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There are so many new shows coming up!
There are two new nighttime shows at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and EPCOT parks, and a TV special to celebrate the 50th Anniversary.
Search the Disney Parks Blog for the livestream videos – 9pm ET on 9/29 for EPCOT’S Harmonious show and 10:15pm ET on 9/30 for Magic Kingdom’s Enchantment show.
Then, Fri 10/1 primetime on TV, the 50th Anniversary special on your local ABC channel. Check your local listings.
Well, it’s been a nutty month. So many things going on! Here’s a quick recap of some of the recent happenings at the Disney World parks. Feel free to contact me if you want more info.
Early Theme Park Entry
Officially, starting Oct 1st, guests staying at the Disney resorts and certain partner hotels can get into any of the four parks 30 minutes before the stated opening time. I know, 30 minutes may not seem like much, but you’ll be surprised. In that time, you should be able to get onto at least one big ride and maybe in line for the 2nd before the crowds of non-resort guests get there. That’s a big deal to be able to knock out two major rides with lower crowds. Also, starting Sept 26th, guests can start experiencing this as a preview. You still need the usual park ticket and reservation pass to get in, of course. In addition, if you’re staying at a deluxe Disney resort and other select deluxe hotels, you can also stay 2 hours after park closing.
Boarding Groups Paused for Rise of the Resistance
As of this week, you do not get a boarding group to ride Rise of the Resistance anymore. It’s just Standby only, so be prepared to line up early. I’ve heard of several hour waits! They haven’t said how long this will go on for, so double check which method they’re using when you go.
Boarding Groups Needed for New Remy Ride
When the new Remy Ride opens in the France pavilion in EPCOT on Oct 1st, you will need to get a boarding pass to ride it. It sounds like it works the same way as the Rise of the Resistance boarding passes – use the same strategies, try at 7am or 1pm, etc. The crepe restaurant and the entire new section behind the current France pavilion will also open that day.
New Fireworks Shows Livestreams
If you won’t be in the parks next week for their debut, you can watch a livestream of the first preview shows from the Disney Parks Blog site! From EPCOT, Harmonious will stream Sept 29th at 9pm ET. From Magic Kingdom, Disney Enchantment will stream Sept 30th at 10:15pm ET.
Club Cool and Creation Shop Opened
Yes, Beverly is back! Phew! That’s all you wanted to know, right? LoL. All of the other sodas at Club Cool have been changed to new flavors though. I heard there might even be a new Beverly contender. The new store replacing MouseGears in EPCOT, called Creation Shop, has also finally opened.
Space 220 Restaurant Finally Opened
Finally! This restaurant has been in the works for years and has actually opened! From the vlogger videos that I’ve seen so far, it looks really cool! The food sounds good, but the atmosphere is the highlight here. That space elevator looks amazing! They should just make that a ride! Note, it has a slightly different pricey prix fixe menu for lunch and dinner, but there’s also a lounge where you can get ala carte small bites. Reservations are already gone through December though. If you want to eat here, book it first the second your dining reservation window opens.
Buffets are Back
Buffets are back at Boma, Biergarten, and Crystal Palace. I bet more will be coming soon. They had reopened as table service restaurants for the past few months, but recently, they changed back to their original self serve buffet format.
Polynesian Monorail Station and EPCOT Monorail Opened
The construction of the new Polynesian resort monorail station is finally done and the Magic Kingdom resort monorail now stops at the Poly again. In addition, the EPCOT Monorail is also running again, so you can take that between EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom area.
Fingerprint Scanners Used Again
They started using the fingerprint scanners to get into the parks again, so try to remember which finger you first used.
Steakhouse 71 Coming Soon
This is the new restaurant that is replacing The Wave at the Contemporary resort. The name is based on 1971, the year the resort opened. It is opening Oct 1st but reservations have already been filling up fast. The menu shows typical American fare for breakfast, sandwiches and burgers for lunch, and steaks for dinner, among other choices, of course. It all sounds good though.
