Guests are being asked to stop and remain stationary, standing off to the side, while consuming drinks and snacks while in the Walt Disney World theme parks.
Now, an official policy has been added to the Walt Disney World “Know Before You Go” Face Covering policy webpage.
In the updated policy, it reads “You may remove your face covering while actively eating or drinking, but you should be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing.”
What do you think about this new policy regarding face masks? As a reminder, there are multiple “relaxation stations” located in each Walt Disney World theme park, where guests may remove their face covering and have a socially-distanced sit-down.
There’s so much changing right now at Disney World it’s hard to keep up. In addition to all the changes to park operations and offerings during the phased reopening, we’ve also seen changes to multiple construction projects timelines, project postponements, and even project cancellations. Today, we can add the permanent closure of two attractions and one of the nighttime spectaculars to the list.
Earlier today, Disney management confirmed in an internal memo to cast members that two attractions, Stitch’s Great Escape and Primeval Whirl, which did not reopen with the parks. Would in fact be closing permanently.
Stitch’s Great Escape comes as no surprise. The attractions has been operating seasonally since 2016 and was rarely open. Recently, it has served as the location of character meet and greet. The most surprising part of this announcement was that the attraction was technically still on the list of attractions open seasonally.
Likewise, Primeval Whirl has also been listed as a seasonal attraction and is rarely open. Primeval Whirl has been plagued in recent years with maintenance and operational issues. The attraction always had a line due to a very slow loading process, but overall had mixed reviews, so this closure isn’t shocking.
What will likely be surprising for many guests is the permanent shuttering of Rivers of Light, the nighttime spectacular at Animal Kingdom. Rivers of Light was technically the most complicated and expensive nighttime spectacular shows ever produced by Disney.
From the memo:
“As you know, when Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park reopened to our Guests, several experiences, attractions and shows did not reopen with the park for a variety of reasons. While we look forward to adjusting our operation as we continue to learn and grow in our new environment, Primeval Whirl and Rivers of light: We Are One will not reopen.”
“Over at Magic Kingdom, Stitch’s Great Escape – which has not operated for some time – is permanently closed. Guests can currently see stitch at the Rockettower Plaza Stage throughout the day.
We do not have any creative updates to share for these areas at the moment.”
The effects of Covid-19 continue at Disney World as the company has now confirmed additional changes to its construction calendar. This round of changes effects the Epcot revitalization project.
Disney has confirmed that both Spaceship Earth’s scheduled reimagineering (which had already been delayed) and the new Mary Poppins attraction, Cherry Tree Lane, has been postponed indefinitely.
It is also notable that the preview film at the Epcot Experience preview center has been updated with both new attractions removed. This does not necessarily mean that the projects are cancelled, although there is no indication when, if ever, the projects will be put back on the construction calendar.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed, “As with most businesses during this period, we are further evaluating long-term project plans. The decision was made to postpone development of the “Mary Poppins”-inspired attraction and Spaceship Earth at this time.”
While no official statement has been made regarding other Epcot related projects (and there are many), we also noticed the “Opening Summer of 2020” signage outside Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure has been removed indicating a delay to that project as well. Construction continues to progress on the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at Epcot and Tron Lightcycle Power Run rollercoaster over at Magic Kingdom.
EPCOT reopened to the public yesterday, and so has the Skyliner station at the International Gateway.
Signs advertise flights to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century Resort, Art of Animation Resort, and Hollywood Studios, which also reopened. Caribbean Beach Resort has not yet reopened, but its Skyliner station acts as a major hub for other lines. Pop Century is open and Riviera Resort is open for Disney Vacation Club members only. Art of Animation will be reopening in August.
With Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopening to the public yesterday, one of its most popular attractions, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, has made changes to its virtual queue system.
Cast Members from Batuu were stationed outside with iPads to check guests’ status within the Virtual Queue:
Guests have the opportunity to request to join the virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app at three different times during the day: 10 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM (ET). Previously, all virtual queue spots were released at park open. Guests must be within Disney’s Hollywood Studios to request a queue spot.
Once at the park, pull up the My Disney Experience app and scroll down until you see this Rise of the Resistance section, then tap “Join”. At each of the three scheduled times, the request process will open.
To maintain fairness, guests can only enter the virtual queue once per day. This means that, for example, if you request to join the queue at 10 AM and successfully obtain a spot, you can’t request another spot at 1 PM or 4 PM.
With the 10:00 AM Virtual Queue opening, we found that all Boarding Groups had been fully distributed within 5 minutes. By 10:08 AM, the Virtual Queue page had been updated to reflect that no more groups were available, and that guests were to check back at 1:00 PM for another opportunity to join the Virtual Queue if they were not successful in the first round.
Given that Boarding Groups used to run out in mere seconds in the months prior to the closure at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the fact that they lasted a few minutes is a positive, but we’ll have to monitor how the progression of the Virtual Queue goes throughout the day (and the subsequent days) for a better sense of logistics for the attraction.
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE — Disney guests will traverse the corridors of a Star Destroyer and join an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren – when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020 at Disneyland Resort in California. At 14 acres each, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Disney’s largest single-themed land expansion ever. (Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks)
If your My Disney Experience account is linked to your park tickets and the others in your party, you should be able to enter everyone into the virtual queue at the same time. The app will also display when queue spots are no longer available for a certain distribution time. Should you be unable to attain a queue spot, backup groups may be available. While waiting for your boarding group to be called, you’re free to enjoy the rest of what Disney’s Hollywood Studios has to offer.
Be sure to have push notifications turned on for My Disney Experience, so that you’ll be notified if your group has been called to return. Guests have an hour from the time of the alert to arrive at the entrance to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Because of the possibility of unforeseen circumstances, Disney has stressed that joining the virtual queue is not a guarantee that guests will be able to experience the attraction.
