For lots of Disney fans, EVERY year is a good year to visit Disney World. In fact, if you ask me, almost every month of every year has lots of terrific reasons to visit Disney World!
I never met a Disney day I didn’t like. Croaking hot or freezing cold. Crowded, rainy, crabby people, phone calls from the office, giant group, or just me and my husband–never matters. I always love my time at Disney. (Of course, I might be just a LITTLE crazy, so there’s that).
However, this year, a lot of die hard Disney fans are deciding to wait to visit Walt Disney World until 2020, wanting to ensure their next trip includes the long anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I don’t blame them at all. If Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a MAIN attraction for your next trip to Disney, I am recommending 2020 to a lot of my Disney travelers.
Right now, it looks like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open at Disneyland in California some time this summer. Hopeful reports say June…more practical reports are anticipating July or August. I suspect we’ll know more by March or April. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, early reports predicted late October/early November, but more recent reports have indicated December is more likely. Again, we’ll know more later this year.
However, Disney has SO much more to offer than Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, especially THIS year. Yes, I’m SUPER excited that Galaxy’s Edge is coming and I’m DYING to check it out, but that doesn’t mean that 2019 isn’t still the PERFECT time to visit Disney World. Here are my Top 5 Reasons to Visit Disney World in 2019.
Ticket Prices
Disneyland raised its ticket prices a few days ago. I’m sure there are a variety of reasons behind this decision. Most of you are probably aware that ticket prices have been steadily increasing at BOTH Disneyland and Walt Disney World every year for quite a while now. Here are a few things to consider:
Disney has invested more money in BOTH Disneyland, California Adventure AND Walt Disney World in the last 10 years (adjusted for inflation) than they have at any other time in the Company’s history. Toy Story Land opened to record crowds and crazy long lines. Pandora’s VERY popular Flight of Passage attraction continues to routinely attract crowds and lines in excess of 90 minutes. While the Toy Story franchise is of course much beloved, it doesn’t hold a candle to the popularity of Star Wars. Avatar’s fan base is tiny in comparison to Star Wars and while it will probably grow over time as more films are released, it will never touch the popularity of Star Wars. I do believe Disney’s Pandora (as a land) will grow it’s own fan base, separate and distinct from the Avatar movie franchise, but again, a drop in the ocean against the size of the Star Wars fanbase. And of course, there are are tens of thousands of Star Wars fans that are not necessarily “Disney” fans or Disney theme park fans that will be VERY interested in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge…and may discover a previously undiscovered love of Disney in the process. (I suspect there is more than one executive at Disney betting their bonus on this possibility!)
Star Wars is a unique phenomenon in fandom. It has fans from all over the world, in almost all age groups, and in most ethnic groups. Star Wars fans are passionate and voracious for new Star Wars “stuff” and Disney hasn’t been the number one leader in entertainment for the last fifty years without learning a few things about how to provide new “stuff” and how to make lots of money related to all that new “stuff”. Disney has gambled BIG with their acquisition of LucasFilms and the Star Wars franchise, and they’ve had some major victories as well as some pretty significant setbacks. They have invested BILLIONS in these theme park expansions, and while I fully expect they will earn BILLIONS more as a result, that’s going to take a while. And Disney is a publicly traded company–some of you probably own stock.
Disney has shareholders to keep happy–and shareholders like to see VERY healthy bottom lines. So in the short term, I personally think Disney theme parks is going to justify (and help offset) those giant investments and shore up profit margins with higher ticket prices, merchandise prices and probably resort prices heading into late 2019 and 2020. (I think this is also why we have so many feature films on the docket this year. Disney movies tend to be VERY profitable and make lots and lots of money!)
Movies…boy, do we have movies…
Note: Disney’s fiscal year is unusual–it runs October through September instead of January through December like many companies. Disney’s fourth quarter ends with September.
What does this mean for you, and why do I think you should visit Disney this year? While I do suspect Walt Disney World ticket prices will see another ticket price increase later this year, I believe ticket prices are set for right now, especially in packages. Disney World released their “date based” ticket pricing last fall, and scheduled ticket prices right up through mid December 2019. I’m hopeful that indicates that tickets prices will hold steady through most of the year.
