Theme Park Bits: Disney World Menu Changes, Make A Dole Whip At Home, And More

In this edition of Theme Park Bits:

So, we're all at home. No one can go to the Disney theme parks, hotels, or restaurants right now. It's a sad state of affairs. You might presume that means that the Disney Cast Members, from top to bottom, have had to push pause on projects. You would be wrong! Let's talk about a few of the things being done behind the scenes right now. It was recently reported that there are a number of menu changes going on at Walt Disney World restaurants, such as alcohol price increases at places like the Hollywood Brown Derby and Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar. Obviously, there will be a time soon when the parks and restaurants reopen. I guess we should be...pleased that Disney's planning price increases? Yay?

Unsurprisingly, a number of construction projects at Disneyland have paused. Specifically, the Avengers Campus construction and the implementation of the Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway attraction at Toontown have stopped for now. (Color yourself surprised, but the July 18 opening date for Avengers Campus has also been delayed.) You might also think that means across the board, Disney is in a holding pattern on construction projects. Again, you would be wrong. (Sorry, I keep doing this to you, but it's so much fun.) It turns out that Disney recently filed permits to demolish the Stitch's Great Escape attraction at Tomorrowland, with a possible Wreck-It Ralph-themed ride coming to the Magic Kingdom. I'm not a huge fan of Ralph, but listen: Stitch's Great Escape was an awful attraction. Just the worst. It would be hard to imagine a scenario where Disney could install something worse. So bring it on. Please.

Not every new attraction or area has a delayed opening. Over at Epcot, Disney has prepared itself to open the new Moana-themed water area in 2021. We can safely presume that this is a tentative opening year, because...well, who knows what things are going to look like next year? It's also worth wondering what Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana (yes, that's the full name) is going to be. I hope it's more just a glorified splash pad. I also hope it opens next year, whatever it is. Fingers crossed.

And even at Disneyland, plans are being set in motion to expand and rebuild parts of the park Walt built. Based on some information reported at The Orange County Register, Disneyland is going to have a redesigned Frontierland when all is said and done. Specifically, this construction project will focus on redesigning and expanding the entryway for Frontierland from Main Street, U.S.A., similar to a recently completed project that improved guest flow into Adventureland. If it's done in the same spirit as the Adventureland refurb, this Frontierland update could be a big plus for the original theme park.

But we're all at home, so we can't go to the parks, even if we wanted to. (Especially if we wanted to.) Don't worry, though. Disney has you covered in a few ways. First, there's its My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps. Those apps are offering everything from at-home recipes to special trivia and bits of historical knowledge about the parks, for you and the family to learn about and enjoy. And speaking of recipes, have you ever wanted to make a Dole Whip at home? The answer ought to be yes. Well, good thing: one of the recipes on the Disneyland app is for that very sweet treat. Now, make it and enjoy!