DISNEY NEWS ROUNDUP: Epcot Experience Closing; More Options Added to Genie+; Details on New Epcot Restaurant; Parades are Back; TRON Coaster Construction Update; Little Mermaid Stage Show Preview & More
After a quiet start to the week, the last few days have seen a flood of news out of Disney. The attractions and experiences included in Genie+ are expanding again. Over at Epcot, we got new details on the new quick-service restaurant opening this spring as well as news that Epcot Experience is closing. Parades are back at Magic Kingdom, and we have a construction update on the upcoming TRON-themed coaster (definitely not opening soon). Disney Cruise Line released a sneak peek at the Little Mermaid stage show debuting on the new Disney Wish this summer, and spring break is coming and we have some tips on dealing with the crowds. All this and more in this week’s news roundup are below.
1 – Disney World Adds More Experiences to Disney Genie+
Disney continues to add experiences to the Disney Genie+ service at Walt Disney World. This week two new offerings will be available beginning March 11, one at Magic Kingdom and one at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Catch all the details at the link below.
Click here for more on Disney World Adds More Experiences to Disney Genie+.
2 – Disney Announces Closure of EPCOT Experience
Walt Disney once said EPCOT “would always be in a state of becoming” as a place that changes with the times. The Walt Disney World Resort theme park is delivering on that promise in a whole new way as it continues the biggest transformation in its history, bringing the next generation of immersive storytelling to life through a plethora of new attractions and experiences. Since 2019, the EPCOT Experience, Odyssey Events Pavilion, offered guests a way to visualize the plans and learn what would be coming. However, now that many of the projects have been completed or are near opening, Disney has announced that the EPCOT Experience will be closing. Learn more at the link below.
Click here for information on the closure of the EPCOT Experience.
3 – New Details on Upcoming Quick-Service Restaurant Coming to EPCOT
In 2019 the Electric Umbrella, a quick-service restaurant in Future World, closed to guests. This week we learned of new progress on its replacement, a new restaurant called Connections Café. Learn more about the restaurant at the link below.
Click here for more on the upcoming quick-service restaurant coming to EPCOT.
4 – Festival of Fantasy Parade Returns to Magic Kingdom and Character Cavalcade Update
After a nearly two-year absence, the Festival of Fantasy Parade has returned to Magic Kingdom. We were there and got all the details on the changes and when you can catch the parade. Popular character cavalcades are still running in Magic Kingdom, and we’ve got details, so you don’t miss a thing. Learn more at the link below.
5 – TRON Lightcycle / Run Construction Update
TRON Lightcycle / Run is a thrilling TRON-themed attraction based on the popular movie franchise that is currently under construction in Tomorrowland in a new area near Space Mountain. The coaster-style attraction will take guests on a thrilling race through the Grid on their own lightcycle. Construction is well underway, and Disney has given an update on the next phase of construction. Get all the details at the link below.
Click here for the construction update on TRON Lightcycle / Run.
6 – Spring Break Season 2022 Begins at Walt Disney World
The busy spring break season has kicked off. Over the next several weeks, spring breakers will descend upon the theme parks. If you’re visiting during this time, we’ve got some tips and tricks to help you have the best week possible, even with the high crowds. Learn more at the link below.
Click here for How to Deal With…Spring Break Crowds at Disney World.
7 – Speaking of Spring…How about Some Rain Showers?
In case you missed it, here’s a look at a rain shower at Magic Kingdom we experienced!
8 – Disney Cruise Line Gives Sneak Peek at ‘The Little Mermaid’ Stage Show Aboard Disney Wish
The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on July 14, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida. The latest ship is bursting with fantastic entertainment options, including a new stage show. This week Disney gave a sneak peek at the new show, “The Little Mermaid,” that will debut on the new ship. Learn more at the link below.
Click here for a sneak peek at “The Little Mermaid,” coming to the Disney Wish.
