Disney to Swap Out Water Parks Beginning March 19

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 6, 2023

 

Time for the seasonal switcheroo at Disney World’s two water parks, with one park closing for refresh and maintenance while the other reopens in time for the specially ticketed nighttime “H2O Glow Nights.”

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Typhoon Lagoon will be reopening on March 19, 2023, while Blizzard Beach will temporarily close that same day to undergo a refurbishment.  This was pretty typical of the water parks’ schedule pre-pandemic, when the two parks would take turns closing for maintenance during winter months, when fewer guests were heading to the water parks anyway.

 

H2O Glow Nights are a chance for swimmers to experience lower than usual park crowds while enjoying DJ dance parties, specialty snacks, and character meet and greets after the park closes for the day to regular guests.  Typhoon Lagoon’s After Hours H2O Glow nights return on select evenings beginning May 20, 2023.  Ice cream novelties, popcorn, and select fountain beverages are included in the cost of the ticket. Tickets for the glow nights are currently on sale.

 

The water parks usually have their own distinct treats for purchase as well, with the new “Pineapple Upside Down Cone” and a “Pineapple flatbread” debuting at Typhoon Lagoon to share the park’s tropical theme.  A unique assortment of specialty Dole Whip desserts can also be found at Typhoon Lagoon.

 

Typhoon Lagoon is the #1 attended water park in North America, with more than 2.2 million visitors a year, according to recent data from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). The water park is home to the largest wave pool in North America, as well as “Ketchakiddee Creek,” a water playground especially designed for the youngest members of your water-bound crew. “Crush ‘n’ Gusher” offers a 400 foot long coaster-like thrill, and “Miss Adventure Falls” is a whitewater adventure-style raft ride for families. And if you are looking to learn a new skill while you are on vacation, Typhoon Lagoon also offers surf lessons.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

New Disney After Hours Events Added on Both Coasts

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

February 22, 2023

 

After-hours events are a hot topic at Disney this week, with new events scheduled for both Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. Disney World is even adding a park that has never been featured before as one of its upcoming after hours events.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

At Disney World, EPCOT will be joining the list of parks offering these specially ticketed experiences to guests seeking lower crowds during their vacations. The three-hour-long events take place from 10:00 pm to 1:00 am, after the parks close to day guests, and typically include early entry into the parks on party nights (as early as 7:00 pm, so you can get in more than the 3 party hours!), low-wait access to park rides, lots of (included) snacks at carts throughout the park, unique character meet-and-greets, dance parties and more.

Also at Disney World, H2O Glow After Hours will be returning to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park from 8:00-11:00 pm on 18 select nights from May to September, with glow-lights, specialty snacks, and DJ dance parties. Hollywood Studios has added more dates to the line-up for that park, and Magic Kingdom’s nighttime parties are already underway as well.

This year’s new parties are scheduled to kick off May 20 at Typhoon Lagoon and June 1 at EPCOT. Magic Kingdom’s parties continue through March 27 (tickets are already on sale), and Hollywood Studios has added additional dates beginning May 3 to their often sold out events. Tickets are on sale now for the existing Hollywood Studios’ dates (through April 19), with the new May and June party dates going on sale March 3. (If this all seems a bit unwieldy, each park has its own event page with the details on dates, times and prices at DisneyWorld.com/AfterHours.)

 
According to Disney Parks Blog, “Event tickets for EPCOT, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Hollywood Studios can be purchased by all guests starting March 3, 2023, with prices ranging from $75 to $149 (plus tax). Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels can begin purchasing Disney After Hours tickets for EPCOT and Typhoon Lagoon as early as February 28. The advance-purchase window is available to guests at Disney Resort hotels and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, as well as Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort.”

There are ticket discounts available for Annual Pass Holders and Disney Vacation Club holders for certain dates, and ticket prices vary by date and by park event.

For the complete list of the Disney World parks with upcoming after hours events, as well as the dates and times, again, check out DisneyWorld.com/AfterHours.  Tickets for the events can also be purchased through that link.

Over on the west coast, Disneyland has added two more themed after dark parties to its existing themed nites, such as the already sold out March 2023 Princess Nites. The new additions are: Disneyland After Dark: Throwback Nite and Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite.

 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Disneyland After Dark begins with a three-hour pre-party mix-in from 6 p.m. to  9 p.m. at Disneyland park, then the private party begins from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.  In addition to low ride wait times, party guests at Disneyland After Dark get unlimited digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos taken during the party.

Disneyland After Dark: Throwback Nite takes place April 18 and 20, 2023, at Disneyland Park. Guests are encouraged to dress up in their favorite “flashback fashions” from the ‘50s and ‘60s while they enjoy music from “the first decade of Disneyland park.” They may even see Mickey and friends dressed in their best throwback attire!

