This week California lifted most of its COVID restrictions and Disneyland made some changes as well. Not all COVID-era changes are gone though. Some will be around for a while.
“I don’t want to say we are going to go back to the way it was,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, said Thursday about managing the parks. “I want to be really smart in the way we do this.”
One of the biggest changes that is here to stay at the Disneyland Resort is the park reservation system. This system helps control the number of guests visiting the parks each day. Virtual queues are also remaining in place for the foreseeable future. Virtual queues allow guests to reserve a spot in line for some of the most popular attractions.
The annual passholder program was suspended in January but will be replaced with a new membership program. D’Amaro said the new program “will reflect the behavior of our superfans” and that more details will be released soon.
Rides and attractions in the parks continue to reopen, temperature checks are no longer required for guests, vaccinated guests can now enjoy the parks mask-free, and nighttime fireworks will return on July 4th!
Parades and opportunities to meet costumed characters are expected to come back at an unspecified later date. The Disneyland Monorail and the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ride remain closed, with no reopening date announced. Now that park capacity has increased, crowd size has gone up along with ride wait times.
D’Amaro says the pent-up demand of Disney fans is the reason for the crowd increase. “The yearning for the Disney experience has grown stronger over the pandemic,” he said.
Have you been to Disneyland since the parks reopened?
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered the warning level for cruising. As of June 16, the level went down from a 4 (very high) to a 3 (high).
At level 4, the CDC said it was unsafe for anyone to cruise during COVID. The change from level 4 to level 3 comes as more people are getting vaccinated. Level 3 specifies the risk of cruising for non-vaccinated travelers.
The CDC lists the following as key information for travelers who are not vaccinated:
CDC recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide. Since the virus spreads more easily between people in close quarters aboard ships, the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is high. It is especially important that people who are not fully vaccinated with an increased risk of severe illness avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises.
Cruise passengers who are not fully vaccinated are more likely to get COVID-19, which spreads person-to-person, and outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships.
People who decide to go on a cruise should get tested 1–3 days before their trip and 3–5 days after their trip.
In addition to testing, passengers who are not fully vaccinated should self-quarantine for 7 days after cruise travel, even if they test negative. If they do not get tested, they should self-quarantine for 10 days after cruise travel.
Disney Cruise Line will be running simulated cruises starting at the end of the month. We are getting closer and closer to cruising resuming!
Single Rider lines have returned to Walt Disney World! Previously, single rider lines were suspended due to the pandemic. Now that health and safety measures at the resort have been changed, more options are starting to return!
Single rider lines allow guests who wish to ride by themselves (or are traveling solo) to not wait as long for their favorite attractions. Keep in mind, guests using this line may be put on the ride with other groups to help fill the attraction vehicles and move the line along quicker.
The Disney World website no longer lists single rider lines as a paused experience under the “Attractions and Entertainment” section on the Know Before You Go page.
The experiences that are still paused are parades, nighttime spectaculars, and character greetings. But we know nighttime spectaculars will be returning next month!
Do you take advantage of the single rider lines when visiting Disney World?
Come to the dark side, we have tiki drinks like this Vader-Ade cocktail!
This drink is perfect for any Star Wars fan, extra points if you already own a GeekiTikis mug! It’s a great option to have with your friends while you have a Star Wars marathon on Disney Plus.
Making this cocktail is super easy, take a look at this recipe en enjoy!:
Living with the Land has to be one of my favorite attractions at Epcot. It is such a peaceful ride and you can learn some amazing things. Behind the Seeds tour is another favorite but that will be for another time…
See firsthand how Walt Disney World horticulturalists are using innovative growing techniques and cross-breeding high-yield crops to help feed a growing planet.
Discover a cornucopia of fruits and veggies from around the world—some modified to jaw-dropping effect. Feast your eyes on edible food crops from around the world. Glimpse hybrid striped bass, tilapia, catfish and freshwater shrimp in our fish farm.
On this eye-opening tour, you’ll be inspired by a hopeful vision of farming’s future.