Planning ahead is always best, and booking sooner rather than later will always protect your pricing–this holds true for trips next year as well. Plan your trip as early as you can–lock your prices in early. If prices decrease, you can usually get the discounts added, especially if you work with a Disney travel agent (like me 😉), but if they increase, you won’t have to pay the higher prices. Ticket prices are lower now than they are likely to be next year: a great reason to visit Disney World in 2019!
Lighter Crowds
The reality is that many people will not have the budget to visit this year AND next year–and SO many people will want to make sure to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, they’ll be planning their trips to Walt Disney World for late 2019 or 2020. Which means you, my savvy traveler, can benefit from lighter crowds (in theory at least) THIS year.
I’m not promising empty streets and no lines…those days are long gone, I’m afraid. And of course there are TONS of families that just don’t care about Star Wars (REALLY??? Who ARE these people??? Just Kidding). BUT, the numbers don’t lie, and current resort bookings support lighter crowds at this point for much of the year. Of course that can change at any time, especially as Disney adds special promotions designed to attract higher crowds. [FREE DINING, anyone?]
But lots of folks have already booked their trips for next year and aren’t likely to move them. And here’s the real hardcore truth: this year is probably the last year where the crowds won’t be just BANANAS all the time. If you look at how aggressively Disney has been adding resorts, expanding resorts, partnering with local “good neighbor” hotels–they are anticipating a LARGE increase in visitor volumes in the coming years, once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens.
Here’s my thoughts on all this expansion: all those lovely people occupying all those lovely rooms are NOT going to be spending ALL their time (and money) inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. They ARE going to visit the rest of Hollywood Studios and the other three parks. They won’t be able to resist the MAGIC. We have all known it for years…The magic of Disney is irresistible. They will attracted to a particular character or attraction and they will visit a park “just for a little while to check it out” and twelve hours later, they’ll still be there. It’s happened to all of us. It’s the magic of Disney. And what it means is that crowd volumes won’t just rise in Hollywood Studios for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge…they will rise EVERYWHERE.
There simply will be no more “lighter crowd” periods, I suspect. Of course, I could be wrong. But Disney is adding capacity for thousands of additional hotel rooms. THOUSANDS. And Disney resorts, for the most part, tend to stay at 80% or better capacity most of the time–and they usually don’t have to work too hard to do it.
Bottom line: Unless you are a fan of wall to wall crowds, you may want to plan a visit for this year just to bask in the glory of what will soon be fond memories of “normal” crowds and the “good old days”.
I trust Disney, and I am sure they have lots of creative ideas up their sleeve to help with crowd management…but I also know the reality is that “if you build it, they will come”…and Disney has built it, and THEY are COMING. 😉 So visit this year if you can…before they get here!
Special Celebrations
This year features several new limited time celebrations you won’t want to miss. First up: Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration. This begins January 18, 2019 and finds Mickey and Minnie at the Magic Kingdom wearing their fabulous new 90th birthday outfits. The “Move It! Shake! MousekeDance It! Street Party” has been updated for the celebration, and Magic Kingdom will feature new merchandise and specialty food and beverages in honor of our favorite duo. You’ll also be able to meet both Minnie and Mickey together, in their birthday outfits, at the Town Square Theatre! I’m a sucker for Mickey and Minnie together, so this is a MUST DO for me!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios turns 30! This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (though it was originally called MGM Studios, and was conceptually quite different than the park we have today…sigh), and Disney is planning to honor this anniversary all year with a special logo and of course, special anniversary merchandise. There will also be a new “Party with Pixar Pals” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting January 18, 2019, where you can celebrate the 30th Anniversary with the Incredibles at a Dance Party–and you’ll be able to meet Edna Mode, as well as other Pixar favorites, like Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. and Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie from Toy Story.
The Lion King turns 25 this year, and not only do we have the new live action movie to look forward to, we have a 25th anniversary celebration happening at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, starting January 18, 2019. Rafiki and Timon will lead guests in dances and games during the Hakuna Makata Time Dance Party on Discovery Island.
