Walt Disney World Resort Update for December 19, 2024

Writer’s Note, News & Views

As I mentioned in the last Walt Disney World Resort Update, MousePlanet was invited to sail a preview cruise aboard Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Treasure, ahead of its official maiden voyage which is coming up this Saturday, December 21, 2024. The three night preview highlighted many of the offerings that this ship that will typically sail seven day Caribbean itineraries. I posted a number of views to our social media channels, and did a bit of a wrap up for last week’s Garry Meier Show Cocktail Hour LIVE (which I also produce) with WGN-TV Chicago’s Marcus Leshock who was also aboard the preview. Just the Disney Treasure related content is embedded here (you can catch the whole show over on the GarrForceLIVE YouTube channel if you would like).

Our main news this past week following the cruise was the opening of Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, which is covered below. Conveniently enough, my favorite thing aboard the preview sailing of Disney Treasure was Disney Live Entertainment’s new Broadway-style show, “Disney The Tale of Moana.” I had a chance to interview its lead actress on the ship and I asked her about the show’s ties to her native Hawaiian culture and, specifically, as to how that culture is exhibited in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. For those that want to understand the culture on display and woven into the theme of the new Island Tower as well, that museum is the place to go!

Unless there is breaking Walt Disney World news between now and the end of 2024, the rest of my MousePlanet posts over the next couple of weeks will be about Disney Treasure. To those that only read posts about the parks, I wish you happy whatever your holiday celebrations are, and a healthy new year!

Oh yeah, speaking of DCL, our Adrienne Vincent-Phoneix spotted Set a limited time only, kids sail 50% off on select Disney Wish, Disney Dream and Disney Wonder sailings, through February 16, 2025 for active Disney+ subscribers. The offer applies only to 3rd and 4th guests under 18 of Disney+ subscribers with two full-fare guests in the same stateroom on select cruises sailing 1/3/25–6/13/25. Be sure to log in to your MyDisney account using the email associated with your Disney+ subscription. More details are available on the “perks” page of the Disney+ website here.

In the Walt Disney World Resort news realm, remember that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will close for a year-long refurb starting January 6, 2025. I took one last ride aboard the current version of the attraction the day before setting out on Disney Treasure.

Immediately after returning from Disney Treasure, I also attended the annual Disney Vacation Club meeting (as in, I got off the bus from the port and pretty much walked right into the Fantasia Ballroom at Disney’s Contemporary Resort to attend the meeting). While DVC made no major news announcements at the meeting, and the budgets that determine member dues are now established at separate meetings, when DVC noted that it has already begun transforming the old shooting gallery in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland into a new DVC Members lounge, the leadership noted that they expect it to open in Summer 2025.

Looking ahead to 2025 at EPCOT, when the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts returns January 17-February 24, 2025, we will get to see EPCOT’s next use of CommuniCore Hall as a Festival Center when the space hosts “Once Upon A Stage: 30 Years of Disney on Broadway.” Disney Parks Blog says guests will, “experience the magic of Broadway both on and off the stage in this walkthrough exhibit celebrating three decades of Disney on Broadway.” The concept art shows costumes and props on display from Disney on Broadway stage musicals, and Disney Parks Blog says that guests will “then venture behind-the-scenes to see how the classic animated films “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” were reimagined for the Broadway stage.”

During the Festival, the food counter in CommuniCore Plaza will be the “Opening Bites Food Studio,” with a menu that Disney describes as, “paying homage to the foods and drinks immortalized onstage.” Details will be released when Disney Parks Blog publishes its the Festival of the Arts Foodie Guide in the coming weeks.

This past week, Disney also announced that the 30th edition of the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival will run March 5 to June 2, 2025. The annual topiary- and garden-filled festival includes the three times nightly Garden Rocks Concert Series over on the America Gardens Theatre stage in World Showcase. Disney released a partial list of the performers scheduled for concerts during the first month of the Festival:

• March 7, 8 – Tommy DeCarlo, former lead singer of Boston 
• March 9, 10 – Air Supply – 50th Anniversary Celebration 
• March 14, 15 – Blue October 
• March 16, 17 – Rick Springfield  
• March 21, 22 – Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone 
• March 23, 24 – 38 Special 
• March 28, 29 – Jason Scheff, Longtime singer of Chicago 

