I got to visit Silver Dollar City for the first time a couple of years ago, and I absolutely understand why USA Today called it the best theme park. It’s an incredible place. It's a destination for roller coaster fans, with multiple incredible coasters, but it also has great food and an incredible design. And now, SDC is getting even better because it’s about to become a true theme park resort with a Silver Dollar City hotel coming in 2026

Silver Dollar City Is Becoming A True Theme Park Resort

Back in 2021, Silver Dollar City purchased 800 acres of undeveloped land next to the park. Another plan for a resort fell through and the park swooped in and grabbed the land. Since then, fans have been wondering what it would do with the space.

Silver Dollar City has now officially announced Silver Dollar City Resort, a hotel with 262 guest rooms that will provide easy access to the theme park. There will also be a full-service restaurant on site, and considering SDC has some of the best theme park food, the expectations for a meal at a full-service restaurant on the property are going to be high.

Needless to say, this is wonderful news. When I visited, it was clear one of the things that Silver Dollar City needed most was a hotel. The park is located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, giving it some of the most incredible views of any theme park in the world. The downside of that is there are no hotels located particularly close.

The resort will make Silver Dollar City a true destination.

Even More Is On The Way To One Of America’s Best Theme Parks

The resort is part of a half-billion-dollar investment in Silver Dollar City over the next decade that will develop over 1200 acres of land. The most recent addition to the park was a from-the-ground-up new version of Fire in the Hole, the park's iconic dark ride coaster.

While only the resort has been officially announced, it’s clear that a lot more is planned over the next decade as part of the major investment in Silver Dollar City. We can almost certainly expect a significant expansion to the theme park, which will likely include a marquee roller coaster or two. All of it is going to make this place even more of a must-visit theme park.

Silver Dollar City Resort is expected to open in late 2026.

This week, Disney announced that the planned opening in late 2024 is being pushed back into the summer of 2025. That’s a pretty significant delay for a live stage show. According to Disney, work is set to begin on the exterior of the building, including a new marquee, soon. However, one has to wonder if the delay in the new show and other plans for Disney’s Hollywood Studios may have something in common.

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure Delay Could Mean Big Changes For The Animation Courtyard

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure was originally set to open basically now. The fact that we’re only now getting the announcement that the show is delayed is indicative, though certainly not conclusively, that whatever caused the delay is some sort of last-minute issue that just came up.

In addition to that, the fact that permits to build a new marquee for the theater are only just being filed, when certainly those could have been filed earlier, could indicate that the work about to begin is something different than what was previously planned for the attraction.

If that’s the case, it could mean that even more changes are planned for the Animation Courtyard. The courtyard is one of two spots at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that are likely locations for the new Monsters Inc. land that has been announced as coming to the park. If Monstropolis is coming to the Animation Courtyard, that means the fan favorite Muppet Vision 3D may have received a stay of execution.

MuppetVision 3D May Have Been Spared, At Least For Now

Disney’s Hollywood Studios' Grand Avenue, otherwise known as the Muppet Courtyard, is currently home to Muppet Vision 3D, the last Muppet project that Jim Henson was personally involved in, as well as Pizzarizzo, the oddly popular dining location. Many believe, mostly based on concept art, that this is where the Monsters Inc. land announced at D23 this year is, or at least was, set to go. An official location hasn’t yet been announced.

However, because a lot of people love The Muppets, there’s been an outcry against replacing Muppet Vision 3D. Some rumors have implied that while Disney was planning to replace the Muppets, the outcry has caused them to reconsider, and the new land may go in the Animation Courtyard instead

So the idea here is the delay for The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is because the previous plans have changed, and in order for Animation Courtyard to accommodate both the new show and a Monsters Inc. land, some additional work on the Mermaid building is needed.

At this point, it’s all speculation. We don’t when work will begin on Monsters Inc. land. Disney World has a lot of construction planned in 2025, with work set to begin at Disney's Animal Kingdom already planned for January, and a major redevelopment of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom also in the cards. Even if we do ultimately lose Muppet Vision 3D, that day could still be several years away.

