This week at Walt Disney World, New entertainment kicks off at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, Epcot announces a returning show for the summer, plus Disney’s Animal Kingdom announced a limited-time summer add on.
Outside Walt Disney World, a new roller coaster is confimred to be coming to Islands of Adventure, plus discount tickets are now available for Rock the Universe next month.
1. Incredibles Celebration comes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Image: Disney
This weekend Disney’s Hollywood Studios re-opened the former Pixar Place area of the park, which has now been magically transformed into a Municiberg city block straight out of the world of the Incredibles. During this special event, guests will be able to join in a special dance party with Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone, Meet Edna Mode, and search around for Jack-Jack as part of a scavenger hunt. There will also be special food, beverage, and merchandise available. You can learn more about the Incredibles Celebration here.
2. Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration kicks off at Magic Kingdom
Image: Disney
This weekend also saw the start of Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom, which brings new entertainment, merchandise, and specialty food and beverages to the park. Here’s everything guests can check out as part of this limited-time event:
- Mickey and Minnie will greet guests together inside Town Square Theater, sporting all-new colorful outfits for their special celebration.
- The re-imagined Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party will kick off with new music and new outfits for the characters.
- Surprise characters will meet guests at the flagpole on Main Street USA. Characters may include (but are not limited to) Nick and Judy from Zootopia, Remy and Emile from Ratatouille, and Robin Hood and Friar Tuck from Robin Hood.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy – Awesome Mix Live! returning to Epcot this summer
Image: Disney
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Live! will return to performing daily at America Gardens Theater at the back of Epcot’s World Showcase this summer from June 14 through August 18. The show features Star-Lord and Gamora in person as a 7-piece alien band plays many recognizable tunes from Awesome Mix Volumes 1 & 2. Here’s the official synopsis of the show:
After saving their world from certain destruction, Peter Quill—a.k.a. Star Lord—brokered a deal with Nova Prime and the Xandarian government to bring an outreach program to his home planet. The purpose? To share Xandar’s rich heritage and culture with Earth’s people. As luck would have it, Peter informed Xandar’s leaders that there’s already a place on Earth with a similar mission… a theme park called Epcot, where all of Earth’s cultures are celebrated. So, as part of their first outreach, Xandar has sent some of their most talented performers to showcase their music!
4.Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy to open March 31, 2019
Image: Disney
It was confirmed this week that Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will officially debut in the Sunset Showcase Theater (located adjacent to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith) on March 31, 2019
This new attraction will immerse guests in the world of Cars and bring them face to face with racing legend Lightning McQueen. Taking on the role of rookie racer, guests will cruise into the theater and find yourself face-to-face with this character, who will appear “live” on stage in animatronic form, while giant, wraparound screens that are nearly two stories tall and stretch more than 200 feet from end to end, pull guests into into the action. You can learn more about this new show here.
5. New details revealed for Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival
Disney has released a few addition details for this year’s edition of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, which kicks off its 26th year on March 6th. First up, a new Bo Peep and her Sheep topiary Toy Story 4 will greet guests at the festival’s new Family Play Zone. Featured gardens will focus on butterflies, bamboo and Shakespeare’s metaphoric plants, while more than 70 Disney-themed topiaries – from Snow White to Daisy Duck – will be featured throughout Epcot.
6. Sebastian’s Bistro no longer serving lunch
Image: Disney
Though the new Sebastian’s Bistro restaurant at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort only just opened last year, this dining location will no longer serve lunch, effective next week. Beginning in February, Dinner will now be the only meal guests can grab at this new table service restaurant, which is now only open from 5-10:00 PM. Guests at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort can still get lunch at Spyglass Grill and Centertown Market beginning at 11:30 AM, and the Banana Cabana pool bar beginning at noon.
7. New giraffe born at Kilimanjaro Safaris
Image: Disney
A male Masai giraffe calf was born on Monday, January 14, 2019, on the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Though the mother giraffe went into labor on the savanna, both mother and calf are currently backstage at the park under the supervision of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom animal care team.
8. New Lion King segment to be added to Tree of Life: Awakenings show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Image: Disney
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Lion King with a limited-time new addition to the Tree of Life Awakenings show, beginning on Memorial Day weekend and runningnightly through September 30th.
9. Tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on sale now
Image: Disney
Last year Disney made headlines when it extended Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party into the summer travel season, scheduling dates in August. And now Disney is looking to make this fall event even more of a summer staple, beginning this year’s party one night earlier on August 16th. And in an effort to keep the fun going, Disney will also be ending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party one night later than last year, making for a total of 36 nights for the 2019 edition of this upcharge event. Here are all of this year’s dates as well as general pricing information
- August 20, 27; September 2, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 – Adult $79, Child $74.
- August 16, 30; September 6, 13, 20, 24, 27, 29, October 1 – Adult $85, Child $80.
- October 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 24 – Adult $105, Child $100.
- October 4, 11, 18, 25, 27, 29, November 1 – Adult $115, Child $110.
- October 31 – Adult $135, Child $100.
Interestingly, tickets are already on sale, much earlier than we’ve seen in the past. Ticket pricing varies by date, but as you can see, the starting price is $79, up $4 from last year’s lowest price, and the highest-priced ticket is on Halloween night, costing $135. As always Disney will also be offering discounts for guests who are DVC Members or annual passholders. The amount of this discount varies by date, but most guests can save between $5 and $15 by purchasing early or having an affiliation.
10. New Jurassic Park roller coaster confirmed to be coming soon by local news
Image: Universal/ Legendary
Earlier this week, eagle-eyed Islands of Adventure park-goers noticed that some of the carnival games and vendor kiosks around the Jurassic Park land were removed, and construction walls went up around a portion of the old Triceratops Encounter area. And though this could have just been part of a cleaning, maintenance or refurbishment effort, local ABC affiliate news station WFTV has obtained a document that shows a roller coaster track layout for the exact area that was walled off, including a queue area near the Discovery Center area of this land.
Interestingly, these new developments also match details found in a demolition permit filed with the city of Orlando last May for “Project 791” for a 1.36-acre area. of the park. Like all permits, this one is pretty vague, but it does specify that a new attraction is planned for the area, with demolition and construction taking approximately 1 1/2 years.
While details are sparse about this new attraction, the good news is that it doesn’t look like any current attractions will be sacrificed to build this roller coaster, which, according to a mock-up created by WFTV (that you can see here) will largely fly over developed areas of the Jurassic Park area. You can learn more about this development, here.
11. Annual Passholders can now purchase Rock The Universe tickets for $25 for a single night
Image: Universal Orlando Resort
From February 1-2 Universal is offering Annual Passholders the chance to purchase one night only tickets to Rock the Universe (which also includes late night access select rides and attractions) as well as concerts by Skillet, Lecrae, Bethel Music and more. Discount tickets are only available for passholders through an email link sent earlier this week.
