MickeyBlog News for July 22nd, 2024
This week, a classic Disney attraction returns in a new form, Walt Disney World’s most popular ride adds a new feature, and…airports. Just airports.
We’ve had such a strange week of MickeyBlog News.
Rise of the Resistance Is Too Popular
Let’s start with the most pleasant surprise of the week.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has hosted Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for more than five years now.
![Rise of the Resistance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-galaxys-edge-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-ride-through-stock-22-scaled.jpg)
![Rise of the Resistance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-galaxys-edge-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-ride-through-stock-22-scaled.jpg)
Rise of the Resistance
Since Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance didn’t open until six months later, it’s not quite five years old.
Over that timeframe, this ride has dominated Walt Disney World in terms of popularity, but it has faced perennial challenges.
While the attraction’s throughput is quite good, it’s not enough to match the demand. Also, the ride breaks down a lot.
Thankfully, the issues are nowhere near as problematic as they were during the early days, but it’s still less reliable than most attractions.
The sheer complexity of Rise of the Resistance causes it to shut down at times.
When that happens, the entire park experiences a kind of bottleneck, as people wait out the downtime.
In a perfect world, Rise of the Resistance would host enough enough guests to make up for the shutdowns.
As things stand, the attraction has already reduced wait times by roughly half over the past few years.
Ordinarily, I’d dismiss that as the ride losing popularity, but…Rise of the Resistance hasn’t.
So, Disney needs new ways to get more guests into the attraction, and there’s a new strategy.
Rise of the Resistance Single Rider
Currently, park officials are testing one tactic that I suspect will become permanent. I wouldn’t mention it otherwise.
Rise of the Resistance now offers a Single Rider option.
![Single Rider line](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-single-rider-line4-scaled.jpg)
![Single Rider line](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-single-rider-line4-scaled.jpg)
Single Rider line
There’s good news and bad news with this announcement. The bad news is that you’ll skip roughly one-third of the experience.
You’ll basically enter at the Storm Trooper room. So, you miss the section where your spacecraft gets taken hostage.
![Star Destroyer](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-single-rider-line11-scaled.jpg)
![Star Destroyer](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-single-rider-line11-scaled.jpg)
Star Destroyer
On the plus side, you do still interact with the Cast Members portraying members of The First Order, my favorite part of the experience.
However, for some nausea-prone guests, this is doubly good news.
Some folk get an upset stomach when they experience the motion simulation on that first spacecraft.
By skipping it, you really only miss the interaction with Rey since you don’t want to ride on the first ship.
![Rise of the Resistance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance.png)
![Rise of the Resistance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance.png)
Photo: US Sun
Still, purists and Star Wars fanatics might lament that they’re missing a good portion of the full ride experience.
The opportunity cost is offset by the fact that Single Rider takes about half the time as the standby line queue.
![Single Rider line](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-single-rider-line-1-scaled.jpg)
![Single Rider line](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-single-rider-line-1-scaled.jpg)
Single Rider line
Think 40-45 minutes rather than 85 minutes. Is that worth the trade-off?
You can decide if/when Single Rider becomes permanent at Rise of the Resistance. For now, it’s in a trial test that seems to be working.
Country Bear Jamboree Opens
![Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-country-bear-musical-jamboree-preview15-scaled.jpg)
![Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-country-bear-musical-jamboree-preview15-scaled.jpg)
Country Bear Musical Jamboree
MickeyBlog already gave you all the details in last week’s news update and plenty of other site content.
Still, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that it’s official now. Country Bear Musical Jamboree has opened at Magic Kingdom.
![Old Country Bear Jamboree attraction poster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-country-bear-musical-jamboree-opening-day2-scaled.jpg)
![Old Country Bear Jamboree attraction poster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-wdw-mk-magic-kingdom-country-bear-musical-jamboree-opening-day2-scaled.jpg)
Old Country Bear Jamboree attraction poster
If you’re unfamiliar with the show’s history, it’s a 1971 Walt Disney World original, and it’s significant in Disney history.
I say this because Walt Disney worked on the ride himself, which shouldn’t be possible, given that he died in 1966.
![Ernest Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wdw-mk-country-bears-reintroduction-1-1536x1024-1.jpg)
![Ernest Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wdw-mk-country-bears-reintroduction-1-1536x1024-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
Before his death, Uncle Walt hoped to build a ski lodge, and he planned the Country Bears Audio-Animatronics to anchor the experience.
After he died, the ski lodge project collapsed due to bureaucracy, forcing Imagineers to come up with a new plan.
![Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_4088-e1721225810798.jpg)
![Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_4088-e1721225810798.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Country Bear Jamboree was the result of that brainstorming, and it delighted guests during those early years.
Alas, the show simply wasn’t a draw during the 21st century.
![The Sun Bonnet Trio](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wdw-mk-country-bears-reintroduction-10-1536x1025-1.jpg)
![The Sun Bonnet Trio](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wdw-mk-country-bears-reintroduction-10-1536x1025-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
Depending on your perspective, it was either quaint or dated.
So, park officials hired the late Jimmy Buffett’s BFF, Mac McAnally, to modernize the show by adding Disney tunes.
![Bear Five Rugs Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wdw-mk-country-bears-reintroduction-3-1536x1024-1.jpg)
![Bear Five Rugs Country Bear Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wdw-mk-country-bears-reintroduction-3-1536x1024-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney Park Blog
The results of that decision were on full display this week.
