Disney World Is Opening 3 New Locations In 2026. Here’s The Full List

We’re seeing quite a few ride changes in 2026 at Disney World! Over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is getting a Muppets retheme, Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is finally reopening after a year-plus closure with new effects and an updated track, and big things are happening at EPCOT, including new faces coming to the animatronics of Frozen Ever After and Soarin’ getting an “Across America” update during the country’s 250th anniversary celebration. However, we’ll also be seeing multiple new locations pop up over the theme park resort.

©Disney

Disney has confirmed a new theme park area coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a new bar opening at a popular hotel, and has hinted at a new entertainment experience beginning work soon in Disney Springs. Without further ado, let’s check out these additions.

Animation Courtyard at Hollywood Studios permanently closed on September 25, 2025, and is being transformed into the Magic of Disney Animation! Part of the larger “Walt Disney Studios Lot” reimagining, this new offering will open in 2026 as a “special nod to the legendary Walt Disney Studios Lot” in Burbank, California (including Mickey’s famous Sorcerer Hat). Here, Disney Animation characters will “leap off the screen and into our world.”

©Disney

The new land will keep Animation Courtyard’s The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure and Walt Disney Presents, while introducing brand-new experiences inspired by beloved Disney characters and the “Once Upon a Studio” short film. We’re getting updated meet-and-greets, new drawing classes, and interactive experiences for guests of all ages, such as play zones like a “Drawn to Wonderland” garden/playground setting. During the transformation, Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance permanently closed, although “a fresh Disney Jr. show” has been teased.

Over at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, a new lobby bar is currently being installed.

Construction as of October 9th, 2025

Although it’s opening in 2025 (November 10th, to be exact), The Perch will still be fresh in 2026. This birdcage bar (inspired by a birdcage that was once found in the lobby) features beautiful woodwork, herringbone tile, and custom stained glass, all while serving up champagne, wine, beer, and two signature cocktails (the Sunshine State Rum Sazerac and the Floridian 75). A non-alcoholic option is also available (the Blueberry and Basil Iced Tea is a blend of lemon, blueberry, and basil tea).

While not confirmed to open in 2026, Disney has already begun hiring for Level99 in Disney Springs, and construction is underway, so we’ve begun speculating.

Construction walls

This space will be an interactive, social entertainment experience that presents “real-world, challenge-based, social entertainment” for adults. Expect to see physical and mental challenges set in artistic environments, such as 60 challenge rooms and duels in a futuristic arcade setting. The largest location of this chain, the Disney Springs Level99 will be 45,000 square feet in a two-story space and will feature dining with a chef-crafted menu — including LEVEL99’s award-winning Detroit-style pizza

Full spread at LEVEL99 at Natick, Massachusetts

https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/author/david-goodkind/

Disney World To Host Major Summit On Gay Rights

The Walt Disney Company will host a major conference promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the workplace in Central Florida this September, gathering executives and professionals from the world’s largest companies in a defiant display of the limits of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against diversity training.

Disney’s decision to host the conference this fall comes amid a yearlong dispute between the company and the Republican governor, who signed a law that ended decades of autonomy at the Disney resort. It was seen as punishment over the company’s opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation, known widely as the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms before fourth grade.

Disney has had a longstanding relationship with Out & Equal, the organization behind the event, and is listed on its website as one of its most generous sponsors.

The Florida resort has committed to hosting the conference this year and next, which will coincide with the presidential election campaign in 2024. DeSantis is widely expected to challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

Michael Chamberlain, chief marketing officer for Out & Equal, confirmed the conference would be held at The Walt Disney World Resort, Sept. 11-14. Last year’s summit was held in Las Vegas.

Dozens of iconic American companies — including Apple, McDonald’s, Uber, Walmart, Hilton, Amazon, Boeing, Cracker Barrel and John Deere — are sponsoring the Out & Equal Workplace summit, which over 5,000 people are expected to attend. Several agencies, including the State Department and the CIA, are listed as government partners and will have booths at the conference.

The conference comes after DeSantis declared victory over Disney in February when he signed a law that gave him the power to appoint a five-member board overseeing government services at the Disney district near Orlando.

“Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said when he signed the bill. “This is what accountability looks like.”

In his recently released book, DeSantis describes how, after “Disney declared war on Florida families” by opposing the Parental Rights in Education bill and “indulged in woke activism,’’ he asked the Legislature “to reevaluate — and even eliminate — Disney’s special deal.” DeSantis married his wife, Casey, at the Disney World resort in 2009.

Squaring off against Disney was “a political battle that would reverberate across the nation,’’ he wrote.

