Disney has announced the opening date for the new Tron ride at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World!
drumroll please….
April 4, 2023
Are you excited? According to Disney…
The story of TRON Lightcycle / Run picks up after “TRON: Legacy” where Kevin’s son, Sam Flynn, has opened a second gateway into a digital world called the Grid. The first portal was built at Shanghai Disneyland with the original TRON Lightcycle Power Run.
When guests enter the queue at Magic Kingdom, they’ll feel as if they’ve been digitized and transported to the Grid for a special Lightcycle race. It’s your Team Blue against the Grid’s menacing Programs, Team Orange. Your goal is to be the first to race through eight Energy Gates and secure victory. The attraction will be one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world.
If you belong to any of the Disney affinity groups, keep an eye on your emails for possible preview opportunities.
And as always, feel free to contact me if you want to chat about planning your Disney trip.
Did you hear?? Disney just announced the return dates of two old nighttime shows at Disney World!
It was previously announced that the current shows at the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT would end also after the official 50th celebration end date, which would be March 31, 2023, but no details on when their replacements will start and in what form were given. They’ve finally given us those details.
The previous Happily Ever After show is restarting April 3, 2023 with new projections, and Enchantment is ending April 2nd, at the Magic Kingdom.
EPCOT Forever, the previous interim show at EPCOT, is also returning April 3rd until the new show is completed at the end of the year. Harmonious will indeed end and they are indeed removing the barges! This is quite a surprise since they invested so much time and money into creating them, but I guess the poor fan response led to their demise. Can we just have Illuminations back?!?
If you want to catch Enchantment or Harmonious before they end, or any other 50th celebration events or items, make sure to go to Disney World soon. Who knows what else might go away too.
And as always, if you want to chat about planning a Disney trip, feel free to contact me.
Did you know that Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando will be closing as of January 23, 2023 for a complete retheming based on Tiana? Be sure to ride by the 22nd if this is one of your favorites.
The holidays have started at Universal Orlando! Join the Grinch, Manheim Steamroller, and our friends in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for all sorts of fun!
See the Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular for a live retelling of the classic holiday tale starring the Grinch. You can also meet the Grinch himself and Earl the Squirrel, Universal’s mini celebrity, at various times of the day.
Listen to joyous holiday tunes by Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, the Frog Choir, and the iconic holiday sensation, Manheim Steamroller. Manheim Steamroller will play live performances on the Music Plaza Stage at 7pm on Dec 3, 4, 10, & 11. Admission included with your park ticket.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will join in the festivities with holiday decor and the gorgeous projection show against the Hogwarts Castle on most nights from dusk to park close.
Don’t miss the fun holiday parade featuring the gigantic Macy’s parade balloons, popular Universal characters, and of course, Santa Claus!
Of course, there will be plenty of holiday themed food for your belly and merchandise for your shopping list.
Special events include The Grinch™ & Friends Character Breakfast. Join the mean green one himself and the Whos too for a morning feast. Start your day with a tasty buffet with food and fun for everyone. Additional ticket purchase required.
You can also join in the celebration with the Universal Holiday Tour on this 4.5 hour evening event. Experience special meet and greets, foods, shows, and more during a special walking tour around the parks. Additional ticket purchase required.
We plan to join in the holiday fun at Universal this year. Stay tuned for trip reports. Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about a Universal trip.
The holidays have arrived at Disney World in Orlando! All of the parks and resorts are decked out in their holiday finest.
Cinderella Castle is providing a gorgeous backdrop for holiday projections. Huge Christmas trees and gingerbread houses have sprung up everywhere! Christmas music is pumping thru the speakers. The smell of holiday treats is wafting thru the air. Can you picture it now?
The Magic Kingdom is hosting theVery Merry Christmas Party on select nights. I did a post on it awhile back so I won’t rehash everything here. Check out the party post.
EPCOT will be hosting the Festival of the Holidays and the Candlelight Processional with tons of fun foods and new narrators, respectively. Check out my festival post about this also.
There will also be new entertainment and holiday storytellers around the World Showcase, including Canadian Holiday Voyageurs, Las Posadas with Mariachi Cobre, the Chinese Lion Dance and more.
The exciting new ride, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, will even have a new seasonal playlist! Have you ridden that yet? It’s such a cool ride!
Make sure to catch the Santa Claus Merry Motorcade, where old St. Nick will travel up Hollywood Blvd at Hollywood Studios.
At Animal Kingdom, see the Tree of Life Awakenings – Holiday Edition, where the iconic tree shimmers each evening to holiday music. The flotillas will also have holiday touches and the Merry Menagerie puppets will again roam Discovery Island. They’re really amazing!
Many resorts will also have holiday decor, treats, and gorgeous trees or gingerbread houses. Be sure to go resort hopping. You don’t need to be staying there to visit them.
Disney Springs is also joining in the festivities with many shops and restaurants offering holiday specials. You can also partake in a Christmas tree scavenger hunt with the Christmas Tree Stroll.
The PhotoPass service will also have special holiday themed shots. Don’t forget to ask for them.
As you can see, there are so many ways to celebrate the holidays at Disney World. I haven’t even mentioned all of them. For more details, visit the Disney World Holidays page.
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about your Disney trip. We’re in the process of planning our own holiday Disney trip. We love the holidays at Disney! So excited!
