How to Celebrate a Monstrous Summer at Walt Disney World Resort

A few weeks ago, we kicked off the beginning of a Monstrous Summer at Walt Disney World Resort, which means that guests visiting this season will have a lot of new Disney attractions, and entertainment and dining experiences to look forward to.

Here’s a sample of what’s new:

• New Fantasyland attractions – This summer is the first for attractions in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park, including Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, Enchanted Tales With Belle, the newly enhanced Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station and more. My best tips are to arrive early, get your FASTPASS and bring the camera!
• Dining at Be Our Guest Restaurant & Gaston’s Tavern – New Fantasyland also offers two new amazing restaurant choices. Be Our Guest Restaurant takes you inside Beast’s Castle to dine in the main ballroom, eerie West Wing or Portrait Gallery. Don’t miss the gourmet cupcakes here! Gaston’s Tavern, located in Belle’s Village, offers pork shank, cinnamon rolls and the signature drink, Le Fou’s Brew, a no-sugar-added frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow.

• “Monsters University” fun – To celebrate the June 21 opening of the Disney•Pixar film, “Monsters University,” guests can meet join new students Mike and Sulley for a photo or join Monsters University Homecoming celebrations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios throughout the summer.
• Test Track Presented by Chevrolet – The enhanced Test Track attraction at Epcot now allows guests to design their own virtual concept vehicle (the more creative, the better!) and then test out its performance against the attraction’s six-passenger SimCar.
• Splitsville Luxury Lanes – This two-story bowling alley at Downtown Disney offers bowling, billiards, live music, dancing and amazing food that ranges from hand-tossed pizza to fresh-rolled sushi. So. Much. Fun.

• The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow – This new walk-through attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios turns guests into salty knaves by testing their bravery and pirate skills against some of Captain Jack’s biggest threats, like mermaids and krakens.
• A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas – Pirates are also invading Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park. Here, guests turn into Captain Jack’s pirate recruits, and armed with magic talismans and treasure maps, embark on one of five different pirate raids, defeating enemies in a hunt for treasure.
• Celebrate the Magic – The show’s summer edition at Cinderella Castle.
• Disney Junior – Live on Stage! – This family-friendly show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios now features two of Disney Junior’s newest characters, Sofia The First and Doc McStuffins.

• Wilderness Explorers – Fans of the Disney•Pixar film “Up” can now become Wilderness Explorers (just like Russell!) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. With a total of 30 badges to work towards, kids can have fun learning about the park and it’s animals through hands-on Wilderness Explorers activities.
• “Limited Time Magic“ – Special limited-time in-park experiences will be announced each Friday here on the Disney Parks Blog throughout the summer. “Limited Time Magic” experiences that have happened so far have included the Dapper Dans singing boy band hits, rare Disney character meet-and-greets, special merchandise opportunities and more.