Latest news with #GuardiansoftheGalaxy:CosmicRewind
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Disney without the crowds? Teens thinking their parents are (kinda) cool? Yes, there is such a place.
Now imagine that Disney experience wrapped up in three hours, a brief window to take in as many rides as most people do all day. This land exists — it's called Advertisement On select nights in Florida, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., Disney holds a special event at one park when only people with a special wristband can board rides at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, or Hollywood Studios. You can officially enter at 7 p.m., but the perks begin later. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up I did this recently with my two teenage kids in Florida. between $155 and $185, a tad more than a normal day ticket (prices vary by park and date). But the nighttime alternative is good bang for your buck. Consider our experience with Disney's hot, newish Advertisement Around 8:30 p.m., when the park was still open for regular ticket holders, my kids and I saw the mass of humanity lined up and said no, thank you. When we came back at 11 p.m., we zipped through in minutes. The ride is way cooler at night, by the way. The parks and attractions, including EPCOT's Spaceship Earth, look cool in the dark. Jason Margolis Another night, we hit EPCOT and the indoor roller coaster Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which opened in 2022. On a normal day, you can either wait up to a whopping two hours or pay about $20 for a Lighting Lane Single Pass, which reserves you a spot. (More on that process in a bit.) During After Hours, we practically walked on, then hopped back in the queue for a second go. Side note for roller coaster enthusiasts: My kids and I agreed that Guardians is hands down the coolest ride we've ever done. The train zips through the dark as a different disco or '80s pop song propels you along, a nice touch to make each time a bit different. I won't spoil the big surprise, but the ride has an unexpected twist, which blew our minds. The special bracelets that got us on the Disney After Hours rides. Jason Margolis Overall, the longest we waited at night was about 20 minutes for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios, still much quicker than during the day. Here's another small bonus of Disney After Hours: carts hand out unlimited popcorn, sodas and water, and ice cream bars, all for no charge. For a teenager, or anyone for that matter, is there anything better than free food? Advertisement Now, Disney After Hours is not for everyone. Most people there were young adults without kids, with some families sprinkled in the mix. Parents with young children, this event is not for you. Or people who like to soak in the entire Disney vibe, I'd stick to the daytime. After dark, there are no shows, no parades, and very few places to eat or shop. Character sightings are sparse — we only spotted Pluto. Disney After Hours events give guests three hours – after hours – to explore one of the Walt Disney World Theme Parks. Throughout Magic Kingdom, guests can enjoy more than 20 attractions and experiences including the new TRON Lightcycle / Run. Steven Diaz/Steven Diaz, Photographer Also, it's a rather late night. In one of my less-than-stellar parenting moves, when my 13-year-old daughter was just plain tuckered out and it wasn't even close to midnight, I gave her a 20-ounce Coke and some popcorn so my 16-year-old son and I could keep the good times rolling. (But hey, it was free!) And she POWERED through the rest of the night. I also think my kids may have thought I was bordering on cool for just a brief moment as I obliterated all the rules. (My wife was stuck back in Boston preserving her vacation time, so all good there.) Further, my kids loved the perfect teenage schedule: sleep in as late as possible, hit the pool for a few hours, then slowly make our way to the parks by 7 p.m. There was plenty to fill our days as well — Disney has lots to do outside the parks, from riding canoes or horses, taking a boat tour of the themed hotels, strolling 'Disney's Boardwalk' and playing games of chance, or just shooting some free billiards at a hotel. My daughter and I also took a cake-decorating class at the Disney Springs shopping area one day while killing a few hours. Advertisement Now, going back to that Lightning Lane, an After Hours ticket isn't entirely necessary to cut down on wait times if you're well prepared. Disney has its ride reservation system down to a science, and you can put in for up to five attractions in advance: three on a multi-pass and two additional single passes for bigger attractions. When we went to the parks during the daytime, I had my morning laid out a week in advance, including passes for TRON and Guardians. And when Disney says Lightning Lane, they mean it — we never waited more than 5-10 minutes for a ride. But reserving those rides tacks on another $60 or so per person; pretty quickly that late-night ticket starts looking like a sweet deal. Also, the Lightning Lane can only be used for a specific ride once, unless you're willing to purchase an unlimited 'premier pass,' which can run north of $400 per person at Magic Kingdom, a bridge too far for me. With the regular Lightning Lane, once you check in for a ride, you can immediately select a new one on Disney's app. It's a fun system to navigate, but the ride choices become slim pickings as the day goes on. You also quickly become even more tethered to your phone than usual. During the After Hours event, you just go where you want, when you want. After arriving at a park around 7 p.m., we'd hop on a few of the smaller rides with short lines, grab a nice sit-down meal in the park, then wait impatiently for the clock to strike 10 p.m. From that moment on, we were all focus. Advertisement The author's son and daughter headed toward the last ride of their late-night adventure. Jason Margolis Our last night, as the hour approached 1 a.m, we decided to make our last ride When we got off the ride, we realized it was only 12:57 a.m., and we still had three minutes of fun to go. (Also, my daughter needed to burn off the caffeine somehow.) So we ran through the exit, did a U-turn into the entrance, and were back on our rat-shaped vehicle for one more spin with a solid minute to spare. Jason Margolis can be reached at
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Roller coaster injuries top state's quarterly report for theme parks
