Bitesize Orlando May 2024 – Issue 35

Welcome to your Bitesize Orlando May 2024 update already, where has this month gone?! My Central America trip last month taught me one thing. if you’re thinking of flying indirectly to Orlando to save some cash or because the flights work in better with your plans, avoid Maimi Airport at all costs!

Not only is the airport too big to make connections easy but the immigration officials in Miami have taken rudeness to a new level. Coming home via Philadelphia was a breath of fresh air compared to Miami. It was actually pleasant. I was advised to do exactly what the official in Miami belittled me for. Why? Because he had a god complex. Miami officials need a reality check on how their immigration staff deal with arrivals. How it’s happening at the minute, I’m surprised anyone would want to go back after the way I was treated. Anyway, rant over, hopefully I will spare someone the unpleasantness of Miami.

While I was away last month I still managed to get a ton of work done behind the scenes. Did you know I have height guides and attraction tick lists for every attraction in every major theme park? They are on the theme park overview pages along with my free guide to each theme park. You don’t need to buy an outdated Orlando guide when all this information is at your fingertips for free!

This month I have designed a Planning Tools Archive Page to make finding these downloads easier for you. You can access every free download available throughout the website from one page; super easy and super convenient so you can get planning. Check out my new planning tools archive page to see what you have missed. If you have a friend or family member who is trawling Facebook forums looking for height restrictions and attraction tick lists please let them know about this free resource.

As May 2024 fades into history I can once again get to work on digitising and updating my planning guide which will be much of the focus over the summer between official reveals of Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park. This reminds me, I have also updated my official Epic Universe Overview page with all the details released about Super Nintendo World earlier this month.

Hot on the heels of the animatronics reveal last month for this brand new reskin of Splash Mountain, Disney has officially announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open on June 28th 2024!

The new attraction digs a little deeper into Tiana’s story. The attraction is set after the events of the “Princess And The Frog” movie. Join Tiana and a host of new adorable characters around the Bayou with Mardi Gras celebrations ringing out all around. The original cast returns to lend their voices to the characters in this attraction and it will feature a brand new musical score inspired by Zydeco, Rara and Afro-Cuban music typical of what you will find in and around New Orleans. For a sneak peek inside the attraction look a little further down for a new “We Call It Imagineering” video Disney just released.

The attraction features dozens of new and re-used animatronics, including some of Disney’s most advanced audio-animatronics yet, just in time for the peak summer season in Magic Kingdom.

As with many of Disney’s newest attractions, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will only initially operate with a paid Individual Lightning Lane where you can choose your return window or a virtual queue. A standby line will not be offered initially. That will bring the number of Virtual Queue attractions at Disney World temporarily up to 3. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure joins Guardians Of The Galaxy at EPCOT and Tron: Lightcycle Run also in Magic Kingdom in being exclusively virtual queue or paid ILL for the time being.

If you want to see these new animatronics in action you had better be on the MDE app at 7 am sharp on the day of your visit!

According to a BlogMickey article, Disney could already have begun deactivating Magic Band 1.0 devices that were sold exclusively in Disney World between 2013 and 2016 when Disney released Magic Band 2.0. The current preferred wearable is the Magic Band+ released in 2021.

If you visited Disney World between 2013 and 2016 you may need to double check your wearable hasn’t been deactivated by default. You can reactivate your band in the MDE app if it has.

There are likely very few of these WDW exclusive wearables still in use but Disney could be shoring up its creaky IT infrastructure by deactivating old bands that will have a 90%+ chance of never being used again freeing up bandwidth and lord knows what else on Disney’s back end.

In what will become a series, Disney has just released the second in their “We Call It Imagineering” video series. The informative videos offer a sneak peek behind the Disney curtain at the creation of some of the classic attractions as well as serving up sneak peeks of new attractions that are still in development.

The first video dealt with Disney’s famed Audio-Animatronics and gave us our first really good look at the advanced audio animatronics that have been created for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The second video, titled Soundscapes, shows us how Disney uses music to bring parks and attractions to life while also subliminally transporting us and setting the tone and scene of attractions before we even get on them.

