Things are getting really exciting at Walt Disney World, and not just because Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens next month. We’ll give you a quick rundown of the latest happenings at Walt Disney World. From bayou and jamboree news, Polynesian views, and EPCOT evolutions, it’s shaping up to be a busy summer at the most magical place on earth!
First Look at Tiana’s Finale Scene!
Imagineering has shared a sneak peek at the final scene of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (opening June 28th at Walt Disney World).
In the instagram post, grammy-winning musician PJ Morton takes a ride down the bayou to get his first look (and listen) of Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) singing “Special Spice,” the original song he wrote for the new attraction.
“I’ve always been inspired by the big songs of Disney,” PJ said. “I always felt like they were so well-written – timeless – so as a young songwriter I always said I want to write timeless things. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would happen this way.”
Now Soaring Over Disney Springs…
Friday was a busy yet exciting evening at Disney Springs, as a new drone show debuted over the West Side for the very first time. (You may remember the short lived holiday-themed drone show from 2016. Drone tech has come a long way since then, and we now officially have Disney characters flying through the sky!)
Disney Dreams That Soar utilizes 800 state-of-the-art drones to bring over 30 beloved flight-themed Disney characters to life, dancing along to a specially created musical score including familiar soundtracks and an original song.
Disney Dreams That Soar is a 10-minute presentation, now showing nightly through September 2nd at 9pm and 10:45pm, weather permitting. The best place to view the new show and its accompanying soundtrack is along the West Side waterway between Cirque de Soleil and the Aerophile. Viewing areas are on a first-come, first-served basis. That said, we arrived at our viewing locations near the Aerophile and Jaleo restaurant about 30 minutes before showtime and enjoyed some great vantage points!
Unless you leave right after showtime, or can take a bus back to your resort, we recommend hanging back in Disney Springs for some late-night snacks and shopping to avoid gridlocked parking garage traffic.
The show is really cute! We loved pointing out some of our favorite characters and icons from Wall-E, Coco, Up, Peter Pan, and even a few from the Florida theme parks! We could easily see these drone elements added to future in-park nighttime spectaculars. Could this be the solution for Animal Kingdom’s empty amphitheater and noise limitations?
Take a look at our Instagram video of Disney Dreams that Soar and let us know what you think:
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Jaleo is now offering a dining package with reserved waterfront viewing for Disney Dreams That Soar. For $79 per person, you can enjoy their Tasting Menu experience while seated within their outdoor patio, which is separately roped off from the rest of the crowds watching the show.
You can book this experience in advance by reserving on OpenTable – 7:30PM for the first drone show, or 9:30PM for the second drone show. Be sure to specify “lakeview seating” when booking, as there is no specific way to select the tasting experience via OpenTable.
Spotted: Talking Dug at Animal Kingdom!
We have just met him and we love him. A very talkative Dug from Pixar’s Up can now be seen (and heard) roaming around Animal Kingdom’s Discovery Island!
With some help from his translation collar, talking Dug can interact with guests as he explores Animal Kingdom. Just like Kevin who also wanders around Discovery Island, there are no set times to meet with Dug (and Russell is still meeting and greeting at the Wilderness Explorers Club House!).
Here’s a video from our brief encounter with Dug:
Dreams Do Come True in New Orlea– Frontierland!
We stopped by Magic Kingdom to check on the progress of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (okay, and maybe grab some corn dog nuggets) in Frontierland.
Water has been running in the flume and logs are regularly seen testing… we’re almost there! Quite literally, as the official opening happens next month: June 28th!
When Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens, it will use a virtual queue. Guests can request to join the virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app at 7 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Disney says a standby queue won’t be available when the ride opens (they expect to open standby “soon after”), but Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will have a Genie+ Lightning Lane entrance.
The area is looking more and more like the bayou… if the bayou had mountains in it.
WDW annual passholder previews will take place on June 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 20, 2024, and will use a virtual queue.
Passholders need to make a park reservation for Magic Kingdom on a preview date to be able to join the 7 a.m. virtual queue for that day or they can make a reservation for any park on a preview day to be able to join the 1 p.m. virtual queue.
To recap: The 7 a.m. virtual queue will only be available to passholders with a Magic Kingdom reservation, but the 1 p.m. virtual queue will be available to passholders with a reservation to any park. Passholders do not need to have entered a park when they request to join a virtual queue.
In addition, eligible Disney Vacation Club Members can also attend previews of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on June 12, 2024, from 1 to 4 p.m. and on June 19 2024, from 9 a.m. to noon.
To attend the previews, DVC members who are eligible for Membership Extras benefits must hold a qualifying Disney Resort reservation using their Membership. All guests on the resort reservation as of May 12, 2024, must have a valid theme park admission and reservation for Magic Kingdom (unless otherwise noted on your admission type).
Registration opens on May 16, 2024, at 10 a.m. ET (pre-registration is required).