Finally, with the first phase of closures in DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom coming up right after the start of 2025 to make way for the Tropical Americas land scheduled to open in 2027, I made a last visit to that area too this past week. First to close as of January 13, 2025, are TriceraTop Spin, the Fossil Fun Games, and the Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures gift shop. The last day to visit these three Dino-Rama area attractions is Sunday, January 13. The rest of DinoLand USA, including the DINOSAUR attraction and Restaurantosaurus will remain open for now, but will eventually close as the Tropical Americas construction expands. Disney has said as to DINOSAUR in particular, “2025 is your year to visit before it goes extinct!” Folks around the web and social media have taken that to mean that the attraction will remain open throughout the year before it closes to be reimagined as a new Indiana Jones adventure. That is certainly one interpretation of that announcement, and, if the development of the Tropical Americas land does not move at a rapid pace, it very well could be that DINOSAUR continues operations into 2026, but, as I said last week, we all know that the attraction is on a countdown to extinction and that date is not known.

With the December 20 theatrical release of the new Mufasa-themed film, a new Mufasa-themed set of projections are being shown on Tree of Life. Disney posted a reel on Facebook, but it has not said how long those projections will be around. Unfortunately, I only saw the news of the new projections a day or two after my Disney’s Animal Kingdom visit. In any event, remember that on most nights, Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes not long after sunset, so if your plan is to see any projections, be sure to get to Discovery Island and the plaza in front of the Tree around 5:30 p.m. at this time of year.

Introducing Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

The new Island Tower addition at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows is now open. It is located between the older buildings of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and the Wedding Pavilion along the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon at approximately the former site of the luau and its surrounding green space. The new tower is the latest edition to Walt Disney World’s collection of Disney Vacation Club properties, adding to 268 rooms to the existing 380 DVC rooms in the longhouses and bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village with a unique variety of accommodations for DVC members and guests. Like the hotel rooms at Disney’s Polynesian, the DVC Rooms at the resort may be booked by anyone with cash; DVC members may book DVC accommodations with their points.

Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows opened to guests on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, along the shore of Seven Seas Lagoon. Photos by Alan S. Dalinka.

Disney says that the views from the new tower are “spectacular,” and, having had an opportunity to preview the tower at an invited media event last Saturday, I would have to agree. The sightlines from the rooms facing Seven Seas Lagoon, include views of the Magic Kingdom area that are even better than those offered by Bay Lake Tower and Disney’s Contemporary Resort across the Lagoon. The building is also the first at Walt Disney World to incorporate outdoor tropical terrace gardens. There are four of them located across floors three through 6; some of the terraces will provide excellent nighttime fireworks views. The terraces are available for guest use throughout the day for relaxation and other purposes (Magic Band or key card required). During the invited media event, Disney used one of the terraces for a photo opportunity with Moana, and another for Moana’s part in the celebratory moment for the new tower.

Architect David Stofcik, a longtime member of the Walt Disney Imagineering team, told me during the media event that the parcel of land used for the new tower was smaller than what Disney has typically used for a hotel, and the team worked to protect the views of the existing buildings of the Polynesian by constructing the lowest parts of the tower on the courtyard facing the existing buildings. The space between the monorail beam and the shore dictated the rest of the space the team had to work with, and the six-story height of the lowest part of the buildings matches up with the roofline of the pre-existing buildings, while the 10-story portion of the tower corresponds to the height of the original 1969 Vacation Kingdom of the World plan for tall central structures for each of the proposed resorts, including the Polynesian.

As the tower is part of Disney’s Polynesian, guests may use its monorail and boat dock for transportation to and from Magic Kingdom (or the TTC’s connection to EPCOT). Using any of the Disney Transport options at Disney’s Polynesian, however, will require a walk to the Grand Ceremonial House area.

Island Tower’s Polynesian Storytelling

The new 10-story tower takes on Polynesian storytelling from a more modern viewpoint than the rest of Disney’s Polynesian Village. The art installations and artistic details here include the exterior patterning inspired by Polynesian tattoos, to the sustainably crafted fish sculptures “swimming” overhead like the green and blue fish which are modeled after trevally fish and are made from reclaimed fishing nets, and the lobby’s one-of-a-kind art installation made from preserved moss. Many of the pieces are inspired by wayfinding on the ocean and celebration of Polynesian culture, and that then also ties into custom artwork in the guest rooms inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios film Moana. In that same sustainability mold, the rugs in the tower are made primarily from recycled plastic bottles.

