All Things Travel Podcast
Listen in each week with Creating Magic Vacations Travel Advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie.
He is your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. She is a Disney-loving, Maryland mom of 3 and a specialist in family travel.
Whether they're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories…it’s always All Things Travel.
All Things Travel Podcast
What’s New in 2025: Disney, Universal, and Epic Universe Updates
2025 is here, and it’s shaping up to be an exciting year for theme park lovers! 🎢✨ In this episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie explore the newest attractions, shows, and updates coming to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Universal’s Epic Universe. If you’re planning a trip to Orlando or the West Coast, this episode is your ultimate guide to what’s new!
Key Topics Covered:
🎡 Walt Disney World Updates:
- The new Disney Villains Show at Hollywood Studios
- Nighttime parade: Starlight Dream the Night Away at Magic Kingdom
- A Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge in Adventureland
- Updates to Test Track and the Spaceship Earth Lounge at EPCOT
🏰 Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary:
- Celebrate with the Paint the Night Parade
- Updated World of Color Happiness featuring Pixar
- Special ticketed events like Sweetheart’s Night, Pride Night, and the Oogie Boogie Bash
🚢 Disney Cruise Line:
- The Disney Destiny debuts with a heroes and villains theme
- The Disney Adventure, sailing from Singapore with unique layouts and itineraries
🌌 Universal’s Epic Universe:
- Explore five new lands, including the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, and How to Train Your Dragon
- Dark Universe: Classic monsters come to life in an eerie new land
- Celestial Park’s cosmic coasters and themed dining experiences
📅 Plan Your Visit:
Find out when these attractions open, how to navigate the parks, and tips to make your 2025 theme park vacation unforgettable.
Call to Action:
Planning a trip to Disney or Universal in 2025? Let Ryan and Julie help you craft the perfect itinerary! Contact us today at AllThingsTravelPodcast.com to start planning.
Here are links for more information from today's show:
https://disneyparksblog.com/wdw/new-details-about-whats-coming-to-walt-disney-world-in-2025/
https://disneyparksblog.com/dlr/disneyland-resort-2025-event-dates-and-details/
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/epic-universe
#Disney2025 #UniversalOrlando #EpicUniverse #TravelPodcast #ThemeParkNews #AllThingsTravelPodcast
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Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. 2025 is here and we are looking forward to what's coming to the theme parks this year. We know Disney and Universal are always plussing up their parks and 2025 has us really excited. Today we're going to share what has been announced for 2025 and get you excited to plan your next trip to Orlando. Listen in with Travel Advisors and Destination Experts Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and I am a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Julie, how are you doing? We recorded last week's episode having to do with travel resolutions before Christmas. So we haven't seen each other for like two weeks.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:has been a while. I have been on a cruise since then
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yes, so instead of just saying I was on a cruise, tell everybody where you were on Christmas Day.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:I was on Castaway Cay on Christmas Day.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:You were on Castaway Cay, on the beach, eating lunch at Cookies, or maybe Cookies 2, just having a wonderful day on the cruise. That's awesome.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:We did have a great day on the beach. So, Ryan, give us a little bit of a recap. We're going to talk about 2025 today, but let's just take a moment, look back at 2024, and give us a quick highlight of what we saw come to Disney World in 2024.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Sure, so a lot of things. Tiana's Bayou Adventure, opened in Magic Kingdom. The Island Tower at Disney's Polynesian Resort, which I know you're really excited about, Julie, opened just recently and it's getting some really rave reviews. Communicore Hall opened at EBCOT, so that's gonna be, support for all the festivals and things like that. over at Disneyland, Paradise Pier re themed to Pixar Pier, and my guests who have been there love the theming of that resort. Also at Disneyland, you had Run Disney returning, which I know you're a big Run Disney fan, Julie, There were big changes to the lightning lane system and overall it seems to be going pretty well. So 2024 Definitely big things with Disney.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:conveniently we talked about all of those things about this time last year, perfect timing for this next episode that's going to go all about what's happening in 2025.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:before we talk about 2025 I'm going to remind folks if you did not listen to last week's episode. We talked all about 2025 travel resolutions and I bet there's at least a couple things on that list that are going to make you travel better this next year Also, if you are on Facebook and you want to join our Facebook page, look for our logo, All Things Travel Podcast, and join in the fun. We'd love to have you on our Facebook page.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:we're going to start with Walt Disney World and the Disney destinations, and after that we'll switch over to Cruise Line and Universal.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Sounds great.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Ryan's going to put the link for all this stuff in the show notes because there is a lot coming to Walt Disney World.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Okay, I'll do that.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:let's start over at Hollywood Studios. There's some new shows that we're going to be seeing this year. The first is Disney Villains, Unfairly Ever After. I love the idea of this show that does a backstory for the villains. I think it's going to be really cute. It's taking over where Lightning McQueen Academy currently is on Sunset Boulevard. And I think it's going to be a really great, peek into what could be coming to Villains Land. in Magic Kingdom in a couple years. The other show that is finally reopening in Hollywood studios is The Little Mermaid, A Musical Adventure. And if anyone remembers, the voyage of The Little Mermaid
