Our October was an eventful one — especially in Magic Kingdom!

With. the spooky season in full swing and the holidays creeping up right behind, we’ve certainly had LOTS of updates to share with you over the past few weeks. So, let’s look at the five MOST IMPORTANT changes we’ve seen in Magic Kingdom this month!

1. Refurbishment Updates

First up, let’s talk about refurbishment updates. There are a few major refurbishments going on in Magic Kingdom right now and several of them have a good chance of affecting your Disney day. October even saw many of these refurbishments EXTENDED! 

Perhaps the most-known is the current closure of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. This attraction closed prior to the park closures and we saw several changes and extensions to that schedule this month.

First, the closure was extended to a new date before losing a date altogether. Finally, a date was reinstated so we can hope for this attraction to return on January 9th — as long as there aren’t any other extensions!

And PeopleMover isn’t the only refurbishment schedule that saw extensions in October. Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat are currently under refurbishment. We’ve seen draining in the Rivers of America this month AND changes to the timeline for the work.

The refurbishment on these Liberty Square/Frontierland attractions was extended from an end date in January to an end date of February 28th. Well, at least we have a cute refurbishment sign to look at in the meantime!

This month also showed us an update over in Fantasyland as “it’s a small world” also got some changes. There are now colorful construction barriers surrounding the attraction!

Click here to learn more about the latest news for the PeopleMover!

2. Preparations for the Return of Nighttime Shows

A BIG change we saw this month was the return of nighttime projections on Cinderella Castle — well, kind of. A guest at one of the Monorail Loop hotels caught footage of projections being tested on Cinderella Castle after Magic Kingdom closed for the day.

Of course, projections are CONFIRMED for this holiday season so this was probably testing on that front! Regardless, it’s a PRETTY big deal to see signs of a nighttime show in Magic Kingdom (or any Disney park) so we’re pumped about this change!

Click here to see VIDEO of the testing!

3. Return of Limited Merchandise Releases

Another surprising return we got this month was related to limited-edition merchandise! When the Disney Parks first reopened, limited merchandise releases were halted in the interest of limiting crowding a promoting social distancing.

This month though, Disney surprisingly planned an Annual Passholder-exclusive shopping event for the Haunted Mansion Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction collection in Magic Kingdom — and it was kind of crazy.

Crowding was certainly NOT limited when this collection dropped. It took us HOURS waiting in line to get to the store to snag our merch and some items sold out before we arrived.

We’re not sure we’ll see a release like this happen again anytime soon, it depends on how Disney felt this month’s event went. Of course, you can keep an eye on DFB for updates about limited merchandise as soon as we have them.

Click here to see PICS from the limited release!

4. Limited Holiday Availability

We DEFINITELY saw some changes to the availability for the upcoming holidays this month! Disney Park Pass reservations can sometimes be hard to come by and high demand days are a GREAT example of this.

This month, we saw Halloween Park Passes fill for Magic Kingdom TWICE, Thanksgiving Park Passes fill for select guests, AND Christmas Day Park Passes fill for select guests too. Whew!

If you’re hoping to head to Disney World for a major holiday, make sure that you make those plans well in advance and book those reservations as SOON as you purchase your park admission! 

Click here to learn everything you need to know about Disney Park Pass reservation!

5. Menu Changes at Sleepy Hollow 

This month we noticed that not one but TWO fan-favorites were missing from the menu at Sleepy Hollow. Both the Mickey Waffle and the Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich (aka the Nutella Waffle) were GONE.

Only three items remained on the menu.

But don’t freak! Right now, both the Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich and the Mickey Waffle are being served during breakfast. So, while they aren’t GONE, they are only being served before 11AM. Therefore, if you’re looking to chow down on one of these goodies, you will want to plan your day accordingly.

You can ALWAYS catch all the latest updates in Magic Kingdom and beyond by staying tuned right here on DFB! Let’s head into an eventful November! 😉

Click here to learn more about the face mask policy update.

What changes did you notice in Magic Kingdom this month? Tell us in the comments!