Walt Disney World Cast Members Prepare To Welcome Guests Home!

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

In just 5 days Walt Disney World begins their phased reopening! Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom reopen on July 11. EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopen on July 15. We simply can’t wait! And it look like from this video, the Disney Cast Members are just as excited! Check out the video and details below as shared by DisneyParksBlog.

“With just eight days until we reopen our first theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort, tens of thousands of cast members have been straightening up our nametags (and grabbing our face coverings!) as we begin to return to work. As we count down to the phased reopening of our theme parks, we’re looking forward to welcoming our fellow cast members home to begin training in preparation for reopening. 

And this week, that special moment finally arrived for a group of our theme park cast members as they put on their nametags, reunited with their work locations and fellow cast, and began their first days of training to learn new health and safety protocols. With the return of every cast member, and at the conclusion of every training session, you can feel how passionate and ready the team is as we get one step closer to the first theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort welcoming guests home.

Many of us are returning to places that look and feel a little different, and collectively, we’re dedicating thousands of hours to health and safety training because we know that it will take all of us working together to responsibly create the magic once again.”

Though our world may look a little different as we return to familiar and cherished places, we’re eager to open the gates and navigate this new world together with health and safety top of mind. Take a look at some of the first special moments as cast returned to their favorite parks and began prepping to welcome guests home with a smile in their eyes. 

Disney Cast Member Pedals 3,000 Miles For Smiles

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Ready for a feel good moment?! Thanks to Disney Cast Member, Billy Flanigan, we are rolling into the middle of our week with a smile! This Disney entertainer went above and beyond when COVID-19 hit, bicycling 3,000 miles to bring a little cheer to 265 friends and colleagues.

According to OrlandoSentinel.com, Flanigan, an entertainer at Walt Disney World for nearly 40 years, has ridden his bicycle thousands of miles the past few months, undertaking a lot of physical work for a simple mission: Deliver a little cheer. “This is my way to be social and be safe at the same time,” Flanigan said. “I ding-dong the doorbell, back up and do my song and dance.”

His simple tune, personalized for the recipient, comes with choreography and the trademark Flanigan smile that has entertained Disney visitors in such shows as “Finding Nemo — The Musical,” “Tarzan Rocks!” and the “Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.” The surprise visits even have been named by a friend: A “Flanigram,” and social media accounts are full of photo-filled posts exclaiming “I’ve been Flanigram-ed!”

Billy Flanigan delivers a Flanigram to friend Sterling Lovett in Orlando.

Shortly after Walt Disney World shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, Flanigan was riding his bicycle when he realized he was near the home of friend Hannah Laird. “I think I’m going to say hello,” he remembered thinking. Later, on social media, she described the experience: “He stood on the sidewalk and I sat on my stoop and we chatted for a while,” she wrote. “When he left, I burst into tears. I hadn’t seen my friends or cast mates in weeks, and it was amazing to have a face-to-face interaction with someone (safely distanced, lol!).”

Shari Skaling, a friend from the Singers Open Mike night hosted by Billy Flanigan at Pilars martini bar in Winter Garden, had a sign ready when she was "Flanigrammed."

Walt Disney World Cast and Community took to Facebook to say: “We love hearing stories of our Cast Members making magic in the community – and this one definitely brought a smile to our faces…and a song to our heart. #Sharing Orlando Sentinel’s coverage of one Entertainment performer and his unique way of staying connected to friends and fellow Cast Members…thanks to a bike, boundless energy and a friendly spirit that inspires us all!”

Cast Members Get Ready To Welcome Guests Back To WDW (Video)

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

As the Disney Parks gear up for reopening, the Cast Members take to a video to share just how excited they are to see Disney guests once again.

Disney Ambassadors, Justin and Rafa, kick things off with inspiring messages from Cast Members anticipating the chance to welcome guests back.  And along with the good news from Disney parks, you’ll also hear about the Disney Store as it begins a phased reopening of select locations. 

I think we can speak for all of us Disney fans that we are super excited to see all the Cast Members once again!

Disney Cast Members Start Petition To Delay Reopening

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Select Walt Disney World Resorts reopened today, June 22. The next step is the phased reopening July 11 (Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom) and July 15 (EPCOT & Hollywood Studios). As Disney gears up for the big reopening, it seems Cast Members are petitioning otherwise as COVID-19 is re-surging in Florida.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, some Disney World workers are pleading with theme park executives to reconsider plans to reopen in July, following days of record-number cases of COVID-19 infections that have pushed the statewide total past 100,000. Reopening would mean bringing back tens of thousands of workers who were furloughed April 19 and since then have struggled to navigate Florida’s broken unemployment system. Still, workers who signed the petition said it’s too soon to welcome back guests.

“This virus is not gone, unfortunately, it’s only become worse in this state,” reads the petition, which was approaching 4,000 signatures Monday, a small showing of the resort’s 78,000 staffers. “While theme parks are a great way to relax and enjoy free time, it is a non-essential business; it is not fair to the people who work there to risk their lives, especially if they are at risk or have family members who are at risk. People are more important than making a profit. Mayors, theme park executives, government officials — please hear what we are saying.”

But with Disney set to start its phased-in reopening in just a few weeks, nearly four months after it voluntarily shut down on March 16, it’s unclear if executives will be swayed by the plea.

Disney also is facing pushback from Disneyland workers who over the past two weeks have collected nearly 45,000 signatures calling to delay the Anaheim, California, park’s reopening amid rising ICU hospitalizations.

Disney would not comment on whether there had been any discussions over postponing the Orlando return, but the parks have previously laid out the safety precautions, as well as the decision to give paid sick leave to workers who develop symptoms and need to quarantine.

World Showcase To Use Cast Members Instead of Cultural Representatives On Reopening

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

With EPCOT at Walt Disney World reopening on Wednesday, July 15, the park has little over a month to staff its numerous pavilions. The World Showcase in particular may be faced with a number of issues, as the Cultural Representative program (along with Disney Internships) was suspended on April 18. Between that and current global travel restrictions, it may be difficult to staff these international pavilions, and a new union agreement could mean that we’ll be seeing Cast Members taking over the positions of Cultural Representatives temporarily.

A recently-signed memorandum of understanding between Walt Disney World and Unite Here Local 362 indicates that until Disney is able to resume normal staffing, Cast Members who “do not meet the culturally authentic theming at EPCOT may be temporarily assigned to work in positions which are otherwise reserved for Cultural Representatives.”

Once Cultural Representatives are able to travel from their home countries once again, they will be reinstated throughout EPCOT’s World Showcase. In the meantime, it’s good to hear that Disney, in conjunction with the unions, is working to staff Cast Members as soon as possible––albeit in slightly different positions than before––after the unprecedented company-wide furloughs.