Category: Disney World FL

Theme park masks are optional again

Mickey mask

Universal Orlando, Disney World Orlando, and Disneyland California just announced that masks will no longer be required in indoor attractions and settings for vaccinated guests. This is in effect already at Universal Orlando and starts Feb 17, 2022 for both Disney parks. They will still be required on transportation, such as shuttles, buses, monorails, and the Skyliner.

Here’s the text snippet from the Disney World site:

Beginning February 17, 2022, face coverings will be optional for fully vaccinated guests in both outdoor and indoor locations. We expect Guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings in all indoor locations, including indoor attractions and theaters. Face coverings will still be required by all Guests (ages 2 and up) on enclosed Disney transportation, including Disney buses, monorails, and Disney Skyliner.

UPDATE: As of March 15, 2022, masks are optional for vaccinated guests on the Skyliner also.

Here’s the snippet from the Disneyland site:

Beginning February 17, 2022, face coverings are required for unvaccinated Guests (ages 2 and older) in all indoor locations, including throughout indoor attractions and indoor queues. Face coverings are required for all Guests, regardless of vaccination status, in certain indoor settings including Disney shuttles and in health settings, such as in First Aid. Face coverings are optional for Guests in outdoor areas.

Here’s the snippet from the Universal Orlando site:

Face coverings are optional for fully vaccinated guests. For guests who have not been vaccinated, face coverings are encouraged while indoors.

For the full details on this and other current restrictions, refer to the following pages from the parks:

As of this writing, Universal Hollywood and other parks have not announced any changes to their mask requirements, but be sure to check the website for each park before you go.

You could be in a Smithsonian exhibit!

The National Museum of American History is working on a future project, and they’re looking for images that capture your experiences as guests at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. They want all kinds of photos – candid or posed, all ages and abilities, doing all kinds of activities around the parks. Find that funny ride photo!

If you submit a photo and/or story of yourself, you might appear in the museum! Here’s how:

Please send your photo/s to NMAH-DisneyStories@si.edu with a few sentences about the photo and your Disney Park story. Don’t forget to include your name and the best way to get in touch with you!

Check this article from the museum for more specifics.

Celebrate Mardi Gras at Disney World Port Orleans Resort

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Feb. 2, 2022 is the 30th anniversary of the Port Orleans Resort – Riverside resort at Disney World. Since it is modeled after the beauty and charm of New Orleans, what better way to celebrate the anniversary than with Mardi Gras festivities. That’s only a month away anyway.

There will be tons of activities, entertainment, and food and beverages, of course. Anyone can participate. You don’t have to be a guest staying at that resort. Check out this article from Disney Parks for more details.

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Honor Black History Month at Disney Parks

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This February, in celebration of black culture and heritage, Disney World and Disneyland California invite you to Celebrate Soulfully through music, food, art and more.

There will be many performances, exhibits, treats, and, of course, merchandise at the parks and resorts on both coasts. For a listing of these events, check out this Disney Parks article.

Valentine’s Day Celebrations at Disney World

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My last post talked about the Valentine’s Day Celebration at Disneyland California. Well, it looks like Disney World and the international Disney parks will have their own celebrations too!

Check out this article from Disney Parks for the detailed listing of all treats & events.

If you’re celebrating, I hope this gives you some good ideas. A Disney day or a Disney inspired day would definitely be a good way to celebrate! 😀

Read my Valentine’s Day Offerings at Disneyland post for info on the events there.

New transportation option from Disney World to/from local airports.

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Disney is now offering private ground transportation to/from Disney World resorts as a package add-on when you book your resort through Disney or an authorized Disney travel agent, like me. A package means booking a resort room and park tickets together. Prices will vary by car type, size, distance, etc. One-way and round-trip fares are available.

There are several options available, including vans, sedans, SUVs, executive limousines and stretch limousines. Up to one complimentary car seat will be available for children five years old and under, with additional car seats subject to availability.

Since this is a very new offering, I’ll update here as I hear additional information.

I also talk about other transportation options here:

More entertainment returning to Disney World

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Disney just announced that several fun parades and shows are returning to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando!

February 11, 2022 – “Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade!” – This is a brand new character cavalcade, which is like a mini parade of characters, on just a few floats at a time, that go by a few times a day. This one will feature Miguel from “Coco” for the first time, plus Nick and Judy from “Zootopia”, Moana, The Incredibles, and many more! Existing cavalcades featuring Mickey and other characters will still continue as well.

February 11, 2022 – Frontierland Hoedown – On the same day as the above cavalcade debut, the fun Frontierland Hoedown will be returning. This is a flash mob type show where dancers and characters from the Country Bears, Splash Mountain, and more will do the Hokey Pokey and other dance numbers in the middle of the street by the Country Bears theater. Audience participation is encouraged, so watch out if you happen to be walking by. It could just start randomly throughout the day.

