“To make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world’s most iconic racers,” a Disney news release read Monday in reference to the “Cars”  area, which will be considered part of Frontierland.

Tom Sawyer Island has been operating at Walt Disney World since 1973, about two years after the opening of Magic Kingdom. It was inspired by Mark Twain’s characters and stories and is accessed by log rafts.  It is surrounded by Rivers of America, home of the Liberty Belle riverboat attraction.

Disney: Liberty Belle’s move requires digging, divers, darkness

“We are thrilled to create this original Cars adventure and put our guests in the driver’s seat as we—quite literally—explore a new frontier in Frontierland,” Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World portfolio executive producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in the release.

“Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward. Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests,” he said.

The “Cars” attractions and Villains Land were announced during a D23 session late Saturday evening.

The area devoted to the Disney villains will be in the currently undeveloped area that has been dubbed “Beyond Big Thunder,” the land beyond the Frontierland roller coaster named Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney also confirmed Monday.

Disney World expansion plan includes villains land

Construction permits are being filed this week, Disney World said, and work will get into “high gear next year,” leaving time to “experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today,” the release reads.

The Magic Kingdom land has had other adjustments recently. The Splash Mountain ride was transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which opened in June. The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, a Magic Kingdom original attraction, has been shuttered in favor of a Disney Vacation Club lounge.

The “Cars” attraction will include a ride that represents a rally race that includes mountain trails, geysers and mudholes. A second attraction will be for “the youngest racers,” Disney said. A rendering released Monday shows animated characters and new structures on the island and what appears to be a walkway forming an entrance from the Haunted Mansion area. The Liberty Belle, which has also been at the park since 1973, is not represented in the image.

Few details are known about the Villains area, although Disney said it would include two attractions, shopping and dining.

“Walt Disney Imagineering is pushing creative boundaries to dark and mysterious levels to bring this new, first-of-its-kind land to life,” Monday’s news release said.  After public speculation by executives — presented as a blue-sky approach — about that land, the project was nicknamed “Beyond Big Thunder.”

Sky’s the limit: Orlando theme parks explore drones as entertainment

Other WDW additions announced at the D23 session include the “Disney Starlight” parade, debuting at Magic Kingdom next summer; The Tropical Americas area, replacing Dinoland with “Encanto” and “Indiana Jones”-themed rides at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2027; a new “Monsters, Inc.” land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios; a new “Mandalorian” theme for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2026; and lounges at Epcot and Magic Kingdom in 2025.

Epcot’s Test Track is currently being remodeled with new scenes and exhibits. The updated exterior will “harken back to the original World of Motion pavilion design,” Monday’s news release said. The attraction is scheduled to reopen sometime next year.

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Epic: Universal Orlando details its next ‘Harry Potter’ land

“This land will be home to the villains that you know and those that you loathe, which means ‘happily ever after’ … it may feel like just a distant dream,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, which include the company’s theme parks and Disney Cruise Line.

The announcement by D’Amaro was one of a slew of expansion plans at Disney parks worldwide revealed at a D23 fan club event in Anaheim, California. Among the developments: A “Monsters, Inc.” land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the first animatronic of Walt Disney himself and even more cruise ships.

The villains area is “going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be,” he said near the end of the presentation, which lasted more than two hours and 45 minutes.

This bad-guy expansion land will feature two new attractions, which were not described Saturday evening, as well as dining and shopping, he said, without specifying where the villains area would be located. No timeframe for the villains construction was announced.

In other Magic Kingdom developments, the park will add two “Cars” attractions to its Frontierland as well as a new nighttime parade called “Disney Starlight.”

“We’re leaving Radiator Springs behind and we’re heading off to the wilderness,” D’Amaro said. One “Cars” ride will be a race rally across the frontier, and the second will be geared to young children. Construction will begin in 2025.

“This is going to bring some new energy to Frontierland,” he said, and delve into “what it means to explore the American wilderness.”

The new parade, set to debut next summer, will be led by the Blue Fairy from “Pinocchio” and include characters from films including “Encanto,” “Frozen,” “Peter Pan” and others.

The session was attended by 12,000 people at Anaheim’s Honda Center. It included a live orchestra on stage and, between announcements, performances by Meaghan Trainor, Rita Ora, Shaboozey, John Stamos, Pentatonix, Billy Crystal and the Deadpool character. Ke Huy Quan, who rose to fame as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and grew up to win an Academy Award in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” had a stint as the guest conductor of the orchestra.

