5 Unexpected Things That Happened in Disney World This Week

It’s never a dull week in Disney World!

It takes a lot to keep Disney World running!

This week we’ve learned about mysterious patents, big ride queue changes, and there was even a power outage! Let’s get right into all the unexpected Disney World news this week.

Standby Queue for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opened in EPCOT on October 1st, 2021, and it has since utilized a virtual queue system. This allowed guests to grab a spot in the virtual queue or pay to skip the line via Individual Attraction Selection (aka pay-per-ride). As a result, there was no standby line.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

But now, this is changing. As of January 10th, 2022, guests will be able to enter a regular ol’ standby line for the ride, which means no more virtual queue. Otherwise, you can still pay to skip the line.

Disney just announced the end of the virtual queue for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Dok-Ondar is Missing

This week we visited Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities in Disney’s Hollywood Studios only to find that the shop’s namesake was missing! It’s not unusual for animatronics to go missing in Disney World from time to time, but it was but unexpected to find a red curtain around Dok’s usual spot.

Where did Dok-Ondar go?

Dok-Ondar’s is home to all kinds of Star Wars souvenirs, like robes, kyber crystals, and even lightsabers! You can still shop even though the shop’s “owner” seems to be “out of town” for the time being.

Check out the missing Dok-Ondar situation here!

New Ornament — After Christmas

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort apparently didn’t get the memo that Christmas has passed — but then again, we shop for ornaments all year long! The new Polynesian Village Ornament debuted this week for $29.99 at the BouTiki gift shop.

This is SO cute!

On one side is the entrance of the Polynesian Resort, while on the other side you can see tropical Mickey and Minnie and the iconic Tiki statue from the lobby. It’s behind the counter so you have to ask a Cast Member to purchase it!

Check out the new Polynesian Village Ornament here!

Power Outage at Magic Kingdom

This week there was a power outage one evening at Magic Kingdom and a few surrounding Disney World hotels, including parts of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The outage occurred around 6PM and was resolved by 10PM.

Magic Kingdom

The outage also affected a few transportation options, like the Monorail and the Ferryboats. We learned from readers that buses got pretty crowded!

Learn more about the power outage at Magic Kingdom here!

New Disney Patent

We also learned about a patent recently filed by Disney Enterprises, which hints at a project involving virtual effects and virtual reality. In other words, it’s possible that Disney is working on a projection mapping and/or virtual reality system that could project images onto objects.

©Disney

The patent also includes descriptions of what could be a handheld device, which they define as a “projection device.” We will have to wait and see what this turns out to be!

Read how Disney’s new patent could bring virtual reality into the real world!

And that’s all the unexpected news from the week! Keep reading DFB for more Disney World news, updates, and more!

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Are you surprised by any of the news this week? Tell us in the comments!