Theme park companies always try to have something new to offer guests every year but nobody is going to be able to compete with Universal Orlando Resort's newest offering when it opens a brand new theme park. Everything we know about Epic Universe is promising an incredible experience. Fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out just when we'll all be able to enjoy the new park. And now we know and it's even earlier than we thought.

Earlier this week it was reported that Epic Universe could open as early as Memorial Day Weekend 2025, which was already earlier than we expected. Epic Universe had been given a summer 2025 opening window, and most were expecting a date in June or even early July. However, it turns out that the new park will open even earlier, with the first guests set to be welcomed on May 22, 2025.

The First Epic Universe Tickets Will Limit The Time You Can Spend There

But if you want to be one of the first to experience Epic Universe, you will have to jump through some hoops. Tickets are set to go on sale very soon, October 22. Unfortunately, if you plan to spend a week at the new park, that option is off the table for now. As rumors a couple of months ago indicated, the first Epic Universe tickets will only be available as part of vacation packages. Guests will need to buy at least three days' worth of pack tickets to Universal Orlando Resort, and they'll only have access to Epic Universe on one of those days.

Single-day tickets will be available starting October 24, but only to Universal Orlando annual pass holders. Single-day tickets will certainly be made available to the general public before Epic Universe opens, but exactly when that will happen is anybody's guess. It's unclear if buying an annual pass today would get you access to Epic Universe tickets next week.

The three-day ticket package will run guests between $118-$174 per day ($352-$521 total). Visiting Epic Universe will be limited to a single day. Guests can use the other two days to visit Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of Adventure, or the Volcano Bay water park (for an additional fee).

Will One Day At Epic Universe Be Enough?

The ticket package itself isn't necessarily a bad idea. Most of the people looking to visit Epic Universe will likely be planning larger vacations and they'll want to visit the other two parks as well. Having said that, it's a safe bet that many will want to spend more than a single day at Epic Universe. It's a brand new park and anybody looking to experience everything Epic Universe has to offer will probably want to spend at least two days there.

Whether guests waiting to buy single tickets will be able to visit on opening day is a question. It may simply depend on how many people take advantage of these vacation packages. Clearly Universal is looking to manage attendance at Epic Universe to start. That makes sense. If the park is mobbed on opening day it will be a nightmare for Universal team members and will likely mean a lot of guests don't have much fun. This way, at least those that are there are having a good time.

And there's plenty of reason for guests to mob Epic Universe. The park boasts an incredible new roller coaster in Stardust Racers, as well as lands dedicated to Universal Monsters, How to Train Your Dragon, and a Nintendo. There will also be an all-new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

While you might not be able to spend as much time in Epic Universe as you might like, staying at the park's resort hotel will not be an issue. Reservations for the incredible-looking Helios Grand Hotel will open on October 22 as well. There do not appear to be any restrictions on booking, so anybody will be able to stay there for as long as they like.

Beginning October 23 at Disneyland, and October 30 at Walt Disney World, Disney Parks will begin to offer Lightning Lane Premier Pass. The new option will give guests the ability to ride any attraction that has a Lightning Lane queue, once per day, at any time of the guest's choosing.

This will make things much easier for guests, as the current Lightning Lane options force guests to pick the time they can do a ride ahead of time, and not all rides with Lightning Lanes are included in the base price. The kicker of Premier Pass is that it is, well, premier. At Disney World LLPP will run from $129-$449 per ticket per day, depending on the park. At Disneyland, the cost will be between $300-$400 per ticket per day but will cover both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, assuming you have also paid for a park hopper ticket.

Premier Pass Charges A Premium For Simplicity

Needless to say, those prices are enough to make your head spin. Disneyland only recently saw ticket price increases that saw tickets on the busiest days exceed $200 per person for the first time. Since we can guess those days will also include the most expensive Lightning Lane Premiere Pass, we’re looking at a pass that will cost twice what the ticket does, exceeding $600 total for a single person.

Having said that, what you get for that money is simplicity. The current Lightning Lane Multipass system restricts when you can use the faster line, and how frequently you get the chance. The Lightning Lane Single Pass, available at the most popular attractions, costs even more money, and you are forced to choose when you will use it when you buy it.

