Bitesize Orlando December 2022 – Issue 18

Welcome to the end of another year and a bumper Disney World news update with a few updates from the other parks. As you can see just below I also have a new table of contents block I will be using in future articles. It’s one of a number of website-related updates that you don’t see happening in the background that helps me speed up the process of creating the content that will help you plan better. Speaking of website updates I have been working on 2 things this month that have been overdue but are now live.

Website Updates

Hot on the heels of my Attractions Selector that I released at the start of November to help you plan smarter, I have been crunching the numbers from my last trip to Florida in August. One of the most surprising things for first-time visitors is how physical a Florida holiday can be, especially if you are trying to cram everything you possibly can into a tiny one or two-week window with little to no downtime.

Physical Steps & Distances For Each Park

Each park now has a new section showing how many steps and how far I walked. It’s not a scientific test and everybody will see the parks differently but at least you have a base idea of how physical it could be.

I am heading back to most parks again in June 2023 and I will update the numbers with the most recent visit on my return so the figures you will see are always up to date.

I always arrive at the parks before the official opening time because I stay on-resort so I have an early entry benefit for Universal and Disney. I don’t park hop and I stay until the park closes so it is a true reflection of spending a full day in each park. One last thing to bear in mind, my last visit coincided with one of the busiest summer weeks in 2022, probably an 8/10 or 9/10 on a crowd calendar.

There are 2 exceptions currently, I didn’t have time to visit Legoland Florida or Busch Gardens Tampa on my last visit. I will be spending a full day in Busch Gardens in June so I will add in figures for that park in the summer. I hope you find this small update useful.

Visiting Kennedy Space Center

I have been wanting to add a Kennedy Space Center visitors guide since I started this website 4 years ago but it has been over 10 years since I last visited. One of my main goals on my visit in the summer was to see how Kennedy Space Center has evolved in the last decade and I am so pleased I went back.

Most of this month has been spent putting together my Visiting Kennedy Space Center guide which has been live for just over a week now. Get the lowdown before your visit, discover the attractions you can see. The page has 44 photos and a rundown of every Mission Zone and I even answer some common questions about visiting Kennedy Space Center; it is a great start to your planning. As ever, if you have any questions I haven’t answered please reach out and I can answer them for you and maybe even update the page.

Disney World News December 2022

Refurbishments & Small Announcements

If you are visiting Magic Kingdom in January 2023, the park will be closing early on the 31st of January at 4:30 pm. The reason hasn’t officially been disclosed but it could be for a cast member milestone event which typically happens early in the year. The online park calendar currently lists opening hours for the rest of the week for Magic Kingdom as 9 am to 10 pm.

There is also a small refurbishment in Magic Kingdom to bear in mind if you’re visiting mid-January. Big Thunder Mountain will be closed for a brief refurbishment between the 9th and 13th of January. If you want to ride this attraction and have a visit reserved for Magic Kingdom between these dates you may want to amend your reservation to either side of the refurbishment window.

Softening these small blows, after a 4-year closure brought on by the construction of Tron Lightcycle Run necessitating a track layout change and major refurbishment, the Magic Kingdom Railroad is finally back open with a new conductor character created for the audio tour to provide, “a voice our guests can envision and resonate with. Someone who grew up on Main Street, U.S.A., dreaming of the day they’d be on the railroad. They’ve now achieved that dream, and they know everyone and everything at Magic Kingdom … an unofficial mayor of sorts. This conductor is humble, genial, and knowledgeable, and he’s eager to help passengers of these iconic steam trains get to their destinations around the park he loves so dearly.”

Over in Animal Kingdom, Kali River Rapids is also down for refurbishment starting on the 9th of January but there is currently no reopening date scheduled. Water attractions in Orlando typically receive extended refurbishments in the cooler winter months. With no reopening date announced, you should expect that Kali River Rapids will be down for an extended period, possibly extending beyond your stay so moving dates for your Animal Kingdom visit may not be as fortuitous.

Just as this article was going to be published, Dinsey announced that Rock ‘N’ Rollercoaster in Hollywood Studios will be closing for a several-month-long refurbishment starting on the 20th of February. No return date has been specified beyond a vague “summer 2023”. Summer holidays start in June in most US states so if you are travelling before mid-June expect that this attraction will not be available.

