The same can be said about the New Orleans Saints legend’s wife, too.
Greetings, theme park aficionados. It’s me, Haley, still reminiscing about a thrilling week.
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It was chock full of attraction previews and debuts, but the icing on the Mardi Gras king cake was posing with Drew Brees at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The only thing that would have made the experience better was if I could have interviewed him post-ride and asked what he thought about it, but he was waiting to get on as I was exiting.
I can’t complain and can’t shut up about it.
Anyhoo, we’ve got a lot to get to.
Walt Disney World
🎺 💦 Good times are rollin’
It’s been quite the build-up the past four years.
News 6 got a preview this week of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Of course, Disney made a day of it. There were cast member photos, speeches, celebrity sightings (many of the voice actors from “The Princess and the Frog” were in attendance), and a soirée to ring in the attraction that’s about a party.
News 6′s Ezzy Castro and I dropped in. We did have a few delays on our ride. While that’s typical for a new attraction, Tiana of course is not all new, as it is a retheme of Splash Mountain, so it is the same track and log flumes. Maybe there are some happy haunts from its predecessor?
Here’s my short, sweet, and spoiler-free review: “The Princess and the Frog” film has the perfect elements for an attraction and Disney does a great job continuing Tiana’s story. There was a lot of hype surrounding the audio-animatronics (and rightly so) but Ezzy and I both were in agreement that the music steals the show. I was entertained the entire time just by that. The attraction features the original song “Special Spice” and you can listen to it beforehand. It’s available on Apple Music and Spotify, so it’s perfect for that playlist when heading to the park.
If you are OK with seeing and hearing the attraction, you can watch Ezzy and I make a big splash in our ride cam video by clicking here.
🛌🏻 A new place to camp at Disney World
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground is undergoing some changes and that includes one of the best lodging options on Disney property.
News 6 Insider Guide Crystal Moyer toured one of the new cabins. It’s got an open floor plan with modern finishes and has traditional Fort Wilderness features like bunk beds and a kitchen.
To see our tour, you have to be a News 6 Insider. Click here to sign up. By the way, the new cabins will be available July 1.
Universal Orlando Resort
📱 🛒 2 Universal shops worth checking out
If you’re giddy about all things Epic Universe, you’ll want to stop by the new Epic Universe Preview Center. And the great thing is, it’s at CityWalk, so you don’t have to pay to enter, however there might be some lines.
I found myself spending more time there than I thought I would as the augmented reality model is fun. Universal is brilliant for creating this interactive experience. At first glance, it’s a birds-eye view of Epic Universe, but through a special app on your phone, you’ll see visual effects such as Donkey Kong pounding his chest in Super Nintendo World or a Thestral flying over the Ministry of Magic.
I included photos and video of the model as seen through my phone in this web story.
The other store worth looking at, and this requires admission to Universal Studios, is the Summer Tribute Store. It’s a sensory overload of nostalgia.
The limited-time store features special props, photo ops, and merchandise from films such as “Ghostbusters,” “Back to the Future,” “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” “Jaws” and “Shrek.”
🎬 A summer of cinema awaits
If you’ve spent a day at a Universal Orlando Resort theme park recently and felt like something was missing as far as the overall experience, might that be a nighttime show? There are two new summertime shows to grab a spot for.
CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular is a tribute to film and music. Universal Studios’ new lagoon show features past, present, and future attractions.
Over at Islands of Adventure, you can feel like a student at Hogwarts when the castle lights up and takes you through a school year.
Click here for more videos and photos of both shows. On the same day I previewed those nighttime shows, I checked out DreamWorks Land again, which is now open at Universal Studios. The bright, whimsical land is a feast for the eyes and for Ogre-sized appetites.
SeaWorld Orlando
🐬 So much more to ‘sea’ this summer
SeaWorld Orlando has a lineup of summer fun, like an all-new interactive parade and sea lion show.
A big update is the reopening of the new Antarctica Realm. You can grab a drink at the new “South Pole Sips” or chill with the penguins in their habitat, but one thing that is not open yet is Penguin Trek. The theme park had been targeting a spring opening, but it’s now being advertised as a “summer opening.”
If you head out to the parks this summer, don’t forget to post those photos to our PinIt! page.
Food, weather, celebrity sightings — they’re all pin-worthy.
As always, feel free to keep me in the loop through my email or reach out to me on my X or Instagram.
Have a happy theme park summer. See you next week!