MickeyBlog News for February 14th, 2022
This past week, Disney made a lot of money, California updated its plans, and a Space Mountain appliance caused some problems.
We’ve got a fun week for MickeyBlog News.
Photo :Getty Images
Space Mountain Catches Fire…Kinda
Okay, let’s start with the strangest story this week. On Monday, Disney had to evacuate Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover.
The reason why it closed doesn’t even pass the laugh test, but it’s a real thing that happened.
Cast members noticed smoke and quickly worked to protect the safety of guests on both attractions.
They did their job by notifying the Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters immediately and pulling a fire alarm.
reedycreek.org
When the firefighters arrived, they recognized the problem. A break room refrigerator was smoking.
Thankfully, there wasn’t a fire, just a fridge doing the opposite of what it’s meant to do.
Photo Credit: Facebook – Reedy Creek Fire and Rescue Department Emergency Medical Services
You put things in a refrigerator to keep them cool. This one was trying to catch fire, almost as if it saw uncooked food and wanted to change careers.
I choose to think of this fridge as the Wreck-It Ralph of appliances.
Anyway, a fast-thinking member of the fire department…unplugged the refrigerator. Crisis averted.
You may think I’m exaggerating, but that’s an actual quote from the Orlando Sentinel article.
The reporter states, “A firefighter unplugged the fridge.” What a hero!
I’m joking, mainly because I’m relieved this incident wasn’t anything serious. It did cause aggravation for Tomorrowland guests last week, though.
On the plus side, this example demonstrates that Disney’s safety measures remain the gold standard in the industry.
If a smoking fridge can shut down two rides, you know they’re taking safety precautions seriously!
The California Mask Update
I’m going to do a speed run of a longer article I wrote yesterday. The state of California will do something unexpected this week.
Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
The Golden State’s health officials have spent the body of the past two years erring on the side of caution as much as anywhere in the country.
To be fair, California needed this approach. Due to the high populations in major metropolitan areas, a single outbreak could and did have profound effects.
Photo: Getty Images
As such, California enforced some of the most stringent mask requirements in the United States.
California did reduce its restrictions last summer when COVID-19 infection rates lowered.
Image: Disneyland
Then, the Omicron outbreak forced the state to reimplement indoor face mask policies. This happened in December and seemed prudent in January.
You likely recall the shocking rise in new infections as 2021 turned into 2022. California had a single-day total of 221,000 cases just three weeks ago.
However, in an unlikely turn of events, the Omicron wave crested almost as quickly as it arose.
So, we’re back to a modest infection rate and a high number of vaccinated citizens.
For this reason, California officials have decided to let the current indoor face mask policy expire on February 15th.
In other words, California won’t require face masks anymore in the midnight hour after Valentine’s Day.
Soon afterward, Universal Studios Hollywood likely drops its current face-covering requirement.
While we don’t know when Disney will follow suit, odds seem good that it’ll happen as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention give the okay.
Photo: CDC
In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if Walt Disney World did the same soon.
Disney Is Back, Baby!
Another topic we’ve covered plenty at MickeyBlog is Disney’s recent earnings report.
The company announced its revenue for the fiscal first quarter of 2022. It was the company’s second-best quarter EVER for the theme parks.
Disney maximized revenue across the board, increasing its earnings per guest by approximately 40 percent.
Executives on the call pointed to several factors, some of which may surprise you.
Specifically, Disney bragged that online check-in and Mobile Ordering freed guests to spend more time at the parks.
When people have more time at the parks, they naturally spend more money.
Also, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the significance of Disney Genie+/Lightning Lane.
Before Disney introduced this technology, I alluded to 40 percent as the best-case scenario for the sales ratio.
Well, I was partially correct, as Disney hinted at a rate of 35 percent or so. However, the shocker came during the holidays.
More than half of the guests purchased either Disney Genie+, Lightning Lane, or both. That’s a staggering achievement.
I seriously wrote an entire article about it that will publish sometime over the next few days.
With these numbers, we can say with confidence that Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane aren’t going away anytime soon.
The holiday sales functioned as a proof-of-concept.
Another significant part of the earning call centers on Disney’s streaming services. They’re what matters to Wall Street, and that’s fine with Disney.
Only weeks after Netflix stock plummeted due to flat subscriber growth, Disney+ claimed nearly 12 million subscribers for the quarter.
Meanwhile, Hulu+ and ESPN+ demonstrated staggering year-over-year growth as well.
Source: Walt Disney Company
You can safely expect Disney stock to tick up for a while…presuming common sense prevails on Wall Street, which is never a given.
Disney Park News
I’ve got several exciting updates from Disneyland Resort. For starters, the trams return on February 25th!
Soon afterward, Disney California Adventure will host the 2022 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.
That event begins on March 4th! As part of the celebration, Soarin’ Over California will return for a limited engagement!
Meanwhile, Disney has revealed the marketplaces for this year. Here’s the list:
- Avocado Time – Indulge in flavorful medleys that make your mouth sing.
- Berry Patch – Hail the big berry for top billing!
- California Craft Brews – Cheers to a round from California’s best local breweries.
- Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo – Rally for these sliders, wings ‘n’ beer—a sports fan’s dream!
- D•Lish – Enjoy delicious sweet and savory dishes sure to delight!
- Garlic Kissed – Stop by to savor mouthwatering dishes and specialty beverages.
- Golden Dreams – Tempt taste buds with well-seasoned eats and nectarous drinks.
- I Heart Artichokes – Partake in the thistle—prepared in 2 different ways!
- LA Style – Feast on favorite southland food-truck flavors.
- Nuts About Cheese – Let us introduce you to wine’s best friends.
- Peppers Cali-Ente – Snack on hot ‘n’ spicy fare with a Cali twist!
- Uncork California – Sip vino by the glass or try a flight.
While we’re on the subject of Disneyland, the park has scheduled several refurbishments.
First, the Matterhorn Bobsleds will close briefly from February 28th through March 4th. Then, Indiana Jones Adventure will close from March 8th through the 11th.
Image: Disneyland
Finally, Pirates of the Caribbean will go down for an undisclosed length of time starting on March 14th.
You won’t care about any of it, though! You’ll be too busy riding Soarin’ Over California!
