Walt Disney World News Round-up Fall 2020
This Fall has been a big one for Disney announcements, and while nothing seems certain, there is hope on the horizon as we look at the plans for the future. Here are some of the big Disney vacation related stories.
Let's start with one that's been known for a while to many, but is worth a mention:
Splash Mountain is being remade into a Princess and the Frog themed ride
The Summer of 2020 was one in which awareness of social injustice rose to the forefront. Many of us scrambled to figure out how to be more aware of racial injustices and unconscious bias. I joined a book club (or three) to try to educate myself. Disney, for its part, recognized the romanticizing of a deeply racially divided era in the ride Splash Mountain and almost immediately announced it would be remade in the image of the animated feature that was the first to include an African American princess, Princess Tiana.
Yes, Splash Mountain is being remade with a new story that is Princess and the Frog themed. And we don't know how we feel about that. We might still be hanging on to the old version of Splash Mountain because we love Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit, but this next story is one we're very excited about.
Disney has released a sneak peek at the rooms on the Galactic Starcruiser
If you've been living under a Mickey-shaped rock, we'll recap. The Galactic Starcruiser is the much anticipated Star Wars themed hotel under construction at Walt Disney World. Unlike any other hotel, it will be billed as an experience. Think a cruise, but on land, or in space as Disney would have you believe. The premise is you board your spaceship, the Starcruiser, for a cruise around the galaxies, with a stop at Batuu, of course. Along the way, you will interact with characters and a plot that may have you choosing whether you are Rebel or Imperial. We are SO excited for this, and finally, the room photos have been released!
Both photos above, credit DisneyParks
Speaking of cruises...
Disney has released an updated delivery date for its newest cruise ship.
Disney is building 3 new Triton class ships to join its current fleet of 4. This will allow the Disney cruise line to offer more itineraries and dates when it's once again safe to cruise. The ships will be slightly larger than the Dream and Fantasy (which are already pretty big ships) and will include the cruise magic we know and love as well as some new surprises. The first of the 3 new ships, called the Wish, is currently under construction with an anticipated first sailing date in the Summer of 2022. The next two ships , currently unnamed, should come a couple years a piece after each other.
In more immediate news...
The park hopper is back! (Sort of)
The park hopper will be making its return to Walt Disney World in January, 2021. The park hopper has been suspended since March due to the pandemic. Currently, guests have to select one park to visit each day and reserve the park ahead of time with no option to visit another park the same day. In January, Disney will once again allow park hopping to those guests with the park hopper add on, but it's going to a look a little bit different.
The way it will work is guests still must make a park reservation for their starting park. They must enter their starting park before "hopping" will be enabled. "Hopping" hours start at 2pm, so no entering a second park until 2pm or later, at which time, they may enter a second park depending on capacity. Remember that Walt Disney World is operating at limited capacity at this time, which means that there is a larger than normal chance that guests might not be able to enter that second park. However, the second park does not have to be selected or reserved ahead of time. More details are here.
Also in more immediate news...
The Bridge between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom is complete!
Guests can now walk all the way from the TTC, to the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom, and Contemporary (there is no path between the Contemporary and the TTC at this time). The estimated walking time for the entire partial loop is one hour, including stops to pop into resorts or watch the monorail. Walking time from the Polynesian to the Magic Kingdom is estimated at around 20-30 minutes, and from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom is estimated around 10-15 minutes. All the way from the Magic Kingdom to the TTC is estimated to be about a half hour.
And finally...
More restaurants at the Magic Kingdom have re-opened.
With the limited opening of the parks, many dining locations and shops have been closed. However, in November, Crystal Palace and Tomorrowland Terrace have re-opened, both with new menus. While this is small news, it brings comfort to see Disney returning more and more to normal over time.
That's it. You're up to speed on the major Walt Disney World stories! Which of these things are you most looking forward to? For us, it's the new ship and the Galactic Starcruiser! What do you think is the biggest game changer? For us, it's the walkway, believe it or not. Share your thoughts with us over on our Facebook page, which you can follow to see when each blog is posted. Until next time...
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