This June, The Edison at Disney Springs will offer cocktails and accompanying bites inspired by the regions and flavors of Scotland. Across three Wednesdays, guests will indulge in two deliciously curated cocktails, highlighting the rich flavors of three different Scottish Whiskeys: Caol Ila, Dewars White Label and Johnnie Walker Black Label. The specialty beverages will be […]
Attention burger afficionados! National Burger Day is nearly here and Disney Parks and resorts have some incredible options that are not to be missed. This important foodie day falls on May 28 and I’m here to help you celebrate in true foodie fashion by telling you where to find some of the best burgers at […]
This highly-anticipated indoor rollercoaster debuted TODAY to EPCOT guests after weeks of media and Annual Passholder previews. Of course, we’re headed to EPCOT to take in the sights and sounds of the opening day — and you’re coming with us! Let’s check out the crowds, the merch, the Virtual Queue, and more!
We’ll be updating this post ALL DAY as we spot news from the opening!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Before we jump into opening day, let’s talk about the ride itself! Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a Marvel-themed coaster in EPCOT that is one of the LONGEST indoor rollercoasters ever built AND features Disney’s first-ever reverse launch.
Over the course of the ride, you’ll adventure with the Guardians of the Galaxy through space and time in new Omnicoaster ride vehicles that turn 360 degrees as they move along the track. For more, you can check out our SPOILER-FREE review…or our spoiler-FULL one.
This morning, boarding groups filled up FAST! Just about 30 SECONDS after 7AM, one of our reporters shared that the My Disney Experience app was already showing 1PM as the next Virtual Queue enrollment start time. That meant 7AM boarding groups had already filled up by that time!
Virtual Queue enrollment showing 1PM at 7AM
We managed to book into Group Number 85 and our app gave us an estimated callback of 3:35PM with an estimated physical wait of 30 minutes.
Guardians Boarding Group
There is no standby option for the attraction at this time, just the Virtual Queue.
The first thing that was revealed this morning was the price for Cosmic Rewind’s Lightning Lane access. At $17 per person, it’s the most expensive IAS attraction since the release of Disney Genie+ last year.
Lightning Lane Availability at 7AM on Opening Day
When the option became available at 7AM, we watched as the Lightning Lanes for Cosmic Rewind sold out by around 7:04AM.
Some More Open at 7:04AM
However, UNLIKE the Virtual Queue, we noticed that more times would pop up if we refreshed and checked again until about 7:20AM.
Closed at 7:21AM
Remember that IAS purchases are available to resort guests at 7AM and non-resort guests at park open. So, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lanes sold out before non-resort guests had access to them. This has been the trend with Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios too.
There are FOUR new collections — Heroes of Xandar Collection, Guardians of the Galaxy: Through the Eyes of Quill Collection, the Honorary Guardians Collection, and the Groot Through the Years Collection — and some limited-edition opening day merch too!
Order Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!
With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!
With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.
A new tumbler, magnet, and pins have arrived in Windtraders at Pandora – The World of Avatar in honor of the land’s 5th anniversary at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney released the first round of 5th anniversary merchandise last month. We’re still waiting on a previously announced umbrella and Loungefly backpack.
Pandora 5th Anniversary Tumbler – $22.99
The tumbler is a light, golden brown color.
It has drawings of Pandora flora and fauna on one side.
It reads “5 Years on Pandora The World of Avatar.”
The other side simply reads “5 Years on Pandora The World of Avatar” with no drawings.
The cap has a slider.
Pandora 5th Anniversary Magnet – $9.99
The magnet has the same design as the tumbler, with the plants and animals slightly raised against an off-white background.
There are banshees and floating mountains.
There are three new pins. Two are limited edition and one is limited release. The blue one at the center is exclusive to Annual Passholders.
We’re starting off with a fan favorite! Maelstrom used to be in the Norway pavilion in EPCOT at Disney World. You boarded a small boat (that looked like it should belong to Vikings) and then took a nice journey on the water to learn about Norway’s history. There were trolls, and it was awesome.
R.I.P. Maelstrom
This was also a neat ride because you would go backwards in your boat at one point, and then down a little drop. You also got to peek out over a waterfall into the Norway pavilion!
