DisneyDawgs

Author: Mark Plante

  • How Much does it Cost to Ride Each Attraction at Magic Kingdom?

    We have seen quite a few complaints lately that during this time of pandemic, Disney World has taken away a lot of the entertainment from the parks due to social distancing.  No longer do the parks have any parades, Character Meet and Greets or nightly firework shows.  There are no longer FastPass+ Selections or Extra Magic Hours for those that stayed at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel.  The parks are also running at reduced hours, as many as 4 or more hours less than at this time last year.  With all of these factors, Disney is still charging full-price for park admission tickets.  This made us wonder… How much does it really cost to ride each ride in the parks if we include the limited hours, walking time between attractions, wait times for each ride, the length of the ride and taking a break for lunch.

    For this post, we are going to use Magic Kingdom as the example.  I will use the current wait times at the time of this post taken from the MyDisney App for IOS.

    We will start with the price of parking your vehicle and the cost of a 1 day base ticket to Magic Kingdom bought at the gate.

    • Parking:  $25.00
    • 1 day base ticket: $125.00

    Admission into the park: $150.00 per person.

    Today’s hours at Magic Kingdom are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM or 9 hours.

     

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    • If we enter the park and head straight to the closest attraction our first ride would be Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.  This ride is approximately a 15 minute walk from the entrance of the park and currently has a 20 minute wait.  Once on the ride, the attraction is about 4 minutes.  That would be a total of 45 minutes and the time would be 8:40am.
    • Our next ride would be Space Mountain which is about a 5 minute walk from Buzz Lightyear’s Space Range Spin and currently has a 30 minute wait time.  It takes about 11 minutes to ride Space Mountain for a total of 46 minutes… The time is now 9:26am.
    • Next would be Tomorrowland Speedway which is about a 10 minute walk from Space Mountain and currently has a 20 minute wait time.  It takes about 5 minutes to do the single lap around the track.  This would be a total of 35 minutes.  The time is now 10:00am.
    • At this point, we assume most would stop to get a snack, drink or visit the restrooms for approximately 15 minutes.  The time is now 10:15am.
    • The next attraction that we would visit is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train which is about a 5 minute walk from Tomorrowland Speedway and currently has a 55 minute wait.  The ride lasts 3 minutes (really, just 3 minutes?) for a total of 63 minutes.  The time is now 11:03am.
    • The next attraction would be The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which is directly across from Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so we would say the walk there is 1 minute.  Current wait time for this attraction is 20 minutes and the ride is 4 minutes long for a total of 25 minutes.  The time is now 11:28am.
    • We will head for one more attraction before heading for lunch at Cosmic Ray’s Cafe.
    • Our last show before lunch will be Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is a 5 minute walk from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  There is currently a 20 minute wait time and the show is 12 minutes long for a total of 37 minutes.  The time is now 12:05pm.
    • We now head to Cosmic Ray’s for lunch…  I am estimating the time that it takes for you to place and receive your mobile order, find somewhere to sit and then to eat your lunch to be approximately 45 minutes.  The time is now 12:50pm.
    • Our next attraction would be Peter Pan’s Flight which is about a 5 minute walk from Cosmic Ray’s Cafe.  It currently has a 25 minute wait time and the ride lasts 3 minutes for a total of 33 minutes. The time is now 1:23PM.
    • The next attraction would be It’s a Small World which is a 1 minute walk from Peter Pan’s flight and currently has a 25 minute wait.  The ride time is 11 minutes for a total of 37 minutes. The current time is now 2:00pm.
    • At this point, we assume most would stop to get a snack, drink or visit the Rapunzel Bathrooms for approximately 15 minutes.  The time is now 2:15pm.
    • The next ride would be Haunted Mansion which take about 3 minutes to get to.  Haunted Mansion currently is experiencing a 50 minute standby line and the ride takes about 8 minutes to complete for a total of 61 minutes.  The time is now 3:16pm.
    • Big Thunder Mountain would be our next destination with a transit time of 10 minutes from Haunted Mansion.  The ride currently has a 40 minute wait time and takes 4 minutes to ride for a total of 54 minutes.  The time is now 4:10pm.
    • Our next entertainment option would be Splash Mountain and it would take approximately 5 minutes to arrive there.  It is currently experiencing a 55 minute wait and the ride takes 11 minutes to ride for a total of 71 minutes.  The time is now 5:21pm.
    • We are probably only going to be able to ride one more attraction because the park will be closing in under 40 minutes…
    • So we head to Pirates of the Caribbean which is about a 10 minute walk from Splash Mountain and is currently experiencing a 40 minute wait. The ride lasts for 9 minute and the total time for this ride is 59 minutes which means The time is 6:20pm AND THE PARK IS NOW CLOSED!

