Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from July 6-12, 2020.
Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom
- Magic Kingdom finally reopened its gates this Saturday, July 11. In the morning of the grand reopening day, Walt Disney World resort guests received a phone call, reiterating that theme park reservations would be needed to access the parks and that guests should not arrive early to avoid crowding. Despite this, at the start of the day we saw large crowds form outside of Guest Relations at the entrance of the park. Of course, we were very excited to be there, riding all the attractions we have missed and taking note of the new health and safety measures which have been implemented to keep guests and cast members safe. Take a look at each of our individual attraction reports below:
Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel
Splash Mountain (with a guest evacuation)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- Take a look at the attraction wait time overview for the first day back at Magic Kingdom
- In lieu of traditional, large-scale character parades and meet and greets throughout the park, characters have instead been taking to the streets of the Magic Kingdom in socially-distanced, smaller cavalcades throughout the day. Take a look at the selection below:
The Royal Princess Processional (which suffered difficulties in the day as Merida’s horse got startled)
Tinker Bell & the Lost Treasure Cavalcade
- We also spotted the Disney Princesses, Anastasia and Drizella, and the Country Bears out greeting guests from socially-distanced balconies. Also, the daily Flag Retreat ceremonies are still taking place, however socially-distanced from guests, and Chip and Dale also took a cruise down Rivers of America
- Hungry from the excitement of our first day back in the park, we visited a few of our favorite Magic Kingdom restaurants for a socially-distanced meal. Read our reviews of Be Our Guest Restaurant, The Plaza Restaurant, Liberty Tree Tavern, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, and Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
- We can’t forget the shops, as we visited The Emporium
- To help ensure guest comfort as they endure wearing face masks throughout the hot Florida sun, various “Relaxation Stations” have been set up around the Magic Kingdom, where guests can visit for a socially-distanced sit-down, away from the busy parks. In Magic Kingdom, these locations can be found near Golden Oak Outpost, on Tomorrowland Terrace, and inside Pete’s Silly Sideshow
- Guests who visited the Magic Kingdom during this week’s reopening previews received emails from the resort containing surveys, asking questions about cleanliness, crowding, and more
- It was reported that Cast Members are being reprimanded or even terminated for a viral photograph of overcrowding at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction
- Take a look at the construction progress on the upcoming TRON Lightcycle Run attraction in Tomorrowland, which has been updated to “now programming” in the latest guidemap
- Take a closer look at the reimagining work being carried out on Cinderella Castle, which has been completed using a fascinating “Paint by Numbers” technique
- We noted that fans were purchasing large quantities of Splash Mountain merchandise from Briar Patch at the Magic Kingdom, ahead of the recently-announced attraction re-theme. After selling out, the Splash Mountain merchandise was restocked, as the merchandise virtual queue quickly filled to capacity
- The Disney Vacation Club kiosk has debuted a new look in Tomorrowland
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Animal Kingdom officially reopened to guests this Saturday, July 11, with extremely low wait times and crowd levels throughout the park. We were there to take a look around all of the reopened attractions and rides, and learn about all of the new health and safety measures which have been implemented at each to keep guests and cast members safe. Take a look at all of our attraction reports below:
Wilderness Explorer Experience
- New “Relaxation Stations” have debuted across the park, where guests can go to remove their face coverings and take a socially-distanced breather from the busy park atmosphere. In Animal Kingdom, these locations can be found at Pizzafari Restaurant, and outside the UP! A Great Bird Adventure Show
- To keep up our energy as we explored the lands of Animal Kingdom, we visited some of our favorite restaurants for a socially-distanced break and a bite to eat. Read our reviews of Restaurantosaurus, Nomad Lounge, Satu’li Canteen and Pongu Pongu.
- We can’t forget the shops! Take a tour of the reopened Windtraders, and Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures
- Primeval Whirl has officially been removed from the park maps, suggestion the “seasonal” attraction may not be open for a while
- Watch as Mickey & Minnie, Pocahontas & Meeko and Timon & Rafiki make socially-distant appearances on the Discovery River Character Cruise, in lieu of traditional character meet & greets, and the Discovery Island Drummers took to the rivers too
EPCOT
- The marketplace booths and menus have been revealed for the 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, and new banners have gone up in the park ready
- It has been confirmed that Via Napoli, Tutto Italia and Tutto Gusto will be reopening in the World Showcase on July 15, with modified hours
- Merchandise from the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival 2020 will be returning to the park for its reopening on July 15
- Take a look at the new International Gateway temperature screening tents
- The proposed “Relaxation Zones” for EPCOT have been revealed
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- A modified virtual queue system has been announced for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance starting July 15, with the biggest change being staggered booking window opening times
- The proposed “Relaxation Zone” locations have been revealed for Hollywood Studios
Disney Springs
- Check out this week’s photo report for Disney Springs, including the reopening of Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, high crowds, new masks, and more
- Rainforest Café has reopened at Disney Springs
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- We visited Chef Mickey’s for a new, family-style breakfast service
- Walk with us down the newly-completed walkway into the Magic Kingdom from the Contemporary
Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin
- A lightning strike caused a brief fire at The Cove construction site earlier this week
Guest Services & Resort Reopening Information
- Walt Disney World resort theme park ticket sales and hotel bookings are now available for the remainder of 2020
- The Walt Disney World face mask policy has been officially updated to exclude the use of gaiters and bandanas, in place of proper masks
