It’s no secret that Disney and Universal have been caught in competition for years, with a rivalry equal to that of the Hatfields and McCoys.
But one of the most contentious aspects of this rivalry is the confusing rights to Marvel characters. While the Walt Disney Company officially owns the rights to Marvel Studios, Universal theme parks…also owns the rights to Marvel Comics?
It’s a confusing situation, with incredibly specific contract terms, leading to circumstances that can be hard to grasp. The bottom line is that Walt Disney World cannot use any Marvel imagery already being used in Universal Orlando Resort.
However, on the other side of the country, Disneyland Resort has an entire theme park area dedicated to Marvel Studios, and many fans wonder when Disney World will finally be able to reflect characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Some new developments regarding the rights to Marvel could lead to a breakthrough.
Universal Studios Japan will close its beloved Spider-Man attraction in 2024, disappointing many Marvel fans who love the dark ride.
But it’s not entirely bad news, as it means that Tokyo Disneyland could possibly swoop in and snatch up the rights to the Marvel super hero.
Considering that Spider-Man (or Peter Parker) is easily one of the most popular characters in the Marvel universe, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear Tokyo Disneyland announcing a new Spider-Man attraction once Universal Studios Japan officially loses the rights to the beloved Marvel character.
Watch the magic of storytelling unfold, as Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel is being reimagined and transforms into Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort! We want to bring Guests along on the journey, and today share some new artist concept renderings and details, as they begin to see touches of Pixar popping up here and there at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, with much more to come!
This 15-story high-rise hotel overlooks Disney California Adventure Park. Guests may have already noticed the hotel’s exterior has a bright new look! While Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel continues to welcome Guests during this transition, we want to share a colorful glimpse of what Pixar Place Hotel will look like in the future once the transformation is finished this winter. When complete, Pixar Place Hotel will be the only fully Pixar-themed hotel in the United States!
The lobby will continue to evolve over the next few months and will begin to blend beloved Pixar imagery with the hotel’s contemporary setting. When the transformation is complete, iconic images from Pixar films will be at the front desk, with characters pictured larger than life in curated artwork.
This winter, as Guests enter the hotel lobby, they will be greeted by the Pixar Lamp playfully balancing atop its ball! A whimsical, colorful character-inspired mobile will hang above, welcoming Guests to the new, reimagined lobby atrium.
Later this summer, overnight Guests can splish and splash at an all-new water play area inspired by Nemo and his friends, where Crush the sea turtle goes with the flow atop a 186-foot-long waterslide and Hank can be seen hanging out at the pop-jet splash pad.
Later this year, a family play court will be added to the deck with activities inspired by Pixar’s famous short films. Interactive games and imaginative free play celebrate favorite friends from “La Luna,” “Bao,” “For the Birds,” and “Burrow.” And when it’s time to relax, Guests may enjoy food and drinks under the love-struck umbrellas from “The Blue Umbrella.”
By night, the pool deck is the ideal spot to take in amazing views of the Disneyland Park fireworks, and lounge by cozy character-inspired fire pits with family and friends.
This fall, the hotel will unveil a new restaurant at the resort, Great Maple. This Southern California-based modern American eatery specializes in playful takes on upscale comfort food. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all day, the ground-floor restaurant — with a beautiful outdoor patio — will be easily accessible to Hotel Guests, local diners and theme park goers!
Signature dishes to start dreaming about? Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Maple Bacon Doughnuts, the Cajun Shrimp & Cheddar Biscuit Benedict, and the Soda Pop-Braised Baby Back Ribs! Great Maple will also have a full bar including beer, wine and cocktails.
Great Maple’s culinary creativity will abound throughout the hotel, offering food and beverage service at the pool, as well as a new grab ‘n’ go coffee shop and café near the lobby, and eventually at the hotel’s new concierge lounge.
During the refurbishments of Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, overnight Guests still enjoy the great benefits of staying on property at the Disneyland Resort such as early park entry and a special entrance to Disney California Adventure Park, along with close proximity to Disneyland Park and the Downtown Disney District.
As part of our Silver Anniversary at Sea celebration this summer, guests are invited to partake in new offerings across our fleet. Guests will be able to meet favorite Disney Characters dressed in new, shimmering outfits, enjoy festive décor, limited-time food and beverage and more.
As a reminder, the 25th anniversary fireworks show will be featured on most 4-night or longer sailings visiting The Bahamas, Caribbean and the Mediterranean this summer. Seamails are being sent to guests on select Silver Anniversary at Sea itineraries with more information about their sailing’s entertainment offerings. Guests sailing on Silver Anniversary at Sea Sailings aboard the Disney Fantasy and Disney Magic will not be receiving Seamails.
Sailings receiving these Seamails include:
3-night Silver Anniversary at Sea Sailings aboard the Disney Wish : The fireworks presentation during 3-night cruises will be our popular Pirate’s Night fireworks, weather permitting.
