Walt Disney World Resort Guests have been getting used to a brand new system over the course of the last few months.
Disney unveiled Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Lightning Lane services as its new fast pass system last fall, meaning that Guests could pay an extra $15 per person to book reservations for attractions and use the ‘lightning lane’ instead of waiting in the regular queue.
However, the latest feature should prove to be one that is both convenient and necessary for groups traveling to Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort alike.
Theme Park Reporter Scott Gustin shared on Twitter that the Walt Disney World app had been updated to now include a linking code feature. This means that Guests who travel with a party, whether that be family or friends, can now easily link their accounts to book Disney Genie+, lightning lane, and dining reservations using a simple QR code.
The Walt Disney World app has been updated and now includes a “linking code” feature to make it easier to connect with family and friends. After you open your QR linking code under My Profile, a friend can scan and link your accounts to book Genie+, Lightning Lane, etc.
The Walt Disney World app has been updated and now includes a “linking code” feature to make it easier to connect with family and friends.
After you open your QR linking code under My Profile, a friend can scan and link your accounts to book Genie+, Lightning Lane, etc. pic.twitter.com/IJWuu8MD1o
If you’ve ever attempted to add family or friends in the previous way, you know that the app can be difficult and locations can be spotty at best. This new feature will make connecting a breeze!
Back in July, Disney announced that it would begin requiring vaccines for all of its salaried and non-union hourly Cast Members. Not long after, Disney began discussions with local unions representing both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Cast Members for potential vaccine requirements. Those negotiations have been ongoing, and we are now learning that Disney will move forward with its plan for a vaccine requirement for unionized Disneyland Cast Members, although full negotiations with the Workers United Local 50 have fallen through.
COVID 19 UPDATEWe have received notice, after months of good faith negotiations on the matter, that the company will be moving forward on a vaccine mandate for Local 50 and other Union’s not currently under a mandate. Cast will receive an email with details of the mandate. The deadline will be April 11th to have verification of vaccination submitted. Accommodations for religious and/or medical reasons will be available. If you have any questions contact management or us at the Union office (714 502 0220).In solidarity,Workers United Local 50
The announcement left many wondering why negotiations were still ongoing when it seemed that Unions had no real issues with their members being required to be vaccinated to continue to work at the Happiest Place on Earth. However, Grace Campista, who serves on the union’s executive board, replied to a comment and revealed that the union had wanted Disney to require its Guests to be vaccinated as well — a request that Disney refused to agree with.
Had Disney agreed to require vaccinations for its Guests, they would not be the first Southern California theme park to do so. Universal Studios Hollywood began requiring proof of vaccination for all Guests 12 and older back in October 2021, after a mandate was passed in Los Angeles County. Then, in December, that vaccination proof was changed to include all Guests 5 and over. Guests under 5 are not required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.
The Workers United Local 50 did not say if the union would try to keep a conversation going about requiring proof of vaccination for Guests. Positive COVID cases in Orange County, CA — where Disneyland Resort is located — have shot up to almost 5, 000 per day, as compared to back in October, when the average number of cases was between 200 and 300.
Disneyland Cast Members will have until April 11, 2022, to prove that they are fully vaccinated and all potential new Cast Members must prove that they are vaccinated before they are allowed to begin working.
It may be called the “Laughing Place,” but Guests weren’t laughing about this incident at Disneyland Park.
And it probably felt a bit uncertain and chaotic for Guests at the Disneyland Resort when a young boy disembarked the log flume at the Splash Mountain attraction and refused to get back into the ride vehicle.
If you’re a frequent Guest of any of the Disney Parks, it’s more than probable that you’ve been aboard a ride when it had to stop suddenly. This happens quite often at Space Mountain and also at The Haunted Mansion, so much so that there’s even a nod to the frequent ride interruptions at the Haunted Mansion attraction in the Muppets Haunted Mansion film that debuted in October of last year.
Usually, the stop is only temporary, and Guests are able to continue enjoying the attraction. Such was the case during this incident.
According to Guests who witnessed the incident, the log flume ride at Splash Mountain had stopped for about 15 minutes, and that’s when the young boy jumped out of the ride vehicle to stand on a flat area of the attraction where Guests are not permitted.
For reasons unknown, the child wouldn’t return to his seat inside the ride vehicle. Because of this, Guests were stuck waiting on the child to change his mind. His parents, who were also Guests aboard the ride vehicle began to encourage him to return to his seat. After some pleading on their part, the child finally proceeded to the log flume and got back into his seat.
It was after this point that the ride had to undergo a full evacuation. Each of the Guests aboard the ride vehicle was forced to disembark, and each was given a pass to experience another attraction at Disneyland.
It’s not clear why the boy disembarked the boat. Perhaps he was fearful of the final 5-story drop. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and each of the Guests aboard the attraction evacuated safely.
News coming out of Disneyland Resort on December 28, 2021. Details are vague, but there was reportedly an armed incident occurring at the Disney Park near or within the Golden Horseshoe Restaurant in Disneyland’s Frontierland.
According to first reports from MiceChat, “Security is swarming the Golden Horseshoe at Disneyland where some sort of incident is underway involving a guest. A cast member who fled the scene explains that a guest brought a weapon (not believed to be a gun) into the establishment and began threatening staff. The guest then tried to barricade an employee exit at the back of the facility. We don’t know if the incident has been resolved and are awaiting additional information from cast and Disneyland spokespeople.”