Premier Pass will allow guests to ride anything with a Lightning Lane, once per day whenever they want. This means guests have the freedom to decide when they ride certain things. Their schedule won't be dictated to them by when they were able to secure a window to use the Lightning Lane.

Lightning Lane Lane Premier Pass Is Meant To Be A Premium Option

While I hate having to pay for something at Disneyland and Disney World that used to be free, I myself have argued that the existing Lightning Lane Multi-Pass system is worth the money if you can afford to spend it. I recently took my family on a Disneyland vacation and found it invaluable. Because it isn’t crazy expensive, a lot of people are spending the money. The cost of Premier Pass, especially for my entire family, is simply not an option for me, but that’s part of the point.

Needless to say, this isn’t something Disneyland is necessarily expecting to sell a lot of. The announcement says they will be available in “very limited quantities” at launch. The idea here is that this is something that people who have the money can spend that will make their experience better, but more than likely large numbers of people won’t be buying this, so it shouldn’t have a significant impact on everybody else.

The Lightning Lane Premier Pass had been leaked previously, so we knew this was coming, though the exact details hadn’t yet been revealed. Honestly, this isn’t that shocking. Many of the other major theme park companies, from Universal to Legoland, have line-skipping options that are a lot more expensive than Disney’s standard Lightning Lane options. One of the biggest problems with Disney previously was that Lightning Lane could be difficult to use because of the need to schedule your rides. Universal Express Pass was much easier to use, but it cost a lot more.

Could Premier Pass Actually Make Lines At Disney Parks Better For Everybody?

Here’s the thing, While Premier Pass may be crazy expensive and something most of us may never be able to afford, it might be a good thing. As it currently stands Disney Parks won’t be selling massive numbers of Premier Pass on top of the current Lightning Lane sales. That would overfill the Lightning Lane and make it move much slower, something people spending $200 on LLPP won’t stand for. This means that more than likely, Disney will simply sell fewer of the current Lightning Lane option for every Premier Pass that is sold. If enough people are willing to pay for the Premier Pass, could the existing Lightning Lane go away entirely?

This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Disney parks could make as much money or more selling fewer Lightning Lanes at a higher price. This makes the line for Lightning Lane smaller overall, meaning it will have less impact on the standard standby line, which would allow it to move faster. As Defunctland has previously proved, line-skipping options are great for those who use them, but they make the experience worse for those in the standby line than they would be if the line-skipping option didn’t exist.

If we lose the existing Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, while it would subject those who can’t afford the more expensive option to the standby line, if that line is regularly a lot shorter than it currently is, that may not be a bad thing.

On the other side, if Lightning Lane becomes practically a walk-on experience, it at least makes spending that kind of money more worthwhile. Having used Universal’s Express Pass in both Hollywood and Florida, there is virtually zero wait if you do spend that money, which makes spending it more palatable.

It will certainly be interesting to see where things go from here. Ever since Disney World and Disneyland brought back a line-skipping option after reopening following the pandemic, it has been going through a lot of changes. Disney Parks are still trying to figure out what to do with this service. It’s unlikely this is the last addition or change. If Lighting Lane Premier Pass does become the standard, at least that would make the decision of what to spend money on easier and less confusing.

While we know almost everything happening at Epic Universe when it comes to the lands and attractions that the park will include, the big thing we don’t know is when we’ll actually be able to experience all of it. Epic Universe has only ever been given a summer 2025 opening window, but that’s a pretty wide period. However, a new story in the Wall Street Journal indicates that Universal is actually eyeing an opening that is technically even earlier, as it could open as early as Memorial Day Weekend 2025.

Epic Universe Could Be Opening By Memorial Day Weekend Next Year

While Memorial Day Weekend is technically still in the spring, it’s often seen as the unofficial beginning of summer. It’s actually fairly common for new rides to open that weekend. Disney World opened the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster that weekend a couple of years ago. But considering the scope and scale of Epic Universe, many were not expecting the park to be open that early.