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:I do.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:for four and a half years.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:So what's funny, Julius, until they announced at D23 that they were redoing this, I didn't know that, The Little Mermaid voyage was closed. I just assumed it opened up after COVID. That's as much as I go to the little kids area in Hollywood studios.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Because it is over an animation courtyard, but here's the thing. When you're walking into Hollywood Studios and you go straight towards the Chinese theater, veer right and then make that left to go back towards Toy Story Land, you see this huge Little Mermaid statue and everyone is like, Oh, what's that? And you're like, Oh, it's been closed for four years. if you went to Disney in the 90s as a kid, you remember the bubble scene and the puppets in the show. So I'm excited for that to come back over in Epcot, we've got two big things happening. We have a new lounge, the Spaceship Earth Lounge, which I think is going to look really cute and it's supposed to have a great viewing area for the nighttime shows, which currently is luminous. the lounge sounds like it's going to be like on the back side of Spaceship Earth. Test Track will be reopening in 2025. Now they've started to release some concept art for this, but I really hope it kind of goes back to what it used to be because it hasn't been as great of an attraction as it used to be. we'll see what happens. Magic Kingdom, this might be the one I am absolutely the most excited for. The new nighttime parade Disney Starlight Dream the Night Away is happening summer 2025 and I just miss the nighttime parades. I feel like they're missing such a chunk of entertainment
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah, I agree. there's just something magical about being at a Disney park at night and this just adds one more reason to be there.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:I have. So many clients who ask me about a nighttime parade, and I'm like, oh, there isn't one. So I'm excited that this is coming back. The other piece is that there is a Pirates of the Caribbean inspired tavern opening in Adventureland in 2025. will this be the first, like, standalone lounge in Magic Kingdom?
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:This will be the first standalone lounge that serves alcohol at Magic Kingdom.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:for the longest time, no Disney park served alcohol. And then Magic Kingdom, it was always, they're never going to serve alcohol. And then it was, they're only serving it in sit down restaurants.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:right And I don't believe those restaurants have standalone lounges like the other parks do. this is awesome. It's going to be a great theming. It's going to be lots of fun. I'm anticipating pirates, singing sea shanties, and having some really cool drinks.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:some yo ho ing going on. just a couple more things coming to Walt Disney World. The first being Zootopia Better Zoo Gather is replacing
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:it?
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:It's Tough to Be a Bug in Animal Kingdom. And I feel like that that's well needed and it ties right into The new land that is coming to Animal Kingdom, the tropical America's land, that will be replacing dino land. it might be right after this episode comes out that it's your last chance to ride Triceratops Spin and see that Chester and Hester area in Dinoland. They Dinosaur is staying open through December. 2025. it's going to be a gradual closure in, Animal Kingdom. And After Hours events are coming back to Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot. That's what's been announced so far. Those are separately ticketed events, but they're really popular. So it's a good thing that they're bringing them back again this year.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah, these are all really exciting. I really like It's Tough to be a Bug. I understand why they're changing it. after being in that show several times, I always kind of like to go and everybody thinks it's a little kid's show, and then about halfway through the kids start crying, and, it's just kind of fun.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Can you tell why the kids are crying?
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:because, you know,
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:don't
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Because it feels like bugs are crawling on the seats, and there's bugs flying around, I I'm excited for this, cause Zootopia's a great movie, and a great, Disney story.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Zootopia 2 will be coming out. I'm sure they're, linking it with that.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:So let's head over to the west coast to Disneyland. It is a big year in 2025 because Disneyland is celebrating its 70th anniversary beginning May 16th. some new things are coming there. There's going to be an update to World of Color. it's a new show called World of Color Happiness featuring Pixar. Paint the Night Parade returns to Disneyland Park. We also have several festivals. Lunar New Year, Celebrate Gospel, California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, Star Wars Season of Hope, Disneyland Halloween Time, A Celebration of Coco, Plaza de la Familia. the holiday event is called The Holidays Begin Here, and that starts on November 14th, and that is also in conjunction with the festival of the holidays. Now, Julie, I know I'm gonna have at least one client that's upset because the reason they like to go to Disneyland is something that is not here this year, and that's Pixar Fest. And I'm gonna try to tell her with the 70th anniversary going on, there is tons of stuff that we don't know yet, and we also know there's gonna be lots of surprises.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:That and that new World of Color show is focusing on Pixar.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:yeah, so
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:will be other tie ins
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:that's the hope. And then Disneyland does a really good job of having some very specific ticketed events. And in this next year we've got Sweetheart's Night, Star Wars Night, Pride Night, and the Oogie Boogie Bash. So there's a lot of reasons to think about going to Disneyland. It's just going to be a really special year there.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:with that 70th anniversary celebration, like you mentioned, they've barely announced
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Correct,
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:So we'll have to keep an eye on that.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:All right, Julie. before we head on to Disney Cruise Line and Universal Orlando, I want to talk about where in the world does all things travel, but I want to do a little bit of a spin on it because this is the first time that we're recording in 2025. I want to give a quick recap of our podcast in 2024. How does that sound?
