Heading out to visit a theme park or planning a vacation? Here’s the latest in ride opening dates, upcoming events and theme park-related amazingness to check out!
New Marquee for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Love to see it’s inspired by the 1933 Neon Sign in Mickey’s Gala Premier. In this vid, we see Goofy light it up and we can’t wait to ride it after it opens on March 4th. This is such an anticipated ride for so many reasons. In Mickey’s first dark ride, we’ll be taken into the animated world of Mickey and Friends. I cannot stress enough that if you haven’t seen the newest Mickey shorts you’re missing out, BUT the entire run of shorts are available to stream on Disney+!!!
Wizarding World New Drink – Fishy Green Ale
More weird themed in-universe drinks please! Here we have a creamy minty and cinnamon zested drink with blueberry popping bubbles that will be available at the Three Broomsticks at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. Seems magical, but I guess we will still be waiting for the soft-serve butterbeer ice cream!
The Beast’s Castle First Look at Tokyo Disneyland
And here’s a first look at my new favorite castle. The Beast’s Castle that houses the new Beauty and the Beast dark ride is at least 30ft taller than the Disneyland Castle. It boasts an iridescent coloring that changes from day to night depending on how the sun hits it and has stained glass windows. Can’t wait to see it in person.
Universal Studios Orlando’s Mardi Gras Line-Up
From Feb. 1st to April 2nd, Universal Studios Orlando hosts a season-long Mardi Gras celebration. There’s a parade on the streets with floats you can volunteer to hop on, performers, New Orleans bands, and an incredible array of festival foods. A major feature of the event is a concert series included with admission: Saturday, Feb. 8 – Karol G
8:30 pm
Saturday, Feb. 15 – Bell Biv DeVoe
Sunday, Feb. 16 – +Live+
Saturday, Feb. 22 – Kool & the Gang
Saturday, Feb. 29 – TLC
Saturday, Mar. 7 – REO Speedwagon
Sunday, Mar. 8 – Dustin Lynch
Friday, Mar. 13 – Luis Fonsi
Saturday, Mar. 14 – The All-American Rejects
Sunday, Mar. 15 – Diana Ross
Friday, Mar. 20 – Chris Young
Saturday, Mar. 21 – Earth, Wind & Fire
Sunday, Mar. 22 – Marshmello
Saturday, Mar. 28 – Why Don’t We
Sunday, Mar. 29 – Gavin DeGraw
Sweethearts and Pixar Night at Disneyland
On February 12-13th, Disneyland is hosting two after-dark Sweethearts Nite events. Take your Valentine to the Happiest Place on Earth for dancing, special character meets, cute valentine treats and a special fireworks spectacular that celebrates Disney Happily Ever-Afters. Get tickets here.
Get in the mood with the above remix of Married Life from YouTuber L.Dre which we can’t get enough of.
Run Universal at Universal Studios Hollywood
Sign up to participate in a 5K or 10K race to the finish line on April 26th. This year’s 5K medals will feature Trolls characters Poppy and Branch. The 10K participants will get a special sparkly medal featuring Guy Diamond. Kids will also get one for being a part of the 1K younger activity. This marathon features the unique opportunity to run on a real movie studio and throughout iconic sets while being cheered on by fave characters from the Trolls films.
Peacock Live! Schedule Updates
Peacock Live! guests will be among the first to experience the spectacular new ride inspired by Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets. Badges start a $99 for a weekend of special looks at the future of entertainment under the Peacock umbrella. We’re most excited at the special looks behind the scenes of the theme park world and a preview of what’s to arrive at all the Universal Studios parks destinations worldwide.
Confirmed panels include:
“This Is Us” – Join stars of NBC’s mega-hit drama including Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley and creator/executive producer Dan Fogelman for a look inside the award-winning show. The panel will be moderated by “Access Hollywood” co-host Kit Hoover.
“Saved by the Bell” – Get an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming Peacock reboot of the beloved sitcom, followed by a discussion with stars/executive producers Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley and showrunner/executive producer Tracey Wigfield.
“Good Girls” – Stars of the popular NBC comedy-infused drama Christina Hendricks, Retta, Mae Whitman, along with series creator/executive producer Jenna Bans and executive producer Bill Krebs, discuss what to expect as they head into the rest of season 3.
Universal Parks & Resorts Global Preview – Peacock Live! guests will get an exclusive first-look at the exciting new experiences coming to the Universal Parks & Resorts theme parks around the world.
“Halloween Horror Nights” – Get insight from the global teams behind the world’s most successful Halloween event, and how they collaborate with filmmakers to bring iconic horror films to life as interactive, dimensional haunted houses and mazes.
2020 Tokyo Olympics – NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico leads a conversation with Olympic icons Mary Lou Retton, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Rowdy Gaines, all of whom were medalists at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Plus, fans can get a preview of athletes to watch in Tokyo this summer.
“The Making of a Theme Park Attraction” – How does a global blockbuster film franchise like “Jurassic World” become a mega-hit theme park thrill ride? Guests will have a chance to hear first-hand from the creative minds at Universal theme parks around the globe responsible for bringing favorite films from the silver screen to groundbreaking, next-generation thrill rides.
Frozen and Marvel at Disneyland Paris
Over in Europe, Disneyland Paris is hosting a flurry of Frozen experiences. At the Animation Frozen Celebration attraction, park goers will adventure through atmospheric sets that take you into Sven’s Lodge and Elsa’s Ice Castle. In Frozen: A Musical Celebration, you’ll see live stage performances of songs from the films. And finally, in the Frozen 2: An Enchanted Journey Parade, you can see Queen Elsa and Anna along with their friends on fantastic floats.
And here’s a special look at Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel with artist Olivier Coipel!
Area 15
Las Vegas will be getting a new cutting-edge entertainment destination headlined by Meow Wolf. The immersive artist collective will be housing its 2nd location in Area 15. Aiming to open in the Spring, Area 15 aims to be a reimagining of retail, live music, VR, and theme-park-esque entertainment destinations. As fans of Meow Wolf, we’re excited to get a closer location with new experiences on the West Coast. More details here!
Spidey at Avengers Campus DCA
The mystery is solved! The sorta scary but cool looking jumping animatronic in the Imagineering Story is indeed SPIDER-MAN, who will be swinging into action over Avengers Campus when it opens this summer at Disney California Adventure Park. It’s unclear what attractions will be open or if it will have an opening similar to Galaxy’s Edge where sections will be open in phases. But yay, let’s go look at a gymnastic robot in the sky! I’m still afraid of it turning against its tech and freeing the pirates, ghosts and small world animatronics in a coup against humans.
Rise of the Resistance – West Coast Updates:
This past week saw the highest of boarding group entries onto the ride. While opening really went up to group 82, we saw an increase in groups allowed reaching up past groups 150! There are still days here and there where they don’t even make it to the estimated groups. So, the ride remains a bit elusive even if you manage a rope drop boarding group within the minute they run out at park opening. The system is still not the most ideal for traveling tourists or locals who have to take time off to attempt to snag passes (AKA non-morning folks).
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Coming to Disney World
Reservations will open later this year for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which debuts in 2021 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. This new two-day and two-night vacation is an all-immersive experience that will take you to a galaxy far, far away.