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:
- Universal Orlando CityWalk is now open on a limited basis! With new safety measures in place, including masks and temperature checks for both employees and customers, the "Epicenter of Awesome" will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Businesses open during the initial reopening phase include Hollywood Drive-In Golf, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Red Oven Pizza Bakery, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Voodoo Doughnut, Auntie Anne's, select merchandise carts, Hart and Huntington and the Universal Studios Store. To ensure proper social distancing requirements, seating, capacity and menus may be limited. For updates on the latest in the Florida theme parks' reopenings, and information on what to expect when they do open their gates, hop over to our full post.
- Speaking of openings, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Shanghai Disneyland, which reopened this week with highly limited capacity that is expected to increase in coming weeks. Guests were required to wear face masks and undergo temperature checks upon entering, but they still enjoyed posing for pics, princess dressing and riding rides just the same.
- Are you tired of Disney recipes yet? Great, neither are we! Disney Parks Blog just proudly presented the recipe for "The Grey Stuff," and Lily is already collecting ingredients for a weekend cooking sesh. The dish, which you may recognize from the "Beauty and the Beast" song, "Be Our Guest," is a popular dessert option at the Magic Kingdom restaurant of the same name. It is, as Lumière promised, toadally delicious.
- One of the most memorable parts of any Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Orlando Resort is the scareactors. Serving as the bumps (and jumps) in the night at the event, they help set the tone and bring a toadally different kind of thrill ... especially while wielding a chainsaw! Discover Universal Blog recently went behind the scenes with the Chainsaw Drill Team, who have been a part of Halloween Horror Nights since it began nearly 30 years ago, to chat about how the team got started ... and their favorite type of guest. Gulp. We can't wait to hear that spine-tingling, familiar sound of chainsaws revving in the distance this fall!
- "Nothing can stop us now!" If you'd like to travel into the zany world of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway at home, grab your phone! Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway: Adventure Kit is now available in the DisneyNOW mobile app. Control Mickey, Minnie or Goofy in a car, train or more as they take on scenic adventures where "mouse rules apply." In fact, each scene is inspired from those in Disney's Hollywood Studios' newest attraction, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, including Runnamuck Park, Big City Snarl and Carnival Chaos. Oh boy!
- Can you believe we're already halfway to Halloween? Disney is celebrating all day long May 15 in the #Halfway2Halloween takeover, including a special appearance from The Dapper Dans, spook-tacular recipes and creepy crafts for everyone at home. What a treat! (Hopfully we'll get some inspiration for this year's Frog Family costumes for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Any ideas?)
- This July, you'll be able to "raise a glass to freedom" from your living room! Beginning July 3 (just in time for Independence Day!), "Hamilton" will be available for streaming on Disney+. The stage film was recorded in 2016, and was originally scheduled to be released in October 2021. However, Disney executive chairman Bob Iger dropped the hoppy news that it'd be released early: "In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful."
- It's been 25 years since we first met the "Toy Story" gang ... and May 15 is also National Pizza Party Day! Has a more perfect crossover ever hoppened? To celebrate, Disney has created some delicious pie recipes to pair with your favorite "Toy Story" film, including the adorable Rocket Ship Pizza and Alien Veggie "Meatball" Pizza. Pizza Planet would be proud.
That’s it for the theme park news this week! Have a great weekend.
Hoppy planning!
