Disney World Reopening Plans & Downtown Disney's Lush Landscaping

Disney Resort Reopening Delays

• 📌 Disney is delaying the reopening of several resorts, including the Polynesian (now October 4th), Art of Animation (November 1st), and Beach Club/Boardwalk (closed until further notice).
• ⚠️ These delays are attributed to lower-than-expected demand and the operational decision not to bring back cast members without a clear need.
• 🎪 The decision by Universal to cancel Halloween Horror Nights, even in its 30th anniversary year, signals concerns about safely operating large-scale events during the pandemic.
• 🎃 This also casts doubt on the feasibility of Disney's Very Merry Christmas Party, with events like the Candlelight Processional being particularly challenging to execute safely.

Park Operations and Guest Experience

• 🎭 The Disney Junior dance party show at Hollywood Studios has resumed operating in a socially distant manner, raising questions about equity performer policies.
• 🚶‍♀️ Testing a touring plan at Magic Kingdom starting at 11:00 AM revealed that with extremely low crowds, the difference in wait times between using a plan and not using one was minimal.
• 🎢 Despite low attendance, Disney continued to operate both sides of popular attractions like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain, possibly for maintenance or cast member retraining purposes.
• 🍔 The abundance of appealing food options, even in quick-service locations like Cosmic Rays, makes maintaining a diet challenging within Walt Disney World.

Downtown Disney's Landscape Design

• 🌳 The creation of Downtown Disney's lush garden district involved securing full-sized trees, a challenge Paul Comstock faced with a limited budget.
• 🌲 Inspired by Bill Evans's early landscaping methods, Comstock utilized trees from freeway expansion projects, including Hong Kong orchid trees and Japanese flowering pears.
• 🌳 Two Java trees, initially slated for removal from the Imagineering Headquarters, were transplanted and named "Marty" and "John" in honor of the individuals involved.
• 🌳 A significant effort was made to transplant large Indian laurel fig trees from Culver City, with a 50% success rate, to create a canopy for the Downtown Disney District.
• 🌸 The landscape design incorporates leaf-shaped mosaics, flowering vines, and a California poppy fountain, reinforcing the theme of the Golden State.

COVID-19 Testing and Park Interactions

• ⚕️ Len underwent a COVID-19 test, which came back negative, highlighting a two-hour wait at an urgent care facility near Disney Springs and a $125 cost without symptoms or known exposure.
• 👃 The nasal swabbing procedure for COVID-19 tests is described as an intense and uncomfortable experience.
• 👮‍♂️ An anecdote from a listener describes Stormtroopers at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge demanding to see "papers," leading to a humorous interaction involving an annual pass.
• 🚀 On Smugglers Run, with only two pilots, the gunner and engineer positions are automated, but weapons still fire and coaxium can still be collected.
• 📉 It's possible to achieve a score of zero on Smugglers Run with intentional effort, a feat that reportedly took extensive practice.