This week at Walt Disney World, the Disney Sklyiner celebrates a big mileston, Christmas comes to the Magic Kingdom early, plus the Imagination pavilion gets a new addition in 2020!
Outside Walt Disney World, SeaWorld announces a new holiday parade, and LEGOLAND Florida announces a new show!
1. Christmas comes to the Magic Kingdom this week!
Get ready to celebrate a happy “gnu” year, as the Jingle Cruise, the Christmas overlay of the Jungle Cruise attraction which first debuted in 2013 is back again at the Magic Kingdom as of November 2 after a quick transformation following the final Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party of 2019.
In addition, the seasonal A Frozen Holiday Wish castle lighting show kicks off this week on November 3rd, and Disney will be streaming this inaugural winter show live at the Disney Parks Blog.
2. Holiday Chip ‘n Dale magnets coming to Epcot later this month
Image: Disney
Though the holiday season may be in full force at the Magic Kingdom as of this week, Epcot’s holiday celebrations don’t begin until later this month. However, when they do kick off on ]November 29 annual passholders can pick up a new set of holiday-inspired Chip ‘n Dale magnets from Mouse Gear with your Annual Pass and Photo ID.
3. Mickey Mouse Imagination meet and greet coming to Epcot next year
Image: Disney
Because of Epcot’s central spine redesign, many of the character meet and greets in this park have had to move to new locations. However, soon guests will be able to meet Mickey Mouse in a new permanent meet and greet area in the Imagination Pavilion as part of the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. Mickey Mouse will be moving in to a new area of the indoor queue space for this attraction and have a special film strip background that will showcase this beloved characters’ history.
4. Disney Skyliner transports one millionth guest
Image: Disney
Though it has only been open for a just over a month, Disney announced earlier this week that over one million guests have already been transported on the Disney Skyliner since its first day of operation on September 27. This milestone is even more impressive given that the Skyliner was closed for nearly a week after an unfortunate incident during that period. If you still have questions about this transportation option, check out our FAQ.
5. Disney Villains After Hours returning in 2020 for more nights than ever
Image: Disney
Disney Villains After Hours will be returning on select nights in 2020 from February 7 through to July 10, the 2020 for an increased number of dates:
- February 7, 14, 21, & 28 2020
- March 6, 11, 18, & 27, 2020
- April 3, 10, 17, & 24, 2020
- May 1, 8, 14, 22, & 29
- June 5, 12, 19, 26, & 29
- July 6 & 10, 2019
6. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin set to get queue refurbishment
Image: Disney
Though it is expected to remain open, the queue for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is set to get a much-needed touching-up, with several walls going up inside this attraction this week. We don’t know how long this refurbishment will last, but hopefully the front of this attraction will get the sprucing up it has been needing for the past several years.
7. FuelRod reverses the end of free swap policy
Image: FuelRods
Back in 2016, Disney introduced a new convenience across Walt Disney World that brought mobile charging device kiosks to select locations in all four theme parks (as well as Disney Springs). Sponsored and maintained by FuelRod, these new kiosks (each themed to the park where they are located) allowed guests to purchase a fully-charged FuelRod portable charging device for $30, and then exchange depleted chargers at any FuelRod kiosk (including other kiosks around Walt Disney World) for another fully charged FuelRod charger instantly whenever they would like, for as long as they wanted.
Last week it was announced that FuelRod was ending this policy at Disney parks, but after a fairly large outcry from Disney fans (and the threat of a few lawsuits) it looks like free swaps are back at Disney parks indefinitely!
8. New parade coming for holiday season at SeaWorld Orlando later this month
Image: SeaWorld
SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration returns in just a few weeks on November 23 with the park transforming into a winter wonderland with over 3 million lights. Guests can enjoy award-winning entertainment, including a brand new Sesame Street Christmas Parade, as well as returning seasonal favorites like O Wondrous Night, Ice Skating Extravaganza, Miracles, and the Sea of Trees. Guests can also meet Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or even head to Wild Arctic and meet Santa Claus himself.
9. New water-ski show coming to LEGOLAND Florida