To be sure, Memorial Day Weekend is not an official opening date yet. The date is being suggested to the WSJ by people familiar with the new park. It sounds like part of the reason that we don’t have an opening date quite yet is that Universal hasn't been quite sure when Epic Universe would be ready. The resort was hoping that everything would be ready by next May, but if construction was taking longer, then the opening would obviously be pushed back.

But if this report is accurate, then an opening date announcement is likely right around the corner, as the same sources indicate that tickets for Epic Universe could be going on sale before the end of the month. If that’s true, then we’ll know the official opening date of Epic Universe very soon.

When An Official Opening Date May Be Announced

If an official opening date for Epic Universe is imminent, then I would look toward New York Comic Con this weekend. There is a panel dedicated to Epic Universe on the schedule, so if there truly are plans to be selling tickets this month, then I would expect an announcement of when those tickets will be going on sale, and what dates they will be for, will be coming then.

With lands dedicated to Universal Monsters, How to Train Your Dragon, Nintendo, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there’s a lot to look forward to with Epic Universe. Even if the new park, and its incredible Helios Grand Hotel, are opening earlier than we thought, they can’t come soon enough.

A TikTok is going viral that has people laughing both in the comments and in the theme park. A guy tries to interact with Chewbacca in his native language, calling out with his best Wookiee noises, but Chewie is hilariously unimpressed. Check it out.

@deandre1108

♬ Comforting - Noah

A lot of people appear to be having some fun at the expense of this guy and his Wookiee call. The clip of a nonplussed Chewbacca has gone viral with millions of views and thousands of comments. Everybody is laughing at Chewbacca’s reaction.

Who among us hasn’t attempted to talk like Chewbacca? Any Star Wars fan has probably done it. Some people can pull off pretty good Wookiee calls, but some of us just don’t have that innate talent. This is, unfortunately, the case of somebody who really can’t pull it off and Chewbacca lets him know that the attempt just wasn’t noteworthy.

Chewbacca is one of the more likely Star Wars characters that you'll meet if you happen to be walking through Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. He's one character who transcends the eras of Star Wars movies, appearing in all three trilogies of films. Originally Galaxy's Edge was designed as a place where characters from only the sequel trilogy era could be found. However, Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and others from the recent Disney+ Star Wars series have been added and can be found in the land as well.

It’s actually pretty impressive how nonplussed Chewbacca can look here. Most Disney characters who walk around the parks in full masks wouldn’t be able to give this sort of expression, but Chewbacca’s Galaxy Edge character is essentially identical to the version we’d see in a Star Wars movie, so the mask is full of a lot more expression.

Chewbacca probably has to deal with a lot of people growling at him as he wanders through Galaxy’s Edge and interacts with guests. Honestly, it’s preferable to when some guests decide that grabbing Chewbacca is an acceptable thing to do.

I'm curious what sort of reaction Chewbacca would give to people who are better at sounding like a Wookiee. Can you have a "conversation" with Chewie where he'll respond to you if you are actually any good at making the right screams and growls?

The Disneyland Instagram account just dropped a brief tease that, while it is short on details, all but confirms the return of the popular nighttime light parade. It gives us a look at Mack, the big rig from Cars that's one of the original parade floats, and also includes a bit of Owl City's song "When Can We Do This Again?" the song from Wreck-It Ralph which was the parade's main theme. Check it out

It's difficult to describe just how happy I am right now. Paint the Night is an absolutely beautiful parade. It's a spiritual successor to the classic Main Street Electrical Parade, but one that has been modernized in every possible way.

The parade lights up Disneyland at night in a way that few other things can. The music is wonderful. Some of my happiest recent memories at Disneyland involve this parade. I am getting ready to make some new ones soon.

A follow-up comment on the post from the account simply says 'Stay tuned for more" so there's no information regarding just when Paint the Night will return. It certainly won't happen before the Christmas season ends so we're likely looking at a late January 2025 parade start at the earliest.

2025 marks the 70th anniversary of Disneyland. The Paint the Night return will likely be considered part of that event. We don't know whether the official start of that celebration will come in January, as the birthday year begins, or start in mid-July, closer to when Disneyland officially opened. All we can hope is that the celebration will last at least a full year and that things, like Paint the Night, will last the duration of the celebration.

