This week at Walt Disney World, the first plans for an extra long 50th anniversary celebration are announced, the a short refurbishment is announced at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, plus Annual Passholders can now enjoy a very limited-time discount!
Outside Walt Disney World, Universal prepares to reopen Volcano Bay, plus a new SeaWorld attraction begins testing this week!
1. Disney unveils 50th anniversary icon redesign
Walt Disney World is kicking off their 18-month long 50th anniversary celebration with some “EARidescence” at their park, adding some extra special magic to all of the well-known park icons around the resort, including the Tree of Life, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and more as they turn into “Beacons of Magic”. You can learn more about these limited time transformations here.
2. Mickey and Minnie getting new looks for the 50th anniversary
In addition to these icon makeovers, Mickey and Minnie are getting new “EARidescence”-inspired outfits for the occasion as well (though no word yet about a return to meet and greets just yet). These new outfits will debut this October when the anniversary celebration officially kicks off.
3. It’s Tough to be a Bug to close for refurbishment
It looks like the scariest attraction at Walt Disney World will be closing down briefly next month for a short refurbishment from March 8 -10, reopening on March 11th.
4. Permits suggest shows could return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios soon
Though nothing has been announced officially, some recent permit filings uncovered by a well-known user on the WDWMagic forums seem to indicate that work will be happening at the Fantasmic! performance stage and backstage areas, the Theater of the Stars, and at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Sh ow theater. The permits do not suggest any significant work, but could indicate that minor changes are being made to the theaters and stages to allow for these shows to return at some point with social distancing both in the audience and behind the scenes areas.
5. Reservations now available for Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
The Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, which is the newest addition to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin complex is a brand new 14-story hotel opening this July. This hotel will feature 349 guest rooms, 149 spacious suites and two presidential suites, all with floor-to-ceiling windows. And now guests can make reservations for this new hotel can be made online or by phone at 1-888-236-2427 for September 1 and beyond.
6. Walt Disney World Annual Passholders now get ShopDisney discount
From today through February 24 2021, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders can receive 25% off select merchandise purchases of $75 or more on shopDisney.com and at Disney Stores nationwide.
7. Volcano Bay reopening next weekend
Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando Resort will be reopening next weekend on Saturday, February 27, returning to a full everyday operating schedule. You can check out Universal’s official calendar here for more updates on this as they become available.
Universal has confirmed that when it reopens enhanced health and safety procedures will still be in place at the park, including temperature screenings for guests and Team Members, limiting capacity at the park and on attractions – including rivers and pools, enforcing social distancing, aggressive cleaning and disinfection procedures, and requiring face coverings inside restaurants, retail locations and when entering and exiting the park.
8. SeaWorld testing Ice Breaker again
Though SeaWorld’s new Ice Breaker roller coaster attraction which was supposed to open last spring, SeaWorld postponed the opening of this new attraction last year and stopped all testing. However, as of this week, testing has restarted, with guests spotting test dummies strapped into the ride vehicles during tests, suggesting that SeaWorld could be getting this attraction ready for a spring or summer debut,
When complete this new roller coaster will blast guests through four different launches, both backwards and forwards, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot tall spike with 100-degree angle.
