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Episode 011 - BIG Star Wars changes coming to the parks, Lorcana at Epcot, Bluey update at AK, Frontierland closures, and Pokemon coming to Universal Orlando (maybe?)
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In this episode we discuss the massive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge timeline changes, new characters, classic John Williams music, and even a Cantina refresh shaking up the land. We also cover EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts Lorcana quests, the possible Bluey transformation coming to Animal Kingdom, Haunted Mansion construction tied to Villains Land, and new queue re-entry rules that every park-goer should understand before their next trip.
The aftershow heats up with Universal and SeaWorld news, including Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift officially replacing Rip Ride Rockit, Pokémon attractions officially coming to Universal Japan and what that might mean for Orlando, Fan Fest Nights in Hollywood, and a stacked Seven Seas Food Festival concert lineup.
Add in leadership shakeups at Lucasfilm, retail closures at Disney Springs, and Gideon’s Bakehouse expanding into savory territory, and this episode is packed with industry shifts and fan-favorite surprises from start to finish.
This episode sponsored by Dontresistthetravel.com
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Transcript
00:00:13
Speaker
Hey folks,
Introduction and Weather Challenges
00:00:14
Speaker
welcome to episode number 11 of the Rhubarb Travelers podcast. We are recording this show on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. twenty twenty six I am Blake and with me as always is Damon. How are you doing, my friend?
00:00:30
Speaker
Still a lot of ice out there. I'd say, did you survive the snowmageddon? it It was ice. The thing is, is like, i didn't realize how much I rely on Amazon for stuff.
00:00:44
Speaker
Can't get anything. And we're expecting another one. So folks, we live in North Carolina and ah it's s snow events are becoming more and more rare in North Carolina. And so we just had one this past weekend and gosh, oddly enough, we're expecting another one this coming weekend. Again, there's a big difference though between ice and snow.
00:01:02
Speaker
What we had last time was ice. And like I said, my front walkway is still like three quarters of an inch of ice and doesn't get sun there. And again, it's tough. So yeah, I have a fire cube that I put the remote in with my blanket when I went to wash it.
00:01:20
Speaker
I could save it. I took it apart. I tried my best and yet it was not the B. That's what happens at a $8, know, replacement remote. I'm okay with that. But then I'm like, oh, I need a new one. And they're like, February 4th. I'm like, so I just can't watch TV until February 4th.
00:01:36
Speaker
and little bit of a disaster. I tell you, the the story goes on because then I was like, well, I'll use the app. But because the TV is hardwired to Ethernet, not on either one and wireless extenders, I can't get to it. So I was like, no problem. I'll just connect to the wireless on the router. No, I forget all the passwords. So I go to my machine where I have a list of passwords and it says new router.
00:02:02
Speaker
I click on it, it's empty. So it's just been a disaster. All I want to do is finish watching Star Trek Discovery so that I can catch up to the new Star Trek Academy, which I can't watch because I forgot I never finished Discovery. ah You know, I have not gotten any. I mean, I love Star Trek, but I just. This is good, man.
00:02:22
Speaker
Is it? Yeah. I don't know why I stopped watching it, to be honest with you. I really don't. But I did. So I'm just trying to catch up on that. Man, when I was growing up back in middle school and high school, you remember all the books that used to come out with all the Star Trek stories? So, yeah, I mean, having a review site previously, I'm well aware. And I kept none of them because— I have all them. I have almost a complete set of those, and I just can't bring myself to let them go. hey Yeah. My kids are into it. so Yeah, it's tough. It's tough, so—
00:02:54
Speaker
All right, folks, we're actually going to start this show with a
Correction on Disney's Dining Plan Ages
00:02:58
Speaker
correction. So on our previous show, we talked about... See, hold on a second. I just want to make sure, though, that I'm crystal clear here as Blake makes this apology. This is fully Blake's issue. On the last show, one of us may have mentioned...