One thing I was not a fan of however were those plastic dividers Disney put up on this ride. It made it extremely hard to see this beautiful attraction. I am excited to report the dividers are now GONE!
— Brooke Geiger McDonald (@BrookeGMcDonald) June 17, 2021
As you can see the dividers are now gone and seats are open again! YIPPEE!
In the past week, there have been so many changes happening at Disney from no more facemasks for guests, to the removal of all of the social distancing markers.
There’s an “Incredible” Father’s Day Magic Shot available for a limited time this weekend!
From Friday through Sunday, guests can capture a special Father’s Day Magic Shot. It’s available from most Disney PhotoPass photographers around Walt Disney World Resort. Plus, there’s a Father’s Day virtual backdrop at the Disney PhotoPass Studio at Disney Springs!
Recently my family and I had the pleasure of visiting ICON Park in Orlando for an afternoon.
ICON Park is a 20-acre, walkable entertainment destination in the heart of the Orlando Entertainment District on International Drive. A perfect place to ride, dine, drink and explore, ICON Park has more than 40 amazing restaurants, funky bars, boutique shops and can’t-miss attractions, all anchored by The Wheel, a jaw-dropping observation wheel that stands 400 feet – 40 stories – in the air.
Guests can visit SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, Madame Tussauds Orlando, Orlando StarFlyer, Museum of Illusions, In The Game ICON Park and 7D Motion Theater. Dining options include Yard House, Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Uncle Julio’s Mexican From Scratch, Tin Roof, Sugar Factory, Tapa Toro, Shake Shack and more.
I have seen many of my friends visit ICON Park but never had the chance to check it out. Take a little tour of ICON Park with us and check out all the fun we had.
The outside of ICON Park has quite a few dining options and shopping galore. Before we even visited the main attractions we spent about an hour walking around and looking inside the shops. ICON Park gifts was one of my favorites, they have all of those touristy gifts at reasonable prices.
The Wheelhouse is the main building, inside you will find SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, Madame Tussauds Orlando, Museum of Illusions, In The Game ICON Park and 7D Motion Theater and our favorite The Wheel.
The Wheel was our first stop, this jaw-dropping observation wheel stands 400 feet – 40 stories – in the air and can be visible from pretty much all of Orlando. I love how they illuminate it at night!
Before even getting on The Wheel you are able to get a family photo and order a drink from a bar waiting just before you get on. Of course we had to get a tasty beverage to bring with us.
Each of The Wheel’s 30 capsules now includes a brand-new Bluetooth feature that allows guests to connect their phones to the capsule sound system featuring Bose speakers.
We opted to listen to fun facts about Orlando from our seats.
Check out these views, you can see Disney World off in the distance.
The views from The Wheel are simply amazing. I thought I would be afraid going up that high but it wasn’t scary at all. It is so smooth and being able to sit and enjoy my beverage really helped.
They even have a gift shop after you are done riding The Wheel. Reminds me of how every ride at Disney ends in a gift shop lol.
Next, we split the time between Madame Tussauds for the adults and the kids went to the 7-D Dark Ride and In the Game Arcade. At 7D Dark Ride Adventure, you don’t just play a game—you’re part of it. Gaming experiences at this state-of-the-art motion theater combine 3D imagery with light, wind, and moving chairs to create a multi-sensory adventure fit for all ages. Our kids had a blast!
I have seen photos of Madame Tussauds from many of my friends but had no idea it was so vast. I think we took photos of almost every celebrity and historical figure inside. Of course, Walt Disney had to be my favorite.
Here is a look at many of the other people you will find inside.
The lighting is perfect for photos or even selfies. Madame Tussauds did an amazing job with these wax figures. They are so life-like you will feel like you are meeting the real person.
Next up was Sea Life… SEA LIFE Orlando offers underwater adventures with more than 5000 species from the three oceans of the world. My whole family enjoyed this experience at ICON Park. There is so much to look at and for little ones to do. Our photos do not do this area justice.
