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 Resort has introduced a new Despicable Me character breakfast at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. Taking place each Saturday at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. beginning Feb. 17, Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and those mischievous Minions will join your family for a buffet at Cayman Court. The meal even includes one free photo download for your squad to commemorate the experience! We are just a tad excited about this news. Lily loves the girls, but who can resist the antics of the rest of this crew?!
- SeaWorld Orlando has announced its first six performers for the upcoming Seven Seas Food Festival, also beginning Feb. 17. Larry the Cable Guy, Daughtry and Huey Lewis & the News are amongst a total of 18 acts scheduled for the event, taking place through April 15.
- Disney shared a first look this week of the Toy Story Land's Alien Swirling Saucers ride. Concept art shows guests riding in a toy rocket led by the beloved green aliens themselves. (We're so hoppy that Disney also confirmed that Disney's Hollywood Studios will maintain the same name "for the foreseeable future." Yay!)
- Universal Orlando has filed plans for construction on newly acquired land, seeking approval to build 530,000 square feet of warehouse space and 94,000 square feet of office space. The Orlando Sentinel reports the plan filed Friday indicates Universal is overbuilding. While Universal has not provided further details on what it plans to do, the new construction could be used to move existing offices and storage, which could free up land around its existing parks for potential expansion.
- Universal Studios Hollywood kicks off the Year of the Dog this weekend with its Lunar New Year celebration. Enjoy fun activities, Kung Fu Panda character meet-and-greets and savory Asian dishes in an all-new recreation of Po’s Village in Universal Plaza.
- In a similar celebration, Disneyland's Lunar New Year Celebration is generating tons of buzz thanks to its exquisite array of festive cuisine. Our personal favorites? The Banana OoYu (milk) and Bánh khoai lang tí (Purple Sweet Potato Macaron) ... yum!
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi's very own Vice Admiral Holdo paid a visit to Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland. Golden Globe winning actress Laura Dern checked out the epic Star Wars exhibition last weekend — while rockin' our favorite rose gold ears, of course. We love seeing movie stars visiting the parks!
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's Food & Wine Festival returns March 3 through April 29 with a selection of more than 65 wines, and 50 craft brews and specialty cocktails. Concert headliners include The All-American Rejects, Boyz II Men, TLC and Goo Goo Dolls.
- Don't forget, our annual price increase is right around the corner. Lock in the lowest prices of the season now ... plus enjoy some limited-time offers on tickets and hotels!
That’s it for the theme park news this week! Have a great weekend.
Hoppy planning!
