TouringPlans Travel Beat 5-25-2025

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: one big story swamped out everything else.) 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!

• Room Refurbishments at Port Orleans French Quarter Are Finished
• Blizzard Beach Reopens
• MNSSHP Sold Out on Halloween
• Headline News Recap

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

Room Refurbishments at Port Orleans French Quarter Are Finished

Disney World has been updating rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter for a while, and the project is now officially complete. The new rooms have Princess & the Frog touches in the decor, in addition to the overall Big Easy theming. But the change most likely to appeal to many visitors is that the curtain between the bathroom area and the bedroom space has been replaced with a solid barn door.

Blizzard Beach Reopens

It’s been a long while getting from there to here, but after more than five years, both of Disney World’s Water Parks are open at the same time. One thing we’ve noticed since Typhoon Lagoon reopened on May 1 is that the Water Park refillable cups are no longer available. They’re not available at Blizzard Beach anymore either.

If you’re planning to use the check-in day benefit, see Tips for Visiting a Disney World Water Park on Check-in Day. And if you’ve never been before and want to know which one to choose: Which Disney World Water Park is Right for You?

MNSSHP Sold Out on Halloween

Tickets went on sale Thursday for this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary. And although past years haven’t seen any parties selling out for several weeks, this year, October 31 was sold out by Thursday evening. We’re guessing it’s related to the fact that Halloween falls on a Friday this year, but if you thought the new high price of $229 was shocking, well … it’s a lesson in supply and demand. We’ve updated our guide with prices for all dates: 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates and Ticket Info

Headline News Recap

There was only one big story this week, and all the headlines about it were written in the past. In case you somehow missed it, Universal Orlando opened a brand new theme park this week. Heading for the parks this summer and planning a trip to Epic Universe? Here’s everything you need to know: Universal Epic Universe Guide.

Coming up this week: Two new shows are opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After has been running previews over the weekend, and The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure is also opening on Tuesday.

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