Category: The Kingdom Insider

The highly anticipated “Wicked” movie is hitting theaters on November 22, and to celebrate, new experiences are coming to Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando! This October, the parks on both coasts invite guests to defy gravity with a variety of all-new immersive experiences and exclusive merchandise inspired by Wicked. The engaging Wicked experiences will differ at each of the destinations, but they are both designed to capture the imagination and spirit of the breathtaking world of Wicked. Guests will be able to express their fandom through fashion and accessories while stepping into the story for the first time ever. Starting in late October, Universal Orlando Resort will welcome guests to Wicked: The Experience, housed in the former location of the UNIVRS store and adjacent retail locations steps away from the front gate, where they will have the unique opportunity to step into the fantastical Land of Oz. This exclusive, one-of-a-kind experience will whisk guests along the yellow brick road and into a variety of iconic Wicked locations from Shiz University to the Emerald City. Fanciful costumes and props created by the designers from the film will also be on display as guests become immersed in spectacular scenic and theming that will recreate some of the most memorable moments of the film. Also, beginning in late October, Universal Studios Hollywood will transform its popular Feature Presentation store within the theme park and UNIVRS store at Universal CityWalk Hollywood into memorable experiences. Feature Presentation will showcase props from the film, an exciting photo op

Disney Vacation Club Moonlight Magic events, a favorite Membership Magic benefit, are back! Experience a night full of excitement at these complimentary events, which offer exclusive after-hours access. Enjoy select new and classic attractions, shorter-than-usual wait times, Character greetings, entertainment, and delectable delights! We are excited to announce that new Moonlight Magic event dates have been added for 2024 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park: October 24, November 21, and December 10. Eligible Members may register for one of these extra event dates even if they attended a Moonlight Magic event in 2024. WHERE TO FIND THE MAGIC Source: Disney Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park Event Dates: October 24, 2024, November 21, 2024, December 10, 2024, February 12, 2025 Source: Disney Disney’s Hollywood Studios Event Dates: January 26, 2025, and September 1, 2025 Source: Disney Disney California Adventure Park Event Date: February 3, 2025 Source: Disney EPCOT Event Dates: April 30, 2025, and July 17, 2025 Source: Disney Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park Event Dates: May 20, 2025, June 9, 2025, and August 11, 2025 Are you ready to book your Disney vacation? Leave all the details to our friends at Academy Travel Agency & let

For die-hard Sci-Fi fans, something exciting is coming to Universal Studios Hollywood next year! In Spring 2025, the park will introduce guests to Universal Fan Fest Nights, a separately ticketed event that brings the most compelling worlds of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, and Anime to life from the creators of its highly acclaimed Halloween Horror Nights event. This event will be a limited-time, after-hours experience exclusive to Universal Studios Hollywood that will showcase a dynamic line-up of captivating, immersive in-world experiences along with engaging celebratory activations throughout the theme park, from live entertainment to cosplay. The event will invite guests to embrace their favorite characters and share their enthusiasm with like-minded fans. Featuring a slate of all-new, thrilling, and unique fan-favorite experiences, the inaugural Universal Fan Fest Nights 2025 at Universal Studios Hollywood will debut these exciting properties, with more to be announced soon. Star Trek Back to the Future DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Scott Strobl, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, has stated, “For decades, Universal Studios Hollywood has been a leader in creating and executing innovative special events that are consistent with our brand. From our esteemed Halloween Horror Nights event to this all-new Universal Fan Fest Nights experience, we are thrilled about how this breakthrough program will continue to elevate the guest experience in an all-new way.” And that’s not all! Fans can enjoy an enticing menu of themed foods and new merchandise, including collectibles, apparel, drinkware, accessories, and more, to

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is BACK and better than ever! We recently attended opening night and want to provide you with the TOP things to do at this year’s event! Go In The Haunted Houses The haunted houses are on another level this year! We had the opportunity to go in all 10 houses, and we can confidently say that these are some of the scariest houses ever! They are a ton of fun!  Our Top 3 houses were… Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (incredible costumes and designs) Insidious: The Further (scariest house ever maybe?) A Quiet Place (super immersive and identical to the movie)   Try the Fun Food One of our favorite things about HHN is that every year they create some of the most unique Halloween foods on planet Earth! They are visually pleasing and taste amazing too. Some of our favorite food this year was… Mini Stay-Puft S’mores Abbott’s Farm Corn Chowder Heart “Beet” Tostada Source: Universal   Rides have LOW wait times(!!!) An Insiders hack is that since mostly everyone attending Halloween Horror Nights will be going to the houses and partaking in the Halloween activities, in result of this the rides waits are always lower than normal. The wait times usually hover around 5-30 minutes, which is way less than what they usually are. Some notable rides that are open are… Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Revenge of the Mummy Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Men in

If you’re a cheese lover, the ultimate cheesy challenge at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival is a must-do this year! To get started, grab your festival passport at the front of the park or from any festival booth. Inside, you’ll find a page dedicated to Emile’s Fromage Montage—a cheese lover’s dream. The challenge is simple: select any five items from the special cheese-themed menu and make sure to get a stamp in your passport for each item you purchase. During our visit, we sampled the BBQ Pork Rinds, Griddled Cheese, Pao de Queijo, Passionfruit Cheesecake, and Traditional Macaroni & Cheese. While we enjoyed almost everything, we found the BBQ Pork Rinds to be the only item we wouldn’t recommend. The rest were absolutely delicious, offering a variety of textures and flavors that made the challenge worthwhile. Once you’ve collected all five stamps, head over to the Shimmering Sips Marketplace booth to claim your well-deserved prize—a refreshing blueberry cheesecake soft serve served in a souvenir cup you can take home as a memento of your cheesy adventure! Whether you’re in it for the love of cheese or just looking for a fun way to explore the festival, Emile’s Fromage Montage is the perfect way to experience some of the best offerings at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival. Are you ready to book your Disney vacation? Leave all the details to our friends at Academy Travel Agency & let one of their Disney

