TouringPlans Travel Beat 11-17-2024

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? (Spoiler alert: lots of Disneyland news.) 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!

• Tiana’s Palace at Disneyland Gets a Menu Glow-Up
• New Fantasmic! Dining Package at Café Orleans in January
• New Details for Disneyland Paris Entertainment in 2025
• Downtown Disney District Dining and Shopping Updates
• Disney Treasure Arrives in Port Canaveral
• New Magic Key Sales are Paused
• Universal Mardi Gras 2025 Dates Announced
• Long Live Bayou Country, Critter Country is No More
• Wicked: The Experience Opens at Universal Orlando
• Headline News Recap

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

Tiana’s Palace at Disneyland Gets a Menu Glow-Up

Just in time for the Disneyland opening of her signature attraction, Tiana’s restaurant is getting a few new menu items. Look for Catfish Po’boy, Jambalaya (chicken, andouille sausage), Strawberry cream-filled Beignet, and classic beignets dusted with sugar and honey. The classic beignets are an opening weekend special only available through November 17; you’ll have a little longer to get over there and try out the rest.

New Fantasmic! Dining Package at Café Orleans in January

Guests visiting Disneyland in 2025 will have a new option for Fantasmic! Dining packages: Café Orleans. Beginning January 10, the package includes a 3-course dining experience:

• ️ Appetizer: Choice of gumbo or sweet potato and lentil hummus (Plant-based)
• Steak Frites Entrée: Ribeye and petite watercress salad served with a béarnaise sauce or choose any of our current entrée offerings
• Chocolate Decadence Tart Dessert: Dark chocolate coffee custard with chocolate cookie crust topped with a mousse rock and Mickey decoration

And of course, a seat at the show. The Café Orleans Fantasmic! Dining Package will be available for both lunch and dinner.

New Details for Disneyland Paris Entertainment in 2025

On the international front, Disneyland Paris will be debuting a new nighttime spectacular in 2025, and they’ve also announced a new music festival during the summer months.

The new show, “Disney Tales of Magic”, will feature pyrotechnics, fountain displays, lasers, 60 brand-new ultra-powerful lighting fixtures, an all-new architectural LED lighting package, a new immersive audio system, and of course drones. But as we all know, it’s not about what you’ve got in your toolbox, it’s how you use it, right? Guests can look forward to storytelling that evokes the most emotional moments of Disney favorites, including “Pinocchio,” “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Encanto,” “Inside Out,” “WALL-E,” and more. The new show rolls out on January 10, 2025.

Just a few months later, Disneyland Paris will host its first-ever “Disney Music Festival”. The inspiration for this event is a well-known French festival “Fête de la Musique,” and guests can look forward to live musical moments with favorite songs from Disney and Pixar films as they enjoy the park. The music festival will run from April 19, 2025 through September 7, 2025.

One last tidbit from Paris, on a short timeline. Agatha Harkness will be headed to Marvel Avengers Campus in pairs, joining Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch in the new Doctor Strange: Mystery of the Mystics show debuting next week on November 23.

Downtown Disney District Dining and Shopping Updates

There’s been a multi-year refresh going on at California’s Downtown Disney District, and this week brought lots of news about openings and closings.

• Avengers Reserve (comic books, must-have collectibles, Super Hero-inspired apparel and role-play toys for all ages) opens December 6, 2024
• D-Lander Shop (trend forward fashions and co-branded collections of apparel, handbags and jewelry including Kate Spade, Dooney & Bourke and a dedicated Pandora Jewelry shop-within-a-shop) also opens December 6.
• Disney Wonderful World of Sweets (favorite snacks such as caramel apples, sour balls, lollipops, churro toffee, and freshly made Werther’s Original Caramel popcorn) opens “this winter”.

Parkside Market will also be opening “this winter”. The four-location mini-mall of fast-casual eateries will host the previously announced Seoul Sister (Korean-style rice bowls), Sip & Sonder (lattes, frozen drinks, and small bites), and GG’s Chicken Shop. The previously-announced but unnamed second-story bar now has a moniker: Vista Parkside Market.

Moving to the “more details coming eventually” section of the announcements, there’s concept art for the previously announced Porto’s, and two brand-new restaurant announcements. The concept art is nothing earth-shaking, but it did come with the note that this will be the first Porto’s location with sit-down service and a full bar. So that’s different.

Meanwhile, two new restaurants from Michelin-starred Chef Joe Isidori are going in on the footprint left behind by Tortilla Jo’s. Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon will be … wait for it … a steakhouse. Look for prime cuts of beef, along with fresh seafood, salads, and sandwiches for those who want a little not-steak variety. Adjoining, Pearl’s Roadside BBQ will be Quick-Service featuring … wait for it … BBQ! Pulled poor, beef brisket, and smoked heritage turkey will anchor the menu, along with craft beers and moonshine cocktails.

Disney Treasure Arrives in Port Canaveral

It’s been an exciting week for the Disney Treasure. She paused on the way to Port Canaveral to rescue four people from a sinking catamaran. She arrived safely in port in Florida. And we all learned that the “godparent” of the new ship will be the “The Walt Disney Company cast, crew, Imagineers and employees around the world.” If you’re so inclined, you can tune in on November 19 to watch the christening on livestream.

New Magic Key Sales are Paused

Just under a week after they went on sale again, Disney announced that the purchase of new Magic Keys has been paused. All four pass types are available for renewal.

Universal Mardi Gras 2025 Dates Announced

If you didn’t make it to Orlando for the Christmas holidays, maybe you’ll put a marker in your calendar for Mardi Gras. Universal’s celebration of Carnaval returns next year from February 1 through March 30, 2025. With the date announcement, bookings have opened for the Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience. The Experience includes a guaranteed seat on a Mardi Gras float during the event’s parade, along with a meal at any of 8 participating restaurants. Tap here to book.

Long Live Bayou Country, Critter Country is No More

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is officially open at Disneyland, stepping into the anchor attraction role of Bayou Country. In case you missed the previous announcements, Bayou Country is the new name of the former Critter Country.  Other aspects of the transformation included the Hungry Bear makeover into the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, and installation of two new merchandise locations: Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club.

Wicked: The Experience Opens at Universal Orlando

Follow the yellow brick road that starts just inside the front gate of Universal Studios Florida to the fantastical Land of Oz … or, we mean, Universal’s brand new Wicked Experience. Guests can browse this themed mini-museum with costume and prop replicas from the film, photo-ops, and of course, merch. Perhaps closer to your home, the film opens on November 22.

Headline News Recap

Lots of Disneyland in the quick hits this week, and in the headlines we have a ticket deal for Disney+ Subscribers. Disney+ Subscriber 2-plus-1 Disneyland Ticket Deal for Holidays 2024

Some news you’ve been waiting for this week if you’ve got a December trip to Disney World coming up. 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Menus

And Universal is also in the mix, with details on the 2025 Universal Military Freedom Pass. Universal Military Freedom Pass – Frequently Asked Questions

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