Parks Magic Parks Magic: Orlando Theme Park News & Guides

News

Joe Schott Named Walt Disney World President, Closing the Vahle Succession Question Disney World

Joe Schott Named Walt Disney World President, Closing the Vahle Succession Question

Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum named Joe Schott as the next President of Walt Disney World Resort this morning, with Natacha Rafalski moving to lead Disney Signature Experiences and Christophe Murphy taking over Disneyland Paris. Schott, a 40-plus-year Disney veteran who started as a Magic Kingdom Jungle Cruise skipper, returns to Florida after presidencies at Shanghai Disney Resort and Disney Signature Experiences. He succeeds Jeff Vahle by the end of July.

May 18, 2026 News
Captain Cacao Debuts as Epic Universe Meet-and-Greet on the Park's One-Year Anniversary Universal Orlando

Captain Cacao Debuts as Epic Universe Meet-and-Greet on the Park's One-Year Anniversary

Universal confirmed today that Captain Cacao, the original Celestial Park character who has been on merchandise and treat packaging since Epic Universe opened, debuts as a costumed meet-and-greet on Friday May 22, the park's one-year anniversary. The dark-chocolate teddy bear with a white-chocolate star over one eye, an orange-and-gold shoulder sash, and a blue captain's hat finally steps out from behind the Moonship Chocolates counter.

May 18, 2026 News
Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice is Days From Reopening at SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld Orlando

Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice is Days From Reopening at SeaWorld Orlando

Expedition Odyssey: Fire & Ice is closing in on its reopening at SeaWorld Orlando this week. The flying-theater attraction went dark Friday April 10 for what the park called an "approximately 40-day" conversion, which maths out to this week. The official ride page still reads "Coming this Spring" with a 39-inch height requirement, but ticket-purchase windows already extend to June 30. The same Mack flying-theater vehicle and ride system stays, with an entirely new entry experience, pre-show, film, score, and ride profile.

May 18, 2026 News
LEGO Festival Returns to Legoland Florida July 20 to August 16 with Two New Zones Legoland Florida

LEGO Festival Returns to Legoland Florida July 20 to August 16 with Two New Zones

Legoland Florida's LEGO Festival returns for its second annual run this summer, July 20 to August 16, 2026, with two brand-new themed zones (Thrill Zone and Play Zone) joining the original Music, Creative, and Chill Out zones. Master Model Builder sessions are back, the Battle of the Bands live show returns to the Music Zone, and the whole festival is included with regular park admission. We covered the festival's confirmation in May; this is the full date and lineup reveal.

May 18, 2026 News
Park President Jon Peterson Goes on the Record for SeaWorld Orlando's Electric Ocean 2026: Three Nighttime Animal Shows Join "Hydro Surge" Cirque and "Club SeaGlow" DJ Party SeaWorld Orlando

Park President Jon Peterson Goes on the Record for SeaWorld Orlando's Electric Ocean 2026: Three Nighttime Animal Shows Join "Hydro Surge" Cirque and "Club SeaGlow" DJ Party

SeaWorld Orlando park president Jon Peterson went on the record today about Electric Ocean's summer 2026 lineup, naming three nighttime animal presentations alongside the previously-revealed "Hydro Surge" cirque at Nautilus Theater and "Club SeaGlow" DJ dance party at Bayside Stadium. The full Electric Ocean run starts June 12 and continues through September 7.

May 14, 2026 News
Pteranodon Flyers Spotted Testing on the Jurassic Park Track at Universal's Islands of Adventure: First Public Sign of Life Ahead of the May 22 Reopening Universal Orlando

Pteranodon Flyers Spotted Testing on the Jurassic Park Track at Universal's Islands of Adventure: First Public Sign of Life Ahead of the May 22 Reopening

Pteranodon Flyers, the elevated suspended glider that has been one of Islands of Adventure's most-missed attractions during a months-long refurbishment, has been spotted cycling on its track today, the first public test sign before its scheduled May 22 reopening. The reopen lands on Epic Universe's one-year anniversary, with Blockbuster Summer 2026 launching across the resort the following day, May 23.

