TouringPlans Travel Beat 10-19-2024

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? (Hot take: it was a doozy.) 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!

Before we get started, an update on Travel Beat – starting next week, we’ll be moving to Sunday!

• Louis’ Critter Club & Hungry Bear Barbecue Openings at Disneyland Resort
• First Dinoland USA Closures Announced
• Jungle and Jingle Cruise News
• Major Big Thunder Mountain Refurb Begins in January
• Giant Pandas Return to Washington DC Zoo
• Baby Tiger Announcement at Animal Kingdom
• Disney Cruise Line in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
• Seasonal Entertainment at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom
• JOYFUL! to Take the Communicore Plaza Stage at EPCOT
• Disney Cruise Line Increases Concierge Gratuities
• Headline News Recap

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

Louis’ Critter Club & Hungry Bear Barbecue Openings at Disneyland Resort

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens at Disneyland on November 15, but parts of the reimagined Critter Country – to be known as Bayou Country after the opening – will be making their debuts a bit earlier. The Louis’ Critter Club merchandise location will open on November 13. And The Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree Quick-Service location will be opening next week on October 25. The menu was previously announced and covered here: TouringPlans Travel Beat 8-17-2024.

First Dinoland USA Closures Announced

As Disney World begins the transformation of Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland U.S.A. into the Tropical Americas, the first wave of closures now has a date on it. The last day of operations for TriceraTop Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures will be January 12, 2025. Construction walls will go up on January 13, but DINOSAUR, the Boneyard, Restaurantosaurus, Dino-Bite Snacks, and Trilo-Bites will remain open a while longer.

Major Big Thunder Mountain Refurb Begins in January

You’ll have five days to ride Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain in 2025, as the ride is scheduled to close for refurbishment on January 6, 2025. It will reopen with new enhancements sometime in 2026.

Giant Pandas Return to Washington DC Zoo

Bao Li and Qing Bao, a pair of 3-year-old giant pandas, were welcomed to their new home at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. this week. Zoo officials confirm that they’re eating, sleeping, and settling in well. Visitors to the zoo will need to wait a few months to see the bears in person, when they make their public debut on January 24. But if you can’t make it to D.C., the zoo promises that Giant Panda Cam will launch after the bears are on view to the public.

Baby Tiger Announcement at Animal Kingdom

You know we love the babies here at Travel Beat, and this week Disney announced that baby tiger Bakso has joined the Sumatran tigers at Animal Kingdom just under three weeks ago. Bakso is currently receiving the best care from his mom Sohni and the animal care team, and guests will be able to see him on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in a few months.

Disney Cruise Line in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

New York City closer than Orlando or Anaheim? This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will see a brand-new Disney Cruise Line float, so you can watch from Herald Square – or maybe just see it on TV from your sofa.

“Magic Meets the Seas” features the bows of eight ships and highlights the Disney Treasure, which will sail its maiden voyage in December. Captain Mickey Mouse and Captain Minnie Mouse will top the float and be joined by a number of special guests. Alongside, look for a new, specially choreographed performance starring beloved characters from Disney Animation, Pixar, and more.

Seasonal Entertainment at Disney World Parks

Disney World has announced its holiday lineup for Disney World, and as you might expect it’s a mix of old and new. Let’s dive in!

Magic Kingdom Holiday Entertainment

Join Olaf at the castle stage for a “Frozen Holiday Surprise!” Friends from Arendelle will turn Cinderella Castle into a shimmering ice palace for the remainder of the evening on select nights from November 8 to December 20, 2024.

Jingle Cruise, the holiday overlay for the Jungle Cruise, is returning on November 2, and throughout the park you can look for festive decorations, merch, and snacks.

EPCOT Holiday Entertainment

The Festival of the Holidays kicks off on November 29, and you can be sure we’ll have lots of coverage of the food, the entertainment, and everything else.

Look for the return of Holiday Storytellers, the Candlelight Processional, and more. Plus, Living with the Land gets a holiday glow-up into Living With the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses.

Hollywood Studios Holiday Entertainment

Hollywood Studios will be the first to see touches of Christmas, as decorations often appear before Halloween. The official transformation begins on November 12. You’ll find the Holiday Spirit Band returning, along with brand-new seasonal acts including, we hear, juggling elves.

Toy Story pals will greet in holiday finery in Toy Story Land, the Frozen Sing-Along is getting a festive finale, and in the evenings, the returning Sunset Seasons Greetings transforms the park’s icon with a variety of lighting packages to create a Muppets gingerbread masterpiece, a Toy Story toy hotel, a snowy corner of Arendelle, and a Dickensian village from Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

Animal Kingdom Holiday Entertainment

Animal Kingdom is also bringing out the Christmas Magic starting on November 12. The Merry Menagerie puppets are favorites with most of the TouringPlans team, and elsewhere in the park DinoLand U.S.A. will host a dinosaur-themed carnival. In the evenings, Tree of Life Awakenings will dazzle as the park’s icon comes to life with animal spirits in a display of color and light.

You can meet Mickey & Minnie as always at Adventurers Outpost, but during the season they’ll be wearing holiday attire. And new this year, Santa is the guest of honor at the 75th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party. You can meet him on the patio from November 12 to November 24.

Disney Springs and the Resorts

At Disney Springs, the Christmas Tree Stroll returns, along with a nightly snowfall. Look for trees featuring Mufasa: The Lion King, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coco, Lilo and Stitch, and more. Plus of course, an opportunity to get your holiday shopping done and snack on seasonal fare at the outdoor mall’s eateries.

At the resorts, you’ll find holiday-themed treats along with gingerbread displays in select locations. And of course, each resort will feature a grand Christmas tree, with decorations to match the location.

JOYFUL! to Take the Communicore Plaza Stage at EPCOT

Want a little Christmas magic on your visit to the Festival of the Holidays, but not quite prepared to take on the Candlelight Processional? JOYFUL! returns and will perform 4 times a day in a new location – The Communicore Plaza Stage.

Disney Cruise Line Increases Concierge Gratuities

If you’re sailing in concierge on Disney Cruise Line, you’re recommended to tip a bit more, beginning immediately. The new daily rate is $23.50 per night, per stateroom guest, and includes the same crew as gratuities for those in non-Concierge staterooms, plus gratuity for the Concierge Lounge team.

Headline News Recap

So. Many. Headlines. This. Week.

Let’s get started with: Disney Parks to Test Out All-Access Lightning Lane Premiere Pass. It’s been announced as a pilot, but realistically we can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t become permanent unless it somehow doesn’t make money.

Next: 2024 Candlelight Processional Schedule and Dining Packages. New this year: more restaurants offering dining packages, but somehow we don’t have prices yet.

Disney Vacation Club worried that some members who are eligible for Membership Extras might not feel they were spending enough money: Disney Vacation Club Adds Extra Cost Membership Extras.

Universal Orlando says “Disney, hold my beer”: Universal Epic Universe Opens May 22, 2025.

Last but not least, if you’re willing to head to Singapore, the full Disney Adventure reveal is out and gotta be honest, it looks great. Everything You Need to Know About the Disney Adventure.

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