The Most Magical Place on Earth continues to innovate and improve as it ages.
Walt Disney World Resort officially turned 50 on October 1, 2021. To celebrate, the theme park resort has found numerous ways to advance its offerings for guests, and those who work for the company are thrilled the day is finally here.
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“As cast members, we’re super excited to just be able to welcome guests and create the magic memories alongside them,” said legacy cast member Tom Thomson, who began his career in merchandising at Hollywood Studios and is now working for the Disney Institute in content development. “I hope [guests] get a chance to really just make special memories at a time that is just so unique. As cast members, we create happiness, and I am a fan as much as I am a cast member. I enjoy just seeing the joy in our guests as much as I do experience it myself.”
The 18-month long celebration will give patrons a chance to experience everything from new attractions, new entertainment offerings, new food and beverages and so much more.
New Rides
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a 3D ride experience where guests sit in a ride vehicle built like a rat. The storyline is taken right from the film. Remy is on the rooftops of Paris, looking into the kitchen, and as he falls through, so do you.
“What I hope guests will find is a really authentic experience to the film Ratatouille,” said Joe Vitale, Production Designer for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. “We’re going to immerse you in the world of the film…The twist is, we’re going to shrink you down to the size of the rat. You’re going to experience everything from Remy’s point of view. You and chef Remy will go on a wild chase.”
And just announced, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is set to open in 2022 at EPCOT. This will open the first “other-world” showcase pavilion at EPCOT, which will create a whole new way for Disney World to enhance the guest experience.
There’s no word yet on which month in 2022 Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open, but TravelPulse was given a sneak peek last week. When it debuts, it will be one of the world’s longest indoor roller coasters. Plus, the ride design will feature a seat that can rotate and spin, similar to what guests experience while on the Haunted Mansion ride in Magic Kingdom. It’s just another way Disney World continues to take the next step when it comes to attractions.
Epic New Shows Day and Night
Of course, Disney World is more than just rides. The themed day and night shows allow guests a different way to find joy beyond hopping on a roller coaster or boat ride.
“Harmonious” at EPCOT is one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for a Disney park and incorporates pyrotechnics, choreographed moving fountains, lighting, LED panels and media in ways that are sure to take the breath away of all Disney fanatics.
“Disney Enchantment” at Magic Kingdom Park lights up Cinderella’s Castle with an immersive projection and features a new original song, “You Are the Magic” in addition to booming fireworks.
“Disney KiteTails” at Animal Kingdom is a new daytime show that can be found at the Discovery River Theater. Popular Disney songs play as three-dimensional kites of some of Disney’s top animal characters fly sky high.
New and Updated Hotels
Perhaps the most ambitious “hotel” Disney will ever create, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will officially open on March 1, 2022. This is not your typical hotel though.
“We have 100 cabins on board, and what’s really unique about this is that there is a window out into space,” Jared Sell, Assistant Project Manager with Walt Disney Imagineering, told TravelPulse. “So, you’re going to see all the activity as we travel through hyperspace, as we travel to different planets, and if there’s a space battle going on, you’ll see that coming by your windows, it all carries through.”
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Guests can choose to be a member of the Resistance, a member of the First Order, or even a smuggler. This fully immersive experience is sure to be an absolute game-changer in the theme park world. The price tag for a two-night voyage is set at just under $5,000 for two adults and increases if guests bring children on board.
Bookings for Galactic Starcruiser will open soon for Disney Vacation Club members, Disney Passholders and Disney Visa Cardmembers. Booking will open for the general public on October 28.
Other hotel updates around Disney that were completed ahead of the anniversary celebrations include refurbished rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
New Food and Beverage Options
Disney will unveil 70 new food and beverage items in honor of the 50th-anniversary celebration. A few highlights include: The Mission to Mars burger that’s topped with bacon, macaroni and cheese, and served on cheese puff-dusted bun; Five Alarm Wings that are tossed in a sweet-and-spicy heat served with ranch dressing; The Doom Berry drink that features blackberry ginger beer (non-alcoholic) with EARidescent sugar served with a Haunted Mansion-themed straw; and the Happy Haunts Milkshake that features a blackberry milkshake topped with a purple chocolate-glazed doughnut covered with black sprinkles.