The Soundscapes video offer us glimpses of 2 attractions which are undergoing final testing before being officially launched in a few weeks. We get to see some recording sessions for Country Bear Music Jamboree, an update of a classic animatronic attraction in Magic Kingdom. Just across the way from the Bears, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is almost ready to debut. We join one of the composers and the Imagineering leads for the reimagining of one of Disney World’s favourite attractions, Splash Mountain. In case you haven’t seen the first video I have embedded both below.

The official Disney World calendar could have given us a hint as to when Rock N Roller Coaster’s 6+ month-long refurbishment will. It currently lists it as being available from July 27th. This is in line with what Disney said before the closure on January 8th.

The 20+ year-old attraction has been experiencing bouts of extended downtime in recent years rumoured to be some issues with the track. This year’s extended closure window is used to address some of the issues the ride has been facing and continue the work started in last year’s shorter 3-month-long refurbishment. Disney has confirmed that nothing has changed from a theming point of view and the attraction will still feature Aerosmith despite persistent rumours that the theme will be swapped out to something more Disney-related as has happened in Paris.

We’re probably not too far away from a Rock N Roller Coaster retheme at Disney World but Disney has a lot of projects currently on the slate and they need Rock N Roller Coaster to pick up some of the crowds over the summer months in Hollywood Studios.

In what has become an annual thing, Disney announced this year’s Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party dates at the Halfway To Halloween celebration. The dates for this year’s event are:

• August: 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30
• September: 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29
• October: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31

Remember that this is a separately ticketed event and Magic Kingdom will close early on event nights without a fireworks finale. If you don’t want to purchase a separate ticket but want to see Magic Kingdom’s legendary fireworks spectacle you will want to avoid event days. Conversely, event days in Magic Kingdom are quieter than usual. Yes, the days are shorter but you may actually get more done than on non-event days particularly in October and late September when there are more event days than non-event days and crowds descend en masse to the park on non-event days.

This year’s event will see Mickey and Minnie in new neon spider web outfits with opportunities to meet with more Disney villains than ever before. There is also a special nighttime parade through Main Street USA and a spectacular Halloween-themed overlay of the fireworks over Cinderella Castle.

MNSSHP is now very popular and all dates are likely to sell out before the day comes around so if you want to go I would advise you pre-book your tickets online with Disney using a VPN (you cannot book tickets directly with Disney online outside of the US) or call 0800 08 50 582. Alternatively, tickets are available with most of the popular UK ticket brokers. Tickets direct with Disney are priced between $119 and $199 per person depending on the night you visit.

Ahead of the first show on May 24th Disney took to Instagram and YouTube to share a sneak peak of Disney Springs’ new limited-time “Dreams That Soar” drone show that is now playing twice nightly at 9 pm and 1045 pm at Disney Springs this summer. The show is scheduled to run until September 2nd.

The show features 800 drones set to a soundtrack of Disney classics along with a new composition to really tug at the heartstrings. The show will feature popular characters appearing and disappearing right before your eyes in the sky. Baymax, Orange Bird, Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan and a Death Star that is larger than Spaceship Earth at EPCOT. Check out the video courtesy of Blog Mickey below.

If you are visiting this summer and want to see the show, the best views are along the lakefront at Disney West Side between the Cirque Du Soleil Theatre and Aerophile. Magic Band+ users will also see their bands light up and vibrate in time to the music and aerial acrobatics.

The same entertainment team that brought this show to Disney Springs are working on bigger and better things for Disney’s other parks so make sure you don’t miss this spectacle if you’re in the area this summer.

Universal Creative Director Dean Orion presents a short video released by Universal that gives us a sneak peek into the new Dreamworks Land at Universal Studios Florida.

Dreamworks Land will replace Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone on June 14th. Woody’s Kid Zone was an area for kids in a park dominated by attractions for older kids and adults. Dreamworks Land refreshes the entire area with new IP and more interactivity, perfect for today’s kids. Check out the video below.

The first 4 Halloween Horror Nights house names for 2024 have been revealed. Slaughter Sinema 2 was quickly joined by Goblin’s Feast in social media posts by Universal. In turn, they have been joined by Major Sweets Candy Factory and The Museum: Deadly Exhibit.

Slaughter Sinema 2 is a sequel to 2018’s campy tribute to classic horror B movies, Slaughter Sinema. Goblin’s Feast meanwhile will be an original story and nothing based on a movie or other IP. It’s as yet unknown if Goblin’s Feast will tie into any previous Halloween Horror Nights houses or scare zones.