4-Night Disney Wish Sailing Departing July 3: This sailing will feature two fireworks presentations, weather permitting. Instead of the 25th Anniversary themed fireworks, this sailing will feature our July 4th fireworks and our popular Pirate’s Night fireworks.
4-night Silver Anniversary at Sea Sailings aboard the Disney Wish Departing June 12, June 26, July 24 and Aug. 7: The fireworks presentation on these sailings will be our popular Pirate’s Night fireworks, weather permitting. Due to the speed and location of the ship on the other evenings, we are unable to present a second set of fireworks.
4-night Silver Anniversary at Sea Sailings aboard the Disney Dream Departing Aug. 26 and Aug. 30: The fireworks presentation on these sailings will be our Silver Anniversary Fireworks at Sea presentation, weather permitting. Due to the speed and location of the ship on the other evenings, we are unable to present a second set of fireworks.
Alaska Silver Anniversary at Sea Sailings aboard the Disney Wonder: Fireworks are not offered on Alaskan cruises. During Alaska sailings, Freezing the Night Away with Anna, Elsa, and Friends deck party will be presented instead of pirate night fireworks and 25 anniversary fireworks.
Select Disney DreamSilver Anniversary at Sea Sailings: Due to the speed and location of the ship, fireworks are not offered on select European cruises.
Walt Disney World Resort is known for providing cutting-edge, top-of-the-line rides, entertainment, food, and accommodations. The Resort’s innovation in hospitality is one of the reasons that Guests return year after year to spend their valuable vacation time. However, sometimes Disney misses the mark and misjudges what their customer base really wants.
The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel may be one of the biggest missteps the Disney Parks have seen in the past few decades. Josh D’Amaro, the Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, has addressed the Galactic Starcruiser’s failings and the impact that its closing will have on the company financially.
Last week, many fans were saddened, but not completely surprised, to hear that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would be completing its final voyage on September 30, 2023. The much-anticipated hotel was a boutique experience for Guests who wanted a premium, immersive Star Wars adventure. The project is wildly inventive, and it is truly an entirely new experience for fans to immerse themselves in the Star Wars universe.
The Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser was an intimate experience where a small number of Guests would embark on a two-night voyage aboard the starship Halcyon. During their travels, Guests would get to interact with various characters from the Star Wars universe, take part in lightsaber training, and enjoy various other activities.
Unfortunately, the Starcruiser did not perform as well as Disney had hoped. Most Guests were turned away by the shocking $2,500 per night price point. After less than two years, the Starcruiser will be retiring earlier than hoped.
May 22, 2023, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro did a Q&A at the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference. During his interview, D’Amaro addresses the closing of the Starcruiser, which he referred to as “a pretty stunning asset.”
D’Amaro explained that Disney is very proud of how the Starcruiser turned out and is honored that Guests gave it such incredibly high ratings. Unfortunately, the Starcruiser did not perform as well as hoped, which left Disney with no choice but to “sunset” the experience.
D’Amaro goes on to explain how this with financially affect the company saying;
“I will not, I don’t think we’ve talked about this before, but in both Q3 and Q4, as we accelerate depreciation on that Starcruiser, we should expect about $100-$150 million in accelerated depreciation.”
About Starcruiser: "It didn't perform exactly how we wanted it to perform, so we decided to sunset it this September," Josh D'Amaro said on Monday. "In both Q3 and Q4 … we should expect about $100-$150 million in accelerated depreciation." pic.twitter.com/tcfKmUzcaC
While it isn’t totally clear if he means $100-$150 million per quarter or total, that is a large number for Disney to lose. The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be a massive asset to loose, and it’s failings may mean we wont see anther experience like it for a while.
If you’ve visited Walt Disney World Resort, especially more than once, then you know that Florida has two settings: sunshine and rain.
In fact, rain and thunderstorms are so common in the Sunshine State that Floridians can even smell when a storm is coming (source: the author is a native Floridian, and she can tell you whether the clouds are worth worrying about with just a sniff).
But the National Hurricane Center is currently sniffing out something bigger than your average Central Florida storm. According to the National Hurricane Center, a tropical storm could be forming.
Although a tropical storm may sound like a fancy way of saying ‘thunderstorm,’ it’s worth noting that the two are incredibly different. Tropical storms form when the winds reach 39 miles per hour or higher, making them much more dangerous and challenging to navigate than a thunderstorm (which is already difficult to navigate through).
This year’s hurricane season begins on June 1, and yet a potential storm has already been spotted on the horizon.
According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel, the National Hurricane Center has begun tracking something “in the Atlantic east of Florida with a small chance of forming into a tropical depression.”
Reportedly, the system that has been spotted has a 10% chance of turning into a tropical storm within the next couple of days. However, it’s no secret that a tropical storm can quickly develop into a hurricane, heading straight for Central Florida.
If this storm develops further, it could easily disrupt many Guests’ plans for visiting Walt Disney World Resort.