Cirque de Soleil Opening Soon
The new Cirque du Soleil® show in Disney Springs is finally opening Nov 18th. You can buy tickets now on the Cirque de Soleil site.
Animal Kingdom’s Nemo Show Being Reimagined
The Nemo show in Animal Kingdom hasn’t reopened since the Covid closure and they recently announced that they won’t be reopening anytime soon. When it does, it will be a new reimagined show, but no other specifics have been given yet.
EPCOT’S Candlelight Professional Returning
The Candlelight Professional is a popular show during the EPCOT holiday festivities where a celebrity narrator reads the Christmas story interspersed with songs performed by a majestic choir. It’s a beautiful show. It will be held most nights from Nov 26 – Dec 30th. No details on the celebrity lineup or dining packages yet though.
50th Anniversary Is Next Week
Yup, it’s going to be October 1st next Friday! September just flew by! So, that means the long anticipated 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Magic Kingdom park is finally here! All of the parks will have special decorations and lighting, Magic Kingdom and Epcot will debut their new nighttime shows, Animal Kingdom will debut a new daytime show, characters will have shiny new outfits and calvacades and make appearances in parks and resorts, golden statues of various characters have been set out around all four parks, and much, much more. There will be new anniversary floats bookending the current floats on the Electric Water Pageant. Of course, they will have tons of new merch and foods too! There will even be a TV show on ABC that night. Check your TV listings. The festivities will go on for the next 18 months, at least, so you’ll have plenty of time to make a trip over there! We plan to join in the fun! Come along!
This is all I can think of for now, but I’m sure more announcements will be coming from Disney. There seems to be something new everyday. There’s so much to keep up with. Some other big changes have already been discussed in my previous blogs, so check those too, if you haven’t already. Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss anything.
Disneyland California just announced several new holiday parties, called Disney Merriest Nites! The parties will consist of unique holiday themed activities such as character appearances, parades, food, merchandise, and of course, access to certain rides and attractions with lower wait times. Several Disney characters – Mickey, Miguel, Tiana, Elsa, Lilo & Stitch, and Buzz – will host mini-parties around the various lands within the park, so it’ll be like 6 parties in one.
As of now, there are 5 available nights, but I wouldn’t put it past Disney to add more dates as these sell out. The parties last from 8pm til midnight, but guests with a party ticket can enter the Disneyland park at 5pm to enjoy the regular park activities first. Tickets cost $165 for all nights (11/16, 11/30, 12/7, 12/9) except the first one for $175 (11/11), and will be available to purchase on the Disneyland site or app starting September 14th.
For more details on the party, check out the official Disneyland page:
Disney World has revamped their annual pass program and just released the details of the 4 new tiers. If you’re interested, they’re going on sale Sept 8, 2021.
They are apparently limiting the number of passholders, so they can sell out. If you’re definitely set on getting them, you may want to do so sooner rather than later.
If you currently have an active annual pass, you won’t switch to one of the new ones until your next renewal, which will still have the renewal discount against the new prices, but you will get the increased park reservation count starting Sept 8th.
From what I’m reading so far, Florida residents can choose between any of the 4, DVC members can choose between 2, and non-residents who aren’t DVC members can only buy 1. Each of the 4 vary with the number of park reservations and block out dates.
The key differences between these and the old annual passes are that you can make up to 5 park reservations now (currently, it’s 3) if you’re not staying at a Disney resort (resort guests still get length of stay), but PhotoPass photo downloads are not included anymore. That is now an add-on that you can buy for the year if you want to get all of your PhotoPass/ride photos. That’s a bummer, but you only need to buy one for your group if you’re all linked in the MDE app. Water parks is another add-on too. But, passes still includes park hopping and various discounts and other perks.
I know the price of annual passes may seem daunting, but if you tend to go to Disney World more than once a year or if your one trip is more than a week, you may want to do the math to see if it’s more cost effective to get an annual pass instead of buying individual tickets. It includes discounts on shopping and dining at certain Disney locations, along with a few other perks that may add up to be enough savings for you to get a pass. You may also consider getting a pass for one member of your group just to get the discounts. If you’ve already bought park tickets for an upcoming trip, you can upgrade them to a pass before the last day of your tickets and apply the cost you already paid towards them.