There is no specific check-in desk in the lobby of the new tower. Typical front desk services are available to guests in Polynesian’s Grand Ceremonial House if necessary, but, these guests, guests can check in on line and go straight to their room. Cast members are, of course, also on hand to greet guests. The lobby is filled with many pieces of art to greet guests too.

The art in the lobby of Island Tower tells Polynesian wayfinding stories in different ways, many using modern sustainable techniques. Photos by Alan S. Dalinka.

The tower introduces a new DVC room type with a limited number of two-bedroom “penthouse villas” that each sleep up to eight guests. A little larger in space, these penthouses feature a living room area, full-size kitchen, dining area, and three full bathrooms. The new penthouse villas have outdoor patio areas with views of Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Oak Trail and Magnolia Golf Courses.

The two-bedroom “penthouse villas” split the kitchen and living room area with a TV wall island. The living room includes a bed that pulls down over the couch. The villas feature remarkable views like this one overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. Photos by Alan S. Dalinka.

The other two-bedroom villas in Island Tower sleep nine guests, and the one-bedroom villas sleep up to five guests. All of the villas include a full-size kitchen, dining area, and living area with sofa seating that can be pulled down to reveal a queen-size bed and a story-themed mural inspired by Moana sailing on her canoe to retrieve the heart of Te Fiti. The two-bedroom villas in the Tower have three full bathrooms, and the one-bedroom villas here have two full bathrooms. All of the villas also have a washer and dryer.

The one- and two-bedroom villas each have a full kitchen and living room which can sleep up to three guests with pull-down beds located under the tv and over the couch. Each villa has a primary bedroom with a king size bed. The two-bedroom villas also have a bedroom with two queen size beds. Photos by Alan S. Dalinka.

The deluxe studios in the Island Tower have an updated layout that includes a seating area across from a kitchenette (which, for the first time in a DVC studio includes a dishwasher). The deluxe studios include a full bathroom, an outdoor patio, and two queen-size beds (one of which is a pull-down which closes above a couch when not in use as a bed), accommodating up to four guests.

The Deluxe Studios have a queen size bed with two seating areas. One of the seating areas can be converted into a second queen size bed that pulls down over the couch. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The Island Tower also includes a number of the 2-person maximum duo studios. These rooms are smaller than the deluxe studios and only include a queen-sized bed that tucks back into the wall to reveal a sofa when not in use. The room has a full bathroom as well. I did not compare the actual square footage here, but, with the bed open or closed, these duo studios appeared to be a bit larger than those at Disney’s Riviera where the room type first debuted at Walt Disney World.

All of the room types in Island Tower have a remarkable number of outlets and USB ports to plug in and charge all the devices guests travel with in the 2020’s.

Island Tower Pool, Moana Splash Zone, and Wailulu Bar & Grill

Like many other DVC properties, the Island Tower includes a new “quiet” pool area (I put that “quiet” in quotes since that is what DVC historically called the secondary pools around its properties that have tended to be, like here, minimally themed). The brand-new Cove Pool is a zero-entry swimming pool. The area also includes “Moana’s Voyage,” which is its highly themed splash area featuring a statue of Moana and her iconic canoe.

The new tower is also home to a new casual restaurant, Wailulu Bar & Grill, that also serves as the Cove Pool’s outdoor bar area. It has both indoor and outdoor seating, and it features a menu influenced by ingredients common in the Polynesian islands with an all-day lunch and dinner menu. Both offer a variety of signature dishes, including spiced ham musubi and beef short rib loco moco. The venue showcases custom artwork crafted from recycled materials and picturesque views of the Seven Seas Lagoon, including Magic Kingdom. At its opening, the venue will also have a minimal breakfast menu available with pastries and such, but for other breakfast options, guests will need to walk over to the Grand Ceremonial House for its quick service and table service options.

Wailulu Bar & Grill is located just off the lobby of Island Tower. The new casual restaurant has a full lunch and dinner menu and limited breakfast offerings. Photos by Alan S. Dalinka.

Green Features

Disney says that the Island Tower addition was designed with sustainability and conservation at its core, while providing guests with the experience and features they expect from Disney Vacation Club. The tower is projected to use approximately 30 percent less energy than a typical resort of a similar size through a variety of measures, including optimized heating and cooling systems and energy-efficient lighting. The majority of the tower was constructed off-site using pre-fabrication techniques that help minimize construction waste. I was unable to learn during the invited media event whether those commendable conservation efforts will lead to lower annual operational costs factoring into member dues for those that purchase DVC points at the new tower.