May 14, 2026 News
Today is the Last Flight for Soarin' Around the World at EPCOT Before Soarin' Across America Opens May 26: Last Takeoff is Tonight, Passholder Previews Land May 19-20 Disney World

Today is the Last Flight for Soarin' Around the World at EPCOT Before Soarin' Across America Opens May 26: Last Takeoff is Tonight, Passholder Previews Land May 19-20

Soarin' Around the World takes its final flight at EPCOT tonight, closing after today's 9 p.m. operating hours. The ride goes dark May 14-25 for the changeover to Soarin' Across America, the bi-coastal United States 250th-anniversary version of the attraction. Annual Passholder previews land Tuesday May 19 and Wednesday May 20 via standby queue only. Public opens Tuesday, May 26.

May 14, 2026 News
Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle Announces Retirement After a 36-Year Disney Career: From Magic Kingdom Engineer in 1990 to Running America's Largest Single-Site Workplace Disney World

Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle Announces Retirement After a 36-Year Disney Career: From Magic Kingdom Engineer in 1990 to Running America's Largest Single-Site Workplace

Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, capping a 36-year Disney career that started as a Magic Kingdom engineer in 1990. He'll depart in late July 2026. No successor has been named yet. The exit completes the post-Iger leadership cascade that started with Josh D'Amaro becoming Disney CEO in March and Thomas Mazloum taking the Disney Experiences chair on March 18.

May 13, 2026 News
Hogwarts Castle Emerges from Six Weeks Behind Scrim at Islands of Adventure: Fresh Paint, New Two-Tone Towers, and a Reveal Closing in Ahead of Epic Universe's First Anniversary Universal Orlando

Hogwarts Castle Emerges from Six Weeks Behind Scrim at Islands of Adventure: Fresh Paint, New Two-Tone Towers, and a Reveal Closing in Ahead of Epic Universe's First Anniversary

The scrim is coming off Hogwarts Castle at Universal's Islands of Adventure. After about six weeks behind construction wraps that went up in March without prior public announcement, the castle is being uncovered in pieces, with WDWNT reporting painting will "hopefully wrap up within a few weeks," timing that would put the reveal close to Epic Universe's May 22 first anniversary and the May 23 launch of Blockbuster Summer. The refresh includes pale-gray repainting on the towers, a pale-yellow base coat on the crest, and an aged-stone texture technique on the faux walls where crews place moss-shaped elements, paint over them, and peel them away.

May 13, 2026 News
United Parks Q1 2026: Revenue Slips on Weather and International Drop, In-Park Spend Hits a Quarterly Record, Discovery Cove and Pass Sales Called Out as Bright Spots SeaWorld Orlando

United Parks Q1 2026: Revenue Slips on Weather and International Drop, In-Park Spend Hits a Quarterly Record, Discovery Cove and Pass Sales Called Out as Bright Spots

United Parks and Resorts (parent of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove) released Q1 2026 results this morning. Revenue $278.3 million, down 3% year-over-year. Attendance 3.22 million, with roughly 140,000 guests lost to weather and another 80,000 to declines in international visitation. The bright spots: a record in-park per-capita spend of $40.62, pass sales up around 10% in Q1 (about 12% through April 30), and Discovery Cove pacing a double-digit percentage ahead of 2025.

May 11, 2026 News
Tonight is the Final Performance of Universal's Horror Make-Up Show After Nearly 36 Years: Wristband-Only Access at the Pantages Theater Before the "Reimagining" Universal Orlando

Tonight is the Final Performance of Universal's Horror Make-Up Show After Nearly 36 Years: Wristband-Only Access at the Pantages Theater Before the "Reimagining"

After nearly 36 years of fake blood, audience volunteers, and reliable gross-out laughs, the original Horror Make-Up Show at Universal Studios Florida takes its final bow tonight. The Pantages Theater goes dark tomorrow (Tuesday May 12) for a "reimagining" that Universal says will return later this year. Access tonight is wristband-only, first-come-first-served, with no standby queue.

