Hello and welcome to another weekly round-up of the BIGGEST Disney news from this week!

Whether you’re planning to visit Disney World soon or are just curious to know what’s been going on in the world of the Disney parks and beyond, we’ve got you covered. From a huge announcement about another replacement service for Disney’s Magical Express to COVID-19 updates, read on for all the Disney news you need to know!

1 — New Replacement Service for Disney’s Magical Express

First up we’ve got big news about a NEW replacement service for Disney’s Magical Express that has been announced. As many of you are well aware, Disney’s Magical Express will be discontinued starting in 2022. We’ve already shared lots of details about Mears Connect, a new service from Mears (the company that operates Disney’s Magical Express) that is, in many ways, meant to be a replacement of the same service. We even saw a Mears Connect bus in Disney World this week!

But now another replacement service has been announced. The Sunshine Flyer comes from Transportation Management Service (TMS). Like the Magical Express, The Sunshine Flyer will transport guests to and from their Disney World Resort hotels and Orlando International Airport. The motor coaches that will be used by The Sunshine Flyer will be themed around “old-fashioned passenger cars and train engines.”

The staff will be dressed as 1920s rail conductors and engineers.

Frank Sherman, the CEO of TMS shared that “through The Sunshine Flyer, we’re able to give guests the chance to start their vacation from the minute they step off the plane.” The service will become available in February of 2022.

Click here to learn more about The Sunshine Flyer!

2 — Parking Trams Are BACK!

In more exciting transportation news, parking trams are BACK in Magic Kingdom’s parking lot (a.k.a. the parking lot for the Transportation and Ticket Center).

Right now, trams have only returned to the Magic Kingdom parking lot, but they are set to return to the other parks throughout 2022.

Click here to see more about the return of parking trams to Disney World!

3 — Reopening News

Over the past few months, lots of things have reopened in Disney World. From restaurants to hotels, we’ve seen a number of fan-favorites made available once again. Now, one more thing has joined the list, and another will be joining it soon.

First, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular has finally reopened!

Though the show has been modified in some ways, it’s incredibly exciting to see the team perform those fantastic stunts!

Click here to see more about the reopened Indiana Jones Stunt show!

Soon to join the “officially reopened” list is another Disney World hotel — Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort! All-Star Sports originally had an earlier reopening date, but that was ultimately delayed.

All-Star Sports is now set to reopen in March of 2022 and reservations for the hotel are available to book. Once it opens up, all of Disney World’s hotels will have officially reopened.

Click here to see more about the reopening of All-Star Sports!

4 — Limited-Time Updates You Need to Know About

If you’re going to Disney World soon, there are quite a few limited-time perks you might want to take advantage of, and/or some last-minute thing you might want to pick up. First up, the Christmastime parade is now available for ALL guests to watch in Magic Kingdom, but it won’t be available for long!

If you want to try and get a good spot to view the parade from, consider booking a Genie+ Lightning Lane for the parade viewing area.

Holiday refillable mugs are also back in Disney World’s hotels, so you’ll want to snatch those up before they go away.

For a limited time, a special Disney World hotel perk has also gotten better! From now through January 3rd, 2022, all Disney World hotel guests (and guests staying at select other qualifying hotels) can enter any Disney World theme park on any day for an HOUR before that park’s official opening time. That’s an increase of 30 minutes from the typical Early Theme Park Entry perk.

Also, from now through January 3rd, 2022, select pay-per-ride selections are available through Genie+. That means you’ll be able to reserve a return time to use those rides’ Lightning Lanes through the regular $15 per ticket per day Genie+ service, rather than having to pay for those rides individually.

These are big perks you’ll want to take advantage of while you can!

Speaking of limited-time things, a number of specialty treats have become available as part of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. But some of these treats will be LEAVING SOON! That’s right folks, some of these treats aren’t sticking around for the full 18 months of the celebration.

Disney has announced that a few 50th Anniversary snacks — including the Seven Dwarfs Specialty Cone from Storybook Treats, the Showtime With Jose Dole Whip float from Aloha Isle, and others — will be leaving after January 9th, 2022.

Click here to see what snacks will be leaving soon!

If you’ve been hoping to try one of these treats, you’ll want to make sure you grab them before they’re gone. But there is some good news — new snacks will be joining the 50th Anniversary celebrations soon. We’ll be sure to update you on that once we get more details.

Click here to see what the holiday crowds are like in Disney World this week!

5 — COVID-19 Updates

Finally, we’ll wrap up our big news posts of the week with some COVID-19 updates. To ensure we are equipping our readers with all the information they need, we have continued to report on all travel, safety, and COVID-related news that could impact a Disney Parks visit.

This week, Orange County, Florida, where much of Disney World is located, was placed in the “high risk” COVID-19 category by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends that everyone in a Substantial or High risk category county wear a mask in public, indoor spaces. This aligns with Disney World’s current mask policy.

Click here to see more about this “high risk” designation.

Not long after we shared the news about this “high risk” designation for Orange County, Florida, Universal Orlando announced that they will be changing their mask policies. Starting on December 24th, all guests (regardless of vaccination status) will be required to wear face coverings in all public indoor locations.

Masks will also be required on all attractions from the moment the guest enters the queue to the moment they exit the experience.

Click here to see more about the new face mask rules for Universal Orlando

And finally, this week we shared that some experts have indicated the Omicron COVID-19 variant could slow international tourism to Florida. We’re keeping an eye out for more updates about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant and we’ll be sure to share that news with you.

Omicron and Disney World: Click here to see what you need to know

Of course, other news was also shared this week. Check out the links below to read more!

• All of your other Minnie ears will be jealous of THESE new ears!
• If you’re traveling to Disneyland Paris from the UK new travel restrictions could impact your trip
• Disneyland Paris Pride is returning in 2022
• See what popular food item has reached record high prices

• A popular 50th Anniversary Starbucks tumbler is back in Disney World
• Disney has responded to the $5 million Magic Key and Park reservation lawsuit
• Get 50% off your next Disney Cruise Line deposit

• See what former Disney CEO Bob Iger has to say about what Disney+ needs to succeed and learn why he felt like it was time for him to step down
• Holiday prices have arrived for pay-per-ride selections in Disneyland
• Could a Disney World permit hint at a secret new show in EPCOT?
• Check out the best Disney deals on Amazon this week
• Are dining reservations super limited in Disney World right now?

That’s it for this week! Be sure to check back with us for more updates.

$10 for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary character statues? We’ll take 5 thanks!

What news from this week surprised or interested you the most? Tell us in the comments!