If you can help with Hurricane Ian relief, the Red Cross is one of the organizations that you can donate to. Our hearts go out to everyone who was affected.
Hurricane Ian Relief
Category: Disney
Disney World phased reopening
Disney World has announced a phased reopening of the theme parks and Disney Springs on Friday, Sept 30th, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
- Magic Kingdom
- 8 a.m. Early Theme Park Entry
- 10 a.m. All Guest entry
- 6 p.m. Park close for non party guests
- 7 p.m.-12 a.m. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
- EPCOT
- 9 a.m. Early Theme Park Entry
- 11 a.m. All guest entry
- 9 p.m. Park close
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- 10 a.m. Early Theme Park Entry
- 12 p.m. All guest entry
- 9 p.m. Park close
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- 11 a.m. Early Theme Park Entry
- 1 p.m. All Guest entry
- 7 p.m. Park close
- Disney Springs
- 10 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
- The Drawn to Life 5:30 p.m. show on Friday, Sept. 30 will be rescheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m.
- Fantasia Fairways Miniature Golf Course
- 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Theme park reservations are required.
The early theme park entry benefit is available for guests staying at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels.
Dining
All dining and Enchanted Extra experience reservations prior to the listed park hours above are canceled.
Guests who have existing dining or Enchanted Extras experiences during the Early Theme Park Entry window will be allowed to enter the parks whether or not they are Resort Guests.
Transportation
Transportation will operate as normal, pending our current weather protocols. Transportation will begin operation 30 minutes prior to each park open. Resort Guests are encouraged to take their own vehicles if they choose to visit another location on property.
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
For Guests with a Friday, Sept. 30 check-in, please arrive at your resort no earlier than 3 p.m. ET; Guests who arrive before 3 p.m. will not be able to check in. Guests may reschedule their trip or cancel their stay with us; any customary cancellation fees will be waived.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will resume operations with voyages departing Saturday, Oct. 1.
Continued temporary closures
The following locations will remain temporarily closed:
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
- Winter Summerland Miniature Golf
Please note that all reopening timelines are tentative, and subject to safety conditions.
For the most up-to-date information about temporary closures and impacts, check the My Disney Experience app and DisneyWorld.com/Weather
©Disney
Cruises impacted by Hurricane Ian
Disney Cruise Lines has confirmed that the Disney Wish sailing currently out at sea will be delayed returning to Port Canaveral. Instead of returning this Friday as scheduled, it will now likely return on Saturday or Sunday, depending on when Port Canaveral reopens.
Unfortunately, that means the Wish sailing scheduled to start sailing on Friday will now be cancelled. If you were booked on that sailing, you should’ve gotten an email from DCL today with details on refunds and credits.
Norwegian Cruise Lines has also cancelled it’s Thursday sailing on the Norwegian Getaway.
Carnival Cruise Line cancelled its sailings out of Tampa and Jacksonville scheduled for Thursday on the Carnival Paradise and Carnival Elation.
The sailings of those ships that are out at sea now are going to be extended until their ports reopen as well.
Royal Caribbean, MSC, and Celebrity Cruises have announced route and port changes to several of their ships currently out at sea. I imagine most cruise lines with sailings thru the Caribbean will have route and port changes as well.
Chances are, if you have a sailing into or out of ports in Tampa, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville this week, you will be impacted. Check with your cruise line for the latest changes.
Florida theme parks announce closures
In light of the impending landfall of Hurricane Ian thru central Florida, most major theme parks have announced closures for Wednesday and Thursday. So far, Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Legoland have confirmed closures of all of their Florida parks, as well as Disney Springs and CityWalk.
I expect that all other area attractions will be closing soon as well. Depending on the results of the hurricane, the closures may be extended. Double check before you go, if you still plan on going this week.
Stay safe!
Updates to Disney Cruise Line Health & Safety Policies
Disney Cruise Lines has announced that beginning Oct. 14, 2022, for Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish sailings and Nov. 7, 2022 for Disney Magic sailings, Disney Cruise Line will no longer require Guests to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing, however, it is highly recommended.
All Guests ages 5 years and older who are not fully vaccinated (Unvaccinated Guests) will need to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 1-2 days before the sail date. So, if you are vaccinated, you will no longer need to test before sailing. Guests ages 4 years of age and younger do not require testing either.
To be exempt from testing requirements, fully vaccinated Guests must upload their proof of vaccination to the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day. Unvaccinated Guests must upload a negative COVID-19 test result to the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day. Uploading proof of vaccination or a COVID-19 test result is a requirement for adults and children, except for those ages 4 and younger.
Fully vaccinated Guests are not required to be tested between back-to-back sailings anymore. Guests ages 5 years and older who are not fully vaccinated and traveling on back-to-back sailings will be required to complete a COVID-19 test between sailings, arranged by Disney Cruise Line.
If this changes your mind for a currently booked sailing, guests booked on the Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy or Disney Wish October 14, 2022, through January 31, 2023, may modify or cancel their sailing by October 11, 2022 without any Disney-imposed cancellation fees. You should’ve received an email this morning from DCL with this information as well.