Our Best Look Yet At Tron Lightcycle Run

ABC News, a network owned by Disney, sent some of its news anchors on a preview ride of Tron for a lighthearted morning segment this past week. The news clip below gives us our best, yet all too brief look at the inside of the huge Tron show building. The official opening of Tron Lightcycle Run is scheduled for April. Have a look at the video below.

First Look At “Under The Sea” Themed Rooms At Caribbean Beach

Disney has shared a first look at new style rooms coming to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. The new-look rooms which are replacing pirate-themed rooms are currently being refurbished in the Trinidad South area of the resort. It’s one of the furthest areas of the resort so maintenance work should be minimal for most guests who are due to stay there in the next few weeks.

A Disney spokesperson also shared that the new rooms will “include subtle nods to fan-favorite characters from under the sea, will accommodate more Guests, and feature updated finishings that can’t be found anywhere else at the resort.”

Splash Mountain’s Final Date Is Set

2 and a half years on from the original announcement, Splash Mountain‘s fate is set. Its final day of operation will be the 23rd of January 2023 when it will close forever. The ride layout will remain the same but will be refurbished while the internal theming will be ripped out and replaced when Splash Mountain reopens as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in late 2024.

The theme of Splash Mountain, set against the 1946 film, “Song Of The South”, has been problematic for Disney for some years since “Song Of The South” has been derided as stereotypically racist for some of its depictions of characters.

If you’re a Disney+ Subscriber, you may have noticed that Song Of The South is not on any download catalogue. In a march 202 shareholder meeting Disney’s then and now CEO Bob Iger remarked why. A few months later Disney officially announced Splash Mountain would be closing permanently.

 “I’ve felt as long as I’ve been CEO that Song of the South — even with a disclaimer — was just not appropriate in today’s world…It’s just hard, given the depictions in some of those films, to bring them out today without in some form or another offending people, so we’ve decided not to do that.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger answering a shareholder question regarding “Song Of The South” and Disney+

Since it opened in 1989, Splash Mountain has become a fan favourite attraction despite its troubling source material. Disney Imagineers know that they need to approach the retheme with a delicate scalpel and the eyes of the Disney community will be on them every step of the way.

Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course Re-Opens Mid Refurb

Disney World guests can once again reserve a tee time at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course which is run by Arnold Palmer Golf Management like all Disney World golf courses.

Magnolia has reopened as a reimagined 14-hole course while refurbishments are taking place on the last 4 holes. All of Magnolia’s holes have been receiving new teeing grounds, updates to greenside and fairway bunkers, and recontoured greens that will make players’ putting game faster.

There will also be an expanded practice putting green complete with an 18-hole putting course. The larger scale design and additional contours is said to offer golfers a more realistic practice environment.

The course has also taken delivery of a brand new fleet of Yamaha Golf Carts with expanded technology. Guests with mobility issues can make use of the SoloRider adaptive carts for greater comfort making the course more accessible than it was.

To celebrate the course’s 50 years, each reimagined hole has received a name borrowed from a classic Disney movie along with an inspiring quote by either Walt Disney or Arnold Palmer

Refurbishments of the holes are still ongoing but if you want to play Magnolia you will receive a 33% discount on green fees while the refurbishments are taking place. Disney World still operates two 18-hole golf courses, Palm and Buena Vista for guests who wish to take advantage of an extended 18-hole game.

The changes currently being undertaken to the last remaining holes are:

• Hole 14 – Currently a par 5, will become a par 4, with a new green location
• Hole 15 – Currently a par 3, will shift location and become a long par 5, dogleg to the right
• Hole 16 – Will shift location and remain a par 4, but will now become a dogleg to the left
• Hole 17 – Currently a par 4, will become a par 3, with new tee box locations

Holes 16 and 17 will be connected by a new wooden bridge through the forest along with several new fairways and greenside bunkers that accommodate the shifting hole locations. Magnolia’s last 4 newly reimagined holes are due to open sometime in 2023.

Disney On Broadway Concert Series Lineup Announced For 2023

If you are visiting Disney World from mid-January to February 20th, the Festival Of The Arts in EPCOT will be running its annual concert series. The shows will be presented 3 times each evening to give all visitors a chance to see some of Broadway’s biggest stars belting out hits from 25 years of award-winning Disney On Broadway stage productions.

