Disney World News: Fireworks Testing & Polynesian Resort Enhancements
It’s time for another Walt Disney World news and rumor round-up, with a roller coaster of stories ranging from sad news about layoffs to an upbeat rhino announcement. The most interesting topics are in the headline: fireworks being tested at EPCOT, plus new concept art and details released for enhancements to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Let’s start with the multi-hour fireworks test that was held last night after hours at EPCOT. We were not in or near the park so we don’t have photos, but you can probably still imagine what fireworks look like. (We know it’s been a few months, but not that long.) We could hear the pyro going off in the distance–at the start, there were bursts every 30 seconds or so, then every several minutes.
This was definitely not a full show of Epcot Forever, IllumiNations, Harmonious, or a private event. Rather, it was a test (photo/video crews were also spotted) by Disney, probably as part of the ongoing development of Harmonious. Since EPCOT’s reopening, backstage work has resumed on the barges and staging area for that show (the big red crane you can see behind China and Germany and from the Skyliner are for Harmonious).
It’s likely we’ll see more tests of this nature as the debut date of Harmonious draws nearer. Originally scheduled to debut this year, Harmonious is one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for Walt Disney World. The nighttime spectacular will be an elaborate dreamscape of Disney music and imagery, reinterpreted by diverse cultural musicians and artists from around the world. Suffice to say, it’ll need a lot of after hours test & adjust work.
We’ve previously speculated that EPCOT could be the first park to bring back fireworks, as World Showcase Lagoon is more conducive to physical distancing than Main Street. That remains our belief, but it now seems unlikely to happen in 2020–even though Magic Kingdom will have congestion-inducing projections on Cinderella Castle this Christmas.
Fireworks are more costly, so expect to see Walt Disney World hold off on bringing them back until necessary to help increase attendance or capacity is closer to normal. In the former scenario, Epcot Forever or even a modified IllumiNations could give EPCOT a temporary shot in the arm. In the latter scenario, Harmonious will likely debut. Don’t expect anything on either front until Spring 2021 at the earliest. Harmonious is probably closer to a year away.
Next, Walt Disney World has released details of and new concept art for the upcoming reimagining of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, which is in addition to the recently-announced Moana-inspired enhancements to the Poly. This concept art showcases the new arrival experience, which will bring a new porte-cochère addition in the style of the iconic mid-20th century architecture for which the hotel is famous.
Walt Disney Imagineering has crafted a design inspired by colors, patterns and textures found throughout the resort. The new entry features a high-pitched, open-truss roof covered in a thatch style. There’s also a bold façade that features pops of color complementing the Poly’s Longhouses. Along the Monorail station, new wooden screens will be covered with geometric patterns in bright, tropical colors that complete the composition greeting arriving guests.
I’m wholeheartedly on board with this new porte-cochère. Not just “cautiously optimistic” as is normally the case. I am full-throatedly optimistic and expect this to be an unequivocal upgrade to the arrival experience. First, the Polynesian’s current porte-cochère is weak. There’s almost nowhere to go but up with a replacement. Unless there’s a hidden Stitch spitting on guests from the rafters, it’s going to be an improvement. (Even then, that still might be an upgrade. Unless said hidden Stitch also burps.)
Second, say what you will about Walt Disney World’s recent hotel additions and expansions, but Imagineering’s porte-cochère game is strong. The pièce de résistance of both Gran Destino and Riviera Resort is arguably their porte-cochères. That might be an indictment of those properties as a whole, but it’s also high praise for their porte-cochères. Even the Moorea Disney Vacation Club Longhouse makes a better first impression than the street-facing exterior of the Great Ceremonial House.
In addition to the porte-cochère, enhancements will be made to the lush gardens and fountains that welcome guests to the resort. The announcement is ambiguous as to whether this is outside or inside the lobby. Before you get too excited about Imagineering “fixing” the mistake of removing the Poly’s iconic lobby waterfall and garden, this is almost certainly outside the lobby.
