TouringPlans Travel Beat 2-9-2025

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!

• Updates to DAS Approval Timeline
• Pixar Putt Comes to Pixar Place at Disneyland
• HongKong Disneyland 20th Anniversary Details
• Droid Depot at Disneyland Goes No-Reservation Soon
• Indiana Jones Adventure Refurb Begins March 17
• Luke Skywalker & R2D2 Coming to Galaxy’s Edge in DLR
• Disneyland Announces Upcoming New Heroes Ticket
• Headline News Recap

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

Updates to DAS Approval Timeline

Disney has changed the approval timeline for its Disability Access Service. Guests will now be able to conduct their interview and find out whether they qualify beginning 60 days in advance of their trip, instead of 30 days. This change is a big win for guests who would cancel if they don’t receive DAS eligibility, as it puts the interview far enough in advance to ease the process of getting refunds.

Pixar Putt Comes to Pixar Place at Disneyland

The Pixar Putt pop-up mini-golf attraction is coming to the Pixar Place Hotel from February 7 to June 1 this year. Tickets are on sale at pixarputt.com, and range from $30 to $34.50 per person ($28/$32.50 plus a $2 service fee) depending on the day of the week. Prices for hotel guests and Magic Key holders are a fixed $25, plus a $2 service fee. Free parking in the Pixar Place Hotel garage is included with your round.

HongKong Disneyland 20th Anniversary Details

HongKong Disneyland turns 20 years old this summer, and they’re planning a year-long celebration. Here’s what you can look forward to if you’re out HongKong way and planning to drop in.

Castle of Magical Dreams will host an all-new stage show. Join Mickey and Friends, Duffy and Friends, and Disney Princesses in an anniversary-only show that will “get you ready to party”. (We’re assuming that the princesses also have friends, but the stage was getting a bit too crowded so … )

A brand-new daytime parade, Friendtastic! will join the entertainment lineup. This new parade will be the largest ever at HongKong Disneyland, with 11 party floats full of your best Disney pals.

Momentous is the park’s nighttime spectacular, and you can look forward to a special 20th-anniversary edition during the yearlong “Most Magical Party of All” celebration. Projections on Main Street U.S.A. and drone technology will shine in this limited-time version.

Droid Depot at Disneyland Goes No-Reservation Soon

Beginning March 17, you won’t need a reservation to build a droid at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. Just walk in, walk up, choose your body (R2 or BB), and get started. Reservations will still be required at Disney World.

Indiana Jones Adventure Refurb Begins March 17

DINOSAUR that will become an Indiana Jones ride is still open in Dinoland USA, probably at least through the end of the year. But out on the West Coast, Indiana Jones Adventure is closing on March 17 for a refurbishment. A reopening date hasn’t been announced yet.

Luke Skywalker & R2D2 Coming to Galaxy’s Edge in DLR

Disneyland instantly racked up the likes this year when they posted a short reel on their Instagram account showing R2D2 and Luke Skywalker, tagged with #SeasonOfTheForce.

Keep your eyes peeled because more details will be coming tomorrow, but as an East-Coaster, I just have one thing to say. Be fair to Florida! Sigh. Season of the Force runs from March 28 to May 11. Maybe after that Luke will come to visit us at Disney World for a while.

Disneyland Announces Upcoming New Heroes Ticket

On the heels of last week’s Universal Studios Hollywood’s Heroes Ticket Offer, Disneyland has announced its own Heroes ticket, which will be two complimentary 1-day Park Hopper tickets. The ticket is not on sale yet, but Disney did indicate that it will be available to eligible California firefighters as well as eligible Los Angeles-based law enforcement personnel and emergency medical technicians who helped combat the LA fires in January 2025, and also eligible individuals from other departments that provided mutual aid assistance.

It would be easy to snark at the scant details as a sign that this is just a follow-on effort to Universal, but I’m withholding judgment. It looks like Disney could be working on identifying and including support personnel who don’t have any kind of official “First Responder” credential to show, but who still played a critical role in the response. It takes a little more time to figure out how to do that, but it’s an effort to be applauded.

The Heroes Ticket will be valid from May 5 – August 7, 2025, Mondays through Thursdays. A theme park reservation will be required and is subject to availability. More detailed information, including eligibility and verification requirements, and how to register for the offer, will be communicated directly to qualifying fire, police, and sheriff’s departments in April.

Headline News Recap

We just recently had the first round of closures in Dinoland USA, and now Disney has announced the closing date for It’s Tough to Be a Bug. It’s Tough to Be a Bug Closing March 17, 2025 at Disney World

Disney Cruise Line released itineraries for Summer 2026; booking begins this week. Disney Cruise Line Announces Summer 2026 Itineraries.

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