According to Disney Parks Blog, Throwback Nite also includes the chance to:

 

• Gaze upon “Fantasy in the Sky,” a nighttime spectacular giving a nod to the same-named fireworks display that first illuminated the night in Disneyland park in 1957!
• Do the twist, the mashed potato and bunny hop your way to dance parties around Disneyland park with bands and deejays inspired by the era.
• Snack like it’s 1955 with treats that are inspired by the park’s early days, made once again just for this event!
• Picture yourself in vintage photo backdrops of attractions and posters from yesteryear like Skyway or Autopia, and from timeless Disney films captured by Disney PhotoPass photographers at the party.
• Enjoy after-hours access to iconic Disneyland attractions such as Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise.
• Enjoy pre-party mix-in admission to Disneyland park starting at 6 p.m., no theme park reservation required.

 

If you prefer your entertainment from a “Galaxy Far, Far Away,” Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite may be more your style.  This event takes place May 2, 4, 8 & 11, 2023, from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am at Disneyland Park.  Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite even lets you come dressed as your favorite Star Wars hero or villain, and:

 

• Be wowed watching “Star Wars: Celebrate the Nite”  as fireworks illuminate the skies above Disneyland park. This pyrotechnic spectacle is set to the powerful music of Star Wars films.
• Prepare for Captain Phasma and her Stormtroopers during the March of the First Order in Tomorrowland, as they search for a Resistance spy.
• You may encounter travelers across the galaxy like Tusken Raiders and Jawas. 
• Get ready to master a lightsaber! Attend the Lightsaber Instructional demonstration, where you will learn to handle a lightsaber through a series of elite moves, sure to bring out your inner Jedi!
• Picture yourself in dynamic photo backdrops featuring some of the galaxy’s favorite heroes and villains, captured by Disney PhotoPass photographers at the party.
• Explore themed snacks such as galactic churros and other out-of-this-world sweets!
• Begin your adventure with pre-party mix-in admission to Disneyland park starting at 6 p.m., no theme park reservation required.

 

A limited number of Disneyland After Dark tickets went on pre-sale for Magic Key holders on February 21, 2023, on Disneyland.com. (As of this writing, Presale Magic Key tickets for Star Wars Nite are already sold out). Tickets for the general public go on sale on February 23, 2023 (9 a.m. PT), and are subject to availability, and range from $129 for the April 18 Throwback Nite, to $145 for the April 20 Throwback Nite, to $149 to $169 for Star Wars Nite, depending on the date. Check the Disneyland website for all the pertinent details on the tickets, costuming, and up-to-date availability.

And a note to those who may be vacationing at Disney during these time frames, even if you aren’t planning on attending an after-hours party:  the parks often close earlier than expected on party nights, so pay attention to the park closing times ahead of your trip so you don’t get caught off-guard. You may want to choose a different park to visit that day so you don’t lose valuable park time due to early closing hours at certain parks.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon To Reopen January 2

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 29, 2021

 

Following a nearly two-year-long closure, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park in Florida is slated to reopen January 2, 2022.  But before you get too excited, its reopening also means that Disney’s Blizzard Beach will be closing on January 1 for refurbishment.  

Courtesy of Walt Disney World website

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon closed its gates with the COVID shut downs in March 2020, and did not reopen with the rest of the Florida parks in July 2020.  Nearby Blizzard Beach did welcome back water park guests in 2021 after its year-long closure, but it will now get its turn to undergo a spruce up.

 

Among Typhoon Lagoon’s attractions are the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool; the coaster-like raft ride Crush ‘n’ Gusher; the family raft ride Miss Adventure Falls; the Humunga Kowabunga body slide; lazy river ride Castaway Creek; and the Ketchakiddee Creek water play area for little ones. Guests can also arrange to take surf lessons at the park.

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

 

For you and as a gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use.

Disney Swim Update: Art of Animation’s “Big Blue Pool” Still Under Construction

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 5, 2021

 

It’s no surprise that Disney would take advantage of the colder winter months to refurbish water rides and pools. After all, only the guests from snowy northern climates are brave enough to jump into the winter waters. (You can always tell who the locals are – they are the ones wearing jeans and sweatshirts, while the other tourists are in shorts in the 70 degree climate!) Plus, in this COVID-era of lower attendance and fewer open resorts, it’s a good time to take care of updates.

Original photo courtesy of Lou Mongello of WDWRadio.com

Blizzard Beach Water Park is expected to reopen on March 7, while Typhoon Lagoon remains closed for its spruce up.  In Animal Kingdom, Kali River Rapids is getting its once-over and is expected to reopen in April.  And for the tots, the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station at Magic Kingdom is also splash free at the moment.

 

Among the resort pools, the splash play area at the Polynesian; the “Hippy Dippy Pool” at Pop Century; the “Paddock Pool” waterslide at Saratoga Springs; and the Art of Animation’s “Big Blue Pool” are getting some off-season work done.  

 

The Big Blue Pool isn’t expected to reopen for swimmers until early April, but here’s what construction looked like recently at Art of Animation:

 

Most of the resorts have additional pools available while work is going on at the main pools. Check with your resort hotel if pool closures are a concern during your stay.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

Disney Extends Dry Time for Cruises and Water Parks

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 17, 2020

 

Disney will be staying out of the water for a bit longer, with the cruise line and water parks staying in dry dock for additional time.