     

    Due my calculations above, we were able ride 12 attractions/rides during our 9 hour visit to Magic Kingdom.  Please remember, this is based on how my family visits the park. It also does not include any time that is used when stopping to look at souvenirs. With that said, 12 rides may be higher than the average family could visit in 9 hours.

    With it costing a total of $150.00 to enter the park per person, each ride cost each person $12.50 to ride.

    To break it down even more…  Adding up the length of each ride above, we spent 85 minutes actually on the rides during a 9 hour day.  That means that we spent roughly $1.76 per minute to ride the attractions in the park.

    This works out to

    • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – $7.07
    • Space Mountain – $19.40
    • Tomorrowland Speedway $8.82
    • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – $5.29
    • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – $7.07
    • Mickey’s PhilharMagic – $27.17
    • Peter Pan’s Flight – $5.29
    • Small World – $19.40
    • Haunted Mansion – $14.11
    • Big Thunder Mountain – $7.06
    • Splash Mountain – $14.11
    • Pirates of the Caribbean – $15.84

    I’m not sure that is worth my cost of admission.  I would almost think that it would be more of a value to the average visitor if Disney would reduce entrance costs and bring back the ticket booklets.  But, I guess if people are still coming and paying the rates that Disney wants, they will keep them the same.

    I am curious what is going to happen at Disney in January when Disney Parks normally announces a fee increase for park tickets and season passes.

     

     

     

  • ‘Frozen Ever After’ Temporarily Closing for Refurb in November

    The Disney refurbishment calendar is showing the the popular attraction/ride “Frozen Ever After” that is located in the Norway Pavillion in Epcot is scheduled to be shut down on November 2, 2020 for a minor refurbishment.  The attraction is scheduled to reopen to guests on November 7.

    If your children (or you) need to get your Frozen fix while visiting the parks during this time, remember to look for the Frozen Promenade cavalcade that through the World Showcase throughout the day.  You could also go over to Hollywood Studios and watch Anna and Elsa at the Frozen Sing Along!

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  • Disney Laying Off 28,000 Employees in California and Florida

    Disney has announced that it will be laying off 26,000+ employees due to the shutdown and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Of the 26,000 layoffs, 66% will be part-time employees.  Disney Parks and Experiences currently employs more than 100,000 US employees and is currently reeling from a 91% profit loss during the first three months of 2020.  Most employees had been furloughed by the company up until now.

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    Josh D’Amaro, who is the Chairman of Disney Parks, states that the staffing cuts were necessary due to the “prolonged impact” of the CoronaVirus.  He also says “As difficult as this decision is today, we believe that the steps we are taking will enable us to emerge a more effective and efficient operation when we return to normal.” D’Amaro also commented about Disney Employees “They have always been key to our success, playing a valued and important role in delivering a world-class experience.  We look forward to providing opportunities whee we can for them to return.”

    D’Amaro has placed partial blame on the state of California for not loosening restrictions and allowing Disneyland and California Adventure to reopen such has Disney World in Florida.

     

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  • Here are 5 MORE Disney Vloggers to Watch

    A little while ago we posted a list of, what we thought, were the top 5 Disney Vloggers on YouTube, Click Here to view that post.  To this day, that is our one singular most popular post (Thank You!!!).

    Overwhelmingly, most comments chose Tim Tracker as their most popular.