The subsequent legislation left most of Disney’s special powers in place despite the governor’s attempt to dissolve the district. The conservative members the governor appointed to the board hinted at the first meeting of the new board that they would exercise leverage over Disney, such as prohibiting COVID-19 restrictions at Disney World. But legal experts have said that the new board’s authority has no control over Disney content.

Hosting the conference is another demonstration of the limits on the Republican governor’s ability to influence the content and scope of events at Disney.

‘LARGEST LGBTQ+ CONFERENCE’

Out & Equal says its summit “is the largest LGBTQ+ conference in the world,” bringing executives, employee resource group leaders, human resource professionals and experts in diversity, equity and inclusion together to promote equality.

“Over more than 20 years, Summit has grown to become the preferred place to network and share strategies that create inclusive workplaces, where everyone belongs and where LGBTQ+ employees can be out and thrive,” the website states.

DeSantis has campaigned against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, pushing for them to be eliminated at state colleges and universities in Florida and asserting that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was caused by its focus on DEI programs.

He has accused large corporations that engage in DEI training of attempting to “advance woke ideology through its employee ranks — and virtue signal in the process.”

Rep. Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican who last year sponsored the bill to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which governed land use, fire protection, and sewer services on the Disney resort, said he had never heard of the summit and was not troubled by it.

“I’m not willing to interpret it as some grand conspiracy to stick it in the eye of the state of Florida,” Fine said Monday. “Disney is part of the fabric of the Florida economy. ... If they weren’t holding any conferences at Disney World, that would be news because that would be a big problem.”

He said that even the Legislature used to hold annual events at the resort “before all this woke stuff took over” and that, as a former gambling industry executive, he knows that in organizing a large conference, “there are only two places where you can have a conference and increase your attendance — Las Vegas and Orlando.”

Last year’s Out & Equal conference in Las Vegas included multiple speakers who advocated for the rights of transgender youth, and provided attendees with guidance on how to navigate anti-LGBTQ bills at the state level.

YEAR OF TENSION

Tension between DeSantis and Disney arose last spring, when Disney publicly opposed Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The measure prohibits discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, and in older grades when deemed “not age-appropriate.”

When Disney officials did not publicly lobby against the measure, some employees marched out of the company’s California headquarters in protest. Others urged executives to join corporations that were condemning DeSantis, who signed the bill into law.

After Disney published a statement demanding that the law be repealed, DeSantis retaliated by expanding the agenda of a special session on redistricting to include dissolving Disney’s special taxing district. An obscure provision in state law prohibits the state from dissolving the district until its bond debt — which amounted to more than $1 billion — was paid off.

In April, Disney quietly sent a note to its investors to show that it was confident the Legislature’s attempt to dissolve the special taxing district violated the “pledge” the state made when it enacted the district in 1967, and therefore was not legal.

Disney’s decision to host this year’s Out & Equal summit was announced several months later, to participants of the 2022 conference held in October.

After more than nine months of stalemate, legislators approved a measure in February that renames Reedy Creek as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and the Disney-appointed board was replaced by conservatives named by DeSantis. But the measure also leaves most of the district’s special powers intact, including the company’s ability to tax itself to pay off its $1 billion in debt.

DeSantis’ office did not respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for Disney declined to comment. Michael Wilner reported from Washington, D.C.; Mary Ellen Klas reported from Tallahassee.

Source: https://www.miamiherald.com/

New Orlando Terminal Is $2.8 Billion Bet On Florida Tourism

Visitors to the new terminal at Orlando International Airport may want to wear sunscreen, shades and a floppy hat.

Sun rays beaming through the windows of its soaring ceilings don’t just peck at the passing passengers — they practically smooch them as if they were spending a day at the beach.

Accompanied by realistic-looking fake indoor palm trees, gigantic LED screens depicting underwater springs and skylight views of blue skies and billowing clouds, Terminal C lets passengers know they have arrived in Florida. And that’s the point, as the world’s seventh-busiest airport makes a $2.8 billion bet when the 1.8 million-square-foot (167,225-square-meter) terminal opens to the public this week that Florida’s tourism is moving well beyond the pandemic slowdown and has a bright future.

“They get to see the sunshine so they really know they are in the Sunshine State,” Kevin Thibault, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said of passengers arriving in the terminal. “It really is a facility for generations to come.”

With 40.3 million passengers last year, Orlando International Airport was the busiest airport in Florida, according to Airports Council International. However, that figure was still a fifth below the number of passengers in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic. For 2022, the airport had a rolling 12-month total at the end of June of 47 million passengers, just shy of the 50.6 million who came in 2019.

The addition of Terminal C gives the airport the ability to handle 12 million more passengers at the terminal’s 15 new gates in a first phase, increasing the airport’s capacity by a quarter. Airport officials say it will ease some of the crowding that had grown in the decade before the start of the pandemic at the airport’s other two terminals as central Florida became the most visited destination in the U.S.

