BIG NEWS! While all of our recent Walt Disney World photos include our masks, Disney has just updated their policy to allow guests to remove their face coverings while social distanced for photos taken outside beginning this Thursday, April 8.
As shared on the Walt Disney World website: “Face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) and Cast Members, including those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Please bring your own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when dining or swimming. You may temporarily remove your face covering while actively eating, drinking or taking an outdoor photo*, but you must be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing during this time. (*Beginning April 8)”
The breaking news we’ve been waiting for! California theme parks have been approved to reopen as early as April 1 under very specific guidelines. While we don’t have an official reopening date from Disney just yet, we are extremely excited Disneyland can get back to creating magic and welcoming the return of Cast Members in the very near future!
Sleeping Beauty Castle – Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland is the centerpiece of Fantasyland, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Surrounded by beautiful flowers and whimsical topiary, the Disneyland landmark beckons park visitors to explore the different realms of the place “Where Dreams Come True.” Walt Disney wanted this castle to be a friendly and welcoming presence in his park so it was built on a smaller scale than its European counterparts. (Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort)
As reported by OCRegister: “California theme parks can reopen April 1 under updated guidelines from the state’s health department following a year of coronavirus closures that cost the parks billions and forced them to shed tens of thousands of jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new California theme park guidelines and opening date are part of a “refresh” of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy.”
“The Newsom administration’s “Blueprint Refresh” allows Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld San Diego, Legoland California and other California theme parks to reopen as early as April 1 once the counties they are located in reach the red/substantial tier 2 risk status.”
“Starting on April 1, California theme parks can reopen at 15% capacity in the red/substantial tier 2, 25% capacity in the orange/moderate tier 3 and 35% capacity in the least-restrictive yellow/minimal tier 4. Theme park attendance will be limited to California residents. Updated guidelines will be worked out over the next couple of weeks in partnership with theme parks.”
Disneyland resort president Ken Potrock said the announcement provides a path toward reopening California theme parks: “We are encouraged that theme parks now have a path toward reopening this spring, getting thousands of people back to work and greatly helping neighboring businesses and our entire community,” Potrock said in a statement. “With responsible Disney safety protocols already implemented around the world, we can’t wait to welcome our guests back and look forward to sharing an opening date soon.”
Happy New Year! We’ve made it into 2021! Today, Disney greets us with “21 Ways to Kick Off 2021” at the most magical place on earth. Let’s see what they have in store for us. Check out the video and details below as shared by DisneyParksBlog.
Walt Disney World Resort is ready to help you turn the page on 2020 right away and begin 2021 with magic. From new and classic attractions to culinary experiences to character interactions and more, here are 21 reasons to be excited about a visit to The Most Magical Place on Earth in early 2021:
1. Explore the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, Beginning Jan. 8 – Through Feb. 22, you’re invited to an expansive collection of visual, performance and culinary arts throughout the park.
2. Gaze Upon the Reimagined Entrance Fountain at EPCOT – The new water feature in front of Spaceship Earth hearkens back to the park’s origins and highlights a greener, more open and welcoming experience as you enter the park. The fountain is the most recent milestone in the historic transformation of EPCOT now underway.
3. Step Inside the Cartoon World of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Go through the movie screen as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Engineer Goofy and Pluto take you on a trip through Runnamuck Park … where anything can happen!
4. Embark on a Star Wars Adventure in a Galaxy Far, Far Away – Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the immersive, award-winning land featuring two thrilling attractions: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
5. Check Out Cinderella Castle’s Royal Makeover – The treasured icon at the heart of Magic Kingdom Park now features bold, shimmering and regal enhancements befitting its royal status, making for a great photo with family and friends.
6. Experience Classic Attractions at Magic Kingdom Park – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, “it’s a small world,” Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain … the new year is a great time for you to reconnect with these classics loved by millions the world over.
7. Watch for New Residents on the Harambe Wildlife Reserve at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park – Nigerian dwarf goats now play like kids at the warden’s outpost near the end of Kilimanjaro Safaris.