An update was posted at 9:20 pm ET released by MiceChat stating: “UPDATE: Situation resolved. We previously wrote that there had been some sort of incident at the Golden Horseshoe in which cast believed a guest brought a weapon (not believed to be a gun) into the establishment and began threatening staff. We have since heard from a Disneyland spokesperson that there was a belligerent guest situation but no weapon was believed to have been involved and that the management of the establishment was able to successfully resolve the situation.“
The update continues with, “There’s are still some rattled cast, but we don’t believe the situation ever posed any danger to guests of the Golden Horseshoe.We’re thankful this wasn’t as serious as it first seemed.“
Just after Thanksgiving, two Guests were visiting the Disneyland Resort in California when they suddenly began to experience a not-so-magical–and unwanted–exchange with two Cast Members.
The two Guests visited Disneyland on November 29 and began to live-stream their adventures in the Disney Park. A Guest, who remained anonymous during an interview about that day at Disneyland, (we’ll call this Guest Minnie) and a friend named Jessie (@heyjessiejessie on TikTok) took to the Disney theme park to enjoy the day and live-stream their experiences, each on their respective TikTok accounts.
The two usually visit the theme parks and look for friends of theirs who are Disneyland Cast Members.
“My friend and I have a passion for live-streaming for hours on TikTok for our followers, especially those who are around the world, can’t attend the Disney parks, or are planning their next trip,” Jessie explained during an interview. “We both enjoy live-streaming as it brings joy and happiness to our followers.”
But during Jessie’s friend’s live-stream, comments began to come in from two Cast Members that were unknown to “Minnie” and to Jessie. Attempts to ignore the comments didn’t help, as the comments continued to flood the TikTokkers.
“It was nothing inappropriate, but they just continued to spam us for two hours,” “Minnie” explained.
Soon Jessie and “Minnie” learned that the two Cast Members who were spamming them online are siblings. The brother was working at the parks that day, and the other sibling was not on duty but continued to comment on the friends’ live-stream on TikTok.
“One of the siblings who was not on duty kept jumping back and forth to both my friend and I’s live stream insisting to meet up with his brother who was on duty at the Disney Park,” the friends said.
Comments that flooded the Tiktokkers’ live-stream videos included questions like, “Are you going to meet my brother?” and promises like “I can get you in the front of the line.”
The continued comments left the two friends feeling uneasy, and they simply responded by politely declining any offers to meet or to “get in the front of the line.”
Hours later, toward the end of their evening after the theme park had already closed to Guests, “Minnie” and Jessie began making their way back to their vehicles as “Minnie” ended her live-stream. Jessie, however, continued to live-stream, even though they were returning to their cars.
But according to Jessie, the strange Cast Member behavior didn’t end there:
“When the park closed, we were at the parking structure, and my friend had to go to the restroom. I was still live-streaming on TikTok with 400 viewers and I was having a great time communicating with my followers. I noticed a comment and they said that they want to meet me and say hello before I leave. I said sure and it happened to be the brother who was on duty and insisted on meeting up with him. I did not know it was him or else I would have said no on meeting up for a quick hello.”
According to Jessie, the Cast Member was still in his Disneyland costume during the exchange. He further acknowledged to Jessie that he wasn’t supposed to be there where Jessie and “Minnie” were, saying that if he were caught, he could be reprimanded.
“We quickly said hello and our goodbyes,” Jessie further explained.
The two friends thought it best for “Minnie” to go on to her vehicle while Jessie stayed back to interact with the Cast Member who seemed so intent on meeting up.
“I told [Minnie] to pick me up as soon as she hopped in her car,” Jessie said.
During the Cast Member interaction in the parking structure, comments continued about getting Jessie into Lightning Lane attractions, etc. Per Jessie, the Cast Member asked questions like “Why didn’t you meet up with me?”
Jessie says that he was shaking, as the situation was nerve-wracking. “I started taking a few steps to the car since my friend was not driving and [the Cast Member] also was following me from behind.”
“Minnie” arrived to pick up Jessie, but even this didn’t stop the behaviors. Instead, the Cast Member comments and questions continued, even through the window of the vehicle in which the Guests were attempting to drive away.
In an interview, “Minnie” shared that it was at this point in the whole ordeal that she began to feel “verbally harassed.”
To make matters worse, Jessie and “Minnie” shared that there was a smaller-than-usual security presence in the parking structure where they had left their vehicles and where they were approached by the Cast Members who continued talking at them through the vehicle windows.
As they drove home, Jessie says the day finally got to “Minnie.”
“My friend (Minnie) started crying [about] how uncomfortable she felt as they were insisting on meeting up with them and how they both tracked us down during my live-stream on TikTok all the way to the parking structure,” Jessie explained in an interview. “We no do not feel safe going solo to the Parks as of now and live-streaming all the way to our car as we are getting recognized more and more at the Disney Parks because of our social media platforms.”
The two did speak with Guest Relations and have also spoken to several Cast Members about what they were subjected to at the Disneyland Resort that day and have been assured that the proper actions will be taken to make things right, up to and including involving the Anaheim Police Department in the mix if necessary.
“Minnie” further shared that since that day, she has seen what she sees as an increase in security presence at the Disneyland Resort theme parks, which gives her a safer feeling about being there. She shared her love for the Disney Park and for the Cast Members, but she shared her story to make others aware that these kinds of things can happen to anyone, anywhere, even at a place as happy as the Disneyland Resort.
