From the Gatorland swamp to the New Orleans Bayou, we got long-awaited updates this week plus celebrations to make note of.
Greetings, theme park enthusiasts. It’s me, Haley, here with a theme park bulletin.
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If you’re a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder or Universal Orlando Annual Passholder, you’re probably aware of some big previews happening soon. I want to make sure you’re in the loop on the important takeaways of these announcements.
Walt Disney World
🌷 Oh hey Tiana. Nice to see you’re opening date on the map
It’s the little things that make us excited.
So yes, we finally have an opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disney World. Like TRON Lightcycle/Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Tiana too will have a virtual queue when it first opens. But like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Disney said it does expect Tiana to transition to a regular standby queue after the opening phase.
Last I checked, Magic Kingdom reservations for the passholder preview dates were booked, but you can always reserve for another park on those days and then enter Magic Kingdom in time to try to join the 1 p.m. queue.
Drones will soon soar above Disney Springs
Walt Disney described the fireworks at the end of the park day as a kiss goodnight. Starting next week, Disney Springs guests can cap off their day with a different dazzling show in the sky.
Disney unveiled footage from a recent test flight in France of “Disney Dreams that Soar Presented by AT&T,” a new nighttime drone show coming to the entertainment district.
Click here to see a preview as well as interviews from the Disney creative team.
Universal Orlando
A delightful day at DreamWorks Land
Disney World isn’t the only theme park that’s giving passholders a special preview of a new attraction.
Universal Annual Passholders will soon be able to make a reservation for DreamWorks Land before it opens to the general public on June 14. I recently walked through the area and I must say, it exceeded my ex-”Shrek”-tations.
There are perfect pops of color in the Trolls area and the digital interactive meet-and-greet — Po Live! — is a fun experience for all ages.
Click here to see more photos I took from my visit.
SeaWorld Orlando
A weekend with Guy Harvey
Every time I walk past Guy Harvey’s shark mural at Shark Wreck Reef, it always catches my eye.
Fans will have the chance to interact with the world-renowned marine artist and conservationist this weekend. On Saturday, guests will have the opportunity to meet Harvey during three special sessions at SeaWorld’s Waterfront.
By the way, now is a good time to plan a visit to SeaWorld, as there are discounts galore and free admission for veterans and active military members.
Click here for details on SeaWorld’s Memorial Day Sale.
Gatorland Orlando
🐊 We’ll save news from Orlando’s oldest attraction for last
Before Disney World, before SeaWorld there was Gatorland. The “Alligator Capital of the World” is hosting another Gatorpalooza this weekend, but with it being the 75th anniversary and all, the park has to throw a proper bash.
There will be games, there will be live music, there’s also going to be a mechanical alligator rodeo. Yeah, I’ve got video of that.
If you venture to the parks for a preview or to experience it for the first time, feel free to keep me in the loop with what’s new through my email or reach out to me on my X or Instagram.
See you next week!