• Jan. 13, 15, 16, 19, 20 – Kara Lindsay (“Newsies”) & Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)
• Jan. 14, 17, 18, 21, 22 – Arielle Jacobs (“Aladdin”) & Adam Jacobs (“Aladdin”)
• Jan. 23, 25, 26, 29, 30, Feb. 2, 3 – Patti Murin (“Frozen”) & Robert Creighton (“Frozen”)
• Jan. 24, 27, 28, 31, Feb. 1, 4, 5– Mandy Gonzalez (“AIDA”) & L. Steven Taylor (“The Lion King”)
• Feb. 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19 – Kissy Simmons (“The Lion King”) & Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”)
• Feb. 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17 – Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”) & Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”)
• Feb. 20 – Special, extended finale performance featuring Brown, Scott, Simmons & Strickland

If you are visiting during these dates and would like a dining package, head on over to ArtfulEPCOT.com to reserve our spot and guarantee a seat for the theatrical action.

At Last, You Can Modify Genie+ Reservations!

Genie+ is Disney World’s (and Disneyland’s) premium queue option. Since the service was introduced last year it has seen a number of improvements, some popular and some not, particularly the new demand-based pricing that has seen the cost skyrocket 100% above its original starting figure on some dates.

One incoming change is sure going to go down well. Since it was introduced Genie+ reservations haven’t been modifiable. In order to see what other times are available for an attraction you first had to cancel your existing reservation(s) running the gamble of losing your reservation altogether.

The Genie+ app now suggests the next available times without you having to cancel your existing reservation and will allow you to swap some or all of your party (if you manage a group) onto the new time and/or attraction.

It’s a small change but a very welcome addition, frankly it should have been something that was baked in from the start but better late than never I guess! Hopefully, paid Lightning Lane reservations will be following suit sooner rather than later.

One important distinction to make is Genie+ and Lightning Lane reservations. Genie+ reservations use Lightning Lanes to access the queue area but a Lightning Lane reservation is one that has been paid for separately and is only valid for one ride, it’s not included in the general pool of available attractions in Genie+. This change only applies to the generic pool of Geneie+ attractions; paid individual Lightning Lane reservations are still non-refundable and non-changeable once booked.

To make it easier to change plans on the go, guests are now able to modify Lightning Lane selections made with Disney Genie+ service, without having to cancel and rebook their selection. Guests can now quickly search for and select other available attractions or arrival windows, helping them maximize their time in the theme parks.

Disney statement on Genie+ modifications feature now live in the My Disney Experience app.

To modify your reservation tap the 3 dots on the Tip Board or My Day tabs and select Modify Plan after 730 am. All Genie+ attractions within the park originally selected for the Genie+ reservations with available times will appear in a list. You can then adjust your arrival window or select a completely different experience. If you are managing a group of people you will be given the option of selecting the people before making the change.

Also bear in mind that modifying a reservation does not reset the 120-minute window countdown until you are able to book your next reservation whereas cancelling your reservation will reset the clock.

Now that modifications are enabled for Genie+ users, ALWAYS modify your plans instead of cancelling them. Modifying keeps your existing reservation safe and you can cancel the modification at any point. Cancel your slot and you have not only reset the 120-minute window that allows you to book another slot but you could also have lost your reservation to a savvy Genie+ power user.

For more information on Genie+ check out my complete guide to Disney’s Genie+ & Lightning Lane

Duck Tales World Showcase Adventure Debuts At EPCOT

It’s been 3 years since the original announcement but Duck Tales World Showcase Adventure is finally playable in EPCOT. The new game replaces Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure, a similar Phineas And Ferb-themed game which closed in February 2020.

Duck Tales World Showcase Adventures is an interactive game where visitors join Scrooge McDuck, his nephews and friends as they travel around World Showcase on a quacky quest to find the Seven Plunders of the World – and return them to their rightful owners.

The game will utilise the Play Disney Parks App which is a huge download (latest version at publication time is 584MB on the Android Play Store) so make sure you download it over wifi before you leave.

Treasures are found in the following countries:

• Mexico
• Norway
• China
• Germany
• Japan
• France
• United Kingdom

In order to rescue the treasure, each country has 3 assignments and one finale. Completing a mission in a country will unlock an achievement in the Play Disney Parks app. When all countries have been unlocked a final playable mission will be revealed.