00:03:13
Speaker
on the last show one of us may have mentioned The ages for the Disney dining plan meals. um So they have a kids eat free do you deal going on right now. And one of us may have mentioned that the ages for that was 12 and under. Well, eagle eared listener, Mary P wrote in to set us straight. So not us to set you straight. This is like a royal us, man. To set you straight. This is the royal us. So kids eat free. So first off, kids zero to two have always eaten free no matter what. But for the Disney dining plan, kids are considered ages three through nine. And if they are 10 and up, they are considered adults. And in our show, we mentioned again that. We leave. I'm going to say we, man. We before me. it's We said that it was 12 and under, but it is actually nine and under. So thank you, Mary P., for setting us straight. And yes if you if you as a listener hear anything that needs correcting, please do not hesitate to email us. And we will make corrections unlike some other podcasts, so no problem there. We will. um Email us at
00:04:34
Speaker
Oh, gosh, what is our email? I just blanked. Rhubarftravelerspodcast. Rhubarftravelerspodcast.com. So please email us and with any We off to a great start. today everybody we are off to a great All right, let's get in to
Epcot's Lorcanna Card Quest
00:04:52
Speaker
Disney news. So let's go over to Epcot, where they are having the Festival of the Arts. And right now, there are giant Lorcanna cards and a collection quest that is going on there. So if you're not familiar, Lorcanna is a trading card game that has been around for a year or two now at this point and has become very popular. It has been included in the Festival of the Arts. So
00:05:16
Speaker
If you go to Epcot, there will be a quest book that you can pick up on the bridge that is between Future World and World Showcase. And it's similar to the other adventures that you can do around the World Showcase, where you go to each land and you will collect certain stamps. And once you fill up your book, then you are able to get a limited edition Magical Places promo card.
00:05:43
Speaker
soon And then there's also giant life-sized Lorcanic cards located throughout the park. And once you go to each of those and get the stamp from those, you will be able to get a second limited edition Magical Places promo card. Now, I know Jeremy from the group is really... I had asked to be taught how to play, but I guess he's just too busy these days.
00:06:09
Speaker
So if you are into Lorcanna and you are- wish I was, because this is cool. Listen, I like the fact that the cards are around. i I just wish he had taught me to play. Just another, Maybe maybe should that should be like a group outing that we have one day or something like that.
00:06:24
Speaker
Hmm. Yeah, that was a, hmm. Like, yeah, that's not going to happen. I mean, i i i don't know what we can get Blake to do. We'll have to Oh, Blake, yeah. it's Yeah, right. It's me. Okay. Okay.
00:06:37
Speaker
All right, moving on. Let's head over to Animal Kingdom. So, permits have now been filed for the update to Conservation Station.
Theme Park Updates and Speculations
00:06:49
Speaker
So this says, ah you know, it was announced a while back that this was going to be closing down and refurbished. And now Bluey is coming to Conservation Station and official permits have been filed.
00:07:01
Speaker
ah This is for B. Morrow Productions. Now, they're not a usual Disney contractor. However, they've worked on activations, and I'm using my air quotes there, for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort Hotels.
00:07:16
Speaker
So first off, my question to you, Damon, is you're more familiar with the Halloween Horror Nights than I am when it says they've worked on activation. I mean, I've never been. I've just been patiently following until both of my kids are out of school so I can go. So I have no idea.
00:07:31
Speaker
we We need a listener to tell us. Right. Right. i This is going to be interesting. I mean, i like Bluey, and I think it makes sense to bring people to the conservation station.
00:07:47
Speaker
um i think it's going to be pretty packed. Well, that's what... So, the question is, with Bluey being as big as it is, will this shift the center of the park to a new location?
00:08:00
Speaker
As opposed to, right now, it's mostly over at Avatar. This is now going to be at a different part of the park. Will this help spread out the crowds? And I can't help but think it will just because that. Yeah, I mean, the thing is like getting to a conservation station isn't like walking over a bridge, right? So right it's it's, I think for the first little bit, it's going to really push that sort of transportation area.
00:08:27
Speaker
Yeah, you will not be able to spread out on the train to conservation station like you have been in the past. Yeah, that that I would say. I mean, I think it's still a good thing. And I think that, you know, utilizing an area that you already have built, you know, even though there is construction happening is, I think it's ah it's a good idea. Yep.
00:08:47
Speaker
Yep. All right, more construction permits have been filed for, this time, the Haunted Mansion over at Magic Kingdom, and construction scrims have gone up around the Q-Line area. Now, so obviously, a lot of that is to hide all the construction work that is going on for Cars Land and Piston Peak, but this will also be related to the construction going on for the new Villain's Land. So there are only rumors at this point about how Haunted Mansion is going to be related to Villain's Land.