The majority of theme park injuries in the first quarter of 2025 were related to big roller coasters, according to a state report, although less intense rides and attractions also made appearances. Coasters at Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando were listed six times for the January-March period by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The state's major theme parks self-report about visitors who are injured on their rides and require at least 24 hours of hospitalization. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventures, a coaster that launches into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park, appeared three times on the latest report. On Feb. 3, a 33-year-old man had a seizure after experiencing the attraction. On March 8, a 53-year-old man had chest pains after the Hagrid ride, as did a 26-year-old man on March 18. The men in the March incidents had pre-existing conditions, the report says. SeaWorld announces opening day for Expedition Odyssey ride On March 28, a 49-year-old woman fainted after riding the Manta coaster at SeaWorld Orlando. At Walt Disney World, a 73-year-old woman felt nauseated after leaving Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, a spinning indoor coaster at Epcot, on Jan. 21, and a 14-year-old female had abdominal pain after Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios on March 24. A 78-year-old woman felt faint after Star Tours, a simulator attraction, at Hollywood Studios on Jan. 29. A 25-year-old woman had 'seizure-like symptoms' after being on Alien Swirling Saucers in that park's Toy Story Land on March 27, the report said. Less intense-appearing attractions also were in the report. On Jan. 17, an 82-year-old woman fell and injured her ankle as she exited Epcot's Frozen Ever After water ride. At Magic Kingdom, a 51-year-old man felt shortness of breath after Peter Pan's Flight at Magic Kingdom on Jan. 24, and a 68-year-old woman fell and injured her leg after exiting Mad Tea Party (a.k.a. the teacups) at the same park on March 31. Disney: Magic Mirror sings out in new villains show No injuries were reported from Disney's Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios, Legoland Florida or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme parks. The state does not receive health updates after the initial assessments. Email me at dbevil@ BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at
Globe and Mail
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
3 Reasons Disney World's Latest Move Should Make Shareholders Happy
It might seem like a small tweak to its theme park operations, but a change at Walt Disney 's (NYSE: DIS) iconic Florida resort this week could be bigger than you think. On Tuesday, Disney World eliminated virtual queues for the last two rides using the online reservation system -- Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Before diving into how a seemingly minor move can radically improve the media giant's bottom line, let's take a page out of the Marvel playbook by offering up an origin story. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Disney World introduced an app-based virtual queue platform when it opened Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at the resort's Disney's Hollywood Studios in late 2019. That was initially a way to allocate access to its now-defunct FastPass+ system that would allow guests a free way to secure access to expedited queues. It was also a logical way to handle limited space for waiting riders on new, bar-raising experiences. The pandemic hit a couple of months later, and the platform would take on an entirely new meaning when the Florida resort reopened to guests again in the summer of 2020. Social distancing measures ate into the capacity of the traditional standby line. Disney also introduced a premium replacement to FastPass, allowing it to regulate demand by charging a varying premium for access to the faster-moving queueing option. Major new attractions introduced virtual queues for the standby line, but as of Tuesday morning, for the first time in years, there are no virtual queues at Disney World. Here's why that's no small thing. 1. Disney hotels just got that much more valuable Disney's resort in Central Florida spans over 40 square miles. There are more than 37,000 rooms across various on-site hotels, and even the cheapest of the Disney-owned options charges a premium to value-priced lodging readily available outside the House of Mouse. Disney World offers several perks that outside hoteliers can't match, including convenient park transportation and resort theming. A major benefit is access to select attractions at its four theme parks a half-hour before the much larger base of folks staying outside Disney World can get on. Disney's priciest deluxe hotels offer access to Epcot or the Magic Kingdom on select nights for two hours after the rides close to everyone else. Tuesday wasn't just the end of the virtual queue for the next-gen Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster experience. Everyone staying at any Disney hotel can now access the ride 30 minutes before day guests race to line up behind them. Disney 's timing may blur the value of why its hotels can now command an even larger markup than before. The rollout on Tuesday -- particularly for the Marvel-themed Cosmic Rewind thrill ride -- was done at the smoothest time possible to shake things up. The resort wrapped up the four-day sold-out Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend on Monday. Runners and their families were probably on their way home on Tuesday. Epcot's Festival of the Arts also wrapped up on Monday, creating a programming lull for a week before the next festival kicks off. Tuesday should've been dead at Epcot, but the coaster's wait time ballooned up to 135 minutes a half-hour after non-resort guests were lining up following the early-entry Disney hotel guests who essentially walked on the ride earlier. The estimated wait would eventually stabilize to less than an hour, but just wait until this weekend, Spring Break, or the peak summer and holiday travel seasons, when staying at a Disney hotel can save someone hours spent in a single line. 2. Lightning Lane strikes twice Disney became the last major theme park company to start charging guests for access to faster-moving lines. Many enthusiasts mourn the passing of the complimentary FastPass, especially the regulars who mastered the platform, but following the lead of the country's top theme park and amusement park operators was just a matter of time. It may seem greedy that Disney's domestic theme parks are generating 40% more in per capita revenue now than they were before the pandemic, but the