MickeyBlog News for April 1st, 2024
As usual, tourists flocked to Disney theme parks for the holiday week.
Meanwhile, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure achieved a milestone, D23 tickets came and went, and Disney transportation improved.
I know it’s a holiday weekend, but we have plenty to discuss in MickeyBlog News!
An Epic Week for Disney Crowds
Spring Break Crowds
Disney expends a ton of resources on crowd control. In a perfect world, guests would never stand in line for attractions.
Still, park officials understand that one way to prevent bottlenecks is to persuade guests to stand in line at attractions.
Plan B is a digital queuing service that allows people to create a kind of imaginary friend to stand in line for them.
We used to call this service FastPass, but it’s Disney Genie+ now.
Lightning Lane
This virtual queue process empowers guests to skip the long line at various attractions and enter the Lightning Lane instead.
This service comes at a cost, though. I cannot tell you what that price is because it changes daily.
Photo: Park Savers
What I can tell you is that Disney Genie+ typically hints at projected theme park crowds on a given day.
This past week, Disney sold the service at its highest price of 2024.
Technically, the higher price started last weekend, a strong indicator that park officials knew a crowd was arriving.
The Good Friday/Easter holiday provides tourists with a free vacation day they can spend at Disney…and they do!
In fact, Disney crowds were so large this past week that Disney Genie+ sold out several times.
Typically, sellouts only occur on the most crowded days, times when guests will happily pay more to accomplish more during a park visit.
Spring Break Crowds
MickeyBlog told the story this week, with Disney Genie+ selling out early and often throughout Easter Week.
As I type this on Saturday, prices are again at a 2024 high. And signs indicate that this isn’t just a holiday thing.
Spring Break Crowds
Theme park reservations are selling out for early April as well.
Simply stated, people want to be at Disney right now. We’ll have more on this in the Easter Wait Times article this week.
The New Buses Have Arrived!
Okay, here’s a surprise. Early in 2024, we learned that Disney would update and modernize many of its buses.
You’ll now find several buses with USB chargers in the fleet, and more are coming.
Disney understands that it cannot overhaul the entire fleet all at once, so the changes are gradual.
As part of the current overhaul, Disney has ordered 90 buses to integrate with its current fleet.
This week, Disney revealed that 30 buses from that order have already arrived at the parks.
So, all the many Easter Week tourists were riding new buses, whether they knew it or not!
In fact, MickeyBlog provided you with a first look at the new Ratatouille bus making the rounds.
D23 Expo Tickets Sell Out
Photo: Disney
We had another week and another Disney tech debacle, which definitely irked me.
I generally work methodically with my writing, but that one was half-written before I knew what was happening. I was that mad.
Photo: Disney
For whatever reason, even simple things like selling tickets to the 2024 D23 Expo often become a struggle for Disney tech.
Disney had to shut down ticket sales for the day for the most ridiculous reason.
Photo: Disney
On the following day, I watched from the digital queue as tickets sold out for all but the most expensive seats.
When I finally reached my place in line, the only remaining tickets cost at least $1,500.
Photo: D23
Hilariously, those seats sold out while I watched, even though none of them were together.
Everyone knows that the D23 Parks Panel signifies the start of a new era at Disney, and people want to say they were there for the big reveal.
Photo: D23
Alas, Disney made them jump through hoops with yet another bad tech day.
Disney Miscellany
Central Florida Tourism Oversight District
First, if you missed it, we have a settlement in the Florida Feud, with Disney making peace with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The twists and turns in this saga were worthy of a telenovela, but it ultimately ended roughly where it began.
@HazenWESH on Twitter
The district rules have returned to how Reedy Creek worked in 2020, while the parties negotiate new terms for future expansion.
That’s why fans are so confident about the upcoming D23 announcements.
Photo: Disney
Disney’s political hurdles in Orlando and Anaheim appear to be clearing up at the perfect time.
In other news, we just met some of the new critters at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
As if that weren’t enough, we also captured a bit of joy as our reporters spotted Imagineer Charita Carter on a test ride.
Carter is one of the Imagineers most responsible for this project.
CommuniCore Hall & Plaza
Speaking of our ace reporters, we also caught CommuniCore Hall & Plaza lighting up for the very first time!
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney Presents Theater has reopened with newer, cushier seats.
We also got some new information about The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
Here’s a look behind the scenes at the construction.
Also, we learned that guests staying at this hotel are entitled to the Extended Evening Hours amenity.
At the Disney resorts, Goofy’s Kitchen has introduced new outfits for its beloved character meal.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
Finally, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort’s popular Table Service restaurant, Wind & Waves Grill, is bringing back its Saturday character meal.
Okay, that’s everything for this week. I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday, my many loves!
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