00:09:21
Speaker
But since most of that Villain's Land is going to be between Cars Land and Haunted Mansion, you would have to imagine that a lot of that those permits are going to be involved with the walkways and the connections between Frontierland and Villain's Land.
00:09:39
Speaker
Yeah, I mean... You know, is Haunted Mansion really connected to Villainsland, though? Like, who's the villain in Haunted Mansion? it could It could be the transition, if you think about it.
00:09:53
Speaker
Yeah, i didn't I didn't love the way that that was done with Star Tours, either. I have this bad feeling it's going to be something along those lines. I hope it's not, though. I hope they make a smoother transition between them.
00:10:05
Speaker
Right. Well, now Star Tours is almost, I mean, I think of Star Tours now as the transition between regular Disney Hollywood Studios and Star Wars land.
00:10:16
Speaker
But that's what those tunnels were for. Right. But also, if you think about it, that's the whole story behind the ride of Star Tours, that it's taking you on a trip. Well, think with the fact that they're going with two different timeframes now, I think that also makes a lot more sense.
00:10:36
Speaker
Right. Right. Which we will be talking about here in just a minute. All right. So let's stay over in that area of the Magic Kingdom and multiple Frontierland locations will be closing within Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. Now, before you get all up in arms, really this boils down to some ah of the standalone food carts and kiosks that are in Frontierland. But who doesn't love Big Al's?
00:11:03
Speaker
Just to see it. Yeah, it's nice. But those turkey legs are... Oh, forget about that. I just like to see the cart. Yeah. So what's happening is, you know, there's that boardwalk that goes along the rivers of America, the old rivers of America at this point.
00:11:20
Speaker
Well, that is they are going to be temporarily closing that as part of the construction for Cars Land. And because they are closing that walk path, they now have to create some new temporary walk paths that for that area of the park, especially because of the parades that are coming through and the fireworks that go on during the day.
00:11:40
Speaker
And the only place to put that are where those those food kiosks are. So those kiosks will be going away. We don't know if it's going to be a permanent closure or temporary, but if you want a turkey leg or some popcorn from Frontierland, you should get on over and get it before they temporarily close down.
00:12:02
Speaker
All right. Let's go on to some more refurbishments.
Disney Line Management Innovations
00:12:07
Speaker
So Disneyland and Walt Disney World add line rules for attraction queue re-entry. So this is designed for when certain members of your party need to leave the line. And we've all been in that situation where we've been waiting in line and someone needs to leave for whatever reason and they need to get there. We've never been in that situation. Really?
00:12:29
Speaker
Not even in one of the really long lines? Oh, wow. You're lucky. So essentially, you know, um this is also in relation to the DAS changes, the disability assisted services changes that have recently. I'll say, hold on. that Now I'm thinking yeah maybe maybe we have once or twice when the kids are younger.
00:12:50
Speaker
I'm starting to remember. So, all right. I take that back. So yeah's related it's partially related to the DAS service changes um that were recently implemented. and so But unfortunately, what happened was when Disney changed it, they didn't give out the clearest of rules regarding this. So now for attraction queue reentry, what you will essentially be asked to do is to go speak to the cast member at the front of the line to find out what the rules are. Apparently, the rules are different for each ride, which doesn't seem all that helpful. But Go to the cast member at the front of the line to find out what the rules are and the best place to reenter. And then when your person comes back, they need to go back and talk to that cast member or whatever cast member is there at the time. And that cast member will assist you in getting back in the line. Yeah, I think the rules for each ride just means kind of where you're reentering, to be honest. Exactly. Where are you reentering?
00:13:47
Speaker
And of course, this, if you've been watching the news, there have been some reports recently of, ah what do we call this? um Conflicts occurring when people are trying to get back in the line. I don't understand. Like, forget about everything else. Just straight up line cutters, right?
00:14:04
Speaker
Right. I just never understood the fact that people will say, oh, well, feel feel like, you know, you should feel lucky that you're at Disney. Don't let that bother you. Like, just let them go. And no, that's that's not how this works. If everyone did that, then you'd be waiting in line so much longer. right I just, I can't get with the people that just want to blow it off and just say whatever. And then, you know, I have an extra half an hour in line because of that.
00:14:33
Speaker
No, thank you. And I think we're what What we're talking about here is when you have one or two people holding a spot for 15 others. Or have nobody and just straight up cut.