Each mission, or country, will take 25-30 minutes to complete. The free interactive game is perfect for young or young-at-heart to take part in a trip around World Showcase discovering exotic destinations, exciting mysteries, and maybe even a few thieves, villains and supernatural guardians of ancient artifacts.

First Look At Roundup Rodeo BBQ And New Opening Date

The oh-so-long-in-construction Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant in the Toy Story section of Hollywood Studios will be dragging on a little longer than originally planned.

Disney has shared that the new table service restaurant will be opening sometime in Spring 2023, not late 2022 as forecast after an initial opening announcement of 2020 until COVID had other ideas.

Sure to be one of Hollywood Studio’s hottest table service dining reservations for families, the back story of the restaurant is that Andy has taped together 3 cardboard boxes to create a new rodeo arena for his favourite toys, games and playsets.

Imagineers have created full comic strips featuring Woody that Andy has used as part of the dining room ceiling. Spot some of your favourite Disney and Pixar characters scattered throughout the dining room in the forms of toys, game pieces and decorations on the walls.

This immersive restaurant will surround guests with a kaleidoscope of toys, games, and playsets, providing yet another unique, fun, family-friendly dining experience that could only be had in Toy Story Land.

Disney’s overview of the new Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant now opening Spring 2023 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Cinderella’s Royal Table To Welcome Back Princesses

One of the most popular character dining restaurants in Disney World, Cinderella’s Royal Table has been welcoming guests with a photo opportunity with Cinderella in the lobby but the dining room has remained character free since the restaurant opened post-COVID shutdown.

In a few short weeks that is all set to change as Disney’s princesses once again mingle with guests dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table beginning on the 28th of February.

Already a popular Advance Dining Reservation, expect demand for this experience to top previous highs once the princesses return. If this is on your to-do list make sure you are on the My Disney Experience app or website to book your space at your 60-day window (11 am UK time) as spaces will fill up extremely quickly.

Universal Orlando News December 2022

Villain Con Minion Blast & Minion Cafe Opening Summer 2023

Universal Studios Florida’s worst kept secret for the past 10 months finally has an opening date!

Villain Con Minion Blast will open next summer in the former home of Shrek 4D. The new interactive attraction has been confirmed to use a moving walkway with screen technology, interactive gaming and physical sets to create a refreshing yet familiar type of attraction for Minions fans and non-fans alike.

Opening at the same time as the new attraction, the Minion Cafe will be replacing the fan favourite Monsters Cafe which closed in May 2022.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Villain Con Minion Blast and Minion Cafe as well as some other surprises inspired by Illumination Entertainment’s popular Minions movies will create a Minion Land on Illumination Avenue at the entrance to the Studios.

Villain Con Minion Blast Details

Welcome to Villain Con, the biggest criminal convention on the planet there visitors can “take part in an epic competition to see if they have what it takes to become the newest member of The Vicious 6, a notorious group of supervillains from the hit film, “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

A brief overview of the new Villain Con Minion Blast attraction opening Summer 2023 at Universal Studios Florida

According to the official release,

“Guests who are up for the challenge will grab an interactive blaster and step onto a motion-based pathway to put their skills to the test. They’ll wind and glide through various scenes where they earn points by blasting a variety of items and causing as much mayhem and destruction as possible. It’s a unique, mischief-filled experience that’s so much fun, it’s a crime.”

Documents shared as part of the construction show that New Zealand company Glidepath Limited has been hired to install the moving walkway. You may not know the company but you will know their work as they have been at the forefront of baggage handling systems at airports for nearly 30 years. Thanks to their easily configurable walkways they have been a growing force in the entertainment industry.

It seems construction has been moving as fast indoors as it has on the attraction exterior. Unlike Disney, Universal has been far more proactive with its construction projects so I see no reason that Villian Con Minion Blast will be delayed hopefully putting the opening month sometime in June Or July.

Universal Great Movie Escape Now Open

Universal’s twin escape room experience collectively titled Universal Great Move Escape is now open at Universal Citywalk.

There are 2 experiences to choose from, based on 2 of Universal Studios’ and Amblin Entertainment’s most popular and endearing franchises, Back To The Future and Jurassic World.

The creative teams of Universal Orlando’s fabled Halloween Horror Nights along with franchise creators have created immersive environments that can be adjusted based on the skill level of players.

Beyond the art deco lobby that is open to players and non-players, both rooms feature eight environments with randomised puzzles.

