Bitesize Orlando June 2024 – Issue 36

Welcome to the third anniversary of this newsletter. I can’t believe it’s been three years and 2 website iterations since I began this newsletter. It’s been a blast and a steep learning curve but very enjoyable. I’m not resting though, there has been plenty going on behind the scenes so before I get onto Bitesize Orlando June 2024, a quick catchup on what’s been happening with the website.

I’ve completed one section of the holiday planning guide rewrite. Moving the publication online allows me to add more interactive content which is one reason for the long gestation period of the new guide, creating all this new content takes a lot of time but I hope you’ll believe that the wait will be worth it. Next month I want to start another section rewrite and continue some more cosmetic changes to the website I started this month.

Along with the holiday planning guide rewrite I have started to change all the page headers of the website to make it easier for you and search engines to find the content you want by making them more visually striking and adding in a technical component called breadcrumbs which allow you to jump back in one click. If you are viewing the website on a computer the breadcrumbs are stacked vertically on the right-hand side. On smaller devices such as tablets and laptops, breadcrumbs are under the page title. This month I have managed to change most pages on the website with the exception of the Explore section which I hope to start and finish this month.

Returning visitors will also notice a simpler menu system now in use on the website. As my content has expanded the need to simplify the menu structure has become apparent and the new menu lets you get to what you want with fewer clicks than the old menu.

One of the most requested features of the previous Fastpass+ era will finally be introduced to Genie+ starting July 24th.

Fastpass+, Disney’s free attraction selection precursor to today’s paid Genie+ service, allowed three attractions to be pre-selected before you arrived at the resort. The new Genie+ update changes the names of the Genie services to better define their meanings. The update also adds the ability for visitors to pre-select up to 3 attractions from a curated list at each of Disney’s main theme parks.

Before you get all excited that Fastpass+ is returning (albeit in paid form) there is one huge catch that makes it very difficult for international visitors to use this facility. Since the original announcement, Disney has clarified that the ability to pre-book attractions will only be available within the My Disney Experience app, it won’t be available online.

So far so clear but this is where problems start for international visitors to Disney World. The ability to pre-book attractions selections is geo-restricted to only the USA. This means that you need to be in the US before you can use this very handy, and much-requested feature.

Bearing in mind many international travellers won’t arrive until the day before their first park visit, they won’t have an option of being able to pre-select attractions as they will all be reserved before they land at the US border.

Bearing in mind most international visitors will not be able to use this facility, I won’t bog down this article with the finer details but here are the main bullet points of the new feature.

• Genie+ will be renamed Lightning Lane Multi Pass
• Individual Lightning Lane will be renamed Lightning Lane Single Pass
• Pre-select up to 3 attractions 7 days in advance of your visit for Multi-Pass
• On-resort guests will be allowed to pre-select up to 14 days of attractions
• Off-site guests can only pre-select up to 3 days of attractions.
• Pick a return time slot to fit in with your plans and other commitments
• Pre-selected attractions can only be for one park per day
• Up to 2 Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions can be selected per day and can be in any park but you must be in possession of a ticket that includes park hopper to use this feature.

Is the geo-restriction fair? Absolutely not, Disney are alienating a huge part of their bottom line by not allowing international visitors to pre-select their attractions. International visitors typically spend more time in Disney World and the FOMO of such an expensive trip means they are willing to spend more on services such as Lightning Lane. The restriction is in place “due to reasons out of our control” according to a Disney Employee who was questioned directly by one understandably irate British Vacation Club member on social media.

It is most likely because of GDPR and all the changes Disney would have to make to become compliant with British data privacy laws and all data privacy laws within each country in which Disney operate. It is the same reason we are unable to book Magical Extras such as Droid Building in Hollywood Studios or Bibiddy Boboddy Boutique on the UK website.

Unlike the website issue that can be circumvented with a simple VPN to make it appear as though we are in the US, the fact that attraction pre-selection is only going to be available in the app and not online presents another headache for international visitors.

The payment system that Disney uses for purchases within the My Disney Experience app uses the GPS location which is built directly into the device you are using. A VPN cannot mask the GPS signal rendering VPNs useless for attraction pre-selection.

GPS masking apps are available within the Google Play Store (I’m not sure about iOS) that will let you mask your GPS location and spoof it that you are somewhere else, much like VPN systems do for computers. Whether they will work is another matter that we will have to wait for the new system to launch to find out. I will be updating my dedicated Disney Genie and Lightning Lane guide over the next few days so please keep checking my Disney Genie & Lightning Lane Guide for a full rundown of available attractions and more information on Lightning Lane pre-selection.