May 11, 2026 News
Magic Kingdom Closes Early Wednesday for an SAP Buyout with Dave Matthews Band on the Cinderella Castle Stage: What to Know for a May 13 Trip Disney World

Magic Kingdom Closes Early Wednesday for an SAP Buyout with Dave Matthews Band on the Cinderella Castle Stage: What to Know for a May 13 Trip

SAP's annual customer conference rents out Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, May 13. The park opens at 8 a.m. but closes to the public at 5:30 p.m., roughly four hours early, before Dave Matthews Band plays a private concert in front of Cinderella Castle for badged conference attendees. Here's what regular-ticket holders need to know.

May 11, 2026 News
First Look at the Updated Smugglers Run Preshow at Galaxy's Edge: Hondo Ohnaka Is Just Straight-Up Stealing the Falcon This Time, with the Mandalorian and Grogu Mission Opening May 22 Disney World

First Look at the Updated Smugglers Run Preshow at Galaxy's Edge: Hondo Ohnaka Is Just Straight-Up Stealing the Falcon This Time, with the Mandalorian and Grogu Mission Opening May 22

The Mandalorian and Grogu mission overlay on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run debuts at Walt Disney World and Disneyland on Friday May 22, and WDWNT just published the first detailed look at the rewritten preshow this morning. Hondo Ohnaka is "borrowing" the Falcon without Chewbacca's knowledge this time, with new dialogue framing the heist as opportunity rather than the original "win-win" arrangement. Annual Passholder park reservations for Hollywood Studios on May 22 are already gone.

May 10, 2026 News
The Mystic Fountain at Islands of Adventure May Close This Friday: Lost Continent's Last Operating 1999 Attraction is Reportedly Down to Five Days, Per Annual Passholder Group Reports Universal Orlando

The Mystic Fountain at Islands of Adventure May Close This Friday: Lost Continent's Last Operating 1999 Attraction is Reportedly Down to Five Days, Per Annual Passholder Group Reports

Per posts circulating in Universal Orlando Annual Passholder groups (and reported by WDWNT, Attractions Magazine, and Inside the Magic this past weekend), The Mystic Fountain at Universal's Islands of Adventure may have its final day on Friday, May 15, 2026. Universal has not officially confirmed the closure. The interactive talking-water-spirit fountain has operated in Sindbad's Bazaar in The Lost Continent since the park's 1999 opening day, making it the last continuously-operating piece of that original 1999 land. Lost Continent's broader dismantling was confirmed last week (Sindbad closed 2018, Poseidon's Fury closed 2023, Mythos closing 2027).

May 10, 2026 News
Disney Quietly Retires the Cinderella Castle "Let the Magic Begin" Welcome Show at Magic Kingdom: Audio-Only Opening Stays, Even After the Castle Repaint Wraps Disney World

Disney Quietly Retires the Cinderella Castle "Let the Magic Begin" Welcome Show at Magic Kingdom: Audio-Only Opening Stays, Even After the Castle Repaint Wraps

Magic Kingdom's "Let the Magic Begin" Cinderella Castle Forecourt show appears to be permanently retired. The webpage and showtimes have been quietly removed from disneyworld.disney.go.com, the audio-only fanfare that started as a January 28 castle-repaint workaround is staying, and Mickey's Magical Friendship Faire returns to its full morning lineup Sunday May 10. The 2017-vintage stage show with Mickey and friends on the Castle Forecourt Stage was the park's opening ritual for nine years.