You can spend several hours looking at all the marine wildlife in here. All of the exhibits have information either on a board or tv screen. My only complaint is that like us many people wanted to enjoy this area so it was a little crowded.
I was able to record some videos of the Sea Life here:
The final stop on our ICON Park tour was the Orlando Star Flyer. To get here you want to walk back towards the Parking Garage to get there. You can’t miss it trust me.
The Orlando StarFlyer claims to be the world’s tallest swing ride attraction standing at 450 feet. Riders are double-seated with a friend or partner and secured with seat belts and in-between-the-legs harnesses for their safety. Experience the thrill of the cool breeze in your face and all of Orlando below your feet.
We all we really nervous about going on this, I mean look how tall this is… You can see the video of us riding on it here:
The StarFlyer was not bad at all, once you got to the top it was quite peaceful. I didn’t feel unsafe at anytime, it was such an exciting experience, but it did get my adrenaline going on the way up…
With dinner plans on the horizon we unfortunately didn’t eat at any of the restaurants. Did I mention there are 40 amazing restaurants to eat at ICON Park? Maybe next time we will just visit for dining and shopping. You can park here for free so even if you don’t do any of the attractions you can still just walk around.
ICON Park was nice enough to give my family and I an ICON Park Play Passes. It includes 1 admission to The Wheel at Icon Park, Madame Tussauds, Sea Life, Pearl Express, Starflyer, Museum of Illusions, 7D Motion Theater, and a $5 In The Game Game Card + discounts at participating restaurants, shops, and more. It is by far the best value. I highly recommend picking one of these up if you are going to visit.
I honestly thought that 3 hours would be enough time to visit ICON Park but I was WRONG. I feel like we rushed through our visit and could have easily spent most of the day here, especially if we would have grabbed a bite to eat.
For $69 for the ICON Park Play Pass, it is such an amazing value for what you get. Like I said if you just want to shop and dine after a visit to the theme parks you can also do just that. My family and I are planning on coming back again in the evening so we can grab a bite to eat, do some shopping, and to see The Wheel lit up at night close up.
Next time you are visiting Disney World or Universal Orlando I highly suggest planning a visit to ICON Park. It was such a fun experience for us and I know you and your family will just love it too!
Special thank you to ICON Park for hosting us and for all of the memories! To learn more visit their website.
Hilary Duff Teases Original ‘HIMYM‘ Cast Appearance as ‘HIMYF‘ Casting News is Announced. A casting update for the upcoming Hulu Series ‘How I Met Your Father‘ adds Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars, GLOW) to the cast alongside series lead Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire, Younger). Along with the casting news, it comes as no surprise that Duff has been asked if we can expect to see the original cast of How I Met Your Mother.
Though there has been no official news regarding the return of Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, or Josh Radnor, Duff did share that they are actively working on the possibility, sharing with SXM “Hopefully we’ll have some fun guest appearances from the original cast.“
Hilary Duff will not only act in the series, but is slated to be a producer for the show as well. Joining Duff are How I Met Your Father creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger (This Is Us), with the original How I Met Your Mother creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas signed on as executive producers for the upcoming series.
Created by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger (This Is Us), the 10-episode offshoot takes place in the near future, as Sophie (played by Younger‘s Hilary Duff) tells her son — you guessed it! — the story of how she met his father. The retelling “catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.
Currently, 20th Television has ordered 10-episodes for the series, but pending the success of the show there is a good chance several new seasons will be picked up at a later date. Hulu has yet to share when the series will premiere on the streaming service, so be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for updates and all things Hulu!
