Author: chipandco.com

SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., one of the world’s leading theme park and entertainment companies, announced today a phased reopening (with capacity limitations) of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, and Discovery Cove on June 11, 2020. The reopening of the parks will include enhanced health and safety protocols for cleaning and sanitizing, physical distancing, face-covering requirements, and temperature screening. A new online reservation system will also help manage capacity so that guests can enjoy a safe and fun experience while maintaining physical distancing. The phased reopening plan was approved by the State of Florida.

“We thank Governor DeSantis, Orange County Mayor Demings, Orlando Mayor Dyer, and the members of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force for their support of tourism in Central Florida as we prepare to reopen our Orlando parks to the public on June 11,” said Marc Swanson, interim CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. “Over the past two months, we have worked with state and local health officials, third party medical and epidemiology experts, and attraction industry leaders to enhance our strict health, safety, and cleanliness standards. We are committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and animals in our care, and will continue to follow the guidance of health officials as conditions evolve.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to reopen our three Orlando parks – SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove,” said Kyle Miller, president of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, Discovery Cove. “We know our guests are anxious to return, and we’re working hard to provide a safe environment so they can enjoy many more memorable experiences with us and their friends and family.”

SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove have launched new safety websites with detailed information about the measures that guests can expect when the parks reopen, including key operational changes. Specific information by park can be found by visiting the following websites:

• Seaworld.com/orlando/safety
• Aquatica.com/orlando/safety
• Discoverycove.com/safety

To help manage capacity to maintain physical distancing within the parks, all parks will require advance online reservations. Guests will be asked to visit the reservation pages of park websites where reservations will be required to guarantee entry given anticipated demand. Reservations will be available starting at 10:00AM ET on June 8, 2020. Please visit seaworld.com/orlando/reservation, aquatica.com/orlando/reservation, and discoverycove.com for more details.

Guests can receive the latest information on hours of operation for each Orlando park by visiting the following websites: SeaWorld.com/Orlando, Aquatica.com/Orlando and DiscoveryCove.com.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Other Orlando Attractions, Sea World, Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland and More, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, orlando, reopening, Seaworld

Disney has called Cast Members who work at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels back to work starting June 14th.

One of the unions representing Cast Members — Unite Here Local 737 — posted to their Facebook page today which resorts have recalled Cast Members for food & beverage as well as housekeeping. You can see their post below:

It makes sense for these Cast Members to return to work since Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and several Disney Vacation Club resorts will begin reopening later this month.

Keep in mind that this only represents a list of the locations where the Cast Members represented by the Unite Here Local 737 union are getting called back to work. We do not yet know the full list of dining locations that will be opening once these DVC resorts reopen.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Parks & Resorts, Places to Stay, Resorts, Walt Disney World, Cast Members, Disney Vacation Club Resorts, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, Walt Disney World Resort hotels

Shanghai Disneyland began implementing a new Disney Standby Pass recently. This pass allows guests to join a virtual queue online using the Shanghai Disneyland app.

The Disney Standby Pass is a lot like the Boarding Group system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. It allows guests to make an online reservation for specific attractions then get access to the attraction during a specific time frame, during which they can enter the queue.

Currently, the pass is only available for one attraction, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, for a trial operation period.

The Shanghai Disneyland website tells how this pass works:

“Disney Standby Pass attractions are subject to change and are only available to guests with valid park admission tickets.

To check Disney Standby Pass and Disney Fastpass availability, please refer to the Shanghai Disney Resort Official App. Guests may purchase Disney Premier Access for any attraction while also holding a Disney Standby Pass or Disney Fastpass.

Disney Standby Passes will be released in the App on an hourly basis, based on that day’s official park operating hours. Each Disney Standby Pass corresponds to a 60-minute interval for the guest to arrive at the Disney Standby Pass entrance. The quota for each day is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The final release of Disney Standby Passes is approximately two hours before the park’s announced closing time. Please note that Disney Standby Pass is currently in trial operations.