 

The Disney Cruise Line has announced that due to the coronavirus and awaiting new directions from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Sailings are cancelled on board the Disney Fantasy through December 6; the Disney Dream and Disney Wonder through December 11; and the Disney Magic through December 12.”

Guests with cruises cancelled will have the option of a cruise credit for a future sailing or a refund.

 

Meanwhile, it also has been announced that while the Walt Disney World water parks – Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon – remain closed, Disney declared that, “pending government approvals, we currently plan to reopen one of the two Disney water parks on March 7, 2021.”

 

Disney stated on the Walt Disney World website, “Like the other areas of Walt Disney World Resort, we will welcome back Guests and Cast Members to our water parks in a responsible way, with a plan focused on health and well-being. We will provide more details on our phased reopening plan, including a decision on the specific water park that will be reopening first, at a later time.” 

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

 

Cancellations at Disney Continue; Mulan Opening Pushed Back

by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 27, 2020

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise across parts of the United States, including, most notably, Florida, Disney is facing a wave of additional cancellations and changes. That includes another rescheduling for the release of Mulan.

The biggest hit is the delayed reopening of its Disneyland California parks, announced earlier this week after the news that state officials would not be releasing theme park reopening guidelines until after July 4th. That assured that Disneyland would not have the necessary timeframe to be up and running for their originally proposed July 17 reopening.

And despite the fact that some Disney Springs venues only opened in the last few days, they are already shutting their doors under an emergency order yesterday from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. In a ban on alcohol consumption at bars, the Florida Department announced, “Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide.” The ruling stated that any business that derives “more than 50 percent of gross revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages” must close. It appears that, at this point, the larger restaurants at Disney Springs may continue operating and serving drinks with meals, but small venues, such as Jock Lindsey’s Hanger Bar and Dockside Margaritas, are closed. No end date to the order was given.

On Friday, Disney Vacation Club cancelled their planned Moonlight Magic events for July and August at Typhoon Lagoon Water Park at Disney World.

Disney also extended cancellations of its cruise lines. According to their release, “Disney Cruise Line is cancelling Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy sailings through September 15, 2020. Disney Cruise Line has already suspended Disney Wonder sailings through September 14, 2020 and Disney Magic sailings through October 2, 2020.” Disney Cruise Line/Adventures by Disney has also extended the suspension of departures from Europe through October 2, 2020, and departures from Canada through September 14, 2020. Adventures by Disney has made the decision to suspend departures of its tours through Tuesday, September 15, 2020. 

The United States isn’t the only locale struggling with travel related issues. Yahoo! Finance announced that The TUI travel agency, one of Europe’s largest tourism companies, will be canceling all U.K. vacations to Florida until December.

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club announced that they are postponing their Destination D: Fantastic Worlds event. “Due to the global impact of the COVID-19 virus and protocols necessary to ensure social distancing, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year's Destination D event until 2021,” reports the D23 website.  “We plan to announce a new date for Destination D later this year and will continue to host exclusive virtual events throughout 2020.” The three day event, scheduled for November 20-22, was due to happen at Disney World in Florida.

And finally, on a potentially brighter note, the live-action version of Mulan has been rescheduled for August 21st. (Rescheduling is better than cancelling, right?) Originally scheduled for a March 27 release date, then bumped to July 24th, COVID-19 cancellations brought down the curtain in most U.S. theaters, which have yet to open. Additionally, movie theaters in China, one of the markets expected to see the biggest ticket sales for Mulan, have remained closed. 

In Friday’s Variety, Walt Disney Studios' co-chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergen offered, “While the pandemic has changed our release plans for 'Mulan' and we will continue to be flexible as conditions require, it has not changed our belief in the power of this film and its message of hope and perseverance. Director Niki Caro and our cast and crew have created a beautiful, epic, and moving film that is everything the cinematic experience should be, and that's where we believe it belongs -- on the world stage and the big screen for audiences around the globe to enjoy together.” 

Reading between the thinly veiled lines, it seems as if August 21st might end up as only the most recently scheduled release date for Mulan. Expect more date changes as COVID-19 continues to throw a curve ball at reopening plans. At least Mulan, it appears, will not go the route of Artemis Fowl, with its release directly to Disney+, and will instead head to theaters – whenever that might turn out to be. 

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See related...

“Additional Disney Parks Set to Reopen; Paris and Tokyo Announce Return Dates”

“Disneyland Reopening Delayed Beyond July 17”

“Disney Spreads Out Opening Dates for Additional Resort Hotels”

“Making Reservations for Entry Into the Parks: Our Experience”

 

“Disney Opens New Reservation System for Theme Park Entry”

“Disney Cancels Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and H2O Glow Nights; Makes Changes to Food and Wine Festival; Park Hopping Suspended”

“Dining Reservations Now Available for Walt Disney World Resort Hotel Guests”

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.