Theme Park Insider

Let's visit the original version of Disney World's top hotel

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:48:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: I always recommend that Disney fans take a moment on their non-Disney trips when they have a chance to visit a real-life location that has inspired a popular location at Walt Disney World or Disneyland.

My trip today to San Diego led me to one of those. Check out the not-Grand Floridian.

Walt Disney Imagineering based Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian on the famous Hotel del Coronado, on the Coronado beach across from San Diego. The "Del," as locals call it, opened in 1888 as the largest hotel resort in the world.

Over the years, the hotel has hosted U.S. presidents, royalty, and celebrities. It got its Hollywood moment in 1959, when it played a Florida hotel in the Marilyn Monroe classic "Some Like It Hot."

On the Hotel Del's 100th anniversary, Disney flipped that script when it opened the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, with its exterior based on the California hotel. A Florida hotel gets to play a California one.

Inside the actual Hotel Del is very much different than the Grand Floridian, illustrating its late 19th century origin.

Here are some more views of the hotel, starting with its famous ballroom and its crown-shaped chandeliers. ("Coronado," get it?)

And the view is of the Pacific Ocean and not the Seven Seas Lagoon.

The Hotel is located at the southern end of the picturesque town of Coronodo, which is home to one of America's largest navy bases on the north end. You won't be able to forget that, thanks to the hotel gift shop.

I didn't stay at the hotel, but I did spend the morning sightseeing this fun little town with a cart from Go Ranchero, which is owned by my wife's cousin, so you are supporting the extended Theme Park Insider family by supporting this local-owned family business. It's also a great way to enjoy the cool ocean breezes while getting around the town.

Highly recommended.

What's your favorite real-world "duped by Disney" location?

Rope Drop: Solving the Project Purple mystery

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 15:25:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: As the "rope drop" starts a day at theme parks, the Sunday "Rope Drop" post kicks off the week here at Theme Park Insider. Here is what lies ahead for fans at the parks this week.

Before we get to the week ahead, I want to mention that yesterday Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi celebrated its eighth birthday by opening a new flat ride, Kryptonite Collider. This Nebulaz ride is the first of two new DC Comics-themed rides coming to the Yas Island theme park, with the much larger new Superman Up and Away flying coaster set for a 2028 debut.

Photo courtesy Miral

Looking ahead now, Six Flags Great Adventure has promised its official, tell-all Project Purple announcement on Tuesday, June 28. Next weekend, August 2 is the last day for AireForce One at Fun Spot Atlanta and Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Attraction closings and openings

Here are the current refurbishment schedules from Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

Silly Symphony Swings is closed at Disney California Adventure with no reopening date yet.

Universal�s Horror Make-Up Show is closed at Universal Studios Florida. Estimated reopening in winter 2026.

Carousel of Progress is closed at Walt Disney World�s Magic Kingdom. New show debuts in 2027.

August 8-20: Haunted Mansion closes at Disneyland for Holiday overlay.

August 16: Last day ever for Fast & Furious - Supercharged at Universal Studios Florida.

September 15-20: The Untrainable Dragon closes at Universal Epic Universe.

October 26: Volcano Bay closes for the season, with a planned return on or before April 1, 2027.

November 20: Jurassic Park River Adventure reopens at Islands of Adventure.

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Thank you, and best wishes for a great week!

Walk Time: Talking about that soft summer at Universal

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:58:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: This week on the Theme Park Insider Podcast, Jake and I break down Universal�s latest earnings call... and that �softness� that Universal reported in its theme park attendance. Listen below, or download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform!

Here�s my report on that Universal earnings news, by the way: Universal reports �softening� theme park attendance in Orlando.

I posted the new nuggets round-up a few days earlier this week, since there was so much happening: Collecting stories at Efteling, Disney, and more.

And here are the rest of this week�s Theme Park Insider news stories, in case you missed them:

We have a couple of new discussions for you, too:

As always, thank you for being part of the Theme Park Insider community!

Disneyland expands its Holidays for 2026

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:53:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: The Holidays at the Disneyland Resort are starting a little bit earlier this fall.

Disneyland today announced that the resort's annual holiday celebration will start November 13 and continue through January 6, 2027. That aligns the California parks with Florida's Walt Disney World, which also will run its holiday celebration season on the same dates.

