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Disney Cruise Line is finally ready to reveal more details about its next new ship, the Disney Treasure!
Update: Visit my Disney Treasure post for all current revelations!
However, due to the impending hurricane, the webcast that was originally scheduled for this Wednesday has been postponed until next Tuesday, Sept 5, 2023, at 11am ET.
Tune in to the Disney Parks Blog site for the grand reveal. I can’t wait!
Pics ©DisneyCruiseLine.
At this point, almost all Florida locations and transportation suppliers have updated their websites with the latest Hurricane Idalia changes. Please visit their sites directly for the latest information.
As of August 29, 2023, SeaWorld Orlando has issued an update for their park operations due to Hurricane Idalia approaching Florida.
Busch Gardens Tampa will close at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 29. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will also be closed on Wednesday, August 30. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, August 31.
Adventure Island will be closed Tuesday, August 29 through Thursday, August 31. Normal operations will resume on Friday, September 1.
SeaWorld Orlando will open at noon on Wednesday, August 30.
Aquatica Orlando will be closed on Wednesday, August 30. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, August 31.
All date-intended tickets for closure days have been extended through August 31, 2024, and require no action to be taken.
Discovery Cove will operate normal hours on Tuesday, August 29, and will be closed on Wednesday, August 30. Normal operations will resume on Thursday, August 31. Rest assured, our Guest Services team is prepared to assist you with shifting your date to a surrounding date. Please contact our Guest Services team, you may email dco-guestrelations@discoverycove.com. Please include your reservation number and “Hurricane rebooking” in the subject line of the email.
As usual, any of this can change as the hurricane gets closer. Visit the SeaWorld Orlando Weather page for the latest updates and details on their Weather-or-Not Assurance program.
If you are in the path of the storm, I hope you stay safe. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.
©SeaWorld
Universal Orlando Resort has issued a statement due to Hurricane Idalia approaching Florida.
As of August 29, 2023, Universal Orlando Resort theme parks including Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Volcano Bay are planning to open and operate as normal at 9:00 am on Wednesday, Aug. 30. However, they will not offer the Early Park Admission benefit for on-site hotel guests, select Annual Passholders and other select travel trade clients on this day. The hotels remain operational as they focus on taking care of their guests.
If a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center or a state of emergency is declared for the Orlando area or in your place of residence, within seven days of your arrival, you can contact their team in advance to reschedule or cancel your Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations Package, hotel room only accommodations and Universal Orlando theme park tickets booked directly with Universal Orlando, without any cancellation or change fees imposed. This policy does not apply to hotel reservations, whether booked as room only or as part of a vacation package when made after a Hurricane or Tropical Storm warning has been issued or a state of emergency is declared for either Orlando or your place of residence.
If you have purchased airline tickets separately or as part of your Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations package, you may still be subject to cancellation and change fees assessed by those airlines. Check with those suppliers directly or contact your travel agent.
For the latest update or to read more specifics about their policies, visit the Universal Orlando Weather Updates page.
If you’re in the path of the storm, I hope that you stay safe. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.
©Universal
Disney World announced some policy changes due to the impending Hurricane Idalia approaching Florida.
As of August 28, 2023, change and cancellation fees imposed by Disney will be waived for check-in dates of August 28, 2023 through September 5, 2023. Guests already staying at Disney Resort hotels whose travel plans have been impacted by the storm may receive a discounted rate to extend their stay through the evening of August 31, if needed, by visiting the front desk. Fort Wilderness guests are asked to remove and stow all outside items, including décor, and take in camper awnings.
Florida residents evacuating from the storm and first responders assisting in storm-related recovery efforts may also receive 50% off Disney Resort hotel stays on the evenings of August 29-31, 2023. For evacuees, please call (407) W-DISNEY for details. For first responders, please call (407) 828-3200 (Option 3). This applies to new bookings only and is based on availability.
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on August 30.
Walt Disney World resorts and parks are currently operating under normal conditions with normal park hours.
Of course, any of this could change as they monitor the storm. For the latest updates, visit the Disney Weather Updates page.
If you’re in the path of the storm, I hope you stay safe. Crossing my fingers for you!
@Disney
Due to Hurricane Hilary, Disneyland Resort in California just announced some changes as they continue to monitor the impending storm.
Disneyland Resort theme parks will close early tomorrow, Sunday Aug. 20, 2023 with Disney California Adventure Park closing at 9 p.m. and Disneyland Park closing at 10 p.m. The Downtown Disney District will close at 11 p.m.
Our resort hotels will remain open to serve our guests staying with us on property.
Check the Disneyland site often for any further changes if you have a trip planned for the next few days.
Be careful if you’re in Southern California or nearby regions. Keeping our fingers crossed for you!
Here’s a rare chance to spend the night inside the Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida.
Give Kids The World Village is offering the chance for one lucky winner and three guests to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime Magical Celebration Vacation Package featuring a one-night stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite.
You can’t even buy a night in the castle, so this is a rare chance to try to win a stay there while contributing to a great organization. The donations will make wishes possible for critically ill children and their families at Give Kids The World Village.
For more details on this contest and to participate, visit the GKTW Magical Celebration Vacation page. This runs from now until October 16, 2023.
Top pic © Give Kids the World
Castle pic taken during our last WDW trip.
Can you believe that Halloween is already starting at Disney World?!? The parks are all decorated and the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was last night, August 11, 2023! This is Disney’s after-hours family-friendly Halloween party.