Update 11/11/2022: As of today, all attractions have reopened, Florida airports have reopened, though will likely take some time for all flights to go back to normal schedules, and cruise ports are reopening, though today’s sailings will still have some impacts. Check with your travel sources for the latest information before going.
Unfortunately, Florida is in the path of another tropical storm, which is expected to turn into a hurricane as it makes landfall on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov 9-10, 2023.
Orlando International Airport has announced that it is stopping commercial operations at 4pm ET on Wednesday Nov 8, 2022. Palm Beach International Airport will close at 9am ET on Wednesday also. No information on any reopenings.
Other Florida airports have not announced closures yet but I suspect flights will still be impacted, so check your flight status if you have any travel booked thru any Florida airports this week.
Disney World has already announced phased park closures between 5-7pm ET on Wednesday night, and staying closed on Thursday. Dining reservations will end early as well. All nighttime shows are cancelled.
Fort Wilderness and other resorts that are more exposed to the elements are closing as well. If you had a reservation, you should be contacted by Disney. All other resorts will remain open.
Water parks and mini-golf at Disney World and Universal Orlando will be closing early on Wednesday and staying closed on Thursday also.
Universal Orlando has announced the Universal Orlando Resort parks and CityWalk, will close early on Wednesday, Nov 9th at 5 pm ET. The Universal hotels will remain operational.
Disney Cruise Line has announced itinerary changes for this week’s sailings in the Bahamas and Caribbean. In addition, due to the storm’s effect on the ports, arrival and departures may be changed. If you have a cruise this week, keep a close eye on your emails for updates.
I’ll update here as I hear of other attraction closures, but I think it’s safe to assume that most will do the same, and that anything on Wednesday evening and all day Thursday will have some impact. Check the locations’ websites and social media channels for the latest information.
I will also have updates on my Instagram, ADVENTURES_BY_ANNE, so follow me there as well.
So many changes have occurred in the last month or two at Disney World in Orlando! Here’s a quick summary. If you want more details on any of them, feel free to contact me.
Dining
You can cancel table service dining reservations (besides prepaid ones) in the MDE app up to 2 hours before the reservation now. Previously, you had to cancel by the day before, else you’d incur a $10/person penalty.
These restaurants are opening again:
Monsieur Paul – Oct 18, 2022
Kona Cafe – Nov 1, 2022
Akershus Royal Dining Hall – Nov 4, 2022
Takumi-Tei – Nov 23, 2022
Tusker House all meals and Crystal Palace and Cape May Cafe breakfasts are back to self serve buffets instead of the post-Covid reopening family style.
Pooh and friends have returned to Crystal Palace.
Stitch and friends have returned to Ohana breakfast.
Parks
Fantastic is reopening at Hollywood Studios on Nov 4, 2022! There are some changes and new scenes. Previews of the show look awesome!
Blizzard Beach water park is reopening on Nov 13, 2022 with some new Frozen touches.
Typhoon Lagoon water park will be closing for refurbishment on Nov 13th once Blizzard Beach reopens.
Genie+ pricing is now going to vary based on how busy the day is rather than being a flat $15 each. It can range from $15-25 dollars approximately. You won’t know the exact price until you go to buy it each morning though, so have some wiggle room in your budget. The Individual Lightning Lane prices were already variable but most of those have increased as well.
YES! Park reservations are still required and will be required into the foreseeable future, so make sure to make your park selection as soon as you buy your park tickets. You can always change parks later, but this way, you have access to some park each day incase they run out.
Resorts
There are currently several discounts for Disney resorts for Disney Visa card holders, Disney+ subscribers, Florida residents, US military personnel, and Annual Passholders thru early 2023. Availability is limited and gone already for some dates, so be flexible and book ASAP.
The Disney Skyliner will be closing for routine refurbishment from January 22-29, 2023. You will need to take the Disney free buses instead.
Events
Christmas decorations are starting to go up at the parks!
The first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party starts on Nov 8, 2022 and occurs on select dates through Dec 22nd. Many of the dates are sold out already, so buy your tix soon if you’re interested in going.
This is another great organization that is providing relief for folks affected by Hurricane Ian. They’ve provided meals for many other areas that have needed relief also. If you wish to donate, click the link below.
Here is the latest update I’ve seen from Universal Orlando.
Update as of 2pm ET on Sept 30th.
Update as of 9pm ET on Sept 29th.
We continue to conduct assessment and recovery efforts across our entire destination with the safety of our guests and team members being our top priority. We expect to begin a phased reopen of portions of our destination for Universal Orlando Resort hotel guests only beginning Friday, Sept. 30.
We look forward to sharing additional operational updates regarding our reopen, including updates around Halloween Horror Nights and when our destination will be available to all guests. These updates will be shared as soon as possible on our website, social media and via email.
To update travel plans:
Our Guest Contact Center is experiencing high call volume and wait times. The easiest way to modify or cancel Universal Orlando travel plans, including theme park tickets and Halloween Horror Nights event tickets, is to email reservations@universalorlando.com. A Team Member will respond as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience and look forward to welcoming all guests as soon as it is safe to do so.
Orlando International Airport will resume passenger flights after 12:00pm Friday, September 30. Please check with your airline for the most up-to-date information on your flight status.
Adventures By Anne 