DLW 190: Disney Artist and Designer Evan

This week, new cast member safety changes, more attractions return ahead of schedule, single rider lines have returned, Avengers Campus is more open, the last Disney Hotel is about to reopen, we talk to Evan about his time as a Cast Member, and more! Please support the show if you can by going to https://www.dlweekly.net/support/. If you want some DLWeekly Swag, you can pick some up at https://www.dlweekly.net/store/. Book your travel through ConciEARS at no extra cost to you! Be sure to mention that you heard about ConciEARS from DLWeekly at booking! If you want some awesome headwear or one of a kind items, be sure to visit our friends over at All Enchanting Ears! You can use the promo code DLWEEKLY10 to get 10% off your order!

News:

With the higher temperatures on the horizon for Southern California, a new safety policy couldn’t come soon enough for cast members. Fully vaccinated cast members can now go mask free outdoors. Masks are still required for all cast members indoors for now. Physical distancing for all cast members, indoors or out has also been phased out. This will greatly help in tight spaces like kitchen areas around the resort. – https://www.ocregister.com/2021/06/25/fully-vaccinated-disneyland-employees-no-longer-need-to-wear-masks-outdoors/ and https://www.micechat.com/294044-new-disneyland-procedures-start-june-15-masks-off-no-physical-distancing/ With all of the changes recently to all the safety protocols around the resort, MiceChat posted a guide to all the current policies. These include the new cast member guidelines we talked about previously in this episode, as well as theme park reservations sticking around for the foreseeable future, face coverings no longer required anywhere except for transportation like buses for fully vaccinated guests, un-vaccinated or partially vaccinated guests must still wear masks, physical distancing is no longer required, ride capacity is back at 100% without plexiglass shields, dining capacity has also been increased, indoor queues are back in service, both parking structures are open, out of state guests are allowed, no temperature checks are required, and entertainment has started to return. – https://www.micechat.com/294044-new-disneyland-procedures-start-june-15-masks-off-no-physical-distancing/ A sign that things are coming to an end with the pandemic is the return of single rider lines at a few attractions this week. Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Smuggler’s Run, Star Tours, and Splash Mountain at Disneyland, and Radiator Springs Racers, the Incredicoaster, and Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure now allow single riders. This should help get as many guests on attractions and out of the lines faster. – https://www.ocregister.com/2021/06/26/disneyland-brings-back-single-rider-lines-for-most-popular-attractions/ Some attractions have reopened earlier than expected in the last week! Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Storybook Land Canal Boats both welcomed guests a day or two early. Storybook Land Canal Boats look great and have had a number of their elements updated during the closure. Buzz Lightyear has not been updated and we have seen reports online that some of the attraction vehicles have been tagged out of service. Hopefully maintenance can get to them soon and get Buzz back to 100%! – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/06/photos-video-buzz-lightyear-astro-blasters-soft-reopens-at-disneyland/ Some great news for guests who want to walk around and see Avengers Campus! The land is now open to everyone and the gates that were in place to control the amount of people in the new land have been removed. Guests can now freely enter the land from any of the three entrances. This is making the ability to get food and to enter stores very easy, with little to no wait on most days. – https://www.micechat.com/295081-disneyland-update-topsy-turvy-more-or-less/ For those of you visiting the parks soon, the crowds look to be great! Even though more people are allowed in the parks now, the wait times for attractions have been lower than they were before the lower capacity! This, along with the cast members getting back into the swing of things has made the process much smoother. – https://www.micechat.com/295081-disneyland-update-topsy-turvy-more-or-less/ There have been some rumors that cast members that generally work on parades have been called back to work. This could mean the return of Magic Happens sometime this summer, which only had a couple of weeks to run before the pandemic shut it down. – https://www.micechat.com/295081-disneyland-update-topsy-turvy-more-or-less/ The Disneyland hotel will begin a phased opening this week as the Fantasy Tower opens to guests. Along with the one tower, the two pools and the Monorail water slides will reopen, as well as the fitness center. The Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam’s will also reopen to the public. – https://www.mouseplanet.com/12971/Disneyland_Resort_Update_for_June_30__July_4_2021#news1 Construction has started in the park to prepare for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The facades of the Toontown Five & Dime and the Gag Factory have been demolished to make way for the new entrance for the attraction. Once completed, the new El Capitoon theater will take their place as the new entrance. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/06/photos-video-toontown-five-dime-and-gag-factory-facades-demolished-as-mickey-minnies-runaway-railway-construction-continues-at-disneyland/ We previously reported that mobile scan and go shopping was being tested in World of Disney in Downtown Disney. Now, that system has been expanded into the parks at the Emporium in Disneyland, and Elias & Co. in Disney California Adventure. Guests will use the Disneyland app or scan a QR code in the store to enter the system, then grab a mobile checkout shopping bag and scan the barcodes with their smartphone cameras to add the item to their cart. Once done, guests check out through the app and show a QR code to a cast member on the way out of the store at a designated mobile checkout exit. – https://www.ocregister.com/2021/06/25/disneyland-brings-scan-and-go-shopping-to-theme-park-stores/ Hollywood Land is the place for Avengers photo ops. A new Black Panther photo op has appeared this week in the land. It is the same setup used for the previous Black Panther meet and greet, but without the character this time, due to social distancing. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/06/photos-black-panther-photo-op-arrives-in-hollywood-land-at-disney-california-adventure/ Just a quick follow up to something that we talked about a couple of weeks ago. The food waste trashcans have been rolled out to more locations around the resort recently. If you have any food waste, please dump it in these new recepticals so it can be recycled and not just end up in the landfill. – https://www.ocregister.com/2021/06/25/disneyland-makes-tossing-out-leftover-food-a-little-less-wasteful/ and https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/06/disneyland-resort-expands-sustainability-efforts-with-new-food-waste-bins/ On June 27th, which was Global Pride Day, Salt & Straw donated 5% of all its proceeds to local LGBTQ+ charities. For the Downtown Disney location, Reach LA was the charity chosen. Reach LA works with young LGBTQ people of color to “increase self sustainability by encouraging creative expression, supporting safe spaces and promoting health and wellness.” – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/06/26/disneylands-salt-straw-celebrating-global-pride-day-by-donating-to-local-groups/ Another fun treat has made its way to Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff in Pixar Pier. The new Forky cake pop looks like a sweet version of the character himself. The cake pop is sweet vanilla covered in white chocolate, and decorated to look like Forky. Reviews have said that it is pretty moist and very sweet, so be aware of this. Forky costs $5.49. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/06/24/review-toy-story-fans-will-love-disneys-new-sweet-treat/

Donald Duck Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6VVOmT0Vk8

Discussion Topic:

Evan