As many of you probably know, Maelstrom was closed in 2014 and replaced by Frozen Ever After in 2016. It has the exact same ride track and some very similar boats, but now Elsa sends you backwards with her ice powers instead of a troll. You also no longer get to look outside over the waterfall.
Frozen Ever After
Many guests were not happy with this change, because the history lessons of Norway were replaced by Disney movie content. But, we know a lot of people also love Frozen Ever After, or at least want to ride it, because it consistently has one of the longest wait times in EPCOT. We do miss you though, Maelstrom.
Oof, we know this is another touchy subject for a lot of Disney fans. The Great Movie Ride was one of the most recent ride closures in Disney World.
The Great Movie Ride
This ride at Hollywood Studios in the Chinese Theater took guests on a tour through classic Hollywood movies like the Wizard of Oz, Alien, Casablanca, and Indiana Jones. It also had LIVE performers, so it was like a ride and a show!
Wizard of Oz scene
The Great Movie Ride shut down for good in 2017 to make way for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Many guests were sad about the change, especially because it was an opening day attraction at Hollywood Studios.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
There are still a few things from the ride incorporated into Runaway Railway, though! The tornado scene from The Great Movie Ride has been transformed into a chaotic sequence that takes place during Runaway Railway.
Ellen’s Energy Adventure (1996-2017)
Before Ellen, this attraction was called Universe of Energy and it was an opening day attraction at EPCOT. It took you through the “prehistoric past” to learn more about energy and how it works.
Universe of Energy
Then, Ellen DeGeneres took over the ride in 1996 and the plot changed to her dreaming about being on Jeopardy, but not being able to get any of the questions right, so Bill Nye the Science Guy shows up to help her out. Pretty bizarre, right? This ride was also REALLY long — it was 45 MINUTES!
Universe of Energy in 2017
Ellen’s Energy Adventure closed for good on the same day as The Great Movie Ride, actually. And, on its last ride through, it actually broke down, so guests got to walk around the ride and take pictures as a final goodbye. Now, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be in that space.
Starjumpers
This is a new coaster that actually has a reverse launch! You can read our full spoiler free review of the attraction here!
Believe it or not, Disneyland Park used to have a PeopleMover like Magic Kingdom does, but it was replaced after almost 30 years with Rocket Rods in the late 90s. This was like a faster version of the PeopleMover, but it logistically didn’t work very well, because the vehicles had to speed and and slow down suddenly to get around the turns on the PeopleMover track.
The track also weakened because the infrastructure was not built for a high-speed ride, it was built for a leisurely one! So, it broke down a lot in the brief period that it was around. The Rocket Rods closed down quietly in 2000. Disney said they would reopen it in 2001…but that never happened. So now, an empty PeopleMover track just lingers over Tomorrowland in Disneyland.
Superstar Limo (2001-2002)
Oh boy, we have reached the infamous Superstar Limo attraction that was once in Disney California Adventure Park. This was an opening day attraction at the park and was so bad that it didn’t even last for a full year (it opened in February 2001 and closed in January 2002).
The original idea for the ride was that you were trying to escape the paparazzi, but after Princess Diana’s tragic death, the concept was reworked to be more respectful. But, the ride still didn’t turn out well. Guests compared it to a carnival ride saying it felt like a rush-job. Also, the celebrity animatronics were…weird, to say the least. Superstar Limo was replaced by Mike and Sulley to the Rescue in 2006.
If you look carefully, you might be able to make out some of the old animatronics from the original ride — Disney covered them in yellow hazmat suits to turn them into CDA agents!
The Backstage Studio Tour (or, as a lot of people know it, the Studio Backlot Tour) was another opening day attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which was then called Disney-MGM Studios. It took you on a 35-minute behind-the-scenes tour where you saw how movies are made by going through different production buildings and special effects demonstrations.
Hollywood Studios’ Backlot Tour
Many tour elements were removed to make room for Lights, Motors, Action, which is when it was renamed the Studios Backlot Tour. However, the tour closed down completely in 2014 to make way for the current Toy Story Land area of the park.