Disney Cruise Line orders 4 new ships, announces ‘Hercules’ show on Disney Destiny

The “Monsters, Inc.” land at Hollywood Studios will include a suspended roller coaster, a Disney parks first, that tours through the laugh factory. Construction starts next year, D’Amaro said.

Saturday’s session included updates on previously announced plans for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which will be home to attractions tied to “Encanto” and  the “Indiana Jones” films.

Construction on the replacement attractions for Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland will begin this fall, D’Amaro said, and they are all expected to debut in 2027. The area then will be known as Tropical Americas.

The Indiana Jones ride, set to take over the space of the current Dinosaur attraction, will be different from other Indy rides in Disney parks, Bruce Vaughn, chief creative officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said Saturday.

“It takes place in an ancient Mayan temple that Indy has recently discovered, and he’s heard rumors about a mythical creature that lives deep within this temple,” he said.

Animal Kingdom visitors will cross from Discovery Island into Tropical Americas where they will see a new town named Pueblo Esperanza and the home of the “Encanto” attraction, Vaughn said.

In the ride based in the animated house of the Madrigal family, “Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest,” Vaughn said.

These projects were announced last year but considered “in the works.” In a 2022 D23 session, executives teased about plans for “beyond Big Thunder,” the Frontierland roller coaster at Magic Kingdom. D’Amaro did not say Saturday if that area would be the location of the new “Cars” attractions.

Walt Disney Co. has pledged to spend $60 billion over 10 years on attractions worldwide. Industry watchers have speculated about moves at Walt Disney World as Universal Orlando’s expansion — Epic Universe theme park — is slated to open in 2025. Some experts have predicted a fifth theme park for Disney World, but there was no mention of a new park on Saturday.

In a quarterly earnings call with market analysts last week, Disney executives said its theme parks had seen “demand moderation” in recent months. The result was small revenue growth. They said that trend was expected to continue in the near term.

Disney Cruise Line orders 4 new ships, announces ‘Hercules’ show on Disney Destiny

Among the other Saturday announcements from Disney were:

• Disney Cruise Line will add four more ships beyond what had previously been announced, bringing the total to 13. Timeframe: between 2027 and 2031.

• The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will get a new story tied to the theatrical release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” movie in 2026.

• The revised version of Test Track will debut at Epcot in 2025.

• A Spaceship Earth lounge is planned for Epcot for next year. The previously announced pirate-themed tavern for Magic Kingdom also will open in 2025.

• The “Zootopia: Better Zoogether” show in the Tree of Life Theater at Animal Kingdom will arrive in winter 2025. The Tree of Life Theater currently is home to the “It’s Tough to Be a Bug!” 3-D film.

• At Disneyland, “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show will feature an animatronic version of Walt Disney. It will rotate with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

• Disney California Adventure is adding rides based on “Coco” and the second and third films of the “Avatar” series.

• DCA’s Avengers Campus will get two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab.

• Disney Adventure World in France will be home to a “Lion King” ride (art concepts show a log ride and drop) and a “Frozen” land.

• Shanghai Disneyland will be home to a Spider-Man themed “high-energy thrill coaster.”

D’Amaro assured the group that these plans were not in the blue-sky category.

“Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving,” he said. “I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’re going to hear tonight.”

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Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro made the announcement at this year’s D23 expo held in California on Saturday along with news that a Broadway-style play based on “Hercules” was coming to Disney Destiny when it debuts out of Port Everglades next year. D’Amaro also teased the largest puppet ever to take the stage on a DCL ship for Disney Treasure’s new “Moana” show later this year.

The fleet expansion means DCL will grow to 13 ships by 2031, with all of the ships to be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

The fleet currently stands at five ships with the original Disney Magic and Wonder that debuted in 1998 and 1999, followed by Disney Dream and Fantasy in 2011 and 2012 and then the first of the most recent class of ship, Disney Wish, which debuted out of Port Canaveral in 2022.

Next up is this year’s Disney Treasure, also coming to Port Canaveral, and then both the Singapore-bound Disney Adventure and Florida-bound Disney Destiny in 2025, which is the third Wish-class sister ship. A fourth Wish-class vessel will sail out of Japan starting in 2029 in a partnership with the Oriental Land Co. that runs Disney’s Japanese theme parks.

