Walt Disney World is bursting with Spring Break crowds, we’ll show you how that’s impacting visitors. Plus technical updates turn your phone into a MagicBand, and facial recognition testing has started at the front gates. Over at Epcot, we have the dates for this year’s Food and Wine Festival with a tiny peek into what’s to come. Then we’ll take a quick trip to the Magic Kingdom to look at the transformation of Cinderella’s Castle for the 50th Anniversary, refurbishments on Main Street, and Tomorrowland construction. And, Disney makes a big effort to convince cast members to get the vaccine. Let’s take a look at this week in WDW news…
Spring Break Capacity Woes
Spring Break is here with the largest crowds throughout the resort since the reopening of the parks last summer. While the parks are not as crowded as typical Spring Break, capacity has been maxed out for all ticket types for the past 3 weeks and continues to have limited access through the first week of April.
More people in the parks means more people at the resorts. As a result, resort transportation has been strained; capacity limitations mean the buses buses must leave some rows and all aisles empty. In the past, the average resort bus ride at the end of the night would find guests shoulder to shoulder in the aisles. Today, with the current capacity restrictions in place, there simply aren’t enough buses.
This has caused long waits to get from your resort to the parks and back resorting to the necessity of Disney recommending guests drive themselves. This is a major change from previous years as Disney has carefully crafted an experience that begins as soon as you disembark from the airplane and get onto the Magical Express. With the Magical Express program set to end January 1, 2022, WDW is getting guests accustomed to the new normal for staying at the resorts.
At the resorts, pools with reduced capacity are filling up at opening and continue to be at capacity throughout the day. Coronado Springs Dig Site pool and Yacht/Beach Clubs Storm-a-Long Bay pool are the resorts most frequently meeting capacity. A text messaging system for pool return times has been quickly implemented where needed. All resorts have more than one pool, so you do have the option to go to a “quiet” pool until the feature pool opens.
Even Disney’s Magical Express suffered long waits at the airports, and some guests report not receiving information for their return to the airport.
All this, plus difficulty finding places to eat in the parks (if you weren’t lucky enough to snag a reservation). We hope the Spring Break crowds are a wakeup call to Disney that their operations can NOT handle the current crowd levels. With the busy summer season just a couple of months away, we hope significant improvements can be made.
But our advice to arriving guests is not to rely on Disney transportation. Rent a car, resort guests get free parking, so you’ll never be stranded waiting hours for a bus or stuck at the airport waiting on Magic Express. That said, at the moment, car rentals are extremely limited and a bit pricy in Orlando. Although it’s the more expensive option, it ultimately makes up for the price in terms of convenience and accessibility.
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival returns July 15 – November 20, 2021. While few details have been announced yet, there will be some new Global Marketplaces with familiar favorites.
Highlights of this year’s festival include Emile’s Fromage Montage, purchase five selected samplings and earn a prize; festival collection merchandise; and Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak. While no mention of the return of the Eat to the Beat concert series, Voices of Liberty, Marichi, and the Jammin’ Chefs will be returning. The “Taste of Epcot” which has been used for the past year was noticeably missing. Could this mean the return of more normalcy?
Ratatouille Is Almost Here
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure has an opening date! This new Epcot ride will officially open on October 1, 2021. This leads to the question, would you choose to be at Magic Kingdom for the start of the Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration or Epcot to be one of the first on this new ride?
50th Anniversary License Plate Revealed
Florida car owners can celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary with a specialty license plate. The plate features the new “EARidescent” castle logo. All proceeds from the plates will be donated to Make-A-Wish. 3,000 presale vouchers are needed before the State of Florida will manufacture the plates. We have a feeling they won’t have any trouble meeting that requirement.
Disney MagicMobile
Disney MagicMobile has launched! The best way for me to explain MagicMobile is simply that it’s MagicBand for your phone. It is designed to do almost everything a MagicBand or Key to the World card can do. It is your park ticket, PhotoPass, room key, payment method, and more.
You can create a custom MagicMobile pass with different images from ears, parks, and food. There are special cards available for Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders.
You may also store multiple passes on a single device and you can use it with your Apple Watch. This already proved convenient as both my husband and I can have our son Johnny’s pass on our phones.
Other enhancements include linking Disney PhotoPass attraction photos and videos through a smartphone.
We took the opportunity to use Magic Mobile at Magic Kingdom, on day 2 of its release. The Cast Members were generally excited about it, most hadn’t had anyone use it yet and they were happy to help figure it out.
The MagicMobile did not work for entry into the Ticket and Transportation Center parking lot. However, the information provided doesn’t specifically say it will. Disney MagicMobile, a MagicBand, and cards are all interchangeable and while I look forward to not needing a MagicBand, I will be bringing mine along until all the kinks are worked out.
Face Recognition Testing
Magic Kingdom is testing Face Recognition for park entry through April 23, 2021. Participation is optional. The method uses an image of the guest which converts into a unique number to be linked with the park admission entry.
This technology seems to be the trend these days. Universal has been testing face recognition as well. It’s expected that their new Epic Universe park will use the technology for entry.
Magic Kingdom Prepares for WDW’s 50th Anniversary
Magic Kingdom is preparing for the 50th Anniversary celebration with refurbishments and some new decorations. Today, we’re heading down Main Street to Cinderella Castle and over to Tomorrowland. As you enter Main Street, the Confectionery and The Chapeau are both closed.
Some of the treats have moved elsewhere while work on the Confectionary is completed. Main Street Cinema’s marque is updated to reflect the changes inside.
The artwork has been removed. You won’t find any baked goods though, only prepackaged items.
Heading towards the castle, signage has been added to remind guests of mask policies while taking photos. Similar signs are posted in popular photo op locations.
The moat around Cinderella’s Castle is empty to facilitate installation of 50th anniversary details on the castle after hours.
New blue and gold bunting is going up on the castle for the 50th-anniversary makeover. You can see the left side has yet to be completed. It’s a stunning image, even if not finished..
The detail in the bunting includes the new EARidesent coloring. The additions blend well with the castle’s new coloring and aesthetic.
When the makeover is completed, Cinderella Castle will look a little something like this:
Heading over to Tomorrowland, testing continues on the People Mover. When we first arrived, the People Mover was running.
Later in the day, we noticed Cast Members walking the track. Could this mean the People Mover is getting closer to reopening? Johnny sure hopes so!
While Tron does not have an opening date, construction continues to creep along. The framework for the covering looks to be almost complete.
Disney Encourages Vaccinations
Great news for Disney attractions and custodial workers: Disney is offering four hours of pay after Cast Members receive their vaccine. They are also providing schedule assistance when appointments conflict with work assignments. This is a great step towards Cast Member and guest safety!
Disney Travel Deals
(Discount Theme Park Tickets and Travel Packages)
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Let’s Hear From You
Thank you for joining us on your Walt Disney World trip this week! There certainly was a lot to cover. How do you feel about the integration of MagicMobile around WDW? Do you think that Magic Kingdom’s facial recognition for entry will become standardized around the resort? Do you think that this year’s International Food & Wine Festival will be a more full-scale event? How are you liking the EARidescent 50th-anniversary look so far at Cinderella Castle? And what do you make of Disney being unable to handle the spring break crowds (especially transportation). Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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