8. Bask in the Cuteness of Baby Animals – In addition to the Nigerian dwarf goats, you may catch a glimpse of some of the animals born in 2020 at Walt Disney World while at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Aboard Kilimanjaro Safaris, for example, you may spot young Masai giraffe now out on the savanna.
9. Celebrate the Magic of Nature in Pandora – The World of Avatar – At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, travel to the Valley of Mo’ara to hike among the floating mountains of Pandora and experience two awe-inspiring attractions: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.
10. Find Disney Characters in New Places – From cavalcades to caravans to flotillas and even special “pop-up” appearances, you can discover favorite friends at all four theme parks and the occasional special surprise at Disney Resort hotels.
11. Hop from Park to Park – Beginning today, guests who purchase a ticket or annual pass with Park Hopper benefits will be able to visit more than one park per day (with some new modifications).
12. Indulge in Sweet New Treats at Disney Springs – When visiting the shopping, dining and entertainment district of Walt Disney World, you have plenty of new options to satisfy your sweet tooth, including newly opened Gideon’s Bakehouse and the forthcoming M&M’S store and Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew.
13. Pick Out the Perfect Post-Holiday Gift – Disney Springs is also the place where you’ll find a little something you may have missed on your holiday shopping list. From the massive World of Disney store to quaint boutiques and just about everything in between, Disney Springs is home to the latest Disney merchandise as well as on-trend accessories, apparel and gear from other top brands.
14. Return to Favorite Disney Restaurants – As part of the phased reopening of Walt Disney World, restaurants continue to return to operation across The Most Magical Place on Earth. Recent reopenings include The Crystal Palace inside Magic Kingdom and the character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
15. Make Some Time to Relax Outdoors – Central Florida weather is often gorgeous in the early months of the year, and Walt Disney World offers special ways to enjoy some outdoor recreation, including golf and miniature golf, fishing expeditions, horseback riding and more.
16. Buzz Through the Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, Blooming in March – Beginning March 3, you’ll find fresh cuisine, creative gardens and unforgettable topiaries as part of this annual festival.
17. Soak Up the Sun at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park – After remaining closed for all of 2020 due to the pandemic, this wintry-themed water park is planning to reopen in March and celebrate its 25th season in splashy style.
18. Look for Some Fresh Pixie Dust at the Entrances to Walt Disney World – Make some new memories as you pass these iconic gateways to The Most Magical Place on Earth, which are receiving a refreshed color palette complementing the recent Cinderella Castle makeover.
19. Add Extra Theme Park Magic to Vacations – Available to book beginning Jan. 5, 2021, guests buying non-discounted four-night/three-day room and ticket packages at select Disney Resort hotels for arrivals most nights Jan. 8, 2021, through Sept. 25, 2021, will receive an additional two days of theme park tickets.
20. Florida Residents Can Take Advantage of a Special Ticket Offer – Beginning Jan. 4, 2021, the four-day Florida Resident Discover Disney Ticket invites Floridians to visit any of the four Disney parks through June 18, 2021 (subject to blockout dates), for $199 (plus tax). For more details on this special offer, click here.
21. Get Excited for Even More Magic Later this Year – Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the new family-friendly attraction coming to the France pavilion in EPCOT, will debut in 2021. And the new Cirque du Soleil show “Drawn to Life,” coming to Disney Springs, will be a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. Keep checking back with us here at the Disney Parks Blog for more details about these experiences and other excitement happening around Walt Disney World in the future!
As a reminder, Walt Disney World continues to operate with enhanced health and safety policies so everyone can enjoy the magic responsibly. To manage attendance, guests are required to have valid theme park admission and make a park reservation for each day of their visit through the Disney Park Pass system. Please visit Disneyworld.com/Updates for more information.
Happy New Year from all of us here at Walt Disney World. We hope to see you real soon!
Just in time for the new year, the all-new Disney Parks Reigning Cats and Dogs Collection is bringing some paw-some products to Walt Disney World Resort, Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort and online at shopDisney.com! This new collection celebrates everyone’s favorite four-legged friends and is the first-ever collection from Disney Parks for pet owners and pets alike with apparel, accessories and more! Check out the details and images below as shared by DisneyParksBlog.