“So from two ships, we go to four, from four to five, from five to eight, and now we’re going all the way up to 13,” D’Amaro said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “The reason here is we have so many more stories to tell. We have such incredibly high demand. We know that the cruise ships are brand ambassadors for us, and we know that we can take these ships to parts of the world where we may not have a theme park or Disney experience for our fans to participate in.”

He noted the line’s success in recent sailings in Australia and New Zealand that quickly sold out, and so the global demand is ripe for DCL.

“We’re incredibly bullish on this business. It’s served us well financially. It’s served us well from a brand perspective, and served us well in terms of getting to our biggest fans around the world,” he said.

Disney World expansion plan includes villains land

He didn’t say whether Florida’s ports would be getting any of the new ships for certain, but Port Canaveral has been the first homeport for all of its five existing ships as well as sixth ship Disney Treasure while Port Everglades will get the seventh.

“We have set ourselves up pretty well to make sure that we have ports to accommodate all of these ships,” D’Amaro said. “I won’t give you any specifics there … but we’re going to use all of these ports, I think, in an intelligent way. … We’ve created these relationships for reasons. I’ll put it that way.”

Thomas Mazloum, president of the New Experiences Portfolio & Disney Signature Experiences which includes Disney Cruise Line, echoed his belief Florida would not be forgotten in the expansion.

“There’s no question we have a great global opportunity, but make no mistake, that includes still the U.S. where I believe we have significant opportunity to introduce our stories to our guests,” he said. “Everywhere in the U.S. but … I believe we have immense opportunities still out of Florida.”

That said, he’s keen to embrace an expanded global footprint for the line acting in many ways as the Disney brand vanguard.

“We have phenomenal parks around the world. That means in the U.S., but we have Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong. They’re wonderful parks. They are the best in class, but the globe is so big, and not every person can easily access a park depending where you live,” he said. “We know that for every person that walks into our parks on a global basis, there are eight or nine others that simply are too far away.”

He notes also that the line only has seasonal sailings in Europe, California and Galveston, Texas for now, so there’s room for growth.

“I think domestically, we are far from being where we should be, which now, with the expansion, gives us that opportunity,” he said.

No other details were revealed about the new ships, but D’Amaro said they would “be in the same ballpark” in terms of size. Right now, the Wish-class vessels and Disney Dream and Fantasy can hold about 4,000 passengers at maximum capacity while its original ships are smaller at about 2,700 max capacity.

Mazloum said Magic and Wonder, though smaller, still give great returns and rank high with guests. He said the deployment of Wonder, for instance, to Alaska each year is the right choice for the line in terms of guest satisfaction.

“We’re going to be very flexible on that, and I think you will see different sizes eventually emerging over the next decade plus, because we’re going to be very, very thoughtful — how we do this. Not every size fits everywhere,” he said.

Just like the Wish class, the new class of ships will be capable of running on liquefied natural gas, a cleaner-burning fuel that’s part of the transition as cruise lines attempt to lower their carbon footprint.

Mazloum, though, said the new ships will be designed to take on other fuels as they become available to get closer to the net-zero emission target.

“We are extremely focused on that. … We’ve looked at LNG as a transition. It’s another step in the right direction, and the future ships will have an immense amount of flexibility,” he said. “So one of the things you will see is that on all of our ships, including, by the way, the Wish class, we’ve built in and spent money on a lot of flexibility so that different types of fuels as they are being developed are going to be used.”

With a 2027 delivery date, the first steel could be cut in 2026, if Meyer Werft follows the same timeline of about 20 months construction as it has for past Disney ships. It’s built Dream, Fantasy and Wish and has Treasure near completion and Destiny in the works.

“We always place a premium of having the right partners with the right technological ability to help us,” Mazloum said pointing out the ships’ features such as the Broadway-caliber shows on board. “You can imagine the infrastructure in order to bring our stories to life on a ship, it requires an immense amount of technological advancement, and Meyer Werft was one of these strategic partners that has always delivered beautiful ships.”

Mazloum is giddy for the pace with which the line is rolling out new hardware having only just taken delivery of the line’s fifth ship, and first new ship in more than a decade, two years ago.

