Disney World News: Reservation Reminder, Profanity Warning, Cast Recall, Magical Express Update
It’s time for another Walt Disney World news & rumor roundup! This one covers a reminder issued about reservation availability at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, Cast Members being recalled or hired at numerous locations, a profanity warning, new monkey at Animal Kingdom, and more.
First, Walt Disney World has issued a reminder about park attendance and the need to make Park Pass reservations, encouraging guests to check reservation availability before purchasing theme park tickets, and noting that availability of park reservations is limited, not guaranteed, and subject to change.
Additionally, it states the following: “with school holiday periods occurring throughout the next several months, Disney Park Pass reservations are no longer available on select days for the Walt Disney World theme parks. In particular, reservation availability at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is limited. As a reminder, capacity in our theme parks remains limited as part of our ongoing health and safety measures. Theme park reservations will be verified as Guests go through the auto plaza at each park.”
This comes less than a week after Walt Disney World added hundreds of hours for Summer 2021. Since that prior update, Walt Disney World released even more park hours for June 27 to July 3, 2021. Here are the hours for this newly-added week:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 9 pm
- EPCOT: 11 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 8 am to 6 pm (5 pm on 6/27 for some reason)
- Blizzard Beach: 11 am to 6 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 10 pm (11 pm on weekends)
The only noteworthy changes as compared to the week prior are that Magic Kingdom opens an hour later (9 am v. 8 am) and Hollywood Studios closes an hour earlier (7 pm v. 8 pm). There’s also some variance in Animal Kingdom closing times in late June, but I believe those are errors that will be “smoothed out” closer to those travel dates. As always, hours are subject to change and extension, which usually happens.
The warning about attendance and reservations also comes just days after Walt Disney World added tons of Park Pass availability for Summer 2021. That essentially turned the calendars green from Memorial Day weekend through the end of summer, although it’s already yellow once again.
As we discuss at length in that post, our expectation is that Walt Disney World is gearing up for some significant changes to its operating protocol. That includes potentially following Orange County’s lead with a relaxation of physical distancing guidelines.
On those notes, we’re hearing a ton of rumblings about Cast Members being called back for a range of positions at Walt Disney World that are currently closed. I wouldn’t call these rumors since they’re coming directly from Cast Members, but some of the recall locations I’ve heard also don’t make complete sense to me, honestly. (Walt Disney World is also hiring new employees for roles that they’re having trouble filling via recall.)
Either Walt Disney World is presently gearing up for a dramatic acceleration of its phased reopening plans, or some of those Cast Members will be reassigned into new roles. My guess is a little of both. With that said, the sheer volume of this ‘recall chatter’ suggests that something pretty significant is on the horizon. Accordingly, the upcoming couple of weeks could be big in terms of announcements from Walt Disney World.
Since we know people will ask in the comments, it’s unclear whether any of this will mean the return of FastPass+ or the Disney Dining Plan. The analysis in our posts discussing what needs to happen to enable FastPass+ to return (and predictions about that) and for the Disney Dining Plan (plus predictions for that) remains unchanged.
This recall almost certainly means more restaurants returning, which does bode well for the Disney Dining Plan. More hotels and Typhoon Lagoon are other possibilities. Beyond that, the totality of all this could mean a limited slate of nighttime spectaculars–our guess is that EPCOT Forever and Fantasmic will be first to return–as well as additional entertainment beyond just Festival of the Lion King. What and when is anyone’s guess.
We’d caution against getting excited or expecting imminent changes. If you’re traveling in the next month or so, you probably will not see the fruits of this. While Cast Members are being recalled and hired right now, many will need to go through orientation and be trained. It takes time to scale back up, and we’re probably looking at Memorial Day (roughly) to start seeing the results of this rehiring blitz.
Regardless, this is great news for guests hoping for a return to normalcy. It’s even better news for Cast Members being recalled, and ones currently working who have been stretched too thin and/or whose morale has dropped due to the last year. A positive development all around!
Next, a minor housekeeping update. We previously reported that Disney’s Magical Express is ending in 2022 with service for airport transportation stopping for new arrivals on January 1, 2022.
Now, we know that guests who arrive at Walt Disney World before January 1, 2022 will still be able to utilize Disney’s Magical Express for transportation to Orlando International Airport following their hotel stay until January 10, 2022.
