News for the week of 11/30/2018
All of the news for the week of November 30, 2018. Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom has been my favorite extra event for awhile now, so the options to be able to do a similar thing at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios starting next week seem super exciting to me. (In fact, people with short trips who want to do as much as possible might even consider skipping regular park tickets and instead choose to attend After Hours to pack in as much as possible.) Here's our overviews of the After Hours event for each of the parks that offer it: Animal Kingdom After Hours Hollywood Studios After Hours Magic Kingdom After Hours Reservations are now open for Gran Destino, the new tower at Coronado Springs that will open up in July 9, 2019. Rooms start at $261/night. We learned this week about the 2 new restaurants that will be at Gran Destino. Three Bridges Bar and Grill will be located on an island on the Lago Dorado lake at Gran Destino. And then a rooftop Table Service restaurant called Toledo will offer great views of Disney World. Reservations for dining aren't available yet, but we'll keep you posted when they are. Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy opens in spring at Hollywood Studios. You can preview it now in the DisneyNOW app (go to the 19 minute mark to see the preview), or watch the Disney Channel on December 1 at 8 p.m. eastern to see it there. Due to work on the upcoming Tron coaster, the Magic Kingdom railroad is expected to be closed December 3, 2018 - January 5, 2019. And due to Disney Skyliner work, the Friendship boats are not taking guests to the International Gateway at Epcot through early December. Guests can still take the boats to Epcot-area resorts and Hollywood Studios, and they can choose to walk to the International Gateway.