TouringPlans Travel Beat 1-19-2025

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!

• New Mobile Order App Feature Now Available
• Space Mountain Turns 50!
• Indoor Playground Refurb at Dumbo
• Lunar New Year Begins at Disneyland Resort
• Tropical Americas Breaks Ground
• Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Reopens With Changes
• New Details for Upcoming Disney World Attractions
• Headline News Recap

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

New Mobile Order App Feature Now Available

If you’re using an iPhone, Mobile Ordering at Disney World and Disneyland just got easier. On Monday the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps got an update that lets iOS live activities be used for Mobile Ordering. You can now indicate to prepare your order, monitor the progress, and see when it’s ready for pickup all from the lock screen without needing to open your phone.

Space Mountain Turns 50!

Happy Half-a-Century to Space Mountain! The ride opened in the Magic Kingdom on January 15, 1975, and celebrated its golden anniversary on Wednesday. In honor of the date Disney held a small ceremony, and the attraction’s iconic dome was lit in gold for the evening.

Indoor Playground Refurb at Dumbo

The indoor playground at Dumbo in the Magic Kingdom will be getting a little TLC in the next few weeks. The waiting area will close for refurbishment beginning January 27, and reopen sometime in the spring.

Lunar New Year Begins at Disneyland Resort

The Lunar New Year celebration began at Disneyland Resort on Friday. The event, which runs through February 16, includes special menu items throughout the resort (look for upcoming coverage here) as well as special decor and a Mulan pre-show scene at World of Color — One. Plus of course, new costumes for Mickey and Minnie!

Tropical Americas Breaks Ground

Disney wasted no time getting started on Tropical Americas. Triceratop Spin, Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, and the Fossil Fun Games in Dinoland closed permanently on Monday to make way for the land’s reimagining. The ceremonial “breaking ground” pic for Tropical Americas was shared on Friday.

Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Reopens With Changes

With the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay now removed at Disneyland, guests had their first chance to see the effects of the ride refurbishment that began in August 2023. Updates include significant changes to the bride in the attic scene, who has been updated with the latest in projection technology. The “ghost will follow you home” imagery as the ride comes to a close has also been updated.

As part of the same refurbishment, the queue was updated and Madame Leota’s Somewhere Beyond gift shop was added. The gift shop opened on December 23, and this week Guy took us on a photo tour. Photos: Disneyland’s New Haunted Mansion Gift Shop.

New Details for Upcoming Disney World Attractions

I feel like we’re going to rewrite this headline a few more times for Disney World, and even a few more times for these two attractions … but Disney released a few new details this week about the upcoming Villains show in Hollywood Studios, and about the Starlight Parade that’s coming to the Magic Kingdom this summer.

For Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, we learned that we’ll see the cast of villains attempt to convince us how they’ve gotten a bad rap over the years. The Magic Mirror has brought us, the audience, to the theater to hear their side of the story — and in the finale, we decide who has been the most unfairly treated of them all. The new show opens this summer at Hollywood Studios, along with The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.

Over in the Magic Kingdom, we didn’t get a lot of details about the show itself, but we did get some brand-new concept art. The art (above) shows the “Princess” float, featuring some of your favorite Disney princesses in a ballroom setting. And we learned that the Costuming team has been designing garments with lights and glimmer built in to help the parade light up the night.

Headline News Recap

At Disneyland, the big news this week is that Magic Key Passes will go on sale again. Look for sales to open on Wednesday: Go-Go-Go! Magic Key Pass Sales Return January 22, 2025.

At Disney World, the big news is the opening of EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts for 2025, which launched on Friday and will continue through February 24, 2025. Check out our review of the Festival’s food stroll, and look for more coverage here throughout the week. Review: 2025 Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine at EPCOT Festival of the Arts.

Coming up this week: the new Stella Luna hotel opens at Universal Orlando. We’ll be there to check out the resort and a new room! Also just ahead:

• The Hall of Presidents closes this week for updates as it does whenever the Presidency changes hands
• its a small world holiday closes at Disneyland for removal of the holiday overlay
• The first 2025 After Hours at Hollywood Studios kicks off on Wednesday
• Friday the 24th is Anaheim Ducks Day at Disneyland
• Rock the Universe begins on the 24th at Universal Orlando

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