Hi there! Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting theme park news around the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and other theme parks.
This week’s theme park highlights:
Aquatica Orlando announced the official launch date for its brand new TALL slide. Ihu's Breakaway Falls will open May 9. The slide stands 105 feet tall with drops ranging from 27 feet to nearly 40 feet, according to Behind the Thrills.
The menu highlights from the Outdoor Kitchens at the festival sound scrumpalicious, including the bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch that will be available at The Smokehouse: Barbecues and Brews. Our question for you: Would you try a bacon cupcake? Yum or Yuck? Let us know in the comments!- Epcot has added an extra week to the International Food & Wine Festival this fall, starting Sept. 19 and running through Nov. 10.
Kermit did an exclusive interview with the Disney Parks Blog about his upcoming movie "Muppets Most Wanted" and his topiary debut at the Epcot Interntional Flower & Garden Festival. Surprisingly, he did not mention the bacon cupcake.- Justin Moore is pulling double duty this weekend, headlining Bands, Brew & BBQ at both SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
We're just a few weeks away from the first Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, that is scheduled to debut some time in March at Magic Kingdom Park. This week, we learn more about the parade's original theme song by Composer Mark Hammond.- Inside the Magic had lots more details to share about Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley after attending a behind-the-walls tour!
- We talked yesterday about the best times to visit Disney World in 2014, based in large part on our crowd calendar. For those of you wondering, we have a post on helpful hints for using the crowd calendar.
- In good news for the economy, Universal is expected to bring in an 3,500 additional jobs in 2014 with the expansion of Harry Potter and the Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
That’s it for the theme park news this week. Have a great weekend!
If you’re thinking about a trip to Disney World, make sure to check out the other news, tips and information we post to the blog throughout the week. If you’re ready to plan your trip, we recommend you start with our planning pages.
— Mommy Frog