Disney has revealed some of the new photo ops and PhotoPass Magic Shots available during the party. Ask any of the photographers if they have Magic Shots whenever you stop for a photo. Certain ones may only be at certain locations though. Check the party map for details or ask a cast member. They’ll add fun surprises to your pictures when they appear in your My Disney Experience app afterward.
For more details about the party, visit my Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party post. Videos from the party have already surfaced on YouTube if you want to see what it’s like. Party dates are already sold out thru mid-Sept so buy your tickets soon if you want to go.
We went to one a few years ago. It’s pretty fun and a good chance to dress up, see some rare characters and shows, and uniquely experience Magic Kingdom.
Don’t substitute this for your only Magic Kingdom day, especially if this is one of your first few trips to Disney since there are still too many rides to do them all along with the unique party experiences. Plus, you’re paying a premium for the party so be sure to prioritize the unique party experiences that you won’t get during the day such as the Halloween-themed shows, rare characters and other favorites dressed in Halloween costumes, party-specific photo ops, unique foods, and merch, and of course, trick or treating!
However, if you’ve been there a few times already, then this is a good chance to still get several hours in Magic Kingdom with shorter ride times while experiencing new Halloween extras. You can get into the park with your party ticket starting at 4pm so make this your rest day in the morning instead of buying a park ticket for that day too.
Although, if you have an annual pass or daytime ticket already, the crowds are usually lower on party days since non-party guests have to leave by 6pm. Otherwise, you can also do a different park first, then go to Magic Kingdom when the party starts, if you can last til midnight that way. You don’t need to make park reservations with a party ticket and it’s not considered hopping if you go to a different park first so you don’t need hopper tickets either.
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about the party or anything else for your Disney trip.
Pics ©Disney
The Minions have their own land in Universal Studios Florida now! Minion Land on Illumination Avenue officially opens today, August 11, 2023, at Universal Orlando Resort. This immersive new land will put guests in the middle of Minion mayhem.
Villain-Con Minion Blast is a new attraction that “blends immersive sets, interactive game-based technology, and an original storyline for a first-of-its-kind attraction that puts guests’ villainous skills to the test to see if they have what it takes to become a member of the Vicious 6 – a notorious group of supervillains from the hit film, ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru'”. You will stand on a moving walkway type mechanism with your blaster and prove your villainous skills as you move through the various scenarios.
After all that villainous fun, you can continue the mayhem in the Disposable Me Minion Mayhem attraction. This simulator ride turns you into a minion and engages you in humourous family-friendly mischief. There doesn’t seem to be any change to this ride if you’re already familiar with it.
Of course, you should stay hydrated and fed after all that mayhem. The new Illumination’s Minion Cafe will provide you with an “entertaining dining experience that features three themed areas designed after beloved Minions Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto: the Kitchen, the Breakroom, and the Dining Room”. It will feature many items inspired by the Minions franchise. There will also be an express window with a limited menu if you just want to grab something quickly.
Several other locations around the land will provide more refreshments and retail therapy.
Bake My Day is a fun bakery and shop featuring Minion-themed sweet treats and merchandise.
Pop-A-Nana features sweet and savory popcorn, including a special banana flavor, inspired by the Minions’ love for bananas.
Freeze Ray Pops serves refreshing frozen treats inspired by Gru, the Minions, and Vector.
Evil Stuff is a new retail store offering Villain-Con and Minions merchandise.
Illumination Theater is a new location with photo ops and meet n greets with characters from Illumination films like Minions and Sing.
This new land sounds like a lot of fun. Are you excited to check it out?
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about a Universal trip.
©Universal Studios
If you’ve been eagerly waiting, Universal Studios has finally announced the themes of the 10 haunted houses for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event! They will be the same at both Universal Orlando and Hollywood.
For detailed descriptions of each house, visit the Haunted Houses page.
If you don’t know, Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed nighttime event, with 5 scare zones, 10 haunted houses, food, merchandise, and more. Note that some of the scares are pretty intense and gory, so it may be too much for the little ones and the faint of heart. There are plenty of YouTube videos about it if you want to get a sense of what it’s really like first.
This year’s event will take place on select nights after 6:30pm, starting on Sept 1, 2023 at Orlando and Sept 7, 2023 at Hollywood and runs through Oct 31, 2023.
Tickets are on sale now! There are also express passes and hotel packages. This is a very popular event so if you are interested, you may want to buy your tickets ASAP.
For more details or to buy tickets, visit the Horror Nights page:
© UniversalStudios
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will start today, July 27th, and run through November 18, 2023, this year. This is one of our favorite Disney World events!
Eat around the world at the many marketplaces featuring global cuisine and beverages. This is foodie heaven with delicious dishes, fine wine, craft beer, spirits, and other beverages sure to satisfy every palate.
For a full list of the numerous marketplace menus, check out the festival page below:
In addition to the food, there are also other fun activities. Participate in the Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak or Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit scavenger hunts. Commemorate your trip with special photo ops. And of course, there will be plenty of merch if you want to do some souvenir shopping.
You can also enjoy live concerts at the Eat to the Beat concert series with performances nightly starting at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM, and 8:00 PM at the America Gardens Theatre.
For a full performance schedule, see below:
This year, EPCOT will also be the focus for the Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary celebration activities in Orlando so expect additional fun related to that as well. Don’t skip EPCOT on your next Disney World trip.
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about this or any other Disney event. We love these festivals!
Adventures By Anne 