Last week I wrote a blog post on the availability of Theme Park Reservations at Walt Disney World. One thing I wanted to visualize was how availability changes over time. So as a data geek and an amateur programmer, I started playing around with interactive Google Calendar Charts. After a few hours days,  I came up with what you see below. These charts show Park Pass availability for dates in 2021 as of any date December 1, 2020, and later. You can adjust the charts to display different combinations of parks and ticket types. Days that are gray mean that Park Passes are/were available. Days with a solid color indicate the number of days in advance that park reservations are/were no longer available.

 
If the tool is not displaying below, click here.

While playing around with my tool I saw some strange results, mainly that the “Select Resort Hotels” and “Theme Park Tickets” groups for the same park were showing the same charts. My first thought was that I mixed something up, so I spent a few hours digging into the code and data trying to find the problem. Once I could not find any problems on my side, I decided to go to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/availability-calendar and compare the availability of the “Select Resort Hotels” and “Theme Park Tickets” groups. They were a perfect match. I also looked at our Crowd Calendar page that shows park reservation availability by color-coding “RPT” for each date and park. Sure enough, the “R” (for Select Resort Hotels) and the “T” (for Theme Park Tickets) were always the same color.

Can you find any difference?

There is only one “As of Date” for one park where “Select Resort Hotels” and “Theme Park Tickets” groups don’t match perfectly.

Why no difference?

I don’t know. This cannot be a random coincidence. I went and looked at the 2020 data and, for the most part, “Select Resort Hotels” and “Theme Park Tickets” groups’ availability matches on all days. There were only 14 park dates where the final availability was different. I always assumed that “Select Resort Hotels” guests had the easiest access to park reservations. I truly believe that there is a bug in the Disney system. If Disney gave resort guests better access to park reservations, that would be a “free” perk that gives guests a reason to book a Disney hotel over off-site options that are generally cheaper. It would be unusual for Disney not to use this to their advantage to drive bookings.

Do you have any theories about why Theme Park Reservations for “Select Resort Hotels” and “Theme Park Tickets” seem to be getting pulled from the same pool? Let us know what you think in the comments.

The post Park Reservation Availability Abnormality appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

With Disneyland and Disney California Adventure set to reopen on April 30th, many Legacy Passholders are eager for Disney to launch a new membership program. Tickets went on sale to the general public on April 15th, leaving many former passholders dismayed at the hit that paying admission takes on the wallet, as well as the lack of priority for ticket purchases that many of Disney’s most loyal fans felt entitled to (for comparison, other theme parks in the area are hosting passholder preview days ahead of reopening to the general public).

Back in January, when asked about a potential timeline for introducing a new membership program to replace the sunsetted annual pass program, Disneyland President Ken Potrock was quoted as saying, “Our hope is to be ready for this whenever we’re allowed to open. That is our hope. It’s hard to pinpoint that because I don’t know what the direction from the state will be. But we are working all hands on deck to develop this as rapidly as we possibly can.”

With reopening on the horizon, as well as a more optimistic outlook for relaxing Covid restrictions from the state of California, the time to roll out a new membership program is now. Limitations on capacity made the now defunct annual pass program unfeasible for Disney. However, with case rates down, vaccinations up, and the state set to retire the color-coded tier system on June 15th (per California governor Gavin Newsom), capacity restrictions will likely be lifted, as will restrictions to out-of-state visitors, presumably. With those barriers removed, a realistic timeline for the reintroduction of a revamped membership program seems nigh. Should Disney delay an announcement of a new (albeit undoubtedly altered, likely with the reservation system still in place) passholder program, they do so at the risk of alienating their most loyal fanbase: the passholders who have, for years, enjoyed the parks with their families. 

While the mad dash on April 15th to buy tickets and secure a reservation was more wild than a motorcar ride with Mr. Toad (sorry), there are plenty of reservations still available (as of Monday, April 26th, there were still reservations available for opening day, April 30th). With demand not outpacing supply, it would behoove Disney to wrangle the bread and butter of their parks back into a membership program, before the locals turn to a more affordable alternative theme park experience, such as Universal Studios or Knott’s Berry Farm, to satiate their amusement needs. For comparison, an annual pass at Universal Studios Hollywood costs $20 less than a 1-day Tier 5 Park Hopper ticket (that equates to over 200 days worth of theme park fun for the price of one day’s admission to Disneyland and DCA). While selling 1-day tickets a la carte helps recoup losses incurred by the shutdown in the short term, the best way to ensure that dyed-in-the-wool Disney devotees spend money in the parks is for them to be able to afford admission to the parks. Subscription-based services bring in recurring revenue; even the seasoned AP cannot pass the myriad of churro carts without giving in every now and then. Indeed the guest that spends $100 a month for their pass is the guest that likely trades pins, can’t stop at the wall of ears without coveting a fresh pair, and wants a Dole Whip every time they pass the Tiki Juice Bar. 

