Disney World Makes the Price Increase Worth It

Pic: The new Rivers of LIght show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Via: Disney

Sure, Walt Disney World this week raised its one-day ticket prices for peak period. But it promises the hike is worth every penny this summer, as it rolls out a slew of upgrades, enhancements, new attractions, and familiar characters that offer something extra for every member of the family.

Under the umbrella of “Awaken Summer,” Disney World will add “Frozen” and “Star Wars” rides, lights, and special effects in each of the Florida parks.

But perhaps the most interesting new experiences are planned for after dark in the Animal Kingdom, possibly in a play to convince more of its guests to try a new area at a new time. Kilimanjaro Safaris will extend its hours past sunset, letting guests experience nocturnal animals; a “Rivers of Light” show will premiere in a new Discovery River waterside theater; the Tree of Life will bring music and dance and storytelling in the fading light.

“As you move from day to night everything changes,” Joe Rohde, senior vice president and portfolio creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, who created much of the vision for Animal Kingdom, told TMR. “Because of the presence of the animals, Animal Kingdom doesn’t have the same sweetness as the rest of the parks; it’s about really realistic roughness and grit. Even though you are there for a fantasy adventure, the fantasy is that you are really in Africa.”

The nighttime show will play with “rivers of light” and build on the idea of lanterns that light up the night, Rohde told the crowd at a media reception in New York yesterday. “It’s a huge technical job, a whole new method of managing the herds, with this long, lingering sunset over the savannah—it’s an emotional experience, being out in this huge, huge open space. I hope guests take away the beauty of nature, the essence of life, the idea that every moment is a gift.”

Also playing out in the evenings will be a new Star Wars-themed fireworks show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which will add projections onto the surrounding buildings like the park’s Chinese Theater for a more immersive effect.

Among other highlights, Epcot’s Norway will reopen as the home of all things Frozen, with boat rides to Arendelle with Anna and Elsa; the new Soarin’ ride will expand its vistas from California to a trip around the world; Disney Springs Town Center will add 28 new retailers; Blizzard Beach will offer up Frozen Summer Games for the family, and Hollywood Studios will offer a singalong, both with Anna and Elsa in attendance; a new musical show “about the power of friendship” will play in the expanded central plaza in front of the castle in the Magic Kingdom.