Due to a curfew that was put in place by Orange County that there be no one out past 10:00 p.m., Disney Springs, which is the current only Disney offering that is available for Guests to visit, will be closing early for the temporary time being.
To comply with Orange County’s 10 p.m. curfew, effective today, Sunday, May 31 and until further notice, we are closing Disney Springs at 7 p.m., allowing cast members, operating participant employees and guests time to return home.
As of right now, there is currently no end date for this curfew.
The shopping and dining district only recently reopened on May 20, after being closed for two months due to the coronavirus.
Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch!, the longest running monthly look at the still closed Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando.
Here’s the current look at the Disney Character Warehouse located off Vineland Ave. The outlets that the store is a part of has re-opened, but Disney is one of the few stores that has remained closed.
Disney Character Warehouse. (photo by Blog Mickey)
A peek inside the window shows discounted items waiting for customers, not unlike the Islands of Misfit Toys waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Disney Character Warehouse. (photo by @Blog_Mickey)
This look through the window shows us the cash registers at the front of the store. For those who have been to both the Disney Outlet Stores on Vineland and International Drive, it also shows how much bigger the Vineland location is overall.
Disney Character Warehouse. (photo by (photo by Blog Mickey))
While Disney recently re-opened The World of Disney at Disney Springs, they have yet to make any announcement on what the future of the Disney Outlet Stores will be. I have a good feeling though, because we are already seeing reports of some next level bonkers items being sold in Disney Springs, and that junk has to go somewhere once it sits on the shelves for too long. The World of Disney (and the Disney theme parks) are the supply chain for the Disney Outlets, so knock on wood we’ll get some news soon. I personally would have thought the Disney Outlet Stores would already be open by now, but at this point I would guess the chances of a June opening are at best 50/50, and if I had to put money down I would say re-opening comes shortly after the theme parks open in July.
THAT SAID, some stuff still happened this month in a new phrase I will dub OUTLET ADJACENT. Longtime readers of this fine blog series have seen me write about the infamous gas station that is located on Vineland Ave, near to the Outlets. For years this gas station was selling gas at $5.99 a gallon, several dollars higher than anyone else in Florida. Keep in mind that $5.99 was for the cheap stuff, premium gas was priced even higher. In a shocking move earlier this year, the price actually WENT UP to $6.99 a gallon. There has a been a lot of “rumor and innuendo” over why the gas station does this. Some speculate that it is just to take advantage of tourists not paying attention, or for business men and women using a corporate card where they can just write off the expense. Others say that the owners of the gas station were more interested in the convenience store that is attached it, and begrudging sold the gas because they were contractually obligated to. Who knows if we’ll ever get the real story.
However, earlier in May we got an even bigger surprise.
Keep in mind, this new price was even lower than the $2.00 per gallon I was paying for at my local gas station. Just a jaw-dropping development. We haven’t seen a price drop this fast and this shockingly since the Beanie Bears Futures market in the late 1990s.
Vineland Ave gas station. (photo by Julia Mascardo)
Even more interesting is that the premium gas option was just 10 cents more than the regular unleaded gas (normally it was a dollar more per gallon.)
By the end of the month, the price ticked up 10 cents a gallon, but still more than reasonable. There were also several posts on social media of people seeing “sign holders” at nearby intersections holding up advertisements for the Mexas Tacos restaurant which is part of this gas station plaza (and presumably owned by the same people). If I were a betting man, I would say the price of gas dropped so much because the amount of foot traffic in the convenience store and restaurant became almost non-existent.
So, the Disney Outlet Stores are closed. What’s Disney doing with all their junk? Turns out they are positing it at shopDisney.com (which had a REALLY BAD month public relations wise as the website was shut down multiple times by eBay pirates scooping up limited edition items). On one of my last days at EPCOT in March, I saw this INSANE Spring Break shirt at the make-shift MouseGear store. I knew right then I would absolutely have to pick the shirt up when it went to the Outlets. This looks like some “3 for $10” shirt you’d see for sale on the Jersey shore. However, the shirt went on clearance over at Disney’s own website (although the discount was pretty much eliminated once you factor in shipping). My hope is that when the Disney Outlet Stores re-open, some manager has a box of these shirts still sitting in the back of their car so I can get my hands on one at the price they should be price at ($2.99).
Speaking of ShopDisney, who saw THIS coming?!
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Here’s a glamour shot of the castle sculpture in its normal home in Disney Springs. Keep in mind that while no discounts apply, if you use your Disney Chase Visa credit card, you will earn $375 in Disney Rewards. This won’t even come close to paying for the tax on the Dumbest Thing You Ever Bought, but at least you’ll have a good story at parties.
