Disney World News: Show Returns, Muppets Haunted Mansion, Masks Until November?
It’s time for another big Walt Disney World news & rumor roundup. This one covers the possibility that face masks will be required through Halloween, relaxation of another Cast Member health safety rule, stage show returning to Animal Kingdom, more park hours for summer, hospital partnership, Muppets Haunted Mansion, and much more.
Let’s start with an update on new park hours as Walt Disney World approaches what’s likely to be a busy summer travel season. All four theme parks, Disney Springs, and Blizzard Beach have had hours for another week added to the DisneyWorld.com park hours calendar. Added dates are the week of July 18 to July 24, 2021. Here are that week’s hours:
- 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
- Blizzard Beach: 11 am to 6 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 10 pm (11 pm on weekends)
Park Hopping times for those and all dates remain from 2 pm until park close. We have yet to encounter any issues with or restrictions on Park Hopping–even on peak season days with all parks fully booked…
The only thing here worthy of discussion is EPCOT, which had its closure moved forward to 9 pm from 10 pm. This comes just weeks after EPCOT hours for late May through mid-July 2021 were extended until 10 pm. So, what’s the logical conclusion to draw here–that EPCOT hours are being cut?
Perhaps, but probably not. Our expectation is that this is a return to the normal practice of boilerplate hours for later in the summer. The final closing time could end up being 9 pm if Park Pass demand ends up being low, but we suspect that will not be the case.
Regular readers know that we’ve teased rumors of a limited run of Epcot Forever for Summer 2021 before Harmonious debuts. We were pretty bullish on that happening about month or so ago, before that fizzled a bit.
Well, we’re once again optimistic. There are two components to this Epcot Forever rumor, one of which I find highly credible and the other…much less so. However, if both aspects are accurate, the result could be long nights at EPCOT by mid-July. (There’s another rumor about summer fireworks in Magic Kingdom floating around–I haven’t heard anything directly about that. I personally find it less plausible, but I don’t really know.)
Good news on the entertainment front, as Festival of the Lion King officially returns today (May 9, 2021) after a soft opening yesterday. Its current showtimes are 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm.
Technically, the show is being called A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King, which is a result of modifications to the full show. This essentially means physical distancing, most notably the removal of the Tumble Monkeys and aerial performers. We’re hopeful the full show makes its triumphant return, but we’ll happily take this for now. Festival of the Lion King is an exceptional show, and Animal Kingdom really needed a relaxing, indoor way to break up the day.
Next, Walt Disney World and AdventHealth have announced an expanded partnership to provide a range of health care services and vacation-planning tools, making it easier for those who have pre-existing health conditions or unexpected health care needs plan their vacations and receive care when they arrive in Central Florida.
New online planning tools and a dedicated AdventHealth care concierge experience center will help meet guests’ needs, including help with doctor’s appointments, virtual care, medical equipment access, and prescription delivery to Walt Disney World Resort hotels.
AdventHealth will also add a new emergency room location at Flamingo Crossings Town Center, staffed by AdventHealth physicians and nurses. (The announcement video above is worth watching for the song alone.) All of this is inconsequential and unimportant to Walt Disney World vacation planners…until it is.
Anyone who has gone to an urgent care center in or around Orlando can tell you it’s not the most pleasant experience. This location should be much more convenient–it’s just “around the corner” from Coronado Springs. Definitely a positive development even if it’s not exciting and hopefully something you’ll never need.
Next, some great news. As part of the Disney Parks Halfway to Halloween thing, Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn announced the Muppets first-ever Halloween special, “Muppets Haunted Mansion,” debuting this fall exclusively on Disney+. The brand-new special will feature a star-studded Muppets cast, celebrity cameos, all-new music, and spooky fun.
“Muppets Haunted Mansion” takes place on Halloween night, when Gonzo is challenged to spend one very daring night in the most grim grinning place on Earth: the Haunted Mansion. Here’s hoping Eddie Murphy is one of the aforementioned celebrity cameos.
To say I’m excited about this would be an understatement. Something that combines Halloween, Haunted Mansion, and the Muppets?! It’s like a dream come true. (On a tangentially related note, we haven’t covered it lately, but Disney+ has really found its groove!)
Honestly, part of me doesn’t want to think/discuss/hear/see anything about it until Muppets Haunted Mansion drops. Muppet Family Christmas and Muppet Christmas Carol are two of my all-time favorite holiday movies, and I don’t want to create unrealistic expectations for this based upon those. I’m ecstatic about this news…but hope I forgot about it for the next few months. Yeah, right.
