Smiles Won’t Be Hidden For Much Longer At Disney World, Temporary Mask Removal For Outdoor Photos Now Approved.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — At Walt Disney World, the smiles won’t have to be hidden for much longer. Starting Thursday, visitors to the theme park resort will be able to remove their masks temporarily for outdoor photos, the company said on its website.

The change tweaks a requirement that all workers and visitors age 2 and up wear masks except when they are actively eating or drinking, provided they are socially distanced and not moving about. The mask mandate includes those who already have been vaccinated. Workers and visitors have been required to wear masks, get temperature checks upon arriving and follow social distancing markers while in line ever since the Florida theme park resort reopened last summer after closing for more than two months because of the pandemic.

New Disney Area To Immerse Park Goers In A Star Wars Story

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The world of Star Wars is coming from a galaxy far, far away to become the largest single-themed land created in a Disney park.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is an adventure through the grungy planet Batuu where guests can build their own droids and lightsabers, interact with aliens and climb into the cockpit of the massive Millennium Falcon, where you will discover your mission and engage in a dogfight with Tie Fighters.

The sprawling 14-acre land is set on a remote world in the newest “Star Wars” trilogy — so don’t expect appearances by Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. But some familiar faces including Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and fan-favorite Chewbacca will be a part of the adventure as visitors explore the immersive world.

Galaxy’s Edge is set to open this summer at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, then in the fall at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. The lands at both parks are nearly identical and offer a mix of trading outposts, a cantina and even a wooded area where Resistance fighters have set up camp. Entry is included with a park ticket, but it’ll cost more for guests who want to create their own lightsaber or purchase their own droid modeled on R2-D2 or BB-8.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Bob Chapek said guests inside Galaxy’s Edge will have persistent interaction with Star Wars elements, whether it’s Stormtroopers barking orders or the up-tempo, swinging music of a grimy cantina that yes, serves Star Wars-themed alcohol.

“You will not think you’re in a theme park,” he said. “Every cast member will be in character, the food and beverage and language will be in story. The merchandise inside the shops won’t be in boxes that say Disney on them. Everything is very, very immersive.”

In a behind-the-scenes look, park officials took The Associated Press on a tour of Batuu, an uncharted region of lush trees and spires. The land is also filled with smugglers and traders hoping to avoid the First Order, the successor of the evil Galactic Empire.

Galaxy’s Edge is still under construction, but its buildings, shops and main attractions are in place. Right now the focus is on “cosmetics and making sure the equipment is working properly,” said John Larena, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering.

A rendering of the Black Spire Outpost. (Disney Parks/Lucasfilm via AP)

Here are some of the land’s key features:

MILLENNIUM FALCON: SMUGGLERS RUN

Selfie opportunities will be abundant inside and out of the “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” The spaceship is the exact replica of the ship from the films, measuring more than 100 feet long.

Inside the cockpit, a team of six people operate the spacecraft during an interactive experience that, just like the movies, that will get a little bumpy. An encounter with First Order fighters put guests in the role of pilots, gunners or flight engineers to ensure their mission is completed.

While others wait their turn, they will walk the halls of the Falcon or hangout in the area where R2-D2 played a round of the holographic chess-like game called Dejarik against Chewbacca in the original film.

RISE OF THE RESISTANCE

This is where it gets real. On a full-size starship, guests play as new Resistance recruits and go on a journey. A hologram image of Rey will appear with a message before guests board their ship and take off from Batuu and head into the orbit.

But the starship runs into some trouble: It’s intercepted by a nearby Star Destroyer. This sets up a climactic battle against military members of the First Order, who will probably give you a piece of their mind.

“They’ll bark at you,” Larena said. “They might say ’Move along, move along. You’re going into detention.”

Resistance guests will be thrown into a detention cell where they could run up against Kylo Ren.

“You have to figure your way out of the ship,” Larena said. “There’s always a way out.”

(Disney Parks/Lucasfilm via AP)

SAVI’S WORKSHOP

Even though Skywalker, Vader and Yoda won’t show up in “Galaxy’s Edge,” their lightsabers will. Guests will be able to purchase their popular weapon or hand-build their own. Bring plenty of credits: the price for the hilt is around $109 and the blade costs $49 depending on the type.

