What’s Coming to Central Florida Theme Parks in 2020
The wheels never stop turning in the 3 main theme parks in Central Florida, the game is keeping the guest coming and excited for what’s to open. Here’s a list of what to look forward to at theme parks around Orlando for 2020:
Walt Disney World
After a superb year opening up the parks biggest land expansion, Disney World is not hitting the breaks just yet.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first-ever ride-through attraction for the iconic rodents, is set to open March 4 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. It is being created inside the park’s Chinese Theater, which formerly housed the Great Movie Ride. In addition, Disney says Hollywood Studios will open Mickey Shorts Theater in March.
Cirque du Soleil finally will be back in business at Disney Springs. “La Nouba” closed there at the end of 2017, and anticipation has been building for its follow-up, which will be called “Drawn to Life.” We’ve known for a while that animation will be a theme of the new show, and videos of rehearsals indicate that Cirque’s high-flying acrobatics will be involved. Tickets are on sale for the production, which officially opens April 17, although there are previews beginning March 20.
Over at Epcot, another character is moving into World Showcase. A dark ride named Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is slated to open in summer in a reconfigured France pavilion. Features of the attraction include trackless ride vehicles and, in time-honored Disney tradition, riders are shrunk down to the size of rats. It’s set on the kitchen floor of Gusteau.
A trio of films are set to open Jan. 17 at Epcot, including “Awesome Planet” in The Land, “Canada Far and Wide” in Canada, naturally, and “Beauty and the Beast Singalong” in France. (The long-running “Impressions de France” will still be shown too.) This date coincides with the beginning of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts.
Eaters will have new options at Epcot “this winter,” Space 220 will be a table-service restaurant adjacent to the Mission: Space attraction, and Regal Eagle Smokehouse will be the fast-casual replacement for Liberty Inn. The latter will feature barbecue with flavors from different regions of the U.S. Meanwhile, Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant is planned for Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios.
At some point in 2020, “HarmonioUS” will take over as the nighttime spectacular at Epcot, replacing “Epcot Forever,”
Universal Orlando Resort
In springtime, Universal Studios will open the Bourne Stuntacular, a live-action show in the building that was home to Terminator 2: 3-D (which closed in October 2017). The new stunt show is based on the Jason Bourne character, and, according to Universal’s blog, “will blur the lines between stage and cinema in a hybrid form of entertainment that has never been seen before.”
Sea World Orlando
Another coaster is rolling into town. SeaWorld Orlando plans to open Ice Breaker in the spring. “The steepest beyond vertical drop is just the beginning,” the park crows online. It will have four launches (backward and forward), and it’s being built near the Wild Arctic attraction and Bayside Stadium. Meanwhile, Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, is adding a dueling slide called Riptide Race.