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:
- You can wrangle up some grub at three new locations at Walt Disney World! Woody's Lunch Box at Disney's Hollywood Studios is already back to serving up totchos and Lunch Box tarts (our fave!), while Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom will reopen without the Hundred Acre Wood crew Dec. 13 with a modified, family-style experience. Tomorrowland Terrace will follow Dec. 17 with a new-to-the-location, but-not-new-entirely, menu. In fact, the items available will be from the still-closed Columbia Harbour House, including lobster rolls, fried shrimp and chicken nuggets.
- If you follow us on Instagram, you probably saw us hopping around at EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays! Among this year's festival performers are Mariachi Cobre, who celebrate Mexican holiday customs through music, song and dance. If you aren't able to hop to EPCOT to see Mariachi Cobre this year, Disney Parks Blog has you covered with a special performance that was recorded live in the park!
- 'Tis the season to eat cookies! Just in time for National Cookie Day, Disney Parks Blog has collected and shared favorite cookie recipes from Disney chefs around the world. Spoiler alert: Some are almost too cute to eat!
- Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the coins tossed into the water at Walt Disney World? Periodically, Disney collects, sorts, cleans and donates them! In fact, Disney World collected $20,000 from waterways around its property and donated it to central Florida's largest homeless shelter for Thanksgiving last week. The coins were dropped in the wishing well near Cinderella Castle, along "it's a small world" and in fountains and waterways throughout the parks. In addition, Disney’s chefs cooked up a Thanksgiving feast for 650 of the shelter's residents and guests.
- Spider-Bots have arrived at the Disneyland Resort! These "friendly" neighborhood Spider-Bots come programmed with combat and defensive abilities, and can crawl backward and forward, crouch, spin 360 degrees, stare down with their laser eyes, attack opponent Spider-Bots and even blast off their shields. Spider-Bots and the latest WEB apparel from Avengers Campus are available in the Downtown Disney District at both World of Disney and Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop.
- Here we go! Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan has an opening date! Beginning Feb. 4, 2021, guests can immerse themselves in the Nintendo-themed land, racing alongside their favorite Mario Kart characters, passing life-size spinning coins, moving mushrooms and more. Universal released a toadally rad video teaser for the land, which you can see here. As Mario would say, "wa-hoo!"
- Construction walls at Universal's Islands of Adventure were recently removed, revealing raptor paddocks at the VelociCoaster site. We have a feeling the velociraptors won't be staying in their paddocks for this one. Gulp. Hopefully Owen Grady will be on call.
- Get a head start on some holiday cheer with a new sweepstakes from Undercover Tourist! We are offering you and your family a chance to win a three-night hotel stay and theme park tickets to Universal Orlando Resort for a froggy-fun and festive vacation. Enter our Winter Wonderland Sweepstakes here.
That’s it for the theme park news this week! Have a great weekend.
Hoppy planning!
