Well, well, well. It finally happened – we have a two-week Disney theme park and Disney Cruise Line news roundup! May was a wild ride for me. Seriously. I was traveling nearly every day. And while I could keep up with these weekly news articles for most of the month, it finally caught up to me. So, if you’re one of the two people who actually read these, I apologize for the delay!
As you might imagine, two weeks’ worth of Disney theme park and Cruise Line news means we have a LOT to cover. It has been a couple of exciting weeks, and it’s only getting more exciting as the month of June continues!
Fantasy Springs Officially Opens at Tokyo DisneySea
The largest single-park expansion in the history of Disney Parks was completed recently at Tokyo Disney Resort. Specifically, Fantasy Springs debuted at Tokyo DisneySea, with an official opening ceremony this week!
Fantasy Springs brings the worlds of Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan to life with four new attractions, dining, character meet-and-greets, and more. It also includes a brand-new resort, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel.
Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger shared the following on Fantasy Springs: “I am so proud of the richly immersive experiences we’ve created together, and I look forward to the bright future ahead of us here at Tokyo Disney Resort…We’ve worked alongside Oriental Land Company for more than 40 years, and this new land exemplifies our companies’ shared commitment to excellence in everything we do.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT WHAT’S COMING TO DISNEY PARKS IN THE NEAR FUTURE!
Previews Begin at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
We’ve finally reached the time we’ve been waiting for…Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has welcomed its first set of guests! Cast Member previews have been taking place for about a week now, which means the construction walls are down! The ride does not officially open until June 28, but there will be plenty of previews between now and then. In addition to Cast Member previews, we’ll have previews for invited media, Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and D23 Members.
If you, like me, have no clue when you’ll actually make it to a Disney park to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disney posted a full ride-through video on YouTube to enjoy.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT TIANA’S BAYOU ADVENTURE
Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Opens
Another long-awaited milestone was reached this week: Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, Disney Cruise Line’s new private island destination, welcomed its first guests (they’re literally disembarking the Disney Magic as I’m typing this!). The official 7-night inaugural sailing will depart from Port Canaveral on June 8.
This marks the completion of Disney Cruise Line’s second private island destination, located on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera.
Voyages to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will initially take place on 3-, 4-, 5- or 10-night cruises from Florida for summer 2024.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT LOOKOUT CAY AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT
Opening Date Announced For Island Tower and Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
Once Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens later this month, all eyes will be on Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. That’s where what is arguably the next big opening will take place at the end of the year: the long-awaited opening of Island Tower, the new Disney Vacation Club property!
Disney announced this week that the tower is projected to open on December 17. When it opens, it will feature Duo Studio rooms (sleeps 2), Deluxe Studios (sleeps 4), 1-bedroom Villas (sleeps 5), and 2-bedroom Villas (sleeps 9).
Like the recent room renovations at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the rooms in Island Tower will be inspired by the animated film Moana. Bookings for Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are available now!
CLICK HERE FOR A 10-STEP GUIDE TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION
Disney Unveils First Look at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Merchandise
As we await the official opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, we were able to get a sneak peek at the merchandise that will be released along with the ride this week! The Tiana’s Bayou Adventure collection of merchandise will be sold initially at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom starting on June 28. From there, the merchandise will move to Critter Co-Op, the redesigned gift shop next to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, “shortly after” the ride opens.
The merchandise collection features kids and adult apparel, plush, and toys, including an adorable wearable interactive firefly inspired by the character Ray from The Princess and the Frog.
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF PARK BAG ESSENTIALS YOU SHOULD HAVE WITH YOU ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY VACATION
Disneyland Shares More Updates on Temporary Closures Around Critter Country and New Orleans Square
Over on the West Coast, work continues on the refurbishment of Haunted Mansion’s outdoor queue in New Orleans Square and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disneyland Park. Previously, sections of Critter Country temporarily closed for the refurb. We got additional announcements recently outlining more temporary closures.
Starting on July 8, Hungry Bear Restaurant and Davey Crockett’s Explorer Canoes will close temporarily. Also, the bridge from New Orleans Square to Galaxy’s Edge will temporarily close. No exact date of when the work will be completed has been shared at this time. We know that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is scheduled to open in Disneyland “later in 2024.”
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF SPECIAL EVENTS COMING TO DISNEYLAND RESORT IN 2024
Disney Cruise Line Reveals Bow Design For Disney Adventure
New private island destinations aren’t the only new offering coming to Disney Cruise Line in the next couple of years. A trio of brand-new ships will join the fleet between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025. We recently got a quick update from Disney Cruise Line regarding the Disney Adventure – a first look at its bow design!
The Disney Adventure will be docked in Singapore and will debut sometime in 2025.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT WHAT’S COMING TO DISNEY CRUISE LINE IN 2024 AND 2025.
RunDisney Unveils 2025 Disneyland Half Marathon Race Themes
Attention runners! This last news update is for you! This year marked the return of the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend after an extended hiatus. The races will be back in 2025, and Disney recently unveiled the themes for the race weekend.
Registration for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend opens soon, so keep your eyes peeled and be ready to sign up when those registration windows open.