“We’re suddenly going to go to 13 ships. We’re going to launch eight ships in the next eight years,” he said. “That’s the proof in the pudding. We truly believe that the sky is the limit for us, and we think, honestly, the timing is perfect.”

New ‘Hercules’ show on Disney Destiny

Another big announcement at D23 was the third main-stage show coming to Disney Destiny when it debuts out of Port Everglades in November 2025.

“Disney Hercules” will be exclusive to the ship putting to stage the Greek gladiator popularized in the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1997 movie. The Broadway-style show “will stay true to the story and spirit of the film while showcasing a fresh, modern adaptation tailor-made for the stage,” according to a Disney press release.

The Muses will be the show storyteller, as they are in the film, and include songs from the film along with the theatrical debut of “Shooting Star.”

“The new musical arrangements will emphasize the iconic soundtrack’s pop and gospel influences, drawing on the production team’s extensive and diverse experience that ranges from theater to pop music,” the release said. “Guests can expect show-stopping musical numbers, incredible vocals, stunning visuals and immersive projection effects.”

It will join two other shows previously announced for the ship: “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular” and “Disney Seas the Adventure,” both of which have appeared on other ships in the fleet.

New look at ‘Disney The Tale of Moana’ on Disney Treasure

One final treat for the D23 crowd was a reveal of a rendering from the marquee show “Disney The Tale of Moana” on Disney Treasure when it debuts from Port Canaveral in December.

Just like in the film, the show has a climactic moment depicting Moana taking a final stand against Te Kā, “the fiery lava-wielding foe who will appear on stage as an incredible 15-foot-tall puppet, the largest puppet ever produced for a Disney Cruise Line Broadway-style show,” according to the release.

The scene promises a transformation of the Te Kā puppet into her true self, a stunning green goddess.

The show’s puppetry, which will also be used to show many of the characters from the film, is being developed by Jeff Conover and Michael Curry. Curry previously worked on Broadway’s “The Lion King.”

The “Moana” show joins Disney Treasure’s two other main stage productions, versions of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Disney Seas the Adventure.”

If you’re a holiday purist, it’s going to be a long 12 weeks as the attractions’ programming goes both mild and wild.

Why an early August start? It’s not tricky. The first five Not-So-Scary nights — plus two more of the 37 total event evenings — were already sold out a week ago.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Where: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

What’s new: Don’t say anything, but Bruno from “Encanto” will be making his first Not-So-Scary appearance. On the food front, two interesting event-exclusive items include the Oogie Boogie cupcake sold near Cinderella Castle and sweet-and-spicy beignets at Golden Oak Outpost, which is appropriately close to the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride.

What’s back: “Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade,” “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” fireworks show, “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” stage show, multiple treat-or-treating stations

When: 7 p.m.-midnight on select nights between Aug. 9 and Oct. 31

How much: $129-$199 on remaining dates

Bottom line: Characters in Halloween costumes are abundant, and kids can rake in candy (parents can repurpose it for actual Halloween).

Halloween Horror Nights

Where: Universal Studios Florida.

What’s new: There are no returning haunted houses, although one (Major Sweets Candy Factory) repurposes a former scare zone. There are mazes inspired by the films “Insidious,” “A Quiet Place” and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” In addition, Universal will have a preview event Aug. 29, the eve of the launch. Tickets are $350.

What’s back: A “Nightmare Fuel” stage show with aerialists, pyrotechnics, rock music.

When: Aug. 30-Nov. 3.

How much: A single-night ticket costs between $83 and $123, depending on date. Multinight passes also are available.

Bottom line: HHN traditionally is filled with scary, sometimes bloody scenarios. Universal suggests it’s not for folks younger than 13.

Halloween Spooktacular

Where: SeaWorld Orlando

What’s new: It’s a daylight, kid-friendly event with a Trick-or-Treat Trail and sea-inspired characters.

What’s back: Spooktacular is sprinkled across the park, but a couple of big deals are the Sesame Street Halloween Parade and the Halloween Storytime with Big Bird. On Fridays, there are costume contests for kids.

When: Select days between Aug. 31 and Nov. 3

How much: Spooktacular is included with regular SeaWorld admission.

Bottom line: It’s very gentle, down to cookie decorating and a scarecrow dance party. There’s no overlap with the park’s competing after-dark, separate-ticket Howl-O-Scream event.