Park officials say they understand guests want to enjoy their new lightsabers, but they ask that they remain stowed when on attractions and around crowds for the safety of others.

DROID DEPOT

Who doesn’t want their own personal R2 unit?

Guests — for an undisclosed cost — can either purchase a pre-built droid or build one in the colors of their choosing by picking pieces off a conveyor belt.

They’re not just pretty to look at. Park official says the droids will be controllable by guests.

TASTE OF STAR WARS

There’s no such thing as chicken in “Galaxy’s Edge.” That’s Tip Yip, and the cornbread that you might eat with it is blue, gravy is green and cauliflower is orange.

Much of the food is plant based with dairy-free mash potatoes and vegan meatballs.

OGA’S CANTINA

While talkative DJ R-3X spins music, bartenders pour beverages.

The cantina will be the first location to serve alcohol to the general public in Disneyland’s 60-plus year history. It’s the place to come and unwind, but officials say it’s also known to have some of the most disreputable characters in the galaxy.

And yes, droids are allowed.

PLAY DISNEY PARKS MOBILE APP

Galaxy’s Edge is the first land within a Disney park designed to integrate with the app. It can help translate Star Wars languages and scan crates to discover contents within them. The app can also be used to interact with droids, media screens, door panels and drinking fountains.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31

13 Walt Disney World Secrets You’ve Never, Ever Heard Before

Whether you’re a Disney World die-hard or new to how it all works, you probably know the basics: there are a system of tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom called Utilidors, plenty of hidden Mickeys throughout the property, and the windows lining Main Street are insider dedications to those whom made Walt Disney World possible.

As interesting as those are, there are plenty more mysteries, tricks, and no-way-that’s-true! tidbits lurking in the shadows of the four parks that comprise Walt Disney World. From little-known facts about your favorite rides to construction secrets, and more, here is a bit of insider knowledge straight from house of mouse:

1. Have you heard the one about Magic Kingdom piping in the scent of freshly baked cookies onto Main Street? It’s true—the system still exists in the utilidors to prove it. The park did away with the practice, deeming the odor too artificial, but one thing is still piped in over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: the screams for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Riders are screaming like crazy throughout drop sequence, but what you hear from the ground is primarily pre-recorded. Listen closely enough and you’ll notice how identical each run sounds.

2. Tinker Bell flying over the Magic Kingdom is one of the most iconic parts of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular, but it doesn’t happen with magic alone. Tink is given a hefty push from the window of Cinderella’s Castle, but if she’s not shoved hard enough, she won’t have enough momentum and will need to hand-over-hand her way towards the end. Cast members who audition for this part are said to need major upper body strength—turns out, they really do have to fly!

3. The most harrowing part of putting on EPCOT’s nightly show, IllumiNATIONS: Reflections of Earth, is actually getting the globe to the center of the World Showcase Lagoon. When it’s transported from backstage through the canal, there are only six inches on each side for the LED-covered orb to pass through—which explains the dark scratch lines on the walls!

4. Even with its replica Liberty Bell and Liberty Tree, Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square is much more authentic than you may have realized. Because there were no modernized bathrooms in the colonial days, it’s said that there technically aren’t any within this land either. Been to the ones in Liberty Tree Tavern or Columbia Harbor House? Well, those are so far back in the restaurant that they’re technically in other lands, keeping it truly authentic to the time period.

5. Be Our Guest is Walt Disney World’s toughest restaurant reservation, but if you’re lucky enough to end up inside, don’t miss the artwork throughout the ballroom. The snow outside the ornate windows was created from original movie animation cells, and the lifelike cherubs lining the ceiling mural bear the faces of children of the Imagineers working on the project—as well as the Imagineers’ baby faces themselves!

6. Magic Kingdom’s Main Street is lined with our nation’s flags—only they’re not technically American. Because regulations require traditional flags be raised, lowered, and flown at half-mast, each is missing a star or a stripe In order to be left up permanently. They serve double duty, too, as the flagpoles are actually lightning rods in disguise protecting guests below from inclement weather.

