One Disney Park Will Not Be Allowing UK Travelers in This Christmas

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Millions of people travel during the holidays. Whether they travel by car, bus, train, or plane, it seems that everyone is going somewhere to celebrate and everyone has their plans set, and for tens of thousands of people, those plans include a visit to a Disney Park. Unfortunately, for some people who were planning on visiting Disneyland Paris this Christmas, they will have to make other arrangements.

Disneyland Christmas

Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, France has shut down its borders to those traveling from the United Kingdom — which includes Guests from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — unless there is a “compelling reason” to enter the country. That means that any Guests from the UK who were planning on visiting Disneyland Paris this Christmas or New Year’s will have to change their plans.

Per a report from CNN:

According to the French government, a compelling reason to travel could include working in the health or research sector, being a top-tier athlete, being an exchange student, or traveling due to the the death or grave illness of a relative.Vacation or work-related travel is banned. French and EU nationals, as well as residents in France, are exempt from the new rule.However, all those traveling from the UK to France, whether they’re vaccinated or non-vaccinated, must also show a negative PCR or lateral flow test taken within 24 hours.The travelers must also quarantine upon arrival in France for 48 hours, as they await a negative PCR test result. Travelers will have to register their place of isolation on a digital platform.The prime minister’s office said that checks will be carried out by French authorities to enforce quarantines.UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps confirmed via Twitter that hauliers traveling across the Channel will remain exempt from these new rules.

Omicron is the newest variant taking hold in the world’s fight against COVID-19. While studies have shown that it appears to be less severe amongst those who are vaccinated, it is still highly contagious. Omicron is spreading as the world still struggles to get a handle on the Delta variant that became the main variant of the virus earlier this year.

Big Snowfall Hits Disney Park

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

If you are visiting Walt Disney World Resort, you are likely not going to see much snow hit the ground, unless it is combined with soap. But, there are other Disney Parks around the world that do have snow hit, and as long as there is not a snowstorm involved, it is quite stunning.

Recently, we reported that Disneyland Paris saw its first official snowfall of the season, but the snow was very light and barely made an appearance on the facades of attractions. Now that the snow has had some time to come into its own, we are starting to see a gorgeous snow-filled Disneyland Park!

Alea (@aleacabri) took to Twitter to share some photos of Disneyland Paris with a hefty amount of snow, and it looks stunning. Alea mentioned, the images do look like they are right out of a storybook, which is very fitting considering Guests who are seeing the views are entering world of fantasy.

Disneyland Paris covered in snow is straight out of a storybook

At Disneyland Paris this year, Guests can enjoy Disney’s Enchanted Christmas. The event is filled with “sparkling decorations, Disney Characters dressed in their finest seasonal outfits and a breathtaking new parade bring magical merry moments in a picture perfect Christmas card scene.” You can watch a preview of what to expect below!

Disney Park gets brand new Holiday Parade, and the celebration starts November 13

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

More than 200 new costumes, more than four miles of garland, almost 12,000 festive ornaments, 78 real trees, and close to 40,000 festive holiday flowers.

Oh, and a breathtaking Christmas tree that stands more than 7 stories high and weighs 48,000 pounds!

That sounds like the makings of a fabulous holiday celebration at Disneyland Paris, and beginning November 13, 2021, the park will be decked out in its holiday best! They just couldn’t wait until December to get the season started!

This year, the holidays will be even merrier as Disneyland Paris celebrates the season with an all-new parade that the whole family will love!

It’s been a long time coming, and the park is thrilled to announce “Mickey’s Dazzling Christmas Parade!” According to Disney Parks Blog, Cast Members have been hard at work (in secret, mind you) developing this brand-new spectacle that features Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Stitch and other Disney pals, Tinkerbell, and even Old St. Nick on five enormous, magically festive parade floats!

Each float in the magical new parade is symbolic of an “idyllic Christmas scene,” according to the Parks Blog, with decorations and even various Cast Member parade performers dressed in vibrant costumes designed for this very special occasion!

Work on “Mickey’s Dazzling Christmas Parade” has been ongoing for years, but every bit of it was kept quiet while the Disney magic was being perfected. Today, we’re able to take a look at some of the work that went into bringing this new Disneyland Paris experience to life!

Disneyland Paris Housekeeping Cast Members Go On Strike Regarding Work Conditions

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Housekeeping Cast Members a Disneyland Paris — who are subcontractors and not employed directly by Disney — have gone on strike regarding work conditions.

Salon Mickey reported on Twitter this morning that Cast Members were picketing outside Disney’s Newport Bay Club hotel.

DisneylandParisGuest tweeted last night that there were no rooms available for guests due to the strike, leaving many families sleeping on the floor with no action by management.

Disneyland Paris Pricing Revealed for New Paid FastPass Program

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

We previously shared the news that Disney announced they were removing the FastPass system at Disneyland Paris and replacing it with an upcharge service called “Premier Access”. The system works basically the same as the FastPass system. You go into the park app and select which attraction you would like to access through the former FastPass line. But now, when picking an attraction, you’ll see how much it costs to skip the line and can purchase a pass to do so. Today, we’re seeing the actual prices come through on the app. 

When visiting the Disneyland Paris app, you’ll find charges for each attraction are now revealed. Currently, here are a few attractions that are similar to those you’ll find at Walt Disney World and their prices to “fastpass” them:

  • Buzz Lightyear Laser Blaster: 15 Euros per guest = $18 US dollars
  • Star Tours: The Adventures Continue: 8 Euros per guest = $9.50 US dollars
  • Peter Pan’s Flight: 15 Euros per guest = $18 US dollars
  • Big Thunder Mountain: 12 Euros per guest = $14.25 US dollars
  • Ratatouille: The Adventure: 12 Euros per guest = $14.25 US dollars
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: 15 Euros per guest = $18 US dollars

We’re pretty much blown away by these numbers. Let’s take Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast for example which is similar to Magic Kingdom’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. If you are a family of four, you’d be expected to pay $72 to fastpass that one attraction. That’s on top of your regular ticket admission. While we are seriously hoping with every Disney fiber in us that Premier Access doesn’t make it’s way to Walt Disney World, we wouldn’t be totally surprised if it does. Which means for our family – there is going to be a lot of waiting in the regular standby lines.