May 8, 2026 News
Re(d)tro Coconut Club Opens Tonight at Universal CityWalk: 80s and 90s Throwback Overlay at the Red Coconut Club, Select Nights Through July 18 Universal Orlando

Re(d)tro Coconut Club Opens Tonight at Universal CityWalk: 80s and 90s Throwback Overlay at the Red Coconut Club, Select Nights Through July 18

The Red Coconut Club at Universal CityWalk gets a Re(d)tro Nights overlay starting Friday May 8, 2026 at 6 p.m. The 80s and 90s themed transformation runs on select nights through July 18, with throwback DJ sets, arcade games, and specialty drinks. Free to enter (CityWalk doesn't require a park ticket). Slots between the Cursed Coconut Mardi Gras overlay and the Dead Coconut Club Halloween Horror Nights run.

May 8, 2026 News
Level99 Locks In a Summer 2026 Opening at Disney Springs West Side: 45,000 Square Feet, 63 Mini-Games, and a Two-Story Neon Bar (Plus 150 Jobs Are Hiring Now) Disney World

Level99 Locks In a Summer 2026 Opening at Disney Springs West Side: 45,000 Square Feet, 63 Mini-Games, and a Two-Story Neon Bar (Plus 150 Jobs Are Hiring Now)

Level99 confirmed a summer 2026 opening at Disney Springs West Side this morning, with hiring open for 150 entertainment, food, and beverage roles. At more than 45,000 square feet, it will be Level99's fourth and largest location, with 63 mini-games and challenges (vs. roughly 50 at the existing three). Disney Parks Blog cross-posted the news as part of a broader Disney Springs summer roundup that also confirms Six Ravens, a new Gideon's Bakehouse hand-pie concept, at The Landing.

May 7, 2026 News
Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida Debuts a Limited-Time "Pig Family Travel Adventure" Event Memorial Day Weekend, Built Around Baby Evie's First Big Trip Legoland Florida

Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida Debuts a Limited-Time "Pig Family Travel Adventure" Event Memorial Day Weekend, Built Around Baby Evie's First Big Trip

Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida (part of Legoland Florida Resort) is launching "Pig Family Travel Adventure," a limited-time passport-and-stamp event running select dates May 23 through June 28. Five themed activity zones (Australia, China, France, South Pole, USA), a park-wide packing scavenger hunt, a special-edition Pop Badge collectible at Mr. Fox's Shop, and an Amazon-sponsored pop-up June 20-21. Included with general admission. Tickets start at $34.

May 7, 2026 News
SeaWorld Orlando Reveals Its Electric Ocean Summer 2026 Lineup: New Drone Show, Three All-New Nighttime Animal Presentations, a Cirque Spectacular, and a DJ Dance Party All Land June 12 SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando Reveals Its Electric Ocean Summer 2026 Lineup: New Drone Show, Three All-New Nighttime Animal Presentations, a Cirque Spectacular, and a DJ Dance Party All Land June 12

SeaWorld Orlando dropped its full Electric Ocean summer 2026 lineup this morning, kicking off June 12 with three all-new nighttime animal presentations (Shamu Celebration: Light Up The Night, Sea Lions Tonite, Dolphins: Touch the Sky), a hundreds-of-drones spectacle set to a track called "Feeling Electric," a new cirque show called Hydro Surge in the Nautilus Theater, a Bayside Stadium DJ dance party called Club SeaGlow, and the return of the Ignite fireworks finale. Included with park admission, no upcharge.

May 7, 2026 News
Universal Orlando Will Dismantle Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure: Mythos Closes in 2027, Thunder Falls Terrace Becomes a Signature Restaurant, and Joey Fatone is Bringing Hot Dogs to CityWalk Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando Will Dismantle Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure: Mythos Closes in 2027, Thunder Falls Terrace Becomes a Signature Restaurant, and Joey Fatone is Bringing Hot Dogs to CityWalk

Universal Orlando dropped a sweeping closures and reimaginings announcement this morning. Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure will be dismantled in phases. Mythos Restaurant, the 1999 opening-day fan favorite, closes in 2027. Thunder Falls Terrace closes summer 2026, transforms into a new full-service signature restaurant for IOA, and reopens in 2027. Hot Dog Hall of Fame at CityWalk closes in July 2026 and is replaced by Fat One's Hot Dogs & Italian Ice, the concept from *NSYNC's Joey Fatone and his manager Joe Mulvihill.