So Disney, if you are reading this, please give us a new membership program, so we can keep buying all the churros!

Star Wars fans visiting the Walt Disney World Resort soon can celebrate May the 4th Be With You with the launch of some exclusive eats.

From April 30th – May 5th, guests can indulge in some of the most Instagram-worthy treats this side of Batuu. Karen McClintock with Disney Parks Blog shared the newest Best Bites at Walt Disney World with an array of colorful photos and interesting treats that can be found all around the resort.

Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs

• The Child Mini Dome Cake – Vanilla chiffon cake with cookies and cream mousse (available April 30-May 5) 

The Ganachery at Disney Springs

• Millennium Falcon Chocolate Pop – Milk chocolate pop with crispy pearls (available April 30-May 5) 

Pineapple Lanai at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

• Millennium Falcon Star Wars Soft Serve Sundae – Galactic gray vanilla soft-serve with chocolate cream cookie crumbles, chocolate drizzle, white chocolate pearl stars, brownie asteroid pieces with stardust sparkles, and a Millennium Falcon chocolate accent piece (available May 2-5)

Churro Cart, Anaheim Produce, and Grand Ave. Cart at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Lightsaber Churros – Red or blue churro lightsabers served with chocolate sauce for dipping (available May 4 and 5)

Epic Eats at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Galactic Swirl Funnel Cake – Black and white funnel cake with strawberries, space dust, and candy rocks (available May 4 and 5)

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Oi-Oi Puff – Raspberry cream puff with passion fruit mousse (available May 4 and 5)

Hyperion, Animation, and Hollywood Popcorn Carts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Interstellar Sweet and Crunchy Popcorn (available May 4 and 5)

The Trolley Car Café, PizzeRizzo, and Backlot Express at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Dark Side Chocolate Creation – Malted milk chocolate mousse dome with raspberry mousse topped with slivered almonds sitting on a chocolate shortbread cookie (available May 4 and 5)

Oasis Canteen, Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge, Sunshine Day Bar at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Cosmic Rum Punch – Coconut rum, rum, pineapple juice, Minute Maid Lemonade, and grenadine served with a glow cube (available May 4 and 5)

Backlot Express, ABC Commissary, PizzeRizzo, Rosie’s All-American Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Jettison Juice – Minute Maid Lemonade and watermelon beverage syrup served with a glow cube (available May 4 and 5)
• Darth Vader Stein served with fountain drink (available at all locations May 4 and 5. After May 4, Backlot Express, ABC Commissary, Rosie’s All-American will continue to offer)

In addition to celebrating May the 4th Be With You, Disney Parks Blog shared other new eats coming to Disney World including two over-the-top milkshakes, new “hidden-Mickeys”, and more!

Hollywood Scoops at Disney’s Hollywood Studio

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion Shake – Chocolate ice cream layered with peanut butter sauce topped with whipped cream and garnished with chocolate peanut butter crumbles and a chocolate-dipped peanut butter cake

Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort 

• Wildberry Shake – Wildberry shake striped with pink and purple marshmallow and topped with whipped cream and three cake pops

Whispering Canyon Café at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is showing us that “hidden Mickey’s” aren’t just for waffles with their Kids’ All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Breakfast Skillet. This ever-popular skillet includes both a Mickey-shaped waffle and Mickey-shaped scrambled eggs along with potatoes, breakfast meats, biscuits, and gravy.

Disney Springs is bringing us a new burger option at D-Luxe Burger served on a Parker House roll along with a new Marketplace Snacks summertime slushy.

D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs

• Double Bacon Stack Burger – Two-pressed signature blend patties, cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and grilled onions on a house-made-Parker House roll

Marketplace Snacks at Disney Springs

• Orange slushy topped with vanilla soft-serve

While the Star Wars snacks are only in this galaxy for a limited time, the other new additions seem to be sticking around for a while. It will be interesting to see what new Best Bites the chefs at Disney World bring us as we head into the summer season!

We bring you a lot of stories every single day. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. So in case you missed anything from our feed, we have rounded up all our stories in one place to get the news at a glance. Here is your Daily Recap for Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom The “Abandoned Pygmy Welcoming Party” Hut has now also been removed from Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom. Posts for the 50th Anniversary sign […]

The post WDWNT Daily Recap (4/28/21): Orange County Reduces Physical Distance and Mask Mandate, First Look Inside Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Restaurant, New Gelateria Menu & Sign at EPCOT, and More appeared first on WDW News Today.