Howl-O-Scream

Where: SeaWorld Orlando

What’s new: Four fresh haunted houses, including Ultimate Gamble (“where the stakes are life and death”), Farm 51 (with crash-landed extraterrestrials), Atlantis Journey Below and Water’s Edge Wellness Center.

What’s back: Live entertainment in the form of “Monster Stomp” and “Sirens Song”

When: Select nights between Sept. 6 and Nov. 2

How much: An “any night” ticket sells for $54.99. There are also multinight packages, including one that wraps in the Howl-O-Scream event at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Bottom line: It’s another frightful occasion, especially in the dark scare zones.

Brick-or-Treat

Where: Legoland Florida

What’s new: “Monster Skytacular,” a drone show at the end of the day, plus a new menu of limited-time foods

What’s back: Candy stations, a dance party hosted by Lord Vampyre, “The UnbeLEAFable Halloween Night” show and a disco overlay to the Dragon roller coaster.

When: Weekends between Sept. 13 and Oct. 27

How much: Halloween activities are included with regular Legoland Florida admission.

Bottom line: The target audience is between the ages of 2 and 12.

Gators, Ghosts and Goblins

Where: Gatorland

What’s new: “Godwin’s Gourd Farm with gargantuan gourds as pumpkin monsters,” a Gatorland release says.

What’s back: Swamp Ghost’s Monster Museum with Cyrus the Gravedigger, Skunk Ape at Cryptid Petting Zoo, children’s costume parade, Live DJ, vendors, candy giveaways

When: Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 12 through Oct. 27

How much: Included with regular Gatorland admission.

Bottom line: Low key, old Florida charm plus reptiles.

Look for more attractions to announce spooky programming. Some like to get past end-of-summer promotions before using the H word.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

More details were revealed in the ensuing weeks, sometimes via Universal’s official podcast, sometimes presented as the back stories of the event’s original houses.

We’ll know more, probably, before HHN begins Aug. 30. For now, here are clues about what to expect in all 10 houses in one place.

• A Quiet Place – In a location where screams are standard fare, a shhhhhhh theme stands out. This house will be based on two “A Quiet Place” movies, which feature minimal dialogue and invisible creatures with super-hearing. How might that work?

“We haven’t seen how the guests interact with the house yet. So, really it’s kind of this contract with the guests as they go through. It’s like, ‘OK, if you make a noise, they will get you,” Charles Gray, senior show director, said in a Discover Universal podcast.

“I think it’ll be almost like a role-playing game,” Gray said. “Like, if you’re in it, if you’re really buying into this idea, you’re going to have a lot of fun.”

• Major Sweets Candy Factory – Sweets already hit the streets in an HHN scare zone in 2022. The house, set in October 1955, seems to feature the Major, who is suspected of murder, his business partner Miss Treats and a new character named Taffy. A Universal podcast, styled as a radio show with laugh track, throws in children on a field trip (school bus alert), secret ingredients, the missing McGrew family and weapons such as a “blood-soaked machete” and a baseball bat with steel spikes.

• Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America – It’s got campfire lore (or is it campfire fact?) in the form of La Lechuza, the whistling El Silbon and the fanged, clawed, Tlabuelpuchi plus an ill-advised round of escondite. There’s a barn, a big bird, bosque, bloodiness and cowboy boots and, according to the podcast backstory, a cemetery, innards and the “horrid smell of death.” (Universal Studios Hollywood had a Monstruos house at its HHN last year)

• Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines — It’s like ladies night, HHN style, with a story of Dracula’s daughter seeking revenge on the Van Helsing family plus She-Wolf, the Bride of Frankenstein and a mummified Egyptian princess.

• Goblin’s Feast – This house appears to be populated by orcs, trolls, elves, hobgoblins and a witch with pointy teeth and cracked black lips. A goblin family prepares for a holiday feast, but there are detours through a pub and a burial forest.

• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Scenes are inspired by the 2024 film of the same name, running from the ‘Busters’ containment facility to the New York City sewers.

• Insidious: the Further – Meet the Red-Faced Demon, the Bride in Black, KeyFace and the Man Who Can’t Breathe from the “Insidious” film series, which dates back to 2010. Also planned: multiple red doors.

• Triplets of Terror – Details are scarce for this house, but the “Barmy triplets birthday bash” involves re-creating their family’s murders, according to Universal social media.