entertainment bellwether was simply leaving money on the table that all of its competitors were taking. Guests can now pay as much as $19 for one-time access to Cosmic Rewind's Lightning Lane queue when a one-hour return window becomes available. The virtual queue with limited daily distributed capacity kept the wait time for the complimentary rival line reasonable, but now that the latter is available to anyone who walks through the Epcot turnstile, the standby lines should be materially longer. The perceived value of the one-time Lightning Lane just became greater, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Disney before long charge more for access to the Lightning Lane Single Pass for Cosmic Rewind or the general Lightning Multi Pass option that includes Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom. There's also the Lightning Lane Premier Pass that Disney introduced four months ago. If you're willing to pay $189 on top of your regular park admission, you can experience each of the Lightning Lane attractions at Epcot on Thursday, one time each, at any time. It's a lot of money for the convenience, but with standby queue wait times probably growing for Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Cosmic Rewind, the value of the highest-tier Lightning Lane offering also became more valuable. Comcast 's (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Universal Orlando offers a comparable Express Pass that will set you back $170 on this same Thursday for one time on each ride, or $200 for unlimited access, but it includes both of the resort's theme parks. 3. Disney got easier to navigate Virtual queues were problematic for Disney in competing against rival gated attractions. Disney World guests had to wake up early for a chance to score reservations for a return time later that day. The first release would happen at 7 a.m., accessible to anyone with a dated ticket or park reservation. On busy days, the allocation would get snapped up in just a couple of seconds, if that. A second opportunity would take place at 1 p.m., but only for visitors who had already tapped into the desired park. Enthusiasts may lament the longer standby lines with virtual queues going away, but the alternative created stress, challenges, and uncertainty. It also created a need for flexibility, because even securing a free virtual queue boarding time meant having to still be at the park when the return time window would open. A common knock on Disney World and Disneyland lately is that the experience takes too much planning, and even then there are no guarantees that you would get onto a flagship ride with a virtual queue unless you paid up for Lightning Lane before that availability would sell out. This is no longer the case. Guests may be at the mercy of longer standby lines or Lightning Lane access that will either be pricier or more likely to sell out, but at least the visit became that much more carefree. This was a small move by Disney, but it may have large positive financial implications. Should you invest $1,000 in Walt Disney right now? 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Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Guardians virtual queues going away at Walt Disney World
You can soon sleep in a little later at Walt Disney World without worrying about missing two of the most popular attractions at the Florida resort. Starting Feb. 25, Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will no longer operate by virtual queue. Currently, you need to either secure a spot in the free virtual queue or pay for Lightning Lane access to ride them. For guests who don't want to pay extra, that means either waking up early to attempt to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. or trying again from within each ride's respective park at 1 p.m. Guests then need to wait on for their virtual queue boarding group to be called to enjoy the ride. Single, Multi or Premier? Your guide to Disney World's Lightning Lane passes Moving to a traditional stand-by queue not only eliminates the chance of missing out on the rides entirely but also gives guests more flexibility in planning their park days. Some guests have been asking for this change. Once it takes effect, there will be no virtual queues operating at Disney World. Every attraction will be available through a stand-by line. Guardians is the most popular ride at EPCOT. Guests who don't want a long wait can still buy a Lighting Lane Single Pass for the attraction. Tiana's is one of the most popular rides at Magic Kingdom and is available with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A big change is coming to two of Disney World's most popular rides
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Guardians virtual queues going away at Walt Disney World
AI-assisted summary Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will no longer utilize a virtual queue system starting Feb. 25. The change to a traditional standby queue allows guests to avoid the early morning virtual queue signup and provides more flexibility in park itineraries. This update marks the end of virtual queues at Disney World, with all attractions transitioning to a standby line system. You can soon sleep in a little later at Walt Disney World without worrying about missing two of the most popular attractions at the Florida resort. Starting Feb. 25, Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will no longer operate by virtual queue. Currently, you need to either secure a spot in the free virtual queue or pay for Lightning Lane access to ride them. For guests who don't want to pay extra, that means either waking up early to attempt to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. or trying again from within each ride's respective park at 1 p.m. Guests then need to wait on for their virtual queue boarding group to be called to enjoy the ride. Single, Multi or Premier?Your guide to Disney World's Lightning Lane passes Moving to a traditional stand-by queue not only eliminates the chance of missing out on the rides entirely but also gives guests more flexibility in planning their park days. Some guests have been asking for this change. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Once it takes effect, there will be no virtual queues operating at Disney World. Every attraction will be available through a stand-by line. Guardians is the most popular ride at EPCOT. Guests who don't want a long wait can still buy a Lighting Lane Single Pass for the attraction. Tiana's is one of the most popular rides at Magic Kingdom and is available with Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
