TouringPlans Travel Beat 4-13-2025

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: another week full 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!

• Tickets on Sale for 2025 Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
• New Baby Giraffe at Animal Kingdom
• Tickets on Sale for Destination D23
• Vote for Your Favorite Emotion when World of Color Happiness Debuts
• Shula’s Steak House Closing to Make Way for Bourbon Steak
• Changes Coming for the Grand Floridian Lobby
• Universal Firms Up UK Park Plans
• Updates from Disney Adventure World
• Paper Times Guides Return to Animal Kingdom Park
• Disney Traders Goes All-In on Pins
• Headline News Recap

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

Tickets on Sale for 2025 Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

Disney’s Food & Wine Festival runs for a few months, but right next door at the Swan & Dolphin, the Food & Wine Classic runs for just two days. While the Food & Wine Classic is not included with your stay at the hotel, the tickets are all-inclusive for food and drink, with only a few seminars at an extra charge. This year’s event runs on November 14 & 15, 2025, and you can buy tickets for Friday, Saturday, or a discounted bundle with admission on both nights. Read more about the event: The Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic: Disney World’s OTHER Food & Wine

New Baby Giraffe at Animal Kingdom

You know we love the new babies here at Travel Beat, and this week it’s a baby giraffe! Baby Tucker was born to mom Mara and dad Twiga on February 13, and spent a couple of months getting ready for his big debut on the Kilimanjaro Safari savanna on April 7.

Tucker, who is a Masai giraffe, is the first giraffe calf born at Walt Disney World Resort since his sister Maple in 2021, and the third born to Mara since Jabali, her first calf born in 2019.

Tickets on Sale for Destination D23

Destination D23 will be held at the Disney World Resort from August 29-31, 2025, and tickets go on sale tomorrow, April 14, at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET. Tickets will be exclusively for D23 Gold Members. This sibling of the biennial D23 Expo held in California is a fan event with panels, social events, and the opportunity to hear about upcoming plans from Disney executives. For more details, see the event page: Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney – Presented by Lug.

Vote for Your Favorite Emotion when World of Color Happiness Debuts

World of Color Happiness will open on May 16, when Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary kicks off, and it will have an interactive audience participation feature. Guests can use the Disneyland app to vote for one of four emotions – Sadness, Anger, Disgust, or Envy – to decide which one will be featured in that evening’s show. The featured emotion will be highlighted in special scenes in both showings.

Shula’s Steak House Closing to Make Way for Bourbon Steak

Shula’s Steak House has been an institution at the Swan and Dolphin, offering fine dining and steak for three decades. On June 14, 2025, Shula’s will close its doors. Later in the summer, the space will reopen its doors as Bourbon Steak, the latest in a chain of restaurants headlined by Michelin-starred Chef Michael Mina and owned and managed by the Mina Group.

As a concept, Bourbon Steak leans on “unique flavors, inventive cocktails, and local inspiration” to bring “new delight to time-honored rituals.” Each Bourbon Steak location includes an individualized concept and an emphasis on bringing some locally-sourced ingredients to the menu. But the chain is also no stranger to high-end hotel partnerships, with the Las Vegas and Washington D.C. locations at the Four Seasons, and New York’s Bourbon Steak found at JW Marriott.

Changes Coming for the Grand Floridian Lobby

A lobby bar in the Grand Floridian? Yep! Disney’s flagship resort has been undergoing a number of refurbishments over the last several years, and the lobby is the latest (and last) phase of this work. Look for new carpet, refreshes to the staircase and the front desk, and of course, the new lobby bar, which Disney says will be inspired by the iconic birdcage. Work will begin later this month and continue through the end of the year. And we know this was everyone’s first thought on hearing ‘end of the year’ (it was certainly ours), but yes, this unfortunately means that the usual holiday-season gingerbread house won’t be making an appearance this year.

Universal Firms Up UK Park Plans

In a bit over a month, Universal’s latest theme park will open in Orlando. And in a bit under a decade, residents of the UK may be able to ride some of the same rides without having to cross any oceans, as Universal announced its intention to build a new theme park in the Bedford area.

It was previously known that Universal was investigating the possibility of a new theme park in Britain, but this week’s announcement confirms agreements with various government departments and a firmer commitment to proceed. The project is still subject to approval by planning processes, but a first look at the concept art is exciting to see. In addition to the theme park, the project will include a 500-room hotel and a retail, dining, and entertainment complex. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with the Universal targeting an opening in 2031.

Updates from Disney Adventure World

As Walt Disney Studios Park continues its transformation to Disney Adventure World, more details are being released and some areas are already set to launch in their new form. The entrance area of the park, formerly the Disney Studio 1 soundstage, has been reimagined as World Premiere, with a brand-new storyline to orient guests as they move into the park. World Premiere will be opening soon, on May 15, 2025.

This week, Disney shared concept art for three of the new attractions: a swings ride themed to Pixar’s ‘Up’, a new nighttime show on the park’s central lagoon, and the Lion King ride that was previously announced for the Pride Lands area of the park. The nighttime show will feature water screens and special effects, in addition to drone choreography.

At the Lion King Ride, guests will start above ground before plunging into the Pride Lands, making their way to the caves beneath Pride Rock. There, ride vehicles will float through scenes and scenery from the animated movie, with audio-animatronics bringing the highly detailed environment to life. The ride features a 16-meter descent, so if you’re imagining that it will have a drop similar to Splash Mountain and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, we definitely think you’re on the right track.

Paper Times Guides Return to Animal Kingdom Park

Paper times guides, with showtimes and entertainment information, have returned to Animal Kingdom this week. Branded as the Experience Guide, you’ll find showtimes, character greeting times, and entertainment schedules. Hours for animal trails and Wilderness Explorers locations are also included. This follows the departure of Virtual Queues at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Cosmic Rewind as a move that makes it easier for guests to put away their phones in the parks. We’re hoping to see these come back to the other three parks soon.

Disney Traders Goes All-In on Pins

It’s the 25th Anniversary of pin trading, and Disney Traders is here for it. The shop, at the entrance of World Showcase between Canada and Mexico, has redone its show floor and now has a huge collection of pins and pin trading paraphernalia on display. If you’re a pin collector and you’re heading to Disney World soon, you should add it to your stopping list.

Headline News Recap

Every week there is more news from Epic Universe; this week, it’s Passholder previews. Epic Universe Admission & Preview Details.

You don’t have to wait for May 22 to stay at the Helios Grand any more; the hotel’s opening date has been moved up to April 16, 2025. Universal’s New Helios Grand Hotel Opens April 16, 2025

Massive discounts are available for Disney+ Subscribers at Disney World. Seriously, we found rates of 50% off rack; office chat is that we think these may be the biggest markdowns from rack in a special offer since 2009. Disney+ Subscribers: A Summer Disney World Room Deal For You

When the Fantasy returns from a fall drydock, she’ll be sporting many of the same updates that the Dream received in 2024. Fantastic Updates for the Disney Fantasy Are Coming in Late 2025

So far we’ve got headlines from Universal, Disney World, Disney Cruise … yep, add Disneyland to the mix. Tickets for Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite are going on sale this week. Disneyland After Dark Themed Nights for 2025

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