• The Museum: Deadly Exhibits – “A folklore museum’s newest exhibit, the Rotting Stone, has released an evil spirit that decays everything,” according to the official HHN website.

• Slaughter Sinema 2 – The first house announcement was back in May during a Horror Nights panel at a Spooky Empire event. It’s a sequel to a 2018 house, and it will feature eight new (yet fictional) films, including “Heavy Metal Hell 3-D.” Six years ago, the Sentinel called the Sinema house “cheesy by design” in a good, popcorn-scented way.

More HHN notes

• Among the five scare zones will be Demon Queens, Swamp of the Undead and Torture Faire.

• The stage show is title “Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus,” and it will feature pyro, aerialists and “pulse-pounding rock rhythms,” Universal says.

• For the first time, Universal is offering a preview to the general public. Tickets for Premium Scream Night, set for Aug. 29, are selling for $350 for the limited capacity event, which includes food and non-alcoholic beverages plus access to all 10 haunted houses with shorter wait times and staggered entry.

• Among the HHN merchandise: Lil’ Boo travel tumbler (and plush pillow), T-shirts for each house and a redesigned Chucky popcorn bucket.

• Halloween Horror Nights runs on 48 select evenings Aug. 30-Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, go to halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando.

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic is the fifth Epic land to be detailed by Universal. It will have Parisian settings based on the “Fantastic Beasts” films and British elements from the “Potter” franchise created by author J.K. Rowling.

The news was made public on the birthday of the Harry Potter character, which is also Rowling’s birthday.

The centerpiece ride – dubbed Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry – will transport visitors from Paris to the British Ministry of Magic for the trial of Dolores Umbridge, once the cruel headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In the attraction storyline, Umbridge tries to escape, then the familiar wizarding trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione, plus a house-elf known as Higgledy, chase after her whilst dodging Death Eaters.

The attraction will utilize “omnidirectional lifts,” and it will be the “most ambitious, groundbreaking ride Universal has ever created,” a company news release stated.

The Wizarding World land will also be home to “Le Cirque Arcanus,” a show with live performers, aerialists, puppetry and special effects. Its story revolves around Ringmaster Skender and creatures including demiguises, diricawls and mooncalves, who debuted in the 2016 film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

The Place Cachee streets will be populated by exchange students from Hogwarts and Ilvermorny Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic was developed by Universal Creative and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment.

Dining options in the land will include Cafe L’Air de la Sirene (French sandwiches, plats du jour), Le Gobelet Noir (gathering spot for international witches and wizards), Bar Moonshine (gathering spot for American witches and wizards with quidditch team pennants and drinks) and Bieraubeurre Cart (Translation: butterbeer).

Wands will be available for purchase at Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique. Interactive wands will cast spells in the land and create interactions with beasts and enchanted objects in storefront windows.

Other store names include Les Galeries Mirifiques, Tour en Floo and K. Rammelle, a confectionary shop.

Epic Universe is scheduled to open near the Orange County Convention Center next year. Other lands now under construction include Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Celestial Park and Dark Universe, which will feature the monster-based experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein. An Epic Universe preview center is now open at Universal CityWalk.

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The sister ship to Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, both of which call Port Canaveral home, will sail from the South Florida port starting in late 2025 after the line takes delivery from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany, where construction began on the ship earlier this year.

DCL announced the first details about the ship Tuesday as part of a three-day reveal event on the Disney Parks Blog for the 144,000-gross-ton, 4,000-passenger vessel. Exact itineraries and when people can book them will be announced later this week.

Disney Cruise Line divulges villainous details coming to Disney Destiny

Among the spaces coming to the ship will be a dining venue themed to “The Lion King” and a dessert shop themed to “The Incredibles,” leaning into the heroic side of the ship’s overall theme.

“For the Disney Destiny, we will introduce brand-new cruise experiences inspired by the legends and legacies of some of Disney’s most iconic heroes and villains,” said Sharon Siskie, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Cruise Line. The spaces promise to pull from Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies.

Technically, it will be the second time a Disney ship debuts at a port other than its close-to-Orlando mainstay as Disney Adventure, also set to sail in 2025, will debut out of Singapore.

