Disney Springs - The Downtown Disney area has been around for a long time. When I last visit Disney World this area was a great place to visit, particularly for any adult on a Disney trip. After a few years, interest in this adult theme park started to decline. It could have been lack of interest from the visitors or Disney itself, but the entertainment area started to fall apart. Restaurants and stores closed down, the area was a shell of what it once was.
In the last few years Disney suddenly took interest again in this area. I imagine that the new modern foodie trend is a big part of this. People look at Disney World as not just a theme park, but today they also look at Disney as a food destination, in great part because of the food and wine festival. So Disney has upgraded Downtown Disney, a party and club district, to Disney Springs, a food and shopping district. It makes sense and completely appeals to me.
The construction of this massive enhancement will likely still be going on when we visit, however it's already been rechristened Disney Springs, and I think most of the new sections should be ready to go when we get there.
Star Wars Minor Additions - The last year at Disney has been filled with announcements about Star Wars. Most notably is the new Star Wars land they're planning to open in a few years. It's certain that the new Star Wars Land won't be open when we get there, but Disney isn't leaving fans high dry right now. Presently Disney has several temporary exhibits and attractions to keep the Star Wars fan interested in both the upcoming parks and the new movies.
The simplest addition comes from the Star Wars ride in Hollywood Studios, Star Tours (an older ride already at the park). What's been added is an addition that lets you fly through one of the scenes from Force Awakens. The problem with seeing this is that the ride is random, so we won't necessarily see that particular scene, but really that doesn't matter because I haven't seen many of the other scenes either.
Presently there are also several Star Wars themed restaurant overlays, and a few temporary exhibits where you can see props from the movies and meet characters from Star Wars. Most of these temporary exhibits are scheduled to be taken down before we go, but I'm sure there's a chance that they'll be extended if they remain popular. Either way I'll be happy as long as I get to meet Chewbacca.
Jungle Cruise Skipper's Canteen - This is a new restaurant that really interests me. The food looks interesting, with lots of Asian food. But the thing that really piques my interest is the theming. The theme is that a canteen has opened next to the Jungle Cruise for people to grab a bite before or after their jugle adventure. I'm a sucker for pseudo jungle/adventurers theming, and this restaurant seems like it's full of it.
It reminds me a little of the now defunct adventurers club in the old Pleasure Island, and that was one of my favorite places in the parks the last time I visited. This looks like a real winner, and I'm sure we'll stop in.
Polynesian Resort Updates - I'm not sure how much resort hopping we're going to do, but I'm pretty sure if we do, a stop at the Polynesian will be on the cards. They've just updated a bunch of this resort, and it looks fantastic. Apparently this resort is also a great place to watch fireworks, so that might be just reason to go visit. The main expansion that appeals to me is their new bar, Trader Sam's Grogs Grotto. This place looks fantastic, and even if I don't buy a drink, I think I'll stop by to check it out anyways.
Harambe Expansion - Animal Kingdom is a bit of a mystery for me as to what to expect. The big expansion, Avatar Land, will likely not be open at all while we're there, however there are a few things that might. There's a new night show that's supposed to open up that looks pretty good, and they're also planning on lighting up the giant tree (the Tree of Life) at the center of the park. All of this is still vague to me as to when it'll open, but there's a chance we'll be able to see it. The part that is already open is the Harambe expansion in the Africa section of the park.
I'm looking forward to this for several reasons. First of all, Disney fans are saying nothing but great things about it. Secondly, I don't really know what to expect from Animal Kingdom, so the surprise is pretty interesting. Finally, I just visited Africa, and I'm looking forward to seeing how detailed they got the theming.
There's a lot of new additions to the park, as well as a few closures (which I might write about later). I think since we're not regulars these details won't really affect our happiness on this trip, but I can say that reading about them is really getting me excited.
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