Even Cinderella couldn’t afford this castle. (photo by Brandon Glover)
People exploring the ShopDisney site ran across some of the same type of bonkers items that Outlet Report readers are used to seeing.
I wanted to close this month with looking at some items that I’ve bought at the Disney Outlets along with purchases made by fellow TouringPlans author Julia Mascardo. When it comes to the phrase “bring balance to the Force,” Julia and I personify it. She prides herself on being a minimalist, constantly looking for ways to de-clutter her home. I have multiple Tsum Tsum adventure calendar boxes…from the same year.
One thing I have to buy are items which are so CRAZY that I am drawn to them in a way like Harry Potter was drawn to Voldermort’s horcruxes. Case in point, this Animal Kingdom 20th anniversary baseball cap that originally cost $75. The hat itself came in it’s own box.
The inside of the box was lined with a print.
I love when stuff like this comes with a “certificate” which means about as much in the Real World as McLovin’s fake ID. How great is “Edition Size: Limited Release.” WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?! Limited to what? 20? 75? 100? 1000? A million?
The front bill of the hat was legitimately made out of wood. It’s crazy. I love it.
I like that the tag inside isn’t something generic.
But at this price it better not be. I can’t imagine how many they actually sold of these at Full Retail. P.T. Barnum’s phrase of “there’s a sucker born every minute” doesn’t even account for this. I bought this for $19.99 at the Outlets, which is still about $10 too much, but I had to have it.
My next favorite hat purchase was this NBA Experience one. This hat was originally sold for $50, which is just plain bonkers. $50 for a baseball cap from a place No One Went To. This is like if Quibi tried to sell $50 hats today. The hat was reduced to $15.99 at the Outlets.
Here’s the side profile of the hat. You would think they would have made the hat so that the grey are starts at the end of the bill, for a more cleaner look. You would be wrong.
I like that the graphic on the side has a pair of “Mickey hands” holding a basketball.
What’s super cool about the hat is that the air holes at the top are in the shape of a Mickey head. That’s awesome.
Turning the hat upside down, the inside has a list of the things you can do at NBA Experience.
It’s hard to get across how RIDICULOUS the size of this tag on the right is. By far and away the biggest tag I have seen stitched into any hat that I’ve seen in my life, and I’m sure that I’ve seen and wore thousands of baseball caps.
This is what happens every time I wear it. The tag sticks out the side and I look like an idiot.
Now let’s check out some of Julia Mascardo’s Disney Outlet Store purchases from over the years. First up is one of my all-time favorite items. The Devil/Angel Donald Duck Tagalongs. I also bought these when they were at the Outlets. The Disney Tagalongs was a series that was only made for a brief amount of time. In theory, they allowed guests to have a character walk around with them while in the parks. The line of Tagalongs had characters including Jiminy Cricket, Tinker Bell, and Stitch. The Donald Duck set was a two pack, and – in my mind – brilliant.
Years later, I still don’t understand how these Tagalongs work, even after doing a scientific experiment.
While I love ridiculous Disney hats, Julia is more drawn to artwork that she can display on her walls, such as this wonderful EPCOT Food & Wine print.
Hard to deny the beauty of this artwork based on the carousel.
This Stand-By Entrance timer magnet was part of a kitchen accessories line. I also bought one at the Outlets. Like Julia, I never actually used it for its intended purposes, but I still think it was a great product concept.
There are a lot of people in the Disney community who collect “plates.” I remember growing up seeing advertisements for things where you would get a different Disney-themed plate sent every month. Your parents’ version of LootCrate basically. You don’t see collectible plates around as much lately (or at least I don’t). This particular plate below has a wonderful Old Timey Florida feel to it.
This couch pillow looks like it came from someplace like the Grand Floridian. I’ve picked several pillows like this over years at the Outlets, including one based on the Enchanted Tiki Room, one for the Little Orange Bird, and several Christmas themed designs.
Speaking of Disney, you can also see Neuschwanstein Castle in the current Soarin’ Around the World attraction in EPCOT.
I’m 90% sure that the real castle doesn’t bend like this in Germany.
Other not-as-Disney-connected versions showed up at the Disney Outlets as well, like the Himeji Castle.
Like many, Julia is a big fan of Emperor’s New Groove, so she’s one of the five people who bought one of the PatcheD sets.
There have been some GREAT Disney-themed luggage tags available at the Outlets over the years, including these two below.
