Theme Park News - January 2021

Nuts about Theme Parks

Disney

- Walt Disney Imagineering announced this month that it will be rewriting the Jungle Cruise attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. The changes will see the addition of an animatronic Jungle skipper to the popular Adventureland attractions but will not include the stars of the upcoming "Jungle Cruise" feature film.

Disneyland

- The Annual Pass Program at Disneyland Resort has been ended, with all passes cancelled immediately with refund offered for all.

Disney World

- Park Hopping returned at Walt Disney World, as the resort also is introducing a new ticket discount offer for Florida residents.

- Disney announced that it will end its complementary Disney's Magical Express bus service to and from the Orlando International Airport for its Disney hotel guests at the end of 2021.

- They also annouced that starting later in the year, Disney's hotel guests will get 30 minutes of Early Theme Park Entry to all four theme parks, every day, in a replacement of the Extra Magic Hours Program.

- Epcot will get a new exhibit in February, as the new "The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure." was announced. It will be based on the Disney-Pixar movie Soul.

- Also at Epcot, after the breakdown and removal of the Donald Duck animatronic in the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the 3 Caballeros late last year, fans have noticed that all 3 of the animatronics were removed this week and replaced with Cardboard cutouts. I would expect this to be only temporary for maintenance of these animatronics, who predate this attraction by more than 40 years.

- Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle shared two of the first live photos from inside the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel, now under construction at the resort.

- Disney announced that Festival of the Lion King will return to Disney's Animal Kingdom this summer.

- Plans are moving ahead for Evermore Orlando Resort on the 1,100-acre site which was former the Villas at Grand Cypress, near Walt Disney world. The completed resort is estimated to have 10,000 rooms.

US

- Legoland Florida has announced it's building a roof over it's Miniland walk-through attraction.

- SeaWorld San Diego has debuted "Sesame Street Parade of Lights Drive-Thru" on Friday through Sunday evenings in mid January. And from February 6th it will re-open to day guests as a zoo, with select animal exhibits and shows but no rides in operation.

- ICON Park, on International Drive in Orlando, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony earlier in the month for the ICON Park Slingshot and the 430 feet tall ICON Park Drop Tower.

Japan

- Universal Studios Japan has postponed the grand opening of its Super Nintendo World land indefinitely, due to the proliferation of Covid cases around Osaka. It was due to open on the 4th of February, and continues to be in soft opening.

International

- Specifcations for Falcon's Flight, the flagship attraction for the new Six Flags Qiddiya park that is now scheduled to open in 2023. The Falcon’s Flight "will travel across approximately 4km, feature a vertical cliff dive maneuver into a 160m-deep valley using magnetic motor acceleration (LSM technology), and achieve unprecedented speeds of 250+ km/h,"

-Universal Studios Beijing has announced it's major construction is complete, and is on track to open this year.

- Disneyland Paris has postponed its planned reopening due to the persistence of new Covid cases in Europe. It's now targetting an April 2 reopening.

- Bollywood Parks Dubai will reopen to guests on January 21 and the park has added nine new rides, led by the world's tallest swing ride.