Reasons to Visit Disney Springs this Holiday Season

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

The halls have been decked, the chestnuts are roasting by the fire and we’re ready to go walking in a winter wonderland! It’s truly the most magical time of the year at Disney Springs, and guests won’t want to miss all the festive fun available now through December 30. We’ve rounded up six ways to shop, dine and play in the most merry way this holiday season.

  1. Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth

One Disney Springs holiday tradition is the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth! The Christmas Tree Stroll has returned this year with 19 festively trimmed trees inspired by some Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Super Hero favorites – including the new film from Disney Animation Studios, “Wish.” Speaking of new, guests may also notice some extra magic among the trees this year. For the first time, they can interact with select Christmas trees with their MagicBand+! See if they can make Zero take flight at “The Nightmare Before Christmas” tree, and look for five other tree signs marked with a MagicBand+ icon for a colorful surprise. Don’t have a MagicBand+? Guests can purchase one in a variety of fun colors and themes at Pin Traders and DisneyStyle. And be sure to pick up a complimentary map from City Works Eatery & Pour House, Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers, Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company, The LEGO Store or Planet Hollywood! As guests stroll by each tree, they match the corresponding sticker to the location on the map. After they’ve found all the trees, they bring their map to one of the locations listed above for a special surprise!

  1. Meet Santa at Once Upon a Toy

Visit with jolly old Saint Nick at Once Upon a Toy. Santa Claus is currently greeting guests through December 24. A virtual queue is in place for this experience (subject to availability).

  1. Capture Merry Memories

At the Disney PhotoPass Studio located in the Marketplace, get ready to capture some festive photo fun! Experience two holly-jolly offerings from Disney PhotoPass photographers: a variety of holiday-themed Disney virtual backdrops perfect for a Christmas card and a set that will make guests feel like they’ve entered a winter wonderland. These photos will keep spirits bright long after the sleigh bells stop ringing. To download and share them all, consider purchasing Memory Maker One Day.

 

  1. Whimsical Winter Entertainment

The forecast is calling for snow! That’s right, snow in 75-degree weather is our kind of winter wonderland. Don’t miss the nightly snowfall at Disney Springs – snow will flurry every half hour beginning at sundown near the Town Center tree. Keep an eye out for holiday-themed stilt walkers, rollerblading snowflakes, a Santa Sleigh DJ, and a few other new entertaining surprises roaming Disney Springs.

  1. Festive Food

We have to give a shout out to our incredible culinary teams at Disney Springs! Sit back and let us do the cooking this holiday season, with over 60 dining locations to choose from. If guests haven’t been to Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar yet, we need to fix that ASAP! This waterfront outpost is all spruced up and serving a whole sleigh full of holiday specials that the whole family will enjoy. Head over to this year’s Foodie Guide to get all the jolly details on new and returning favorite menu items.

  1. Seasonal Shopping

Make the list and check it twice! Guests will find something for everyone on their list at Disney Springs. Plus shop some favorite new holiday collections like the Holiday Homestead Collection and Star Wars Vintage Holiday Collection at DisneyStyle, World of Disney, Disney’s Days of Christmas and more.

For more details on all things holidays at Disney Springs, visit the website here!

‘Indiana Jones’-Themed Ride to Replace DINOSAUR! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

A brand-new Indiana Jones-themed attraction could be the new anchor attraction to replace DINOSAUR! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as Disney’s Parks President says the new attraction would be in keeping with Animal Kingdom’s storyline.

A brand-new Indiana Jones-themed attraction could be the new anchor attraction to replace DINOSAUR! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as Disney’s Parks President says the new attraction would be in keeping with Animal Kingdom’s storyline.

But amid the cries of “Say it ain’t so!” from diehard fans of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and, more specifically, of Dinoland, U.S.A., the truth remains plans call for the removal of Chester and Hester’s old stomping grounds to make way for a brand-new themed area of the park called The Tropical Americas.

animal kingdom dinoland usa entrance sign

Dinoland, U.S.A. has been a guest-favorite area at the Walt Disney World Resort since it first opened with the park on April 22, 1998. Fans of the prehistorically-themed land have enjoyed the DINOSAUR! attraction, as well as TriceraTop Spin, the Boneyard, and the now-removed Primeval Whirl attraction for more than 25 years, and news of its demise hasn’t gone over well with many of them.

