Another week has gone by for Disney parks around the world and we’ve got LOTS of updates!
When Was the Last Time You Visited Magic Kingdom?
Disney has updated its rules about what could get a guest kicked OUT of some of its parks. We’ve got an update on when a VERY popular Disney World show will be returning. There have been some changes when it comes to refillable drink stations and much more! So join us now to see the 7 Disney news stories from this week that you NEED to know about!
1. Here’s One Thing That’ll Get You Kicked Out of a Disney Park
Earlier this week, Disneyland Resort updated some of its policies as it prepares for the historic reopening of its theme parks. Specifically, Disneyland’s website now notes that Disney reserves the right to require a guest to leave if they’re not properly wearing an approved face mask (a rule we’ve also seen at Disney World).
But, the biggest thing we noticed is that Disneyland’s rules also state that they reserve the right to require a guest to leave if they’re using profanity or offensive language towards Disneyland Cast Members or other guests.
Always Important to Read the Latest Rules
At the moment, Disney World’s policies don’t appear to contain this exact language but they do ask guests to show common courtesy to Cast Members and other guests by not using profanity. Could Disney World update its rules to be more like this Disneyland one? It’s certainly possible.
Click here to read more about the profanity policy in Disneyland.
2. Festival of the Lion King Is Coming Back Soon!
Earlier this year, we heard that the Festival of the Lion King show would be returning this summer to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. But, recently we got a big update! While we still don’t have an exact date, Disney has now shared that the show will be returning in mid-May.
Festival of the Lion King
Disney has also said that the show will be returning in a modified format and with a new name.
Click here to learn more about the return of the Festival of the Lion King!
3. Some Self-Serve Drink Stations Have Changed
This week we also got a pretty big update when it comes to self-serve drink stations. When the Disney hotels and parks reopened after the closures in 2020, self-serve drink stations were generally modified so that guests would not be serving themselves. Instead, a Cast Member would typically be standing behind a roped-off area, serving guests their drinks.
Centertown Market Drinks Station
But, this week things seem to have changed at some spots! Over at a Disney World hotel and some restaurants in the parks, we noticed that the drink stations were back to normal!
Cast Members were no longer stationed there, and instead, guests were allowed to fill their own drinks. There were some directional arrows, social distancing markers, and other things in place to help guide guests through the area.
No Cast Member here!
We saw this over at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park as well when it reopened, but it was interesting to see it transitioning over to the parks and resorts as well.
Click here to read more about where we found the refillable drink stations were back to “normal”!
4. Florida Could Look Different By the End of the Summer, But Travel Advisories Have Been Updated for Other Countries
This week we got some more updates when it comes to masks and social distancing in Central Florida and when things might look different. Right now, Orange County, Florida (where some of Disney World is located) has a mask mandate in place.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has said that it will likely be several months before we’ll see a significant reduction in the requirement to wear facial coverings. But, he said he expects sometime in mid-to-late summer, we could see a situation where Orange County is able to really relax the rules regarding facial coverings.
Face Mask
He has also said that some rules regarding things like social distancing could be reduced sooner.
Click here for all the details on what the Mayor has said!
But what if you’re in the United States and thinking of traveling somewhere other than Florida — like to another country? Well, earlier this week we shared how the Department of State was planning to issue “do not travel” guidelines for 80% of countries around the world. It appears the Department of State has already made those changes and updated a lot of the travel advisories for many countries.
Flying to Orlando
Countries that fall under this Level 4 “do not travel” advisory have a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.” You can check out the fully updated list of countries and their respective travel advisory levels on the Department of State website.
Click here to see more about these travel advisory updates.
5. Can Out-of-State Guests Visit Disneyland?
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park are set to reopen in just a few days!! But, when they reopen things will be a bit different. One of the biggest changes is that Disney has previously indicated that ONLY California residents will be able to visit Disneyland when it first reopens (due to the state’s guidelines).