The return of Paint the Night comes alongside a special appearance by another of my favorites, The Mad T Party band, at D23 in August, While it wasn't confirmed the band was set to return, I've suspected that they could also be part of the 70th anniversary. The last time the band played at Disney California Adventure was part of the park's 60th anniversary.

It's beginning to look like next year is planning to be a sort of "Greatest Hits of Disneyland" anniversary party, which honestly sounds amazing. Considering that Walt Disney himself will be on hand next year, 2025 at Disneyland is only looking better every day.

The comedian was on kcrwlosangeles’ radio station recounting the whole nightmarish event from her days in the DCP, explaining:

The Disney program is an internship of sorts and hosts many students on an annual basis. She’s probably not alone in the experience of wearing ill-fitting costumes that make it so she can't showcase Buzz's best self. Zamata went out regardless, adorned in the oversized costume doing her best but pretty shaken up inside. She went on to say:

It’s a great reminder for us all to treat character performers and park staff with respect and awareness, regardless of ticket prices. Hopefully, Zamata had some kindness from the public that day.

Now, it would be nice to know how the costumes have developed over the decades and if they are more manageable for people of varying sizes. Plus, with the Disney Parks always expanding, and so many people going to work at them through programs like the DCP, I hope they're all being treated well.

The ex-Buzz Lightyear performer has been making quite a name for herself since her days working at Disney. Zamata has her standup comedy special Sasheer Zamata: The Last Black Unicorn. She's appeared in shows like The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Last O.G., and of course, she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Not to mention, she’s BFFs with Nailed It’s Nicole Byer, a killer bestie combo that beats some of the classics, in my opinion.

Plus, Agatha All Along premiered on September 18th and has been a hit on the 2024 TV schedule. Sasheer plays Jennifer Kale, a sorceress and potion expert, who belongs to Agatha’s coven, and she's been killing it. Overall, she's come a long way since she was a panicked college-aged Sasheer as Buzz Lightyear in the parks, and I couldn’t be more pleased that she’s in much better-fitting costumes these days.

Hurricane Milton was looking like it was going to be one of the worst storms to hit Florida in many years as it headed toward the state. While the previous hurricane only caused Disney World and Universal Orlando to close a few things, and the parks remained open, this time the brunt of the storm was going to go over Orlando.

This caused all of the area theme parks, including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, to close, and while they are all closed today as well after the storm, the images you may have seen of a flooded Main Street U.S.A. are entirely fake.

Images Of A Flooded Magic Kingdom Aren’t Real

While flooding at Disney World has happened from time to time, images have been going viral on Twitter that show parts of Magic Kingdom under what looks to be a few feet of water. It's something we've never seen before, and it actually didn't happen now.

The images are AI creations. While it’s unclear if the post intentionally created the AI images, or simply reposted them from another source, please be aware that anything you see like that is not real. There have been no reports of significant flooding at Disney World.

Anybody who knows Magic Kingdom well will be able to tell at a glance that the pictures aren’t real. While the image of Cinderella Castle is decent, the area of Main Street in front of it looks nothing like the actual street if you were to visit it today. The image is so fake I'm surprised it doesn't include Cinderella's Castle deconstructed. It's a popular Disney World myth that the castle can be taken apart to help it survive hurricanes.

Needless to say, it’s utterly depressing, and frustrating, to see AI used to sensationalize the situation and cause people to gawk at a problem that isn’t even real. There will clearly be a lot of real destruction caused by Milton that should be getting people’s attention.

What’s Actually Happening At Walt Disney World And Universal Orlando After Hurricane Milton

The actual state of affairs at Walt Disney World is far less terrible than fake pictures indicate. In fact, there’s no reason to believe there are any real problems at all. Earlier this morning Disney World was asking guests who waited out the storm in the hotels to remain sheltered indoors while damage was assessed, but that request has since been lifted.

The parks at both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort will be closed today, which was the plan as it was announced on October 8th. Both resorts are still planning to reopen on Friday, October 11. Today will likely be a day of cleaning up the mess left behind by the storm.