In Major Sweets Candy Factory guests are chaperones on a school field trip with treats that turn kids into “sugar-fueled fiends”. This is similar to the 2022 scare zone, “Sweet Revenge”. The Museum: Deadly Exhibit is another original story where the “Rotting Stone” exhibit in a folklore museum turns deadly.

This summer Aquatica, Seaworld’s water park will host a limited-time ticketed event after regular park hours.

AquaGlow will take place from 8 pm until 11 pm on 16 nights spread from June to August. Seaworld promises shorter wait times due to limited tickets for each evening plus the “Electric Tide” laser show at the Cutback Cove wave pool. Roa’s Rapids, a not-so-lazy river will also be amped up even more for the event. There will also be a dance foam party. Complimentary soft drinks will be available each evening and glow drinks, a light-up popcorn bucket and neon cupcakes can be purchased separately.

With our exclusive limited-capacity approach, guests can immerse themselves in this extraordinary experience without the worry of long waits.

Brad Gilmour, President Of Aquatica on the new AquaGlow event.

AquaGlow tickets are priced between $50 and $63 depending on the evening. Guests can enter the park from 6 pm with the ticket. If you want to make it a full day and purchase an unlimited meal deal in the day, that will be extended through the evening AquaGlow hours.

Between June 1st and August 11th Legoland Florida will host the Summer Brick Party. This year’s Brick Party includes a new show especially for pre-schoolers called “Playtime With Hopsy” as well as a dance party called “Party. Play. Fun”.

Two favourite shows from last year also return for the event. The “Go Xtreme!” stunt show featuring bikers, skateboarders and all kinds of stunts plus “Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show” with wakeboarding, barefoot water skiing, jump acts and a waterski pyramid. Check the Legoland app or in-park notice boards for showtimes, especially Brickbeard’s Watersport Stunt Show which will only play on selected days.

As well as the shows meet a great cast of characters like Shark Suit Guy, Lego DUPLO Bunny, Hopsy and “I Heart Legoland” Boy and Girl. There will also be a special showing of the “Touch The Sky” fireworks on July 4th.

Popular Dinner Show Pirates Dinner Adventure is debuting a new show; “In Search Of Neptunes Treasure”, which debuts June 1st and has a new script, new songs and new special effects. The show also pays homage to classic characters from the attraction lineup over the years.

The new show is directed by Micheal La Fleur whose credits include the ’90s version of Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios Florida. He also wrote and directed the riotous “Wild, Wild West Stunt Show, also at Universal Studios Florida. God, I miss that show! He’s also worked on street atmosphere for Disney in Tokyo’s DisneySea theme park and more recently directed Celine Dion’s “A New Day..” residency in Las Vegas.

Pirates Dinner Adventure opened in 1997 just off International Drive, 5 minutes from Universal Studios and round the corner from the new Epic Universe theme park in 2025. Tickets for Pirates Dinner Adventure cost $73 for visitors aged 11+ and $47 for children aged 3-10.

“Our new show pays homages to the classic characters that audiences know and love while introducing exciting, new show elements to create a revitalized, immersive experience.”

Nick Croger, Creative Director of Orlando Dinner Entertainment

2026 will mark 10 years since Nickelodeon had a presence in Orlando. First, there were the Nickelodeon Studios in Universal Studios Florida, 2 dedicated soundstages and post-production facilities. It was Nickelodeon’s main production output facility in the 1990’s. The studio closed its doors for a final time in 2005 after moving to MTV’s production centre in Santa Monica.

The year the studio closed, a Nickelodeon Hotel opened at the southern end of International Drive. That hotel closed in 2016 and, after sitting derelict for some years, has since been converted to the Holiday Inn Orlando Resort & Suites – Waterpark.

Now, a prestigious new 220-acre development called Everest Place, just 10 minutes from Disney World’s main entrance, World Drive in Kissimmee has announced plans for a new Nickelodeon-themed 400-room hotel and condo unit will open in 2026.

Developed in conjunction with Paramount Location-Based Entertainment & Experiences and Lion Star Hospitality, the new resort will boast it’s own Aqua Nick waterpark, just like the previous Nickelodeon Hotel.

The developers promise rooms based on popular Nickelodeon IP such as Paw Patrol, Spongebob Squarepants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dora The Explora. The resort will also offer themed stores, character interactions and the chance to get Slimed.