Disney Cruise Line opens 2nd Florida home at Port Everglades

DCL began sailing from Port Everglades as its year-round second Florida home in late 2023, taking over Cruise Terminal 4 that sits adjacent the Broward County Convention Center. The 104,000-square-foot terminal has so far hosted older ships Disney Magic and Disney Dream.

“Disney Cruise Line continues to turn up the magic at Port Everglades with Disney Destiny,”  Port Director and CEO Joseph Morris said in an emailed statement. “In less than a year, Disney has made a significant contribution to our local economy and to our youth through career-building opportunities in partnership with Junior Achievement of South Florida. We are looking forward to their continued success.”

Disney Destiny will be the first of Disney’s Wish-class vessels to call on South Florida. DCL moved operations to Port Everglades after sailing from PortMiami seasonally since 2012. It’s in the first of a 15-year commitment to Port Everglades that guarantees 10.6 million passengers over the term of the lease.

That means both year-round sailings with at least one ship and at least seasonal sailings with a second. The port and Disney can agree to extend the lease in five-year increments for an additional 15 years as well, bringing in another 11.25 million passengers.

The port also became the first for DCL to get regular visits to its new private Bahamas destination, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point on the southern end of Eleuthera, that opened this summer. Port Canaveral-based ships don’t begin regular visits there until this fall.

As far as the interior space details for Disney Destiny, the big announcement was the restaurant the line is calling Pride Lands: Feast of The Lion King. Taking the same space as the “Frozen”-themed and “Coco”-themed dining venues on its sister ships, “The Lion King” restaurant will be a dining theater in the round.

A savannah-inspired design will combine lighting and special effects along with a window-lined back wall that will progress from sunrise to sunset during the meal, which will be themed to celebrate main character Simba’s heroic journey and the ever-present Disney theme of family.

The performances during the meal will include storytelling and songs such as versions of the film’s hits “Circle of Life,” Hakuna Matata,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Be Prepared.”

For the ship’s sweet shop, the fashion designer character Edna Mode is tapped for Edna Á La Mode Sweets, which is taking the similar spaces themed to “Inside Out” on Disney Wish and “Wreck-It Ralph” on Disney Treasure.

The venue, which will feature sculptures of Edna and the baby Jack-Jack, pulls specifically from the Pixar Animation Studios’ “Auntie Edna” short film in which Edna’s sewing equipment, made to create superhero suits in the films, is reconfigured into machines to make sweets. The venue will sell handmade gelato, ice cream, cookies, candies and specialty treats.

The line also announced two walk-up cafes off the Grand Hall, one called Café Megara after the heroine from “Hercules” and Café Merida themed to the star of Pixar’s “Brave.”

In addition, the line details some of the features for the staterooms and suites coming to the ship, with each space displaying heroic artwork. Most staterooms will feature the line’s split-bath concept along with connecting-door options for families to share connecting stateroom spaces.

Concierge guests will get a premium space with exclusive areas including their own lounge and private sun deck. Several will be themed to Disney’s “Fantasia” while seven special oceanview suites located directly above the ship’s bridge will be themed to “The Incredibles.”

Four royal suites are either dubbed Hero Suites, designed in Greco-Roman styles themed to “Hercules,” or IncrediSuites, with a streamlined midcentury modern aesthetic seen in Pixar films.

Disney Treasure is the third Wish-class ship and will be powered by liquefied natural gas just like Disney Wish and Treasure. It’s only the second LNG-powered ship slated to home port at Port Everglades after the debut this year of Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess. LNG is a cleaner burning fuel that cruise lines have been using among efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

It will become the eighth ship in the DCL fleet and fourth in three years. Disney also recently agreed with Oriental Land Co., Ltd., which runs Disney’s Japan-based theme parks, to bring on a ninth ship in the fleet, also a Wish-class vessel, that will sail from Japan beginning in 2029.

This set of Hartmann’s mountain zebras will eventually be seen by the public on the theme park and resort savannah.

In June 13, Penne, a female foal was born to mother Heidi. She weighed in at nearly 100 pounds at birth, Disney says.

Heidi’s first offspring was Asha, born at DAK in 2020. In July, Asha gave birth to a boy, creating a three-generation family seen on the savannah at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Later, Juno gave birth to a girl named Cada, whose sister Cricket was born at the park in 2023.

And on July 16, Aziza gave birth to a male zebra. They’re both still backstage, out of sight of the public. (Aziza also gave birth to Dot at Disney World last year).