For the second time this year, crowds gathered at Country Bear Jamboree. The first time was the month the original show closed.
Fans wanted to experience Country Bear Jamboree one last time, just as they wanted to try Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
The early reviews are glowingly positive. We’ll have to wait and see whether its appeal proves as lasting as the original, though.
![Country Bears Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Country-Bears-Musical-JamboreeMG_4327.jpg)
![Country Bears Musical Jamboree](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Country-Bears-Musical-JamboreeMG_4327.jpg)
Photo: Disney
PS: Disney has added the show to Extended Evening Hours, too.
Airport Chaos
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-mco-orlando-international-airport-terminal-c1.png)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-mco-orlando-international-airport-terminal-c1.png)
Photo: MCO
I don’t want to bum you out, especially if you lived it, but this was just a brutal week at Orlando International Airport (MCO).
On Tuesday, July 16th, the airport had to ground plenty of flights due to thunderstorms.
![Airport Storm](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Airport-Storm.jpg)
![Airport Storm](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Airport-Storm.jpg)
Photo: Vaisala
You may have heard that this year’s hurricane season looks to be an aggressive one, and Florida’s already feeling the effect.
In fact, at one point on Tuesday, MCO grounded all flights. Thankfully, that’s a rarity at the airport…but YIKES!
![Orlando International Airport](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/north_terminal_hero_image.jpg)
![Orlando International Airport](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/north_terminal_hero_image.jpg)
Photo: Orlando International Airport
Remarkably, that wasn’t even the worst day at MCO. You can probably guess why.
Yes, this was the week when you found out whether or not your company uses Cloudstrike software.
![Orlando International Airport](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/South-APM-Station-Dawn.jpg)
![Orlando International Airport](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/South-APM-Station-Dawn.jpg)
Photo: Orlando International Airport
As you might have guessed, MCO does. Obviously, I’m being a bit generic here rather than getting into the details of cybersecurity.
The point is that many systems utilize Cloudstrike, whether their companies know it or not. And Cloudstrike…had a bad week.
![Orlando International Airport](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/960x0-2.jpg)
![Orlando International Airport](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/960x0-2.jpg)
Photo: Forbes
The outcome was that people at airports discovered that they weren’t going anywhere on Friday, July 19th.
If you were in any way involved with this, you’ve probably been in a bad mood ever since then. It was rough.
Those of you wondering about MCO that day can watch this video from Adam the Woo, who had regrettably scheduled a trip to Pittsburgh.
Tying the two stories together, people in Single Rider at Rise of the Resistance spent less time standing in line than folks who wanted Starbucks coffee at MCO.
![pic](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/orlando-international-airport-mco.jpg)
![pic](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/orlando-international-airport-mco.jpg)
Photo: OIA
If you were one of the poor unfortunate souls stuck in the middle of this catastrophe, you have my sympathy.
Disney Miscellany
![Test Track concept art](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-epcot-test-track-chevrolet-concept-art-1024x572.jpg)
![Test Track concept art](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-epcot-test-track-chevrolet-concept-art-1024x572.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Let’s quickly cover another dozen minor stories this week.
For starters, Test Track 3.0 work is underway, with Disney filing some construction paperwork. Expect details at the 2024 D23 Expo.
Elsewhere at the park, we learned that the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will host two new booths.
At Hollywood Studios, we just got some holiday-related updates, one of which is that Extended Evening Hours will return soon.
![Disney Jollywood Nights merchandise Disney Jollywood Nights merchandise](https://kubrick.htvapps.com/htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/image00002-66926fa612fab.jpeg?resize=660:*)
WESH 2 News-Disney Jollywood Nights merchandise
That’s because Disney is gearing up for end-of-year festivities. Along those lines, we got our first look at Jollywood Nights merch.
Also, we learned the schedule for Minnie’s Seasonal Dine at Hollywood & Vine.
![Halloween Lights Magic Kingdom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Early-halloween-LightsMG_2870-scaled.jpg)
![Halloween Lights Magic Kingdom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Early-halloween-LightsMG_2870-scaled.jpg)
Halloween Lights Magic Kingdom
At Magic Kingdom, Halloween has already arrived! Well, kind of. We recently spotted some event-related lighting.
Along those lines, another Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party date has sold out. Act fast, y’all!
![My Disney Experience](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/App-UpdatecreenApp-Updatehot-2024-07-19-at-7.41.27-AM-e1721396541205.jpg)
![My Disney Experience](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/App-UpdatecreenApp-Updatehot-2024-07-19-at-7.41.27-AM-e1721396541205.jpg)
Update the App
The other important news is that if you’re using the new Lightning Lane system this week, you MUST update My Disney Experience.
On the West Coast, Disneyland Cast Members have voted to strike. Disney is still negotiating with them. So, stay tuned.
![Disneyland California](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/disneyland-california.webp)
![Disneyland California](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/disneyland-california.webp)
AARONP/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES
Simultaneously, Disney is cracking down on scalped ticket purchases for after-hours events. Don’t do it, folks. Disney knows.
While you’re getting irritated with Disneyland, I’ll mention that several rides are about to undergo refurbishment next month.
On the bright side, the Country Bears are about to take over the new and improved Hungry Bear Restaurant.
So, the beloved Critter Country eatery gets a little better. Have a great week, my friends!
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