For one, the announcement states that Walt Disney World will be making enhancements to existing gardens and fountains. You cannot enhance something that isn’t there. For another, everything else in this section of the announcement pertains to changes outside the front entrance. If you’re expecting a dramatic lobby transformation, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
The open and airy design of the outdoor entryway will feature dramatic lighting elements, including chandeliers inspired by glass floats, fishing nets and oversized bamboo elements. The new chandeliers will match the existing grand chandelier in the resort lobby, artfully bridging interior and exterior spaces.
While work is underway over the coming months, guests can still enjoy access to the Great Ceremonial House and its operating dining and retail outlets. This answers one of our main questions about the project, and suggests that minimal work will be done inside the Great Ceremonial House. It also leaves the door open for a return of ‘Ohana at some point, although that seems highly unlikely without the hotel itself open.
The new arrival experience is just the beginning of the big changes guests will discover when Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort reopens in Summer 2021. While not covered in any detail, the announcement also mentions that “all of the resort’s guest rooms are being beautifully redone too.”
Disney employs master wordsmiths to polish their press releases, and “redone” is the perfect term here because it affords a lot of latitude in project scope. If Disney adds a few throw pillows featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s signature raised eyebrow countenance? Technically redone. Guts the rooms and starts over? Also redone.
Our guess is that it’ll skew much more towards the former, and not be a particularly big change. It’ll likely be a soft goods refurbishment with light Moana flourishes. The “Redone” Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside featuring Princess and the Frog touches are a likely template for the extent of the changes to the Poly’s rooms.
No updates to report on Disney Park Pass availability today, but if recent trends hold we’ll see a redistribution or refill later this afternoon. Here’s hoping that does not happen. Sorry fellow Annual Passholders, but crowds and wait times are already starting to get out of control and attendance needs to be further limited, not increased.
Speaking of which, we haven’t done a deep dive on overall crowd patterns and wait times since our Crowds Continue Rising at Walt Disney World. That was just last week, but already feels like an eternity ago. Those trends have further accelerated since. We will be in the parks the next few days, and will have thorough reports starting this weekend.
Next, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts plans to lay off 1,136 workers in November 2020 according to a notice sent to the state under a federal law requirement for mass layoffs. Likewise, Universal recently submitted an ongoing furlough notice for 5,400 employees and SeaWorld permanently laid off 1,900.
Many of the impacted positions at the Swan & Dolphin relate to conventions and special events, which are essentially non-existent now that the Major League Soccer ‘bubble’ tournament is over. In the notice, the Swan & Dolphin attribute the layoffs to “historically low hotel occupancy and mounting event cancellations [that] will extend into 2021.”
Our hearts go out to those individuals and their families who are impacted by the job losses. Guests are starting to return to Walt Disney World, which is great–we hope travel continues to rebound. Nevertheless, we’re weary about the timeline of the recovery. It’ll likely be several years before leisure travel returns to February levels, and business and special events may never return.
This is big business for Orlando and Walt Disney World, which host everything from conventions to youth sporting events–none of which will probably even start to return until 2022. While we’ve bemoaned the impact of cheer competitions and Pop Warner on crowds, I would happily tolerate those without another complaint ever if it meant not as many jobs would be lost. Just one of the many things the last few months have sadly put into perspective.
In happy news, Walt Disney World shared that Animal Kingdom has three pregnant white rhinoceros. Per Dr. Mark Penning, it’s the first time Animal Kingdom has ever had this many “horns and hooves on the horizon.” The three mothers have due dates ranging from this October to Winter 2021. (Not a few months from now–over a year.) I’m no expert on “rhino science” or any science for that matter, but that seems like a long time.
On a related note, we were at Animal Kingdom Lodge yesterday and observed a pair of zebras keeping the ole “Circle of Life” spinning. (You might also say they could feel the love tonight.) So here’s hoping for another announcement on Disney Parks Blog soon!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the fireworks testing at EPCOT? Do you expect Harmonious to be the next nighttime spectacular to be performed at Walt Disney World, or think something else will return first? Thoughts on the concept art and details for the Polynesian Resort enhancements? If you’ve been to Walt Disney World this week, what did you think of the crowds? Thoughts on the recent waves of hospitality industry layoffs in Central Florida? Do you agree or disagree with anything in our report? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
“Even the Moorea Disney Vacation Club Longhouse makes a better first impression than the street-facing exterior of the Great Ceremonial House.”