February 25, 2022 – “Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire” stage show – This will be a newly reimagined character show on the stage in front of Cinderella Castle. It will feature scenes inspired by “Tangled”, “The Princess and the Frog”, and “Frozen”, along with new opening & closing scenes with Mickey and friends in their sparkling, 50th Anniversary, EARidescent outfits. This show will take place multiple times a day.

March 9, 2022 – “Festival of Fantasy” Parade – This beloved parade will finally return to the Magic Kingdom park, twice a day! Yes, the huge fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon float will be returning as well! It will also include many other floats featuring the princesses, Peter Pan, Mickey and friends, and many more.

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As with all shows and events in the parks, check the printed park guides by the entrances or MDE app for times. I encourage you to catch these fun shows and parades. They really do add to the magic of the parks. It’s not just about doing rides. Soak in the ambiance and catch all the other things going on around you too. Have fun!

Characters in Genie+

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UPDATE 07/24/2024: The Genie+ service has now been retired at Disney World in Orlando. View my Lightning Lane page to learn all about the new service. The Genie+ functionality at Disneyland California remains the same, just renamed to Lightning Lane.

Starting Jan 26, 2022, you will be able to get a Genie+ for certain character greetings at Disney World. There will probably be more added in the future there and at Disneyland. Keep an eye out in the app when you go to pick your ride selections. The Genie+ service is ever changing.

For now, these are the ones coming soon:

  • Mickey – Town Square Theater, Magic Kingdom
  • Cinderella & visiting princess – Princess Fairytale Hall, Magic Kingdom
  • Tiana & visiting princess – Princess Fairytale Hall, Magic Kingdom
  • Olaf – Celebrity Spotlight, Hollywood Studios

For more details on Genie+, check out my previous blog post:

Feel free to comment below or email me if you have any questions. It all sounds very confusing, but not too bad when you go to use it. We had a chance to try it out on our last trip. I’ll write about it in our Dec 2021 trip recap.

Disney Parks Ride Closures

Splash Mountain

The months of January and February are usually when the Disney theme parks like to do annual maintenance on their rides, especially water rides. Make sure to check each parks’ refurbishment calendar when planning your trip dates to make sure a favorite ride won’t be closed.

Below are just some main ones that I’m seeing as of this writing. In the calendars, scroll down to the Closed for Refurbishment section of each park, for the days that you’re considering.

These calendars also show the scheduled times for the numerous shows and fireworks too (of course, subject to change), so it’s good to check them if you want to plan dining reservations or ride times around certain ones.

At Disney World, some notable closures include Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom. Additionally, the Magic Kingdom railroad and a few shows still haven’t reopened. Blizzard Beach is also now closed, but Typhoon Lagoon has reopened.

At Disneyland, the monorail will be closing permanently and Toontown is slated for a major refurb in the coming months. Currently, Splash Mountain and the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage rides are closed.

Check the calendars often, especially if your trip is still several months or even weeks away, since closures and dates for their reopening can fluctuate often. Closures do happen year-round, not just on January and February.

Of course, this applies to any other theme parks, or any other attraction/location, that you may be interested in going to as well. Always check their websites before you lock in your travel plans and before your trip dates, for any closures and changes. Or, you can use a travel agent, like me, who will stay on top of any changes for you. 😁

Let me know if you want any help figuring these out.

Festival of the Arts Starts Today

Cookie Palate
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At EPCOT in Disney World, the Festival of the Arts has started. It will run from Jan 14 – Feb 21, 2022 this year.

The EPCOT festivals are great because it gives you a chance to try different activities and foods that aren’t normally there. We love them! The food portions are small, so it’s fun to “eat around the world“. The food booths are spread out around the park, but mostly around the countries. Here’s a list of festival food booths.

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Since this particular festival is themed to the arts, there are also many artsy activities. Many artists will be there to display their work, with some having showcases of them working on them. You might be able to catch an art lesson. If you can catch them doing sidewalk chalk art, those are amazing! There will also be lots of artwork available for purchase, of course.

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You can also contribute to a “paint by numbers” type giant mural, and there are several photo ops where you can be “in” a famous painting scene. Those are always fun.

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One of the highlights of the festival is the Disney in Broadway Concert Series. On select nights, performers from the Disney Broadway shows will hold concerts. There are usually 3 showtimes a night, but they’re very popular, so line up early. If you want to guarantee a seat for a specific time, you may want to consider doing a dining package for that day. You have to book the specific meal package that coincides with the showtime that you want, at participating restaurants, which will include the meal and tickets to return for that showtime for those attending the meal. Here are more details on the concert series lineup and dining packages.

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You don’t need an additional ticket or fee to attend the festival. You just need the usual park ticket and park reservation to enter EPCOT. The festival activities and food booths will usually open when the World Showcase opens. Here’s the full description of the festival from Disney’s Festival of the Arts page. Have fun!