May 7, 2026 News
Pteranodon Flyers' Reopening at Islands of Adventure Just Slipped Another Week to May 22, Leaving Jurassic Park With Two Simultaneous Attraction Closures Universal Orlando

Pteranodon Flyers' Reopening at Islands of Adventure Just Slipped Another Week to May 22, Leaving Jurassic Park With Two Simultaneous Attraction Closures

Pteranodon Flyers, the suspended kiddie ride that has flown over Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure since 1999, just had its reopening pushed back another week to Friday, May 22, 2026. Universal has not issued an official explanation, but guest chatter points to brake-system work. The delay overlaps with the Jurassic Park River Adventure closure (down through November 19), leaving Jurassic Park land operating with two simultaneous attraction closures heading into Memorial Day weekend.

May 6, 2026 News
Josh D'Amaro's First Earnings Call as Disney CEO Lands a Fiscal Q2 Parks Record, with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Shanghai Flagged as 2026 Capital Investment Priorities Disney World

Josh D'Amaro's First Earnings Call as Disney CEO Lands a Fiscal Q2 Parks Record, with Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Shanghai Flagged as 2026 Capital Investment Priorities

Disney reported Q2 FY26 earnings this morning, the first as CEO for Josh D'Amaro. The Experiences segment (parks and cruises) posted a fiscal Q2 record at $9.49 billion in revenue and $2.62 billion in operating income, total revenue hit $25.17 billion (up 7 percent), and Disney shares jumped on the report. Per TheWrap, 2026 capital expenditure is concentrated on the new cruise ship plus expansions at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Shanghai Disney Resort.

May 6, 2026 News
Antojitos Throws a Cinco de Mayo Block Party at CityWalk Today: Five Specialty Dishes, Three Aguas Frescas, a Voodoo Margarita Doughnut, and a 4 p.m. Live Entertainment Takeover Universal Orlando

Antojitos Throws a Cinco de Mayo Block Party at CityWalk Today: Five Specialty Dishes, Three Aguas Frescas, a Voodoo Margarita Doughnut, and a 4 p.m. Live Entertainment Takeover

Universal CityWalk's Antojitos hosts its 2026 Cinco de Mayo event today (Tuesday May 5) from noon to close. The menu adds Street Elote, three taco builds, a Loaded Baked Potato in two protein options, Guacamole and Chips, and Mexicali Popsicles, plus three aguas frescas. Voodoo Doughnut next door drops a one-day-only Margarita Doughnut. Live entertainment (DJ, dancers, stilt walkers) starts at 4 p.m. CityWalk is free to enter, no park ticket needed.

May 5, 2026 News
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 Tickets Go On Sale to Resort Guests Today: Prices Run $119 to $229, with Only Three Nights Under $130 Disney World

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 Tickets Go On Sale to Resort Guests Today: Prices Run $119 to $229, with Only Three Nights Under $130

Resort hotels, Swan and Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green guests can buy Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 tickets starting today (Tuesday May 5). Prices run $119 to $229 per ticket plus tax across 38 party nights from August 7 through October 31, with only three sub-$130 dates. Annual Passholders and eligible Disney Vacation Club Members save $10 on tickets for nights between August 7 and October 2. General public on-sale opens May 12.

May 5, 2026 News
Universal's Horror Make-Up Show Heads Into Its Final Week After Nearly 36 Years, with Annual Passholder Reserved Seating Opening Today Universal Orlando

Universal's Horror Make-Up Show Heads Into Its Final Week After Nearly 36 Years, with Annual Passholder Reserved Seating Opening Today

Universal's Horror Make-Up Show, an opening-day attraction at Universal Studios Florida since June 1990, plays its final pre-reimagining performance Tuesday, May 12. Annual Passholder reserved seating opens today (May 4) and runs through May 10. Universal calls the closure a "reimagining" with classic and modern horror properties, and the show returns later in 2026.