The Orlando area had 59.3 million visitors last year, up two-thirds from 35.3 million in 2020, when central Florida’s theme parks shut down for several months and international travel was limited in an attempt to stop the virus’ spread. However, last year’s Orlando area visitor numbers still fell short of the pre-pandemic high of 75.8 million in 2019.

Like Orlando, the state of Florida this year is on pace to match its pre-pandemic tourism figures now that restrictions on international travel have been lifted. Florida had 122 million visitors last year, still short of the 131 million in 2019. But the first two quarters of this year put Florida’s 2022 visitor numbers on pace to match those from three years ago.
Officials at Orlando International Airport said the new terminal is one of the most technologically advanced in the U.S.

Suitcases and other baggage at Terminal C will be deposited in large, chip-embedded tubs that are tracked through radio frequency technology. The tubs reduce opportunities for wheels or straps to cause jams in the maze of conveyor belts that move luggage, and the system allows bags to always be tracked. The goal at the Orlando airport, which gets the most strollers and golf clubs of any in the U.S., is to move bags from a gate to the baggage carousel within five minutes, airport officials said.

“We don’t have to track the bag anymore. We are tracking the transport device,” said Scott Goodwin, assistant director of airport operations.

Passengers on international flights who have opted in can match their passport photos with facial scans at departure gates, speeding up the boarding process. At security checkpoints leading to gates, passengers will be able to place their carry-on bags in bins on automated conveyor belts rather than pushing them along tables until they reach the X-ray machines, speeding up the screening process by allowing travelers to bypass slowpokes in line.

“You can move ahead, grab a bin and you won’t seem impolite to anyone,” said Sari Koshetz, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration.

Terminal C is located across from a newly-built train station that will serve Brightline, a higher-speed line that is starting runs between South Florida and Orlando early next year. Airport officials believe that will open up Orlando International Airport to Europe-bound passengers from South Florida who may have previously used Miami International Airport.

Thibault said Orlando International Airport officials currently are in conversations about having seamless ticketing between Brightline and the terminal’s airlines, which include Aer Lingus, British Airways, Emirates, JetBlue and Lufthansa.

More than 90% of the terminal’s restaurants and stores, which include mandatory shops from Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando, are past security checkpoints in an effort to give departing passengers time to shop and eat once they are past security screening.

Arriving passengers will be flooded by sunlight since they will be on the upper-most level of skylighted Terminal C, a flip from the traditional design of having arrivals on the lower level and departures on the upper level.

“We want them to feel the sunshine. We want them to feel them palm trees, the flora and fauna,” said Curtis Fentress, whose firm was the terminal’s design architect. “It brings light into the building in a way that sort of dapples, like the light that used to stream through the orange orchards, historically.”

By MIKE SCHNEIDER

FBI Seizes Disputed Basquiat Artwork From Florida Museum

The FBI raided a Florida art museum on Friday and seized more than two dozen paintings attributed to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat following questions about their authenticity.

Orlando Museum of Art spokeswoman Emilia Bourmas-Fry said in a statement that they were complying with a warrant from the FBI for access to the ‘Heroes and Monsters’ exhibit, which is now in the government’s possession. She added that no one on the museum’s staff has been arrested.

“It is important to note that we still have not been led to believe the Museum has been or is the subject of any investigation,” Bourmas-Fry said. “We continue to see our involvement purely as a fact witness.”

According to a search warrant, federal art crimes investigators have been looking into the 25 paintings since shortly after their discovery in 2012. The controversy gained more attention shortly after the Orlando exhibit opened in February.

Basquiat, who lived and worked in New York City, found success in the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. The Orlando Museum of Art was the first institution to display pieces said to have been found in an old storage locker years after Basquiat’s 1988 death from a drug overdose at age 27.

Questions about the artworks’ authenticity arose almost immediately after their discovery. The artwork was purportedly made in 1982, but experts have pointed out that the cardboard used in at least one of the pieces included FedEx typeface that wasn’t used until 1994, about six years after Basquiat died, according to the warrant. Also, television writer Thad Mumford, the owner of the storage locker where the art was eventually found, told investigators that he had never owned any Basquiat art and that the pieces were not in the unit the last time he had visited. Mumford died in 2018.

Orlando Museum of Art director Aaron De Groft has repeatedly insisted that the art is legitimate.

The exhibit was originally publicized to run through June 2023 in Orlando, the museum later announced it was ending next week. Bourmas-Fry said the art’s owners declined to extend the museum’s contract and were planning to send the works to Italy for exhibition.

“Based on my training and experience, I believe that the significantly advanced date of the international departure of the Mumford Collection from OMA is to avoid further scrutiny of the provenance and authenticity of the works by the public and law enforcement,” an FBI special agent wrote in the warrant request.