On a slightly amusing note, many Disney fans have been speculating about what Imagineering being responsible for the Muppets means. As it turns out, the answer was right under our noses–but no one realized it! At the D23 Expo a couple years ago, we had the chance to attend the Haunted Mansion 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Below is a video of the full panel, which is illuminating and interesting:
This Haunted Mansion panel featured current Imagineers, the granddaughter of Disney Legend X Atencio, the tightrope-walking resident of Haunted Mansion…and Uncle Deadly, the Muppet.
It concluded with Uncle Deadly reading through X Atencio’s never-before-released draft of the Haunted Mansion script (this starts at around the 47:30 mark). It was really good, but something I figured was a one-off treat in a jam-packed weekend.
Now, that has me wondering if it was a test run for this Disney+ special. Maybe Muppets Haunted Mansion will feature deep cuts from the attraction’s history, or ideas Imagineering wasn’t able to include in the attraction. Given that Imagineering is responsible for the best use of the Muppets in the last decade, I’m optimistic about this.
Again, I feel like I’m starting to get ahead of myself and further building up hype, so I’ll just cut off the commentary and excitement for Muppets Haunted Mansion. (Also, still waiting on the “When Love is Gone” restored cut of the original Muppet Christmas Carol on Disney+.)
In another incremental step towards normalcy, the rule requiring some Cast Members who directly interact with guests to wear face shields–in addition to masks–has been relaxed. Now, Cast Members in outdoor positions are no longer required to wear face shields (as with guests, masks are still required outdoors).
This comes as more global health organizations, including the CDC, are finally conceding that transmission is primarily airborne and indoors, which many epidemiologists have been stressing for over a year. (This is a great read.) There are also an increasing number of studies showing that barriers and partitions actually increase risk rather than decreasing it, as they trap pockets of air and impede air flow. This is also not a new development; many experts have long derided the ‘plexiglass proliferation’ as counterproductive hygiene theater.
Finally, the possibility that face masks will be required at Walt Disney World until at least November 2021. The announcement about the Disney After Hours Boo Bash Halloween Event contained this:
“As an important reminder, costume masks are not permitted for adults; they can only be worn by children younger than 14. In addition, all guests are required to wear approved face coverings during the event. Before you arrive, check our Know Before You Go page and Costume Guidelines.”
There are two ways to interpret this. One, that Walt Disney World’s PR team is transposing current, highly relevant rules into this announcement for August through October to err on the side of caution–that it’s meaningless and simply reflects the status quo.
Alternatively, that Walt Disney World leadership has already established its face mask rules for the remainder of the year, and that info has been disseminated internally.
Either one of these scenarios is plausible. While the vaccine is widely available to adults and will likely be authorized for adolescents next week, the earliest possible schedule for pediatric vaccine availability for ages 2-11 is late fall. Families with small children are an important demographic to Walt Disney World, and the company is very protective of its reputation for safety and being family-friendly.
Disney has already demonstrated that its parks will be slower to relax or modify health safety protocol in light of shifting guidance from public health experts and agencies. It’s thus entirely possible that Walt Disney World has already established its own internal timelines and benchmarks, and will rigidly follow those without regard to evolving science.
Conversely, it’s also highly plausible that this is a CYA thing to set expectations and minimize complaints if the face mask rule is still in place come Halloween season. Anyone who has been a Walt Disney World fan for at least a month knows that sometimes one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing.
It should go without saying that the PR team is not the one that sets health safety protocol. The fact that the author mentioned face masks but also recommended consulting the Walt Disney World’s “Know Before You Go” page is a hedge that suggests the policy is not set in stone.
At present, it’s unlikely that U.S. Centers for Disease Control leadership knows with a high degree of certainty what its face mask guidance will be a month from now–let alone during the Halloween or Christmas seasons. This is all highly fluid, dependent upon vaccination and case rates.
While there’s ample reason for optimism, where those numbers will stand in summer and fall is presently unknowable. Moreover, Walt Disney World’s rules are just as much a business decision as a safety one. It’s really difficult to envision the company going against the grain of CDC recommendations and rapidly-changing post-pandemic public sentiment, if it comes to that.
Ultimately, we do not know. Nor do you. Neither does the CDC nor other public health experts. Maybe Walt Disney World does, though. If they do, that means it would simply be a rigid rule for the sake of predictability and the perception of cautiousness, rather than anything else. It would not be the first instance of that.
Unlike physical distancing, masks aren’t a direct impediment to profitability (indirectly is a different story–and will be more of an issue with each passing month), so those sticking around longer to justify the relaxation of other rules makes some degree of sense.
If you’re planning a Walt Disney World vacation for Fall 2021 or beyond, our recommendation at this point would be to take whatever you’re hoping to happen…and expect the opposite. Prepare for whatever your “worst case” scenario is, determine whether that’s a non-starter or something you can work with and still have a fun trip, and plan accordingly. We hear from too many readers on a daily basis expressing disappointment that they’ve cancelled X trips or are on the fence, hoping for a best-case outcome that is unlikely.
