Tag: Parks & Resorts

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Disney Parks

First look at the Discovery River Character Cruise in the Animal Kingdom

First look at the Discovery River Character Cruise in the Animal Kingdom Discovery River

Today, Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened for a special preview day for Cast Members to visit the theme park. Due to the new social distancing procedures, Disney has temporarily changed how we will see popular Disney characters in the park. For instance, those visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom will now see characters aboard watercraft in Discovery River instead of the former meet and greet opportunities for guests.

Below you can watch a demonstration of the new character cruises at Discovery River. A visitor, Tradzak, shared a video of their experience today on Instagram. We see popular Lion King characters Timon and Rafiki saving to passengers as they journey down the river.

More characters!!  Swipe to see both videos! #discoveryriver #discoveryrivercharactercruise #charactercruise #discoveryisland #reopenwaltdisneyworld #castmemberpreview #castmemberpreviews #covid19 #facemasksrequired #dak #animalkingdom #disneysanimalkingdom #disneyanimalkingdom22 #dak22 #treeoflife #thetreeoflife #wdw #waltdisneyworld #disney #disneyboy #disneyparks #disneyside #disneyworld #passholderlife #ilivewhereyouvacation #disneygram #instadisney #nowmorethanever #disneymagicmoments #disneymagicalmoments

A post shared by Thomas Radzak (@tradzak) on Jul 7, 2020 at 8:09am PDT

Seeing the characters from afar is certainly both entertaining and great for Disney fans who missed seeing their favorite characters. This new procedure helps ensure the health and safety of Disney guests by maintaining an appropriate social distance.

First look at the Discovery River Character Cruise in the Animal Kingdom

We also see Mickey Mouse and his friends are cruising down the river as well! Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto were joyfully greeting guests as they walked through the park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom officially reopens to the public on July 11, 2020. We hope our fans stay tuned as we provide coverage on the reopened theme park!

Photo Credit: Tradzak

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Characters, Walt Disney World, animal kingdom, discovery river, Disney characters, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Kilimanjaro Safari

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Disney News Disney Parks

Disney World wins Lawsuit over Mom’s Fight for Autistic Son to Ride Attractions Without Wait

Disney World wins Lawsuit over Mom’s Fight for Autistic Son to Ride Attractions Without Wait disney world

Disney has won a lawsuit that an Orlando disability advocate filed against them on behalf of her adult autistic son to get him immediate access to the FastPass lines at the Disney World theme parks.

Donna Lorman, president of the Autism Society of Greater Orlando, sued Disney in 2014 after Disney World changed its policy regarding guests with disabilities.

Before, Disney’s Guest Assistance Card allowed guests with disabilities and their families to enter the FastPass line an unlimited number of times. That card became heavily abused by guests.

In 2013 Disney created a new system, the Disability Access Service Card, or DAS, that lets people with disabilities get return times for rides, similar to a FastPass, so they don’t have to wait in a line.

Lorman wanted 10 passes to the Magic Kingdom for her son so he could ride his favorite attractions by going directly into the FastPass line. She said the extra waiting was hard for her son who didn’t understand the concept of time.

She testified that her son, who was 22 when she filed the lawsuit, has moderate to severe autism that made communication difficult and following a routine essential. She said her son needed to visit rides in a particular order at Disney.

Disney argued it isn’t required to provide unlimited, front-of-line passes for every ride under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If they did, the general public in the stand-by lines would wait longer.

Disney’s defense team also said Lorman should have planned her visit better to adjust to the new rules.

The two sides went to trial in February and a decision was reached on June 22. U.S. District Judge Anne Conway sided with Disney, ruling it was “unreasonable” for Disney to give such access to Lorman’s son. If Disney allowed him special access, others would demand it too.

“Requiring the modification, based on the history of the former system, would lead to fraud and overuse, lengthen the wait times significantly for non-disabled guests, and fundamentally alter Disney’s business model,” Conway wrote.

Conway also said Disney could “recover its cost of action.” It’s unclear how much Disney’s legal bills are, but the fight lasted over 5 years.

