Buckle up folks, things have been a bit crazy this month (especially the past week) when it comes to Disney. The focus in the US right now is on Disney World, as they begin reopening and making announcements. Disney Springs opened in a limited capacity on May 20, and Disney World has released reopening dates of July 11 (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) and July 15 (Hollywood Studios and Epcot). A number of safety protocols will be in place, including wearing masks, maintaining 6 feet of separation in all areas, and not having character meet and greets and fireworks shows upon reopening.
On top of that, they’ve cancelled all fastpass+ reservations, dining reservations, and are not currently taking any new resort reservations. When the parks reopen there will be a reservation system just to get into the parks. Having a ticket does not guarantee you entry, you will also need to have a reservation.
Many people are upset about these events. Sadly, there is a lot of hostility, anger, and entitlement going around on social media. I don’t want to talk too much about it but here’s my quick 2 cents. It’s okay to be upset, frustrated, and sad about a cancelled trip or changes. I myself have had to change/cancel my own trip twice, and it sucks. If you trip wasn’t cancelled but your reservations were, you can be sad about that too. It takes a lot of planning for a Disney trip and for that to change is absolutely frustrating. Trust me, I know – I’m a travel agent, so I spend hours each week planning vacations for people, most of which have now been cancelled (which also means I do not get paid for the work I did for others).
But there will be Disney in the future. If you don’t think the parks will be magical without characters, it’s okay to wait a year before going. But just because a person doesn’t like these changes doesn’t entitle them to discounts, compensation, etc. Being able to visit a theme park (especially as often as many Disney fans do) is a privilege. And I know to many of us it feels essential because it brings us so much happiness, escape from troubles, and so forth. It’s hard to lose that right now. So be sad, complain if you want to about how much it hurts to have to change your plans, but try to be kind towards others and not take it out on people. We could all use a little more kindness right now.
With that out of the way, let’s get on to the latest Disney news!
Disney News
- Though we don’t have a ton of details yet, we do know that Taika Waititi will be directing an upcoming Star Wars theatrically released film!
- Have a droid from Galaxy’s Edge? There’s now a new app from Disney to help you interact with it!
- Shanghai Disneyland was the first Disney park in the world to reopen on May 11 with a number of restrictions, and so far everything seems to be going smoothly.
- Muppet fans rejoice! The Muppets will be getting a new live action show called Muppets Now on Disney+ coming this summer.
- Some limited construction has started up again in the theme parks, particularly of note at Avengers Campus in Disneyland’s California Adventure.
- Frozen on Broadway will not be reopening whenever Broadway shows are able to resume again.
- Disney+ will eventually be getting a new series of Percy Jackson films (and Riordan promises they will be better than the first ones!).
- In addition to Disney’s opening dates mentioned above, Universal will reopen on June 5, followed by Sea World on June 11.
- For full details on all of the changes made regarding Disney World reservations, you can check out the statement on the Disney Parks blog.
Disney Rumors
Disneyland // On the west coast Disneyland has not made any announcements of reopening like Disney World did, but there’s still lots of speculation. In terms of the government, the latest we’ve heard is that theme parks will be able to reopen in stage 3 if they wish to, which they believe will happen in the next month. There’s no telling what Disney might decide after that point though.
Disney World // Whenever there is a major economic crisis, of course it affects construction and money that Disney might put into future projects. This could mean that things which were announced may not come to fruition anytime soon. Certain items that are rumored to be on the chopping block or at least very delayed include the Mary Poppins attraction in Epcot, the Star Wars hotel, and the Reflections DVC resort.
Other Disney Blogs
Tom from The Disney Tourist Blog has all of the latest information and updates for Disney World annual passholders.
Over on Popcorner Reviews, Monica created the most adorable Figment cake!
Looking for some unique recipes? Kait created this savory cheesecake recipe based on a Disney Cruise line dish at Animator’s Palette over on Slumber and Scones.
Should you bring young kids to Disney World when it reopens? Kimberly from Savvy Mama Lifestyle has a really well written and thought-out opinion piece on this topic.
How much work has already been done on the Star Wars hotel?
I didn’t know that you would need to reserve as well and a ticket alone wouldn’t guarantee entry. I bought tickets for May, but not sure if I’ll use them this year. How do I go about making a reservation if I choose to still go this year?
Muppets Now interests me!
I love the Percy Jackson films! That will fun to see them on Disney +!
I’m really excited about the Taika Waititi news! He’s a fantastic director, and I’m a huge fan of Star Wars ☺️
I kinda can’t get over the fact that Disney World is even reopening at all right now! I’m glad that some people will be able to enjoy it though, and I hope that your job is more busy (in a good way) because of it. I’m really excited about the new Star Wars movie on the horizon, and I can’t wait for the Percy Jackson films!
I love the Muppets! They were always one of my favorites while growing up!!!