Top 10 Orlando Attractions stories of 2014

By Banks Lee

From announcements to construction, to openings and closures, 2014 was a another busy year for Orlando’s theme parks. We are taking a look back at the 10 most viewed stories on our blog in 2014.

NOTE: Not every major news story of 2014 will be featured here. This list is based on the view count of our blog posts. Click on the headlines to read our full original stories in a new browser window.

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10. Disney World pass holder MagicBands now available – How to get yours

2014 marked the big rollout of MyMagic+ for non-resort guests, including annual passholders. This guide to getting your MagicBand proved useful for many people.

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9. A remodeled Hub coming to the front of Cinderella Castle

Much needed changes were announced for the hub area of Magic Kingdom as details were revealed for an expansion. Crowd flow has been a major issue here, especially during peak seasons and this expansion should help to alleviate that. It’s still on track to be finished sometime in 2015.

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8. The Rumor Queue: Jurassic Park arch comes down as Universal Orlando makes way for their next attraction

Work began next to the Jurassic Park area of Universal’s Islands of Adventure for an upcoming addition to the park, strongly rumored to be King Kong. Around this time, the Jurassic Park arch was taken down, fueling the rumors. Universal still hasn’t announced what will be coming here, although the King Kong rumors have only gotten stronger and a huge building is now being built on the property just behind the trees to the left.

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7. American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios closing August 30

When we first published this story, The American Idol Experience was scheduled to close in early 2015, but Disney moved the closing date to Aug. 30, 2014 instead. This ended its 5-year run. No replacement has been announced for the theater.

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6. Diagon Alley London waterfront facade revealed at Universal Studios – photos/video

As construction started to come to a close for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in early 2014, many elements began to appear on the London waterfront. It wouldn’t be long before more details would emerge about the new area …

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5. New details revealed for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley

Just a few days after posting about the London waterfront facade, Universal revealed many details about what guests would experience when Diagon Alley opened to the public last summer.

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4. Studio Backlot Tour closing later this month at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

There were several closures throughout Orlando’s parks in 2014. One of the major attractions to close was the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Though the attraction had been a staple at the park since opening day, it really hadn’t been the same since Residential Street was removed for Lights, Motors, Action.

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3. Photo Update: A look at Downtown Disney’s transformation into Disney Springs

The big change from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs continued all through 2014, with the Characters in Flight balloon providing great aerial viewpoints for photo updates like this one. The changeover is still ongoing.

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2. Does new Disney brochure foretell the removal of Hollywood Studios’ Sorcerer’s Hat?

Sometimes things the theme parks want to keep quiet end up sliping out into public view. Sometimes it’s just an error, but in some cases it could be something about a future addition or closure that hasn’t been officially announced yet. This map in a Disney brochure revealed a clue about something long rumored: the removal of the Sorcerer’s Hat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Some claimed it was just a printing error, but just a short time later …

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1. Giant Sorcerer Hat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be removed

Disney finally made an official announcement that the Sorcerer’s Hat would be removed in early 2015. This was the most talked about story on our website in 2014. Many people are happy about the removal and have wanted it gone for years, to return the street view as it had been before the hat was added. Others have said they are disappointed by this news and hope Disney moves it instead of destroying it. Disney still hasn’t said if it will be destroyed or moved, or what will be put in its place, if anything. Maybe that announcement will be our top story for 2015. Stay tuned!