EPCOT CommuniCore opening, New DCL ship, and DVC Member sailing dates DVC Newscast

This week, Sue and Peter discuss all the latest Disney news, including the Anaheim council approval of Disneyland Forward, more closures related to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, EPCOT opening the rest of their construction this summer, a 2025 DVC Member cruise, a new DCL ship announced with name and theme, and more! N137



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Vero Beach Character Breakfast returns 



Starting April 20th, the character breakfast will return to Winds and Waves at Disney's Vero Beach Resort every Saturday. This breakfast was a regularly scheduled event prior to COVID, but now will return with a new menu. Goofy and Pluto will be making the rounds in their beach gear while guests enjoy tasty menu items like “Banana’s Foster French Toast” and “The Treasure Omelet”. Breakfast hours are from 8 AM to noon and are now available for booking.  



Source: Disney Parks Blog



$2 Billion Disneyland Forward Project passes Anaheim planning board approval



On March 11th, the Anaheim Planning Commission voted 5-1 to approve a proposed $1.9 billion expansion plan for Disneyland Resort known as "DisneylandForward". As we’ve discussed before, the plan would expand both parks around the Disneyland hotel while also adding new parking and highway access ramps. It also includes potential for more hotel rooms as well as 150 new DVC rooms. 



Source: DVC news



Critter Country closing at Disneyland May 1st 



Critter Country at Disneyland will be closing temporarily starting May 1st to finish the construction of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, including the addition of two new themed stores.



Among the changes, “Ray’s Berets” will replace “The Briar Patch” as a place for Disney apparel and toys and themed to Ray the firefly and his family. “Louis’ Critter Club” takes over the left half of Pooh Corner with more apparel, accessories, home decor. Disneyland’s Tigger Tails will remain. The Winnie the Pooh attraction will be closed during this time as well, but no changes to the attraction are expected. The Hungry Bear is expected to remain open. 



Source: Disney Parks Blog



DVC Member Cruise announced for 2025 



Disney Vacation Club announced the 2025 Member Cruise, a 5-night cruise on the Disney Dream featuring a stop at Cozumel, Mexico, a day at Castaway Cay and two days at sea. 



Booking will begin on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 10:00am Eastern Time. No pricing has been announced yet. In order to book a DVC cruise, members are required to qualify for Membership Extras. Only qualifying points can be used to book the member cruise and at least one member must book with points. Cash rates will also be available.



Source: Disney Vacation Club website, DVC News



Eighth Disney Cruise ship announced



Disney Cruise Line has announced the newest cruise ship to be added to its fleet, the Disney Destiny. The ship, sister to the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, will have a “Heroes and Villains” theme, drawing on the legacies of beloved Disney stories, characters and theme park attractions. Onboard, guests will encounter both heroes and villains.



Source: Disney Parks Blog



EPCOT CommuniCore Plaza opens with special Encanto concert



The re-imagining of EPCOT will finally be complete with all the construction walls down and the full opening of the CommuniCore Hall, Mickey and Friends character greet and the new CommuniCore Plaza Stage. This area will be the home base for EPCOT's festivals, and as a celebration there will be a new limited-time show “¡Celebración Encanto!” from June 10th to September 6th. The show will run several times throughout the day and will include opportunities to sing along with favorite songs and see Mirabel and