While StellaLou and Shellie May have never been available at the Disney Outlets in Orlando (several versions of Duffy have been there though), all the outfits below were bought there.
I want to thank Julia for sending me pictures of what she’s bought at the Outlets over the years, and would love to hear what y’all have got yourselves. The Good, the Bad, and – most importantly – THE UGLY! Feel free to post in the comments below, or send me a picture (Derek @ TouringPlans.com)
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH! (hopefully AT the Outlets…)
NOT THAT IT MATTERS, BUT…There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlet shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 32821). They do not ship. There are items at the Outlets that you can buy both in Disney stores along with the Shop Disney Parks app, but you will be paying full retail for the items. For our CALIFORNIA OUTLET trips, @ChristelaMcC goes to the Las Americas outlet in San Diego. It is located right off the last U.S. exit.
I often get asked “which store is better?” That depends. Vineland is close to Walt Disney World, while the I-Drive location is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Universal Orlando Resort. The Vineland Disney Outlet Store is much, MUCH bigger than the I-Drive location. However, the Vineland outlets in general are much, MUCH busier than I-Drive. Each have their pros and cons, and ultimately they carry much of the same items. For a Disney Outlet Store FAQ, check out this SATURDAY SIX Presents: Everything You Wanted To Know About The Disney Outlet Stores (But Were Afraid To Ask)
If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog and you can follow your humble author on Twitter (@derekbugan).
Penalty for Sushi’s attempt at gimmick infringement–we do NOT need an official cat of DisTwitter!
Touring Plans are step-by-step customizable guides for touring each of the parks at Walt Disney World, saving guests up to four hours in line. We even have Ultimate Touring Plans designed to help guests see every attraction, show, parade, and live performance in a Disney theme park in a single day.
Today, I’m introducing a Touring Plan that’s not focused on a single park, but rather a single individual: an Imagineer! Since I’ve already shared the Joe Rohde Imagineer Touring Plan, and the Tony Baxter Imagineer Touring Plan, today I’m introducing the Kevin Rafferty Imagineer Touring Plan focusing on attractions and locations that best represent Kevin Rafferty’s contributions to the parks.
Who is Kevin Rafferty?
Kevin Rafferty is a Creative Director and Show Writer at Walt Disney Imagineering responsible for a number of popular Disney attractions, such as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Rafferty started his career with Disney as a dishwasher at the Plaza Inn and worked his way up to Club 33. He landed his first job at Imagineering during a recruitment period for EPCOT where he eventually became a writer.
The Kevin Rafferty Touring Plan Challenge
While I usually use a preexisting Touring Plan as a base model for the Imagineer Touring Plans, this didn’t quite work for Rafferty’s slate of attractions. However, the order of attractions seen in this plan are still based on strategy to save you time in line. Also, participants will need a Park Hopper Ticket in order to fully experience this Touring Plan.
Note: While this plan can’t include every project Kevin Rafferty has worked on, the attractions and activities I’ve included hopefully best reflect his work and overall impact on Walt Disney World.
Suggested FastPass+ Reservations and Start Times:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Arrive to ride or book a FastPass+ reservation for park opening
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror:
Arrive to ride or book a FastPass+ for 9:45 a.m. or 10:00 a.m.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway:
Arrive to ride or book a FastPass+ for 11:00 a.m.
Toy Story Mania:
Book a FastPass+ if/when possible
1) Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
(c) Disney
This attraction is a high-speed roller coaster in the dark where guests ride in a limo-esque ride vehicle decked out with an insane audio system playing one of Aerosmith’s songs such as “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way,” “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” and more! The coaster begins by launching guests from 0 to 57 mph in less than 3 seconds and boasts 2 loops and a corkscrew.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s grand opening was held on July 29, 1999 and attended by Aerosmith. You can still see a framed photo of the event on display at the exit of the attraction. Rafferty worked with Aerosmith and was present when pre-show was recorded. In his book, Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career, he said,
“When I set the script on the stand in front of Steven, the tech asked for a sound level check and I leaned into the mic and made the sound of a water drip by tapping my finger against my cheek and forming the sound with my lips. ‘Whoa!’ reacted Steven with surprise. ‘Teach me how to do that!’ I gave him ‘drip’ lessons and he became obsessed with mastering that sound, which took us all the way up to our lunch break.”
2) Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a thrilling drop tower attraction based on The Twilight Zone television series hosted by Rod Serling. Guests enter an eerily abandoned hotel where they board an elevator that transports them to the Twilight Zone!