No criminal charges have been filed.

Disney World: Face Masks Optional For All Areas Of Resort

Walt Disney World has lifted the last of its mask requirements, meaning face coverings will be optional for visitors at all locations on the central Florida Disney property.

The rule change was posted Tuesday on Disney’s website. Masks are still recommended, though not required, for guests who are not fully vaccinated in indoor locations and enclosed transportation.

In February, the park made face coverings optional for fully vaccinated visitors in all indoor and outdoor locations, with the exception of enclosed transportation, such as the resort’s monorail, buses and the resort’s sky gondola. The new rule change removes the transportation exception, as well as the requirement to be vaccinated.

The change comes a day after a federal judge in Florida threw out a national mask mandate for public transportation. The ruling gives airports, mass transit systems, airlines and ride-hailing services the option to keep mask rules or ditch them entirely.

Major airlines were some of the first to update their rules after the court decision. United, Southwest, American, Alaska, Delta and JetBlue announced that effective immediately, masks would no longer be required on domestic flights. The ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber announced on their websites Tuesday that masks will now be optional while riding or driving.

Mickey Mouse Can Start Hugging Again At Disney Parks

For nearly two years, costumed characters at U.S. Disney parks have kept their distance from visitors because of the pandemic. They haven’t been able to give hugs, sign autographs or interact up close with fans.

That is about to change in a few weeks when the parks reintroduce traditional character greetings. As soon as mid-April, personal interaction between visitors and costumed characters will be allowed again at Disneyland in California, Walt Disney World in Florida and on Disney cruises, the company said late last week in a blog post.

The parks closed temporarily because of the coronavirus in spring 2020. After the parks reopened that summer, costumed characters could only be seen waving from a distance in the parks or in parades. Last fall, the parks allowed the costumed characters to return to locations around the parks for individualized meet-ups with visitors, but they were only allowed to greet visitors and have their photos taken from a distance.

“Very soon, you will once again be able to hug Mickey Mouse, get an autograph from Mulan, and share a laugh with Goofy,” the post said. “We know many of you have missed these special moments, and your Disney character friends have missed you, too!”

Not all the traditional locations for character greetings will be open right away, the company said. They will be reopened in phases.

Universal Shuts Down Iconic Attraction For Good

Shrek 4-D is one of the first attractions that Guests were able to visit when they enter Universal Orlando Resort and was created in 2003 after the success of Shrek in 2001. Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Japan would all open the attraction in 2003, and later in 2010, Universal Studios Singapore joined in.

In 2017, Universal Studios Hollywood closed down the attraction, and replaced it with Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest attraction is located in the theater. That being said, it has not been confirmed what will take over the theater after the attraction shuts down, but considering the location of the attraction is front and center in the Park, it seems likely that something new will one day come in its place.

The show features Kong Fu Panda, and here’s what Universal Hollywood says about the attraction:

Get ready for another level of awesomeness at DreamWorks Theatre Featuring Kung Fu Panda, now open. Discover the all-new multi-sensory attraction using state-of-the-art visual effects and cutting-edge technology, including the first-ever interior projection mapping, 360 surround sound audio and sweeping physical effects, to engulf you in a world of adventure. Join Master Po and more from DreamWorks’ blockbuster franchise on a thrilling journey of awesomeness destined to stimulate your senses, exercise your wit and unlock the hero within through the power of kung fu.

We can speculate that another theater-type attraction will live in the space, as Halloween Horror Nights uses the space as well for their houses, but that is purely speculative. We know that Epic Universe will be utilizing a lot of DreamWorks IP, so perhaps we will see another DreamWorks attraction in place of Shrek 4-D as Universal continues to highlight those specific films.

The Shrek and Donkey meet and greet location that can be found at Universal Studios Florida will seemingly continue to live on, so Shrek fans can still get their fix.

At the moment, Revenge of the Mummy is also under a massive refurbishment at Universal Studios Florida. That being said, Guests can still enjoy attractions such as Rip Ride Rockit, MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, Transformers: The Ride, and more. Visit Diagon Alley in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter where you can venture into Gringotts! Islands of Adventure has some amazing attractions like the new Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Jurassic Park River Adventure, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and more! Volcano Bay is also open for those who want to get their splash on.

Source: https://insidethemagic.net/

After Almost 2 Years, Water Park Reopens At Disney World On January 2nd

Orlando- The big waves are returning to Walt Disney World.

The theme park resort said Tuesday that it will reopen its Typhoon Lagoon water park after an almost two-year hiatus.

The water park closed in March 2020 as the coronavirus started spreading throughout the U.S. While Disney World’s other theme parks reopened in summer 2020 with virus safety protocols in place, the water park stayed closed.

