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:
- EPCOT continues to move forward with its multi-year transformation, and the latest update brings new details about the gardens, plaza and event space located in World Celebration. The World Celebration hub will be divided into several unique gardens, united by a central planter based on the five-ring EPCOT logo, and special lighting will provide a completely different experience at night. The gardens surround CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, a multi-use facility and outdoor event space, that will support EPCOT's festivals. The plaza will have an outdoor stage to host musical performances, and the hall will be an exhibition and gallery space, featuring experiences that highlight art, live music and food (complete with a demonstration kitchen). Also, a permanent Mickey & Friends location will find its home right next to CommuniCore Hall. Sounds like World Celebration will be the place to be!
- Boarding Groups are coming back! Upon its official May 27 debut, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will utilize a virtual queue and a standby line will not be available. On the day of their visit, guests can sign up for a Boarding Group via the My Disney Experience app (find more info about how this works in our guide about the virtual queue system!). Because there's limited availability, guests can only join the virtual queue once per day. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will also be offered as an individual Lightning Lane selection through the Disney Genie service. We lucky frogs got a special preview earlier this week, and froggy friends ... it's toadally AWESOME!
- The latest technology will soon enhance Disney magic at Walt Disney World Resort — MagicBand+ is launching this summer followed by "Hey Disney!" later this year. Guests will be able to use the MagicBand+ to join all-new experiences, such as bringing the 50th Anniversary golden character sculptures to life, joining the "Star Wars: Batuu Bounty Hunters" mission and watching it light up during nighttime spectaculars. "Hey Disney!" is the magical voice assistant that will roll out in select Disney Resort hotel rooms as an optional, complimentary feature. It will also be available for purchase to use on supported Amazon Echo devices.
- SeaWorld has reached a major milestone with its rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Since 1965, the company has rescued, rehabilitated and released more than 40,000 animals, including aquatic birds, turtles, manatees, dolphins, otters, sea lions and more. Additionally, SeaWorld has teamed up with other agencies and rescue partners to save Florida's coral reefs. Through its work, researchers have documented one type of coral producing offspring, a first in human care.
- Alaska Airlines partnered with Disneyland Resort to introduce a "Star Wars"-themed aircraft to its fleet, and it couldn't be more perfect for a journey in the sky! The design celebrates Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, complete with the Millennium Falcon and TIE fighters. On May 4, the plane took its inaugural flight from Seattle to John Wayne Airport in Orange County. "Star Wars Transport to Disneyland Resort" (the plane's official name) is scheduled to fly in the Alaska Airlines fleet and throughout its network.
- LEGOLAND California is all set to debut a life-size Ferrari F40, made out of LEGO bricks. The replica weighs over 3,000 pounds and is made from 358,000 LEGO bricks, measuring 14 feet in length, 6 feet in width and 4 feet tall. It will be the main highlight of the new LEGO Ferrari Build & Race attraction, which officially opens May 12, 2022.
@undercovertourist 🚨 Here are the weekly updates you may have missed from your favorite theme parks! (👋 And say hi to our new friend @thedavidvaughn!) Tap link in bio for more details! #undercovertourist #disneynews #themeparks #themeparkfan ♬ Disney-style fanfare-style BGM - harryfaoki
That’s it for the theme park news this week! Have a great weekend.
Hoppy planning!