When the Tower of Terror debuted in 1994, it was an instant hit and is still one of the best themed thrill rides at Walt Disney World.
“The first major ride-through attraction story and name I ever ‘planted,’ pitched, and sold, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, was born out of a request by our management to add some thrill to the park.”
3) Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Guests enter a Mickey Mouse cartoon and board a train bound for a picnic with Mickey and Minnie. When things go wrong, guests are whisked through a variety of vivid cartoon scenes where literally anything can happen!
“We’ve taken our whole grab bag of theatrical tricks and blended them together so seamlessly you won’t be able to tell what’s what… There is more happening in each and every scene than you could possibly have time to see in just one experience.”
4) Muppet*Vision 3D
Photo Courtesy of Disney (c)
Muppet*Vision 3D is a 3-D show with additional live in-theater effects starring the Muppets as they offer a demonstration of their lab and new movie-making invention. The show opened May 16, 1991, and is housed in a replica of the Muppet Theater from The Muppet Show series. It stands as the final released film directed by Jim Henson and the last to feature his voice as Kermit the Frog.
“Although I added some bits that made it into the show, including Miss Piggy as the Statue of Liberty, I received more from those story sessions with the good Henson folks than I contributed because I spent most of the time closely observing them, their creative development process, and especially Jim Henson himself.”
5) Toy Story Mania!
Toy Story Mania can best be described as a virtual dark ride through an interactive midway-style shooting gallery. The premise for this attraction is Andy has a new midway carnival game that Woody, Buzz, and the gang are having some fun with. Guests, who have been shrunk down to the size of a toy, are going to test their skills at the individual games and compete for the highest score.
“Usually 3-D is chosen because it’s the best way to deliver gratuitous in-your-face gags. But more important to us than 3-D gags, was making the booths and the games inside them believable. They had to look as if they had real depth and dimension.”
6) EAT LUNCH
While Kevin Rafferty worked on the names of eateries at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, he hasn’t worked on many in-park restaurants. To keep with the spirit of the touring plan, I’m going to recommend lunch at Woody’s Lunchbox since it keeps with the Toy Story theme.
Woody’s Lunchbox is a quick-service walk-up window in, of course, a lunchbox! This location offers a grilled three-cheese sandwich, a BBQ brisket melt, tomato-basil soup, and lunch box tarts.
PARK HOP TO EPCOT
7) Test Track
Feel the need for speed? Test Track allows guests to design their own car and put it through a series of tests. The finale is a high-speed drive around the pavilion topping at 65 mph! While originally scheduled to open in 1997, Test Track didn’t make its official debut until March 17, 1999. This original version of Test Track had guests enter a repair center of test facility and involved guests being put through the same tests as the crash dummies!
In 2012, the original Test Track closed and then reopened later in the year with futuristic new sets and the ability for guests to design a car and test it while they ride.
“…we designed a new ride vehicle that not only looked and behaved like a real car but could zip along a high-speed track that extended for quite a distance outside the pavilion. It would also be capable of hitting any speed in between the range being set and could travel over any road surface with real tires like an actual car.”
PARK HOP TO ANIMAL KINGDOM
8) It’s Tough to Be a Bug
It’s Tough to Be a Bug is a 3-D/multi-sensory show starring Flik from Disney Pixar’s film A Bug’s Life. Through the use of a 3-D screen, audio-animatronics, and effects, Flik and other bugs attempt to demonstrate the importance of bugs, but also that it’s really tough to be one! It’s Tough to Be a Bug and Disney’s Animal Kingdom park both opened April 22, 1998, even though A Bug’s Life wasn’t released in theaters until November 25, 1998!
“Several entomologists came to Imagineering with live creepy crawlies. These were not my favorite research days!”
PARK HOP TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM
9) Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a family-friendly 3-D show where guests follow Donald Duck through musical numbers from classic animated Disney films!
“I became obsessed with my self-imposed challenge of creating a ‘classic’ sound for Mickey’s PhilharMagic by building Donald’s entire vocal track out of existing record sessions of Ducky Nash through the decades… There are only three spoken lines by Donald in Mickey’s PhilharMagic that are not performed by Ducky Nash, plus a musical bit where Donald hums along to ‘Be Our Guest’.”
10) 1994 Carousel of Progress
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is a four-act audio-animatronic show illustrating how electricity and technology improved the lives of an American family during the 20th century. The show is presented in a theater that revolves around the stage and features one of the best and most iconic Disney theme park songs, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” written by the Sherman Brothers.
