6 delightful reasons to visit a theme park this summer
You might be surprised by #3 🎢
OK, so I know I said I’d talk about touring plans this week, but I’m taking a detour. Thanks for reading!
Remember when you were little, when summer meant endless possibilities?
Theme parks give us all the chance to be that kid again. You can walk into the world of your favorite movie; explore sounds, scents, and tastes from exotic lands; and conquer the most fearsome challenges - all in the same day.
This summer is an excellent time to plan your theme park escape. Here are six reasons why.
Disneyland has a brand-new ToonTown
It’s not just for kids! Mickey’s ToonTown has been reimagined and expanded.
The top addition here is the new west coast version of Disney World’s super-popular Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride.
Besides the new headliner attraction, there’s a new emphasis on green space and free play. Water features have been intentionally designed to be splashed in, turf and trees have been added, and you won’t have to search for shade. This land even includes a quiet area meant to diminish sensory overload. Now that’s a novel theme park concept!
Universal Hollywood has a brand-new Nintendo Land
Speaking of sensory overload, you can now literally step into the world of Mario and friends at Universal Studios Hollywood. The new Super Nintendo World opened just a few months ago, and it’s a big hit.
The big attraction here is the Mario Kart ride, which puts you straight into the game. Actually the entire land is game-ified (is that a word?), if you buy a $40 power-up band. Interactive challenges all over the land give players the chance to collect digital coins and stamps.
Since this is the only Super Nintendo World in the US, be ready for crowds this summer. Consider upgrading your ticket to Express Pass, or purchase early entry - yep, that’s a thing at Universal Hollywood.
Want to know more about what’s new in the parks? Check out this post:
Crowds are down at Disney World and Universal Orlando
Even with the addition of some incredible new attractions, crowd levels are down at both Disney World and Universal Orlando this year.
After a couple of crazy post-pandemic rebound summers, 2023 is starting to look like it’ll be much more manageable in the world’s most popular theme parks. Especially if you travel towards the end of summer, this could be a great time to experience Orlando without big crowds.
Disney World and Universal Orlando are offering major discounts
Lower crowds means bigger discounts. There are some great deals going on right now at both Disney World and Universal Orlando.
Universal Orlando’s big offer is on park tickets. If you buy a 2-day, 2-park ticket, they are throwing in another 3 days for free. Hotels are discounted too, so you can really stretch this deal to cover your entire vacation.
Disney is also offering hotel discounts, as well as a rarely-seen (at least since 2020) park ticket deal. This summer you can buy a 4-day, 4-park ticket for $99 per day. It’s not a park-hopper ticket BUT the real kicker is that you don’t need to make park reservations. Just show up at one park per day in whatever order you wish.
Why is this a big deal? Did you read my missive about park reservations?
A big Universal Orlando surge is coming
2025 might seem like a long way off, but news-flash: it’s the year after next. Why am I telling you this? Fair warning - Universal Orlando is undergoing a HUGE expansion, and all the new stuff opens in 2025.
What’s around the corner? Only an entire brand-new theme park, with lands including the Wizarding World’s Ministry of Magic, an east-coast Super Nintendo World, a classic movie monster land, and more. New hotels and an expansion of Universal CityWalk are on the horizon too.
When this new park opens, Universal Orlando is going to be a very hot destination. Yes, you should totally plan to go see it - maybe in 2026. But do not delay your Universal Orlando vacation until 2025, unless you want to be in the opening year mob. Go now and see all the cool stuff that’s already there - there is so much! - while crowd levels and hotel prices are tolerable.
Get out of that rut
And of course, the Number One reason to get yourself to a theme park this summer is to get out of your comfort zone. Go try something new, get silly, scream a little, laugh a lot. That’s what summer’s supposed to be all about, right?
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BTW, I will discuss how to make a touring plan next time. Really.
Questions & comments
Are you going to a theme park this summer? What are you most excited about?
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