00:14:44
Speaker
Right, right. Right? Like, and then there's there's issues. Like, I think... Have you ever experienced that? Oh, many times. Really? Like, tons of times.
00:14:55
Speaker
I don't see how Disney doesn't have a better... way to handle that because it is really frustrating. And again, i will not be on board with the people that say do nothing is fine because then if that was the case, we'd all, you know, have extra time in line. And I don't think that's fair either. I just think there should be a better way to handle that in general.
00:15:21
Speaker
Right. I wish that like we had like this mandatory magic band situation, right? like I felt like magic bands were were going down such a great path, and then, you know, boom, we're onto to phones.
00:15:34
Speaker
But if you think about it, if you had magic bands, ahha We could handle so many things differently. There could be like this little click that happens at the beginning of the line, right? So you can't just cut in randomly. You actually have to go, you know, from the from the front of the line, right? Which would help. And there'd be special points that like it said, oh, you know what? You, you know, move really fast through this line. Maybe there's a problem. Like, I just feel like we could have done so much more with MagicBands.
00:16:04
Speaker
In other words, like a check-in point. so like yeah Yeah. You know, like when they used to do that thing um with like your easy pass, like, you know, you've drew like, how could you have gotten from here to here without speeding? Like, even though you didn't do anything, I feel like it would be like the same sort of thing. Like, there's no way you kind of could have gotten from here to here unless you cut in line. So ye I don't know.
00:16:27
Speaker
So, yeah. So if you are headed to... I'm rule follower. I'm a big rule follower. If you are headed to the parks and you need to leave the line, just make sure you are checking with your cast members. Yeah. And this has nothing to do for me with Daz or anything like that. This is just straight up line cutters that I have an issue with.
00:16:45
Speaker
All right. The next part of this show is going to be called the Star Wars segment of the show because there is a lot of Star Wars going on at the parks right now. So first off...
Galaxy's Edge Timeline Expansion
00:16:55
Speaker
who Star Wars Galaxy's Edge is receiving some major updates regarding the story timelines relating to the lands. so right now, it is all related to the sequel trilogies the you know with Rey and Poe and BB-8 and that era of the story. Well, now Disney is going to roll back that timeline
00:17:21
Speaker
to include characters and storylines from The Empire Strikes Back, from Return of the Jedi, from The Mandalorian, from Ahsoka. They are going to be expanding the timelines quite a bit.
00:17:35
Speaker
Now, what's going to happen is they are going to be segmenting out these different timelines into certain areas of the land. So for example, Darth Vader is going to be roaming around with stormtroopers looking for Luke in one area.
00:17:50
Speaker
Leia will be in her combat costume. So think you know Empire Strikes Back on Hoth in her costume there and Endor there. They're going to be ah near the Millennium Falcon. Also, Han Solo is going to be near the Millennium Falcon and also kind of looking around Oga's Cantina.
00:18:10
Speaker
ah Mandalorian, Grogu, and Ahsoka are going to be in the Marketplace area. And then Rey and all of her group will be near the Resistance camp and, of course, Rise of the Resistance ride. So,
00:18:24
Speaker
They are expanding the timelines here. Damon, what are you thinking? Yeah, I mean, I think that's great. I think it should have been done a long time ago. um I'm super happy with this. Yes. In addition, I think in bigger news, more John Williams music from the trilogies will now be added to the background music. so That's a bonus. That is a very big bonus. Previously, you know, it was all just ambient, environmental sounds, but now they're going to be adding in the actual music from John Williams' scores.
00:18:55
Speaker
And then in addition to that, the stores in the area are going to be updated to include Rebel merchandise, to include Imperial merchandise, along with the First Order only merchandise that used to be there. So who Galaxy's Edge is going to be getting a major update here. And it's going to start with Disneyland, right? And then we'll move into Disney World.
00:19:20
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, this is just straight up good news. I mean, I i think it's smart. Yes. Along those lines, Oga's Cantina is going to be closing for a short refurbishment. Again, that's going to start in Disneyland, but we can assume it will come to Disney World eventually. But the one at Disneyland has already shut down. It shut down on January 20th, and it will be closed until early March of this year. And so with such a short refurishment refurbishment,
00:19:51
Speaker
ah This is not going to be anything major, just probably. The most major thing is the Cantina band song. Right. That's major. Yes. So John Williams, going back to John Williams, the master, his Cantina band song will be added to the rotation of the soundtrack for the lounge. So now you will be able to go in and hear that, which is, like let's be honest, we all wanted to hear that.
