MickeyBlog News for January 4, 2021
Disney theme parks rang in the New Year this past week. As usual, the parks changed some stuff as soon as the calendar flipped.
I’ll explain what’s different and bring you up to speed on what’s waiting in the wings in the latest edition of MickeyBlog News.
Park Hopping Returns
The headline’s self-explanatory here. When Walt Disney World reopened in July, Disney employed a Park Pass system that remains in place today.
The need for a Park Pass negated any opportunity to switch parks during a daily Walt Disney World visit.
However, Disney recently increased park capacity from 25 to 35 percent. With 40 percent more capacity available, the company could loosen its rules.
By now, most frequent park guests have recognized that each place becomes a ghost town two hours before closing.
So, park strategists can bring back Park Hopping without fear that it’ll impact stringent attendance parameters.
As a bonus, when the parks remain fuller until close, Disney earns more revenue.
Plus, as vaccines become wildly available, park attendance will increase even more.
In short, Disney possesses several reasons to bring back Park Hopping and none to prevent it.
That’s why, as of January 1st, Park Hopping has returned to Walt Disney World.
How Park Hopping Works (For Now)
Starting at 2 p.m. each day, guests can switch from the place where they booked a Park Pass to any of the other three parks.
Please understand that you DO need a Park Pass, though. Also, Disney maintains capacity limits.
You may reach a park, only to learn that it’s at capacity and not accepting guests.
You can avoid this issue in two ways. First, Disney has brought back park-to-park buses for the first time since the pandemic began.
At your bus station, you can ask a cast member whether a park has reached capacity.
Alternatively, you can call (407) 560-5000 to ask whether your destination park has reached capacity.
While buses are running at the parks, the EPCOT monorail tram remains offline for now.
So, please don’t show up at the station expecting a direct ride to EPCOT.
Currently, you can visit all four theme parks on the same day, as long as none of them hits the maximum capacity limit.
Disney may alter Park Hopping rules, depending on how the first week goes.
Park strategists will struggle with estimates early on, as we’re still in the holiday period.
As we advance deeper into January, park attendance will naturally decline, as always happens after the wildly popular Christmas-New Year’s period.
Our buddy, Nick at Magical News Live, posted a livestream of Park Hopping on Saturday. You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO5oYD26ffE
Our friends at ResortTV1 also streamed for 10 hours on Friday. So, you’ve got two opportunities to watch how the modified process works.
Other Disney Vacation Changes
Now that 2021 has arrived, Disney has altered some other stuff. The most important one involves Magic Bands, which are no longer free.
Guests who book rooms at Disney resorts must pay for the Magic Bands now, just like everyone else does.
However, I can pass along a pleasant surprise about this update. Disney’s announcement led people to presume that Magic Bands would cost more.
Some designs cost $20 or more, while basic bands usually come with $12.99 price tags.
Well, Disney resort guests still get a discount.
The standard Magic Bands cost only $5 to order on My Disney Experience right now, as long as you have an official hotel reservation.
Hotel guests may also request a Key To The World card in the lobby. These items are free of charge.
While planning your trip, you also cannot request a free luggage tag anymore. Disney has modified that policy as well.
Again, you can ask for one of these souvenir luggage tags in the lobby, though.
A Few Safety Changes
Finally, as park officials address higher capacities, they’ve taken steps on specific rides.
Some attractions like Avatar Flight of Passage now seat riders side-by-side rather than skipping spaces.
Disney’s decision is perfectly reasonable, but you should be aware of it in case you get claustrophobic during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Disney theme parks around the world continue to wrestle with Coronavirus safety measures.
At Walt Disney World, Imagineers had previously fitted monorails with barriers between the connecting seats.
Alas, this strategy caused a problem with the fire suppression safeguards in place.
So, cast members have added cut-outs in these coverings to maximize guest protection in the unlikely event of a fire.
At Tokyo Disneyland, the monorails added plexiglass dividers instead. The seating on their monorails is more conventional, akin to love seats and sofas.
Plexiglass dividers work better there than they would on Walt Disney World’s monorails.
I find it remarkable that we’re this far past theme park reopenings. Yet, park officials still work tirelessly to ensure guest safety.
Stealing Is Wrong
Disney has experienced a fair amount of crime and punishment recently. Park officials have unearthed multiple instances of fraud and theft.
The most recent announcement involved a cast member at the Transportation and Ticket Center.
A 53-year-old woman who had worked at Disney for more than 30 years recently got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Apparently, the woman stole $33,988 while on duty. The theft started in January of 2017.
The con involved Magic Bands. Guests would pay for them with cash, but the cast member would cancel the transaction. Then, she’d keep the money.
Disney discovered the crime in May of 2019, promptly firing her and passing the case along to the police.
Oddly, the story ends with the woman pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges. She paid a small fine and accepted probation.
Nobody’s quite sure why this individual received such a light sentence compared to other recent Disney criminals.
Let’s Talk Ratatouille and the France Pavilion
This week’s final update is a catch-all for the suddenly hot Ratatouille franchise. Remy is in right now.
The internet is abuzz with the New Year’s Day project, Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, which somehow cast Wayne Brady and Adam Lambert.
This project gained more than $1 million for The Actors Fund:
You did it! You raised over $1 million to benefit @TheActorsFund! But we aren’t done yet. Tickets are still on sale all weekend long on @TodayTix.https://t.co/3YxozrE7Hd pic.twitter.com/QqUu6uzM0D
— Ratatouille Musical (@ratatousical) January 2, 2021
By all accounts, Brady stole the show thanks to his singing…and whiskers.
The sudden, intense popularity of the project should have ancillary benefits for Disney, which has Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure waiting in the wings.
In fact, recent videos (including the start of the ResortTV1 I linked above) show that the France pavilion is ready to open its expansion.
The entire area looks complete, which means Disney can open it whenever the pandemic allows.
We also know this because Emily Jacobsen, the creator of the Ratatouille musical, recently visited the pavilion.
Disney invited her to go behind the scenes of the upcoming attraction and view other parts of Remy’s new home.
While there, Jacobsen showed off some delightful Ratatouille ears, while this video revealed some previously unknown aspects of the ride:
Disney hasn’t announced an official opening date yet and probably won’t until more people have received vaccinations.
However, based on the footage above, Ratatouille’s ready to go live when it’s safe to do so.
Okay, that’s everything for this week. I hope your new year is off to a terrific start, everyone!