And while the news was met with sadness and even frustration by many of Disney World’s frequent guests who love the dino-themed land inside the resort’s fourth gate, others met the news with a fresh perspective on what might be in the works for the new area at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and those who are looking to the stories of Indiana Jones for clues about the new land’s major attraction are reportedly “digging in the right place,” if you’ll pardon the excavation pun.

During a press preview for the long-awaited opening of Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen, Disney’s Parks and Experiences Chairman, Josh D’Amaro, teased an Indiana Jones-themed replacement for the DINOSAUR! attraction, which has served as Dinoland U.S.A.’s signature attraction since April 22, 1998–the first day of operation for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

“I think I actually played some music, didn’t I?” D’Amaro teased, referring to his presentation at the Destination D23 event in September 2023, during which he revealed an artist’s rendering that depicted an Indiana Jones-style temple situated in place of the current DINOSAUR! attraction.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, D’Amaro talked further about plans for an Indiana Jones presence in the location that is currently Dinoland, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

D’Amaro talked briefly about a piece of concept art that was originally shared at the Destination D23 event in September 2023, saying that the artwork was not a final piece. But he did say that the image depicted in the artwork, which shows Dinoland, U.S.A. revamped into a wholly new land with a tropical Americas theme, shows “where [execs’] heads are” as the discussions about new plans for the area continue.

new themed land to replace dinoland usa

“We’ve got so many stories to tell,” D’Amaro explained. “We have so many things we want to make even better in the theme parks. My plan is to continue to share that with the guests. I know people are like, ‘My gosh, I can’t believe he’s saying this. Is he serious, is he not?’ The answer is, we are absolutely serious.”

The concept artwork depicts themes with nods to PIXAR’s Coco (2017) and Disney’s Encanto (2021).

D’Amaro touted The Walt Disney Company’s September 2023 announcement about its plans to infuse $60 billion into Disney’s Parks around the world over the next ten years to–as Disney CEO Bob Iger explained it, “turbo-charge” the parks–a decision that has angered many on Wall Street.

walt and mickey sculpture at hong kong disneyland

“We know what this business is capable of, we know what our fans expect of us, and we’re going all in,” D’Amaro continued. “You’re going to see more and more of that. As we make our way through some of these ideas, some of them will become real, and we’ll say that’s specifically what we’re going to do, but I want our guests to be on the journey with us.”

In the days following news of Dinoland U.S.A.’s eventual demise at the Destination D23 event in September, fans began to question just how Disney would try to use the stories of Indiana Jones at Animal Kingdom, a park that has been devoted to specific themes and principles, including wildlife conservation, since it first opened more than 25 years ago.

Would those stories be in keeping with the theme of the park as a whole? Would they add to it–or worse, detract from it?

In response, D’Amaro, who previously held the position of Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, said he wasn’t ready to dive “deep into” specifics about the addition of Indy at this time but said that he remained optimistic about guests’ reception of ideas for the new themed land and attraction.

“Animal Kingdom is about exploration and adventure,” D’Amaro explained. “I was fortunate enough to have run that theme park, so I know how special it is, and I think there are a lot of stories that we can [use and] stay true to Animal Kingdom and express new properties in there, and that’s what you see us starting to do.”

It’s important to note that DINOSAUR! is an opening day attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that debuted in 1998 using a ride system that is very similar to the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction that opened at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in 1996.

indiana jones adventure ride at disneyland california

As such, some fans have speculated that an Indiana Jones-themed attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom might be a carbon copy of the one at Disneyland, though there’s been no confirmation of this as of the time of this publication.