Visitors to Typhoon Lagoon will be able to swim in its massive wave pool, slide down its water coaster and meander down its lazy river starting on Sunday.

Universal Orlando Reinstates Mask Rule As COVID Cases Rise

Universal Orlando is reinstating its mask requirements beginning Christmas Eve as COVID-19 cases are surging as a result of the omicron variant.

Daily cases of coronavirus have quadrupled in the past week in the state of Florida, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations have increased by 12%, the CDC says.

But one of the largest hospital networks in Miami, Jackson Health, has reported twice as many COVID-19 patients on Thursday than it had a week ago.

Universal Orlando says masks will be required at all public indoor locations and at all attractions from the moment guests enter the lines to when they leave. A lot of lines for rides and shows in the resort theme parks start in outdoor areas.

The resort has seen a busy holiday season with popular rides this week reporting waits of up to three hours.

The requirements will be for guests and employees regardless of vaccination status and will cover restaurants, shops, and indoor hotel public areas.

Walt Disney World earlier this year relaxed its face covering rules to require them only indoors, and has not announced any decision to revise their policy.

Vaccinated Visitors Can Take Off Masks At Disney World Starting June 15th.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World in Florida is making it easier to see smiles again, but guests still can’t hug the characters.

Starting Tuesday, face masks will be optional for visitors to the theme park resort who are vaccinated, though Disney workers won’t require proof of vaccination, the company said on its website.

Visitors who aren’t fully vaccinated still will need to wear face masks indoors and on all rides and attractions. All visitors, whether vaccinated or not, will still be required to wear face coverings on buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner, the resort’s aerial gondola, according to the latest guidelines.

The decision on masks is Disney World’s latest tweak to the virus-related safety rules it created when the coronavirus pandemic was declared in March 2020. Disney World closed for two months last year at the start of the outbreak and reopened last summer with strict safety guidelines that involved masking, social distancing and crowd limits.

Last month, Disney officials started allowing visitors to go without masks outdoors. Disney officials said they expect to ease up on physical distancing guidelines in the near future.

“It’s important to remember that some experiences and entertainment may still be operating with limited capacity or may remain temporarily unavailable,” the company said on its website. “We’re not quite ready to bring back everything yet, but we are optimistic and look forward to the day when Disney pals and princesses are able to hug once again.”

Disney CEO Says Attendance Caps At Parks Being Raised

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney’s top executive says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision to ease up mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated people is “very big news for us.”

During an earnings call on Thursday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek hinted that there could be a change to the mandatory mask requirement at Disney parks in the near future after the CDC said people could stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.

“Particularly, if anybody’s been in Florida in the middle of summer with a mask on. That could be quite daunting,” Chapek said. “So we think that’s going to make for an even more pleasant experience.”

Chapek said the parks had already started raising the number of people allowed in, as least in Florida, based on relaxed restrictions coming from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. He didn’t say how many more people were being allowed in the parks compared to the previous restriction of a little more than a third of a park’s capacity.

“So I think you’re going to see an immediate increase in the number of folks that we’re able to admit into our parks through our reservation systems that we recently implemented,” Chapek said.

The CDC guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.

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.

Mickey’s Flashy Dress, Glowing Castle Mark Disney World 50th

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World in Florida turns 50 in October.

To help celebrate, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will be wearing flashier threads and iconic structures such as the Cinderella Castle and the golf-ball-like Spaceship Earth are getting new lighting, Disney officials said Friday while unveiling the first details of how the massive theme park resort will mark its milestone anniversary.

Plans for the 18-month celebration which starts in October are being made amid one of the toughest stretches the resort the size of the city of San Francisco has faced in its nearly 50 years. Last spring, Disney World closed for two months to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus, leading to the temporary furlough of 43,000 workers.

Last fall, the company announced layoffs for 28,000 workers from its parks division in Florida and California due to limits on attendance and other pandemic-related issues. Disney officials said last November that revenue at its parks, experiences and products business fell 61% to $2.6 billion.

Before the pandemic, Disney World employed around 77,000 workers.

“If ever the world needed some pixie dust and a little extra magic from our cast, that time is now — and we hope you join us in the excitement,” said Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort in an email to community leaders.

Disney World has high hopes the 50th anniversary celebration provides Disney fans enough reason to return to the theme park resort during a time when vaccines will be more widely distributed.

For starters, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other costumed characters will be getting sparkling clothes that include iridescent fabric and embroidery with renderings of the Cinderella Castle. The resorts’ iconic structures — the castle at Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth at Epcot, the Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom — will be glowing with special lighting during the celebration. The Cinderella Castle also will be made over with gold bunting and other golden embellishments.

“It is going to be the world’s most magical celebration,” said Dana Carlson, an associate broadcast producer for Disney Live Entertainment.

