Mid-Week News Roundup

Walt Disney World
Liberty Bell Returns to Rivers of America
As you may remember, last October, Cast Members drained the waters of the Rivers of America, sending the Liberty Belle to dry dock behind Magic Kingdom in order to replace her underwater track. On February 5, 2021, she has once again returned to the Rivers of America in Liberty Square! This historic 47-foot authentic steam-powered paddle wheeler has been sailing the waters of the Rivers of America for nearly 50 years. Welcome back, Liberty Belle!

New Gateway Hotels Announced
For guests who choose to stay off-site, some new options are available! Four new hotels have been added to the Walt Disney World Gateway Hotel collection: Residence Inn by Marriott at Western Entrance, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott at Western Entrance, Homewood Suites by Hilton at Western Entrance and Home2 Suites by Hilton at Western Entrance. The convenient location of these hotels makes it easy to visit the parks—and by booking a vacation package with the Walt Disney Travel Company, guests receive select benefits guaranteed to add a little more magic!

Leave a Legacy Goes On
Leave A Legacy is returning to EPCOT! With the transformation of the EPCOT main entrance area, the original Legacy sculpture has been removed, but Leave A Legacy lives on in a bright, colorful new setting. These newly designed panels are the first of many that will be installed outside the EPCOT touch points. To search for your tile at the new location, use your smart device to scan the QR code at the Leave a Legacy display. This opens up the tile finder search feature, which can provide the coordinates for a tile’s location. Guests can also visit the EPCOT guest Relations team for assistance.

Refurbishment Updates

• Starting in February 2021, the Stormalong Bay waterslide will be closed for refurbishment. During this time, Stormalong Bay and the other 3 pools at Disney’s Beach Club Resort and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort will remain open.
• Starting in April 2021, Disney's Contemporary Resort will begin a refurbishment to reimagine Guest rooms. While some Main Tower rooms will be unavailable during the refurbishment, most resort areas and amenities will still be available for Guests to enjoy.
  
• From January 2022 - April 2022, the Samawati Springs Pool at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village will be closed for refurbishment. During this time, Guests staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village may use the Uzima Springs Pool at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Universal Orlando Resort
Volcano Bay Reopening Updates
Ahead of schedule, Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park will begin welcoming guests again on Saturday, February 27!

Universal’s Volcano Bay is a tropical oasis filled with a variety of relaxing and thrilling experiences – all surrounding a massive 200-foot volcano nestled right in the center of the park. Guests are immediately transported to a South Seas-inspired paradise where they can relax on the sands of Waturi Beach, drift leisurely down Kopiko Wai Winding River, brave a 125-foot drop alongside the volcano on Ko’okiri Body Plunge, and so much more.

Volcano Bay’s enhanced health and safety procedures will be in place when the park reopens on February 27 and reflect the guidelines that debuted last year. Key measures include temperature screenings for guests and team members, limiting capacity at the park and on attractions – including rivers and pools, enforcing social distancing, aggressive cleaning and disinfection procedures, and requiring face coverings inside restaurants, retail locations and when entering and exiting the park. Face coverings are not permitted on the slides and in the pools.

Tickets for Volcano Bay are on sale now! Three-park annual and seasonal passes, as well as vacation packages, that include access to Volcano Bay will be available for purchase in the weeks ahead.

Disneyland Resort
Reservations for Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining on Buena Vista Street at Disneyland Resort
Guests can once again enjoy outdoor dining at Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining on Buena Vista Street, an extension of Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort. Reservations are highly recommended for this experience, which can be made at Disneyland.com or on the Disneyland mobile app.

New Limited-Time Ticketed Experience Coming to Disney California Adventure Park
In a letter that commemorates the 20th anniversary of Disney California Adventure Park today, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock announced directly to cast members that a new offering is headed to the resort, soon. A copy of that letter is below. We look forward to sharing more details about this all-new, limited-time ticketed experience, planned to begin in mid-March, soon!

Dear Cast Members,

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since we welcomed our first Guests to Disney California Adventure Park. While I’m relatively new to the Disneyland Resort, I was so excited to visit Disney California Adventure that first year and have enjoyed seeing the park evolve over the last two decades and the role it has played in creating a multi-day destination for our Guests. From the ongoing expansions and enhancements focused on bringing more Disney storytelling to the park, including Cars Land, to our upcoming mission to suit up the next generation of Super Heroes at Avengers Campus, we continue to add new and vibrant experiences for Guests to enjoy.

I’m pleased to report that Avengers Campus is making incredible progress. From the futuristic architecture, theatrical lighting, unique audio, creative food, beautiful costuming and innovative merchandise, the land will be an immersive experience that we know our Guests are going to love. And while we aren’t ready to reveal Avengers Campus to the world just yet, I am excited about another very special opportunity we have at Disney California Adventure Park that speaks to our top priorities: getting more Cast Members back to work and engaging with our Guests in different and relevant ways.   

Currently planned to begin mid-March, we will debut an all-new, limited-time ticketed experience, focused on our world-famous food and beverage offerings from around the resort, the latest merchandise and unique, carefully crafted entertainment experiences…all to be offered multiple days a week. With limited capacity and enhanced health and safety measures in place, Guests once again will get to step into a magical Disney environment — an environment that will provide memorable and fun experiences our Guests are craving.

Teams across the resort are currently developing this distinctly Disney experience, so there are many more details to come, but I wanted you ­– our Cast Members ­­– to hear this news first. Stay tuned for the official announcement coming soon.

What I'm most thrilled about is that this initiative — along with the recent reopening of our outdoor dining on Buena Vista Street — enables us to bring about 1,000 Cast Members back to work. While that is clearly not all we want to accomplish, it’s a start. Teams are working as we speak to start recalling identified Cast in the coming weeks.

This past year has presented extraordinary challenges, but that has not curtailed in any way our ability to move forward with a spirit of optimism. Thanks to each and every one of you for your contributions to making the Disneyland Resort a place where dreamers around the world are always welcome. Stay safe and stay well.

Sincerely,
Ken
Disneyland Resort President