New Details Revealed for EPCOT International Festival of the Arts 2024

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Art lovers, rejoice! A new year is right around the corner, and a visit to the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is the perfect way to celebrate bright beginnings.

From Jan. 12 through Feb. 19, revel in this inspiring event that highlights the visual, culinary and performing arts as only Disney can. Today, we’re sharing details to help guests plan their artistic odyssey. Here are five fantastic ways to celebrate the arts at this colorful festival.

Performing Arts Take Center Stage

Some of Broadway’s brightest stars are coming to Walt Disney World as the DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert Series returns to EPCOT with three daily shows throughout the festival. For the first time in forever, two original leading ladies from a certain icy kingdom will perform together on the America Gardens Theatre stage.

Performing songs from many of our favorite Disney shows, these stars never fail to inspire. Here’s the full lineup:

  • Caissie Levy and Patti Murin (“Frozen”): Jan. 12, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 23
  • Heidi Blickenstaff (“Freaky Friday” and “The Little Mermaid”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins” and “Beauty and the Beast”): Jan. 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 24
  • Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins” and “Beauty and the Beast”) and L. Steven Taylor (“The Lion King”): Jan. 26, 28 and 29; Feb. 1, 3, 5 and 6
  • Kissy Simmons (“The Lion King”) and Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”): Jan. 27, 30, 31; Feb. 2, 4, 7 and 8
  • Mandy Gonzalez (“Aida”) and Michael James Scott (“Aladdin” and “Tarzan”): Feb. 9, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19
  • Bradley Gibson (“Hercules” and “The Lion King”) and Shoba Narayan (“Aladdin”): Feb. 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19 *

Showcase Plaza is also home to a kaleidoscope of performances daily, where Guests will find musicians, live painting and the thrilling acrobatic feats of Art Defying Gravity.

DISNEY ON BROADWAY Dining Packages Open Dec. 19

To guarantee priority seating for preferred performances, be sure to check out Dining Packages available at eight spectacular EPCOT restaurants:

  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
  • Biergarten Restaurant
  • Coral Reef Restaurant
  • Garden Grill Restaurant
  • Rose & Crown Dining Room
  • Le Cellier
  • Spice Road Table
  • Regal Eagle Smokehouse (same-day, in-person walk-up packages only)

For more information, including pricing and availability, visit DisneyWorld.com. Packages go on sale beginning Dec. 19.

Culinary Arts Spark Sweet and Savory Adventures

More than 15 Food Studios throughout EPCOT blend touches of delectable flavors with an artistic twist – including tempting new dishes and drinks to savor. The Rainbow Cake with freeze-dried SKITTLES® bite-sized candies is always a sweet sensation at Figment’s Inspiration Station at the Odyssey: Art, Food and Little Sparks of Magic. And don’t miss the Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib with parsnip puree, broccolini, baby tomatoes and balsamic glaze at Pastoral Palate.

Stay tuned to Disney Travel News for all the details in an upcoming Foodie Guide!

Don’t miss the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine. This fun food stroll highlights yummy sweet and savory offerings in all the colors of the rainbow. The handy Festival Passport will show where to make picturesque purchases and receive stamps. Once guests have collected five stamps, bring the passport to Deco Delights Food Studio to receive a complimentary surprise.

The Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine can be completed at guests’ leisure – so they can enjoy a new treat every time they visit throughout the festival.

Interactive Experiences Place You in the Middle of the Magic

At Animation Academy, held daily at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. in America Gardens Theatre, learn drawing skills from some of the best in the business as they teach you how to draw a Disney character. At Expression Section: A Paint by Numbers Mural, join fellow artists to leave a creative mark on a larger-than-life wall mural.

Kid’s Chalk Art takes place on the bridge to World Showcase Plaza daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. allowing little ones to create their very own chalk masterpieces. And what would a visit to the festival be without artful photo ops? From Botticelli to Renoir, these life-size tableaus beckon guests to become part of the painting.