The chart below summarizes the key points of the four different passes, courtesy of Disney.
You can read Disney’s full article here:
I’m not sure if Disney will release more information than this, if there is anymore, but I’ll keep you posted if anything significant comes out. Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about this.
UPDATE: DCL is no longer requiring testing or proof of vaccinations before sailing.
UPDATE: As of Sept 13, 2021, Disney is requiring all travelers on every ship to do a rapid test at the port before embarkation, regardless of vaccination status, courtesy of Disney. The text below has been updated to reflect the latest information.
Last week, the Bahamian government announced that all eligible guests need to be vaccinated in order to visit any Bahamian island, including the private islands owned by cruise lines. Cruise lines are not allowed to port at any Bahamian islands unless all guests 12 and older are vaccinated on the ship. This is in effect through November 1, 2021 currently, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t extend it after that.
So, it comes as no surprise that Disney Cruise Lines announced this morning that all guests 12 and older are now required to be fully vaccinated before they will be allowed to board any sailing with a stop at the Bahamas, which includes the Disney private island Castaway Cay. Any guests younger than 12 will be required to have a negative PCR test still. I’m sure other cruise lines will follow suit soon, if they haven’t required vaccinations already.
If you have an affected Disney cruise booked between September 3, 2021 and November 1, 2021, Disney is allowing you to cancel or reschedule the trip without any penalty fees before September 3, 2021 if this effects your ability to sail. Make sure to do it before the 3rd or the usual fees will apply.
Disney cruise changes and cancellations need to be called in, they cannot be made within the app yourself. If you used a travel agency to book your cruise, you have to go through them, so let them know ASAP so they can be on the long phone lines with Disney for you.
As always, read the information directly from Disney for exact specifics, including how to provide your proof of vaccination or specifics on the testing process. If your sailing was affected, you should have gotten an email from Disney as well. This is currently affecting sailings on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy ships in the upcoming months.
Disney has not stated if the vaccination policy will stay in effect beyond Nov 1, 2021, regardless if the Bahamas extends their requirement. If you have a cruise booked beyond that date, you may still want to start preparing now, if necessary, since it will take several weeks to get both doses of the vaccinations in order to be considered fully vaccinated.
As always, feel free to contact me if you need any help with your cruise information and bookings.
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.
UPDATE 10/8/2021: Disney just announced that the start date of these services will be Oct 19th. Check out my more recent blog post for the list of rides included in each park and pricing info.
Disney just announced the new Genie service that will appear in the Disney World MyDisneyExperience app and the Disneyland app. This will include some new features, plus the new paid replacement for FastPass+/MaxPass that has been rumored for awhile now.
Here’s my summary of everything as I understand it right now. There are tons of articles out there about this, so I’ll try to boil it down a little here.
From what I have read/seen so far, it sounds like an “assistant” type feature within the app that’ll give you recommendations on which rides to do next based on ride times and your defined interests. You can specify if you like princesses, Star Wars, and a few other things (they haven’t shown all the things you can specify yet, but it’ll probably be things like thrill rides vs tamer rides, etc) and the Genie will form a suggested itinerary of rides you might like, along with their current wait times. It’ll work together with all the features in the app now, like booking dining and such, so everything will be all in one place. This part of the app enhancement will be free. Everyone can just use this Genie “assistant” by using the Disney apps for each park. It’ll be there by default.
Then, there will be two additional premium features that you can add on.
Genie+: For a given fee per person per day, you can turn it into a Genie+ (note the plus sign) service. This is basically a paid version of FastPass+ and MaxPass that used to exist in both parks and works very similarly. This enables you to pick the ride time window for your next ride and not have to go to the ride until that time, rather than standing in a long line in that queue.
