TouringPlans Travel Beat 2-2-2025

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!

• Donkey Kong Added to Epic Universe Meet & Greets
• Bakso Goes on Show at Animal Kingdom
• Former Galactic Starcruiser to Become Office Space
• Universal Studios First Responder Heroes Ticket Released
• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Refurb
• Star of the Seas to Launch Earlier Than Expected
• Dine & Play Returns to Disney Cruising
• Southwest Postpones Extra Legroom Rollout
• Jellyrolls Closing at Disney Boardwalk
• Headline News Recap

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

Donkey Kong Added to Epic Universe Meet & Greets

Universal is slowly filling out details on its Epic Universe site, and this week Donkey Kong was added to the Meet & Greet lineup. He’ll be joining Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad in meetings at Super Nintendo World.

Bakso Goes on Show at Animal Kingdom

Possibly you have been following along as Disney released weekly updates about the baby tiger Bakso, born in September at Animal Kingdom. This week Bakso made his debut on the Maharajah Jungle Trek, we know that at least some people were following the news because we went over to get pictures and the line was loooooong. But worth it!

Former Galactic Starcruiser to Become Office Space

If you were hoping that the former Galactic Starcruiser (or maybe that’s Halcyon to you) would return in something related to its original form, it’s time for us all to come back to Earth. Multiple sources are reporting that it will be used for office space as Walt Disney Imagineering ramps up its presence on-site to oversee all the new projects going on at Disney World over the next several years.

Universal Studios First Responder Heroes Ticket Released

In the wake of the L.A. wildfires, Universal has released a special discount ticket available to first responders and good through April 10. All active First Responders can get a complimentary ticket for themselves, plus 3 more at half-price for friends and family to use. For this offer, First Responder includes any of: paramedics/emergency medical technicians, firefighters, police officers/Sheriff’s deputies, and National Guard members. See Universal’s offer page for more details.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Refurb

Visitors to Disneyland resort in mid-March may miss the chance to break out with the Guardians. The Tower of Terror-style ride goes down for a short refurb on March 10. The good news: it’s expected to be back up by the end of March.

Star of the Seas to Launch Earlier Than Expected

Sometimes inaugural sailings are delayed, as previously happened with Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas. Well, now construction speed has turned around, and the second Icon-class ship is expected to arrive early. So what to do about the inaugural? RCL has announced that the August 31 2025 Inaugural Sailing will remain the official inaugural, but a pair of “showcase sailings” will be added prior to the inaugural departure.

Guests who are booked on the inaugural are being offered an early option to move their booking or add on one of the showcase sailings. When she arrives, the Star will be homeported at Port Canaveral and sail alternating Eastern & Western Caribbean itineraries, similar to the Disney Wish and the Disney Treasure.

Dine & Play Returns to Disney Cruising

Dine & Play has restarted on Disney Cruise Line, returning in a phased approach across the fleet from February 1 to February 3. This program, which allows diners at the 2nd seating to hand their children off to Oceaneer Club staff after some family mealtime and enjoy a leisurely finish to the meal, has been paused since COVID.

Southwest Postpones Extra Legroom Rollout

Southwest has a lot of flights to Florida, and it’s a popular choice for visitors to Orlando. A few months ago, the airline announced that it would begin installing (and selling) extra legroom seats and would also be moving (in the future) to assigned seating. The target rollout for the upcharge and assigned seating was the first half of 2026, but Southwest expected to begin installing them in mid-March of 2025. That date has now changed, and the new seats will begin installing sometime in the middle of this year. No word on whether that will delay downstream target dates.

Jellyrolls Closing at Disney Boardwalk

Jellyrolls Dueling Piano Bar has announced it will be leaving Disney’s Boardwalk sometime after the spring season. They hinted a possible reopening in a new location outside of Disney World, but there’s no solid news on that. And also no word from Disney about what might replace it on the Boardwalk.

Headline News Recap

Festival of the Arts is still running, but it won’t be long before it’s Flower & Garden time. This week the concert lineup and dining package info was released: 2025 Garden Rocks Concert Lineup and Dining Packages

Universal Orlando Mardi Gras started yesterday. If you’re heading over, check out our guide: Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2025 Guide

Finally, Universal Studios Hollywood finally gave us some more details about the new Universal Fan Fest Nights event – including ticket info. Universal Hollywood Fan Fest Nights Guide

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