Disney showed a little behind-the-scenes footage for the new The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure show currently being designed as a replacement for the longstanding Voyage Of The Little Mermaid show at Hollywood Studios.

The original production had been showing its age for many years, but it was still a brilliant, if dated, show that many people have grown up with (it opened in 1992!). The new show will feature the classic songs everybody loves plus 2 all-new numbers, “Daughters Of Triton” and “Kiss The Girl”.

Disney says that so much has changed from the original iteration of the show that “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” is being treated as a brand new production, not a reimagining.

Earlier this year Disney held a casting call for Ariel and Prince Eric in Orlando, New York and Atlanta but didn’t share an opening timeframe. The behind-the-scenes work is taking a long time to put together. The show will feature all-new set pieces combined with state-of-the-art digital effects, real and animated puppets as well as live actors to blend the lines between what’s real and animated in a way never seen before in a live-action show.

Disney still isn’t ready to share an opening time frame for the new show but it’s rumoured that work has been ongoing since early 2022. Hollywood Studios is desperately in need of added capacity, some had hoped the new show would debut in time for this summer’s crowds but the lack of a date in the June press release puts that in doubt. Disney is putting the finishing touches to the show and may be able to get it ready to debut before the busy Christmas period, hopefully sometime in the autumn. As soon as they share a date you will see it here.

In the meantime, click this link if you would like to read the full article on the Disney Parks Blog.

Meanwhile, over in Magic Kingdom, another fan-favourite show has been getting updated and Disney has now shared the opening date for the reimagined “Country Bear Musical Jamboree” show which will debut on July 17th.

Disney has done a couple of updates recently on this new Nashville-inspired musical show and it won’t be long before we can see the reimagined show for ourselves. In the meantime, I have embedded a sneak peek of an Instagram reel below showing a little behind-the-scenes peek about costuming the new animatronics.

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In news that will shock nobody who has been to the parks in the last couple of years, a new report by FinanceBuzz has confirmed what we all knew. Food and drinks in Disney World are damn expansive, but they are also outpacing inflation!

Many visitors look at entrance ticket prices as a gauge of how expensive it is to visit the theme parks but according to the report theme park tickets have risen on average 56% in the last decade. The cost of the cheapest available theme park ticket has risen just 21%. Remember this report is focussed on more expensive US-based ticket packages, many of which are beaten by our counterpart UK ticket packages. In the same period, food and beverage items have risen a whopping 61% on average with some items rising almost double that.

Don’t forget that an important part of your planning should be on reducing costs while you are in the resort and all the menus in Disney World are available online before you arrive. If you do your homework correctly you shouldn’t be shocked that a typical burger and fries will set you back $15 plus another $5 for a drink. Oh, and add another 6% for state tax on pretty much everything you buy while in Florida. Table service meals will typically be double this or more depending on the restaurant and you will need to tip your waiter around 20%.

Please, do yourselves a favour and plan in those meal costs while you are away so the credit card bill isn’t such a shock when you get home. Your bank balance can thank me later!

Dreamworks Land, the replacement for Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone is now officially open at Universal Studios Florida. The revitalised children’s area next to ET Adventure and the Animal Actors arena is home to many new attractions and a refreshed children’s roller coaster.

The area is packed with interactivity and characters that children know and love. Broken into 3 sub-areas based around Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda the new area is home to the following attractions and experiences;

• “King Harold’s Swamp Symphony”
• “Shrek’s Swamp” Play Area
• “Poppy’s Playground” Play Area,
• “Trolls Trollercoaster”
• “Po’s Kung Fu Training Camp” Play Area
• “Po Live!” Interactive Digital Experience
• Meet Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey
• “Imagination Celebration” Interactive Show

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios gain popularity every year. Modern-day scare events were born here in Orlando at Universal Studios Florida. Today Halloween Horror Nights here and in California are some of the largest events you will find anywhere in the world.

The size and popularity of the event make getting around it in one evening a challenge but the Halloween Horror Nights team has this year launched a premium scream evening with the promise of limited capacity and less queueing.

If you are in Orlando in Late August and you want to visit Halloween Horror Nights, you can opt for the new Premium Scream evening on August 29th. Groups will enjoy staggered entry into each of the houses so everyone can get their fright on plus unlimited food and beverages cooked up by the culinary wizard, especially for the event. A limited number of attractions will also be open until late so you can ride some of the most popular attractions in the park with minimal wait times.