    Well, let’s take a look at some of the other Disney Vloggers who have become quite popular

     

    Midway to Main Street – Rob Plays

    (https://www.youtube.com/user/robplaysthatgame)

    Midway to Main Street – Rob Plays Rob’s videos are quite different than the typical Disney Vlogger.  Most Disney Vloggers do that, actually vlog about or in the parks themselves.  Rob’s videos are more about why Disney did certain things or why certain rides were closed or not even built in the first place.  His vlogs are very informative and must take quite a bit of research to both gather and check the facts and information that he is giving.  His presentation style is very comforting and makes you feel like a friend is talking to you.  If you are interested in the behind the scenes aspect of Disney and how things are done and the history of the parks, I truly recommend the Rob Plays channel on YouTube.

    Beyond the Kingdoms

    (https://www.youtube.com/c/BeyondtheKingdoms)

    Beyond the Kingdoms features Dave who brings information about everything in Walt Disney World.  From food to rides, news and information.  This is a very well produced vlog with colorful graphics and animations.  Beyond the Kingdoms features videos dating back to October 4, 2016.  My only concern with this channel is that there have been no new vlogs posted since July 3, 2020. 

    Disney in Detail

    (https://www.youtube.com/c/DisneyinDetail)

    Victoria and Ian are from the UK and offer quite a bit of Disney information in their vlogs.  Their YouTube Channel offers vlogs from the parks as well as podcast-style live broadcasts where they interact with their viewers.  This channel is very light-hearted and you feel comfortable watching this channel.  Disney in Detail also offers a Blog, Twitter and Facebook Social Media accounts so that you are able to follow them daily.

    AllEars.net

    (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfzP_CiebRdveD9rRZv5Ndw)

    AllEars.net is a website that gives information about all of the theme parks in the Orlando area.  The vlogs that they publish on their YouTube channel are very informative and very well produced.  This channel has been around for over eleven years and has covered just about every event in the Orlando theme parks.  Currently their videos have two correspondents, Mageaux who does the in-studio videos and Molly who does the in-the-park vlog-style videos.  If you watch the videos with Molly, they can be quite funny with her puns and comments.  All in all, AllEars.net’s videos are very entertaining to watch.

    .

    The WDW Couple

    (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwyYVvfqoeIzccrIJPey6DA)

    Josh & Taylor are daily vloggers that moved to central Florida.  Their videos are of just about anything Disney World from new rides and lands to tips and tricks to save time and money in the parks.  Their energetic personalities make the videos fun to watch and make you feel as though you are in the park with them.  Take a moment to view a couple of their vlogs and let me know if you feel the same.

    So there you have it, our next top 5 Disney Vloggers.  Let me know what you think and let us know if there are any vloggers out there that you beleive that we should take a peek at.

    Thanks for stopping by everyone and we hope that you really enjoyed this post.

  • Will These Attractions Return

    Most everyone knows that all four parks at Disney World in Florida are running at a limited capacity, limited hours and limited attractions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    With the amount of attractions that are currently unavailable, we began to wonder, which ones in Magic Kingdom and throughout the Parks and Resorts may not return or may not return without an additional fee.  So here is a list of the attractions and restaurants that are currently closed and those that we do not think will return to their pre-pandemic selves.

     

    Disney World Wide

    Park Hopping – Park Hopping should come back once the conditions are safe for guests to freely move from one park to another.

    FastPass+ – I do see this coming back once conditions are safe again, BUT… I would not be in the least surprised if Disney does not charge for this as Universal Studios Orlando currently does.

    Extra Magic Hours – I do not see us seeing Extra Magic Hours again. If we do, I would be very, very surprised. Disney World had been gradually getting rid of Extra Magic Hours before the pandemic hit in favor of hard ticket early-morning or late-night events at an extra price. These events were profitable for Disney, so I see the parks offering hard ticketed events and Extra Magic Hours will go the way of the old ticket books and $1.50 admissions.

    What attractions that are currently closed at Magic Kingdom due to the pandemic could possibly not reopen.