Summer is coming to an end, but new adventures are awaiting you just around the corner, whether it be in 2024 or 2025! And what more encouragement do you need to book that Disney trip than a great deal? There are so many out there right now, and to save you time and research, we’ve compiled them all for you here. Adventures by Disney For a limited time, take advantage of savings on select 2024 & 2025 Adventures by Disney Land Adventures, River Cruises, Expedition Cruises, and Escapes to destinations throughout the world. This offer must be booked by December 31, 2024, for travel on select departures from September 19, 2024, through March 26, 2025. Availability is limited. See the world on an Adventures by Disney Land Adventure, River Cruise, Expedition Cruise, or Escape—and save $150, $250, $350, or $500 per person! Save $500 per person on the following Expedition Cruise departure: Galápagos Expedition Cruise: December 18, 2024 Save $350 per person on select International Land Adventure and River Cruise departures: International Land Adventures: Australia: December 19, 2024; March 23, 2025 Colombia: February 15, 2025; March 26, 2025 Egypt: February 25, 2025; March 11, 2025 England and France: March 7, 14 & 21, 2025 Germany: October 8, 2024; December 17, 2024 Italy: March 9, 16 & 23, 2025 Morocco: February 16, 2025 New Zealand: November 26, 2024; January 13, 2025 Poland, Czech Republic & Austria: December

Deadpool has made quite the splash this summer, so much so that Disney California Adventure has brought the red spandex superhero himself to the park! For a limited time, you can catch Storytime with Deadpool, a ten-minute show in which Deadpool reads a fairytale story to his audience but with his own twist. The whole experience is quite hysterical, and yes, it is child-appropriate. Wolverine even (disdainfully) joins in on the storytime, which only encourages Deadpool to be even more ridiculously hilarious. Source: Kingdom Media We love that this show isn’t entirely scripted. The character does a great job interacting with the audience and making jokes about Disney and about Ryan Renolds, the actor who plays Deadpool in the movies. His entire character adds so much personality to Avengers Camous; he skips around, hops in the air, clicking his heels together, and wears reading glasses around his neck. He has even been spotted riding a toy unicorn around and joining in on some dancing during the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Danceoff! It’s important to note that he is not scheduled to join in on this entertainment event, and he randomly makes an appearance. You can watch a full video of Storytime with Deadpool on our Facebook page here. Of course, with this new character experience comes a new food item as well! Over at Pym’s Test Kitchen, a Deadpool-themed Chimichanga has arrived, and we’re excited to share that it’s pretty dang delicious! It’s made with seasoned

With every new season at the Disney Parks comes new seasonal food, and we are, of course, ecstatic to try all the Halloween food and treats for the 2024 spooky season! During my recent trip to Disneyland Park, I was able to try some of the new Halloween-themed items, so check out my review below to see what you should try and skip during your visit! Note: I will update this review as I try more things in the next month, so keep checking back for more reviews! Philly Potato Dog (Refreshment Corner) Baked Potato topped with an All-Beef Hot Dog, thinly-sliced Beef, Peppers, Pepperoncini, Provolone and Cherry Spread The Potato dogs have been quite the hit at Disneyland this past year, and this one is no exception. This is a fantastic, hearty little meal full of flavor and fresh ingredients. You can taste every single ingredient, and nothing overpowers anything else. It has several different textures, and there are the perfect ratios of each ingredient. This one is definitely a 10/10! Source: Kingdom Media Transylvania Transfusion (Harbour Galley) Dark Berry and Cherry Punch, garnished with Fresh Berries This is probably the best seasonal Halloween punch I’ve had at the park. It’s extremely refreshing and not too sugary, and the two punches mix very well together. I especially loved that this drink has lots of berries in it! This one is a winner, especially since it’s still pretty hot out, so I definitely recommend giving this one

Deep in the shadows of Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, something delightfully wicked is about to take the stage. It’s an all-new live production starring your favorite Disney Villains – debuting in the summer of 2025! The creative minds at Disney Live Entertainment will transform Sunset Showcase into the mysterious, reflective realm of the Magic Mirror. The show will feature appearances by dozens of the most infamous evildoers, with fiendish foes Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent, each breaking through the glass to take the stage in live production numbers. Source: Disney Before these villainous fiends take the spotlight at Sunset Showcase, guests should speed on over for another lap around the track at Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy before October 7. Never ones to shy away from barging in unexpectedly, the Disney Villains’ appearance in this new show comes in addition to the future Villains-themed land announced for Magic Kingdom during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Contributed By: Joey McElroy, Communications Manager Are you ready to book your Disney vacation? Leave all the details to our friends at Academy Travel Agency & let one of their Disney experts take it from here! Just click here to select your Disney destination of choice, fill out the quick & easy questionnaire, and your personalized, free agent will be in touch soon! Take a look around our website in the meantime, and read