When it’s time to go to that ride, you will go through the “Lightning Lane” instead of the usual Standby line, so you’re not waiting in a line. They’ve basically just renamed the old FassPass/MaxPass lines to now be called “Lightning Lanes”, so don’t let this info confuse you. Just equate Lightning Lanes to FastPass/MaxPass entrances and Genie+ to the old FastPass+/MaxPass system.
Like before, you can only hold one time selection at a time, so you have to wait until you ride that one before you can pick your next one. The exception is that if the return time is more than 2 hours away from your selection time (or 2 hours after park opening time), you can pick the next ride after 2 hours so it’s not like you’re stuck with a huge block of time where you can’t pick anything. There’s no limit, so you can select rides all day as long as times are available, but you can only pick each ride one time throughout your day.
If you intend to park hop that day and want to use the Genie+ service at the other park too, make sure you buy the one that let’s you use it at multiple parks instead of the specific park one.
When you buy the Genie+ service, it also includes some additional features, like photo downloads at Disneyland and VR Snapchat filters at Disney World. Unfortunately, it does not include the actual photo downloads at Disney World, so you will still have to buy the Memory Maker package separately if you want the photo downloads.
You can buy this Genie+ add-on starting at midnight of the day you intend to use it, and then pick your first ride starting at 7am of that day.
Individual Lightning Lane Selections: The second add-on feature is the ability to select ride times for up to 2 rides per day that belong in this category. These are the really, reeeally popular rides, like Mine Train and Radiator Racers, that aren’t included in the above Genie+ category. The cost of these will vary by availability. Their prices are listed in the MDE app where you go to buy them.
You do not have to buy the Genie+ service in order to buy these Individual Lightning Lanes, so you can pick and choose if you just buy one or the other or both, depending on which rides you think you need them for.
As a benefit to guests staying at a Disney resort, if you’re buying the Individual Lightning Lanes, you can make that first selection at 7am each morning, without needing to be in the park. The 7am head start is especially helpful since these will be the really popular rides that may run out of times quickly. If you are not staying at a Disney resort, you can make your first selection at park opening time for the park whose ride you’re buying it for.
They will continue using the current Virtual Queue system for some reeeally, reeeeeally popular rides that come along. Check the MDE app to see which ones currently have Virtual Queues. If they have a Virtual Queue, most likely, that means you cannot just walk up to it and wait in a Standby line. Virtual queues are still free. It sounds like these rides will be included in the Individual Lightning Lane category as well. So, if you aren’t able to get a virtual group or choose not to go through the stress of even trying, you would be able to just pay for an Individual Lightning Lane pass for it.
So, essentially, the rides will be divided into 4 categories – ones that are usually pretty low waits that they don’t even include any passes for, ones with moderate waits that you can buy Genie+ to get passes for, ones with high waits that you have to buy specific Individual Lightning Lane passes for, and ones with super high waits that you have to join a Virtual Queue to ride.
Of course, you can just use the free Standby queue to ride any of the rides still, besides the ones with only Virtual Queues. It just depends on your wait tolerance level and which rides you want to ride. You have the flexibility to decide how you want to make use of this depending on ride times for that day. It comes down to a time vs cost decision – so whether it’s worth it will differ for each person.
All of these features are supposed to roll out this Fall, though they didn’t give a specific date, so I guess we’ll see if they reveal more details before then. There are still some unanswered questions too. Who knows? Even some of what they’ve revealed so far may change between now and then. Once it rolls out, we’ll see for sure how it works and what other features are included. I’ll keep you posted if there are any major changes. It’s not that far away.
In the meantime, if you want to read the full article and watch a video from Disney revealing this new enhancement, go to the sites here:
UPDATE 10/7/2021: Bookings will open Oct 28, 2021 with sailings starting Mar 1, 2022. More details here.
Disney just announced tons of details about the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, the Halcyon. This will be a 2 night immersive experience on board the “ship”, where you will be a part of a first of its kind Star Wars adventure that includes a stop at Batuu Galaxy’s Edge. Think land and sea cruise experience, but in the Star Wars realm.