Farewell to Illuminations
If you are a fan of Epcot’s long running nighttime show, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth (It’s been running since October 1999!), it is scheduled to end sometime during the second half of 2019. We don’t have a final performance date yet; hopefully Disney will give us some advance warning before this beloved show goes dark–but if you want to see it one last time, don’t wait too long–you won’t be able to see it in 2020.
Disney will of course be presenting a new nighttime show at Epcot, but we do not have any information about the new show yet.
This one is pretty tough for me. Frank and I love Illuminations, and on our wedding day, we hosted a dessert party for our guests so that everyone could watch it together. It was really magical and is a memory I will never forget… I am definitely sad that this show will be no more.
I still haven’t recovered from Wishes being replaced. {sigh}. I may have an issue with change. 😉 Or I’m really sentimental. Or a combination of both…
New Attractions
Believe it or not, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is not the ONLY new thing on the horizon. There are some other really big things coming, especially if you look ahead to 2021 and 2022. (Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron roller coasters, a Ratatouille attraction…lots of good stuff ahead…)
But there are some exciting things happening THIS year, too!
At Disney Springs, there is a new restaurant coming. (Ok, that’s not necessarily an attraction unless you’re a foodie, but I’m excited about it, so I’m sharing). It’s called “Jaleo”. It is coming to us from Chef Jose Andres and will bring the flavors of Spain. The new restaurant will feature Spanish tapas style food and a lively atmosphere. Sounds like a winner to me!
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is opening later this year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is officially the first EVER ride through attraction featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I’m not sure how I feel about this one, but I’m hopeful.
It’s replacing the Great Movie Ride, which has left a GIANT hole in my heart, but the Studios really needs another attraction, and I’m hoping it will be cheerful and fun and that kids will love it.
Also at Hollywood Studios this spring, Lightning McQueen is bringing his new “Racing Academy to town this spring. This will be a show featuring Lightning McQueen, and will hopefully be lots of fun for CARS fans.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also getting a new cinematic nighttime experience…hopefully to put a little Hollywood back into the studios. This show is also part of the anniversary celebration, and will begin on the actual anniversary date, May 1, 2019. It’s called “Wonderful World of Animation” and uses technology to take us through 90 years of animation–back to where it all started…with a mouse.
I’m pretty excited about this show. I saw the special Star Wars show last May 4th (may the fourth be with you) and was BLOWN away by what Disney did with technology. Hopefully they are breaking more new ground with this Animation show.
Disney Skyliner: I’m not sure this REALLY counts as an attraction as it’s considered “transportation”, but it should! (In my opinion, anyway!) I am SO excited to see these gondolas in action. What an amazing way to move from the Studios to Epcot! As a reminder, we don’t have a concrete opening date yet; all we know is “Fall“. Gondolas have been seen on site at construction locations and we’ve heard that preliminary testing of the cables is happening. It’s all very exciting.
Top 5 Reasons to Visit Disney World in 2019
So there you have them: my top 5 reasons to visit Disney World in 2019. I actually have a much longer list, and had a difficult time paring it down! To summarize: if you CAN visit in 2019, I highly recommend it. Ticket prices are going to be climbing in the coming years. Make your reservations for travel this year before ticket prices rise.
Crowds are going to be lighter in 2019 than they will be for the foreseeable future. Once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens up, crowd levels are likely to set new records. I suspect those crowd levels will stay high for many years to come.
There are quite a few special celebrations happening this year. Most celebrations are starting in January and will continue throughout the year. Visit this year to enjoy these limited 2019 celebrations.
Epcot’s Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is ending later this year. 2019 is definitely your last opportunity to see this show if you love it. We don’t have a final end date yet; however, Disney has confirmed the show will end in the second half of 2019.
And finally, there are several new attractions opening in 2019. Don’t you want to be among the first to check out these new attractions?
Are you considering a trip to WDW for 2019? What are YOUR top 5 reasons?
Happy dreaming!
Brooke
