Disney News: Captain Marvel Goes Cruising, After Hours Expands, Skyliner Update & More

Here’s our latest updates from the Disney Destinations we proudly offer our customers.

Captain Marvel Joins Epic Line-Up of Super Heroes Aboard Disney Cruise Line

In 2019 on Disney Cruise Line® Captain Marvel will makes her debut during Marvel Day at Sea. For the first time ever, Guests will encounter one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe as part of an action-packed, day-long celebration aboard select Disney Magic sailings departing Jan. 6 through March 8 from Miami.

Captain Marvel joins the event’s awesome line-up of Super Heroes and villains, including Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Loki, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange and more. In addition to these heroic encounters, Marvel Day at Sea features an extraordinary deck show spectacular, themed youth activities, special merchandise, and unique food and beverage offerings.

Bookings are open now.

Disney After Hours Events Expand to Disney’s Hollywood Studios & Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney After Hours events have been such a huge hit that not only are more event nights set for Magic Kingdom Park, but for the first time, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will join in on the fun!

Disney After Hours events give you the opportunity to experience the magic of a Disney theme park for three hours after regular park hours, which means little-to-no wait for attractions, experiences and character greetings! You can even enter the park early – at 7 p.m. on your event night – before Disney After Hours begins. Ice cream, popcorn and select beverages are also included in Disney After Hours admission, which is a separately priced ticket from daytime park admission.

Here’s what to expect at each park:

Magic Kingdom Park
Enjoy classic favorite attractions from Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain as well as newer favorites like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, plus many more. Event nights will run on: Dec. 3, 10, 2018; and Jan. 7, 17, 24 and 28, 2019; Feb. 7, 14, and 28, 2019; and March 7, 2019.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Imagine having little-to-no wait for newly opened Toy Story Land attractions, including Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania! Rockin’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and other attractions will also be available. Select quick-service food & beverage locations will also stay open for purchases throughout the night. Event nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be: Dec. 8, 15 and 22, 2018; and Jan. 5, 12 and 19, 2019; Feb. 2, 9 and 16, 2019; March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 2019; and April 6 and 13, 2019.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Enjoy the best Disney’s Animal Kingdom has to offer at night, including heart-tugging Tree of Life Awakenings, the adventures within Pandora – The World of Avatar and more. Select quick-service food & beverage locations will remain open throughout the night for purchases. Dates at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are: Dec. 4, 12 and 18, 2018; and Jan. 8, 16, 22 and 31, 2019; and Feb. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 26, 2019; and March 5, 20 and 27, 2019; and April 3, 2019.

All Disney After Hours event tickets cost $125 + tax for advance purchase and $129 + tax for day-of purchases. D

Tickets are now on sale.

Get Acquainted with Fierce, Furry and Feathered Animal Friends with Adventures by Disney

With Adventures by Disney you can bottle-feed an Irish sheep. Go on an authentic African game drive. Learn how to harvest rice alongside a water buffalo in Laos. Saddle up for a cowboy style horse ride through an awe-inspiring Montana backdrop. And these are just a few of the amazing animal experiences you can have on a guided group tour with Adventures by Disney.

Whether they’re a bird lover, like to pet furry friends or want to marvel at predators as they run loose in the wild, there’s an Adventures by Disney trip that’s sure to make each member of your family’s wildlife wishes come true.

Contact us today to learn more about these amazing vacations to destinations worldwide.

Disney Skyliner to Begin Transporting Guests in Fall 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort

Bob Chapek, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products, recently announced that Disney Skyliner will be ready to begin transporting Guests at the Walt Disney World® Resort beginning fall of 2019!

As you may know, this new state-of-the-art gondola system will conveniently connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios® and Epcot® to four resort hotels- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as well as the proposed 15th Disney Vacation Club property, Disney’s Riviera Resort.

And next fall, Disney Skyliner will not only efficiently move you to your location, it’ll also offer a whole new way to experience Walt Disney World with amazing views only available from the sky – with great photo opportunities! For example, when you arrive at the International Gateway station you will travel through the trees and be welcomed into Epcot with remarkable, never before-seen views across World Showcase.

The innovative transportation system is quickly coming to life! Workers just installed the last support tower at the Resort and are beginning to thread the series of reinforced cables to carry guests in stylish themed gondolas.

Stay tuned for more exciting details on Disney Skyliner.