Following that, guests will need to utilize private transportation or ride-share services. Disney’s Magical Express will also have a spiritual successor in Mears Connect, which begins service in 2022. At this point, we highly doubt that Walt Disney World will start a “competing” service. Mears Connect is probably it.
Some heart-warming news: a baby mandrill has joined the family at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! The little girl was born on April 10 (a fitting arrival during Earth Month!) to first-time mom Hazel and dad Linus. Cast Members named the infant Ivy to fit in with the rest of her colorful family: Olive, Scarlett, Snow, and Hazel.
If you’ve visiting Animal Kingdom, be on the lookout: both can be spotted on Kilimanjaro Safaris. You might see the shy baby clinging to Hazel’s stomach, a natural bonding behavior. This will soon change as the baby begins walking within weeks of being born, spending most of the time underneath mom. The baby joins the troop of seven other mandrills that call Disney’s Animal Kingdom home.
Walt Disney World has announced that now through September 2021, Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs will sell exclusive Disney Cruise Line merchandise including the traditional Wave and Sail Away Minnie Mouse collections and items from Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas. Be prepared to “sail away” with trendy and nautical-themed spirit jerseys, T-shirts, and matching styles for adults and kids so you and the family can all match.
There’s already a place to buy Disney Cruise Line merchandise in Orlando: Disney’s Character Warehouse Outlet. This is a little better than that, I guess, but I still wouldn’t want to buy Castaway Cay merchandise at Walt Disney World. For me, it just isn’t the same. I’ve always thought it’s odd how the outlet store sells sailing-specific items, like stuff from certain Alaska or Europe cruises. Back where I’m from, people who wear clothes from places they haven’t been are called Notre Dame fans. 😉
Finally, an interesting tidbit that Disneyland has updated its health safety protocol page with the following: “Disney reserves the right to require a Guest to leave if they are (i) not properly wearing an approved face covering, (ii) using profanity or offensive language towards our Cast Members or other Guests and/or (iii) violating any other Park Rules.”
Most of that page includes verbiage identical to Walt Disney World, but that’s notably different. In particular, giving guests the boot for using profanity or offense language towards Cast Members is not something explicitly prohibited by Walt Disney World.
In the months following Walt Disney World’s reopening, we saw rule and signage verbiage become more forceful, for lack of a better term. This occurred in response to guests trying to exploit loopholes, flaunt the rules, or deliberately break them for the sake of social media clout.
More recently, we’ve heard countless horrific anecdotes from Cast Members and reports that Walt Disney World is having trouble filling certain guest-facing positions because dealing with problematic guests is too dispiriting–to put it mildly. Suffice to say, if this “profanity or offensive language” rule were actively being enforced at Walt Disney World, dozens of guests would be kicked out daily.
Honestly, I don’t know how Cast Members do it–I’d be fired my first shift. (Slightly off topic, but all Americans should be “required” to work for a year in a service industry so they “learn” how to treat others.) For those who have wondered why Cast Members aren’t as cheerful as normal, or why the “Disney Look” is being relaxed…there’s your answer.
A quick website housekeeping note before concluding this Walt Disney World news & rumor roundup. I’m aware that the “reply” feature in comments is not working. This happened last weekend while making a range of other improvements to the site. On the plus side, the site should now load faster and content shouldn’t shift around, among other less noteworthy enhancements. It wasn’t immediately evident to me since my reply option still exists on the backend, so I’m not sure which upgrade broke it. Two steps forward, one step backwards.
Unfortunately, I’ve tried to remedy this and have hit multiple dead-ends. The site needs an ‘aesthetic overhaul’ that would also fix this and other lingering issues, but that won’t happen until this summer at the earliest. For now, preface a comment with “@username” if you’re trying to reply to someone. Comment notifications work the same as before, so they’re equally likely to see your follow-up as they would’ve been previously. Sorry about that!
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 do you think of this Walt Disney World news? Thoughts on the Disney Park Pass availability for summer? Excited to hear that Cast Members are being recalled and hired for additional locations? Think this bodes well for more returning this summer? Disappointed you won’t be able to swear like a sailor at Disneyland? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!
Hi, we are still holding out a tiny ray of hope for a visit from the uk at the end of May (21st to 1st June). Because we don’t know we can come we haven’t reserved our Disney tickets. I just looked on the reservation calendar and it is showing no availability for Hollywood studios or magic kingdom. Would you say this is “game over” for getting tickets? Or does availability change as it gets nearer to the date?
