It has been an absolutely WILD week for Disney news, you guys!
Cinderella Castle
At the beginning of the week, Disney announced closure dates for parts of DinoLand, U.S.A., a yearlong closure for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom, a delayed opening timeline for The Little Mermaid show in Hollywood Studios, and the return of the Jingle Cruise holiday overlay. We covered all those announcements in a roundup earlier this week, but then Disney decided to surprise us all with even MORE news!
Permit Filed for The Little Mermaid Show
The day after it was announced that The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure would be delaying its opening to summer 2025 (it was previously scheduled for fall 2024), Disney filed a new permit for work on the show building.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
This show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be replacing Voyage of the Little Mermaid. And with that change comes some new decor! The permit filed by Disney this week includes work to change the marquee out front. So we’ll be on the lookout for an updated sign in the coming weeks.
New Holiday Offerings Coming to Disney World
Heading to Disney World this holiday season? Well, you don’t want to miss out on the NEW holiday offerings that will be available. Starting on November 12th, there will be some brand-new experiences at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, including a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus on the patio at Restaurantosaurus.
Santa Claus used to ride through Animal Kingdom on a flotilla!
At Hollywood Studios, there will be some new entertainment offerings. Juggling Elves will be showing off their juggling and comedy skills. The Holiday Spirit Band will be performing some jolly tunes. In addition, Seasons Jukebox is a new offering that will be bringing the pep of a collegiate marching band to Hollywood Studios. Seasons Jukebox will include horns, drummers, and dancers bringing your favorite holiday songs to life!
Click Here to Get All the Holiday Details for Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios!
Lightning Lane Premier Pass Announced for Disney World
Perhaps the biggest announcement of the week was when Disney released details on the NEW Lightning Lane Premier Pass offering. At Disney World, the Premier Pass is a once-a-day purchase that will allow you access to all the Lightning Lanes in a single park without scheduling your return times through the My Disney Experience app.
Lightning Lane
The thing that shocked people the most about this new service was the price tag. It ranges from $129-$449 per person, depending on the date and the park that you choose. It seems to be more of a “luxury” option, and it will begin testing on October 30th. We’ll be trying it out ourselves, so stay tuned!
Click Here to Learn More About Lightning Lane Premier Pass in Disney World!
Lightning Lane Premier Pass Announced for Disneyland
But Lightning Lane Premier Pass isn’t just coming to the East Coast, it was announced for Disneyland Resort as well! There are a few key differences between the Premier Pass rules at each location, though. At Disneyland Resort, it will begin testing on October 23rd. There, you can use it for any of the Lightning Lanes in BOTH theme parks on the same day.
Lightning Lane entrance
However, in Disneyland Resort, the starting cost is $400 per person, per day. Once 2025 starts, pricing will vary by date but will remain in the $300-$400 per person, per day range.
Click Here for All the Details on Premier Pass at Disneyland!
New Details Announced for the Disney Adventure
On the same day as the Premier Pass news, Disney dropped a bunch of new details about an upcoming cruise ship — the Disney Adventure! This is the ship that will sail out of Singapore, and it has some incredible-looking activities, restaurants, and offerings available.
©Disney
The boat will not only be getting THREE onboard attractions, but it will also have themed areas for Toy Story, Big Hero 6, and more. On top of that, Disney announced that the maiden voyage will take place on December 15th, 2025.
Click Here to Get All the Disney Adventure Details!
Candlelight Processional Details Revealed
And last but not least, we’ve got to talk about those Candlelight Processional details! This show is a highlight at the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, and this week, Disney announced that dining packages for the show will become available to book on October 29th.
EPCOT Candlelight Processional
In addition, Disney World revealed the full list of celebrity narrators, as well as the news that showtimes will be changing to 5PM, 6:45PM, and 8:15PM each night. We can’t wait to check out the show!
Click Here for the Full List of Narrators!
That’s a wrap on the major announcements from this week! We’ll keep you updated with any more pertinent Disney news.
Click Here to See All the Disney News From Earlier in the Week!
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We go the weekend before Thanksgiving! Can’t wait to see Santa (meet and greet!) We’ve seen him in parades but to meet him at Disney…!
That pricing is extremely high!!!
Jingle cruise? Did you mean to write Jungle Cruise?
Hi Ed! The Jungle Cruise changes into The Jingle Cruise during the holiday season.