Walt Disney World February 2021 Refurbishments

Disney World frequently updates their attractions, which means that closures are often inevitable. Typically, an attraction refurbishment will not heavily affect your time at Disney Word, but to ensure you face no surprises, it is always good to know which attractions are down while you are visiting the Mouse!

Today, we will take a look at all of the attractions that will be closed for the month of February at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom has quite the list of attractions that will not be available for the month of February.

Walt Disney World Railroad – Frontierland – Temporarily Unavailable Closed for Refurbishment Walt Disney World Railroad – Fantasyland – Temporarily Unavailable Closed for Refurbishment Walt Disney World Railroad – Main Street, U.S.A. – Temporarily Unavailable Closed for Refurbishment

The Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed for quite some time, since December 3, 2018, to be exact. The train is a popular option for Guests to travel around the lands of Magic Kingdom in style, but has yet to reopen. The construction for TRON: Lightcycle / Run overlaps with sections of the railway, so it is likely that the attraction will not open until the coaster’s construction is no longer interfering — this has not, however, been confirmed by Disney.

Disney recently drained the Rivers of America, which caused both the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island to close. Recently, we reported that Disney was refilling the river and Guests will soon be able to once again travel along the waterway! As of February 5, 2021 both attractions will once again be operational.

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover has been closed since before the pandemic shut down the parks! After five delays, the TTA is now set to open in March. That being said, since the attraction’s reopening date has already been pushed back multiple times, I personally am not holding my breath for a timely opening of the attraction.

The Hall of Presidents is currently closed as the attraction is adding in the new President Biden animatronic, as the United States is now under a new administration. The attraction closed down the day of the Inauguration, and will remain closed throughout the month of February.

Mad Tea Party will be closed as of February 20, 2021, so if you were planning on spinning your way out of February, think again!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s list only includes one attraction under refurbishment for the month of February.

It is important to note that this attraction closes down every year for routine maintenance and refurbishment. It is likely that once the ride reopens to Guests, that it will be the same soaker of an attraction that is perfect for those hot days at Walt Disney World. Currently, Kali River Rapids is set to reopen on April 2, 2021. That being said, Disney’s refurbishment schedule is subject to change

EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios do not have any scheduled refurbishments during the month of February, so Guests should be able to ride any attraction their hearts desire!.

Source: https://insidethemagic.net/

Walt Disney World To Reduce Theme Park Hours, Starting September 8th

GREGG NEWTON/Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images

Visitors drive past a sign welcoming them to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida

Walt Disney World is reducing the operating hours at all four of its theme parks, following the phased reopening last month amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in Florida.

Magic Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios will close an hour earlier than usual, while Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney's Animal Kingdom will be open for 2 less hours each day. The changes will begin Sept 8. and remain in place through October. 

After months of being shuttered due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Walt Disney World began a phased reopening in mid-July with masks being mandatory for guests and staff, and other safety measures in place such as guidelines for social distancing and increased sterilization and cleaning requirements. To be admitted to the park, guests would need to have a reservation and a ticket, as the capacity was capped at a certain number — which wasn't made public — but assumed to be around 30 percent. 

Last week, the Walt Disney Co. revealed the financial impact of its parks being shuttered, noting a fiscal third-quarter loss of $3.5 billion. "Parks, Experiences and Products revenues for the quarter decreased 85 percent to $1.0 billion, and segment operating results decreased $3.7 billion to a loss of $2.0 billion," Disney's quarterly report indicated on Tuesday. "Lower operating results for the quarter were due to decreases at both the domestic and international parks and experiences businesses and to a lesser extent, at our merchandise licensing and retail businesses."

Walt Disney world came under fire last month for a "Welcome Home" promotional video that was posted to its social media channels, featuring masked employees welcoming guests back to the park. Some users on Twitter and Instagram accused the park of putting their staff and visitors in danger by reopening too early, and encouraged them to consider closing. 

Any further updates or changes to operating schedules will be posted to the Walt Disney World website at: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Disney World’s Last Two Theme Parks Reopened To Visitors On July 15

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Days after reopening two theme parks amid a spike in coronavirus cases in Florida, Walt Disney World on Wednesday welcomed back visitors to two more theme parks that had been shuttered since March because of the new coronavirus.

The Florida theme park resort reopened Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, completing a rolling opening of Disney World’s theme parks that started last weekend with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom welcoming back visitors.

The parks were the last of Orlando’s major theme parks to reopen after being shuttered since March. Both Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando opened their doors last month.

All of the parks have new restrictions.

The number of visitors being allowed in has been capped to allow for social distancing. All visitors and employees must wear masks and get their temperature checked upon entering.

Disney is requiring reservations, and Disney employees won’t be allowed to take photos of visitors in front of Cinderella’s Castle since it involves touching the tourists’ cameras. Disney World posted on its website that “an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present.”