     

    Magic Kingdom
    Walt Disney World Railroad – This attraction closed in December, 2018 to make room for the new Tron Roller Coaster in Tomorrowland.  We believe that this attraction will reopen once the construction on Tron is complete.
    Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover – This attraction closed when the parks closed due to the pandemic.  The attraction did open for a short period of time when the parks reopened, but then closed again due to mechanical issues.  The attraction is currently being refurbished and should open again in the near future.
    Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – The hair and makeup salon that will transfer young girls into beautiful princesses has remained closed and there is no ETA when it will open again.  We believe that this attraction will reopen once conditions are safe.
    Casey’s Corner Pianist – The pianist outside of Casey’s Corner will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Cosmic Dance Party – This may or may not return once conditions in the parks have returned to normal. Not particularly popular, I would not be surprised if this entertainment did not return.
    Dapper Dans – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again. The Dapper Dans are a Fan Favorite
    Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade – The Festival of Fantasy Parade will definitely return. This is the newest parade and Disney had invested too much money into it for them to get rid of it.
    Main Street Trolley Show – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station – Another attraction that Disney invested a lot of money on just to close. This will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Casey’s Corner – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Columbia Harbour House – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    The Crystal Palace – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Enchanted Tales with Belle – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    The Friar’s Nook – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade – I would not be surprised if this attraction did not return. This is a high maintenance attraction that is outdated in today’s culture for the most part.
    Golden Oak Outpost – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Happily Ever After – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    The Lunching Pad – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Ariel at Her Grotto – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Cinderella & Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Side Show – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Dashing Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Side Show – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Rapunzel and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Tomorrowland Terrace – Restaurant will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.
    Tortuga Tavern – will most-likely return when conditions are safe again.

    Above are the attractions in Magic Kingdom that are currently closed. Come back again to see our opinions on what attractions that are currently closed in Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom may or may not reopen.

    Remember, the above information is our opinion, there has been no official announcements regarding these attractions. For official releases, please visit the official Disney website.

  • No Place Like Home for the Holidays

    Cancelled!!!

    Disney has announced that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has been cancelled for the 2020 Holiday season due to the Covid-19 outbreak.  Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party started at the Magic Kingdom in 1983 and this will be the first year that the Special Ticketed Event will not be held.

    There Will Still be Christmas

    Even though Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has been cancelled, the Magic Kingdom and other Theme parks will be adorned with twinkling lights, decorations, special treats and even a visit from the big jolly elf himself, Santa Claus.

    The festivities celebrating the Holiday Season kick off on November 6, 2020.

  • Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group Issues

    On Sunday, August 30, Guests of Disney’s Hollywood Studios reported that the My Disney Experience App unexpectedly “opened” before 9:30am although the app was not allowing anyone to join the queue.

    At 10am, when guest should have been able to sign in and join a queue, the app was still not allowing anyone to join.

    Disney is aware of the issue and it is reported that a Nationwide CenturyLink Outage was the cause of the issue for Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

    Rise of the Resistance boarding functionality was restored by noon.

    Unfortunately for guests, within 30 minutes of the ride becoming operational, there was an issue with the Kylo Ren encounter which caused guests to view an alternate final scene featuring “B-Mode”.

     

  • What Attractions are Open in Magic Kingdom?

    With Magic Kingdom opening this morning for a Cast Member preview, below is a list of what attractions are currently open and those that are not.

    Astro Orbiter – OPEN

    The Barnstormer – OPEN

    Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – CLOSED

    Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – OPEN

    Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – OPEN

    Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station – CLOSED

    Casey’s Corner Pianist -UNKNOWN

    Country Bear Jamboree – CLOSED

    Dapper Dans -UNKNOWN

    Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade – CLOSED

    Dumbo the Flying Elephant – OPEN

    Enchanted Tales with Belle – CLOSED

    Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade – CLOSED

    The Hall of Presidents -UNKNOWN

    Happily Ever After – CLOSED

    The Haunted Mansion – OPEN

    Hoedown Happening – CLOSED

    It’s a Small World – OPEN`

    Jungle Cruise – OPEN

    Liberty Square Riverboat – CLOSED

    Mad Tea Party – OPEN

    The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – OPEN

    Main Street Philharmonic -UNKNOWN

    Main Street Trolley Show -UNKNOWN

    The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – OPEN

    Meet Ariel at Her Grotto – CLOSED

    Meet Cinderella & Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall – CLOSED

