Disney Trims Touring Time at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT
Two Disney parks are shrinking daily access this fall. Hollywood Studios' new Magic of Disney Animation attraction opens generously (9am-9pm) through Sept. 27, then drops to a 10am-6pm window starting Sept. 28 — a 33% cut that closes the building hours before evening park close. Clients touring after that date should ride it early rather than saving it for evening, since standard evening park hours will no longer cover it. Over at EPCOT, two October dates bring later morning openings and shortened hours, arriving alongside the festival calendar's final stretch: the last four Food & Wine Festival booths open Oct. 2, paired with a new Shiki-Sai fireworks dinner package at $120 per person launching the same day. That package is a concrete premium upsell for families booking EPCOT during peak festival season — pair the schedule flag with the sell.
- Magic of Disney Animation: 9am-9pm through Sept. 27, then 10am-6pm starting Sept. 28
- EPCOT: shortened hours on two October dates; final Food & Wine booths and $120pp Shiki-Sai dinner package launch Oct. 2
Universal's Family Coaster Squeeze: Rides Down Now, Prices Up Later
Islands of Adventure has two headline family attractions offline with no quick fix. Jurassic Park River Adventure won't reopen until Nov. 20, 2026, and Skull Island: Reign of Kong has sat closed for weeks with no announced date (unconfirmed reports point to animatronic damage). Advisors building Universal Orlando family itineraries through the holidays should reset expectations and reallocate touring-plan time away from both. The capacity crunch extends to Epic Universe, where Mine-Cart Madness — the Donkey Kong-themed family coaster — and other weather-sensitive attractions are driving the resort's longest waits nearly two years into operation, a trend that could push Express Pass pricing toward $800 per person by 2027. For 2027 planning conversations, start budgeting premium upgrades or setting firm standby-time expectations now.
- Jurassic Park River Adventure closed until Nov. 20, 2026
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong closed indefinitely, no reopening date announced
- Epic Universe Express Pass could approach $800/person in 2027
Margaritaville Expands Its Fleet as a Trust Fight Shadows the Brand
Margaritaville at Sea confirmed its largest-ever ship, the 3,500-passenger Beachcomber, will debut in Miami in January 2027 before relocating to Galveston that October — making Margaritaville the port's seventh cruise line. New itineraries include 4-night Cozumel Express sailings and 7-night Caribbean routes calling on Aruba, Bimini, Curaçao, Grand Bahama, and Key West, giving advisors a new sellable family cruise product for Texas- and Gulf Coast-based groups. The expansion lands as a legal dispute over Jimmy Buffett's $275 million trust plays out, raising brand and licensing uncertainty just as Margaritaville pushes aggressively into family resorts, residential communities, and cruising. It's not a reason to hold off selling today's confirmed itineraries, but it's worth watching for any downstream effect on future openings or reinvestment.