Kevin Rafferty was assigned to update the show back in the ’90s where he changed the song from “The Best Time of Your Life” back to “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” He also worked on updating the final scene, coordinated the show’s voice talent, and encouraged adding Walt Disney’s name to the show’s title.
“I also thought, in the spirit of change, it would be fun to celebrate a special time of the year for each scene, such as Halloween and the Fourth of July. I asked my musical partner, George Wilkins, to jump in to bring the Shermans’ original theme song back and to arrange it, with his own special twist, in the time periods and seasons depicted.”
11) EAT DINNER
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
Sonny Eclipse entertains at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Lounge – Photo by Rikki Niblett
Check out this Magic Kingdom quick service restaurant in Tomorrowland to visit Sonny Eclipse. Yes, Kevin Rafferty worked on this obscure audio-animatronic alien singer and organist and penned his tunes such as “Yew Nork, Yew Nork” and “Gravity Blues”.
“I thought it would be fun for Sonny to sing different types of music, from ballads to rock to blues to “Bossa Super Nova,” so we wrote in all those styles. I penned the lyrics and jokes to reflect Sonny’s outer space perspective.”
12) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
This family-friendly dark ride whisks guests through the Hundred Acre Wood aboard a hunny pot! During your ride, you will experience a blustery day, bounce with Tigger, encounter Heffalumps and Woozles in a dream, and then float through a flood. Of course, in true Pooh fashion, your adventure will end with a smackrel of honey. This attraction opened in Fantasyland June 5, 1999, and replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
“I was the last person ever to direct Paul Winchell performing the voice of this most beloved character. After he covered all of the material, Paul asked if he could perform one more line for the road… Paul winked at me, took a deep breath, and said, ‘TTFE. Ta-ta for ever.”
BONUS: Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach
Typhoon Lagoon was one of Rafferty’s first projects for Imagineering. His witty writing skills were employed in creating those amusing names and titles all throughout the park. He also worked on Blizzard Beach and the adjoining Winter Summerland Miniature Golf. Adding a visit to both water parks in addition to this lengthy touring plan is a tad ambitious; although, if you can pull it off, you gotta let me know! But anyway, that’s why I’m making a visit to the water parks a bonus activity on the Kevin Rafferty Imagineer Touring Plan Challenge!
Will you give the Kevin Rafferty Imagineer Touring Plan Challenge a try when the parks reopen? Let us know!
From our friends at touringplans.com Filed Under: Attractions, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World (FL), Disney Attractions, Disney Parks, disney world, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, imagineer, Imagineer Touring Plan, Imagineering, Kevin Rafferty, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, touring plan, touring plans, Toy Story Mania, walt disney world
We finally have some news about when Walt Disney World will begin their theme park (starting July 11) and resort (starting June 22) reopening. Along with those critical dates, we also have a bit more information on what the initial phases of reopening will look like.
Exploring Fort Wilderness can be a great way to relax.
At least at the beginning, there will fewer activities that draw stagnant crowds. This means no parades or fireworks and limited character greetings. Guest capacity will be reduced (you’ll need a reservation to get into a theme park), meaning fewer lines and shorter wait times. It’s likely that you’ll be able to get through all the available park attractions, even multiple times, in a single day, or even part of a day.
Additionally, park hours are changing. Epcot is starting out opening the entire park at 11:00 a.m., rather than its usual 9:00 a.m. for the Future World attractions. Even with Extra Magic Hours, the Magic Kingdom will be closing at 9:00 p.m. at first, a contrast to the usual post-midnight closings during the summer.
All of this means that there will simply be fewer things to do in the theme parks and less time available to spend there.
It’s a truism that many guests complain about needing a vacation from their Disney World vacation. If you were in pre-COVID kamikaze theme park mode, you may have found yourself up for rope drop in the wee hours of the morning and then running straight through until the Kiss Goodnight. During a long trip to WDW in February 2020, I averaged over nine miles a day of walking, trying to work in all the available activities. With the new hours, required park reservations, and reduced number of attractions, that ride-or-die, I’ll-sleep-when-I’m-dead mode of WDW touring simply won’t be possible for a while.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s a good thing. A formerly hectic Disney World vacation will look a little more like a relaxing Disney Cruise Line vacation, where you have some structured activities, along with lots of time to just chill.
For example, on a Disney Cruise Line sea day, my family will typically go to some of the planned events like onboard classes or entertainment, but we also spend lots of time reading books on our stateroom verandah, playing board games, watching movies, napping, and generally being lazy. While we are more active with touring during shore days, we tend to leave DCL vacations relaxed and refreshed. This is not always the case with our Walt Disney World vacations.