    Meet Daring Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Side Show – CLOSED

    Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater – CLOSED

    Meet Rapunzel and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall – CLOSED

    Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater – CLOSED

    Mickey’s PhilharMagic – OPEN

    Mickey’s royal Friendship Faire – CLOSED

    Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor – CLOSED

    Once Upon a Time – CLOSED

    Peter Pan’s Flight – OPEN

    Pirates of the Caribbean – OPEN

    Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – OPEN

    Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – OPEN

    Space Mountain – OPEN

    Splash Mountain – OPEN

    Swiss Family Treehouse – CLOSED

    Tom Sawyer Island – CLOSED

    Tomorrowland Speedway – OPEN

    Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover – CLOSED

    Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid – OPEN

    Walt Disney World Railroad – CLOSED

    Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – OPEN

    Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room – CLOSED

  • Disney World Opens for Annual Passholder Preview

    Some crowds were gathered as they wait for the opportunity to enter the gates of Magic Kingdom for the first time since March.  Disney is opening the gates to the Magic Kingdom today to welcome home Annual Passholders for a preview of what it will be like to visit the”House of Mouse” for the foreseeable future.

    Gates are supposed to open at 9am this morning (July 7, 2020) to allow AP back into the parks.  Although visiting Disney World will be quite different for a while, a majority of those visiting this morning are just looking for an hour or two of normalcy…  To be able to live life the way we did back in February before the Covid-19 pandemic took over the planet.

    Even if it is for a short period, walking down Main St toward Cinderella Castle will make you forget all of your worries and problems that exist outside those gates… HAKUNA MATATA!!!

     

  • Disney’s Splash Mountain to be Re-themed to Princess and the Frog?

    According to a post on the WESH news channel on Thursday, June 25 Disney Blog released the following quote:

    “In a statement posted to the Disney Parks Blog on Thursday, the company said, “the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”

    Disney said the ride will now tell the story of what happens after Princess Tiana and Louis’ final kiss in the “Princess and the Frog” film. It will feature music from the movie.

    It is unclear when work on the rides will be completed”

     

    We will publish more information when it is available

  • Disney Vacation Cancelled… AGAIN

    In the fifteen plus years that my family has been going to Disney World we have never had such a heart-wrenching year as this year.  For the second time this year, we have cancelled reservations to Disney World.

    Our first trip was planed for the week of April 15th and Covid-19 obliterated those plans, not only for our family vacation, but for everyone’s life around the world.  We then rebooked our trip.  We were looking at the numbers and we took an educated guess that Disney would try to reopen in the middle to end of June.  So on April 30th, we booked reservations at All-Star Resort for a suite for July 25 – August 1.  We also rebooked our plane tickets through Southwest for those same dates.

    Even though Disney had yet to announce an opening date, on May 25th, we booked our FastPasses and made diner reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table, 50’s Primetime Cafe and Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White.

    When Disney first announced that the parks were reopening, we were happy but cautious.  When we found out that there would be no Fireworks, no parades, no character meet and greets, we started to get nervous.  In the time since the reopening announcement we have learned that the will be no Park Hopping, Pin Trading, Extra Magic Hours, Resort Hopping among many other things that you will no longer be able to do, we were now contemplating whether it was financially worth going to parks when they reopen.

    We have also been monitoring the virus numbers for Florida, particularly Orange and Osceola Counties in which Disney World Resort sits.  When we first rebooked the trip, they were averaging 15 and 10 cases a day and 0 deaths respectively.  As of yesterday (Wednesday, June 24, 2020) Orange County reported 554 cases with 2 deaths and Osceola County reported 75 cases with 1 death.  This is the main factor that made us come to our decision.

    We have again postponed our family vacation.  We are hoping to rebook again next June, if there has been a vaccine released or if the virus subsides.

    I really hated having to make the decision to cancel our trip again, but my family’s health and well being is the most important factor.

     

     

  • Cinderella Castle at Sunrise