Hi there! Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting theme park news around the Walt Disney World Resort, the Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and other theme parks.
Here Are This Week’s Theme Park Highlights:
- By the end of 2021, all of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels will be open! Disney has set official reopening dates for the remaining hotels that have been closed since March 2020. Frog-favorite Disney's Port Orleans Resort will reopen in October, with Riverside opening Oct. 14 and French Quarter opening Oct. 28. Disney's All-Star Music Resort will reopen Sept. 16, and Disney's All-Star Sports Resort will reopen Dec. 9. The hotels are currently accepting reservations, so book your stay now (and save a little green when you book from your favorite frogs!).
- Get ready for frightfully fun Halloween festivities at Disneyland Resort! From Sept. 3 to Oct. 31, 2021, celebrate the spooky season with Halloween Time at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. At Disneyland Park, Haunted Mansion Holiday will return for its annual makeover inspired by "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Also returning is "Halloween Screams," a special effects projection show (fireworks will hoppen on weekend nights only). At Disney California Adventure Park, Cars Land rides and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! will transform for the spooky season, and Plaza de la Familia will return. Both parks will be decorated in seasonal decor, and characters will don their best Halloween costumes. For all of the details, check out our Halloween Time guide!
- But that's not all! Oogie Boogie Bash — A Halloween Party will once again take over Disney California Adventure Park for an after-hours event on 25 select nights from Sept. 9 through Oct. 31, 2021. During the event, frogs of ages can trick-or-treat in costumes as they venture through immersive treat trails inside the park. Catch special parades, shows and more during the limited-capacity event! Tickets go on sale July 13 (no earlier than 9 a.m. PT). It's gonna be a ghoul time!
- Speaking of the spooky season, Universal Studios announced a new haunted house inspired by Netflix's "The Haunting of Hill House" that will stir up scares and shrieks at Halloween Horror Nights in both Orlando and Hollywood. The bravest of frogs will be able to walk (or run) through the halls of Hill House. Iconic scenes from the series, such as the Red Room and Hall of Statues, will come to life, and apparitions of the Tall Man, the Ghost in the Basement and the Bent-Neck Lady will haunt you around every corner. Stay up-to-date with the latest HHN news in our Orlando and Hollywood event guides.
- It's hard to believe that the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is only days away, but Disney released the full menus and now it can't come soon enough. Let your taste buds travel around the world as you try brand-new dishes and returning festival favorites! This year, seven new marketplaces will debut, including The Noodle Exchange, The Swanky Saucy Swine and more. It's a good thing that the festival will last 129 days — we will need a lot of time to try EVERYTHING! You can view the menus in our Food and Wine guide.
- Hungry for more foodie news? Over at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Ronto Roasters and Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo have recently debuted new dishes that are out of this galaxy, and Fairfax Fare has reopened with a revamped menu featuring fun hot dog combinations, including a plant-based, Chicago-style "hot dog" salad. Meanwhile, Flavors of Florida has taken over at Disney Springs. More than 30 restaurants and shops will offer summer-inspired eats and drinks from now until Aug. 12.
- SeaWorld Orlando recently launched two new educational shows — "Dolphin Adventures" and "Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight." Learn all about the behaviors and traits of bottlenose dolphins and sea lions and how you can protect them. The shows provide an entertaining way to learn more about our flippered friends.
- We've already covered some details about the Disney Wish, the newest ship that will join the Disney Cruise Line fleet in 2022. So, we were excited to learn more about the "Avengers: Quantum Encounter" dining experience at the Worlds of Marvel restaurant aboard the ship. It will follow Ant-Man and The Wasp as they showcase the greatest Super Hero tech before an unexpected villain shows up ready to steal the Quantum Core. Sounds toadally cool!
- Leap wasn't really a hockey fan ... until now. Thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is bringing back free beer for the rest of July. Adult frogs 21 and up can visit the Garden Gate Cafe to receive two 7-ounce complimentary beers during their visit. While you're there, enjoy its Summer Nights festivities! Just for funsies, SeaWorld Orlando is also giving away one 12-ounce complimentary beer per park visit until Aug. 12.
That’s it for the theme park news this week! Have a great weekend.
Hoppy planning!
