TouringPlans Travel Beat 9-16-2023

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: slow week on the theme park front, but some general travel news in the mix.) 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!

• Refurbishments for Dudley Do-Right’s and Jurassic Park River Adventure
• Space Mountain at Disneyland To Undergo Month-long Refurb Beginning September 2023
• Delta Announces Big Changes to Skymiles Program for 2024
• Brightline Sets Launch Date For Service to MCO
• MGM Resorts Suffers Cyber Attack
• Dates and Partial Menus Released for Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
• Mirabel Meet & Greet Now Open in Magic Kingdom
• Rogers the Musical Cast Recording Album Available
• Headline News Recap

If anything you read below tickles your feet, feel free to reach out to our friends at TouringPlans Travel for a free quote.

Refurbishments for Dudley Do-Right’s and Jurassic Park River Adventure

If you’re visiting Universal Orlando this winter you’ll want to take note of the following refurbishment dates:

• Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls: October 2 – November 17, 2023
• Jurassic Park River Adventure: January 8 – February 1, 2024

Space Mountain at Disneyland To Undergo Month-long Refurb Beginning September 2023

Over on the other coast, Space Mountain at Disneyland will close for refurbishment from September 18 to October 26, 2023.

Delta Announces Big Changes to Skymiles Program for 2024

Delta made waves this week when they restructured their Skymiles program. Miles and segments flown will no longer be considered when calculating status tiers, only dollars spent – either on branded credit cards, flights, or ancillary travel products purchased through Delta. Access to the Sky Club gained through credit card membership is being curtailed, with a cap on annual visits for several qualifying cards. And last but not least, there’s a big … delta … (an increase, of course) in what you’ll need to reach each tier of status, between 50% and 100% depending on the tier. I’m not going to run through the details here, but if Skymiles status is a big part of your travel life The Points Guy has a good rundown of the changes.

Brightline Sets Launch Date For Service to MCO

It’s been touted as “opening soon” for months, and Brightline has finally set a date to begin offering service from Orlando International Airport. Some may remember that we once thought there would be service from MCO to Disney Springs, providing an alternative to Mears. That’s gone off the rails, although the reworked plan includes a stop near Disney Springs. Those plans are for the future, but today the new MCO station offers a valuable link for theme park visitors who want to add on a cruise, giving them easy access to departures from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale in addition to Port Canaveral.

MGM Resorts Suffers Cyber Attack

MGM operates several casinos and resorts across the United States, and this week they shut down several of their computer systems – including those responsible for reservations and booking websites – in response to a cybersecurity incident. Although the outage initially affected almost every aspect of the business from casino floors to a few hotel room doors, by Friday the website and most customer-facing operations were back up. A big exception is the online reservation system, which is still not allowing new bookings. Reservations can still be made through third-party sites, and guests with existing reservations are able to check into resorts when they arrive.

Dates and Partial Menus Released for Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

If you’re visiting Disney World on November 10 & 11, 2023, you’ll have your choice of Food & Wine Festivals. There’s the one in EPCOT that began in July. And there’s the Swan & Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, which features food presented by the hotel restaurants, seminars, and live entertainment.

Tickets to the Food & Wine Classic can be purchased at $185 for either Friday or Saturday night, and allow unlimited food & beverage tasting from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets to seminars are an additional cost. Discounts are available for guests staying at the resort during the event. For more information, including the partially (as of this writing) released menu, see the event’s home page.

Mirabel Meet & Greet Now Open in Magic Kingdom

Mirabel is officially Meeting & Greeting in the Magic Kingdom as of Friday, and our parks reporters dropped by to investigate. She’s set up shop in the Fairytale Garden, to the right of Cinderella Castle. The area has been themed as a “courtyard outside of Casa Madrigal”, with stonework, plants & flowers, family trees & family pictures, and other artwork. There is a Photopass photographer for pictures.

Merida, the former occupant of this space, is now greeting in Liberty Square, and Bruno has taken Mirabel’s place in the Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade.

Rogers the Musical Cast Recording Album Available

Rogers the Musical closed at the end of August as planned, but that wasn’t the end of the story. As of Friday, a cast recording of the score is available as a digital download and on streaming services.

Headline News Recap

It was a pretty quiet week, but we did hear about Extended Evening Hours Coming to Animal Kingdom November and December of 2023. In the article: dates, details, and suggested touring strategy.

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