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:this sounds fun.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:in 2024, we had 25, 000 downloads of All Things Travel. We did 50 episodes, because that's when the stats come out. We have kept a weekly record since beginning the show, which I am super proud of. We have been listened to in 95 countries. The top city for listening is Minneapolis, Minnesota, followed by Chicago, Illinois, followed by New York City, New York, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, and then finally Los Angeles, California. So we are hitting all over the United States.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:That's really fun.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:And I mentioned 95 countries, so the United States is our top one, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. Our top episodes in in 2025 was number one,
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:In 2024.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:In 2024 is a visit to Amsterdam, all about river cruising, which was our live episode after I returned from Amsterdam, your introduction to visiting Dublin, Ireland, which has always been one of our highest rated episodes ever that we've done on this show, Pacific Coast Driving Trip Part one. And a family trip to Japan with Len and Don. So an extra thank you again to Len and Don, our friends from Chicago, for being on the show. those are pretty fun stats to think about the work that we put in and the fun that we have with our listeners with All Things Travel.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:That was a great recap.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:All right, Julie, let's talk about Disney Cruise Line.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Okay, so this one's pretty short because I did not want to give you a thousand details about the new cruise ships. Um, the biggest thing is that the Disney Destiny will set sail in November of 2025. I don't know about you, Ryan, but Obviously, I've been following what's going on with the Disney Destiny we get emails and, they tell us all the things every time, they put a piece of paint on the ship.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Pretty much. yes, we've added room numbers. Let's send an email.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:there was a commercial for the Disney Destiny that was played during the Christmas parade on Christmas morning. I did not watch it on Christmas morning because I was on Castaway Key, but we watched it when we came home. And the commercial that came out during that parade, I pretty much went straight to my computer to look at itineraries of when I could get on this ship.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:looks that good.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:so amazing. It is a heroes and villains theme. so if you've got kids that are at all into Marvel characters or villains, this ship is amazing. Spider Man is on the front of the ship. You walk into the atrium and Black Panther is there. my kids were obsessed immediately. I did not book it yet. But I cannot wait to get on this
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:emphasis on the word yet.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah, I really want it to. I just can't squeeze it in. so that is sailing from US
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:That's exciting.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:we have some ideas on the itineraries and if you're interested in booking on that ship, reach out to us because they are available for booking. The other ship that's launching this year is the Disney Adventure and that ship is unlike any other Disney Cruise Line ship. It's actually sailing from Singapore and it's really doing, short cruises around that area. is an amazing ship. It is not a ship that Disney built or commissioned. They purchased it and redid it. so it is a very different layout. It kind of has that neighborhood feel to it where they've got different neighborhoods and they're all themed. It does sound amazing,
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:it's definitely exciting with both of those ships when we're thinking about Disney Cruise Line. this is the biggie Julie. I think on this show. Disney has a lot of things going but boy down the street There is Epic Universe a brand new theme park area I'm excited about it. My son and I are actually planning on going early summer. So we're actually gonna check this out
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:No way!
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Epic Universe, and again, I will put, a link for this information in the show notes so you can check it out for yourself, but it's going to be comprised of five lands, first being the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic, there's going to be a new ride, Harry Potter and the Battle of the Ministry, that I believe is not going to be open right when Epic Universe opens, but it's certainly going to be, coming soon, but the Harry Potter land will be open. in this land, wonders await inside the tent of Le Cirque Arcanis, which is a callback to one of the, Fantastic Beasts movies, Morwand Magic in Wizarding Paris, so they're going to have kind of a Paris area or theme shop of, for the finest wands at Cosme Ajour Baguettes Magique, if you've seen the movies it's absolutely magical in the way that it looks. And then you're also going to enjoy French inspired cuisine in the Wizarding World at Café L'Air de la Cyrene. it feels like we're going to go to World Showcase and Harry Potter's going to be there. How amazing is that going to be?