00:20:13
Speaker
Absolutely. To Oga's Cantina. I mean, if they added the the band itself, I mean, oof. Oh, yeah. Like, oh gosh, they could carve out a little place for that. Yeah, would something. People would stand in line just to have a picture for that, think.
00:20:28
Speaker
all right, last little bit of Star Wars news. And this is kind of big. Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as chief at Lucasfilm. She has been there quite a long time.
00:20:40
Speaker
not She's been the leader for 10 years, but she has been with Lucasfilm since the original Star Wars, A New Hope, way back in the seventy s So...
00:20:51
Speaker
She is stepping down after a very long tenure. Replacing her will be Dave Filoni and Linwen Brennan. Now, you should recognize Dave Filoni's name. He, of course, was in charge of the excellent co Clone Wars series animation. And then i'll also the Mandalorian TV show, the Ahsoka TV show. He is, I think, the the fan favorite to to take over Star Wars. Linwin Brennan is the current president and GM of Lucasfilm.
00:21:24
Speaker
So I'm assuming this is going to be almost like a ah Michael Eisner and the other gentleman's name who's escaping me right now. i don't know. None of this stuff interests me. Like, I don't care who it is. so You know, you can have a good show, a bad show.
00:21:40
Speaker
You know, it could come from anybody. Right. But I will say that Dave Filoni is kind of known... Filoni, did i say that right? Yes. Dave Filoni is known as, i don't want to say a purist, but he is really into the lore of Star Wars and he's into keeping the canon straight and fleshing out all
Leadership Changes at Lucasfilm
00:22:02
Speaker
those characters. I think you're going to see...
00:22:05
Speaker
I think you're going to see a little bit of a resurgence in storytelling from Star Wars, especially with this new ah its Starfighter, a Rebel Starfighter show that's going to be coming out soon. Give me a good show and then I'll be interested. that That's like I said, for me, yeah, give me a good show.
00:22:25
Speaker
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00:22:43
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:23:54
Speaker
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00:24:01
Speaker
And we're back with more news. Let's head on over to Disney Springs. A couple of shows ago, we talked about that a storefront near Gideon's Bakehouse closed down, and there was rumors that Gideon's would be expanding into
New Dining Experience in Disney Springs
00:24:19
Speaker
that spot. Well, now it is official. So,
00:24:23
Speaker
There is going to be a new restaurant coming called The Six Ravens. It is going to be, it's owned by the same gentleman that owns Gideon's Bakehouse. But instead of being sweets and cookies, it is now going to be a fast, casual location for savory recipes instead of sweets.
00:24:43
Speaker
This is, think of your traditional hand pies that have fillings in them. So we're going to have that type of food with potatoes and local draft beer. I think what they're trying to do is round out the menus where instead of only having something sweet, you will now be able to enjoy something from a Gideon's restaurant for more hearty food, shall we say? Yeah, I mean, I don't know about that, but I mean, I think it makes sense to have...
00:25:11
Speaker
savory food as well from a place that everyone seems to really want to go to, right? Like anything that you can do to get more people is ah is a benefit for sure.
00:25:22
Speaker
Right. And as a side benefit of that, we are hoping that it will cut down the line at the original Gideons. And now we'll be able to split those people out a little bit. I don't know if that will be the case. I mean, people that want cookies want cookies. Yeah.
00:25:37
Speaker
But, yeah, I mean, it's a good thing regardless. Right, right. All right. Also at Disney Springs. So Disney Springs has been honestly losing multiple retailers recently. And it's not anything to do with Disney. and This is more along the lines of there's a national retail shutdown going on across many sectors.
00:25:58
Speaker
ah So for instance, Francesca's, which was a boutique novelty store, there was a nationwide shutdown for that, and they are just liquidating everything. Sanuk, which is a popular footwear, that closed down without notice. the Here's an interesting one, Sosa Family Cigars. Now, I'm not too big and so into cigars, but this was one of the longest-running independent businesses at Disney Springs, and this was dating back all the way to the Pleasure Island days. So They have been there quite a while. They are shutting down as well, along with Sprinkles Cupcakes, which was a nationwide pandemic.