“Each of these new arrivals is incredibly special for the Hartmann’s mountain zebra species,” Dr. Mark Penning, Disney Parks vice president for animals, science and environment, wrote on the official Disney Parks Blog. “Currently, these animals are listed as a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and hunting.”

This summer’s zebra births were enabled by the Species Survival Plan of the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums.

Hartmann’s mountain zebras are native to sub-Saharan Africa. Animal Kingdom is also home to Grevy’s zebras and plains zebras.

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com

Buyers can move between the two parks freely with this ticket, which is dubbed the Florida Unlimited Days Ticket.

These tickets will include the parks’ holidays celebrations (Grinchmas, parade and more), which begin Nov. 22.

Universal Studios park recently has added the Mega Movie Parade and “CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular” nighttime show with drones, prancing fountains, projections and pyrotechnics. It also opened DreamWorks Land, a retheming and enhancement of its former KidZone area using characters from “Shrek,” “Kung Fu Panda” and other animated films. A new projection show called “Hogwarts Forever” is playing now at IOA.

First ride: SeaWorld’s Penguin Trek coaster has smooth moves

The ticket does not include after-hours events such as Halloween Horror Nights, parking or merchandise discounts. There is not an option that includes Universal’s Volcano Bay water park.

The new Florida-resident ticket is available online now, but it is not sold at the entrance to the parks. Visitors must present proof of Florida residency at time of purchase, ticket pick-up and redemption, according to Universal’s website.

Ticket prices for one day at the two parks normally start at $146.  Universal’s two-park annual passes currently sell for $299 to $765 for Florida residents, depending on block-out dates and level of benefits.

For purchases and more information, go to universalorlando.com.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

Injury report: Disney, Universal rides prompt dizziness, pains

The deal with OLC, which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort, calls for a sister ship to Disney Wish to be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany for sailing expected to begin in early 2029.

While technically the yet-to-be-named ship will be the ninth vessel in the DCL fleet, it’s OLC that has entered into the construction contract, and will operate the vessel under a licensing agreement with Disney.

It would be the fourth Wish-class ship for the DCL fleet following 2022’s Wish, this year’s Disney Treasure and next year’s Disney Destiny. Wish will be joined by Treasure later this year with both sailing out of Port Canaveral while Destiny’s home port has yet to be announced.

New cruise ship Disney Treasure gets 1st taste of water

Disney is also set to welcome in 2025 the Disney Adventure, which is headed to Singapore.

The Japan deal expands on a relationship between Disney and OLC that is more than 40 years old. Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 and OLC also operates the ocean-themed Tokyo DisneySea, which opened in 2001. Both theme parks falling within Tokyo Disney Resort, which has like Walt Disney World has its own monorail, entertainment and dining complex and hotels.

“Disney Cruise Line has ambitious plans to bring family vacations and Disney storytelling to more guests around the world than ever before,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, in a press release. “We are thrilled to continue the success of this expansion as we collaborate with Oriental Land Co. to introduce another distinctly Disney vacation experience to families and fans in Japan.”

The ship will be operated by OLC and be registered in Japan.

The Wish class are slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Fantasy with about 1,250 staterooms and a 4,000-guest capacity including children. The release noted the ship will feature many guest-favorite venues and experiences that can be found on Disney Wish “with select modifications specially designed with Japanese guests in mind.”

Disney Wish features the AquaMouse water coaster that is part dark ride, part tube run, a Marvel-themed restaurant and dinner theater venue themed to “Frozen.”

“I am sincerely proud that Disney and Oriental Land will be able to work together to create a world-class cruise business in Japan,” said Yumiko Takano, representative director, chairperson and CEO, Oriental Land. “Oriental Land will use their knowhow from the theme park business to continue pushing boundaries and provide family entertainment cruise experiences filled with inspiration and surprise.”

Disney’s first ship Disney Magic debuted in 1998 followed by sister ship Disney Wonder in 1999. Dream and Fantasy doubled the fleet with their debuts in 2011 and 2012 before the recent rapid expansion to double the fleet again with four new ships from 2022-2025.

The line also created a second Florida year-round home port taking over a cruise terminal at Port Everglades and this summer debuted its new Bahamas private destination Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story reported DCL had ordered the ship construction. OLC ordered it.