19 Reasons to Visit a Disney destination in 2019

In July of 2019, the reimagining of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort will end with the opening of the Gran Destino Tower. The tower will serve as the main entrance for the resort and will add 545 new guest rooms and a new rooftop table service dining option called Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood. The existing 1,800+ rooms at the resort are already fully updated and are getting rave reviews from our guests! Also projected to open in Fall of 2019 is Disney’s Riviera Resort, inspired by the European grandeur Walt Disney experienced in his travels along the Mediterranean coastline.

There’s a new Character Dining option at the Walt Disney World® Resort, and it may just be the “fairest one of all!” Storybook Dining at Artist Point is now open at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge each night for dinner. Characters encounters during the experience include Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, and The Queen. Current pricing is $55 for adults and $33 for children ages 3-9 (plus tax and gratuity). The restaurant features a prix fixe menu from which each guest will receive one of each appetizer, their choice of entrée, and one of each dessert as well as their choice of non-alcoholic fountain beverage. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty beverages are available but not included. This is bound to be a hit!

Set to open in Fall of 2019, the Disney Skyliner will take guests up, up and away as they travel throughout the resort! The state-of-the-art gondola system will connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios® and Epcot® to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort which is still in construction.

Disney destinations around the World will shine the spotlight on Mickey & Minnie’s 90th with special celebrations unique to each location. At the Walt Disney World® Resort, Magic Kingdom® Park will host Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration from Jan. 18 to Sept. 30, 2019. You’ll find new food, merchandise and entertainment, including a new dance party with Mickey, Minnie and their friends, and a chance to meet Mickey and Minnie together in their new birthday outfits! At the Disneyland® Resort, Get Your Ears On – A Mickey and Minnie Celebration will bring new entertainment, food and merchandise to the resort. Starting Jan. 18, “Mickey’s Mix Magic” will light up the night at Disneyland® Park with all-new music, projections and lasers that set the scene for an epic dance party that takes over almost the entire park. Then on Jan. 25, fan-favorite Mickey’s Soundsational Parade returns to Disneyland® Park featuring an all-new float with Mickey himself! And on the high seas, Disney Cruise Line will launch Mickey & Minnie Surprise Party at Sea, an all-new high-energy deck party on the Disney Fantasy during Summer 2019 sailings.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios® on May 1st, an all-new cinematic nighttime experience called “Wonderful World of Animation” is scheduled to debut. With the help of state-of-the-art projection technology, the show is said to take guests on a magical journey through more than 90 years of Disney animation, all beginning with Mickey!

Pixar pals are doing their part to ensure the 30th Anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios® will be blockbuster! Beginning Jan. 18, Pixar Place will transform into a Municiberg city block from Pixar’s Incredibles films giving guests a chance to meet Edna Mode and celebrate the heroic deeds of Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone during a party featuring lively music, dancing, interactive games and lots more Super fun. Also starting Jan. 18, Mike and Sulley from Pixar’s Monsters, Inc return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios® inside Walt Disney Presents. And in spring 2019, a new show experience called Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will speed into the park. This untold story of Lightning McQueen … as told by Lightning McQueen will welcome guests to the world of Pixar’s Cars films and lets them learn from his years of experience on the track.

Set to open in fall 2019 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is an all-new attraction using breakthrough technology to transform a two-dimensional cartoon into an amazing real-world experience. This will be the first-ever ride-through attraction themed to Mickey Mouse!

Each day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park from Jan. 18 to Sep. 30, join the fun at the “Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party.” Timon and Rafiki will engage everyone in entertaining dances and games inspired by “The Lion King,” as wildly talented musicians provide the perfect soundtrack in a World Beat style.

Festive fun returns to Epcot® throughout 2019, beginning with the Epcot® International Festival of the Arts, Jan. 18-Feb. 25, followed by the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival, returning Mar. 6-Jun. 3. New this year, both the Disney on Broadway Concert Series and the Garden Rocks Concert Series will expand to seven days a week during the festivals! Stay tuned for details on the 2019 Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival and the 2019 Epcot® International Festival of the Holidays.

After nearly 20 years of delighting Epcot® guests, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth will be ending in the second half of 2019 to make way for an all-new nighttime spectacular. Because that new show isn’t planned to debut until 2020, there will be a limited-time experience called Epcot® Forever that will start in fall 2019. Set to classic Epcot® tunes, the show begins with a spark of imagination that quickly grows into an epic spectacle of fireworks, music, lighting, lasers, and choreographed, special effects kites.

The offerings at Disney Springs™ in the Walt Disney World® Resort are constantly changing to ensure it remains a one-of-a-kind retail, dining and entertainment district. In summer of 2019, City Works Eatery & Pour House will open offering a massive, constantly rotating draft selection of local, regional, and global craft brews complemented by classic American cuisine with chef-driven twists. Also slated to open in summer 2019, NBA Experience will bring NBA moments to life through thrilling basketball activities and interactive exhibitions.

The Walt Disney World® Resort will continue to host action-packed weekends of runDisney races in 2019. Race weekends include Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend (Jan. 9 – 13), Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend (Feb. 21 – 24), Star Wars™ Rival Run Weekend (Apr. 4 – 7) and Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend (Oct. 31 – Nov. 3).

In 2019, Adventures by Disney® will expand their line-up of Short Escape vacations (two- to four-night adventures) by adding itineraries for Boston, London and Vancouver, Canada. Also in 2019, a new 11-day itinerary in Japan will be added called Journey to The Land of the Rising Sun. These new options join an existing portfolio of more than 50 award-winning, world-class family vacations across six continents!

The Disney California Adventure® Food & Wine Festival will return to the Disneyland® Resort from Mar. 1 through Apr. 23, 2019. This eight-week celebration of California-inspired cuisines is sure to delight seasoned foodies and culinary newbies alike . More than a dozen delicious Festival Marketplaces will feature small plates, specialty wines and craft beers.

Since its opening in June, guests have fallen in love with Pixar Pier inside Disney California Adventure® Park. In 2019, additional stories and characters of Disney•Pixar films will come to life when Pixar Pier welcomes two additional attractions to complete the land: Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind and Jessie’s Critter Carousel!

The Downtown Disney® District is in the middle of an exciting, promenade-wide transformation. In 2018, Splitsville Luxury Lanes, the Disney Home store, The Disney Dress Shop and Salt & Straw scoop shop were added along with a reimagined design for the World of Disney store. In 2019, Ballast Point brewery and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes will be added to Downtown Disney® District’s already impressive list of offerings.

We all have those Disney Park attractions that we hold near and dear to our heart. In 2019, several beloved Disneyland® Park attractions will celebrate milestone anniversaries! Why not plan on being there in person to celebrate?

• Submarine Voyage (now known as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage) 60th anniversary – June 6
• Matterhorn Bobsleds 60th anniversary – June 14
• Disneyland Monorail 60th anniversary – June 14
• Splash Mountain 30th anniversary – July 17
• Haunted Mansion 50th anniversary – Aug. 9
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 40th anniversary – Sept. 2

Disney Cruise Line will call on seven new ports in Europe for the first time in 2019, including Gothenburg and Nynashamn (Stockholm), Sweden; Toulon (Provence) and Brest, France; Cartagena, Spain; Fredericia, Denmark; and Belfast, Northern Ireland. Also, they will offer several itineraries with 2 stops at their private island, Disney Castaway Cay! And fans can rejoice in the news that the always-popular Star Wars™ Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea will return to select sailings in 2019 as well.