MickeyBlog News for June 24th, 2024
This week, Oogie Boogie returns, Haunted Mansion Holiday goes digital, and Test Track says, “See ya real soon!”
We’ve got plenty of theme park news in the latest edition of MickeyBlog News.
![Custom Mickey wreaths](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mickey-excited.png)
Disneyland Reveals Spooky Plans
As I type this, Haunted Mansion isn’t operational at Disneyland Resort, but it will return soon.
Imagineers are currently redesigning the attraction queue to add more elements and a Madame Leota-themed gift shop.
![haunted mansion](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/haunted-mansion-00.jpg.avif)
![haunted mansion](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/haunted-mansion-00.jpg.avif)
Disney
Thankfully, the attraction will be back in time for Halloween, which is music to the ears of Disneyland fans.
Specifically, the music is the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas…and all things Oogie Boogie.
![National Film Registry Nightmare Before Christmas](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/National-Film-Registry-Nightmare-Before-Christmas.jpg)
![National Film Registry Nightmare Before Christmas](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/National-Film-Registry-Nightmare-Before-Christmas.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Yes, Disneyland just announced its Halloween holiday plans, and two of your favorites will return.
First, let’s discuss Haunted Mansion Holiday. Management will take a different approach in 2024.
![Hatbox Ghost](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2022-wdw-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-haunted-mansion-hatbox-ghost-6.jpg)
![Hatbox Ghost](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2022-wdw-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-haunted-mansion-hatbox-ghost-6.jpg)
Hatbox Ghost
After years of excited mobs crowding the lines on day one of the holiday overlay, Disney has made a change.
For 2024, Haunted Mansion Holiday will employ a virtual queue.
![Disneyland Virtual Queue](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/224102989.jpg)
![Disneyland Virtual Queue](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/224102989.jpg)
Photo: Disney
So, any Disneyland guest who wants to ride it – and that’s everyone! – must book the virtual queue.
Disney won’t operate a standby queue during the holiday season, which has led some to speculate the new attraction queue is running behind schedule.
![Haunted Mansion Holiday](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-disneyland-resort-park-dlr-halloween-decorations-haunted-mansion-holiday-overlay-exterior-interior-jack-skellington-nightmare-before-christmas-6.png)
![Haunted Mansion Holiday](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-disneyland-resort-park-dlr-halloween-decorations-haunted-mansion-holiday-overlay-exterior-interior-jack-skellington-nightmare-before-christmas-6.png)
Haunted Mansion
That’s absolutely possible, maybe even likely, but we don’t know anything for sure beyond what’s stated.
This year, you won’t have to stand in a long line for Haunted Mansion Holiday. Instead, you’ll wait until Disney says it’s your turn.
![Stormy Haunted Mansion](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-dlr-disneyland-park-haunted-mansion-stock-4-scaled.jpg)
![Stormy Haunted Mansion](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-dlr-disneyland-park-haunted-mansion-stock-4-scaled.jpg)
Haunted Mansion
Next, we learned details about this year’s Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party.
This year’s event starts on August 25th and will cost $134-$189 per person, depending on the date.
![Halloween 2024 Oogie Boogie Bash](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Halloween-2024-Oogie-Boogie-Bash.jpg)
![Halloween 2024 Oogie Boogie Bash](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Halloween-2024-Oogie-Boogie-Bash.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Tickets go on sale this week, with Inspire Key holders getting first crack on June 25th.
The other Magic Key annual passholders can purchase on June 26th, with tickets for the general public going on sale June 27th.
![Disney California Adventure Disneyland Oogie Boogie Decorations Entrance Halloween](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Disney-California-Adventure-Disneyland-Oogie-Boogie-Decorations-Entrance-Halloween-4.jpg)
![Disney California Adventure Disneyland Oogie Boogie Decorations Entrance Halloween](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Disney-California-Adventure-Disneyland-Oogie-Boogie-Decorations-Entrance-Halloween-4.jpg)
Oogie Boogie has taken over DCA!
MickeyBlog went ahead and compiled all the Halloween details at Disneyland, too.
Goodbye for Now, Test Track
EPCOT is my favorite theme park, but I’ll readily admit that it’s lacking in thrill rides.
Now, EPCOT has lost another one, at least for a while, as Test Track has closed for a re-theme.
MickeyBlog showed the crowds on the final day, such that they were.
We never witnessed the last-minute rush to ride Test Track, at least not to the level of Splash Mountain last year.
![Test Track Epcot](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/a75c8293e43c8876402a4aa9e536e150-1.jpg)
![Test Track Epcot](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/a75c8293e43c8876402a4aa9e536e150-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney
That statement tells a story, really. I’m a devout fan of Test Track, as I love building ugly Batmobiles during the Chevrolet Design Studio phase.
However, there’s ample evidence that Test Track had been a big fish in a small pond at EPCOT.
![Test Track](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Test-Track.jpg)
![Test Track](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Test-Track.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Chevrolet/GM, the sponsor of the attraction, clearly felt that way. They asked Disney to make a change. So, here we are.
Imagineers have started work in reimagining Test Track 3.0, which looks like a sleeker version.
