This week at Walt Disney World, Disney prepares to open a brand new attraction, Spaceship Earth sets a closing date, plus a new ticket option is now on sale!
Outside Walt Disney World, SeaWorld debuts a first look at part of its newest roller coaster and Universal goes behind the scenes of an upcoming attraction!
1. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway opening this week
Though there were plenty of weird things that happened last week, Disney is probably hoping for a smooth week ahead, as Wednesday will see the opening of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. In addition, the adjacent Mickey Shorts Theater will also open! You can read more about these new attractions here.
2. Tickets on sale now for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Image: Disney
Though it may just be March, guests can finally start making plans for the fall, as tickets for all 36 nights for the 2020 edition of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are now on sale! ticket prices are up by a significant margin from 2019, starting at $85 for advance purchase (up from $79 last year), and topping out at $149 (up from $135) for October 31. Though there’s a lot of day to day variation, expect to pay around $6 to $11 more per person per ticket in 2020. You can see the full ticket price breakdown here.
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.
3. Water Park and Sports add-on at Walt Disney World now on sale
Image: Disney
Guests can now purchase a new Water Park and Sports Option (designed to replace the Park Hopper Plus and Water Park Fun and More options) that can be added on to their theme park tickets to experience a number of add-on experiences during their visit to Walt Disney World, including the following:
- Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
- Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
- NBA Experience
- ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
- Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course (greens fees only)
- FootGolf at Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course
- Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course (one round prior to 4:00 p.m.)
- Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course (one round prior to 4:00 p.m.)
The cost of this Water Park and Sports Option is $70 plus tax per person and the total number of admissions you can get with this option is based on the length of your theme park ticket (so a 4-day ticket will allow someone with this add-on to have four admissions to the listed extras). This price is a flat rate, so this option is definitely worth considering if you are visiting the resort for multiple days and are planning on visiting at least two of these locations, especially the water parks, as the regular price just one visit to a water park is $69 .
4. Spaceship Earth to close for massive refurbishment May 26, 2020
Image: Disney
Disney has announced that Spaceship Earth will close on May 26 2020 to begin its transformation into Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story. Disney has not shared a timetable for the opening of this new version of this attraction, but reports suggest that we are looking at an 18-24 month closure, which would shutter this iconic attraction until late 2021 at least. However, we do have some idea about what this attraction will be like when it reopens.
5. New viral “Chewie Mode” discovered at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
A new video last week from YouTube channel Fresh Baked Disney discovered a secret new mode in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Known as “Chewie Mode”, this special secret new ride mode replaces the voice of pirate Hondo Ohnaka with Chewbacca for the entire ride!
Now of course, since this mode doesn’t include any instructions (unless of course you can understand Chewbacca roars!) we wouldn’t suggest this mode for those who have never experienced this attraction before. However, if you have mastered the Smugglers Run and know when to fire harpoons and make the jump to lightspeed, you can learn more about activating this mode here.
6. Today Show goes behind the scenes at The Bourne Stuntacular
Universal officially confirmed last year that new stunt show The Bourne Stuntacular will be debuting sometime this spring. This new live-action stunt show, will debut at Universal Studios Florida next year, and will feature chase scenes, fistfights, death-defying leaps and more with live performers, high-tech props, and a giant LED screen.
In anticipation of this new attraction opening, The Today Show went behind the scenes of this show and shared the above preview, showcasing some of the stunts that will be performed in this show.
7. SeaWorld Orlando shares first look at IceBreaker vehicles
Icebreaker, the brand new launch coaster coming to SeaWorld Orlando’s Wild Arctic area of the park is opening very soon, and SeaWorld has shared the first image of this new ride’s vehicles above!
On this attraction guests will blast 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.
8. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay kicks off Food and Wine Festival
Image: Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens kicked off its sixth annual Food & Wine Festival, which features new and exciting dishes, plus a large selection of wines, craft brews and cocktails. In addition, some of the biggest acts in musical entertainment will take the stage every weekend on Festival Field. You can check out the full schedule of performers here.
