This week at Walt Disney World, new destinations are teased for Star Tours, we learn more about the upcoming Princess and the Frog ride coming soon to the Magic Kingdom, plus 4th of July fireworks celebrations are set to return to Walt Disney World for the first time since 2019!
Outside Walt Disney World, Seaworld offers Florida teachers free admission, Universal announces a new attraction coming to CityWalk, plus SeaWorld announces a very limited-time ticket deal.
1. New details revealed about the upcoming Princess and the Frog ride
Earlier this year we learned that Disney may be targeting a 2024 opening date for the new Princess and the Frog ride at Walt Disney World (and Disneyland) and now Walt Disney Imagineer Charita Carter has shared some of what fans can expect from this upcoming ride. According to Carter, the ride will build upon what was done with the animated film and will feature a “next chapter” that will give the character of Tiana depth. More information about this upcoming attraction is expected to be released later this summer closer to the D23 Expo event.
Splash Mountain is still operating at the Magic Kingdom but with more information being released about this attraction very soon, it seems likely that a closure will happen in the near future, especially if rumors about a 2024 opening are true. However, nothing has been confirmed just yet.
2. New Star Wars destinations teased for Star Tours
During a Disney Parks Panel at last week’s Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, Imagineer Scott Trowbridge said that Star Tours will continue to evolve and teased that new destinations could be coming to this attraction, which can be found at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, in the future. No word about what these scenes might be but with series like The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi continuing to do well on Disney+ it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that new stops inspired by these shows could be in the works.
3. 4th of July tag coming to Harmonious at EPCOT
This year EPCOT will be celebrating Independence Day with a special July 4 fireworks tag at the end of the brand new Harmonious nighttime spectacular. As with the previous IllumiNations tag (which was last performed in 2019) this special ending will feature additional pyrotechnics that will be launched from behind the American Adventure as well as from barges within the lagoon at the end of the show for an especially patriotic end to the show.
4. Disney’s Celebrate America! – A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky returns to Magic Kingdom
And speaking of the 4th of July, Disney’s Celebrate America! – A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky will be returning to the Magic Kingdom on July 3 and 4, beginning at 9:20 pm. The special Independence Day show will run instead of Disney Enchantment on those two dates in observation of the holiday.
5. Testing underway for lighting at TRON Lightcycle Run
Walt Disney Imagineering shared an update on the new TRON roller coaster on Instagram this week, confirming that the Show Lighting team is currently testing the canopy lighting system for this attraction and programming the more than 1,200 fixtures that have been installed across the surface.
The canopy and exterior plaza will be brought to life in the coming months as the project team continues working on this part of the attraction, according to the post. No opening date has been confirmed yet for this attraction but we expect more information about when guests will be able to enter The Grid at the Magic Kingdom to be released later this summer as the D23 Expo event draws closer.
6. Discount for stays at the Swan and Dolphin hotel now available for annual passholders and Florida residents
Walt Disney World Annual Passholders as well as Florida residents can now save up to 30 percent off regular rates at the Swan and Dolphin hotels on Disney property. To make reservations, guests can call 1-800-227-1500 and mention the Florida resident or annual passholder discount, or visit The official Swan and Dolphin discount page. Discounts are not available for all stays and will only apply to select dates and are only available for a limited time.
7. Hollywood and Dine sets buffet return date
The buffet at the character dining restaurant Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studio has been unavailable since the park reopened back in 2020 but this week it was announced that buffet-style dining will return to this location later this summer on August 28th, replacing the family-style service currently at this location.
8. New Harmonious special to air exclusively on Disney+
Disney+ will debut a brand new Disney Parks special named Harmonious Live! later this week on June 21. This new special will be hosted by Idina Menzel and will include musical performances, celebrity appearances (including Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana) and more. The show will debut at 9 pm and will be exclusive to the Disney+ streaming service.
9. Deeply discounted tickets now available for SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is deeply discounting admission as part of a brief sale that ends on June 19. During this online-only sale guests can purchase one-day admission to the park for as low as $55. More information is available on the SeaWorld website.
10. New escape rooms based on Jurassic World and Back to the Future opening at Universal CityWalk later this year
Universal announced this week that it plans to open two escape rooms themed to Jurassic World and Back to the Future at CityWalk later this year. The escape rooms are being constructed in the space formerly occupied by The Groove and though no official opening date has been set it seems reasonable to guess that Universal is aiming for a fall opening to coincide with Halloween Horror Nights.
11. Teachers can visit SeaWorld Orlando for free through the end of the summer
SeaWorld Orlando is offering free admission for Florida K-12 from now till August 31. Teachers will need to register for their free unlimited admission to the theme park by signing up for a SeaWorld Florida Teacher card on the official promotional website here. Proof of employment will be required.
