TouringPlans Travel Beat 3-16-2024

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 peek: lots of 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!

• Updates on Construction at Lookout Cay
• Butterbeer Season Begins at Universal Parks
• Florian Fortescue’s to Open at Universal Studios Hollywood
• New Cast Member Costumes Coming to Main Street U.S.A.
• New Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise
• Royal Caribbean Suspends Visits to Labadee Amid Unrest
• Headline News Recap

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

Updates on Construction at Lookout Cay

Disney’s new private island destination at Eleuthera, Lookout Cay, will have its grand opening this June. If you’re sailing on a cruise that visits shortly thereafter (or even if you’re not!), you might be excited about the construction progress update from Disney Cruise Line. The brightly colored Mabrika Cove Cabanas are pictured below; for all the details and additional pictures see Disney Cruise Line’s NEW Private Island – What We Know So Far.

Butterbeer Season Begins at Universal Parks

You may be wondering: what is Butterbeer season? Well, year-round, you can buy many forms of Butterbeer: cold, hot, frozen and vegan, as well as fudge, potted cream and ice cream. During Butterbeer season, which runs at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort, you can find limited-time Butterbeer offerings such as popsicles and caramels, and a more durable memory of the season in the form of a collectible silver stein. (The stein will be sold with frozen Butterbeer inside, but I have confidence that you’ll be able to manage that if the cup is what you’re after.) Butterbeer season runs from March 15 to April 30 in 2025.

Florian Fortescue’s to Open at Universal Studios Hollywood

Smack dab in the middle of Butterbeer Season, Florian Fortescue is bringing his gig to the West Coast! Florian Fortescue’s Ice Cream counter will open at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 29, 2024. The new shop will feature 10 flavors of soft-serve ice cream (including Butterbeer), but no word on whether it will also have hard-pack ice cream like the one in Universal Orlando.

New Cast Member Costumes Coming to Main Street U.S.A.

We often report here on new costume announcements for characters, but this week the news was new costumes for Cast Members – specifically for those working on Main Street U.S.A. at Disney World. According to Disney these new outfits “keep function and comfort top of mind with lightweight, breathable fabric” and are “made from recyclable materials that help keep the environment in mind too”. This just goes to show you how theme park operations are different from your regular life, because I do not generally think about how recyclable my clothes are when I buy them.

New Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise

Along with this week’s summer 2025 Disney Cruise Line itineraries (see the Headline News below), Disney announced a new DVC Member Cruise for 2025. The 5-night sailing departs from Fort Lauderdale on August 2, 2025 and includes a first-ever Member Cruise stop in Cozumel. Booking begins April 13, 2024.

Royal Caribbean Suspends Visits to Labadee Amid Unrest

Labadee is Royal Caribbean’s private beach on Haiti, located on the tip of the island and not usually affected by ups-and-downs of political unrest in the capital. But in light of recent events, RCL has made the decision to cancel stops at Labadee for next week and on a rolling basis thereafter until the current situation around the transition of power resolves. Guests on voyages scheduled to stop at Labadee will receive a notification three days in advance if their itinerary has been adjusted; some sailings will get an alternate port and some will get an extra sea day. Of course, all payments for Labadee excursions will be fully refunded.

Headline News Recap

Disney started the week by announcing 3 special discount tickets for the spring and summer of 2024; two for the general public and one for Florida Residents. Disney World Special Offer Tickets for Summer of 2024.

On Wednesday, news about the upcoming Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort. Details Released About Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort

Thursday brought the release of summer 2025 itineraries for Disney Cruise Line. Disney Cruise Line Announces Summer 2025 Itineraries

And we wrapped the week’s headlines later on Thursday with the announcement of Typhoon Lagoon’s H2O Glow After Hours dates. 2024 Disney World After Hours Dates and Details – Typhoon Lagoon H2O Glow Added!

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