7. Supposedly, the Imagineers working on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror liked to play pranks on each other, many of which involved a certain jar of pickled sausages. They hid and surprised one another with the jar, until an Imagineer mistakenly left it behind one night, which just so happened to be when every prop was being glued down. The jar still sits behind the photo pickup area today as an insider nod to Disney’s geniuses having fun while on the job.

8. The Jungle Cruise is one of WDW’s most iconic rides, so it’s fitting that it would quietly feature a handful of props recycled from across the property. The spiders inside the temple are leftovers from Haunted Mansion and the monkeys foraging for gold are actually repurposed from Living With The Land at EPCOT. Trader Sam sports a bit of Disneyana as well, as his striped loincloth is an homage to the original fabric lining the top of Jungle Cruise boats. The most surprising duplication, though, is the face of the explorer on the bottom of the totem pole. On this ride, he’s being poked in the rear by a rhino horn, but the same character can be seen in The Haunted Mansion’s graveyard scene, complete with shaking knees and a pouty old pup nearby.

9. The turbulent prehistoric thriller Dinosaur! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland aren’t just similar—they feature the same ride track. And, if you think Animal Kingdom’s turbulent trip backwards through time is scary now, just know that Dinosaur in its original form, Countdown to Extinction, was so terrifying that its original soundtrack, motion and interaction had to be toned down.

10. Disney pays incredible attention to detail, right down to the sidewalk you step on. On Main Street, the differing colors help to subconsciously guide guests and keep them from tripping at night and at Liberty Square, well, the brown wavy path down the center of the road is said to represent how colonial-era residents would dispose of their waste back in the day. (Kind of ruins the craving for fried fish, doesn’t it?)

11. Though the true reason varies between Disney experts, the current monorail stop at EPCOT is not originally where it was intended to be. Sinkholes made building so challenging that the monorail had to be rerouted, which is why it now travels completely around EPCOT before stopping. Some say there were actually supposed to be two monorail stops—one at Future World and one at World Showcase, so they could function as separate parks—so we may have Floridian swampland to thank for saving us the cost of a second ticket.

12. You can buy nearly anything you can think of with Mickey Mouse on it, but there’s one thing you can’t get—the color of his shorts. The exact hue of the famed character’s bottoms is proprietary and will never be shared publicly!

13. The exotic species on Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safari are treated exceptionally well, but naturalists do use exercise and feeding to their advantage. Staff shoot raisins out of cannons to get the gorillas to move out and about by the safari vehicles and put elephants to work for honey, their treat of choice, by smearing it on their roof so they need to use their trunks to earn it. If you see the lions out on your next trip, know that there is behind-the-scenes magic happening for that one, too—the top rock is actually air conditioned to entice them to spend time there!

by Carlye Wisel , www.travelandleasure.com

10 Things NOT To Do At Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is the most-visited vacation resort in the world. Yet as magical as it is, it can also be extremely overwhelming for parents, grandparents, and even children themselves. For over 20 years, Fodor's Travel has helped families travel smarter to Disney with its annual Walt Disney World with Kids guidebook. The authors of the book, Kim Wright Wiley and Leigh C.W. Jenkins, are the ultimate Disney World Experts: they've been there over 100 times combined, and Leigh even worked there for three years. Here are their top 10 things not to do at Disney World.

SLEEP IN AND ARRIVE AT THE PARKS WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT
Ordinarily, one of the perks of going on vacation is getting to sleep in--but not at Disney! The number one mistake first-time guests make is thinking they can arrive at the parks at 11 a.m. and see everything in a couple of hours. The park is least crowded in the first hour after opening, so this is your best chance to get on the big-name rides without long waits. Later you can have an afternoon siesta.

EXPECT TO DO IT ALL
A fact to ponder: Walt Disney World is twice the size of Manhattan. With four theme parks, two water parks, and countless sporting, shopping, and dining options, it's impossible to see everything in the course of one vacation. (In fact, they designed it that way to make sure you'll come back.) Rather than treating the vacation like some military assault, consider the age, stamina, and risk tolerance of everyone in your party and prioritize accordingly. Reading up on the parks in advance will give you a good sense of which attractions are "must dos" for your family, which are nice if you have the time, and which are skippable. And you don't have to do everything together: strapping Grandma onto Space Mountain against her will or hoping a three-year-old sits still through The Hall of Presidents is a recipe for disaster.