Avoid setting yourself up to be letdown. Figure out what the worst is for you, determine what, if anything, you can do to make lemonade out of that, and plan for that. Make contingency plans. It’s better to be pleasantly surprised than perpetually disappointed. As for our predictions about Walt Disney World rule relaxation, they are unchanged as a result of the latest announcement from the company. The Walt Disney Company’s next earnings call is this coming week, and we expect a forward-looking comment on health safety protocol. It might be something vague like another “some degree of masking” remark, but perhaps it’ll be more definitive. We’ll keep you posted!
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? Excited for Muppets Haunted Mansion? Expect masks to stick around at Walt Disney World until November on the basis of the Boo Bash announcement, or think it’s a CYA thing? Optimistic about the potential for fireworks this summer at EPCOT? 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!
I would love to see the mask mandate be lifted by September (that is when we go). But if we have to wear one, no worries. But the thing I want to see change is park hopper. I know we have a version of it but I would like to be able to hop without having to schedule it after 2p. Crossing my fingers on that one.
Any news or guesses on when the dining plan will come back? This is a must for our family! Hoping for a January trip, but I won’t bother if dining isn’t back yet…
Probably not until October, at the earliest. I’ll have another update on that later this week.
Sorry, Tom! One more thing to add….
According to recent polls, the majority of Americans still support mask mandates. You’re right that it has decreased since vaccination opened up to all adults in this country, but it’s still the majority. Even in conservative states like Texas, the majority still support a mask mandate (as of mid-April). As vaccination rates go up, the support of mask mandates is decreasing, but the majority still support them.
Here’s a recent article you can read about the current state of mask wearing in the US. What’s frustrating is that most of the people who don’t wear masks are the ones who also don’t get vaccinated (49% of unvaccinated people don’t wear masks when they go out). I think that’s why it’s so important that Disney keep and enforce their mask mandate until everyone is eligible for a vaccine and vaccination rates increase.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/552148-majority-of-americans-still-wear-masks-at-all-times-despite-loosened
It’ll be interesting to see where those poll numbers stand when the U.S. is at ~10k cases per day and few hospitalizations and deaths.
I agree that Disney doesn’t want to go against the CDC recommendations right now. The CDC recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks in crowds, and I’m sure Disney World parks count as a crowd! I agree that this will probably change when more people get vaccinated and when children can be vaccinated. I hope the people who complain about the mask mandates are stepping up to get their shots. The sooner our vaccination rates go up, the sooner we can get back to normal! I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney was looking at loosening mask restrictions in November, December, or January, depending on vaccination rates.
However, I think the process for Disney to change their policy will be a slow one. People tend to book their Disney trips in advance. Next month, people will buy their Boo to You After Hours tickets, and they will be buying them knowing that masks will be required. Some people have children who can’t be vaccinated before the August events. Some people have family members who are immuno-compromised, and the vaccine doesn’t work quite as well with those people. They might be relieved about the mask requirement. If Disney changes it, that puts people who bought them in a bind. They bought non-refundable tickets under the conditions that masks were required. Thinking of that, I agree with you in that I don’t think the mask requirement will be repealed until November at the earliest. Disney can’t go back and change it when people have agreed to those conditions when purchasing their tickets (unless they give them the opportunity to cancel for a full refund or something).
Do you think the practices in Disneyland and other parks also influence Disney World? Perhaps Disney doesn’t want drastic differences in safety protocols in their parks. It would be weird if Disney lifted the mask mandate in Florida only and kept the mandate in California, Hong Kong, etc.
I think the policies at Disneyland influence the policies at Walt Disney World (and vice-versa); you probably won’t see dramatic differences between the two. Hong Kong and the rest, not so much. That was definitely the case last year when trying to determine what policies the parks would enact when reopening, but that was in large part because Hong Kong and Japan were more adept at navigating pandemics and were developing protocol faster.
Firstly thanks for the Blogs… they are a good source of balanced opinion and filter the daily news into a sensible bite sized commentary..
We’re hoping top come from the UK… simple… when lockdown 1 happened March last year it was what can we do to have something to look forward to? Disney at Christmas….. lets hope the various powers that be allow International travel with the Vaccine in place for high percentage countries….
I personally feel that Q3 October onwards will see quite a shift… the summer bookings are already looking positive and money makes things work….. so a push in October onwards leads to a strong February and into 22. …
lets see
I’d agree about October being a significant potential turning point, in large part because of the 50th Anniversary but also because that’s the start of Disney’s Q1.
