This has truly been a bizarre week not only for Disney guests, but for families all across the country.
Cinderella Castle
While Disney World prepares for an unprecedented closure due to the Coronavirus, we’ve been doing our best to answer all of your questions during a time where things are changing by the minute. While we have already answered several of your questions about how this closure could affect your travel plans, we’ve also received some important questions that you may have not thought about!
What about all of the animals? Who will take care of them? Will people try to steal them?
Although there has never been a closure like this in Disney history, we have the highest hopes that the animals throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Lodge will be well taken care of during the closure.
Elephant on Kilimanjaro Safaris
When the parks have closed in the past, such as for hurricane Dorian, Disney World has groups of Cast Members known as “Ride Out Teams” stick around to take care of guests (and animals!) until it is safe for the parks to reopen — so we are thinking there will be some form of a Coronavirus Ride Out team in the meantime! Buuuut if they are taking volunteers, we call watching the baby zebra!
Check out the full history of all the times Disney Parks have closed in the past here!
What about the weddings?
If you’ve planned a wedding, you know just how much can go into the details, prepping, and DEPOSITS! The Cast Member we spoke with advised brides and grooms to contact their wedding agents regarding cancellations and rescheduling.
Floral design on Magic Kingdom Lawn at Disneyland Hotel
Since Disney has offered to reschedule park tickets until December, we hope brides will be offered a similar option to reschedule. You married folks may also know how popular venues can be booked solid for YEARS, so we are curious to see how Disney will navigate all of the rescheduling.
Click here to find out everything Disney World is refunding so far! OR Click here to find out what Disneyland is refunding due to the closures!
Will Cinderella Castle’s makeover continue?
While we still don’t have an official word from Disney on whether construction will continue in the midst of park closures, we did get a glimpse inside an empty Magic Kingdom on the park’s first day closed to guests.
During this sneak peek, we could see that the cranes were back UP, even after they had been lowered for the fireworks show the night before.
Magic Kingdom Today
It was looking like Cinderella Castle was still getting her rosy glow on — but now that the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines recommend gatherings of no more than 10 people, we’re seeing construction projects come to a halt across Disney World.
Check out how the finished product of Cinderella Castle’s makeover is planning to look here!
What about the “Donald Duck with Spike the Bee” magnet?
We had previously reported that, in celebration of Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival, Annual Passholders would be able to pick up a Donald magnet from March 4th to April 19th and an Orange Bird magnet from April 20th through June 1st.
Passholder Magnet
Disney World is planning to remain closed until at least the end of the month, which means there could still be time for you to snag the precious Donald and Spike the Bee magnet before the deadline! We are taking things one day at a time, but you know we will track those babies down if the park closures extend into April!
Get a sneak peek of the Orange Bird magnet here!
What about the Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction merchandise release?
Remember how we have been looking forward to the third Saturday of every month to see our main gal, Minnie Mouse, as The Main Attraction?! We raced to see her struttin’ her Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean attire, but who will be there to pick up March’s Teacup Minnie if the parks are closed for the March 21st release?? Not to fear! The March Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction Collection is still planning to be available on shopDisney on March 21st at 7AM PT!
©shopDisney
Check out a sneak peek of the APRIL Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction collection here!
What does the closure mean for ‘Disco Yeti’?
Animal Kingdom’s thrilling adventure, Expedition Everest, takes you on a journey to summit Mount Everest — including an encounter with the Yeti! When the ride first opened, the Yeti’s animatronic arm swung over you as you exited the side of the mountain, but it didn’t take very long for this feature to break down.
Expedition Everest
Unlike the animatronics on Rise of the Resistance (which we see continually being repaired), we haven’t seen the Yeti back in action in years! The animatronic’s frame was built into the main structure of the mountain, so when the frame started cracking due to the animatronic’s motions, the Imagineers knew this wouldn’t be an easy fix. They have since added a strobe light to the Yeti and stopped his movement, which makes it look like he’s throwing a dance party for one — so fans often refer to him as “Disco Yeti!” Could this recent closure give the Imagineers time to FINALLY fix the Yeti??
everest
We were surprised how much we saw this question going around! Even Imagineer Joe Rohde, who was crucial in the design of the attraction, spoke out on Twitter to taper guests’ optimistic expectations. When asked if “14 days [is] enough [time] to fix Disco Yeti,” he replied with a simple “No.” With so much other construction already scheduled and now postponed in the parks, such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, TRON Lightcycle Run, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, we imagine we won’t see Disco Yeti returned to his former glory for a while.
Find out what happens when the Rise of the Resistance animatronics aren’t working as planned HERE!
Yes — it is such a strange time in the world of Disney, but we are thankful to be walking through it with readers like you! We aim not to make light of this devastating situation, but to bring a little spark of Disney magic to you as we face these events together. Please keep your questions coming and we will do everything we can to help track down the answers!
If you’re looking for answers to the Coronavirus questions that could seriously affect your trip, check out our COVID-19 FAQs here!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What other obscure questions do you have about the Disney COVID-19 closures? Let us know in the comments below!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
hi! i was wondering if you guys had any info on what will be happening to special ticketed events such as the villains after hours event at magic kingdom. 2 of the nights have already been canceled due to the park closing, and i’m sure more will be canceled if the park continues to be closed for a longer period of time. would you know if disney has any intention of extending this event to include more dates? as of now, the last date for this event is july 10th. thanks so much!
Michaela, no word yet.
We did the Savor the Savanna tour the Saturday before they closed and the cast members said that, as you guessed, they would trim down some of the non-essential animal handlers and vets might not come in except for emergencies, but at a minimum they’d have the ride out team onsite to take care of things.