Tom….I’m staying for the first time at Poly and requested Moorea, top floor, lake view as that was recommended to me. I’m not sure how to read your comment above….does that mean Moorea is bad, but the street facing exterior, etc. if even worse? Or does it mean Moorea makes a great first impression?
Well…Florida just went to in phase 3 which lifts capacity restrictions. New blog post coming later?
BREAKING: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just announced that he is moving Florida to phase 3 which means bars & restaurants are open without any restrictions.
“Theme parks may return to normal operations”.
So waiting for DisneyWorld’s response to this. Will probably end up cancelling two 12 day trips to DisneyWorld. Florida has some of the worst Covid numbers in the US. 11.2% per John Hopkins. I felt safe going to Disney World because of the restrictions in place. If DisneyWorld removes all restrictions, then this is not a place for me at this time.
I just today 9/25 received this from guest services regarding capacity at HS.
Dear Greg,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns regarding your upcoming visit.
To ensure the safety of our Guests and Cast Members we have not increased our capacity limits at any of our Theme Parks. Please know that Disney’s Hollywood Studios is currently the busiest and that Disney Park Pass Reservations for this park due tend to fill to capacity daily. Therefore it is going to seem more crowded than the rest of our Theme Parks. Additionally, to ensure proper physical distancing measures are in place the wait times for certain attractions may be higher than anticipated.
Thanks for sharing that correspondence!
I know you’ve mentioned conventions before, and the likelihood of them not returning in general to the business world. I think it may be more nuanced than that. There are industries where an in-person convention could be moved virtual or done away with entirely, but there are others where that is not as probable or ideal. My husband works in one such industry where hands-on, in-person is really the only way to conduct a convention. Virtual is infinitely more difficult if not worthless. Still, once a year, maybe twice makes more sense than the many of varying sizes that used to occur. I just thought I’d toss out there that there will most likely still be some market for them. However, I do agree that it is highly unlikely to be anywhere near what it was pre-pandemic. So given all of the locations across the country, I think there will be more competition between convention locations to attract the ones that continue. Interesting thought experiment in regards to pricing and incentives for booking.
I don’t think conventions or business travel are going to be gone entirely or forever. To the contrary, I think in some situations, it’ll bounce back quicker than expected as some ‘Zoom fatigue’ sets in and people want to meet in person (once it’s deemed safe by their corporations).
What I’m saying is I don’t think business travel or conventions will ever return to their 2019 levels. Some degree of that business is permanently gone. Even if it’s only 10%, that’s a serious blow for many hospitality companies, cities, and destinations.
I would definitely agree with that! In some ways, this is a good reset for businesses who had a lot of unnecessary, excessive spending on such things. It is a major blow to the hospitality/travel industry though.
In Orlando this week for a brief trip and hit MK and EPCOT. Less than half way through our first day (at MK – on Tuesday), our 14 year old said we should cancel our 10-day November trip. I totally agreed. The only thing thing that would make the situation tolerable is low wait times, but we waited longer for most of the rides/shows than we ever have (at MK). Without Fastpass and late hours, there’s no “strategy” that works after the first hour or so. Extra cleaning means even Country Bears, Carousel of Progress and Tiki Room were 20 minutes or more instead of almost immediate entry. We admittedly have little patience but certainly won’t wait in line to shop so we didn’t even purchase souvenirs this time. EPCOT on Wednesday was markedly better, but we won’t be back until things change. Also, this was our first time ever to stay offsite and after seeing what we can get for the same money, we will resist returning to Disney hotels as well without any perks. These diehard Disney fans long for crowd levels of 9 with everything open! The crowd levels of 1 don’t tell the whole story.
We found the wait times at MK to be really inflated to discourage people from standing in line because the queue couldn’t hold them.
Crowd levels are calculated on wait times at e ticket attractions so it’s still a crowd level between 1-3.