With premium in the title you’ve got to expect to pay extra for this and there is quite a markup compared to the standard HHN entry ticket that starts at $83. Tickets for the Premium Scream evening are $350 per person!

Schools may be out for the summer but classes are definitely in session at Hogwarts. Debuting halfway through the month and playing until the 25th of August, “Hogwarts Always” is the latest incarnation of the Wizarding World – Hogsmead projection mapped show onto the facade of Hogwarts Castle at Islands Of Adventure.

Like its predecessors, this show ends with one of 4 endings, one each for the 4 student houses in Hogwarts; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Due to the proximity of the park to neighbours, this is strictly a projection show with a small amount of pyrotechnics for the finale. If you want more fireworks, head next door to Universal Studios’ new evening spectacular, check out the details a little further down.

2 more houses have been announced for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event. Universal took to social media to tease the back story of the first, Triplets Of Terror.

“You’re invited to the Barmy triplets’ birthday bash. But beware, they celebrate by recreating their family’s murders. Prepare for a gory gathering.”

Universal social media post about the new Triplets Of Terror house.

Another of the houses at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights will be based on Pramount’s “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place Part 2”. Will you be able to stay silent through the horrors of the house like the Abbotts have to in the movies?

Check out the introduction trailer below.

So far Universal has announced the following houses. Remember this year that all houses but “A Quiet Place” are original stories from Universal Creative.

• Goblins’s Feast
• Slaughter Sinema 2
• The Museum: Deadly Exhibits
• Monstruos: The Monsters Of Latin America
• Major Sweets Candy Factory
• Triplets Of Terror
• A Quiet Place

It’s been over a year since Universal Studios Florida had a nighttime finale. Work has been ongoing in the lagoon installing new infrastructure for the show for months.

‘CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular’ debuted the same day as the Hogwarts projection show, June 14th and will run nightly until August 25th, weather permitting.

The new show has a runtime of 22 minutes and features more than 600 drones, the first use of drones in a Universal Orlando show. The show also has 228 fountains reaching a maximum height of 131 feet.

The show, like its predecessor pays homage to classic movies that have been connected to the resort over the years. “Jaws”, “Jurassic Park”, “Back To The Future” and, of course, “Harry Potter”.

Universal has also lifted the lid on another of Epic Universe’s new lands. This month Dark Universe went under the spotlight. We get a closer look at the backstory of the new land as well as its two headline attractions. I have embedded a fly-through of the new land below. For more information and all Epic Universe-related news please check out my newly updated Epic Universe Overview page.

Mark July 7th in your calendars. That will be the opening date for Seaworld’s new family multi-launch coaster Penguin Trek.

Penguin Trek, Seaworld’s 7th roller coaster, replaces Antarctica’s dark ride Empire Of The Penguin which closed at the onset of COVID only to never reopen without warning. The show building now houses a small indoor section of Penguin Trek before you launch outside into a thrilling adventure.

Penguin Trek features 2 launches, a top speed of 43mph and a maximum height of just 65 feet; a perfect combination for a family roller coaster.

Kennedy Space Center has announced plans to build a new 50,000-square-foot administrative building with construction beginning on what is now surface parking lot 2 later this summer with completion sometime next summer.

Once the new administrative building is completed and operational, the old building will be demolished in early 2026 and a new 9-storey attraction will be constructed adjacent to the Shuttle Atlantis building. The 9-storey structure will take visitors on an “enhanced interactive environment of NASA’s past and future.”

Nothing else has been confirmed for this new attraction but Kennedy isn’t done there! They have outlined plans for developing the Visitor Center over the next 15 years beyond the 2-year construction of the new attraction.

They are looking at building a new educational facility, shuttle launch viewing platforms, and associated parking areas to compensate for lost parking capacity over the next few years.

Further out, parking lots 3 and 4 near the current entrance are sites earmarked for new attraction additions in the next decade, probably necessitating another redesign of the Visitor Center. A hotel is also being considered sometime in the next 11 to 15 years once the attraction lineup has been fleshed out and the Visitor Center will support multi-day visits.

The future is looking very bright for this unique underappreciated attraction and I can’t wait for the new attraction additions.

That wraps it up for this month, thanks for reading. I will be back with another update next month.