00:26:36
Speaker
I don't think anyone's surprised at that one, though. Yeah. Yeah. So this is all just to show that, you know, Disney is not completely immune to outside economic forces when it comes to. yeah i just it it does, though, that the the problem that we have here is like Disney Springs is not a mall. At the end of the day, it's still an experience right from Disney.
00:27:02
Speaker
you know, having stores shut down, i mean, they better replace them quick because the worst thing for Disney Springs would be is to have, you know, empty and open. store Yeah. Like, I think that's a big thing. Like, you have to have stores there. Again, it's not a mall. This is part of the Disney experience in the Disney bubble. It's the start of the Disney bubble. exactly So hopefully they can get some things in there.
00:27:27
Speaker
Because what you don't want it to turn into is just another outlet store outlet store mall. Exactly. Exactly. Where you have rotating rotating a companies that come in and out all the time. Mm-hmm.
00:27:40
Speaker
All right last little bit of Disney news here. Disney is expected to name a Bob Iger successor coming up here within the month. So this is being reported by the LA Times that in February, Disney is expected to name the successors. So the front runners right now are Josh DeMauro, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, and Jimmy Pataro. And I would think that the Right now, my money is on DeMauro.
00:28:10
Speaker
Damon, what's your feeling? Again, this is stuff I don't care about. like It doesn't matter to me at all in the least bit. Really? Nope. so See, I would think, to me, DeMauro is the clear clear candidate because he has his thumb on the pulse of the parks. And let's be honest, the parks is where it's at for Disney right now. Oh yeah. I mean, entertainment wise, yeah. I mean, the parks are what brought us everything, right? At the end of the day.
00:28:44
Speaker
Right. And continue to kind of push that forward. Yeah. I mean, i again, i don't really care though. Okay. And to me, it doesn't really matter. all right, then then we're going to have one little bit of Disney Cruise Line news.
Innovation on Disney Cruise Lines
00:28:58
Speaker
So there are now free-roaming droids making their debut on Disney Cruise Lines. And there are videos out there, if you go look on Facebook, showing that these little small droids. And when I say small, they're about the size of a three- or four-year-old, right?
00:29:17
Speaker
They are roaming around the hyperspace lounge on one of the Disney cruise boats. And I can't remember which one has the hyperspace lounge. It's also at the cargo bay, which is the kids club. So, and these are only in the Disney cruise lines and they're only in the hyperspace lounge and cargo bay to keep the storyline consistent. So if you haven't seen it, go look it up. It is really neat. Yeah, they're pretty cool. And I think...
00:29:44
Speaker
Based on this, right, you're on a cruise, can't really pick one up and run away where you're going, right? Like, right there's a lot more, you know, you know who the people are because it's a lot easier, there's less people than at a park.
00:29:56
Speaker
I think it makes a lot of sense to kind of start here yeah and see what we have after that. I mean, i think it's exciting. now It's a pilot run. Yeah, exactly. and And the videos show that, you know, there's always the that cast member tender, right? That always walks alongside any any type of thing like that. But they are allowing people to pet.
00:30:18
Speaker
There was clear video of people petting these droids on the head and actually being able to lightly touch them, you know, yeah along, the line you know, what Damon was saying, you're not going to be able to.
00:30:28
Speaker
you know, push it around or pick it up or anything, but you are going to be able to touch the person. Yeah. And I think, like I said, being on a ship, you, you have like this responsibility because you know that you can't really go anywhere. And I think that's good. Yeah.
00:30:43
Speaker
All right, folks, that is it for Disney news, which means it is time for the aftershock.
00:30:58
Speaker
All right, here is the after show. Let's go over to SeaWorld. actually don't think... Have we done a SeaWorld? I don't know if we've done a SeaWorld. I keep on seeing the SeaWorld in, where is that, Abu Dhabi?
00:31:10
Speaker
Yes. um And it lives looks so cool. right It really does. So I would say, though, that, you know, so we have our 2026 Seven Seas Food Festival concert and lineup has been announced. It runs January through May. And here's the thing. Like, this is probably one of the best lineups I've seen. SeaWorld has...
