This week at Walt Disney World, tickets go on sale for a popular summer upcharge experience, three new attractions open at Epcot, plus the Guest Experience team finally moves in to Epcot!
Outside Walt Disney World, ICON park gets a new attraction and Universal Orlando Resort teases a big announcement!
1. Epcot International Festival of the Arts kicks off with three new attraction openings!
Epcot kicked off the 2020 edition of its Festival of the Arts this week, and in addition to all the artful eats, fun activities, and Disney on Broadway performances, the following attractions were also opened in celebration of this annual event:
- Awesome Planet: An on-screen exploration of the realm we call home, this film at the Land pavilion showcases the spectacular beauty, diversity and dynamic story of our earth with all the grandeur guests have come to expect.
- Canada Far and Wide: Using all new seamless digital technology, the new 360 movie, named Canada: Far and Wide, will include new scenes, story and music.
- Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along: Created by Don Hahn, producer of the animated and live-action “Beauty and the Beast” film, this new film includes highlights from the animated movie with a fun, musical twist!
2. Guest Experience Team coming to Epcot
Image: Disney
Now that the Guest Experience Team has been permanently installed at the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney is now expanding this amenity to its final park: Epcot. Beginning this week the Guest Experience Team will be on hand inside Epcot help Guests make the most of their day by proactively assisting them while in the park with:
- Booking, modifying, and recovering FastPass+ selections
- Navigating the My Disney Experience app
- Deactivating and reactivating MagicBands
And, just as Cast Members throughout the park already do, the Guest Experience Team will also provide recommendations, help Guests view attraction wait times, and also help guests navigate the park.
3. Tickets now available for summer H2O Glow Nights at Typhoon Lagoon
Image: Disney
Disney H2O Glow Nights was a hit last summer and it looks like this upcharge after-hours event will return to Typhoon Lagoon this summer on select nights from May 27 to August 29, 2020. Guests attending the party can enter Typhoon Lagoon as early as 6:00 PM on event nights, and stay until 11:00 PM, enjoying attractions, special entertainment, food, and more. Here’s the full date lineup:
- May 27, 30
- June 3, 6, 10, 17, 20, 24, 27
- July 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29
- August 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29
Guests can now purchase H2O Glow Nights tickets early for a special discounted price of $65 (gate admission will be $75), and annual passholders/DVC members can purchase tickets for $59.
4. Extra showings of Rivers of Light: We are One added to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in February
Image: Disney
Beginning next month Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be performing two evening showings for Rivers of Light: We Are One. Beginning on February 2 and running through the 8th, these shows will be at 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM. And then on February 9th and running through the end of the month, these showings will be a little later at 7:00 PM and 8:15 PM.
5. Fantasmic! closing this week for one-day refurbishment
Image: Disney
Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ nighttime spectacular Fantasmic! will be temporarily closed for one day this week on Wednesday, January 22 for a one-night refurbishment. This attraction is expected to reopen the very next day, so we’re not expecting many (if any) changes during this very brief closure.
6. New Museum of Illusions coming to ICON Park
ICON Park officially announced this week that the all-new “Museum of Illusions” will be joining the entertainment complex’s other attractions (like The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE Orlando, the StarFlyer, etc.) this summer, and will be replacing the former Skeletons museum, which closed earlier this month on January 10th.
7. Universal teases Jurassic Park roller coaster announcement
We’ve known for quite some time that a Jurassic World-themed roller coaster is coming to Islands of Adventure, and though Universal hasn’t formally announced this project, they teased its existence in a recent blog pst, telling guests to keep their “eyes peeled and ears to the ground for rumblings over in Jurassic Park”, seemingly insinuating that an official announcement regarding this project could be coming soon!
8. The Holy Land Experience rumored to be closing for good this spring
Orlando Weekly reports that the owners of The Holy Land Experience have hired a broker, which could mean that the park’s financials are in dire enough shape that if a buyer isn’t found soon they could close their doors until one is found, or shutter entirely if one is not procured in a timely manner, potentially as soon as this spring.
No official statement about the future of the park (beyond the end of the theatrical productions) has been made, and a reporter for local news station MyNews 13 has said owners are currently refuting reports that the park is in imminent danger of closing. However, we doubt that is the full story, and we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on how things develop at this niche park.