There will be no live shows at Disney World since the reopening has caused a labor dispute between Disney and its actors and singers.

The union that represents Disney World actors and singers has filed a grievance against Disney, saying their members faced retaliation for demanding coronavirus tests. The actors and singers initially were called back to work, but that invitation was rescinded after the union made public their concerns about the lack of testing for the actors and singers who can’t wear masks while performing, according to Actors’ Equity Association.

Despite the parks being reopened, not all of Disney World’s 77,000-member workforce has been called back to work because of the limits on attendance. A coalition of unions that represents about 43,000 workers says only about 20,000 members have been called back to work.

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Parades, Close-Ups With Mickey Out As Disney World Reopens

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Forget about up-close “meet-and-greet” sessions with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck when Walt Disney World parks reopen. There will be no firework shows or parades — those would draw too many people together — and both visitors and employees will be getting temperature checks when they enter.

Despite a huge surge of Floridians testing positive for the new coronavirus in recent weeks, two of Disney World’s four parks are reopening Saturday. When they do, visitors to “The Most Magical Place on Earth” will find new rules in place.

Everyone has to wear a mask and maintain social distance. No hopping between parks is allowed, for the time being, and visitors will need reservations to enter.

Disney employees won’t be allowed to take photos of visitors in front of Cinderella’s Castle since it involves touching the tourists’ cameras. There will be no live shows since the reopening has caused a labor dispute between Disney World and its actors and singers.

“That is a very different Disney World than the one you worked at back in March, and that is because of the need for safety,” Eric Clinton, president of Unite Here! Local 362, told his members in a recent Facebook discussion.

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will reopen Saturday. Disney World’s other two parks, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, will welcome back guests four days later. All of the parks closed in mid-March in an effort to stop the virus’s spread. Disney World’s crosstown rivals, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando, also closed in March but have been back open for several weeks after instituting similar rules to protect employees and customers from the virus.

Also this month, the NBA and MLS are restarting their seasons at Disney World, which has a massive sports complex featuring multiple playing arenas.

Disney has been opening back up its parks around the globe for the past two months. In May, the company opened Disney Springs, a complex of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues in Lake Buena Vista. Only Disneyland in California delayed its plans to reopen in mid-July, saying it was awaiting guidelines from the state.

The union that represents Disney World actors and singers wishes the Florida resort would do the same until workers can be tested on a regular basis. Florida and other Sunbelt states have seen recent surges in coronavirus cases, and unlike other Disney workers, the singers and actors can’t wear face masks when they perform.

On Thursday, Actors’ Equity Association filed a labor grievance against Disney World, saying their members faced retaliation for demanding the coronavirus tests. The actors and singers initially were called back to work, but that invitation was rescinded last week after the union made public their concerns about the lack of testing, according to Actors’ Equity Association.

For the parks to reopen, “the epidemic must be under control with contact tracing ... and that is not the case in Florida,” said Brandon Lorenz, a spokesman for Actors’ Equity Association. “We don’t believe the workplace plan is safe. It has risks not just for the workers but for the guests.”

Full Coverage: Virus Outbreak

In a statement, Disney on Thursday said, “We are exercising our right to open without Equity performers.”

Other union leaders are confident in the new safety measures. Clinton, whose members are custodians, housekeepers and park greeters, said a visit to Disney World is now safer than going to the grocery store.

“Will I be safe at work? The short answer to that is, ‘Yes,’” Clinton told his members.

Firefighters and paramedics for Disney World’s private government are expecting to see more heat-related calls from visitors due to the mandatory mask-wearing.

“With the masks and summer in Florida, that’s going to be interesting,” said Tim Stromsnes, an official with the Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters, Local 2117. “A lot of people aren’t used to our heat and humidity.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier this week that he believe Disney is well-prepared for the reopening.

“I have no doubt it is going to be a safe environment,” DeSantis said. “I am really impressed with what Universal has done and I have looked at Disney’s plan and it is very, very thorough.”

Disney spokeswoman Andrea M. Finger said in a statement Wednesday that the company is “moving forward carefully and methodically.” She said seven unions representing thousands of staff have signed agreements to return to work.

Because of the limits on attendance, new ticket sales and hotel reservations are temporarily on hold so people already with tickets and reservations get first dibs. Even some who already had reservations ran into problems. Shortly after the shutdown, Disney fan Lloyd Stevens and his partner, Andy Rogow, booked a room at the budget Pop Century Resort for next week. But when they called recently to confirm, they were told the only availability was in a much more expensive resort.

“We had to cancel everything,” Stevens said. “I was hoping to get there in midweek and have it not crowded. But with cases rising anyway, I guess we’re kind of glad it didn’t work out.”