- The use of fingerprint scanners at the entrances to the theme parks has been suspended amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
- The Friendship Boats will resume their service on July 29, while the Disney Skyliner will be accommodating one party per gondola when it reopens. The parking lot tram services will be suspended, however
- Reservations are now being accepted for VIP Tours, resuming on August 16, and select experience reservations are now available for all guests to book
- The Disney’s Magical Express luggage delivery service at Orlando International Airport will be suspended beginning July 16
- Walt Disney World have announced that they are extending support to the Annual Passholders who incurred bank fees due to recent charge errors in payment processing. A pair of passholders have filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney World over such recent billing errors
- Annual Passholders are now allowed to make theme park reservations for three days at a time, in addition to the resort days
- Walt Disney World resort hotels are offering a 60% discount to Cast Members, starting this week
- Walt Disney World Annual Pass purchases and renewals are now available from theme park Guest Services windows
Other Walt Disney World News
- The newly-rebuilt McDonald’s restaurant in Walt Disney World, located close to Disney’s All-Star Resorts, is now operating as a Drive-Thru only, despite only opening last week
- New signage at the resort has clarified the updated Pin Trading etiquette amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
- The latest My Disney Experience app update has added the new Virtual Queue menu ahead of the reopenings
- FuelRod have announced a new “Founders” program, which offers free, unlimited swaps at any kiosk, to resolve litigation issues
- A new “The Magic is Back” advert was released ahead of the official park reopenings
- In an interview with the New York Times, President of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Josh D’Amaro has defended the reopening of the Walt Disney World parks amidst the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic, as the Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has said he is ‘fairly comfortable’ with the resort’s plans
- The mandatory two-week quarantine for visitors travelling to Florida from the New York Tri-State area has been extended for an additional 60 days
Disneyland Resort
- The Downtown Disney District officially reopened this week, and crowds descended ready to explore. Read the full list of reopened shops and restaurants here
- Disneyland Resort are now accepting hotel reservations beginning August 1
- Aerial photos have given us an overview on the construction at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and the Avengers Campus
Disneyland Paris
- Take a first look at the social distancing measures inside the Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios parks ahead of their official reopening next week
- The Disneyland Railroad is set to reopen with Disneyland Paris, after it’s lengthy refurbishment program
Tokyo Disney Resort
- Almost all special events have been cancelled at Tokyo Disney Resort through March 2021, including Disney Halloween, Disney Easter, Disney Christmas and New Year’s 2021
- More park tickets have been released for July, implying that the resort will be increasing its capacity this month
New Merchandise
- shopDisney have announced that they will be introducing a new MerchPass – an early access drawing system – ready for the release of the Disney Castle Collection Arendelle series
- The Splash Mountain designs have been removed from MaDe and Art on Demand kiosks across Walt Disney World
- There were lots of new MagicBand designs to be found across Walt Disney World this week! We found limited-edition “WALL-E” Earth Day and “Dumbo” Mother’s Day MagicBands (albeit a bit late!), limited-edition Mulan MagicBands, and the Americana Mickey Mouse MagicBand
- Take to the sky with this new Pandora – The World of Avatar shirt
- In Ear news, this new, bright pink Disney Parks Designer Collection pair of ears by Trina Turk are now available on shopDisney, and we found these new, sequinned Black and Gold Minnie Ears in the parks
- Celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Disneyland Park with this new line of anniversary merchandise, which will be sold exclusively online on July 14
- Adopt a new Pandoran pal with this new The World of Avatar shoulder Banshee plush
- Cruise down the Nile with this new Jungle Cruise skipper dress, and check out this amazing Skipper Funko Pop
- Explore the galaxy with this “Star Wars” Millennium Falcon backpack by Loungefly
- Decorate your space with these new, limited edition Imagination, Horizons, Universe of Engergy and CommuniCore EPCOT posters
- Show your love of “Toy Story” with this Forky backpack by Loungefly and Pizza Planet Alex and Ani bracelet
- Collectors take note, as there are new pressed pennies available in the Magic Kingdom, which pay homage to the opening day attraction Mickey Mouse Revue, and Country Bear Jamboree
- Celebrate your return to the parks with these new “Together Again” t-shirts
- Make a splash with these new Splash Mountain door hangers
Entertainment and Media
- The “Splash Mountain Medley” track has been removed from the Walt Disney World official album on select streaming platforms
- Jude Law is reportedly in talks to play the role of Captain Hook in Disney’s live-action “Peter Pan”
- Disney are developing a documentary series based on Colin Kaepernick’s journey from Quarterback to Activist
- We reviewed the “Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn” novel
Disney+
- Disney+ saw a 72% increase in app downloads this week, after the release of “Hamilton” over the weekend
Other Disney News
- The Disney Parks Chief Medical Officer has released another health and safety update ahead of the Walt Disney World parks reopening
Editorials & Other Fun Stuff from WDWNT
- Splash Mountain at The Magic Kingdom Should be Turned into “The Western River Expedition”
- Disney+ Learns from its Errors, Rest of Disney Tech Lags Behind and Should Take Notice
- Look back at the opening of IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth with this issue of Birket Engineering News
- Learn more about Bank of America with this 70’s “it’s a small world” souvenir brochure from Disneyland
WDW News Today
Make sure you catch up on the News Today episodes from this week!
Walt Disney World Outlaws Certain Face Mask Styles Ahead of Theme Park Reopening – NewsToday 7/10
The Magic Kingdom Has Reopened, Haunted Mansion Loses Stretching Room – NewsToday 7/8
Walt Disney World Announces Mask-Free Relaxation Zones Ahead of Reopening – NewsToday 7/6
That’s all the Disney news for this past week folks! Make sure you check back at the end of each week for our weekly recaps!
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