TouringPlans Travel Beat 9-14-2024

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? 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!

• TRON Standby Line Opens
• Changes to Disney Cruise Line Document Policy
• Halloween Kicks Off at Disney Springs
• Dolphins in Depth Tour Ending
• Wicked Experience Coming to Universal Theme Parks
• Universal Studios Store Expanding at CityWalk
• Star Wars Fireworks Dining Package at Disneyland
• Hispanic Heritage Month Begins Sunday
• Disney Testing Changes to Rope Drop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Headline News Recap

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

TRON Standby Line Opens

After over 500 days with a Virtual Queue, TRON opened with a standby line on Monday morning. What did we see in the first week? Well, first of all, TRON did not get added to the Early Entry roster. While we expect that it will happen at some point, for now you should not try to rope drop TRON if you don’t have access to Early Entry, because you will be well back in the line that starts forming while Early Entry is still going on.

There’s not a lot of “high confidence” data yet, as two of TRON’s first five days saw an early park closing due to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. And crowd levels on non-party days have been hovering around 3 recently, so they’re not a great predictor of what peak crowds will look like. But midday posted waits on the non-party days averaged about 60-70 minutes, a bit higher than Seven Dwarves Mine Train and 10-20 minutes higher than Peter Pan’s Flight. Actuals were a bit lower, averaging about 75% of posted waits. So this week if you saw a 60-minute posted wait for TRON, your actual time in line was likely to be only about 45 minutes.

Changes to Disney Cruise Line Document Policy

Most travelers on Disney Cruise Line will provide a passport as travel documentation when boarding, but there are some cases where a birth certificate can be used instead. (Frequently Asked Questions About Disney Cruise Line Documentation). Beginning immediately, if you are using a birth certificate as your documentation, photocopies will no longer be accepted. Only the original state-issued birth certificates are considered acceptable.

If your heart skipped a beat when you read that, know this: the word “original” here does not mean you need to have the one that you first received shortly after your child was born and lost three moves ago. It just means that the paper itself needs to have started out with the state; most states can easily provide a replacement for a lost birth certificate in a month or less.

Halloween Kicks Off at Disney Springs

It’s been Halloween at the Magic Kingdom since the beginning of August, but over at Disney Springs the seasonal holiday began popping up this week. From now through October 31 you can find limited-time treats at some of your favorite spots. ⁠

By far the largest (and maybe the cutest?) collections are at The Ganachery and Amorette’s Patisserie. But you can also find festive menu additions at D-Luxe Burger, Dockside Margaritas, Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar, Marketplace Snacks, Swirls on the Water, West Side Landing Outdoor Foods, and Vivoli il Gelato. ⁠

Dolphins in Depth Tour Ending

Disney routinely evaluates the welfare of all animals that are part of its exhibits, and they’re making some changes over at The Seas. Dolphins have been part of the big tank at the Seas since it opened in 1986, but in late October all three of the current dolphin inhabitants will depart for a new home at the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park. The Gulfarium is accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks (as is The Seas) & Aquariums and the International Marine Animals Trainer’s Association.

Disney made the decision to move the Dolphins based on “a comprehensive evaluation as to what is best for these dolphins as infrastructure work progresses at The Seas”. The recently opened Dolphin Oasis at the Gulfarium offers dolphin encounters and a live show, and the facility is led by a marine mammal expert who worked at and cared for these dolphins for years at The Seas.

Due to the relocation, Disney’s DiveQuest Tour will be temporarily suspended, and the Dolphins in Depth Tour will be permanently discontinued. Disney will honor reservations for both tours through October 19, 2024, and DiveQuest is expected to return sometime in 2025.

Wicked Experience Coming to Universal Theme Parks

Something Wicked this way comes in November, with Wicked 2 hitting theaters right around Thanksgiving. But you don’t have to wait to be Wicked; both Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood are launching a Wicked Experience in October.

At Universal Orlando, Wicked: The Experience will open just inside the gates of Universal Studios Florida. Guests will travel the yellow brick road and step into the Land of Oz, where they’ll be able to visit iconic Wicked locations such as Shiz University and the Emerald City. Costumes and props from the film will be part of the spectacular theming that aims to recreate some of the films’ memorable moments.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, the Feature Presentation store will host a Wicked Experience. This one is a little different and sounds like more of a museum-style display highlighting props from the film. There will also be a Wicked Experience at the UNIVRS store at Universal CityWalk Hollywood, the only one that is accessible without a theme park ticket.

Universal Studios Store Expanding at CityWalk

Epic Universe is going to be so big, they needed to expand the Universal Studios Store. An expansion of the CityWalk location is coming in 2025 that includes two new dedicated areas. One will feature merchandise from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including items from all three parks. The other new area, which will have a dedicated entrance, will be devoted to Super Nintendo World.

Star Wars Fireworks Dining Package at Disneyland

Guests at Disneyland will soon have the option for a brand new Fireworks Dining Package. We don’t yet know precisely when it will be available (Disney says sometime in November), or when booking will open, or how much it will cost. But we do know where – guests will check in at Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo for special bites and treats, plus viewing for Fire of the Rising Moons.

ICYMI: Fire of the Rising Moons is the regular Disneyland fireworks, viewed from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with a special Star Wars-themed soundtrack. It debuted with Season of the Force this year, but has become a regular event. Adding a dining package seems to confirm that Disney plans to continue Fire of the Rising Moons as part of the park’s regular programming.

Hispanic Heritage Month Begins Sunday

National Hispanic Heritage Month (or in Disney parlance, Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month) begins on September 15 and runs through October 15. We can forgive Disney their redundant labeling, as they celebrate with a large variety of special food throughout the parks and resorts at both Disneyland and Disney World.

There’s plenty of variety to go around, but look for slow-braised meats like birria, pollo guisado, and mojo pork. You’ll find lots of guava, and dulce de leche on the desserts and treats. And of course, it’s easy to forget its South American origins, but there’s no shortage of chocolate year-round!

Disney Testing Changes to Rope Drop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Our parks team was at Hollywood Studios for rope drop a few times this week (it takes work to collect all that data dontcha know), and Disney was mixing it up a bit with operations. Usually, Early Entry guests tap in prior to the beginning of Early Entry and regular opening guests are held at the tapstiles. This week we saw both groups allowed into the park early on Wednesday, with Early Entry guests checking in at individual attractions, but by Friday it was back to the usual. Disney is clearly doing some testing that we’ll keep an eye on, but if you’re visiting in the next few weeks, be prepared to be surprised at the Studios’ rope drop.

Headline News Recap

If you’re a Disney Vacation Club member, you might have been excited to see that dates are out for the 2025 Moonlight Magic events. 2025 Moonlight Magic Dates and Details for Disney Vacation Club.

Disney After Hours tickets for 2025 went on sale this week to the general public, and prices for the 2025 events are now available. You can find them here: 2025 Disney World After Hours Dates and Details.

Halloween Horror Nights kicked off just a couple weeks ago, and ICYMI we finally spent enough boots on the ground time for our Universal team to publish their thoughts. Halloween Horror Nights 2024 Review.

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