Body Wars (1989-2007)
Body Wars used to be in the Wonders of Life pavilion at EPCOT and had similar technology to Star Tours. But, instead of going into space, you were shrunk down and went inside a person’s bloodstream (yeah, really). This was supposed to help educate people on the human body, but what an interesting choice for a ride, right? It’s giving us Magic School Bus vibes.
The ride used to be inside the Wonders of Life pavilion, which is now under construction
This was one of the first thrill rides in EPCOT, so it was pretty popular for a while! However, when Star Tours made its way on over to Disney World, Body Wars didn’t stand a chance. They had very similar ride mechanisms, but Star Tours had a WAY better story, so the hype for Body Wars died down and it officially closed in 2007.
Disney’s original version of the Skyliner was in Disneyland Park for almost 40 YEARS. The Skyway (or Sky Buckets) ran above the park from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland and was a fun way to move around the park. People used it for things like a shortcut to get around parades or just as a relaxing ride to get off your feet for a bit.
Old Skyway in Fantasyland (Spy the Ticket Booth too?!)
When the Matterhorn Bobsleds opened in 1959, the Imagineers had built the ride so that the Skyway could run straight through the mountain. But, years later, rider demand for the Skyway was falling. Also, there were apparently stress cracks showing up in the support tower of the Matterhorn.
Matterhorn
To keep both rides operating safely, it would have cost a big chunk of change, and Disney didn’t think it was worth the cost. So, they chose to only save the Matterhorn, and the Skyway was closed after almost 4 decades of operation.
Skyway to Fantasyland T-shirt
All of these rides have such interesting histories and reasons why they had to close down. But, there are a lot more rides which have similar stories! Find out why even MORE rides had to close in Disney in our video below:
Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news, updates, and info!
Order Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!
With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!
With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.
This morning, Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars) posted on Instagram that she will be releasing a new pair of Star Wars ears!
That’s right everyone, we are finally getting EWOK EARS! They have a brown headband and what look like the FLUFFIEST ears ever, complete with a brown bow themed after the fuzzy little creatures found on Endor.
The ears will be available soon on shopDisney, as well as in Disney World and Disneyland, and those attending the Star Wars Celebration breakfasts will be getting a pair, according to Ashley’s Instagram post. Keep reading DFB for more news and updates from the Star Wars Celebration!
Order Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!
With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!
With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.
It’s our embarkation day on the Disney Fantasy! Join us as we check into our room, have great food, and explore the ship!
ROY O DISNEY SUITE
This cruise we ended up booking the Roy O Disney suite! This suite sleeps 5, and is perfect for a family getaway. This room is absolutely huge with a massive living area, kitchenette, and 2 bathrooms. On the outside, there is a massive private verandah, along with your own private hot tub! The views of the ocean are truly spectacular from anywhere in the room. This is our second time booking this room, so the upgrade is definitely worth it in our opinion if you’re able! Check out our video from the Disney Dream where we did a full walkthrough tour of the room.
DINNER AT ENCHANTED GARDEN
For our first dinner on the Fantasy, we made our way down to Enchanted Garden! We were able to try a variety of things such as the Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower, Seared Pork Tenderloin Medallions, and the Southern Style Pecan Tart with Bourbon Caramel Sauce. It was great to try such a spread of different things, and a great meal to start off the cruise!
While it was a busy first day aboard, it was a great one, we can’t wait to enjoy more of the ship, and can’t wait for our upcoming excursions! Be sure to head over to our Youtube Playlist to check out the rest of our videos from this cruise!
Star Wars Celebration 2022 is officially underway at the Anaheim Convention Center! Among the many surprises that have been revealed so far, while discussing the future of The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni announced that a special exhibit called “The Mandalorian Experience” would be available to Celebration attendees. Throughout “The Mandalorian Experience,” guests will find […]
Good news for Disney fans in Australia an New Zealand! shopDisney will be launching in both countries in June. shopDisney announced the upcoming launch of both shopDisney.com.au and shopDisney.com.nz on their Instagram account. These new sites will be the official home of authentic merchandise for Australia & New Zealand. The new sites will feature: A curated […]
TODAY IS THE DAY!