That said, Disney World will get a head start with its after-hours holiday events, with Disney Jollywood Nights starting November 7 at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party starting November 8 at the Magic Kingdom.

In California, there are no after-hours holiday parties, so all park guests can enjoy Disneyland and Disney California Adventure late into the evening during the holiday season.

Disneyland is bringing back its traditional slate of holiday attractions, including overlays at It's a Small World, Haunted Mansion, and Cars Land, plus the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks show and A Christmas Fantasy parade. Festival of Holidays and �Viva Navidad! also return at Disney California Adventure this year.

For tickets to the parks, please shop our partner's Disneyland Resort tickets page.

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Disney's princesses will parade in Paris

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:43:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Disneyland Paris' second gate is getting a parade.

Technically, Disney is calling this new show a cavalcade, but it will feature floats and characters proceeding around the new Adventure Bay at the renamed Disney Adventure World.

Disney Princess Cavalcade debuts tomorrow at the French park, stepping off from the site of the future The Lion King land before heading down to The Regal View Restaurant & Lounge.

Photo courtesy Disneyland Paris

That's where the cavalcade's show stop will happen, as the princesses step off their floats to interact with guests. The show features Disney princesses Moana, Rapunzel, Raya, and Tiana, along with dancers themed to each princess' float. Those floats are:

Motunui (Moana)
The Heart Palace (Raya)
Festive streets of New Orleans (Tiana)
The Snuggly Duckling tavern (Rapunzel)

Disney Princess Cavalcade will run several times each day. Check the Disneyland Paris app for showtimes. This new production replaces the Disney Marching Band led by Minnie Mouse procession that has run at the park since its March reopening.

For tickets to the parks, please shop our partner's Disneyland Paris tickets page.

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Update: Here is a show video from Disney.

Universal reports 'softening' theme park attendance in Orlando

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:02:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Earnings slowed at Universal's theme parks during the second quarter of 2026, as a slight bump in revenue could not keep up with growing costs.

Parent company Comcast reported revenue of $2.413 billion for its Theme Parks segment in the three months ending June 30, 2026. That's up 2.7% from the same period one year ago. The company reported earnings of $609 million for its parks segment in the quarter, which was down 5.1% from the same period in 2025 following a 5.7% increase in operating expenses.

"The operating environment has softened more than we anticipated," Comcast Co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said. "In Orlando, Epic Universe continues to perform well, and is delivering the strong guest response we expected. At the same time, attendance across the broader Orlando market began to soften in June, and that trend has continued into the third quarter. We believe there are some temporary factors at work, including higher fuel prices and weaker consumer sentiment, but we are watching these trends closely.

"Internationally, Osaka continues to be affected by China-related travel restrictions, while Beijing is operating against a challenging macroeconomic backdrop. Despite these near-term pressures, our outlook for the long-term opportunity in parks is unchanged. We have great brands, great locations, and a proven playbook for investing behind attractions and experiences that create real consumer demand and strong returns. With Universal Kids Resort now open in Frisco and our UK park moving toward construction, we continue to see a long runway for growth."

"The EBITDA decline was primarily driven by continued pressure in our Osaka park, where China-related travel restrictions are still impacting attendance," CFO Jason Armstrong said. "That pressure was partially offset by growth at our U.S. parks. In Orlando, revenue and EBITDA grew as we compared to the partial opening period of Epic in last year's second quarter. That said, growth in Orlando came in below our expectations, as attendance began to soften in June and has remained pressured into the third quarter. And at Hollywood, results improved as we began to lap the initial pressure we experienced last year, though we do not expect a more meaningful improvement until the new Fast and Furious roller coaster opens later this year."

Round-up: Collecting stories at Efteling, Disney, and more

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:41:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Too many news nuggets are piling up in my notes file. So let's not wait for the weekend Walk Time round-up to clear them this week.

SeaWorld announced this week that it has received its first beluga whales from the closed Marineland of Canada park. SeaWorld San Antonio received two of the whales, with four others going to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The six were part of a pod of 30 beluga whales at the Niagara Falls park, which closed in 2024. Canada last year denied Marineland's request to send the whales to China. As a result, the whales are going to several facilities in the United States and Spain, with SeaWorld San Diego and the Georgia Aquarium also set to receive whales within the next few weeks.