9 – Disney Dreamers academy Wraps Life-Changing Experience for 100 Students at Walt Disney World
Disney Dreamers Academy, an educational mentorship program created and hosted by Walt Disney World Resort, returned with a reimagined approach, March 3-6, marking its 15th year of broadening career awareness and creating exclusive opportunities for Black students and teens from underrepresented communities across America. Disney Cast Member Darrell Fry has all the details below.
We just wrapped up this year’s Disney Dreamers Academy here at Walt Disney World Resort. And even though this is the 15th year of the program, I always leave wondering the same thing: Who is more transformed by the program – the students or all of us?
I’ve come to realize that the short answer is that it’s impossible for anyone – the students, the parents, the speakers, the celebrities and the Disney cast members – to attend this event and not be changed by it.
For the past four days, these 100 Black high school students and teens from underrepresented communities from across America have been immersed in various career workshops, mentoring sessions and educational events designed to teach them leadership skills, effective communication techniques and networking strategies. It’s all in an effort to open their eyes to diverse career paths within business, entertainment and sciences, including career opportunities within The Walt Disney Company, which continues to show its commitment to supporting diverse communities.
These students have been rubbing elbows with Hollywood celebrities, such as Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Rowland and fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, learning life lessons from entertainers they’ve previously only seen on television and at the movies, and generally hob-knobbing with titans of the business industry. How can you not be changed by that?
But the program’s transformative reach is far and extends beyond students to the parents and guardians. That was never more obvious than during yesterday’s commencement ceremony. Every year, there’s rarely a dry eye in the crowd during this final gathering of the weekend when the parents and guardians present the students with their official Disney Dreamers Academy class rings.
And for the rest of us – the speakers, the celebrities and the throngs of Disney cast members who work tirelessly to stage this enormously complex event each year – we are changed by the whole experience, by witnessing these young, impressionable kids enter this magical place and leave more confident, self-assured and empowered, and clutching dreams as big as the guy who started out with a dream about a mouse.
Now that this year’s event is over and the students are heading back home, perhaps some will become doctors, graphic engineers or entrepreneurs like so many other former Disney Dreamers Academy students.
No one knows for sure what they will do. What is certain is that they left Walt Disney World Resort today with the unshakeable belief that there’s nothing that they can’t do.
What’s New and Happening Now at Walt Disney World Resort
The New Normal – Visiting Walt Disney World During the Current Covid Restrictions
Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane – New Planning Tools & Paid Access to Lighting Lane
Now Through Spring 2023 – The Most Magical Celebration – 50 Years of Walt Disney World
Now Through July 4, 2022 – EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival
Click here for the menus to the Outdoor Kitchens at the 2022 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival.
Click here for photos of the menu boards with pricing for easy planning!
Click here for photos of all of the topiaries at the 2022 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival!
Click here for photos of the 2022 EPCOT Flower and Garden merchandise!
New Openings at EPCOT – As Part of the Historic Transformation of EPCOT
Click here for what’s new and coming to EPCOT as the Historic Transformation Continues.
Click here for our review and what you need to know about Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Now Open – Drawn to Life
Click here for our review of Drawn to Life the new Cirque du Soleil show now open at Disney Springs.
Coming Soon to Walt Disney World
What’s New & Coming Back to Walt Disney World in 2022!
Click here for the 15 things we’re looking forward to at Walt Disney World in 2022.
Coming Soon to Disney Cruise Line
The Disney Wish
Click here for more information on new dining experiences on the Disney Wish.
Click here for — Disney Cruise Line Reveals New Indulgences for Adults Aboard the Disney Wish
Itineraries in 2022
Click here to learn about Summer 2022 Itineraries on the Disney Cruise Line.
Click here to learn about Halloween and Holiday Themed Cruises in fall 2022.
Click here to learn about early 2023 itineraries on Disney Cruise Line
Click here for information on Pixar Day at Sea coming in early 2023!
Click here for information on Marvel Day at Sea on Disney Cruise Line in 2023.
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