Author: disneyparks.disney.go.com

UPDATE: We are adjusting the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Beginning Friday, July 24, opportunities to join the queue will be available at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Since Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopened, we’ve received questions about why the virtual queue fills so quickly each day. 

As you’ve also heard here on the Disney Parks Blog, new health-and-safety measures include limiting theme park attendance and implementing new measures to promote physical distancing. This includes requiring extra space between groups in queues and on attraction vehicles. With all of this in mind, we are not able to accommodate as many people on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance as we could before we implemented physical distancing.

For guests with a Disney Park Pass reservation to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the attraction will continue to have limited availability accessible through the My Disney Experience app virtual queue. Starting Friday, July 24, guests will have an opportunity at either 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. to join the virtual queue. These two opportunities are intended to give guests more flexibility in their planning, and are also a way to further support physical distancing. 

Here are more details to be aware of before you arrive:

• First, make sure you have the My Disney Experience app. Once you enter the park, log in to your account at one of the distribution times (10 a.m. or 2 p.m.).
• Once you have logged in, select “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue” on the home screen. You will be able to view the current status and next steps for joining the virtual queue. 
• The app will indicate when there is no availability for a specific distribution time. Some guests may join backup groups. 
• As long as your My Disney Experience account is linked to park tickets for you and the others in your group, you can enroll everyone in the virtual queue at the same time. In order to give as many guests as possible the opportunity to join the Resistance, each guest can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day.
• Make sure push notifications are turned on for My Disney Experience so you will be alerted if your group is called to return. You’ll have up to an hour from the time of the alert to go to the entrance of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. 
• Guests who are enrolled in the virtual queue will be able to see an estimated return time indicating when they may be called back to experience the attraction. This time may change throughout the day, so continue to check the app for updates. Also, the tip boards around the park will display the boarding groups that have been called back.
• Please note that joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with joining the virtual queue, cast members at Guest Experience Team locations throughout the park are available to assist. While you wait for your virtual queue group to be called, you can enjoy other experiences at Disney’s Hollywood Studios including our newest addition, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. 

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Vacation Planning, Walt Disney World Resort, DHS, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, WDW

Are you prepared for digitization? Then enter the Grid and hop aboard TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disneyland!

In this new “Ride & Learn” video, you’ll discover all sorts of fascinating insights into the creation and story of this thrilling and iconic roller coaster attraction. The feeling of launching out under its undulating canopy is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced in a Disney park (especially at night!). 

I’m typically a front-row coaster guy, but on TRON Lightcycle Power Run, I love sitting farther back, like you see in this video. From this perspective, you have a fantastic view of the glowing lightcyles as they race along in front of you and power through the Grid.

So jump on your virtual lightcycle and sync the pedal to moto-metal while twisting, turning and riding for victory in the cyber-fi world of TRON! And keep checking back with us here at the Disney Parks Blog for more #DisneyMagicMoments like this one.

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Shanghai Disney Resort, Video

When the craving for deep fried choux pastry with a sweet cinnamon-sugar coating strikes, you gotta get a CHURRO! 

Check out this fun video that captures all the cinnamon sugary yumminess – complete with a chocolate dipping sauce! This is a delicious reminder that churros can make any day better! 

Want to make Churro Bites at home? We posted a simple at-home recipe inspired by the iconic snack served at all our parks around the globe on Disney Parks Blog a few months ago as part of #DisneyMagicMoments. You can find the recipe here.

And remember, at select Walt Disney World Resort locations, you can use the convenient mobile order service in the My Disney Experience app* to order, pay for, and pick up your favorite cinnamon-sugary snack. 

Stay connected with Disney Parks Blog for more delicious Disney news and be sure to share the magic with other Disney fans using the hashtag #DisneyMagicMoments. 

*Message, data and roaming rates may apply. Availability subject to handset limitations and features may vary by handset, service provider or otherwise. Coverage and app stores not available everywhere. If you’re under 18, get your parents’ permission first.

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disney Dining, Walt Disney World Resort

As finishing touches were being put on Shanghai Disneyland shortly before its grand opening in 2016, I was lucky enough to spend more than a month at the park taking photos of attractions, restaurants and merchandise locations. In my almost 20 years as a photographer with The Walt Disney Company, I’ve been privileged to take photos all over the world, but this was the very first time I was part of “opening” a new park. It was even more exciting because it was the company’s first park in mainland China.

Bob Iger famously described the Shanghai Disneyland as “authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese,” and I spent a long time looking for just the right image to capture the essence of that statement. The photo needed to blend Disney magic and China’s cultural spirit. To me, Enchanted Storybook Castle, with its celebration of all the Disney princesses, is the park’s centerpiece and a natural to represent Disney. So I kept walking in circles around the castle looking for a frame that included the castle and just the right piece of Chinese décor. Turns out, what I was looking for didn’t require any walking at all. 

One day I took a trip on Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, the enchanting boat ride near the castle that includes scenes of characters from beloved Disney films. I was in the boat to take photos of the attraction, but I ended up finding the image I’d been searching for all this time. 

As my boat rounded a bend in the river and we passed Mulan, I looked up and … there was the picture I was looking for. The beautiful golden dragon you see here was framed up perfectly with the castle in the background – and the lighting was just perfect. Of the thousands of pictures I took during my time in Shanghai, this one felt like it had the most “pixie dust” on it, given how it seemed to magically appear before my eyes. 

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Shanghai Disney Resort, BtS, Photography

Today, we’re sharing a new episode of #DisneyCastLife highlighting favorite stories of cast members making magic at our parks and resorts around the world. 

During this episode, Disney Ambassador Stephen shares an update from Walt Disney World Resort as does Disney Ambassador Giona from Disneyland Paris before we meet the cast member who made magic by recreating Kilimanjaro Safaris at home.  We also visit a special group of cast members at Circle D Ranch and Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock recognizes the Resort’s 65th anniversary.   

For more #DisneyCastLife stories, follow the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Ambassador team on Instagram at @WDW.Ambassador and @Disneylandambassador.  And be sure to keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for more #DisneyMagicMoments.  

RELATED STORIES:

• #DisneyCastLife SPECIAL EDITION: Ambassadors Share Special Welcome Back Messages with Cast at Tokyo Disney Resort
• #DisneyCastLife: Cast Members Making Magic In New Ways With Additional Health, Safety Training
• New #DisneyCastLife Features Cast Members Making Disney Magic
• #DisneyCastLife: Cast Members Prepare to Welcome Back Guests at Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resorts, Disney Store Locations Reopening and More
• SPECIAL EDITION: New #DisneyCastLife Features Cast Member Magic at Hong Kong Disneyland
• New #DisneyCastLife: Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Josh D’Amaro Shares Special Message, Cast Members Create Magic at Disney Springs and More
• SPECIAL EDITION: #DisneyCastLife Features Cast Members Making Magic at Shanghai Disney Resort
• #DisneyCastLife: New Episode Highlights Cast Member Magic Around the World
• #DisneyCastLife: Disney Ambassadors Highlight Cast Member Magic Around the World
• Disney Ambassadors Highlight Cast Member Magic in New Episode of #DisneyCastLife 
• #DisneyCastLife: Disney Ambassadors Share Cast Member Magic in New Video Series

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com
Filed Under: Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, DLR, Video, WDW