If you haven’t done Walt Disney World lately, you haven’t entirely done Disney. And, really, who can say they have “done Disney,” considering the hundreds of attractions spread across the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom parks? In the past year, Disney has unveiled a slew of attractions that have infused The Most Magical Place on Earth with more magic than you can shake a lightsaber at.Headlining among them is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, an all-new 14-acre land that debuted August 29 in
Disney's Hollywood Studios®, marking the company’s largest and most technologically advanced single-themed land expansion ever. A Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm Ltd. collaboration, Galaxy’s Edge is home to the planet Batuu on the frontier of Wild Space, where you’ll find exotic characters, a colorful street market, unique eateries (try the blue milk at Oga’s Cantina) and two must-do rides. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which also opened August 29, is a starship flight simulator that welcomes you into the cockpit as a pilot, gunner, or flight engineer for a smuggling operation. Just opened December 5, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance puts you aboard a full-size transport ship and into the hangar bay of a Star Destroyer for an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.Enjoy flying in more traditional transportation at slower speeds? Hop aboard the complimentary Disney Skyliner, which began operating September 29. The aerial gondola takes guests gliding at about 11 miles per hour above the treetops in enclosed passenger cabins (albeit sans air-conditioning), each carrying up to 10 guests. The 300-cabin system, with about half of the cabins wrapped in whimsical Disney scenes, connects Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the International Gateway at
Epcot® as well as four hotels: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Just opened on December 16 and nestled near Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Riviera Resort is a European-inspired deluxe resort (and Disney Vacation Club property) featuring one- and two-bedroom Tower Studio villas and three-bedroom Grand Villas. Disney World’s other new digs, Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort opened this past July. Gran Destino Tower offers 545 guest rooms, including 50 suites; the rooftop restaurant Toledo-Tapas, Steak & Seafood; and Three Bridges Bar & Grill, sitting on an island in the middle of the resort’s 14-acre lake.
Also this past summer, Epcot said good-bye to the long-running “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth” nighttime spectacular, replacing it this past October 1 with a new show: Epcot Forever, a kaleidoscope of fireworks, lasers and glowing kites set to classic Disney songs and shown against the backdrop of the park’s World Showcase Lagoon.
Celebrating Disney World’s past, present and future, Epcot Forever, ironically, will enjoy a limited run into 2020. It will be replaced later in the year with the next — and Disney’s largest-ever — nighttime spectacular: HarmonioUS, a celebration of how the music of Disney inspires people around the globe.
Other noteworthy developments include the March 31 unveiling of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This 10-minute show experience invites you to become part of the “Cars” films as you play the role of a rookie racecar driver with instruction from Lightning McQueen. As of August 12, sports fans can also find adrenaline-pumping action at Disney Springs’ NBA Experience, where you can immerse yourself in 13 basketball-themed activities in a high-tech atmosphere and learn about your favorite teams and star players. Little princesses and knights will want to check out the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, its newest and third location, which opened on August 6.
Love Disney dining? You’ll love Takumi-Tei, an upscale table-service venue in Epcot’s Japan pavilion that served its first guests this past July, and, replacing the Liberty Inn, the Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue, a fast-casual venue in Epcot’s American Adventure pavilion, will soon swing open its doors. And opening this winter with an expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion, the Space 220 restaurant is designed as a space station, complete with daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up.
Walt Disney World Resort / David RoarkDisney Outdoes Itself: What's Next
As if all those developments weren’t enough, Disney World has more magic in the making as it gears up for its 50th anniversary on October 1, 2021, with a projected 18-month-long celebration spanning up to and after that date. New attractions throughout the resort will roll out in phases in 2020 and 2021. While the folks at Disney do a good job at keeping many details under wraps, they have revealed several big-picture projects.
Hollywood Studios will also expand Toy Story Land with the addition of a casual table-service restaurant: the Roundup Rodeo BBQ. Construction is progressing in the Magic Kingdom on TRON Lightcycle Power Run, a coaster-style ride featuring a train of two-wheeled Lightcycles that takes you for a thrilling ride through a digital realm; TRON is slated to open for Disney’s big 5-0.