00:31:32
Speaker
done like something where like hey we have flow rider but also jefferson starship but gosh we also have a smash mouth and the beach like we have the beach boy soldier boy and boys and men i think you've hit on a lot of different generations and a lot of different musical tastes i i think overall like i like it i like it a lot and And the groups that Damon just named are literally just a fraction of the number of groups that are coming. I'm looking over the entire list right now, and there's at least 25 names on here. So you are going to get a huge variety of musical acts coming through.
00:32:12
Speaker
and I think that's what I like about this more than anything is, i mean, you Bow Wow. Right.
00:32:21
Speaker
Yeah, like the Yin Yang twins. Wait, is that Paul Wall? Yes. Oh, my goodness. Tiffany is coming back. Paul Wall with my grills. Like, again, I like the fact that this is what did somebody say. It's a better lineup than ah Rolling Loud. Yeah, like this is just a great lineup. I don't think anyone's ever had such a lineup for a food festival in Orlando. Oh, and Warrant. I just saw that name. Warrant. Man, we're getting some metal in there. oh's That's what I'm saying. I like that it's you know this whole eclectic
00:32:56
Speaker
bunch of people right like you will definitely find something that that you like that's for sure yeah so if you are interested it is running again ah january through may of this year down at sea world in orlando so man i gosh and it's part of their their seven seeds food festival is the actual festival but it's the concert lineups for that so if you're interested look it up on sea world yep All right, let's head on over to Universal.
00:33:29
Speaker
Specifically, let's go to Universal Hollywood. so These FanFest nights in Hollywood always make me very upset. You know, we had the the Dungeons and Dragons one, which looked awesome. Like, they just had so many good ones over there.
00:33:45
Speaker
So they are having a FanFest nights... Over in Hollywood, these are only 12 select nights. So it's not every night, but it's happening between April 23 and May 16.
00:33:58
Speaker
These are after hours and they're a hard ticketed event. So think of this like ah Mickey's Very Merry Halloween Party where you have to have a separate ticket. So you will have to have a separate ticket for this. It will start at 7.30 p.m. on those select nights. And there will be different experiences throughout the parks for this event. So for instance, you will have Scooby-Doo versus the Universal Monsters. where yeah I mean, you could probably just end right there. Is there anything better than that?
00:34:29
Speaker
So you're going to be helping Scooby and the gang solve a case that involves the Universal monsters when the Universal Studios back lot is taken over by them. So, gosh, that just seems so neat to be able to help. It does. As part of that. If you are big into anime, there is going to be a One Piece This is so hard because want to love One Piece and I just don't.
00:34:53
Speaker
Right. It's hard, but this is this is another good one here. Right. It's going to be a water stunt show to keep in line with the the pirate theming of that if of that anime. If you are big into Harry Potter, they are going to have a hippogriff search in the Forbidden Forest over at Harry Potter Land.
00:35:12
Speaker
where you will be encountering challenges and having to do spellcasting to go find the missing hippogriff. There is going to be a Dungeons and Dragons section and attraction. They are just getting all the good stuff over there in Hollywood. so and And also, there's going to be select rides available during the Vila. who even cares what rides are available? Yeah, exactly.
00:35:32
Speaker
I was going to say, if you go to these things to do the rides, you're going for the wrong reason, folks. You got to go do all the events and all of the attractions that are a part of this. so Ticket prices for the for this event are going to range from, I got to be honest. Yeah, don't think that's bad, right? Yeah, that's pretty good. A very reasonable $74 for the cheapest and only $84 for the most expensive. I mean, you still have the option to do Express and Express Unlimited as an add-on, which I think I would do.
00:36:05
Speaker
I would do that if that helped you out with all of the extra event things. Oh, yeah, I think it does. It would just be like one of the express passes you'd have at Horror Nights, right, which gets you into the front of the line.
00:36:16
Speaker
Yeah, like this is depressing. I wish they would do something similar in Orlando, to be honest with you. but I think it's just a matter of time, though. I don't know. are they do What do they do in Orlando during the same time period from April 23rd to May? Oh, gosh, I have no idea. but Not this, though. Because Mardi Gras, yeah, Mardi Gras is done by that point, right?
00:36:38
Speaker
Yeah, I'm not sure. you know, again, like I'm just not as dialed into their extra stuff there at Universal yet. All right, let's stay.
00:36:49
Speaker
No, like we're actually going to go to Universal Orlando now.