Back To The Future: OUTATIME is set in 1993. Franchise protagonist Biff has stolen Don Brown’s newest time travel device and is plotting to disrupt the space-time continuum once again. Can you travel through time, find Biff and save the day in the nick of time?

Jurassic World: Escape land players in a secret lab on Isla Nublar. As trainees geneticists’ tasks will include feeding dinosaurs and splicing DNA before discovering that an apex predator has escaped. Players need to work together to conquer the environment and avoid being caught.

Based on the experiences of a blogger that attended a preview night, Back To The Future: OUTATIME is more of a traditional escape room experience with more searching, and physical and mental puzzle-solving required.

Jurassic World: Escape is based on a much newer franchise so feels higher tech but that is purposefully by design. The puzzles in Jurassic World do have a physicality to them but appeared to be more straightforward than those in Back To The Future. In that respect Jurassic World: Escape is probably better suited to escape room virgins over Back To The Future: OUTATIME.

Previous escape room devotees may need to park their expectations at the lobby as the rooms have been designed with the story, operations and guest experience at the forefront. That is, you will always be able to advance. From a guest experience, you get to live out part of being in one of the biggest franchises on the planet. Be fully immersed in the environment while making meaningful progress to be rewarded with the next environment. From an operations standpoint, people keep moving through the experience, increasing the throughput of the attraction and keeping lines moving. In that respect, they are much like a Halloween Horror Nights house not your traditional escape room experience you may have done in the past.

With prices starting at $49.99 per person (plus tax) Universal Great Movie Escape will not be for everyone but they do add another family-friendly choice to Citywalk’s traditionally more adult-orientated entertainment and ultimately that’s a good thing.

Jurassic Park River Adventure Winter Maintenance

Now that Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls has re-opened from a forced early closure following Hurricane Ian Jurassic Park River Adventure is scheduled to be down for its winter maintenance from the 9th of January until the 3rd of February.

Next to close should be Popeye And Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges but that will likely be held off until River Adventure opens once again.

With Ripsaw Falls being out of action for the past couple of months it would be strange to see that take on its usual winter maintenance schedule in the New Year.

The last major hurricane of this year, Hurricane Ian, did a bit of a number on the massive show building on River Adventure but the ride managed to stay open with minimal downtime following the hurricane closure. Hopefully, crews will use the extended downtime to make a more permanent fix to the building.

Seaworld Orlando News December 2022

Pipeline Coaster Track Layout Complete

Just 2 short months after the official announcement, the track layout for Seaworld’s new Pipline:The Surf Coaster is already complete.

The first-of-its-kind roller coaster will feature a brand-new inversion called the Wave Curl. Along the 2,950 feet of track that will reach a height of 110 feet, there will also be 5 distinct airtime moments. The ride duration is around 2 minutes including the lift hill. Maximim speed will be 60mph. The thrill here isn’t on speed but the unusual standing position which alters your centre of gravity. Indeed, going slower may actually heighten the feelings as you make your way around the tight turns.

Seaworld is clearly in a rush to complete its latest attraction and for good reason. Universal Is opening Villain Con Minion Blast in the summer and Magic Kingdom is expected to debut Tron Lightcycle Run In April.

Seaworld’s strategy of focusing more on multi million dollar roller caosters and other experiences so far has been paying off with record numbers of visitors and profits at the expense of its much larger neighbours and they want Pipeline to take some of the gloss off Disney finally opening Tron, 5 long years since it was announced.

Orlando Area News December 2022

Tank America Rolls Into Orlando

Just south of Downtown Orlando Tank America has a new 14-acre facility at Rollins College and Full Sail University.

A lot of travel post covid is experiential and things don’t get much more experiential than driving a 17-ton FV 433 Abbot tank around a half-mile course of jungle terrain, over a 15ft hill and across a 4ft deep mud hole.

 “If you’re looking for a thrilling experience outside of the theme parks, it doesn’t get more thrilling than Tank America.”

Tank America partner, John Kinney

The experience isn’t cheap but it’s most certainly one of the more off-the-wall things you can do, not just in Orlando but anywhere. Tank America packages at the publication of this article are:

Thats it for 2022’s bumper catch of news from Orlando.

Thank you for reading and following, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed creating it for you. I wish you had the best new year and I’ll see you at the end of January for another catch up.