The Tip Board Newsletter by James Grosch

Disney Intelligence for Smarter Vacations

🏃‍♂️ The Rope Drop: Buzz Lightyear Is Back, With Fresh Batteries

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is back after a lengthy refurbishment. While the ride officially reopens on April 8, it has been in soft opening at Magic Kingdom.

Besides the slick new entrance marquee, the ride features new handheld blasters, new targets, and a new digital scoreboard that can go to infinity and beyond (bye bye 999,999 limit). There's a lot that's new.

This is the start of what I'm calling Refresh Season at Disney World (honestly, I'm working on the phrasing). This summer is shaping up to be fascinating, because like Buzz Lightyear, Disney has taken several popular attractions and will be making them feel like new again.

Soarin' gets a new film
Millennium Falcon gets an all-new mission
Big Thunder has a new track and new effects
Animation Courtyard is completely transformed into Walt Disney Studios, bringing back the fan favorite Magic of Disney Animation
Rock N Roller Coaster will have an all new headlining act, with the Muppet takeover

I honestly can't remember anything quite like this, with so many rides getting a refreshed feel. This is gonna be a really fun time, when a lot of fan favorites feel like new again.

But that's what's coming this summer. Let's take a look at April.

📲 The Tool You Need: Booking Magician (Partner)

Easter Week means huge crowds, and harder to get tables at Disney's most in demand restaurants. But a reservation alert system can get you that coveted ADR.

I recommend Booking Magician, because of the speed of the alerts (especially text messages). Every second counts when trying to get score that last minute table at Beak and Barrel or Space 220.

Use code GUIDE2 for 10% off Booking Magician (affiliate link).

📊 The Analysis: Your Week-by-Week April Game Plan

Here's every week ranked based on crowds, so you can plan accordingly.

🔴 The Busiest Week: April 1-5 Happy Easter! Easter Week is not only the busiest week of the month: it's been in the top 3 busiest weeks of the year from 2023-2025. This is where Spring Break hits its peak. Luckily, having an early April Easter is good news for the rest of the month.
🟠 Heavy-to-Moderate Crowds: April 6-12 Many school districts still have Spring Break this week. So while Easter crowds will ease up, it won't be exactly light either. Buzz Lightyear reopens on April 8, adding MK demand but also added capacity.
🟡 Moderate-to-Possibly Light: April 13–19 We're finally exiting Spring Break season. This features the runDisney Springtime Surprise race. As I've shown in other newsletters, the races actually don't have as big of an impact on lines and wait times as you would think, and the Springtime Surprise has not had as huge of an impact.
🟢 The Best Weeks: April 20-30 This is the kickoff of one of my favorite times to visit Disney World. Late April / early May is just an amazing time to go. The weather is still not-too-hot. Flower and Garden is in full bloom. And crowds are low as students finish the school year.

If you're interested in booking a trip this month (or next), you can get in touch with my travel agent partner, Vacationeer. Their Disney experts can handle all the details for you.

🎢 Park Intel

EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival continues all month long.
Disney Resort Bus Change Up - Doctor Disney reports on Facebook that Disney busses from Disney Springs to the resorts are currently requiring proof of reservation (Magic Band or room key). This is become a protocol during the busiest weeks of the year. This temporary change should end after April 5 (Easter Sunday)
Coaster Closures Continue Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Big Thunder remain closed all month. Big Thunder is slated to return in May, and the Muppet RNRC will rock on starting in the summer.

⭐️ The Recommendation: The April Cheat Sheet

If you're visiting Disney World any time this month, download my free April Cheat Sheet. It has the crowd forecast for every week, plus the best and worst days to visit each park. You can save hours in line across your vacation by picking the right day for each park.

Download your April free cheat sheet here.

Dive Deeper: Disney's Reinvented Theme Park

In case you missed it, last month I had the incredible opportunity to visit Disney Adventure World before it opened. Now that the guards have officially opened up the gates to the reimagined park and World of Frozen, make sure you check out my two part review, where I share everything new at the park, and share if Disney gave this park a truly new identity along with its new name.

Part 1: I Went Inside Disney's €2 Billion Transformation Before It Opened

Part 2: Did Disney Finally Fix Its Second Park Problem?

Disney Adventure World Shorts:

How Robo-Olaf Can Walk on A Boat

Frozen Ever After: Paris vs Epcot