This & That & Reminders…

…runDisney has provided a first look at 2025 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend merchandise.

…And runDisney has revealed the medals reveal for the 2025 Springtime Surprise race weekend.

…REMINDER. Disney D23 announced the 2025 return of Destination 23 to Walt Disney World Resort. Billed as “the biggest Disney fan event of 2025,” Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney will be August 29-31, 2025. This edition will be held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, and D23 says the event has more than doubled in size. A block of rooms is available for reservation at: https://www.mydisneygroup.com/destd25/. D23 Gold Membership seems to be required for ticket purchases, though the on-sale date and information has not yet been published. D23 has announced new Gold Membership tiers are going into effect on January 1, 2025, and effect existing Gold Members upon their renewals. Read more about all that, on this page of D23.com.

…REMINDER. The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays wraps up December 30th. Like at Magic Kingdom, Annual Passholders with a pass other than IncrediPass, your dates for attending this year’s Festival were limited December 1 to December 18th (and, not the weekends for Pixie Dust passes).

…REMINDER: Disney Vacation Club announced Moonlight Magic events for 2025 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Typhoon Lagoon. Registration for these events is complimentary for eligible members (“eligible” generally only includes members who have purchased their membership points from Disney) and their guests. Full details and reservation requirements are on this page of DVC’s website.

…REMINDER: Cirque du Soleil tickets are on sale for all of 2025. Drawn to Life performances are scheduled twice a day at Disney Springs, five days a week, Tuesdays through Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Matinee shows will continue to be offered on Sundays at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The Page to Stage Signature Experience is also be available five nights per week following the second performance each day. Tickets for all performances can be purchased at cirquedusoleil.com/drawn-to-life or at the Disney Springs box office and are subject to availability.

Resort Reservations, Ticket Advice & Special Offers

Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Walt Disney World Resort Update.

The current Florida resident theme park ticket offer is available on this page of DisneyWorld.com which starts at $119 plus tax for a one day ticket and can be as low as $72/day plus tax for a four day ticket (before the various add-ons). As a date-based ticket, the first date of use has to be selected when purchased and users of a Florida resident ticket will be required to provide proof of residency either at the time of purchase or at a park ticket window prior to first use.

Details and more special offers are available on this page of DisneyWorld.com.

Various packages are now posted for stays through June 30, 2025, and Military Discounts are now posted for the whole year as well.

REMINDER: Get Away Today’s Walt Disney World Resort vacation packages can now be booked completely on its website! No cumbersome quotes needed! Simply compare all your favorite Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Get Away Today’s hand selected off-property hotels in a few clicks, and then customize for your included tickets for your vacation.

Get Away Today’s Walt Disney World Resort vacation packages now have the option to add Layaway Plans, which allow you to pay the total balance up to eight days prior to travel. You can also add their popular “Peace of Mind Plan” when booking a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, which allows any reschedules and cancellations up to five days prior to travel with no penalty.

When booking with Get Away Today, all Walt Disney World Resort on-site packages include Get Away Today’s e-concierge, which includes its Best Price Guarantee, Dining Reservation Reminders, access to their Concierge Team email for help before and during your vacation, and more.

Looking to go beyond Walt Disney World Resort when visiting Central Florida? Check out Get Away Today’s Universal Orlando Resort ticket offers and resort package stay offers too. Right now, for example, you can get 2 days free with a 2-Park, 3-Day ticket for 5 days of fun when you book with Get Away Today! Enjoy all of the thrills, entertainment and fun that Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure has to offer for as low as $62 per day. Upgrade to a 3-Park ticket to experience Universal Volcano Bay water theme park (which may be closed on some dates). This offer is valid for travel now – April 16, 2025.

Only purchase Disney theme park tickets directly from Disney, an authorized seller, or a travel agency like MousePlanet travel partner Get Away Today! As always, we remind our readers that Walt Disney World Resort theme park tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Florida or eligible for U.S. Military Personnel benefits. Historically, non-Florida residents tend to benefit the most by purchasing tickets in advance (and, of course, being mindful of the rules relevant to those tickets). Don’t get scammed! Never buy tickets from an unofficial or secondary outlet, such as through eBay or Craigslist. Never rent or purchase tickets from people approaching you outside Disney property stating they have remaining days or leftover tickets. This practice is against the terms of use for Walt Disney World Theme Park admissions, and may result in denial of entry. There is no way to determine if these tickets are valid until you try to use them to enter the parks.