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:
- The Enchanted Rose lounge is now open at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World Resort! Inspired by the live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast," the lounge features a chandelier styled after Belle's golden ball gown, a garden room that looks out into the Enchanted Forest surrounding the Beast's castle and, of course, a library. And speaking of libraries, the lounge's focal point is a library of wines from all around the world, served by the ounce, glass or bottle. The lounge also offers champagne, beer and tableside cocktails and mocktails, as well as small bites including artisanal cheeses, house-made flatbread, caviar and short rib sliders.
- Disney vacation benefits for Disney Springs area hotels have been extended into 2020. Through Dec. 31, 2020, guests of Disney Spring area partner hotels can hop into a select Walt Disney World Resort theme park an hour ahead of official park opening for Extra Magic Hours and make FastPass+ reservations 60 days in advance of their trip (vs. the 30-day window allotted to other off-site guests and Annual Passholders). Yipee! And don't froget, you can save even more green on your Disney Springs hotel stay by booking through Undercover Tourist!
- So much holiday fun is heading to Walt Disney World Resort! At Disney's Animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life will awaken with seasonal tales and holiday-inspired tunes for the very first time. The Disney Parks Live Entertainment team recently tested the wintry projections on the Tree of Life and passed along a sneak peek. The Tree of Life's holiday awakenings will debut Nov. 8, 2019.
- Who ya gonna call? "Ghostbusters" director Ivan Reitman and actor Dan Aykroyd made their way through the Ghostbusters Maze at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights. (Even these paranormal-professionals couldn't make it through without getting slimed!)
- Check out the fierce Jurassic World finishing medals for the upcoming Running Universal event at Universal Studios Hollywood! The event will feature a Jurassic World 5K on Nov. 16 and a 10K on Nov. 17. The race will take runners through the theme park and parts of the Universal Backlot, where they can take photos with dinosaurs and make their escape to the finish line at Universal CityWalk for commemorative swag, refreshments and live music (and these toadally awesome medals, of course). There's also a Kids' 1K Raptor Run, and for those frogs looking for an extra challenge, the opportunity to complete both the 5K and 10K for an exclusive medal. (We think a raptor, T. rex or Indominus rex is plenty of incentive to get those legs moving. Gulp!)
- Last week, we mentioned that the latest Disney Parks color story is the icy Arendelle Aqua. As we wait (some of us patiently ... Lily not so much) for the release of "Frozen 2," we hopped over to Walt Disney World Resort to check out some of the cool new offerings. You can see all of the aqua-amazingness we found in the video below!
That’s it for the theme park news this week! Have a great weekend.
Hoppy planning!