How It Works:
To make a selection on your mobile device:

• Step 1 – Download the Shanghai Disney Resort Official App before you arrive at the park and create your own account with your mobile phone number or email address.
• Step 2 – After entering the park, open the Shanghai Disney Resort Official App, sign in and select “Get Standby Pass”, and scan the QR code on your park ticket.
• Step 3 – Create a party in the App by linking your group member’s park tickets so you can enjoy the attractions together using the same Disney Standby Pass return time. Ensure all members of your party have entered the park.
• Step 4 – Select the attraction you want to get a Disney Standby Pass for.
• Step 5 – Confirm the selection for your Disney Standby Pass.
• Step 6 – To redeem, go to the Disney Standby Pass return entrance at the attraction at the designated return time, and then show your QR code, found in “My Plan” on the App or the QR code on your park ticket.

Disney Standby Pass Rules

• Disney Standby Pass is only valid on the day of issue and can only be redeemed during the time selected.
• Guests with a Disney Standby Pass must enter attractions via the designated Disney Standby Pass entrances. Everyone in the party must have their own Disney Standby Pass, which is linked to their park tickets.
• Disney Standby Pass is subject to availability.
• Guests may obtain a Disney Standby Pass on the Shanghai Disney Resort Official App.
• Disney Standby Passes are linked to park tickets. Please always keep your park ticket secure.
• At the Disney Standby Pass entrance of the attraction, a Cast Member will scan your park ticket to verify the visual identity of the park ticket holder.

These virtual queues and passes may become the new norm at Disney parks around the world. What are your thoughts?

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Parks & Resorts, Shanghai, Disney Standby Pass, Shanghai Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland app, virtual queue

We recently reported that Disneyland Annual Passholders were sent a survey related to the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to the parks. Well, it appears there was also a question about home delivery of Disney food and beverages.

“Disney is always considering new ideas and we’d like to get your opinions about a few of those now,” the Disneyland survey said.

The survey posed the question: How likely would you be to order Disneyland prepared food and beverages delivered to your home?

With the parks closed and guests missing their favorite Disney foods, copycat and even official recipes have flooded social media. I have personally fried and cooked more Disney foods than ever before during this quarantine. If I lived close enough for home delivery, I’d totally order a Monte Cristo and Mint Julep!

Since the coronavirus forced restaurants to close dining rooms there’s been a surge in curbside pick up and home delivery. Why not figure out how to apply that to Disneyland Resort restaurants?

There’s still no set date for when Disneyland will reopen but the California government says theme parks can reopen in stage 3 of the state’s reopening plan and that should begin soon.

Source: The OC Register

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Disney Food, Disney Snacks & Treats, Disneyland, News, Parks & Resorts, California, Disney Snacks, Disneyland Resort, Home Delivery

The future of AMC Theatres seems to be uncertain. The movie chain acknowledges the financial effects of COVID-19 and how it has “substantial doubt” about their future.

The AMC Theatre company, which closed its movie theaters earlier this year, expects to have lost between $2.1 billion and $2.4 billion in the first quarter alone. The movie theater chain also said that its revenue fell to $941.5 million, which was down roughly 22% from $1.2 billion in the same quarter of 2019. For second quarter of 2020, the financial situation has gotten substantially worse. If things don’t improve, the company might be forced to close its doors.

Today, the company held a regulatory meeting and stated how they are generating effectively no revenue. It was said in the meeting that the movie theater company had a cash balance of $718.3 million as of April 2020. An AMC representative stated the following:

“We believe we have the cash resources to reopen our theatres and resume our operations this summer or later. Our liquidity needs thereafter will depend, among other things, on the timing of a full resumption of operations, the timing of movie releases and our ability to generate revenues.”

The biggest challenge for the company is continued delay of theatrical releases. Highly anticipated films such as Mulan, Black Widow, and more have been pushed back due to health concerns during the pandemic. We’ll have to see how business activity resumes once movie releases return to theaters.

Source: WESH 2 News

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Movies, News, Walt Disney Pictures, AMC Disney Springs 24 Theater, AMC Theater Disney Springs, AMC Theaters, AMC Theatres