Universal Orlando's New Ride Announcement
00:36:52
Speaker
And so the officially announced Fast and Furious Hollywood Dripped is coming to replace the Rip Ride rocket that has recently been torn down. It will open in 2027. And as part of this ride, the vehicle's the the ride mechanism, they're going to be drifting 360 degrees and there's going to be a massive vertical spike.
00:37:19
Speaker
vertical spike as part of the ride. So in conjunction with this, the current fast and furious attraction at universal Orlando, which is called fast and furious supercharged. If it's even an attraction.
00:37:33
Speaker
Right. We'll be closing in 2027. And I have to be honest, I've been to universal Orlando three times and I've never gone into that. What it is it a show or is it a ride? i don't even It's a ride. And it's kind of like, um, what's the other one that's there where you go onto the talk show Or Kong. It's a bunch of screens is what it is. Even though you're on this bus, it's it's so bad that it's not even worth it. Now, if they flipped it over to a Back to the Future ride, right? We we need a Back to the Future ride. Like, please put one somewhere. Here is perfect.
00:38:09
Speaker
Yeah. So it will be opening in 2027. No specific dates yet, but just be on the lookout for that. Also, and this is huge, by the way, this is now this is rumors at this point, folks. Nothing has been confirmed.
00:38:26
Speaker
So universal destinations and experiences, which they should be the controlling group of the the the parks. And the Pokemon Company are expanding their current relationship, and they are partnering to create, and here are quotes here, immersive, hyper-realistic Pokemon attractions. And they are going to debut at Universal Studios Japan and then expand globally. Now, that's exciting in its own in its own standpoint. However, the rumor is when they say expand globally,
00:39:04
Speaker
The rumor now is that this there will be a new dedicated Pokemon land to replace the Lost Continent area at Universal Orlando. And and i don't yeah I don't think people in the U.S. I mean, I'm sure some of you you do, but I mean, Pokemon...
00:39:24
Speaker
is huge and i don't think huge is even the right word like it's all encompassing like when there just the new lego pokemon came out like they were gone and they're like a huge deal to get lego pokemon like i don't i think that if universal gets some good pokemon rides or does have a pokemon land It is going to be a problem for Disney. like ah That's something that... you know You have Nintendo, Harry Potter, and Pokemon. like
00:39:59
Speaker
I'm sorry, but like that is probably going to be bigger than anything that Disney can put together. i It will certainly pull people away for a period of time. i would yeah i mean Especially if they could... did Did you ever do Pokemon Go... Yeah, yeah, If they could include something like that throughout parks. Yeah, if they included something like that, like along the lines of the Kim Possible, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If they did something like that at Universal, wow, that would be that would be amazing. Yeah, I really think that, you know, even if you said that no one was ahead and it was just even ground between Disney and Universal, like that's a problem for Disney.
00:40:39
Speaker
You know what I mean? like well they don't Because they don't have a a comparable... What's the word? I mean, Disney and Star Wars in general are are fairly comparable, but like that's why like we talk about the Star Wars shows and the new Star Wars fans being such a huge deal.
00:41:00
Speaker
right like When you have Pokemon, you're across the board, right? Because you have young kids and you have adults. Star Wars needs to be that for them. I don't know. This is just such a, this would be such a deal.
00:41:13
Speaker
It really would. And they've got a little, quite a bit of land to work with there, with that Lost Continent area. So it will be interesting to see what could be coming. Because again, this is just a rumor. So yeah we will be able to look at Universal Japan to get an idea of what might could All right, folks, that is going to do it for this week's episode. We'd like to thank our sponsor, DontResistTheTravel.com. Please go visit them so that they can help you plan that trip to Universal Japan to go experience the new Pokemon land.
00:41:50
Speaker
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00:42:03
Speaker
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00:42:37
Speaker
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00:42:55
Speaker
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00:43:17
Speaker
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00:43:24
Speaker
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00:43:39
Speaker
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00:43:51
Speaker
See you, everybody. Folks, the Rhubarb Travelers podcast is for entertainment purposes only. We are not employed by the Walt Disney Company or NBC Universal, the parent company of Universal Studios. And as such, all opinions expressed on the show are exclusively our own.
00:44:07
Speaker
Please consult a DVC or Disney cast member or Universal team member for more information about anything we might have talked about today.