MickeyBlog News for March 15, 2021
Do you want to know when Disneyland is reopening? Would you like to book some Moana-themed rooms?
Are you interested in riding Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure? And what’s MagicMobile?
Folks, you need to read MickeyBlog News. This was a huuuuuuge week for Disney!
The Big News
Three stories tower above the rest. We’ll discuss one in the next section, but let’s focus on Walt Disney World for now.
We have finally learned when Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open. And it’s not as soon as we might have hoped, but Disney picked a smart date.
On October 1st, the new Ratatouille ride will anchor the France pavilion. Yes, that’s the 50th birthday of Walt Disney World.
So, Disney gives guests a second park to visit on that date, drawing some of the attention away from Magic Kingdom, which also turns 50 then.
Even though Walt Disney World hosts four theme parks, Magic Kingdom would have held the full spotlight if not for this decision.
Instead, just as many guests will want to visit EPCOT, as demonstrated by the fact that Park Passes have already booked.
Now, don’t worry! Disney will release more in the coming days, weeks, and months. I’m more using this as a data point supporting Disney’s decision.
On October 1st, the four flashpoints for tourism will be EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
If not for this move, everything would have centered on the monorail, causing congestion issues. This is really smart on Disney’s part.
Disney also announced that La Crêperie de Paris will open on October 1st as well. It’ll taunt us until then, as the building looks nearly ready.
Introducing MagicMobile!
The other significant revelation involves park admission. Disney has introduced MagicMobile, a long overdue enhancement.
Using My Disney Experiences, guests may correct a park admission pass on their phones.
This MagicMobile pass will function just like a tap of your MagicBand. It’ll allow guests to pass the admission gates at the parks.
You simply scan the pass on your phone at an access point. Then, you’re authorized to enter!
The system enables contactless authorization, meaning it’s something Disney should have had available earlier in the pandemic.
Alas, these apps take time to create and perfect. So, MagicMobile couldn’t operate as desired until now, the tail end of the pandemic.
Still, this example demonstrates that Disney desires other options beyond MagicBands.
We live in a smartphone society now, and the parks must allow for that, even though MagicBand technology remains impeccable.
Notably, Disney has indicated that MagicBands aren’t going anywhere. Instead, it will coexist with MagicMobile, giving park guests their choice.
You can wear a MagicBand or use an app on your phone to enter the parks now. Both are much easier than was possible ten years ago.
Also, they speed up the admission process exponentially, preventing the age-old bottleneck at the front gate.
Disneyland News
The updates are rolling in at Disneyland. During Disney’s Annual Shareholder Call, CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that the parks will reopen next month!
Disney hasn’t provided an exact date yet, as some factors haven’t been determined yet.
Still, Disneyland will reopen in “late April,” which is only six weeks away! You may recall that recent changes in California allowed for an April 1st returned.
Obviously, Disney cannot ready an entire theme park in three weeks. So, Disneyland will recall its employees over the next few days.
Then, the workers will prepare the parks for their grand reopening. Simultaneously, A Touch of Disney will run at Disney California Adventure.
Here’s the official statement:
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) March 9, 2021
Disney did break some hearts by indicating that Avengers Campus won’t open immediately.
The Marvel themed land would have opened eight months ago if not for the pandemic. So, we presume it’s nearly ready to go.
Park officials understandably didn’t want to risk overcrowding when Disneyland Resort reopens, though. That’s okay. We can wait!
We did learn that when the parks return, several amenities won’t be available at first.
Magic Morning, MaxPass, FastPass, and Extra Magic Hour will remain suspended indefinitely. So, it’ll work the same as at Walt Disney World.
In other Disneyland news, Orange County entered the Red Tier, which allows indoor dining.
This change could feasibly start at Downtown Disney this week.
Park officials haven’t announced plans yet but keep reading MickeyBlog! I suspect they will soon.
By the way, this change could potentially impact the parks, too. Moving into the Red Tier enables the reopening of Disneyland.
When Orange County moves into the next tier, park capacity could increase from 15 to 25 percent.
I suspect Disney’s counting on that. Otherwise, the parks would struggle to turn a profit.
Disney News
Let’s start with a nod to greatness. At the start of the Shareholder call, Bob Iger confirmed that he will leave the company in December.
The former CEO will end his forty-year tenure on December 31st, 2021. At that point, it’ll be Bob Chapek’s show entirely.
Currently, Iger serves as Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board.
He also earned headlines last April when he indicated he had retaken control of Disney at the start of the pandemic.
While that statement got overblown, it does exemplify how Chapek cannot run Disney fully until the company eliminates the perception that Iger is still in charge.
Meanwhile, Chapek confirmed that Disney+ has crossed 100 million subscribers about, oh, five years before anyone thought it possible.
In less upbeat news, USA Today has published a list of 40 Disney Stores closing around the country. And I’m near one of the unlucky ones.
I hate this because the cast members working at that store were so proud to be a part of the Disney brand.
Still, we’re obviously moving more toward online shopping over retail stores.
So, ShopDisney should be the hub, not local Disney Stores. Change brings heartache sometimes.
In Disney Cruise Line news, Chapek indicated that he expects the triumphant return of cruises this fall!
Obviously, the pandemic will have a permanent impact on many safety practices. Still, cruise fans will get to go back in six months or so!
Some cruise ads have indicated that face masks will be a part of the 2021 experience, but that’s unconfirmed for the time being.
Also, Disneyland Paris acknowledged the obvious. The park cannot reopen on April 2nd as intended. France’s COVID situation hasn’t improved enough.
In fact, Paris hospitals nearly reached capacity last week. The situation remains grave there.
Walt Disney World News
I’ve still plenty of Disney news to share. So, I’ll go fast here.
All Park Passes have sold out for the next week and several other dates in March, especially at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Now, cancellations will open some availability, but you should prepare for a more crowded visit for the next two weeks.
Normalcy has also returned to several attractions as Disney attempts to address more pressing throughput demands.
Rides like the Barnstormer, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train have changed boarding procedures.
Cast members now load every row, which means that wait-times shouldn’t change much despite the sellouts. That’s the theory anyway.
In welcome resort news, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort will reopen in a week. And yes, World Premiere Food Court will come back, too!
Of course, the Polynesian has revealed the more exciting news.
The Parks Blog published images of the Moana-themed rooms, which I mentioned last week.
Now, the rooms are available for booking! You should contact a MickeyTravels agent to become one of the first to spend the night in one!