Soon, Guests Will Get to Visit Disneyland Park!
But, this week, we got some news about an addendum to the California guidelines that could change things. California’s own Department of Public Health has indicated that the addendum to the guidelines DOES specifically allow fully vaccinated out-of-state guests to visit California’s theme parks.
Carthay Circle
So, does that mean that out-of-state visitors will be able to go to Disneyland when it reopens? Not yet. For the time being, Disneyland is sticking to its existing rules and ONLY California residents will be able to visit during the reopening.
We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for any updates as to when that may change. Rise of the Resistance boarding group distribution times have also been released for Disneyland and you can see more about that here!
Click here to see more about Disneyland confirming that it will not allow out-of-state guests!
6. Disney’s New Tattoo and Dress Code is in Effect
Not too long ago, Disney shared that they would be updating their “Disney Look” dress code to allow for appropriate tattoos, non-inclusive hairstyles, and more. Over the past several days, we’ve seen that this new tattoo and hairstyle dress code is now in effect, and we’ve spotted Cast Members displaying their tattoos.
Camilo doesn’t have to cover up the ink anymore!
Tower of Terror tattoo
So, when you’re in the parks next time, you may see Cast Members displaying their tattoos or otherwise falling under Disney’s updated guidelines.
Click here to learn more about the updates that have been made to the Disney employee dress code!
7. THE PEOPLEMOVER LIVES AGAIN
And for our 7th piece of news from this week, we must share with you the INCREDIBLY exciting news that the much-beloved Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover will be opening later THIS WEEKEND! That’s right everyone, the PeopleMover curse has finally been lifted!!!
We Can’t Wait to Ride the PeopleMover!
Most recently, the ride was scheduled to reopen on May 1st — so it looks like its return to operations will come a little bit early. We’ll keep an eye out for more details, but suffice it to say we cannot WAIT to see this ride fully operational soon!
Click here to learn more about the PeopleMover’s reopening!
And that’s our list of the 7 big Disney news stories that were shared this week! Wondering what other news was released this week? Here’s a quick breakdown!
- A Skyliner crash occurred in Disney World
- Disney World’s NEW Cirque du Soleil Show could reopen this fall
- We got some BIG news about a Sony deal that could impact how you view the Spider-Man movies!
Disney Skyliner
- Wine Bar George is getting a NEW restaurant, and Disney is getting a new store, in Orlando International Airport
- Renting a car could cost you MORE than Disney World tickets!
- Disney World’s lightsaber experience got a BIG price increase
Want to Make Your Own Lightsaber?
- Universal Studios Hollywood reopened in California
- We found a NEW bread pudding in an unexpected spot in Disney World
- A NEW Castle Collection will be released soon
- Disney World is going to be crowded this summer and the proof is online!
- More airlines will be offering direct flights to Orlando soon
A la mode…
- We got some big updates about a new restaurant that is set to come to Disney Springs
- Disney World’s FREE TICKET offer is ending soon — don’t miss out!
- Premier Passholders need to remember to take action to keep their Disney World Annual Pass
- The CDC has issued some travel notices — what could they mean for cruises? Click here to see what we know so far!
Howdy, Woody!
We’ll continue to bring you all of the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for all the latest!
Lots more airlines will be offering direct flights to Orlando soon! Check out the details here!
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MIT recently reported their study which state social distancing does not help in reducing COVID transmission. Also states mask are not necessary outdoors. There is no actual study that states mask or distancing helps. There is only antidotal data.
I’m waiting for news that would REALLY make a splash like…
Park hopper back to normal
Extended park hours for Disney hotel guests
Tables in Wonderland
Magic Express like it was
Fireworks
Parades
Character meet & greet
And, I don’t want to wait another year before all this happens!
The people mover ride will be running but there is no one really know when it might happen on Monday when there isn’t any big crowds . Today on You tube there was people waiting because cast member said it would be Sunday afternoon . People really want to ride this ride last time was before the Pandemic .