If you are planning a Disney World vacation this summer, you will likely have more down time than previous trips. I encourage you to think of that time as a gift – a way to reset the former frenzied mode of touring. Consider ways to build more relaxation into your vacation: sit by the pool and read a novel, take a leisurely bike ride around Fort Wilderness, play card games with your family, or take a boat ride on Bay Lake.
The slow restart may be just be the vacation your vacation needs.
This week’s SATURDAY SIX takes a look at the DO’S and DON’TS of the new safety protocols at theme parks! Both the Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World are about to re-open their theme parks for the first time in over two months, but “out of an abundance of caution” comes new safety measures put in place for guests.
Enter, David and Derek.
For those uninitiated, “David and Derek” are a nod to the classic “Goofus and Gallant” formula. David is David Davies, a longtime TouringPlans analyst and IT strategist whose hobbies include solitaire, HTML coding, and nitpicking. Derek is Your Humble Author. Together the two cover all the important Do’s and Don’ts of the theme park world, but specialize in hot topics such as Guest Etiquette at the Disney Parks, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Dog-Friendly Hotels, and vacation planning. This week, the two tackle a subject that everyone is thinking about… the new safety measures at Disney and Universal. We’re joined by superstar artist Brian Cooper to examine the right ways – and more importantly – the wrong ways, for each step of the new protocols. Remember, we’re all in this together, so without further ado, let’s kick off the countdown with…
At both Universal and Disney, guests will be given a mandatory temperature check upon arrival. Guests with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater will not be admitted. As we have already seen at Universal CityWalk and Disney Springs, both companies have an area set aside for guests who have a temperature over 100.4 degrees. This area will allow a guest the opportunity to “cool down” and be retested to see if the high reading was caused by external factors instead of a possible fever.
# 4 – Face Coverings
At both Disney and Universal, every guest (ages 2 and up) is required to wear a face covering during their visit. The coverings must fully cover an individual’s nose and mouth, while allowing the guest to remain hands-free. There are no ifs, ands, or buts to this policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends face coverings in areas of significant community-based transmission (AKA “theme parks”).
# 3 – Contactless payments
One thing that has seen a massive increase over the last two months across America is the amount of businesses giving customers the option of having their transactions be contactless. This can include things such as pizza delivery drivers leaving your order outside the front door, to being able to pay at supermarkets with your phone (rather than putting your credit card in a machine or handing an employee cash). In the Orlando theme parks, mobile ordering and contactless payments had just started to grow in the past year or so, but it is expected that most venues – if not all – will have these options going forward. We’ve already seen with Universal that several of their CityWalk establishments – including Voodoo Doughnut – now give guests the option to pre-order and pay for their purchases with their phone, then pick up their purchase without ever having step foot into the actual venue.
# 2 – Social Distancing
Guests are expected to practice social distancing and keep at least 6 feet (2 meters) between their travel party and others. Both Universal and Disney have put markings throughout their resort to help guests keep their distance from each other. If it’s hard to picture the distance of 6 feet in your mind, think about the distance in terms more relatable to theme park fans. 6 Feet is the approximately the size of 3 Minions from Despicable Me, 4 large pizzas from Via Napoli, the height of a Disneyland pressed penny machine, or an eBay pirate’s merchandise haul.
# 1 – Hand Washing
Guests are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water often, and for at least 20 seconds. Like when it comes to brushing our teeth, many people wildly overestimate the time they put into simple things like washing their hands. Much like rope-dropping a theme park and standing in front of the park’s front gates, time stands still when you are in front of a sink. 20 seconds can seem like 20 minutes. It’s recommended to hum a tune or sing a song to make sure you are scrubbing for an appropriate length of time. Many people hum the “alphabet song” or sing the “Happy Birthday song” twice. Thankfully theme park fans have a full library of catchy songs and well known tunes to pass the time. And guess what? If you like to recite the Ghost Host spiel from the Haunted Mansion’s stretching room, now’s your time because WE DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOU DO IT IN THE PARKS.
So there you have it: DAVID AND DEREK look at the Do’s and Don’ts of new safety protocols at the theme parks! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles covering the latest from the Disney Outlet Stores. You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan).
If you enjoyed this article, you will surely like the following:
The Adventures of David and Derek are truly made possible due to the amazingly talented artist Brian Cooper. Be sure to check Brian out on Instagram, Twitter, and his own website.