Visit the Know Before You Go section of the DCL website for the latest information and answers to many frequently asked questions. These requirements can still change anytime.
If you would like to chat about this or anything related to Disney cruises, or would like me to help you plan your next Disney cruise, feel free to contact me below. We can’t wait for our next sailing!
©Disney Cruise Lines
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Disney World has announced the 2022 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays! It will begin this year on November 25, 2022 with additional holiday foods, activities, and merch.
One of the most popular events of the festival is the Candlelight Processional. You can see “a celebrity narrator tell the story of Christmas, recounting the biblical tale of a savior born in Bethlehem. Woven into the production are stirring songs of hope and joy performed by the orchestra and massed choir.”
Shows take place at 5:15 PM, 7:00 PM or 8:30 PM at the America Gardens Theatre at EPCOT at no additional cost besides your park ticket. It is a very beautiful production!
The schedule of celebrity narrators is subject to change, but here are the ones that have been revealed so far. Certain ones can get very popular so plan to line up very early or book a dining package that includes tickets to the show.
- 11/25 – 11/26: Simu Liu
- 11/27 – 11/29: Chita Rivera
- 11/30 – 12/1: Raul Esparza (NEW)
- 12/2 – 12/3: Whoopi Goldberg
- 12/4 – 12/6: Isabella Rossellini
- 12/7 – 12/9: Daymond John
- 12/10 – 12/12: Josh Gad (NEW)
- 12/13 – 12/14: Gloria Estefan (NEW)
- 12/15 – 12/18: Neil Patrick Harris
- 12/19 – 12/20: Mariska Hargitay (NEW)
- 12/21 – 12/23: Cal Ripken Jr.
- 12/24 – 12/26: Marie Osmond
- 12/27 – 12/28: Courtney Vance
- 12/29 – 12/30: Angela Bassett
Note: narrators can change. Check the official Disney festival page for the most recent updates on the schedule and additional details about the festival.
This is another fun EPCOT festival that we love. Feel free to contact me if you want to chat more about this or if you want me to help plan your trip.
Happy Holidays!
©Disney
Disney waiving change fees due to Hurricane Ian
Due to the impending landfall of Hurricane Ian on the Orlando area, Disney World has announced that they are waiving all change and cancellation fees for dining and resort reservations between Sept 26 – Oct 3, 2022.
Some resorts and the water parks have already been announced with closures as well.
For the latest updates on Disney World weather related events, go to:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/weather-updates/
I hope you’ll be safe if you’re within the path of the hurricane!
New Disney Cruises to Hawaii and the South Pacific
Breaking news!!
Disney Cruise Line just announced that the Wonder will be sailing to the South Pacific and Hawaii from late 2023 to 2024!
Booking begins:
– October 3, 2022: Platinum Castaway Club Members & Golden Oak Members
– October 4, 2022: Gold Castaway Club Members
– October 5, 2022: Silver Castaway Club Members, eligible Disney Vacation Club Members and Adventure Insiders
– October 6, 2022: All Guests
For more details, view the Disney Cruise Line page:
Feel free to contact me if you’d like me to help book your cruise. These are going to go fast so book as soon as your window opens!
©Disney
Disney Cruise Line Offer for Disney+ Members
Beginning September 8, 2022, Disney+ subscribers can a book special offer for Disney Cruise Line.
As a special offer for Disney+ subscribers, third and fourth guests sail free with two full-fare guests in the same stateroom on select Disney Cruise Line voyages! The Disney+ subscriber must be the primary name on the booking.
This offer is available for select staterooms and sailings on the Disney Magic, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy departing Jan. – April 2023 and does not include taxes, fees and port expenses for each guest, which are due at time of final payment. The number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited.
The following sailings are not eligible for this offer:
Disney Magic: Jan. 2 & March 13, 2023
Disney Dream: Jan. 2 & April 10, 2023
Disney Fantasy: March 11 & 25, 2023
Contact me ASAP if you are interested. Bookings open tomorrow, Sept 8th, and will be limited. This is a great rare deal for DCL!
© Disney Cruise Line
August Disney Trip
Guess what?!? We just got back from an amazing cruise on the brand new Disney Wish ship! Here’s a pic of the Grand Hall. The chandelier and surrounding lights along the railings light up to various songs throughout the night. So magical!
The entire ship is themed as a “castle at sea”. Everything was gorgeous, the cast members and service were top-notch, as usual, the food was delicious, and the activities were plentiful and fun. In many ways, there are many similarities that you come to expect on a Disney ship, yet also many differences from the other Disney ships to keep things interesting. This is definitely most unique though and worth checking out. We had a great experience!
I’ll post more details soon on this site, but in the meantime, check out some of the thousands of pics I took on my Instagram. There are many more to come!
If you have any specific questions or would like me to help you plan your next cruise, feel free to contact me below.
Adventures By Anne 