Efteling is showing off first looks at its next addition to its Fairytale Forest. The Fairytale Library is set to open next year at the Dutch theme park.

The Fairytale Collector stands in front of the new fairytale installation, under construction. Photo courtesy Efteling.

�In The Fairytale Library, visitors will soon discover all the books filled with stories that the Fairytale Collector has gathered during his travels," designer Jeroen Verheij said. "They will also meet seven hard-working gnomes, who have accompanied the Fairytale Gatherer from all corners of the world over the years. The gnomes keep the library organised, welcoming and as complete as possible, because the Fairytale Collector himself is often away on his travels."

How about this for a transition? Speaking of story collectors, documentarian Leslie Iwerks is preparing to release her latest work on Disney's storytellers. Disney has released a teaser for "Disney Worldbuilders," which will premiere soon on Disney+. The film will include conversations with James Cameron, Pete Docter, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, and other story leaders at Disney.

Sticking on the Disney beat for a moment, Russell Meyer kicked off a discussion about the company's recent business moves, including ESPN layoffs, new clothing lines, and a big play with the Avengers: Disney Feeding the Beast.

As we approach the start of the Halloween season, Universal has announced that it will partner Fortnite for a scare zone at this year's Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando and Hollywood - Fortnitemares. You can see the current HHN 2026 house line-ups here: Universal confirms Evil Dead Burn for Halloween Horror Nights.

Kentucky Kingdom has announced that it will provide the new home for Jack O' Lantern Spectacular. The event is leaving Louisville's Iroquois Park for Kentucky Kingdom, where it will become part of the park's Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom fall event.

Finally - and this is attractions-adjacent - for films fans in the Los Angeles area, the good news came today that the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood will reopen next year, under Sony ownership. Sony had partnered Alamo Drafthouse, which will operate the dome and revamp the adjacent old ArcLight Cinemas as an Alamo Drafthouse. The dome will not be a dine-in theater when it reopens, however.

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ClassPass now allows users to book theme park visits

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:18:00 GMT

By Robert Niles: Which burns more calories and builds more muscle: a yoga class, a boxing session, a cardio workout... or a day at a theme park?

For people who subscribe to the popular fitness and wellness app ClassPass, that is now a real question. ClassPass today announced an expansion into entertainment and family activities. That means that app subscribers now can use their credits to book tickets to select theme parks and attractions, in addition to the gyms and fitness classes that the app has been known for.

Among the destinations now available are Legoland Florida, SeaWorld San Diego, Sesame Place San Diego, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. ClassPass users may redeems their credits for bundles of one, two, or four tickets to the parks, so that families can visit and spend the day together.

This is not the first time that ClassPass has expanded beyond fitness and beauty. Earlier this year, ClassPass added movie tickets to its portfolio, adding Regal Cinemas, Look Dine-In Cinemas, and AMC Theatres.

"Our mission has always been to give users one flexible way to access wellness, however they define it," ClassPass parent company Playlist CEO Fritz Lanman said. "For some that's a yoga class or a spa visit; for others it's a day out with family at an amusement park. Adding theme parks, zoos, and aquariums extends that mission to even more of the experiences our users love, while giving these venues a powerful new channel for attendance and incremental revenue."

I suppose that this provides another channel for parks and attractions to expand their reach. However, ClassPass will "own" the relationship rather than the parks themselves. ClassPass started as a way for fitness studios to sell their unbooked class inventory without having to discount rates themselves. Instead, ClassPass subscribers could get access to studios via their subscriptions, with studios getting paid based on how many ClassPass subscribers booked.

I imagine that the revenue split with parks, zoos, and aquariums will work in much the same way, though with differing percentages. Just like the yoga studios and gyms that first used ClassPass, parks will want to convert ClassPass app users into their own, direct subscribers - annual and seasonal passholders. But they will need to "wow" fans with a great experience to do that.

In the past, some health insurance providers have made deals with ClassPass to steer their subscribers to use the app for online and in-person classes. I don't which providers might still be doing that, but the idea of using health insurance to help cover the cost for a day at Legoland or Six Flags definitely improves my mental health.

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