There may still be some individual attraction closures at Disney World or Universal if there was any damage done. The last time a major hurricane came through Orlando, Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Jurassic Park River Adventure lost a chunk of its exterior wall, which closed the ride for a while, but the rest of the park reopened on time. Disney World has seen some hurricane damage as well in the past, but it's never been anything too significant. Florida theme parks are built to withstand hurricanes.

Depending on the state of individual attractions or other buildings we may see some individual closures, but nothing like that has been announced yet.

I should probably preface this by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of scary things. My Halloween tastes are more in line with Disney's Oogie Boogie Bash, but this will be my third year attending Horror Nights. Last year’s inclusion of a Stranger Things house set my expectations high, but I knew I needed to temper my expectations this year since I wasn’t familiar with many of the franchises utilized. Even though I don’t always get all the references, I still enjoy walking through the houses to see all the details while trying not to run to safety. All that’s to say that my opinions might be slightly skewed, and that could be why I found the Chucky lead show to be the highlight.

What Happens At The "Late Night With Chucky" Live SHow

So what exactly happens at the “Late Night With Chucky” live show? Well, it starts with guests being brought into the lobby of the DreamWorks Theatre — which last year was used for a Blumhouse’s MEGAN show. While waiting to take their seats, fans are greeted by a producer of Chucky’s new show who is tasked with getting everyone hyped for the A-list actor they’re about to see. Unfortunately, the speech is interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw being used on somebody.

After confirming that Chucky has murdered said guest, the producer pivots, and a QR code is presented on screens, prompting guests to submit questions that Chucky might answer. Once inside the theater, guests are greeted by Chucky’s MC, who lays out some rules that include staying hyped so we don’t end up Chucky’s next victim.

Eventually, Chucky appears on the traditional late-night style desk and engages in some banter with his producer before answering a handful of questions. After that, the MC walks around the audience and passes the mic off to a couple of lucky fans who get to have an actual conversation with the killer doll. Most of these end with Chucky either insulting them in some way or answering a question with a thinly veiled innuendo.

It’s hilarious and entertaining, but then things take a turn when Chucky begins to get antsy. The lights start flickering, and suddenly he disappears for a moment before returning as a projection on the screen with a chainsaw. The audience hurriedly exits as he begins his killing spree.

Why It Was My Favorite Part Of Horror Nights

As I said earlier, I’m not the biggest fan of scary things, so having a slightly comedic show to break up the nightmare fuel was a nice little break. But even those in my party who are horror connoisseurs enjoyed the high-energy absurd show.

I think what makes it so fun is that there is never a lull in action. Even when the MC is walking around looking for the next guest to talk, Chucky commands attention on stage, cracking jokes and threatening violence. It’s fun to hear what off-the-wall questions fans send for him to answer, and with the audience participation, no two shows are the same.

In my show’s case, the first question asked Chucky to “Kiss, Marry, Kill” Jason, Freddy and Michael Myers, which he answered in true Chucky fashion by saying he’d kill them all. Another hilarious interaction occurred when the MC noticed a fan in the front row who had a life-sized crocheted doll of the famous killer. Instead of being honored by her commitment, Chucky tells her he’s going to turn her into his own doll by killing her with her crochet needles.

The unpredictability and Chucky’s willingness to improve keep the audience on their toes and by the end of the short show, there’s not a dry eye in the house. However, I will say that the ending could be a bit more dramatic. Perhaps the show could take a page out of the M3GAN show from last year and have Chucky actually appear in the audience with a chainsaw ready to chase everyone out.

If you’re headed to Universal Studios Hollywood’s Horror Nights this year, I definitely recommend checking out “Late Night with Chucky” at some point during your trip. If I had the chance to go again, I’d catch the show twice and skip The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface House. Sure, CinemaBlend’s own Sarah ranked it as her number one house, but it was a bit too grotesque for my taste — especially the smells.

If you can't make it but want a glimpse of Chucky's dry humor, consider streaming his live-action with an active Peacock Subscription. And if jump-scares and murderous dolls aren’t your style, consider checking out Universal Studios during the Christmas holiday, which will include a new addition this year.