We’ve had some exciting Disney news for ya today!

For one, Bob Chapek spoke about the future of The Walt Disney Company at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference. As park capacity increases and health and safety measures shift, the company’s continuing to look ahead. And today, Chapek took a look at how certain shifts in “guest experience” may stick around.

Although features like virtual queues and Mobile Order were a thing before the parks shut down last year, we saw them become a much bigger part of the experience upon reopening. Mobile Order is used almost exclusively at Quick Service locations now, and virtual queues have expanded from Galaxy’s Edge to Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs and Indiana Jones Adventure on the west coast.

And according to Chapek, these features just may be here to stay. He stated that they are “likely to impact their [Disney’s] prospects going into the future,” which is kinda vague but could mean we’ll see virtual queues, Mobile Order, contactless hotel check-in, and more in the long-term.

Chapek explained that virtual queues, specifically, are a “guest experience lever” that can help with long lines for attractions with higher demand. Just today, Disney California Adventure announced that a virtual queue system would be in place for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. This further expansion of the feature could be indication that it’s not going away anytime soon.

The three features Chapek mentioned in particular were virtual queues, Mobile Order, and contactless hotel check-in. We’ll be sure to keep a close eye on things and keep ya posted if we learn anything else about their future. Stay tuned to DFB!

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The post Disney CEO Comments on Virtual Queues, Mobile Order, and More first appeared on the disney food blog.

If there are two things we LOVE, it’s Disney theme parks and Disney+!

There are a few shows and specials on Disney’s streaming service that bring us to the parks, like the Disney Parks Sunrise Series, Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and The Imagineering Story! But in during the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference, Disney CEO Bob Chapek shared that the company has a secret weapon down the pipeline for parks fans…

That secret weapon? The company hasn’t had Disney+ operating in a full, robust way while the parks have been operating!

Though it’s not entirely sure what Chapek means by this, he did say that the company can create originals in the parks and use it for Disney+, so we could see anything from exclusive concerts to parades or other specials filmed at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any of the international Disney theme park resorts! Some of our favorite shows (like the newly reopened Festival of the Lion King) could also potentially come to Disney+!

While we DO know some of what is coming to Disney+ in the coming months, we don’t know EVERYTHING, and when new parks content premieres on the streaming service, we’ll let you know!

Disney CEO Comments on Virtual Queues, Mobile Order, and More

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Do you want more parks stuff on Disney+? What would you like to see? Let us know in the comments!

The post Does This Mean More Disney Theme Park Content Could Be Coming to Disney+?! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Ever since the parks reopened in July of 2020, Disney World has been operating at a limited capacity.

To help manage these limits, Disney implemented a reservation system for the parks. Since then, we’ve seen capacity slowly increase as the threat of COVID-19 diminishes, and now, it looks like we can expect more increases very soon.

Recently, Disney CEO Bob Chapek shared that capacity had been quietly increasing at Disney World, but he didn’t share any details on specific numbers or details. Today, during the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference, Chapek shared more on what this capacity increase will specifically look like.

Chapek noted that the parks “will see low double-digit increases in attendance in the next several months.” This increase comes as we begin to see more relaxed health and safety guidelines from the CDC and local governments. He also shared that attendance can continue to increase as Disney is able to hire back more furloughed and laid off Cast Members to get the parks back to their working order pre-pandemic.

Chapek was also specifically asked when the parks would return to full capacity. He noted that it depends on the park, and while Disneyland Resort is “much further down the curve,” Walt Disney World would likely reach full capacity towards the end of the year. He shared that Disney has done everything they can to give consumers the confidence to return to the parks — they have a great track record of opening responsibly.

We’ll make sure to let you know if any specific numbers are shared on capacity percentage, and we’ll give you our honest crowd reports straight from the parks, so stay tuned to DFB. We’ve got all the details you need to know about Disney park operations during these unusual times!

Click Here to Read More About the Quiet Capacity Increase

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The post NEWS: Disney World Capacity Will Continue to Slowly Increase Over the Coming Months first appeared on the disney food blog.

Is there a place in Disney World that’s not going under construction right now? It feels like everywhere we turn, there’s either a refurbishment or an entire transformation happening around the parks and resorts.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is already getting a few updates of its own right now as The Wave is closed for refurbishment, and the room refurbishment continues onward.

At the beginning of the year, a Cast Member notified us that “As part of continued improvement, Disney’s Contemporary Resort will undergo refurbishments in the Main Tower Guest Rooms from April to September, 2021.” When the refurbishment started at the beginning of last month, the Contemporary practically looked (and sounded) like an entirely different resort with all the scrims, tarps, and construction noises!

8th floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort – heads up if you’re staying there because the construction is loud! pic.twitter.com/FkG2Hhsk9U

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 9, 2021

As the construction continues to move on since it will be a long haul until September, the Main Tower has received even MORE scrims blocking off the central area of the Contemporary.

The scrims have practically surrounded the entire hub area, stretching from Chef Mickey’s all the way over to the Fantasia Market and Bayview Gifts.

We’ll have to keep an eye on additional construction around the Contemporary Resort, as well as any news about what could be included in the refurbished rooms! In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned with DFB for all the latest Disney news coming soon!

Take a look at the progress on Disney World’s newest hotel!

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Have you stayed at Disney’s Contemporary Resort? Let us know in the comments below!

The post PHOTOS: You Have to SEE Disney World’s Contemporary Resort Construction to Believe It first appeared on the disney food blog.