Disneyland (CA)News Travel Beat Walt Disney World (FL)

TouringPlans Travel Beat 8-17-2024

Jennifer Heymont August 17, 2024 0 Comments Hungry Bear Restaurant, Peter Pan's Flight, Plaza de la Familia, Rivers of America, Six Flags, Tom Sawyer Island

Share This!

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!

2024 Class of Disney Legends Honored
Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America to Close
Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree Menu Released
Disney and Universal at the Top of Theme Park Attendance in North America
New Coco-themed Show at Plaza de la Familia for 2024
Six Flags to Debut 7 New Coasters in 2025
Jungle Cruise & small world to Close for Refurbishment at Disneyland
Peter Pan’s Flight Reopens with Updated Tiger Lily Scene
Headline News Recap

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

2024 Class of Disney Legends Honored

As D23 came to a close on Sunday night, the class of 2024 Disney Legends were honored. Among the 14 honorees, notable names this year included Angela Bassett, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Harrison Ford, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde, and John Williams. I gotta say – you mean John Williams already wasn’t? Wow. Congrats to all the honorees.

Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America to Close

It was exciting times at D23 when two new Cars attractions were announced for Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom. But on Monday the hammer dropped when the news came that Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be removed to make space for them. No closing date has been announced, but permits have been filed for the expansion work so if you’re headed to the Magic Kingdom, get your last rides in ASAP before the work kicks into high gear some time in 2025.

Liberty Square Riverboat. Liberty Belle. (photo by Brandon Glover)

Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree Menu Released

If you were following the news this week you heard that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has an opening date at Disneyland (November 15), and that Critter Country will be re-monikered as Bayou Country when it opens. We still don’t have an exact date for the launch of Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, which received a mild re-theme from the Hungry Bear Restaurant as part of this transformation, but we did get menus this week.

Entrees
- Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter
- Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich
- Smoked Angus Beef Burger and Pulled Pork
- Corn Ribs Plate: (Plant-based)
- Loaded Fries
- Classic Cheeseburger
- Chicken Tenders Plate
Sides
- Beer-battered Fries
- Baked Beans
- House Slaw

Desserts
- Banana Pudding
- Funnel Cake Fries
Drinks
- Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade:
- Strawberry Shortcake Lemonade
- Lemonade-Iced Tea

Disney and Universal at the Top of Theme Park Attendance in North America

The Themed Entertainment Association tracks global amusement park attendance, and their report on 2023 was out this week. Attendance was up worldwide, rising from 198.7m at the top 25 parks in 2022 to 244.6m in 2023. And Disney and Universal parks featured heavily in those top 25, holding down 9 of the top 10 spots in North America, and 14 of the top 15 worldwide. You can see the full report here, and if you always feel like it’s crowded at Magic Kingdom now you know why — it’s at the top of both lists!

North American leaders:

Magic Kingdom, Disney World
Disneyland Park, Disneyland
EPCOT, Disney World
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney World
Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando
Disney California Adventure, Disneyland
Universal Studios Florida, Universal Orlando
Universal Studios Hollywood
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney World
Seaworld Orlando

Worldwide leaders:

Magic Kingdom, Orlando
Disneyland Park, Anahaim
Universal Studios Japan, Osaka
Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo
Shanghai Disneyland, Shanghai
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, Zhuhai, China
Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo
EPCOT, Orlando
Disneyland Park, Paris
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Orlando
Universal Islands of Adventure, Orlando
Disney California Adventure, Anaheim
Universal Studios Florida, Orlando
Universal Studios Hollywood, California
Universal Studios Beijing, Beijing

New Coco-themed Show at Plaza de la Familia for 2024

Halloween Time is kicking off on August 23 at Disneyland, and the Plaza de la Familia will see a brand-new show beginning a week later on August 30. Several times a day, guests will be able to see “The Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia Celebrate The Musical World of Coco!”. Details were sparse, but we expect this will be a sing-along style performance.

Six Flags to Debut 7 New Coasters in 2025

It’s not just Disney and Universal that have dropped announcements about upcoming attractions in recent weeks. Six Flags highlighted its lineup of park updates for 2025, along with a new season pass add-on that allows passholders to take their tickets on the road.

The All Park Passport Add-On gives Gold and Prestige Passholders and Members unlimited admission and parking to all 42 of the company’s amusement and water parks; it’s now on sale for prices ranging from $65 to $125 depending on the Pass level, Membership level, and purchase location. Beginning in 2025 the pricing will simplify; purchase location and access will no longer take into account the legacy status of the park prior to the merger between Six Flags and Cedar Fair this year.

Look for the following updates next year:

Six Flags Great America: Wrath of Rakshasa coaster with a beyond-vertical 171-foot drop and five total inversions.
Carowinds: Camp Snoopy will see a new family-friendly coaster and an interactive raft ride along with splash play zones and Peanuts™ characters Meet & Greets.
Wonderland: The AlpenFury coaster takes guests through nine inversions at 71 miles per hour on a wild ride that spans 164 vertical feet.
Six Flags New England: The LSM propulsion multi-launch coaster Quantum Accelerator will be New England’s first straddle coaster, offering guests a ride on cars designed as futuristic motor bikes.
Kings Dominion: The Rapterra coaster joins the park for its 50th anniversary season.
Kings Island: The Soak City Water park will add RiverRacers, a dual-racing water coaster, as well as new kids water slides and a splash lagoon in the kids’ play area Splash River Junction
Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles: There are too many improvements to list as this park sees a major transformation for its 30th anniversary. “Every aspect of the water park will be touched, ensuring an inviting environment to soak up the California sun.
Hurricane Harbor Arlington Texas: A brand new expansion will feature a vibrant coastal-themed area including kids areas and a seven-water-slide complex.

Jungle Cruise & small world to Close for Refurbishment at Disneyland

Jungle Cruise and it’s a small world will both be closing on September 16 at Disneyland. The Jungle Cruise refurb is expected to take about 3 weeks, but the small world closure will be longer. The work will break in the middle so that the ride can see the holiday season as it’s a small world Holiday beginning on November 15, with the refurb resuming on January 21.

Peter Pan’s Flight Reopens with Updated Tiger Lily Scene

Peter Pan’s Flight has reopened at the Magic Kingdom, and the scene depicting the Neverland Tribe has gotten some updates. The new scene shows Tiger Lily and her grandmother dancing. More critically with respect to current expectations, the nod to Native American theme is indicated by elements of tribal dress and decor, and not some of the heavily caricatured representations such as face paint that were found in the old scene.

Headline News Recap

Were you up at 3 am last Saturday night? We were, putting the finishing touches on our rundown of the Disney World announcements from D23. ICYMI, here are the announcements for Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and the international parks; some have been updated throughout the week as more news became available.

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival starts in just under two weeks, and we finally got menus! Keep an eye here tomorrow for our overview of this week’s Festival, and then ongoing coverage once the Festival begins. 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Menus

Last but not least, you will not want to miss this bonzer deal at Universal Orlando Resort. In a rare move, Universal is offering a dining credit with their packages! Free Dining Credit with Universal Orlando Vacation Packages.

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