A massive update to the Cast Member blockout schedule has a couple of different stories embeded within the calendar.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Perhaps the biggest news is that Cast Members will be able to finally bring friends and family to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here are the current dates where the Main Entrance Pass for friends and family will be able to get into Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
- February 22-26
- March 1-5
Beyond that, Cast Members are still able to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios on their own on the following dates:
- Feb 3-4, 9-11
EPCOT and Ratatouille Watch
Late last month, we wrote an article cautioning the use of blockout dates as a canary in the coal mine for a Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. When we wrote the article, the blockout schedule showed that Cast Members would not be allowed into EPCOT beginning on February 13th. At the time, many fans thought that this meant that a Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure soft opening was imminent.
Now, Disney has updated the blockout schedule to show that Cast Members will continue to be allowed to visit on most weekdays through the end of March 2021 – perhaps throwing a bit of water on the “soft opening” fire. The exception to that rule is Valentine’s Day week and the week of St. Patrick’s Day.
Predicting Crowds
Disney has often blocked out Cast Members when they anticipate larger crowds. Of course, a “large crowd” during COVID-19 is going to be very different than a large crowd in pre-COVID times – Disney is still limiting capacity via the Disney Park Pass system.
That said, we can try to predict some crowd levels thanks to the blockout schedule.
Going forward, we expect the following weeks to be “busy”:
- February 12-20
- March 13-21
Judging by the fact that Disney is expanding the amount of guests that a Cast Member is allowed to bring into Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we expect the following weeks to be “lower” crowds:
- February 22-26
- March 1-5
The exception to the above rule would be EPCOT, which will likely see increased crowds in early March when the 2021 Taste of Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off on March 3rd.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!