Theme Park Bits: Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Makeover, TRON Lightcycle Run, a New DVC Resort, and More

30 November 2019 News Desk News, Theme Parks

In this edition of Theme Park Bits:

Disney’s building a new timeshare in Anaheim.
The TRON Lightcycle Run ride is closer to completion at the Magic Kingdom.
And more!

Let’s start off today with some urgent news for any of you who may be visiting Walt Disney World in December. Urgent here does not mean troubling, though: the news is that Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar is debuting the Friday after Thanksgiving at Disney Springs. Jock, as you may know, is the pilot who saves Indiana Jones in the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and his bar is now decked out to the holidays with decor and themed food like a Holiday Caprese Wreath and Ugly “Sweeter” Bread. So if you’re in the Happiest Place on Earth during December, stop on by.

You may recall that, only a couple short years ago, Disney announced that it was going to be building a new hotel near the Disneyland Hotel only for those plans to be tossed due to internecine city politics. (Really.) Disney is back at it, though with a twist: they’re now applying to build a 12-story timeshare project next to their original hotel. Really, what this means is that there will be yet another Disney Vacation Club property for DVC members and hopefuls to take advantage of, apparently themed to the old-school designs of the Disneyland Hotel itself. So, if you have a chunk of change just ready to drop, prepare to apply for that DVC membership soon.

Let’s jump back to the Walt Disney World Resort, and specifically the Magic Kingdom. One of the big new expansions in the park is in Tomorrowland, with the eventual introduction of the TRON Lightcycle / Run attraction, being brought over from Shanghai Disneyland. Just recently, Cast Members celebrated a major milestone, as the final piece of ride track was laid down. Now, don’t get too excited – the attraction is still slated to open in time for the 50th anniversary of the resort in 2021. But they’re getting closer!

Think about the last time you took a Disney vacation. It’s possible that, while you were there, you saw a high-school band performing on Main Street, U.S.A. Though this can happen at both Disneyland (I’ve seen it happen, and my wife, an arts teacher, has brought her high-school choir to Disneyland to perform, too) and Walt Disney World, you can see what it’s like at the Orlando resort right now. Just take a look at this behind-the-scenes video of the experience for a couple of high-school groups.

We’ll stick with Orlando for our last story, but we’re not exactly going to be staying on property for this one. If you fly into Orlando International Airport for your Walt Disney World travels, you’ve likely spotted the Disney store in the waiting areas. Well, good news if you just can’t wait to shop before you step on property: the store on the east side of the airport (that would be one of the two Disney stores they operate here) has been reopened after a refurbishment. And this store has an all-new name, Magic of Disney. It may seem weird to stop by one of these stores before (or after) you’re on property, but if you can’t get enough of the magic, this is the place for you.

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