Hi! Maybe this is addressed in a different post, but is it possible to stay at a resort without off property transportation, and be able to eat all your meals at the resorts or parks? I’ve always gotten the dining plan and we stay usually in December if we get to visit WDW at all that year and try to stay a full week on property. I’m worried that by waiting for special offers closer to December, that we won’t be able to do that. It’s just a nightmare for those of us trying to plan everything. I still have to update our ids to Real IDs! (Ours are valid, but the government won’t allow you to fly without updated ones.)
Tom,
We are trying to plan a June 2022 trip to WDW. We’re hoping to use Disney Fine Art Photography to have our daughter’s senior pictures taken at Disney. Have you heard anything about that service reopening? I’m not sure if I should go ahead and book the trip and then try to get an appointment, or try to get an appointment and book the trip around those dates. Any suggestions? Thank you!
I am happy to hear about CMs being recalled! And kudos to you for recognizing how hard the current CMs are working and what they are dealing with. I work a public facing customer service type job that has been open since July and while not nearly as busy as Disney I know a small taste of what that is like. We’ve also been short staffed since then and as we are now getting busier it is more and more stressful. We’re on a hiring freeze for all of 2021 at least due to budget (at least what we’ve been told) but I can imagine the relief the current cast members are feeling from being stretched too thin!
@Tom,
The email I received said this edition of your blog included something about a DisneyWorld price increase. I go often enough to expect the twice-yearly increase. My point, however, is I can’t find any mention of said increase anywhere in this mailing. I see lots of other things, but not that. Am I missing something?
I almost spit out my food at “Back where I’m from, people who wear clothes from places they haven’t been are called Notre Dame fans. ” I live in South Bend and that is the funniest/truest statement ever told and I am not even a Domer (they are the worst….lol)
On another note, I am so happy CM’s are being recalled. Bodes well for the return to normalcy.
I was in Disney World the day they relaxed the mask rule when taking photos outside and you should have seen the looks on peoples’ faces on April 7th when the photogs were telling people they could take them off. It was a mixture of surprise and PTSD from the last year. It brought tears to your eyes to see peoples’ smiling faces again… hoping for more of that very very soon 🙂
Do you any suggestions about bringing someone with auttism to Disney?
thanks
What if I used profanity accidentally to myself or member of my party, NOT a fellow guest (stranger) or CM? Would they kick me out if I stubbed my toe and said Oh, s— or f—? TIA!
@Kurt, Believe they call them chickenhawks over there. Rumor has it if you smash one of those imaginary birds, you get purple.
“ Back where I’m from, people who wear clothes from places they haven’t been are called Notre Dame fans. ”
This happens in Missouri, too! And it shouldn’t drive me nuts, but…
Any thoughts where the Laugh Floor falls into a returning attractions list? It seems like that one wouldn’t take too much work since the animation is the same every time. Just the jokes and crowd
Interaction change, and you could easily distance the crowd. As a former “that guy” our family loves this attraction and hope it comes back soon!
I’m so glad to hear that more CM’s are being called back to work. It’s become so difficult to get dining reservations and with so many restaurants closed, Disney needs to open more up! It’s a win-win for CM’s getting jobs back and locals would go so it seems like a no brainer.
Have you heard specifically which locations CM’s are being called back to? Casey’s Corner is the only one I’ve heard about so far. Thanks!!
As an adult, I do NOT like Notre Dame, but I do remember quite fondly my first ND Starter
Jacket, which pulled over my head and as a mother it’s quite possible the worst design ever. I’m not sure if it was uglier than the Charlotte Hornets one though.
“I’m not sure if it was uglier than the Charlotte Hornets one though.”
I feel like no matter where you lived, the Hornets were one of the top 5 teams in popularity among kids in the 90s. Even up in Michigan, those Hornets Starter pullovers were everywhere.
On a very tangential note, this is one of the funniest articles I’ve ever read that touches upon the why of that, and how another team wanted to capitalize: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/15155466/once-nets-seriously-considered-becoming-swamp-dragons
I am really happy for cast members being recalled, having changes to personal style, and also I hope they enforce the treatment of cast members! I despise people treating them like that they are people too! I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a line for Rise to complain they didn’t get a pass and the way they are treated is like horrible! Cast members can’t be magical when being yelled at cause someone doesn’t understand how to get a pass or wear a mask!
Notre Dame fans joke. Classic! Well played, Tom.
Any idea when the monorail will start going to Epcot from the transportation center?