It’s hard to describe exactly what it’ll be like since this is brand new, but the theming looks impressive so far. Disney has released some concept photos, and just today, a short teaser video.
The experience will include a 2 night stay in a ship cabin (aka hotel room), meals, a visit to Batuu (in Hollywood Studios, but only that section of the park), and a bunch of activities like lightsaber training and secret missions.
They’re listing starting prices of $4800 for 2 people per cabin to $6000 for 4. These are just starting prices, listed for the Fall months, so chances are, they’ll only go up from there for the peak months and for higher level cabins. Yikes!
They haven’t announced when booking will start yet, but I suspect it’ll be in the next few months if it’s supposed to launch next Spring. If it works like regular cruises, prices will always be lowest when they’re first released and only go up as room inventory goes down, so you’ll probably want to book asap if you’re seriously considering this. Let me know if you would like me to help.
Read all the specifics on the Disney World Starcruiser page, which includes a sample itinerary and pricing. Select from the drop-down menu to view the related pages.
Note: Just based on the sample itinerary, it sounds like this experience will only include the two night stay on the Halcyon ship/hotel and the brief visit to Batuu in Hollywood Studios. You won’t leave it otherwise. So, if you want to go to the rest of the Disney World parks, you will need to book that as a separate experience before or after. Basically, get park tickets and hotel/resort stay like you would a normal Disney World trip.
Disney just announced a new program called Magic Key that will be replacing the annual pass program at Disneyland and California Adventure.
There will be 4 levels of the program with different amounts of allowable park reservation days, discounts, and other benefits, so you can see if one of them makes sense for your group. Read all of the details carefully on the Disneyland site’s Magic Key page.
I know the initial cost of an annual pass, or now a “key” (is that what we’ll call them now?), seems daunting at first, but do the math on how many days you’ll be going in a year, along with the discounts that may apply to you. With the increasing cost of individual day tickets, you may be surprised. If you do long trips or several short trips a year, it actually may be more cost effective to get one. Or see if it makes sense for at least one member of your group to get one just for the discounts. Again, do the math on that. It still could work out if you spend alot on dining and shopping.
On the other coast, Disney World has also confirmed that the Passholder program will be available for sale again before the 50th Anniversary on Oct 1st. More details are supposed to come out by the end of the month, so stay tuned.
Well, it looks like the recent spike in Covid cases caused by the unvaccinated folks has ruined things for everyone. Disney World and Disneyland California just announced that masks will be required again, starting July 30th, at all indoor settings and attractions. Here’s the text snippet from the Disney site:
Beginning July 30, face coverings are required for all Guests (ages 2 and up) while indoors and in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions. Face coverings remain optional for all Guests in outdoor common areas.
For the full details on this and other current restrictions, refer to the Disney World experience updates page and the Disneyland experience updates page.
This was just announced for the Disney World and Disneyland California locations, but I’m sure the same will be applied to other Disney locations and other theme parks soon, unfortunately. Hopefully, this won’t lead to further restrictions or even another shutdown.
Let’s hope that everyone gets vaccinated soon and stops the spread!
Update: As of Thursday, August 19, 2021, masks are now optional, not required, on outdoor parts of ride queues and outdoor rides, like Dumbo. I have a feeling this will be a constantly changing situation, so always check for the latest information on the official Disney sites listed above.
Exciting news!!
Today, Disney Cruise Lines announced that they will start cruising again with the Bahamian sailings on August 9th!
Also, the 3 and 4 night cruises on the Disney Dream in Aug and early September will be replacing the Nassau stop with a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay instead. So, if you’re lucky enough to have a booking on those sailings, you will get two stops at Castaway Cay now! So lucky! That island is awesome!
If you have a cruise booked for the next few months, you should’ve gotten an email from Disney Cruise Lines explaining some upcoming changes. Make sure to know before you go.
We can’t wait to sail again soon! I’ll post a trip recap of one of our last cruises next.
Email me if you want to chat more about Disney cruises.
Adventures By Anne 