Disney World Announcement Roundup

Disney has released a flood of information about what is coming to the parks over the next several months. From Jungle Book inspired shows at Animal Kingdom to Soarin' Over the World, Frozen Ever After to new Star Wars Fireworks, a lot of exciting things are coming soon. Here's a sneak peek at what you can expect.

Animal Kingdom -
Starting Memorial Day Weekend, Animal Kingdom will stay open late. You'll be able to ride Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest in the dark, as well as take a special sunset Kilimanjaro Safari. The Tree of Life will Awaken each night when animal spirits are brought to life by magical fireflies. Harambe will be filled with music and dancing during the Harambe Wildlife Parti. Discovery Island will host a Carnivale with music, dancing, stilt walkers, and exotic food. And speaking of food, Tiffins, the new world traveler restaurant, will be open for lunch and dinner. And while you're waiting for Rivers of Light to open, watch The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic Show. The show is full of music and special effects inspired by both the old film and the new, now with an Indian influence.

EPCOT -
Soarin' has undergone a major overhaul. No longer focusing on just California, Soarin' Over the World takes guests along the Great Wall of China, around Syndney Harbor in Australia, over the Matterhorn in Switzerland, and more.

Opening June 17, guests will glide over a dozen breathtaking views of the world, complete with spectacular sounds and scents. The interactive queue has been reimagined and a third screen has been added to cut wait times. Check out this sneak preview.

The Frozen Ever After attraction at the Norway Pavilion is set to open in June. Guests will take a boat tour through Arendelle. You'll see the "Winter in Summer" Celebration where Queen Elsa uses her magic to create a snow day for the kingdom, pass Troll Valley, go up the North Mountain to Elsa's Ice Palace, and return to the Bay of Arendelle. After the ride, meet Anna and Elsa at their new Royal Sommerhus, inspired by a Norwegian countryside cabin.

Hollywood Studios -
It's the summer of Star Wars at Hollywood Studios this year. Starting in June, you can see the new fireworks show "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular." The new show combines fireworks, pyrotechnics, lighting effects and projections that turn buildings into the trench of the Death Star, the suns of Tatooine, and other familiar locations. A live show called "Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away" celebrates iconic Star Wars moments with BB-8, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader. The show begins with a procession of First Order Stormtroopers, led by Captain Phasma, from the Launch Bay to the stage. The Launch Bay features movie props and character encounters, such as Chewbacca and Kylo Ren.

July Disney World Trip

I spent most of last week at Disney World for a surprise trip with my family. We had the chance to eat at several restaurants we hadn't tried before, including Morimoto Asia, Raglan Road and the Daily Poutine in Disney Springs, the Rose and Crown in EPCOT, and Kona at the Polynesian Resort. They were all absolutely delicious and I'll be reviewing them soon.

We also got to ride the new Soarin' Around the World as well as Frozen Ever After. I have to say, while I really enjoyed both rides, Frozen Ever After keeps breaking down, causing long waits for standby as they try to get all of the fast pass holders on first.

We spent an evening in Animal Kingdom for the first time without Extra Magic Hours. The new lighting on the Tree of Life is gorgeous and we all enjoyed the Bollywood style retelling of The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic. And Everest in the dark is quite the experience: because your eyes don't have to adjust to the dark interior, you can see more of the track as you zip through the mountain. And the park is definitely less crowded at night.

While I would probably go in July again, it was beyond hot, so different precautions needed to be taken to avoid dehydration and heat exhaustion. (Twenty years spent in Arizona really helped me plan for the heat.) I was able to find a new filtering water bottle, which I really like, so I could get additional filtered water and not have to lug around a gallon in a Camelbak all day.

The crowds at this time of year were most unexpected: it was ridiculously easy to get a Fast Pass for nearly anything, but the parks were fairly crowded with tour groups made up entirely of teens. There were at least four large groups of girls that were at Disney to celebrate their quinceaneras. (We noticed that they had a very big private party at EPCOT one evening.) Strangely, the tour groups always seemed to be waiting in standby lines and didn't appear to have any Fast Passes. That resulted in wait times which would change rapidly as groups of 40-60 teens got in line. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind teenagers, but these were a bit rowdy, loud, and under chaperoned, so it wasn't fun to get in line with them.

Our last day, we headed to Disney Springs to see what was new. We stopped in at Uniqlo, which is my new favorite place to shop for fun clothing. They have Disney shirts for the whole family as well as everyday clothing in a variety of styles and materials, like Supima cotton shirts and linen pants. They also have undergear for both warm and cool weather that were developed in Japan. It's an awesome store and I can't wait to shop there again.

Overall, I had a great time and I learned a lot of things that I'll be sharing with you soon. I'm already looking forward to my next trip!

Awaken Summer at Disney World

All images: Disney

Disney has finally released the opening dates for all of the attractions you've been waiting for. It looks like it's going to be a very busy June!

First up is Animal Kingdom. The fun begins next Friday, May 27 with the new Tree of Life nighttime awakening.  That same night features the premier of the Harambe Wildlife Parti and Discovery Island Carnival. The new water show "The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic" starts the following day, May 28.

Next up is Hollywood Studios. Beginning on May 27, guests can enjoy the third track on Toy Story Mania, which will hopefully shorten the wait times. On June 17, the highly anticipated  new "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular" fireworks show will turn the sky and buildings into scenes from the films.

Now we've come to the Magic Kingdom.  A new stage show called "Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire" debuts on June 17. The show features Mickey and his Merry Makers as they prepare to host a Princess filled festival. The show will also bring Tiana, Naveen, and Louis (Princess & the Frog), Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder (Tangled), and Anna, Elsa, and Olaf (Frozen) to the Castle Forecourt Stage.

And finally, EPCOT. Again, debuting on June 17, is Soarin' Around the World. Just a few days later, on June 21, we'll finally get the chance to ride Frozen Ever After and see Anna and Elsa at their new Royal Sommerhus.

In all, it sounds like a lot of fun. I can't wait to start booking my FastPasses so I can check it out! FastPasses for most attractions should be available today.

Photo of the Week

I really enjoyed the Bollywood feel of 

The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic.