MickeyBlog News for January 9th, 2023
A Marvel actor suffered a life-threatening injury just as we went to press last week.
Meanwhile, an attraction stayed down all week, a Disney resort experienced a kitchen fire, and Disney finally brought back a dining offer.
We’ve got a huge week to cover in MickeyBlog News.
Not Quite a Free Dining Plan But…
Disney theme park officials promised that the Disney Dining Plan would return in 2022. Alas, that never happened due to a series of unexpected events.
As we enter 2023, fans recognize that Disney dining deals no longer count as an annual tradition.
Historically, the first two weeks of January meant a new Disney Dining Plan deal. Many of these incentives even gave away a dining plan for free.
Nobody realistically expected that for this past week, nor should they have. Disney has grown a bit tighter with its park pricing lately.
That’s why we all felt such surprise, relief, and open joy when the news broke on January 5th. For the first time in ages, Disney offered a dining deal.
This discount didn’t come in the form of a free dining plan per se. Instead, Disney created a new package that left the specifics mostly in the hands of the park guest.
According to the terms of the package, vacationers can save up to $750 during a four-night stay at Walt Disney World.
The precise amount depends on which participating Disney resort you select.
Disney’s latest discount starts at $35 per night per room and maxes out at $150 per night per room.
Notably, the discount comes in the form of a Disney Promo Card. You could feasibly get a Promo Card with a value of $750, depending on when or where you stay.
I’m not the best person to ask about the specifics of this. Instead, I’d highly recommend that you speak with a MickeyTravels Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
These experts know everything there is to know about the first dining promo in three years.
Also, MickeyTravels just earned Diamond status, proving they’re the absolute best in the world at Disney vacations!
Marvel Star Jeremy Renner Suffers Near-Fatal Injury
Late on New Year’s Day, a shocking headline caused many Disney fans to freeze in their tracks.
Reports suggested that beloved Avengers actor Jeremy Renner had suffered a grievous injury.
According to those early reports, Renner had required a medivac transport to the nearest hospital, where he was receiving emergency care.
Sadly, those stories proved accurate. MickeyBlog has provided the details all week, and I’m happy to report that the news is trending in the right direction.
Here’s what we know. Renner owns a snowplow, and the mayor of Reno, Nevada, suggests that he’s one of the kindest citizens in the Lake Tahoe area.
The mayor went out of her way to mention that Renner is frequently one of her first calls when someone gets stuck on a mountain or needs some other form of assistance.
Her sincerity in discussing the actor should make all of us appreciate him that much more.
Alas, fate proved cruel to Renner. As he attempted to free a car snuck in the snow, the actor’s own snowplow dislodged itself out of the Park setting.
The snowplow moved downhill toward Renner and crushed him. According to medical officials, it’s a miracle Renner survived.
This giant vehicle crushed Renner’s chest and caused massive bleeding. Thankfully, the medical professionals on call that day acted quickly.
There’s Good News, Though
Renner received the life-saving medical care he needed and is now convalescing at the hospital. He has since posted several social media updates.
Here’s one that will make you smile:
A “not no great” ICU DAY, turned to amazing spa day with my sis and mama❤️. Thank you sooooo much pic.twitter.com/pvu1aWeEXY
— Jeremy Renner (@JeremyRenner) January 5, 2023
I’ve spent 10 days helpless in the hospital, reduced to relying on loved ones to perform tasks like this. So, it warms my heart to see Renner’s family taking such good care of him.
Renner celebrated his 52nd birthday in the hospital on Friday, which sounds grim until you consider the other option. We wish the beloved actor a speedy and complete recovery.
Remember, folks. The situation may look grim, but Hawkeye has survived far worse!
Other Disney News
Disney held its first Disney After Hours of 2023. That wasn’t the story, though. Instead, it was the location, Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Guests relished this rare opportunity to explore Walt Disney World’s most chaotic park at a time when it was otherwise closed to regular guests.
MickeyBlog couldn’t believe the (lack of) crowds for the events. Here’s a picture of how Toy Story Mania! looked that evening.
They would have had to kick me out of the building if I could have so easily ridden Toy Story Mania! over and over again that night!
In other Hollywood Studios news, we experienced something of a mystery with Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy this past week.
The show-based attraction failed to open for several consecutive days. Disney provided no updates about what was happening, either.
Then, toward the end of the week, the Lightning McQueen attraction was up and running again.
I should mention that the attraction includes lots of technical wizardry. So, I presume something went wrong with the digital displays or something similar.
Finally, something odd happened to me the other day. A friend messaged from Disney. He was staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort at the time.
He was asking for information about the fire at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. I…knew nothing about a fire there. None of my contacts did, either.
So, I asked around and eventually found this Tweet with video of the fire:
Apparently there’s a fire at beaches & cream. People being evacuated from Yacht Club restaurants including Yachtsman Steakhouse. #disney #yachtclub pic.twitter.com/adlg58vfil
— Spectro Radio (@spectro_radio) January 2, 2023
Hilariously, my friend is one of the people in the crowd in this shot that I randomly discovered on social media.
More about the Fire
Anyway, even though I’m the Disney news person, he was providing me with the “witness on the scene” details of what happened.
Apparently, a serious grease fire broke out in the restaurant’s kitchen. To their credit, the cast members on duty kept it isolated to this area.
Still, Disney evacuated the restaurant and parts of Disney’s Beach & Yacht Club Resort while they fought the fire.
Confusion reigned for a bit, but the situation thankfully never turned serious. And my friend ate lunch at Beaches & Cream on Saturday, January 7th. So, I guess everything is okay there.
Little stories like this underscore how great a job Disney does in operating its theme parks.
From a law of averages perspective, accidents like this should occur on a frequent basis. The fact that they’re so rare speaks volumes about Disney’s excellence.
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Photo: Instagram / @jeremyrenner