Disney World workers have been at the parks already for several weeks, going over hygiene protocols to stop the spread of the virus, sanitizing handrails and consoles and reviewing other changes such as new break rooms that now only accommodate four people at at time.

In addition to a thermometer, workers were given three face masks and a plastic face shield, equipment that made it difficult for some of them to recognize their colleagues without checking their name tags, said Hollywood Studios worker Scott Dudas.

In a Facebook discussion with colleagues, Dudas said he was reassured by the face shields, which can be used when a worker needs to get in close contact with guests, such as making sure children are the proper height for rides.

“I think from a safety aspect, everyone should be on board to feel comfortable with everything in place,” Dudas said. “I feel super safe.”

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Universal Takes First Steps Reviving Orlando Theme Park Business, Open To General Public June 5th.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With masks on their faces and temperature checks at entrances, Harry Potter fans and roller coaster lovers streamed back into Universal Orlando Resort  in one of the first major steps toward reviving Florida’s theme park industry, which was left temporarily moribund by closures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Universal Orlando became the first of Orlando’s major theme park resorts to reopen by allowing annual pass-holders to return to its three parks Wednesday and Thursday. It will open to the general public Friday June 5 for the first time since mid-March.

“We missed the parks desperately!” said Donna Walters, who wore a pink scarf over her mouth and nose Wednesday after walking past a security checkpoint where a guard took her temperature with a thermometer gun.

If her temperature had been 100.4 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) or greater, she would have been barred from entry under new virus-related procedures adapted by Universal Orlando and the area’s other theme parks. The number of people allowed in was restricted to allow for social distancing, blue circles on the ground showed visitors where to stand to maintain 6-feet (2 meters) distance and a recording in English and Spanish played in a loop over loudspeakers at the entrance reminding park-goers to wear face masks and keep their distance.

Workers with spray bottles and cloths wiped down the hand rails of flat-escalators leading into the parks and Citywalk, the resort’s restaurant-entertainment complex that has been open for more than two weeks.

“We feel like all the precautions were up to snuff. We felt super safe to come here,” said Walters, who as a nurse is accustomed to wearing face masks. “Yeah, the masks. It’s Florida, so it’s hot. But it is what it is and it does protect other people.”

Crosstown rival SeaWorld Orlando is set to reopen next week, as are two other SeaWorld-owned parks in Tampa, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island.

Walt Disney World plans to welcome back visitors next month to its parks, and thousands of workers could start being recalled for work starting in mid-June, according to Unite Here Local 362.

Disney has not made any plans to reopen the water parks, and those workers can transfer temporarily into other departments. College students and international workers who staffed the country pavilions at Epcot’s World Showcase aren’t coming back anytime soon, so the positions formally staffed by international workers will be worked by U.S. employees, Eric Clinton, the local union’s president told members recently during an online meeting posted to Facebook.

Also disappearing for the time being will be parades, firework shows, “meet-and-greets” with performers dressed as Disney characters and the courtesy of using a guests’ phone to take their photo, Clinton said.

“Any scenario that could create large crowds ... the company isn’t going to do it,” Clinton said.

All of Florida’s theme parks temporarily closed this spring, and Floridians and theme parks fans across the U.S. were forced to stay home because of state and local lockdown orders meant to stop the virus’s spread. The smaller Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven, Florida, opened Monday.

As of Thursday, Florida had more than 60,000 total coronavirus cases and more than 2,600 related deaths, but the number of cases has been trending upward. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 151.6 cases, an increase of almost 21%, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Orlando’s theme park industry, and synergistic businesses like hotels and restaurants, were devastated by the coronavirus-related closures. Tens of thousands of workers were furloughed and the theme park resorts have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond on Wednesday reported that the county’s tax collections on hotels and vacation rentals in April dropped 97% from the same month in 2019 to a level not seen since 1980.

But Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said he was confident tax collections will improve as the theme parks reopen.

“I believe that we will recover,” Demings said at a news conference.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that more than 206,000 Floridians filed jobless claims last week, up from 175,000 claims the prior week. More than 2 million Floridians have filed jobless claims since mid-March.

With the reopening of the parks, “thousands and thousands of employees have been put back to work,” said Tom Williams, CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts.

After arriving at Universal Orlando, Ashley Gonzalez tried to go on as many rides as possible, though wait times were longer than usual because of social distancing precautions. Some things felt odd, such as having only one person in a row on the rides and not being able to have personal contact with performers dressed up as characters such as Captain America.

“It’s refreshing to be out here because you spent so much time cooped up and in quarantine. It’s cool to be out in the open,” Gonzalez said. “You’re so used to high-five-ing people, and getting the character meet-and-greets. But you can’t do that now, obviously because of socially distancing.”

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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.