John Stamos and the Cast of ‘Big Shot’ Volunteer at the LA Food Bank. As the season finale of ‘Big Shot‘ premieres on Disney+, the cast spent their time volunteering at the LA Food Bank to help those in need. Series lead John Stamos coordinated the volunteer day for the cast and shared with fans, “I’m so grateful to be in partnership with such a classy brand like Arnold Bread – not only do they make a great loaf – they care about people. I took my cast from BIG SHOT to volenteer at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank – Arnold Bread saw us there on my social, and donated $25,000 !! Thank you for your kindness!“
“Big Shot” follows Coach Korn (John Stamos) who, after getting ousted from the NCAA, is given a chance for redemption with a coaching position at an elite private high school. He soon learns that the teenage players require empathy and vulnerability — foreign concepts for the stoic coach. By learning how to connect with his players, Marvyn starts to grow into the person he’s always hoped to be. The girls learn to take themselves more seriously, finding their footing both on and off the court.
The 10-episode series stars John Stamos, Jessalyn Gilsig, Yvette Nicole Brown, Richard Robichaux and features a talented group of young actors including Sophia Mitri Schloss, Nell Verlaque, Tiana Le, Monique Green, Tisha Custodio and Cricket Wampler. All 10-episodes of Big Shot are now available to stream exclusively on Disney+.
Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for updates and all things Disney+!
Storybook Circus in the Magic Kingdom to receive 50th Anniversary Updates. Clearly listed on a new work order filled with Orange County, Storybook Circus’ entrance Marquee is getting a make-over. We have reported on a bunch of work in this area right now. Which adds another layer to the work being done around the park. Importantly, this is just another step in a Magic Kingdom overhaul for the 50th anniversary.
We have been at the park recently and noticed besides Tomorrowland being repaved and also Fantasyland being repainted. That Storybook Circus is having a ton of work being done. Casey Jr. Splash Pad is being refurbished, along with Pete’s Silly Sideshow having work done. Also, Dumbo the Flying Elephant was just repainted.
Storybook Circus is home to Big Top Souvenirs along with Casey Jr Splash and Soak Station. In addition to a stop on the Walt Disney Railroad, when that is in operations. Not only is Dumbo the Flying Elephant located in Storybook Circus, but also Barnstormer.
Also included in the area is Pete’s Silly Sideshow. Undoubtedly, one of the coolest spots to meet the characters in Circus mode! Goofy as “The Great Goofini” along with Donald Duck as “The Astounding Donaldo”. Subsequently, my favorite is Daisy as “Madame Daisy Fortuna”. We all love Minnie as “Minnie Magnifique”.
Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary is coming up quickly. I for one cannot wait to see the final product. Hopefully, the Storybook Circus entrance marquee gets some of the magical EARidecense that the castle is getting. “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” starts October 1, 2021.
There is a new bounty from Ruggable that must be secured! They now offer Mandalorian Rugs! These rugs are the same great easily washed rugs they offer, but with an epic Mandalorian flair!
There are three different rug styles available, and two of them are available in different colorways. These stunning rugs feature iconic symbols and rich imagery from the hit Star Wars series. There are streaks of Darksabers, Mandalorian helmets, Grogu trellis patterns, and other cultural symbols woven throughout the designs.
Each design comes in a variety of styles and sizes. You can choose from large area rugs, round rugs, and also runners! Prices for these washable rugs begin at $129.99.
You can find the Mandalorian Rugs, as well as the rest of the Star Wars collection available now online at ruggable.com!
Going to the World of Disney is often the highlight for many who shop in Disney Springs. Why is it so special? It’s because you can visit the ultimate shopping destination for Disney fans of all ages. The store has a masterfully curated collection like none other!
Now shopping there will be a bit easier for those who know what they want to purchase. The My Disney Experience app now has a “Shop in Store” feature for the World of Disney. So, what does this mean? The new Shop in Store feature allows guests to use their phone to buying merchandise while in the store.
First, you grab a mobile checkout bag. Then you scan items from your phone using the camera feature to keep track of your intended purchases. Once you’re done shopping, you can complete payment from your phone and exit the World of Disney store!
Previously, only Epcot’s MouseGear had this mobile checkout feature, but this is extremely helpful for shopping in Disney Springs. We’ll have to see what Disney World stores might offer this next.
Will you be trying this new mobile checkout feature on your next trip to Disney Springs? Let us know in the comments!
