Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom wrapped up its difficult year of 2020 with an evacuation late on New Year’s Eve.
The ride was stopped at around 9:15 PM, though My Disney Experience still listed it as having a 35 minute wait.
Several logs were backed up in areas. Work lights were turned on inside and Cast Members were visible evacuating guests.
We learned in June 2020 that Splash Mountain at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland would soon be re-themed to The Princess and the Frog, though no date for the re-theming has been announced.
Today marks a major milestone in Walt Disney World’s phased reopening as the return of Park Hopping launches later this afternoon. While Park Hopping has existed for years now, it’s returning in a somewhat modified form to accommodate existing health and safety measures. That being said, there are many questions surrounding the process, like “Can I visit more than two parks a day?” and “How will I know a park has reached capacity?” Given that today is the first day of Park Hopper Hours, there may still be kinks to work out in the system, but here’s what we know so far.
Signs are already out at the entrances to the parks informing guests of some of the procedures.
Transportation for Park Hopping
This particular A-frame seen outside of the Magic Kingdom addressed bus transportation. Park-to-park transportation, previously unavailable at the start of the reopening, resumes today for guests who are park hopping. To board, you must have a valid ticket or pass with Park Hopper benefits—Cast Members will be checking ticket media prior to boarding. As a reminder, you must have a Disney Park Pass reservation for the first theme park you plan to visit and have entered the first theme park prior to visiting another. And while many fans have pined for its return, the EPCOT monorail line is still unavailable to guests.
Park Hopper Hours
Park Hopping doesn’t begin until 2:00 PM, or that day’s stated Park Hopper Hours. Currently, Park Hopper Hours start at 2:00 PM and go through park close, but that could change at any time.
Park Hopping – Capacity and Logistics
You can visit multiple parks after your initial parks, so theoretically you could visit all four parks in one day (like back in the good old days!), so long as the parks you’re trying to visit haven’t reached capacity. How will you know a park’s at capacity? Currently, there is no feature on the app, nor a number to call to check on this. If you’re taking a bus to the next park, the Cast Members at the stop will know which parks, if any, are at capacity. If you’re still in the park and want to check if your next park is at capacity (perhaps if you’re driving over), you can also inquire at Guest Relations.
Once you leave your first park, you may not be guaranteed access back in again if it reaches capacity. However, since your pass is part of the collective capacity established by the Disney Park Pass system, you should be able to get into another park—it just may not always be the one you want.
Rise of the Resistance
Yes, the popular Disney’s Hollywood Studios attraction has its own set of rules for park hoppers. As we’ve previously reported, only guests with Disney Park Passes for Disney’s Hollywood Studios (i.e. their first park of the day) will be able to try for a boarding group at 7:00 AM and the newly modified 1:00 PM release time. Previously, boarding groups were released at 7:00 AM and 2:00 PM, but the latter release was moved back to ensure guests wouldn’t make a mad dash to the park at the start of Park Hopper Hours.
2020 has been unexpected to say the least. While we put the year behind us, it’s interesting to check out some then and now photos of the current construction sites at Walt Disney World. Thanks to @bioreconstruct via Twitter aerial photo comparisons, we can check out what progress has been made on the three most popular Walt Disney World construction sites.
First up, here’s an aerial comparison of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. The first photo below is from January 1, 2020. The second photo below is from December 22, 2020.
Next, here’s an aerial comparison of TRON. The first photo below is from May 31, 2019. The second photo below is from December 22, 2020.
Next, here’s an aerial comparison of EPCOT Future World. The first photo below is from January 1, 2020. The second photo below is from December 22, 2020.
Tron Lightcycle Power Run seems to have made the most progress thus far. Doesn’t look like much progress in the other photos? Keep in mind, much of the construction was put on hold when COVID-19 hit. We’re excited to see the finished products in these areas… hopefully in time for the October 2021 50th Anniversary celebration!
The Crystal Palace and Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant have officially reopened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom! Disney Cast Members took to Facebook to share their excitement over the reopening’s with a few photos. And yes, while characters are currently not visiting guests at The Crystal Palace, the food is still superb!
As shared via the Walt Disney World Cast & Community Facebook page:
“What’s better than one of our favorite restaurants opening at Magic Kingdom Park? TWO! Cast Members are welcoming Guests back to The Crystal Palace and Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant once again. Not only do they have stunning views of Cinderella Castle, you’ll also catch some of these friendly faces as they serve up both new and tried-and-true menu items to delight your rumbly tumbly.”
Voice actor and singer, Jess Harnell, is known for voicing attractions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The most popular voice role for Harnell is for Splash Mountains’ popular character, Brer Rabbit. As Disney prepares to re-imagine Splash Mountain to a Princess and the Frog theme, Disney recently noted the project is being expedited. Harnell weighs in with his thoughts on the ride’s re-imagining.
“[Splash Mountain] is really, really dear to my heart, because it was the first character voice job I ever did, and I did most of the voices on that ride,” Harnell told ComicBook.com. “And it gave me a great sense of joy knowing that wherever I was, sleeping, awake, whatever condition I was in at that time, somebody somewhere in the world was on Splash Mountain, and hopefully it was making them happy. I loved that idea. Since, then I’ve gone on to do a lot of other stuff at the Disney parks. Those are still going to be there.”
“I’ve had the experience of looking down from above on the Main Street Electrical Parade, watching kids’ faces light up when voices I did come out,” Harnell continued. “And there’s no greater feeling. To know that you gave people that happiness. Now, personally, I don’t believe that Splash Mountain was offensive, and I don’t believe that it alluded to anything offensive, but if it’s going to upset people or make people feel bad about something terrible, then I get it. I’m sorry to see it go, because I loved it. It was an honor to be involved, and I’m happy I had that chance. But I don’t want to be a part of anything that makes anybody hurt.”
Disney has yet to announce a date for Splash Mountain’s closure for re-imagining to begin.
