TouringPlans Travel Beat 9-21-2024

At Travel Beat we have all the “other” news from the last week or so—the stuff that wasn’t big enough to stop the presses for. What did the newsroom bring us this week? Bullets are just ahead if you’re in a hurry, and more details follow below. Don’t forget to check out the Headline News Recap, in case there was something you missed!

• Rock the Universe Dates at Universal Orlando in January 2025
• Online Passport Renewal Available in the United States
• Entertainment Details for Jollywood Nights 2024
• Pecos Bill’s Gets a Brand New Menu
• Disney Treasure Headed to Open Water Sea Trials
• New Arctic Theater Attraction for SeaWorld Orlando
• Headline News Recap

Can you guess which story inspired this week’s cover image? Leave your guesses in the comments!

Rock the Universe Dates at Universal Orlando in January 2025

Universal Orlando’s Christian music festival, Rock the Universe, will be held early next year on January 24 and 25, 2025 at Universal Studios Florida. In addition to the headline performances, guests can participate in worship experiences throughout the weekend, including a Sunday morning service on January 26. Guests can now purchase tickets to the event; a 3-Park Rock Your Weekend Ticket starts at $163.99 per person and includes access to Rock the Universe on both Friday, January 24, and Saturday, January 25, along with three days of admission to Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Volcano Bay. The full concert lineup is below.

• Friday, January 24
  • Brandon Lake
  • Matthew West
  • Rend Collective
  • KB
  • Katy Nichole
  • Tasha Layton
  • Iveth Luna
  • Coqui
  • Aaron Cole
• Saturday, January 25
  • Forrest Frank
  • Bethel Music
  • ELEVATION RHYTHM
  • Josiah Queen
  • Taya
  • Caleb Gordon
  • Consumed by Fire
  • Coqui
  • Allison Eide

Online Passport Renewal Available in the United States

Good news for international travelers from the United States! Renewing your passport just got a lot easier as you can do the process entirely online, from application to payment to photo upload. The option is available as long as you are a U.S. Citizen and are renewing a passport that has expired within the last five years, or will expire within the coming year. Online renewal isn’t available for those looked for expedited processing, and regular processing times won’t change (currently it’s six to eight weeks). But at least you won’t need to leave your sofa to check this off your list.

Entertainment Details for Jollywood Nights 2024

Details have been tightened up a bit for the second year of Jollywood Nights. Notable changes from last year include:

• Jingle Jingle Bam! moves to a 10 pm start time.
• The all-new “Glisten” skating spectacular to be held on Hollywood Boulevard
• José Carioca and Panchito from The Three Caballeros are joining the Holiday Fiesta en la Calle in its new location at Animation Courtyard
• Jazzy Holidays at the Hollywood Brown Derby is now a reservation-only experience

That last bit is probably one of the most impactful changes, as use of the Walk-Up Waitlist during last year’s event was … not a success. Reservations are now open: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-studios/brown-derby-jazzy-holidays/. For dates and ticket prices: 2024 Jollywood Nights Dates and Ticket Info.

Pecos Bill’s Gets a Brand New Menu

Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn & Cafe launched a brand new menu this week, injecting a little excitement into the mid-week routine at the Magic Kingdom. The cuisine is still Tex-Mex but the offerings have gotten an upgrade. A notable feature is the “Create Your Own Bowl” options where you choose a base and protein to make a meal of your favorite flavors, similar to Satu’li Canteen in Animal Kingdom. We’ve already sent our parks team over to taste, so look forward to a review here this week.

Disney Treasure Headed to Open Water Sea Trials

The Disney Treasure’s maiden voyage is coming up in just a few months, and this week she passed another milestone. On Wednesday the Treasure sailed out of the Meyer Werft shipyard, moving under tugboat guidance down the Ems River toward open water. Next up: sea trials with Captain Marco before she heads across the Atlantic.

New Arctic Theater Attraction for SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando announced a new attraction scheduled to open in spring of 2025: a Flying Arctic Theater that invites guests to “soar through the skies and dive into the icy depths of the Arctic like never before”. Details are skimpy, but if you were thinking “iMAX” when you saw the word theater, be aware that the 39″ height requirement hints more at something like Soarin’ than simply a screen effect.

Headline News Recap

Volcano Bay is making an official switch to seasonal operations for the winter months this year – it’s still open, but not every day. Volcano Bay to Switch to Seasonal Operations in October.

If you’ve been waiting to buy points at the Polynesian’s new Island Tower (or to make reservations with points) the schedule for that is out! Disney Vacation Club Will Begin Sales of the Island Tower at the Polynesian Resort in October.

That’s it for this week’s Travel Beat. What news are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!