There’s no way Disney can make there be low wait times. For instance we have a kid under 5 and there was no wait for Dumbo. Disney can’t make more people interested in Dumbo. If everyone wants to line up for Mine Train it just is what it is. But we found low waits for Dumbo, Peter Pan, Pirates etc that we wanted to do with a young kid. If the crowd would distribute evenly a lot more things would be walk ons.
To that point there would be almost no level of cap on attendance they could put in place that wouldn’t result in lines.
I was afraid of this situation.
I look right now, 12:00 on a Friday and wait times are terribly long!!!
Like you, with fast pass and extra magic hours late at night, we hardly ever had to stand in a line for anything last several trips, but now it’s a totally different story.
We fly down for 5 nights in a week. Our trip includes a Saturday and a Sunday. It’s probably gonna be very congested and too much standing in line for my enjoyment!!
silly question, but how are the wait times calculated? I guess I always assumed it was by how long the line stretched but if that line now has 6ft between each group, it would be shorter even if it stretched to the same spot? Is there a magic sensor or something.
Yes, the wait times were inflated, but the actual wait times (at MK) were much longer than we typically experience using Fastpass combined with morning and evening hours.
Yes, the wait times were inflated, but actual wait times were much longer than we typically experience (at MK) with Fastpass and morning/evening hours. Also, we often experience rides during parades or fireworks when crowds are diverted to those activities. Notably, the early morning was the best we’ve ever seen but crowds built quickly.
Am holding off on trying to cancel my hopper part of ticket until Nov as I still hope for a change.
We just called Disney yesterday and they made us cancel our hopper for December :(.
We stayed at Poly post Labor Day. We were supposed to be at Aulani, but obviously still closed so we thought we would try to get as close as we could. We were told they were going to do a soft remodel at both Kona and Ohana. Start with Ohana and then shift Kona’s menu into Ohana while they remodel Kona. They said they would also do the same to both boutiques. Basically half of their offering down at once. Monorail entrance will be down longer than the interior lobby remodel. Guest will have to use the Transfer Station or walk to Grand Floridian for monorail access.
Currently at Disney World this week for a family vacay from NC. The crowds have been pretty terrible. We learned real quick, staying at Pop Century, that it’s better to be out at the gondolas and bus stops an hour and a half before they start running, so that you are among the first to board. Otherwise, you end up wasting an hour or more just trying to get to the park, and the lines are sooo much worse by the time you get there. Overall, if you adopt the early motto, it can go well. Just be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes most of the time, and definitely an hour in Hollywood Studios. Also, for getting a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance, be on cellular not WiFi, and have another person watch the count down on a cell phone clock and hit that button right at zero! Those passes are gone in seconds. This was a vastly different experience than we were used to, but we’ve made the best of it.
PS Maybe I’ll catch you guys at Epcot this weekend?! I’ll act like a fan girl. Lol
Oh wow!! I just left another comment above, but I hate hearing these real time comments about how crowded everything is.
We fly down next Friday for 5 nights. I chose HS as our first park on Saturday.
Should I change that?
We do not care about Star Wars and all of that situation if that makes a difference. Just want Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster and Minnie’s railway mostly.
Anybody—should we swap our Saturday for another park?
We’ll be at BCV in a few weeks. Hope they do some Epcot fireworks testing when we are there.
hi tom – just a tidbit for you, did you see that disney updated the four keys today? they added a fifth key of inclusion. for one i hope it’s a sign of the company going out of its way to be more inclusive to cast in action and not just in word, but it is sort of weird to get used to saying five keys instead of four!
(also i think there might be a few small typos in the paragraph about the rhinos)
I saw that like 10 minutes after hitting publish on this. I’ll have to include it in the next roundup.
Thanks for the heads up on the typos!
1. Porte-cochere should be a drinking game for this post.
2. LOL at the zebra observation.
On a serious note, I cannot fathom the amount of unemployment in central Florida now. We are just at the beginning. Very sad for the workers.
It’s 16%, I heard earlier this week. CMs are having trouble finding jobs with Disney listed as their last employer since employers know they’re probably going to go back. Still waiting on a call back here at my house.