May 4, 2026 News
May the 4th: Disney's Hollywood Studios Drops a $30 Light-Up Jabba's Sail Barge Popcorn Bucket with a Hidden Crew Inside Disney World

May the 4th: Disney's Hollywood Studios Drops a $30 Light-Up Jabba's Sail Barge Popcorn Bucket with a Hidden Crew Inside

Hollywood Studios celebrates Star Wars Day with a $30 Jabba's Sail Barge popcorn bucket modeled after the Khetanna, complete with a hidden lit interior featuring Jabba, Salacious B. Crumb, C-3PO, and R2-D2. Mobile order via My Disney Experience today and Tuesday, then it lands at Kat Saka's Kettle on Wednesday. Limit two per person, per transaction.

May 4, 2026 News
Free SeaWorld Day for Veterans, with a Hard May 10 Deadline: How U.S. Veterans Get In Free for Military Appreciation Month (Plus Active-Duty Year-Round Benefit) SeaWorld Orlando

Free SeaWorld Day for Veterans, with a Hard May 10 Deadline: How U.S. Veterans Get In Free for Military Appreciation Month (Plus Active-Duty Year-Round Benefit)

SeaWorld Orlando is offering U.S. military veterans a free single-day ticket plus up to three free guest tickets for Military Appreciation Month, with up to six additional tickets at 50 percent off. Registration through Waves of Honor closes Sunday, May 10, with park visits required by June 30. Active-duty service members, activated reservists, and National Guard members continue to receive their separate year-round complimentary admission benefit.

May 3, 2026 News
Volcano Bay Nights Opens: 14 After-Hours Pool Parties Through August 21, $99 a Head with Parking and a Moonlit Krakatau Universal Orlando

Volcano Bay Nights Opens: 14 After-Hours Pool Parties Through August 21, $99 a Head with Parking and a Moonlit Krakatau

Universal Orlando lights up Volcano Bay after dark tonight for the 2026 run of Volcano Bay Nights, the resort's after-hours water park party. Tickets are $99 plus tax per person (parking included), the event opens at 7 p.m. with 4 p.m. early water-park entry, and the schedule covers 14 nights through August 21 with passholder discounts and DreamWorks character meet-and-greets.

May 3, 2026 News
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Is Back at Magic Kingdom: 2,000 Bats, a 38-Inch Height Bar, and Lightning Lane Sold Out by 9:11 a.m. Disney World

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Is Back at Magic Kingdom: 2,000 Bats, a 38-Inch Height Bar, and Lightning Lane Sold Out by 9:11 a.m.

After roughly 16 months down, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened to Magic Kingdom guests Sunday, May 3, with a brand-new track, a redesigned Rainbow Caverns scene packed with more than 2,000 bats, a freshly revealed mother lode of gold, and a 38-inch height requirement that finally lets a new generation of small riders aboard the wildest ride in the wilderness.

May 3, 2026 News
The Muppets Take Hollywood Studios: The L.I.M.O. Launches May 26 with a 5-Track Setlist, Scooter's First-Ever Audio-Animatronic, Plus Cast, AP, and DVC Previews Confirmed Before Opening Disney World

The Muppets Take Hollywood Studios: The L.I.M.O. Launches May 26 with a 5-Track Setlist, Scooter's First-Ever Audio-Animatronic, Plus Cast, AP, and DVC Previews Confirmed Before Opening

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Tuesday May 26, with a five-track Electric Mayhem setlist (Jennifer Hudson, Questlove, Def Leppard, Kelly Clarkson all guest), the first-ever Audio-Animatronics Scooter, with Cast Member, Annual Passholder, and Disney Vacation Club previews confirmed before opening.

May 2, 2026 News