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah, like heavy of a Paris theme
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah,
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:with the Fantastic Beasts movies, I still love the callback to the Ministry of Magic and that ride is going to be so cool.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:So the second land, and this is actually the one that my son, who's, 16, is most excited about, the Super Nintendo world. And he said this is his main focus, to ride the Mario Kart. We've got Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge, which is going to be amazing. We've got a Donkey Kong ride. It's mine cart madness with Donkey Kong. We've got Yoshi's adventures. We have meet Mario, Luigi, and more, and see what chef toad is cooking up at the toadstool cafe. So we're going to have Mario inspired, food and treats. This is going to be a fun land. it's going to be bright. It's going to be colorful. it's just going to feel amazing.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:As I got ready to sit down to record this, my kids are actually watching the Super Mario movie downstairs. It's a favorite for them. And of course, I grew up playing it,
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah. Yeah.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:wait for that world.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Very cool.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Okay, so there's also going to be three other lands we're going to touch on. The first is How to Train Your Dragon, the Isle of Berk. This is based on the How to Train Your Dragon movies. There's going to be a couple rides and then some entertainment and some food. So you'll have hiccups wing gliders, which is like a soaring and swooping ride. The Untrainable Dragon is a live show you can go see Dragon Racers Rally is another ride where you'll be doing acrobatic maneuvers, trying to become a champion, dragon racer. There's also going to be Fire Drill, F Y R E, where some characters have created a watery boat battle. So that sounds exciting, but
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:And we know that Universal does water rides.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:it'll be a fun one. You can also do Viking Training Camp, which is for little ones. And it's going to be all sorts of climbing structures, like a very interactive play area. And Mead Hall, where Vikings can feast on hearty menu of meats, fish, and drinks.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:this next one is what I'm looking forward to the most.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:really?
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah, I love Harry Potter, but this dark universe is going to be unlike anything we've seen at either Universal or Disney. you're going to have monsters, unchained the Frankenstein experiment. Dr. Victoria Frankenstein putting you in the midst of an angry revolt of fiendish monsters. You're going to have curse of the werewolf, sending you spinning and speeding through the deep woods that werewolves call home. You're going to have the dark more monster makeup experience skilled artists, turning you into different kinds of monsters. You're going to have meat monsters in the streets of Darkmoor Village, where you're going to meet all of your favorite classic universal monsters. then you're going to have the Das Steakhouse, a mysterious restaurant where you can enjoy a hearty meal while surrounded by vampire artwork and artifacts. And you're also going to be able to have tasty bites at the Burning Blade Tavern, where Darkmoor Village's monster hunters catch and display They're monstrous trophies. How fun
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:really enjoy all the play on words that they do with these descriptions and the names that they've come up with. I don't know that I will set foot in Dark Universe, but
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Yeah, it might not fit your family's demographic right now, but I can tell you for sure that my son and I will be enjoying every minute of it,
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:So the last part of Epic Universe is going to be called Celestial Park. And here again, you'll have a couple rides and some dining. You'll have Stardust Racers, which is a roller coaster race across the cosmos. It's a dual launching roller coaster. You'll have Whirl and Twirl Across the Stars on Constellation Carousel. that sounds great for little ones. An Undersea Adventure in Fine Dining at Atlantic Restaurant. And you can take a culinary trip through Asia at the Blue Dragon Pan Asian restaurant. So there's a lot happening at Epic Universe and it's crazy to think they're just building this entire new theme park.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:we had a brief episode about this many months ago, and I think we came away with, Universal Studios in Orlando can really be its own vacation. You now have three full theme parks and one of the best water parks that I've ever been to. They can all be included in your time there. I think it makes it a destination in and of itself.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:Absolutely. I agree very much with that. I think before Epic opens, a lot of people are trying to do still like that one day over at Universal. And once Epic opens, You can't even do Epic in one day,
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:So Julie, what are you looking forward to most in 2025?
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:So what I'm looking forward to most that I will actually get to experience in 2025 is the new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom. I can't wait for that and I just booked my 2025 trip the other day so we are really excited.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Very nice. no surprise. I'm most excited about Epic Universe. I'm excited to go check it out and see the rest of Universal because I haven't been there for several years and I love that resort So definitely looking forward to that trip in 2025.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:We'll have to do a trip report when you come back all about Epic Universe.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:Will do. Maybe we can even get my surly teenage son to come on and give us his thoughts.
j_1_01-05-2025_193926:that would be amazing.
ryan_1_01-05-2025_193926:You want to plan a trip to an amazing destination but don't know how to get started? As your travel advisors, we work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away so you can focus on the fun and creating memories. Reach out to us at allthingstravelpodcast. com and click on plan a trip. We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel when we discuss mapping out your long term travel plans.