We are arriving on the 29th to stay at Caribbean Beach. The increase in crowds is really making me nervous! Have the dining locations added outdoor options at all?
Right now we are Tuesday Epcot, Wed and Saturday MK, Thursday HS, Friday MK. Hope these were good choices!
I’m there in 3 weeks and I’m getting pretty nervous too. The low wait times and Halloween decorations was the only thing to balance all the closures. With few decorations and the wait times going up, it’s looking like a Disney trip was a bad decision.
Same situation
I booked this last minute trip because we go every October and I thought an October with low crowds sounded glorious
I’m getting VERY NERVOUS because of everyone’s crowd and line reports.
on top of all of that, this trip is NOT actually costing ANY less than usual for a hugely diminished experience
UGH. Might have made a costly mistake
Melissa, Redk – So nervous! Especially with Florida changing protocols. But – leaving on Monday so no choice but to make the best of it I guess. Was pleased to see more hours added on Friday/Saturday, but still.
I agree about making a costly mistake. Ugh indeed. I am usually obsessed with riding rides but we will just have to “soak” (as we call it) and try to enjoy just being at the parks. I’ll report back…
You got me on Porte-cochere, Tom! I had to google that one. I will definitely throw that term around as much as I can now. No more “covered driveway” For this midwestern girl.
If it makes you feel any better, I’m almost certain I learned the term from Disney at some point!
I didn’t learn that word until I moved to Texas and now I say it all the time!
EMH would really help. All the hotels are struggling they is nothing that unique about staying onsite right now.
Also as we learn more about aerosol transmission it looks like a real concern in cooler climates will be going indoors. If Florida/Disney is on it they’ll be advertising the heck out of the outdoor offerings in Florida. However the task force seems to always be off the ball on this so I’m not expecting a lot.
While I’m optimistic about the next few months in Florida thanks to cooler weather, I don’t see it being a viable marketing opportunity for Walt Disney World.
For one thing, people don’t really understand or care about transmission. (For example, we seldom see other guests dining outdoors.) For another, it’s easier for businesses to pretend hand sanitizer stations and enhanced cleanings are making people safer (if the latest research is any indication, they’re not) as that’s easily understandable and puts minds at ease.
In regards to occupancy…..I saw on ESPN that all of ESPN’s college basketball tournaments will be at the Wide World of Sports for 2 weeks. I don’t know how they may effect occupancy during this time but they are trying to have a semi-bubble. Not an NBA type bubble but maybe they use hotels that aren’t open yet…IDK
Saw that, too. (Actually should’ve included it in this update, but totally forgot.)
Definitely good news for WDW. It’ll be interesting to see which resort is used. Maybe we’ll see All Star Movies return?
Hi Tom!
I enjoy reading your insights and news and was wondering if you have any info on when the Length of Stay pass will be brought back. Thx!
They should repaint the roof on the Polynesian. I had heard so much about it, but was disappointed when I saw it a couple of years ago as it looked old.
@Brooke,
Don’t ever go to Europe. You will be SO disappointed at how old things look there.
Tom,
Do you think WDW will take away park hopper tickets for January 2021? They are being sold. If they do, I will cancel our trip 🙁
We had park hopper tickets for December. I called the other day to ask if there was any chance they would be back. They said that there was absolutely no plan to bring back park hoppers in 2020. I would suspect that, unless there is a drastic change in the next two months, that this will also be true in January. Sorry.
It really does put all of the complaints about crowds in to perspective. I remember being so worried about Jersey Week when we were visiting last year and I wish that were all I were worried about now! It is nice to see attendance increasing and I hope it continues to do so safely. Thanks for the blog, it’s nice to be able to escape.
I noticed today that Art of Animation little Mermaid rooms are sold out starting Nov 8. November 1-7 still had availability. This seems to confirm to me that Art of Animation I is probably set to reopen November 1?
I wouldn’t consider that definitive–the other resorts that had their reopenings postponed also were accepting bookings.
However, I’d be surprised if this one is pushed back. Crowds are starting to pick up, and so too should occupancy for the holiday season.