its partners in East Asia, who have increased habitat protection for critically endangered Siberian cranes by 19,000 square miles. Or Associação Mico-Leão Dourado, Save the Golden Lion Tamarin, and Proyecto Tití, who have collectively planted more than 900,000 trees to create forest habitat for tiny golden lion and cotton-top tamarin monkeys in Brazil and Colombia, while benefitting more than 165 families through forest-friendly income-generating programs. 

In honor of Earth Month, we are also offering a Disney Conservation Fund 25th anniversary-themed wallpaper, featuring some of the most beloved Disney animal characters. You can download the desktop version the wallpaper below, or find the mobile version exclusively on Instagram, shared by @DisneyConservation.

We invite you to learn more about the amazing work some of our Disney Conservation Fund grantees and 180 Disney Conservation Heroes are doing. Their devotion to furthering conservation in their communities and making the world a better place is truly admirable and inspires us every day.

For more stories and updates from Disney’s Animal Kingdom, follow Dr. Mark @DrMarkAtDisney on Instagram. You can also learn more about your favorite animals through Disney Magic Moments and NatGeo@Home.

Thank you for your continued commitment to do what you can do to save resources, recycle and support nature organizations with time or donations. There is no better way to help us honor the 25th anniversary of the Disney Conservation Fund!

Keep up with the work we’re doing all year round by following Disney Conservation on social media. We can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in the next 25 years!

Meet Asha, The Newest Disney Zebra Foal

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom

Ready for some cuteness?! You may have heard about a Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal, Asha, born earlier this month at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Well, Asha has now made her grand entrance onto the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna with her mother, Heidi. Check out the sweet video, photos and details below from DisneyParksBlog:

I’m also excited to share she entered the savanna with a gorgeous name, Asha. Asha’s name means “hope” in Sanskrit, and “life” in Swahili, and it was chosen by Walt Disney World Cast Members, who had a chance to vote on potential names.

While we normally reserve the naming of a new baby for the Cast Members on our animal care team, we decided to ask all Walt Disney World Cast Members to help us choose this little one’s name as a special opportunity for all our Cast to be part of a beautiful moment in this challenging time in the world.

It’s always a joy to see a baby animal go on the savanna for the first time.

Zoological Manager Meaghan McCarthy was on hand for the special moment and says Asha excitedly ventured onto the savanna along with her mom, Heidi. The foal was eager to stretch her long legs, run and play along with other members of the Hartmann’s herd.

Meaghan tells me this little foal is inquisitive and brave. Asha encountered a lot of firsts and lots of learning on her first venture out. She confidently stood beside her mom, Heidi, while meeting a member of her zebra herd, saw just how tall a giraffe stands, heard the call of a hyena, and got a taste of grass. Asha boldly ventured away from mom to explore, but quickly responded when Heidi came to collect her.

Hartmann’s mountain zebras are found in sub-Saharan Africa and are a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and hunting. To learn more about zebras and other species we are working to protect, visit DisneyAnimals.com and follow me and my amazing team on Instagram: @DrMarkAtDisney.