MickeyBlog News – Openings, Closings & Coming Soon
2019’s three weeks in, but it seems like Disney didn’t get serious until this week. It was a HUGE week for theme park news. You simply must read the latest edition of MickeyBlog News.
Park Openings at Walt Disney World
Do you like shows? Or character meetings? Or attractions? No matter your preference, The Walt Disney Company has something for you this week. They unleashed a slew of new attractions, most of which are available throughout 2019. Let’s take a look at what’s new! *deep breath*
The new Magic Kingdom street party has debuted. Move It! Shake It! Mousekedance It! The latest version of this event focuses on Mickey and Minnie Mouse along with classic songs from the Mickey Mouse Club. The new street party is a critical component of the current Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration! It’s not alone, though.
Town Square Theater has updated its character meeting for the event. Minnie Mouse joins Mickey Mouse as they interact with guests, and they’re dressed for the special occasion! They’re wearing what I can only describe as white confetti outfits.
Also, since Minnie Mouse has moved to the front of the park, she’s no longer present at Pete’s Silly Sideshow, her prior character greeting spot. Don’t worry, though! Pluto takes her place in New Fantasyland. He’s Wonder-Pup Pluto and is joined by Daisy Fortuna (fortune telling Daisy Duck), the Great Goofini, and the Astounding Donaldo. Disney calls it the “Silliest Circus in Town,” and your kids will love it.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a new character meeting, too. Everyone’s favorite fashion maven, Edna Mode, has taken up residence at Pixar Studios aka Pixar Place. She’s the headline act in An Incredible Celebration, which is currently ongoing at the park. Through the end of September, vacationers can visit a Municiberg block.
In addition to the Edna Mode character interaction, this section hosts a dance party called the Super Shindig. It features Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible, and Frozone singing and dancing. You get to interact with them, too. Also, Jack-Jack Parr is on display, at least to alert guests.
Disney has added a Where’s Jack-Jack Scavenger Hunt as part of the event, too. You don’t even have to be in the park to participate in this one. Participants use a hashtag during the search, allowing you to follow the quest on social media.
Hollywood Studios has one other important update this week. The park has announced the opening date of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. The new attraction will debut on March 31, 2019! The official Walt Disney World site has added a page for this unique interactive show that your kids will adore.
The shocking news of the week involves Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). It doesn’t seem like that long ago when the 2018 version closed, because it wasn’t. Less than three months after the last one ended, Disney’s already announced the dates for the 2019 iteration. You can attend the event on:
August – 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30
September – 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29
October – 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29 and 31
November 1
Yes, the event runs into November this year. November 1st falls on a Friday, so it makes sense for Disney to host the party on the weekend night, too. Presumably, this will delay the Christmas decorations by a day, making Saturday, November 2, the likely start of the season, at least at Walt Disney World. Tickets are already on sale for the 2019 events. Since they will sell out, you should plan your trip now.
Park Openings at Disneyland
Disneyland has introduced a lot of exciting new features this week, too. The most visually stimulating one is on the monorail. In celebration of the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse, Disneyland’s themed their monorail fleet after Mickey Mouse. It’s an adorable style that draws attention whenever a train passes.
The other two new entries at Disneyland are a bar and a show. Ballast Point is now open at Downtown Disney. It’s the first craft brewery restaurant ever at the Happiest Place on Earth. In fact, it’s the first onsite brewery in Disneyland history. With 50 beers on tap, it should prove instantly popular, especially among prior fans of Ballast Point, a chain of award-winning distilleries.
Of course, the HUGE news at Disneyland this week is the debut of Mickey’s Mix Magic. The latest nighttime spectacle combines fireworks and digital projection for a spectacular visual display. You can watch the complete show on YouTube, but let’s be realistic. You’ll want to catch the live show. New Disneyland nighttime shows don’t come along very often, and this one is state-of-the-art.
Park Closings
With so much going on, Disney can’t afford to keep open any underperforming activities. So, they’ve tightened the ship by closing a couple of disappointing amenities. One of them is long-expected while the other is a surprise.
The expected one is at Reunion Station. Park officials had introduced concierge services here when they added the expansion to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The amenity had never sold well, and most Disney analysts had anticipated its closure for some time. While the resort will still host special events here, the concierge option will close permanently on February 3rd.
The shocker involves the newest restaurant at Walt Disney World. Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort just opened in October. Resort officials quickly realized that they’d overestimated demand for a Table Service restaurant at a Modern Tier hotel.
While guests love to eat here for dinner, it’s an expensive and heavy afternoon meal. Appreciating their era, the management at Caribbean Beach has chosen to discontinue lunch service for the foreseeable future. It’s entirely possible that this meal returns this summer or perhaps when Star Wars Land opens. For now, however, Sebastian’s Bistro is open for dinner only.
Soarin’ Fantastic Flight Is Nearly Ready
Soarin’ is one of the most impressive and engaging theme park attractions ever built. The current version, Soarin’ Around the World, is currently hosted at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, and Shanghai Disneyland. In 2016, The Oriental Land Company confirmed a new version of the attraction.
Called Soarin’ Fantastic Flight, this new update will feature scenes exclusive to Japan. It’s a Tokyo DisneySea attraction that we knew would open at some point in 2019. We can now confirm that Fantastic Flight debuts this summer on July 23. The poster suggests scenes involving the Taj Mahal, Egypt, and the Great Wall of China, two of which are integral to Soarin Around the World, also.
Japan’s version of Soarin’ will have an S.E.A. connection. MickeyBlog readers know that the Society of Explorers and Adventurers already has ties to five Disney attractions. Fantastic Flight will be the sixth, as its ride vehicle, the Dream Flyer, was designed by S.E.A. Camellia Falco. She also makes a brief appearance at Disneyland’s Tropical Hideaway.
Coming Soon…
Disney rarely opens new hotels. When they do, it’s a huge deal. Later in 2019, such an event will occur when Disney’s Riviera Resort debuts in the fall. While we don’t know the exact date yet, we do know something exciting.
Over the next few days, Disney will open the Riviera for booking! You can be among the first to stay at the hotel. It’s an extremely rare opportunity that will give your family a lifetime of memories. Every time that you drive by or visit the hotel, you can recount the story of how you vacationed there during the earliest days of the resort. Plus, this property has Disney Skyliner access, meaning that you can brag about getting to do it, too.
Since the Riviera isn’t a large resort, however, it will book quickly. You should get in contact with a representative from MickeyTravels to schedule your vacation this fall.