Designs feature some of everyone’s favorite Disney dogs including Pongo and Perdita from “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” Dug from “Up,” Max from “The Little Mermaid,” Lady and the Tramp from “Lady and the Tramp” and of course, Pluto! Designs also feature some favorite Disney cats including Thomas O’Malley and Marie from “The Aristocats,” Dinah and Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland,” Lucifer from “Cinderella,” Mochi from “Big Hero 6,” and even Yzma in cat-form from “The Emperor’s New Groove!”
Hold your ap-paws and without further ado, check out some of the items hitting shelves and shopDisney.com in the new year:
First up, your chic canine companion will rock these fur-bulous looks; from an adorable raincoat and bandanas for days to a dashing dress and paw-sitively perfect sweater, there’s something for every furry friend!
Once you dress up your pup, finish that paw-fect look with a matching collar and leash combo along with the most dog-gone adorable food and water bowl set.
Want to raise the woof and match your fur-iend? You’re in luck! The assortment of apparel from humans includes leggings, dresses and even shirts as well as the latest mini backpack by Loungefly and ador-ear-ble Dalmatian headband. Get ready to un-leash your inner Fido!
Make your home the ulti-mutt dog heaven with homeware including towels, mugs, magnets, notebook and even a spatula and cookie cutter combo featuring Dug from “Up!”
For those of you who are paw-ssionate about your feline friends, you’ll love these purr-fect products for you and your little furball! From another mini backpack by Loungefly featuring your favorite Aristocats to a headband inspired by Marie and everything inbetween, you’ll match your fluffy friend in style!
Your kooky kitty will love these new off-fur-ings featuring a fluffy cast of characters on a new toy, food and water bowl and even a collar with a detachable bell.
Bring some purr-ty felines into your kitty-chen with homeware including towels, mugs, magnets, notebook and a spatula and cookie cutter combo.
As you can tell, we are gearing up for a pretty meow-gical year and I’m paws-itive that you’ll sniff out the best new products for your favorite Fidos and felines as well as yourselves with the fetch, new Disney Parks Reigning Cats and Dogs Collection! Keep an eye out for select products featured above with more coming soon, beginning on Dec. 28 to Walt Disney World Resort, Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort and online at shopDisney.com.
The year 2021 is almost here and Disney has released a new Walt Disney World resort sale that includes a special bonus!
From a Disney Cast Member;
We’re all ready to turn the page on 2020, right? If you’re thinking about how great it would be to take a Walt Disney World Resort vacation next year, I have some excellent news to share.
Today we’re announcing a special new offer available to book beginning January 5, 2021: when you buy a non-discounted four-night/three-day room and ticket package at select Disney Resort hotels for arrivals most nights January 8 through September 25, 2021, you’ll get an additional two days of theme park tickets! I wanted to let you know about this great offer now so you have a couple weeks to start planning … and dreaming of all the fun you can have at The Most Magical Place on Earth.
Like what, you ask? Well … plenty! You could check out the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, which begins January 8 and runs through February 22. We have all sorts of new character experiences throughout the theme parks and Resort hotels. And there are incredible attractions galore, from Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Avatar – Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and so many more. Cinderella Castle even has a royal new makeover at Magic Kingdom Park – perfect for that new family portrait! 2021 will also mark the return of the guest-favorite Park Hopper option, which will be available for purchase as an add-on with this package.
As a reminder, Walt Disney World continues to operate with enhanced health and safety policies so everyone can enjoy the magic responsibly. To manage attendance, guests are required to have valid theme park admission and make a park reservation for each day of their visit through the Disney Park Pass system. Please visit Disneyworld.com/Updates for more information. There are also some other excellent offers available right now for booking into 2021, so there are plenty of options to get your new year started off right. Disney Vacation Club Members, learn about a special Member Offer at Disneyvactionclub.com. Here’s to a great big beautiful 2021!