I’m looking forward to our trip in Oct. 2021. We canceled last year due to the pandemic. I would like to see the mask restriction dropped, however I’ll wear them if I have too .
Never been during Halloween season . The muppets sounds like something I’ll have to check out.. I’m actually glad we waited to go this year there’s more attractions now in Universal and Disney. I enjoy your blogs, great detailed information
Wow! So exciting!
Yes! Always love your Muppets Christmas Carol references! We had a VHS copy of the movie with the cut of the beautiful “When Love is Gone” sequence. I never understood why it was removed for TV viewings and was surprised it wasn’t included in freaking Disney+!!! Here’s hoping it’ll make a comeback…someday. Oh, and you know, great article per usual; you’re crushing it; I definitely took away more than just a Muppet shout-out; blah, blah, blah
This is the first time that I’ve felt your tone on the restrictions has been pessimistic. I truly hope masks are gone by November (at LEAST outdoors if not everywhere) but I worry that Disney will see the logic as you’ve described it and come to the conservative conclusion. If they really truly are waiting for the CDC, we’ll never be rid of masks.
I read the Halloween announcement as CYA, as you suggested, but nothing would shock me at this point as common sense has long been missing (and not just at Disney) during this pandemic. I have a tentative trip to Universal planned for November but I’m not pulling the trigger unless/until things are different.
Personally, I’m not pessimistic at all. If anything, I’m more optimistic as we’re seeing what will hopefully be the final fall in U.S. cases, which will precipitate relaxation of more rules.
I’m simply hedging. Disney has been slow to move and cautious with rules; it’s entirely possible they will continue that approach even if/when most other businesses start dropping their rules this summer. I don’t think that’s what’ll happen, but it would be irresponsible to not at least allow for the possibility.
Just got back to the resort from Disney Springs. The place was packed. There was no social distancing at all. And I saw almost as many people without a mask on as people who had them on. I think I saw almost as many signs saying masks are required or you’ll be asked to leave, too. No one is enforcing the rule.
And the only distancing change in the Disney buses is that you’re not allowed to stand anymore. But every seat gets filled.
Whether masks stay or go it doesn’t matter because the most problematic aspect of masks at Disney has already changed. You can take photos without masks! Trust me that photos with Masks suck. Thanks to that caveat NOW I don’t care if I have to wear them or not.
Logically we know the first move will be to no masks required while outdoors. Universal will do it first in the summer and shortly afterwards Disney will follow. No masks inside probably doesn’t happen till sometime in 2022, probably after the two year mark.
“Figure out what the worst is for you, determine what, if anything, you can do to make lemonade out of that, and plan for that.”
Good advice. This is what we’re trying to do. We’re booked for August and will happily wear masks/shields/hazmat suits if we could just have the mask rule relaxed for our 3 year old while outdoors. As this probably won’t happen, we’re training her with season passes at Dollywood this summer. If she can stand TN humidity in June and July in a mask, she can handle August in FL. But if it’s a failure, then I guess it’s best to push it. We were really hoping to beat the anniversary crowds and still visit in a warm month, but if we have to adjust dates and reset expectations, we will. Worse things have happened to better people.
As someone who can’t tolerate a mask (it’s legit, don’t come for me in the comments) I’m really hoping masks are done away with by December.
Tom, are you thinking along those lines?
I suppose by middle of October we may have our answer. I don’t expect a change in mask policy between then and January. I feel like it’ll come before October or not until 2022.
“I suppose by middle of October we may have our answer. I don’t expect a change in mask policy between then and January. I feel like it’ll come before October or not until 2022.”
I agree with this assessment. Personally, I think there will be significant changes/relaxation before then, but I suspect whatever the rule is on October 1st it’ll also be on December 23rd.
Yes, I’m wondering about the early access too? I hope that just doesn’t go to the wayside
Tom – do you know if the One Little Spark version from the Advent Health youtube video is available anywhere else? It was a great take on the classic (and seeing Figment made it that much better).
Just going to tease… not going to share the 2 components of the Epcot fireworks rumor?
As much as I dislike cryptic rumor teases, there’s often good reason for them.
Any news on the Dining Plan coming back?
Still have Fingers crossed for return of the Dining plan for September 2021.
Our trip has been Postponed 4x. I am so ready to get back to the Magic!!!
Especially since this year is my 10th wedding anniversary with my Hubby!!! Plus my Son’s 5th birthday
I would be absolutely thrilled if Muppet Family Christmas made its way to Disney+ someday. “Watch out for the icy patch!” is still a family inside joke.
Any word on when the early entry for onsite guests will actually start at the parks? It was announced so long ago and still has yet to take place. I was interested to see how this would help one access the top rides during the day, but our trip is coming up fast and haven’t heard anything more about this…