However, the showstopper is definitely the Cheers to 50 Years dessert that can be found at the Plaza restaurant.
“It’s loaded with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, cookies, brownies, hot fudge, a mickey pretzel, chocolate dipped pretzels and whipped cream,” said Chef Edson. “This is definitely something you’re going to want to bring some family and friends with to enjoy. It’s one of my favorite desserts.”
In the expanded France pavilion at EPCOT, guests have a new restaurant option in La Crêperie de Paris to get food before after riding the new Ratatouille attraction.
“It’s actually two restaurants in one. We have the quick service window…a crepe to go. Just like it would be in Paris, you come order your crepe and you go and eat it. Or if you want a little bit of a French experience, we can make a meal out of it, and you come inside La Crêperie de Paris,” Eric Weistroffer, Executive Director for JBI Chef de France, told TravelPulse.
Whether you want sweet or savory crepes, this spot has you covered. The restaurant also offers unique cider drinks. Everything for the cider is imported from France specially for the venue, even the buckwheat flour.
Those seeking healthy options can find relief in choosing the savory buckwheat crepes, particularly the smoked salmon dish.
Outside of that, Weistroffer recommended guests indulge in something sweet while on vacation.
“In France, we say, ‘if you don’t worry about it, it doesn’t count,’” Weistroffer said.
Also at EPCOT, the newly opened Space 220 restaurant gives guests a glimpse of what space tourism might be like one day, as you’re “transported” 220 miles into space to dine above the Earth. Those dining here at lunch have a two-course menu option and those at dinner will have three-course menu options. Space 220 also features out-of-this-world cocktails as well.
New Innovations and Technology
Disney Genie will go live this fall in the My Disney Experience app. This new feature is aimed at enhancing the overall vacation experience at the parks, streamlining your day to make things easier so that you get the most out of your trip.
“Genie starts with, ‘what would you like to do?’ And then from there, we build a day and literally hundreds of thousands of ways that that party could experience a park in a day to get what’s best for them,” said Gary Daniels, Vice President of Digital Guest Experience.
It will also bring on the new Lightning Lane, which replaces the fast pass set up that the parks previously had for guests. It will cost an additional price tag of $15 per person per day.
Other new innovations with technology include the recently announced partnership with Amazon Alexa, as well as the new MagicBand+ bracelets. Guests staying the night on a Disney property will be able to interact with Disney characters through the Amazon technology with the ‘Hey, Disney!’ voice command, among other cool features.
The new MagicBand+ will debut in 2022. In addition to providing visitors will all the same features currently found in MagicBands, this new version will feature interactive experiences in real-time including special lighting and vibrations. Plus, guests will be able to interact with the new golden sculptures and experience new nighttime spectaculars.
“Innovation and technology is core to Disney and what we’re all about,” Nathan Leader, Director of Product Strategy said. “So, we love having new tools in the toolkit to be able to engage guests and tell our stories and give them opportunities to engage with the environment.”
Additional Highlights
Each park will feature its own special EARidescent glow at night and special “Disney Fab 50 Character Collection” golden sculptures can also be found at the parks. Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, the Hollywood Tower Hotel at Hollywood Studios and the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom will all feature new “Beacons of Magic” displays at night. Those attending all the Disney parks are challenged to find all 50 golden character sculptures.
What would an anniversary be without new merchandise?
In addition to 50th-anniversary clothing items like shirts, hoodies, and jackets, there will be specialty pins, charms, ornaments, water bottles, coffee mugs, and many more collectible items. Oh you know there will be plenty of mouse ears to wear.
Drawn to Life at Disney Springs will debut Nov. 18. This creative collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering is sure to wow guests with acrobatic wonders.
As you can see, there are a plethora of options for guests heading to Walt Disney World over the course of the next 18-months. It’s all about finding the joy if your inner child, as Disney’s Executive Chairman Bob Iger stated: “The truth is, no matter how old you are, when you’re here, you feel like a kid again.
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