One last way to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure before its official opening day is a D23 Gold Member event from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on June 22, 2024. Tickets are $60 (+ $7 processing fee per ticket) and go on sale on May 16 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET.
During the exclusive event, D23 Gold Members and their guests can ride the attraction as many times as they want.
D23 Gold Member Event Ticket Includes:
- Entry to Magic Kingdom Park (for event hours only)
- Light refreshments
- Exclusive entry to D23 preview experience of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- One D23-exclusive Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Commemorative Pin
- Live jazz performances
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Merch and More
Starting June 28, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and “The Princess and the Frog”-inspired merchandise will hit the shelves at the Emporium at Magic Kingdom. After the attraction debuts, the new merch will also be available at Critter Co-Op in Frontierland.
Tiana’s Famous Beignets will also be available starting on June 28 at Golden Oak Outpost and The Friar’s Nook. But don’t dawdle because these sweet treats covered with honey and powdered sugar will only be available for a limited time.
While you’re counting the days to June 28th, read up on everything TBA… Tiana’s Bayou Adventure:
GUIDE: Everything You Need to Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
The Country Bears are Back
Don’t forget, the wild and wooly good time that is the Country Bear Jamboree also reopens this summer. Grizzly Hall’s doors closed back in January of this year for a complete redo of the show.
No more blood in the saddle… but the bears will be back donning new costumes and singing tunes from the Disney songbook. Any takes on which ones they’ll be performing?
Our favorite bears will have brand new costumes, including these hot pink costumes for Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah!
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Island Tower at the Polynesian Village Resort
As we were making our way into Magic Kingdom via monorail, we passed the Polynesian Disney Vacation Club tower, which is under construction and projected to open in December of this year. Does it look Polynesian to you?
The tower will feature a variety of Disney Vacation Club room types that will sleep from two to nine guests, such as duo studios, deluxe studio rooms, spacious one- and two-bedroom villas, and brand-new two-bedroom penthouse villas.
Disney claims the new 10-story tower’s architecture pulls inspiration from early Polynesian Village Resort concept art from Walt Disney Imagineering:
The ceiling art installation inside the lobby inspired by the South Pacific Islands will showcase a variety of native wildlife. Each animal holds a strong connection to the islands and symbolizes values important to the people of the region.
Disney Vacation Club Members will have early access to hotel reservations beginning June 4th, followed by annual passholders on June 5th.
This 10-story tower is huge — just look at this new sightline from across Seven Seas Lagoon! Plenty of those new rooms will feature fantastic views of Magic Kingdom fireworks.
EPCOT’s Transformation – Almost Complete!
While EPCOT’s epic transformation plans were massively scaled back, work has continued on the heart of the park — and we’re finally nearing completion!
Over the last few years, we’ve seen major progress with EPCOT’s evolution. Starting with the France pavilion’s October 2021 Ratatouille expansion including a new ride and Le Crêperie de Paris in October 2021, then the incomparable Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in May 2022, and Journey of Water ~ Inspired by Moana opened in October of last year.
Most of World Celebration’s construction walls were removed in December 2023, revealing new gardens, seating areas, and the Walt the Dreamer statue (alongside a new nighttime spectacular).
Today, few walls are left as work continues on the CommuniCore Plaza and Stage, the new home for musical acts (such as ¡Celebracíon Encanto!), festival-related entertainment, and Mickey & Friends meet and greets, all opening on June 10th.
Here’s a peek behind the walls from the monorail:
And some close-up views featuring that familiar geodesic pattern:
This may be a hot take, and I love Spaceship Earth for all that it is, but I feel a new structure of this importance in EPCOT should have a different look from the park’s icon sitting just behind it. What are your thoughts?
EPCOT’s International Flower & Garden Festival runs through May 27th – just a few more weeks to gaze and graze your way around the world! With Food & Wine not starting up until August 29th, could a summertime fest be on the horizon?
As for the rest of the park… perhaps we’ll hear updates on the likes of the Play pavilion, Imagination, and Spaceship Earth at this year’s D23 event? Perhaps even a Mary Poppins ride. Hey, if we can dream it, we can do it, right?
More WDW News
Disney’s Hollywood Studios celebrated 35 years on May 1st. We were there for the anniversary ceremony, and took in some sunset sights around the park:
Lights, Camera, Action! Disney’s Hollywood Studios Celebrates 35 Years
Trick or treat? We’re halfway to Halloween, which means we can start counting down the days until Mickey’s Not-So Scary Halloween Party returns to Magic Kingdom! Check out what’s in store for the 2024 spooky season:
Halloween Time in the Disney Parks: All the Not So Spooky Details
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Let’s Hear From you!
Are you ready to head into the Bayou with Tiana and her critter choir? What do you think of the bear band playing Disney songs in the country and western style? Does the new Polynesian tower appeal to you? Where else do you expect drones to appear at Walt Disney World? And what projects would you still like to see happen at EPCOT?
We look forward to your comments below!
