TouringPlans Travel Beat 12-8-2024

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? (Sneak peak, a ton of Disneyland headlines.) 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!

• Walt Disney World in 2025: What and When
• New Lions Join the Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Ray & Evangeline Light Up the Sky on Disney World’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• Disneyland Paris Celebrates Notre Dame Reopening
• Universal Hollywood in 2025: What and When
• Virgin Voyages Debuts Annual Pass for Cruising
• Headline News Recap

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

Walt Disney World in 2025: What and When

Disney World wants you to know what to look forward to in 2025 if you’re planning to give a trip under the Christmas tree. The announcement was a little short on dates – OK, it was a lot short on dates – but it should give you an idea of what’s coming when if something is important to your visit, and some announcements even came with a few extra details.

New Shows at Hollywood Studios

The new show that’s replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is set to debut this summer at Hollywood Studios. This show was previously announced, but now we’ve got the full name (Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After) and a brief plot. Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent, break through the Magic Mirror to “take center stage and captivate you with performances full of witty humor and mischievous charm” along with others from the Villain realm.

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is the awaited replacement for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It’s also set to join the show roster this summer.

EPCOT: Spaceship Earth Lounge & Test Track Reopening

The new Spaceship Earth Lounge will welcome guests in late spring. Shockingly, it still appears to be called “Spaceship Earth Lounge”, but the chance to announce a 15-syllable name hasn’t passed yet.

Test Track sponsored by General Motors will also be reopening at EPCOT this year. Look for cars on the track for testing (har har) early this year, with the attraction reopening expected in late summer.

Magic Kingdom Parade & Tavern

News on the new parade at Magic Kingdom: the full name is the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade. Look for floats based on Peter Pan, Encanto, Frozen, Moana, and more, woven together by the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio using the magic of Starlight. This one is “coming to light up your summer” which implies a late spring debut?

Over in Adventureland, look for the Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern to open for business in late 2025.

Animal Kingdom in 2025

Last but not least, look for the brand new show Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, which will open at the Tree of Life Theater in winter 2025. A closing date hasn’t been announced yet for It’s Tough to be a Bug. And those wanting to take a last ride on DINOSAUR will have all of 2025 to do it; Disney has shared that it is not expected to close as part of the Tropical Americas reimagining until 2026.

New Lions Join the Kilimanjaro Safaris

After more than a decade, lions Dakari and Kamari retired from Kilimanjaro Safaris last month, and this week a new pride of three made their debut on the Animal Kingdom attraction. The savanna welcomed Mshango, Zahara, and Neema, two-year-old siblings who have joined Animal Kingdom from the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Ray & Evangeline Light Up the Sky on Disney World’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

There’s been a certain amount of grumbling about Be Fair to Florida since Disneyland’s version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure debuted last month, with many in the theme park community expressing that they felt the Disneyland version is superior. Well, this week Disney announced a little plussing of the Disney World version, with Ray and Evangeline added in the sky near the end of the ride.

Disneyland Paris Celebrates Notre Dame Reopening

If you are visiting Disneyland Paris between now and December 14, you’ll have the opportunity to see a special tribute to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral to the public today. “Disney ❤ Notre-Dame de Paris,” is a preshow segment that will run before the park’s “Illuminations” nighttime spectacular, featuring drones, fireworks, and projections on Sleeping Beauty Castle. Can’t make it to Paris? You can watch it on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgewvlbub3o

Universal Hollywood in 2025: What and When

Universal Hollywood has released dates for its major events in 2025, along with an Annual Pass discount. Purchase an Annual Pass online now through April 23, 2025 to save $50, and take note of the following dates in 2025 when you’re visiting.

• Feb. 1 – Mar. 20, 2025: Pass Member Bonus Benefits
• Mar. 1 – May 31, 2025: Butterbeer Season
• Apr. 28 – May 18, 2025: Universal FanFest Nights on Select Evenings
• May 1 – May 31, 2025: Pass Member Collectible Giveaway
• June 2025: Pass Member Park Takeover
• Jun. 14 – Aug. 10, 2025: New Summer Event (that is not the name – this is a new event that they’ll tell us about later)
• Jul. 4, 2025: Fourth of July Celebrations
• Aug. – Sep. 1, 2025: Race to Hogwarts
• Aug. 15, – Sep. 30, 2025: Pass Member Appreciation Days
• Sep. 4 – Nov. 2, 2025: Halloween Horror Nights
• Nov. 1 – Nov. 30, 2025: Pass Member Collectible Giveaway
• Nov. – Dec., 2025: Holidays at Universal
• Dec. 2025: Pass Member Holiday Park Takeover
• Dec. 31, 2025: New Year’s Eve

Virgin Voyages Debuts Annual Pass for Cruising

Spend up to 365 days at sea in 2025 on Virgin Voyages with their brand new Annual Pass for cruising. The price is steep as you might expect – $120,000 – but sailors can bring a plus one on their cruises and are eligible for all of Virgin’s Deep Blue Extras. Sound good? Check out the details here: https://www.virginvoyages.com/cruises/year-long-annual-pass

Headline News Recap

No lie, there was So. Much. News. this week and most of it was out of Disneyland. You saw above that we got a hand wavy event calendar for Disney World, and a big overview for Universal, but Disneyland brought the goods with everything from a discount to hard ticket event dates.

• New 2025 Disneyland Ticket Offer for Southern California Residents
• Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary in 2025 – What’s on Tap!
• Dates and Details for 2025 Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland
• Disneyland After Dark Themed Nights for 2025
• 2025 Disneyland Event Calendar

With all that Disneyland excitement, you’ll be happy to hear that we launched our updated and refreshed Lines app for Disneyland this week too: Introducing Lines 2.0 for Disneyland! And maybe it’s not news, but you might want to take a look at Guy’s 2025 Disneyland Trip Planning Guide

At Disney World, as we head toward the opening of the new Island Tower at the Poly, we got dining news: Menus Are Out for New Wailulu Bar & Grill at the Polynesian Island Tower.

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