World of Disney Reopens in Grand Style in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort

Sprinkled with pixie dust, magical moments and eye-catching collections, the World of Disney store is officially open in the Downtown Disney® District at the Disneyland® Resort! Its sister store at Disney Springs® at Walt Disney World® Resort also recently celebrated a grand re-opening.

The reimagined World of Disney makes shopping easier and more fun. The transformation begins with the store’s exterior, which features new marquees and magical window displays. Inside, guests discover an open atmosphere with uniquely themed areas. Inspiration comes from Walt Disney Animation Studios and legendary animators—with sketches, artwork and posters jumping to life. Let’s not forget the shopping, which includes all the “must-have” Disney merchandise collections.

The grand redesign of World of Disney is just one of the many exciting new experiences part of the promenade-wide transformation of the Downtown Disney District. Other openings include Salt & Straw scoop shop, the newly-renovated upper level of Naples Ristorante e Bar and the upcoming debuts of Ballast Point brewery and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes.

2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts Returns in January with 39 Days of Artful Fun

You can kick off 2019 with the return of the Epcot® International Festival of the Arts – a 39-day celebration of visual, culinary and performing arts from around the world. Beginning Jan. 18 and running through Feb. 25, the festival offers artful activities for the entire family, from special entertainment and interactive workshops to immersive art experiences and world-class cuisine.

New in 2019, you can now sing along to your favorite Disney Broadway tunes seven days a week during the popular Disney on Broadway Concert Series, with daily showings at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m.

Each week, different pairs of Disney on Broadway stars will take the America Gardens Theatre stage to sing favorite songs from award-winning Disney on Broadway productions. The lineup will rotate regularly, featuring music from shows such as “The Lion King,” “Frozen” and “Beauty and the Beast”:

Kerry Butler (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Kevin Massey (“Tarzan”)

Meredith Inglesby (“The Little Mermaid”) and Steve Blanchard (“Beauty and the Beast”)

Arielle Jacobs and Adam Jacobs (“Aladdin”)

Heidi Blickenstaff (“Freaky Friday”) and Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”)

Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”) and Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”)

Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White (“The Lion King”)

The concert series is included with park admission; reserved seating is available by booking a Disney on Broadway Concert Series Dining Package, which allows you to enjoy a breakfast, lunch or dinner reservation at a participating Epcot restaurant and later experience priority seating at a show. Dining package reservations are now open.

Speaking of food … Epcot International Festival of the Arts will feature 13 Food Studios, plus other creative (and savory!) offerings around Epcot with an expanded menu of tastes and sips. Drop by The Artist’s Table for beef wellington with mushroom bordelaise, fennel cream and roasted baby vegetables, or enjoy smoked salmon and cream gâteau with egg yolk cream, paddlefish caviar and micro-herbs at The Painter’s Palate. Pop Eats! will serve up almond frangipane cake with raspberry and chocolate, while red wine-braised short rib with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes and aged balsamic will be available at Cuisine Classique.

You will also find activities to the inspire artists of all ages. Here are a few fun highlights:

Everyone’s invited to grab a paintbrush and help create a wall mural along World Showcase Plaza.

At the Artful Photo Opportunities, Guests can step inside masterworks of art and take photos with friends.

The Paint with a Disney Artist program invites Guests to learn under the tutelage of a professional (offered select Fridays and Sundays, including continental breakfast, for an additional fee).

Performing artists are scheduled throughout the festival, demonstrating gravity-defying feats of strength, acrobatics and many other skills.
International musical and variety acts will share their talents with guests, including the return of Bodh’aktan to the Canada stage and Delta Q, a new group performing in Germany.

Guests can join in the fun of Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt by purchasing a map at select merchandise locations.

A variety of workshops led by professionals will teach different artistic techniques, such as floral design, ink and paint, mixed-media art and more (offered Friday-Monday for an additional fee). As a memento of what they learn, guests will take their creations home with them.

Complimentary 30-minute seminars will give Guests helpful instruction for producing their own artwork at home.

Now, more than ever is the time to start planning your visit to the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts.

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!

Walt Disney famously said, “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.”

Mickey Mouse recently celebrated a very impressive milestone – 90 years of nonstop entertainment! Disney marked the occasion with special festivities across the theme parks around the world, including limited-time entertainment, tasty treats and fun new merchandise.

Please join us in wishing Mickey Mouse a very happy birthday!