“To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. I really truly believe in what I was fighting for,” Lorman wrote about the loss.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World, Americans with Disabilities Act, disability access service card, Disney World, guest assistance card, lawsuit, Magic Kingdom

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Disney Parks

M&M’s Store constuction update for Disney Springs

M&M’s Store constuction update for Disney Springs Disney Springs

The construction work continues on the upcoming M&M’s store at Disney Springs. The chocolate shop will showcase the Mars Candy product line with a focus on the M&M brand. Guests can see construction walls are now surrounding the upcoming retail space and that the project is still moving forward. Check out the photo below to see how much has work has been done in the past two weeks.

M&M’s Store constuction update for Disney Springs

The upcoming store is located on the West side of Disney Springs. Visitors will find it by the Orange Garage near the NBA Experience and Splitsville Luxury Lanes. Being such a beloved sweet treat, many Disney fans are excited to see the candy and retail products available within the upcoming M&M store.

M&M’s Store constuction update for Disney Springs

The Florida Mall located in the Orlando area currently has an M&M’s World store, but it will close later this year when the Disney Springs location is ready to open. Soon, the Disney Springs location will be the vibrant center for the Mars candy brand in Orlando!

M&M’s Store constuction update for Disney Springs

Stay tuned for more news and updates regarding Disney Springs. Even though we don’t have an open dated scheduled yet for the opening of the M&M’s store, we will provide a release date once the information is known.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, News, Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World, M&M’s, M&M’s Store, Mars Candy, New Disney Springs

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Disney Food Disney Parks

New Picnic Punch now available at Starbucks in Disney Springs

New Picnic Punch now available at Starbucks in Disney Springs Starbucks Picnic Punch

If there’s one thing Starbucks knows how to do, it’s creating beautiful and tasty new drinks that everybody has to try (and Instagram!). Well, they’ve done it again! On our last trip to Disney Springs, we were lucky enough to try the colorful new Picnic Punch.

New Picnic Punch now available at Starbucks in Disney Springs

Picnic Punch starts off as a pineapple matcha drink and is topped with strawberry sweet cream cold foam. Wow, it’s pretty! It reminded us of a reversal of last year’s Millenial Falcon drink (a pink drink topped with matcha foam) and had that same level of refreshment. The initial flavor hit is strong with strawberry, which is sweet and fruity, then as the drink mixes, the tea flavor comes up more. The best part is definitely the cold foam where the taste of strawberry purée is clearest. But the whole beverage is refreshing and on the delicate side of Starbucks flavors.

New Picnic Punch now available at Starbucks in Disney Springs

It costs $7.40 before tax, so hopefully, you’ve been saving up some of those rewards from your morning fix. Whether you like coffee or not, this one is a great choice because it’s cool and light. However, if you really hate matcha or tea, steer clear. The matcha flavor gets strong towards the end.

The new Picnic Punch at @starbucks is super refreshing and a great beverage to try on your next trip to Disney Springs! It’s a pineapple matcha with strawberry purée cold foam. #disneysprings #waltdisneyworld #starbucks #disneyfood

A post shared by Chip and Co (@chipandco) on Jun 30, 2020 at 11:00am PDT

Picnic Punch is now being mixed up at Starbucks in Disney Springs. Try it while the summer flavors last!

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Disney Food, Disney Snacks & Treats, Disney Springs, News, Disney Snacks, disney starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks Disney SPrings, starbucks drinks, Walt Disney World

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Disney Parks Disney Vacations

Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort is now offering up to a 30% discount for Annual Passholders

Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort is now offering up to a 30% discount for Annual Passholders swan and dolphin

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is now offering up to a 30% discount from their unrestricted best available rates exclusively for Walt Disney World Annual Passholders.

The rate can be booked at www.swandolphin.com or by calling the resort at 1-800-227-1500.

For online reservations: under the Special Rates drop down menu, select “Promo” and enter the code QWH.

A valid Walt Disney World Annual Pass must be presented at check-in to redeem the rate.   The hotel is currently accepting reservations for July 29 and beyond.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Places to Stay, Resorts, Walt Disney World, Annual Passholder, AP, Disney World, Swan & Dolphin, Swan and Dolphin