MAKE THIS A TOTALLY PARENT-PLANNED TRIP
Parents often plan a vacation for their kids without consulting the very people they are trying to entertain. Besides helping the kids get excited about the trip, letting them in on the decision-making will prevent temper tantrums and fighting while you're on vacation. One strategy is to let each family member choose three must-see attractions in each park and then agree to honor those choices. (This can also help you create the basis of your FastPass+ list.)

"WING IT"
Thanks largely to FastPass+, the My Disney Experience app, and the ever-expanding size of the parks, gone are the days where Disney can be tackled without a plan. If you're thinking, "We'll just show up, get a map, and see what everybody feels like doing," you're likely to find yourself shut out of the best restaurants and most popular attractions by families who made advance reservations. This is especially true if you're traveling during summer or over a major holiday.

STAY ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF ORLANDO
There is a reason good deals can be found at hotels on the eastern side of Orlando (I-4, exits 80 and higher)--they're the farthest away from Disney. Staying in this area guarantees you'll be fighting Orlando rush-hour traffic every morning, on top of the traffic Disney itself draws. If you plan on spending most of your time in the parks and not on the highway, make sure to stay in hotels that are off exits 79 and below.

EAT NOTHING BUT FAST FOOD
Not many people associate Disney with culinary delights, but you should! Disney goes to great lengths to provide an array of dining choices to its guests, with both variety and quality increasing steadily every year. One of the best ways to find out where to go? Ask a cast member where their favorite place to eat is. No one knows the parks--and its food--better!

KEEP THE FAMILY TOGETHER 24/7
It may seem counterintuitive to split up--this is a family vacation, after all--but little breaks will make the time together better, so schedule time apart to explore or just to relax. Older kids can split off from the group to ride a favorite over and over, or one parent can take the younger kids to Fantasyland while the other tackles the coasters with the older ones. Babies, older family members, and anyone who has just plain had it can go back to the room while the teens stay in the parks. (Granted, this is easier if you're staying on-site at a Disney-owned hotel and can use their transportation system to come and go whenever you please.) Parents, look into in-room babysitters or the kidsitting programs provided at most hotels so you can enjoy an evening at one of Disney's upscale, adult-centric restaurants.

HAVE TUNNEL VISION
The Disney parks are full of wonderfully creative details. While walking down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, look up to the store windows to find the names of people who have influenced the Disney Company. In the Animal Kingdom, spend time studying the Tree of Life and its more than 300 animal carvings. Hollywood Studios has some of the best Streetmosphere performers--actors and actresses who walk around like they're in 1920s Hollywood, interacting with guests and putting on small shows. Epcot has shows going non-stop around the World Showcase in the afternoon and many, like the young acrobats in China, are especially fun for kids. And the number one thing to notice? The cast members! Many guests report that the highlight of their trip was getting to know the men and women who make Walt Disney World the magical place it is.

GIVE YOUR KIDS MICKEY-PHOBIA
Many toddlers and even a few older kids will find the experience of meeting Mickey Mouse and friends to be intimidating. If your kids seem overwhelmed when they gets through the gates and find that the main mouse is actually five feet tall, start them off slowly by meeting the face characters--those like Aladdin or Cinderella who don't wear a mask. And instead of forcing kids into the picture, allow them to watch the characters before approaching. Employees have been trained to be sensitive around nervous children and are good at slowly inviting them to participate on their own terms. If you schedule a character meal, save if for the last day. By then, even the most cautious kids usually will have warmed up.

ASSUME ALL RIDES ARE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES
Sure, Disney is for families, but some of the attractions can pack quite a wallop. It's easy to figure out that a ride called Tower of Terror might be terrifying, but keep in mind that Disney does scary atmospheres as well. The Haunted Mansion, It's Tough to be a Bug, Stitch's Great Escape--all of these are tame rides with elements that might frighten some youngsters. When in doubt, let a parent ride first and come back with the verdict, or do a baby swap.

Contributed by Leigh C.W. Jenkins and Kim Wright Wiley, Fodor's 

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