Guests can also create your own works of art with Disney PhotoPass Service, including limited-time Magic Shots created for this colorful celebration.**

Visual Arts and Merch Inspire Awe

One of the coolest parts of the festival is visiting galleries and meeting the artists who bring imaginative works to life. New and returning favorites will be part of this year’s lineup, so be sure to visit ArtfulEPCOT.com to stay up to date on the latest news.

There’s no way that we can celebrate all things imagination without a visit from everyone’s favorite purple dragon – Figment! This lovable ambassador of whimsy takes center stage on a wide array of festival merch, ranging from household items and décor to apparel and trading items.

Looking for a convenient way to pay? We love the beauty and convenience of the mini festival-themed Disney Gift Card. Load it with as little as $15 and wear it on a wrist for quick and easy scanning when purchasing all festival delights.

Kids of all ages will want to engage in Figment’s Brush with the Master’s Scavenger Hunt. On this journey throughout World Showcase, guests will help Figment learn all about art. To get started, purchase a map and stickers at Creations Shop, Port of Entry, or World Traveler. Then, search for Figment hiding inside art inspired by famous works at each World Showcase pavilion—just look for the Figment-themed picture frame.

Every time guests find Figment, they add the corresponding sticker to the pavilion on the map. Once the journey is complete, return the map to Disney Traders or World Traveler for an artful little keepsake!***

The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will be here before we know it!

*Entertainment subject to change without notice.

**Disney PhotoPass service is subject to Disney PhotoPass terms and expiration policy at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/photopass-terms-conditions. Online registration required. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.

***Redemption valid through Feb. 19 or while supplies last.

Disney World Area Locked down, Ride Closed after Reported Fire Causes Evacuation

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

A large section of Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios park has been blocked off to guests after a possible fire caused a ride evacuation.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been grappling with less-than-ideal pushback after its expensive ticketed Jollywood Nights holiday event failed to wow fans recently. Now, it looks like it also has to contend with a popular ride reportedly catching on fire.

DisneyWorldTom has shared a video on Twitter/X reporting that a firm alarm evacuation has closed the entire area of Hollywood Studios surrounding the fan-favorite Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith attraction.

BREAKING: Fire alarm evacuation at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith closes entire area at Hollywood Studios

As it stands now, the ride is listed as “temporarily closed” on the My Disney Experience application. No further information has been provided. We have no idea the extent of the reported fire or how long the park section will be closed to guests.

The video footage shows Disney cast members closing and locking down gates to the park section to prevent anyone from accessing the area. This could be a precaution, as Disney is very proactive regarding dangers or incidents inside the park. Nevertheless, the situation is shocking and scary.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is a roller coaster that opened in 1999 and was created in collaboration with the iconic rock band Aerosmith.

The ride is known for its high-speed launches, inversions, and synchronized onboard audio, featuring hit songs from Aerosmith. The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has been a fan-favorite due to its unique ride experience combined with the integration of Aerosmith’s music.

The coaster accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a matter of seconds. This launch experience is what keeps fans coming back for the thrills. The twists, turns, and inversions experienced in the dark during the ride are synchronized with the soundtrack, creating an immersive and adrenaline-pumping experience.

Over the years, there has been speculation and desire among fans for a retheme of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Some have suggested updating the ride to feature a different band or theme, possibly to keep the attraction relevant and fresh.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has had its share of shutdowns and accidents over the years. However, a fire on a fan-favorite ride involving guests moving at high speeds is a little unnerving to think about. An evacuation from a coaster that goes upside down also adds an extra sense of dread to the experience.

Here’s hoping no one was injured, everyone made it off the ride safely, and the sirens were just an accident or false alarm.

Kids (Ages 3 to 9) Play & Dine for 50% Off!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

You can save on a magical family vacation this spring! Children’s (ages 3 to 9) theme park tickets and dining plans are half off with the purchase of a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Travel Company package for your clients and their children that includes a room at a select Disney Resort hotel, as well as theme park tickets and a dining plan.

Valid for arrivals most nights from:

  • March 3, 2024 through March 24, 2024
  • April 7, 2024 through June 30, 2024