TouringPlans Travel Beat 3-30-2025

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? (Sneak peek: feels like we got a month’s worth in one 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!

• Jonas Brothers to Record Disneyland 70th Anniversary Theme Song
• Disney World Now Showing Single Rider Info in Parks, Web, App
• Disney Destiny Completes ‘Float Up’ Milestone
• Disney Vacation Club Announces In-Park Welcome Home Center
• Avengers Assemble! Stunt Show Closing April 5 at Disneyland
• Summer Fun Offerings at Disney World
• BOGO Ticket Deal at Universal Studios Hollywood
• Season of the Force Begins at Disneyland
• Disney Cruise Line Debuts Online Modification for Placeholders
• ‘Wish’ Peek at Disney World’s Starlight Parade
• Aloha to Summer Begins at Aquatica
• Headline News Recap

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

Jonas Brothers to Record Disneyland 70th Anniversary Theme Song

Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary will be getting its own theme song, ‘Celebrate Happy’, and this week Disney announced that the Jonas Brothers will be the recording artists. The celebration officially begins on May 16, but the song will be available to stream beginning on May 13.

Disney World Now Showing Single Rider Info in Parks, Web, App

Disney is now displaying Single Rider information on its website, app, and on the wait time boards in the parks. It’s very minimalist – there is no actual wait time displayed. However, in our testing and based on what others are reporting, it appears that the displays are dynamic. You only see the Single Rider icon on the wait time boards, or are able to view locations on the map in the app or website, when the queue is actually in operation. To check locations from the app, search for “Single Rider” and then click “Find on Map”. Unfortunately there is no option to view them as a list, and it feels a bit clunky. But hopefully this is a first step, and a smoother experience is coming.

Disney Destiny Completes ‘Float Up’ Milestone

Let the water in! The Disney Destiny passed a major milestone last week, as the dry space that she’s sat in for all construction to this point was flooded with water from the Ems River that the Meyer Werft Shipyard sits on. This “float up” process is the first time the Destiny has touched water, and she was then moved to another position in the hall for testing and continued construction of her interior spaces.

Disney Vacation Club Announces In-Park Welcome Home Center

Soon, you’ll have the opportunity to be transported to Hawaii from Canada at Disney World. Does that seem a little odd? Well yes, that seems to be the general sentiment. It’s not clear whether the demand for guests to visit a Welcome Home Center for a sales experience and room tour without even leaving the park comes from Disney World guests or Disney’s desire for more of them to do so. But beginning this spring, the Château de Voyage Welcome Home Center will open in the Canada Pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase. Guests will be able to explore membership and visit a model room of the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.

Avengers Assemble! Stunt Show Closing April 5 at Disneyland

The final performances of the ‘Avengers Assemble! Stunt Show’ at Disneyland’s Avengers Campus will be on April 5, 2025. The show is being discontinued to make way for new entertainment offerings, although we don’t know what those are yet.

Summer Fun Offerings at Disney World

It’s activation time at Disney World (iykyk). In addition to a raft of deals that you’ll find in the headline recap below, Disney is highlighting a number of experiences that guests visiting this summer can look forward to. We’re sure Disney still has a few up its sleeve, but the announcements include:

• Kid zones with added fun in Storybook Circus and in Tomorrowland with Stitch
• An “ultimate game party and play space featuring none other than Goofy as he takes over CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT”
• Some characters appearing earlier than usual in the park — during Early Entry

BOGO Ticket Deal at Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is offering a special Buy-One-Get-One deal on a general admission ticket this summer and fall. Guests purchasing a dated 1-Day General Admission ticket will receive free entry on an additional date prior to December 17, 2025. There are no blockout dates on the first visit, but the return visit is subject to the following blockout dates: April 26; May 3, 10, 17; July 5, 12, 19, 26; Sept 6, 13, 20, 27; Oct 4, 11, 18, 25; Nov 26, 28, 29. See Universal’s offer for full terms and conditions.

Season of the Force Begins at Disneyland

Season of the Force began on March 28, bringing limited-time entertainment, food, and of course merch to the Disneyland resort. One of the big highlights this year is the all-new projection show ‘Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga’, showing twice nightly. And a highlight of the added character sightings is Luke Skywalker. Given that Batuu is the same on both coasts, this seems like a great time to point out that Disney World visitors would love to have a nightly projection show to enjoy in the evenings during the summer months … just sayin’. Season of the Force runs through May 11, 2025.

Disney Cruise Line Debuts Online Modification for Placeholders

Booking a cruise placeholder is easy while onboard a Disney cruise, and offers an opportunity for some savings. Until now, you needed to contact Disney directly to convert that placeholder to an actual cruise booking. Beginning this week, it’s possible to view your placeholders online. If your placeholder is with a travel agent, you’ll still need to contact them to book; if not, you can book a cruise with your placeholder directly on Disney’s site. If you did book with a travel agent, this change is still a win, as you’ll now be able to see one very important thing online – the expiration date!

‘Wish’ Peek at Disney World’s Starlight Parade

In case you had forgotten that Disney World is gearing up to have a nighttime parade for the first time in almost a decade, they’ve been issuing weekly reminders by releasing concept art for individual floats. This week it’s the Wish float, as seen above.

Aloha to Summer Begins at Aquatica

The weather is starting to warm up, and SeaWorld’s Aquatica water park has launched its ‘Aloha to Summer’ event. Every Saturday and Sunday from March 29 through May 11, look for music, entertainment, and more, all with a tropical theme. Start the day with a high-energy welcome celebration (and a few first families will get complimentary tropical drinks). Throughout the day, you’ll find activities such as sandcastle building competitions, hula hoop contests, the Summer Splash Dance Party, and more. And of course, there are a few event-specific food items with a South Pacific twist. All activities and events are included with your park admission.

Headline News Recap

My my my, there was so much news this week. Disney started off with an announcement that the two new shows in development for Hollywood Studios will both open their doors on May 27th. (Is it cynical of me to think how wonderful it will be to have more air-conditioned spaces in the park just as the summer heat arrives?) Summer Shows: Little Mermaid and Villains Open May 27 at Hollywood Studios

That May 27th date? Not just for shows. Multiple discounts were announced for Walt Disney World this week – some of which are available beginning May 27.

• Kids and Adults: Save on Tickets at Disney World in Summer of 2025
• New Disney World Free Dining Offers for 2025 – For Everyone!
• Summer and Fall 2025 Room Discounts for Disney World

If you’re visiting Disney World in late summer, you might be disappointed to find that Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will be offline for refurbishment starting in late August. But the enhancements that Disney has announced are coming to the ride will be real game-changers (see what I did there?) Buzz Lightyear Refurbishment Will Make It a 21st Century Experience

Epic Universe is putting it out thick and fast now that Team Member previews have begun and opening day is getting close. This week Universal Express add-ons for Epic went on sale, plus bookable experiences. Epic Universe Express Pass & Add-Ons Now On Sale

Finally, if you’d like to visit a Disney World water park in the [relative] cool of the evening, dates and prices for H2O Glow Nights at Typhoon Lagoon are out. Kids’ tickets are half-price this year! 2025 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!