This makeover will reportedly take at least a year to complete, but with the EPCOT transformation completed, guests have many other options.
So, the timing feels ideal for the latest Test Track conversion, even though I will miss 2.0.
![Test Track](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Test-Track-Epcot.jpg)
![Test Track](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Test-Track-Epcot.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Dear Disney: PLEASE keep the Chevrolet Design Studio! (It’s totally fine if you modernize it with more functionality, though.)
The Friendship Boats Return
![Boat Dock at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Riverside-Boat-Disney-Springs.jpg)
![Boat Dock at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Riverside-Boat-Disney-Springs.jpg)
Boat Dock at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside
MickeyBlog has been tracking a strange story over the past few months.
In April, Disney Springs officials did the unthinkable. They closed the Friendship Boats to and from the entertainment district.
People rely on those boats to reach their shopping, drinking, and dining destinations at Disney Springs.
Alas, the choice wasn’t up to Disney. An extended lack of rain in Central Florida caused the water depth to sink by a foot.
With less water, the Friendship Boats were riding too low, risking the safety of guests.
Nobody wants a boat to get stuck in the water or spring a leak due to scraping the bottom.
![Germany boat dock closed](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-epcot-ferry-boat-transportation-dock-germany-closed-3-scaled.jpg)
![Germany boat dock closed](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-epcot-ferry-boat-transportation-dock-germany-closed-3-scaled.jpg)
Germany boat dock closed
Those events were still wildly unlikely, but Disney officials wisely didn’t want to take the risk.
So, we’ve gone a couple of months without boats at Disney Springs.
Similarly, the Amphicars at The BOATHOUSE weren’t operational, either.
Well, I’m happy to report that the weather has played nice since April.
![Disney Springs](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Water-Taxi-Boathouse.jpg)
![Disney Springs](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Water-Taxi-Boathouse.jpg)
Image Credit: Disney
This past week, the waters at Disney Springs had risen to an appropriate level to allow the return of the Friendship Boats.
For those of you interested, the Amphicars are also up and running again, too.
![Walt Disney World Food](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Boathouse-Water-Taxi.jpg)
![Walt Disney World Food](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Boathouse-Water-Taxi.jpg)
Photo Credit: Todd Anderson
After a very strange couple of months, it’s back to business as usual at Disney Springs.
As a side note, Disney was running more buses to Disney Springs to compensate for the lack of boat transportation.
Those will probably taper off some, but since it’s summer, not much should change in the short term.
Disney Miscellany
With Test Track gone and CommuniCore Hall & Plaza open, Disney has also released a new park map.
In addition, Walt Disney World provided a list of July 4th activities. However, some of the options have already changed.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Fantasmic! dining packages have changed slightly.
Historically, guests enjoyed the option of an appetizer or dessert plus a nonalcoholic beverage.
![Fantasmic!](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-20-at-09-21-44-Fantasmic-Show-and-Fireworks-Walt-Disney-World-Resort.png)
![Fantasmic!](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-20-at-09-21-44-Fantasmic-Show-and-Fireworks-Walt-Disney-World-Resort.png)
Photo: Disney
Under the new system, you no longer have the appetizer option, but you can order an alcoholic beverage if you like.
Also, there’s a price increase of $6 for each of the packages. So, that’s a price increase ranging from seven to 11 percent.
![Fantasmic](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-20-at-09-22-06-Fantasmic-Show-and-Fireworks-Walt-Disney-World-Resort.png)
![Fantasmic](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-20-at-09-22-06-Fantasmic-Show-and-Fireworks-Walt-Disney-World-Resort.png)
Photo: Disney
The other story we’re tracking is still a bit premature. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t officially open until Friday.
However, the sneak previews have been a bit…shaky. Disney added a new Boarding Paused status to account for some technical difficulties.
!['Princess and the Frog' Cast Tiana's Bayou Adventure](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tianas-bayou-adventure-cast.jpeg)
!['Princess and the Frog' Cast Tiana's Bayou Adventure](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tianas-bayou-adventure-cast.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
In other instances, Magic Kingdom simply didn’t open the virtual queue due to the attraction’s unavailability.
None of this is surprising. In fact, I predicted it, but Disney officials need to get the kinks worked out quickly.
Otherwise, you’ll read a lot of disingenuous negative headlines about a wonderful new ride.
On the bright side, this story is wholesome and embodies everything I feel about the attraction.
![Tiana's Bayou Adventure](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-tianas-bayou-adventure-cast-member-preview-46.jpg)
![Tiana's Bayou Adventure](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-tianas-bayou-adventure-cast-member-preview-46.jpg)
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Switching to My Disney Experience, this update made me very happy. Whenever I load the app, I see Old Key West, and I smile.
Finally, Disney Cruise Line announced new itineraries for 2025 and 2026.
![Captain Minnie!](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-dcl-disney-cruise-line-port-of-everglades-fort-lauderdale-florida-disney-magic62-scaled.jpg)
![Captain Minnie!](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-dcl-disney-cruise-line-port-of-everglades-fort-lauderdale-florida-disney-magic62-scaled.jpg)
Captain Minnie!
Please check them out and then speak to a MickeyTravels agent if you like anything you see!
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