MUCH TO YOUR AMUSEMENT
Here’s what’s coming to Florida theme parks this year
When Disney announced plans for its Star Wars lands, didn’t the opening seem far, far away? Well, surprise, 2019 is already upon us and we can expect to see Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by this fall (after a debut in Disneyland sometime this summer). But there are many new attractions coming to Central Florida’s theme parks in the coming months. Here’s a quick roundup — perhaps a cheat sheet for your next cocktail party — of what to expect and when.
Firm official opening dates are scarce at this point. Let’s go in chronological order of sorts, using the date range/season provided by the parks and educated guesses.
Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party
Where: Magic Kingdom What: It’s a tribute to Mickey and Minnie with floats featuring additional Disney characters (Clarabelle Cow alert). A new song called “It’s a Good Time” is incorporated.
When: Daily, starting Friday.
Why you should care: This has ties to the First Couple’s recent joint 90th birthday, a nd visitors will be able to meet them together and see them during a “surprise celebration” that includes special merchandise and food.
Sesame Street
Where: SeaWorld Orlando What: A re-creation and enhancement of the Sesame Street set will be flanked by six kiddie rides in an area that’s replacing Shamu’s Happy Harbor. We’ll see Big Bird’s nest and a daily parade. When: Spring.
Why you should care: Let’s embrace the idea of an immersive SeaWorld experi-
ence that doesn’t get us soaked.
Lego Movie World
Where: Legoland Florida What: A land featuring three rides, including Master of Flight (and Emmet’s invention, the Triple Decker Flying Couch), Unikitty’s Disco Drop and Battle of Bricksburg, an interactive water attraction.
When: Spring.
Why you should care: You’ll get to eat at a place called Taco Everyday.
Tigris
Where: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
What: It’s a looping, twisting roller coaster that’s designed to top 60 mph. The ride, going up on the former site of the Tidal Wave attraction, is touted as “Florida’s tallest launch coaster.”
When: Spring.
Why you should care: Tigris could be considered an appetizer course for another as-of-yet-unidentified thrill ride set for the Gwazi area of the park in 2020.
Endless Summer Resort
Where: International Drive and Universal Boulevard, also known as the former site of Wet ’n’ Wild water park.
What: Universal’s building boom continues with a hotel complex divided into two buildings, Dockside Inn and Surfside Inn, the latter of which will be the first to open. When: In phases, starting in the summer.
Why you should care: It’s Universal’s first foray into the other side of Interstate 4.
Disney Skyliner
Where: Select spots above Walt Disney World
What: A gondola-style transportation system will stretch between Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and some Disney resorts,
including Pop Century, Art of Animation and Caribbean Beach plus Disney Riviera, a Disney Vacation Club property. When: Fall.
Why you should care: Who doesn’t like options? This may be most suited for Disney’s hotel guests, but the views that include backstage glimpses, parking lots and (we’d guess) stalled traffic are intriguing.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Where: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
What: A dark ride involving a pair of picnicking mice and Goofy as a train engineer. What could go wrong? The attraction is under construction inside the Chinese Theater, former home of the Great Movie Ride. When: Fall. Why you should care: Shockingly, this will be the first Mickey-driven ride in any Disney park anywhere.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Where: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
What: It’s a land themed to a far-off outpost, the planet Batuu. Visitors can expect two rides, including Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, plus some cantina action. (Further into the future: the “Star Wars”-themed hotel adjacent to the park.)
When: Fall. Why you should care: Because the “Star Wars” universe is expanding.