If you’re planning a trip to Disney World soon, then this is the post you desperately need.

You might think you know everything about Disney World, but things are changing. From new discounts you can take advantage of to changes made to the Park Pass reservation system, if you haven’t caught up with the latest news you could make some big mistakes. Here’s all the recent news you need to know.

1 — Park Pass Reservations Changes

First in terms of big news this week, we’ve got some important Park Pass updates. Every Disney World guest needs a valid Park Pass to enter a theme park on every day. You might already be very familiar with the system, but some important parts of it have changed.

Now, most guests can MODIFY their Park Passes, rather than cancel and rebook them. So if you’re looking to change the date, park, or party members for a particular Park Pass, be sure to check and see if that modify option is now available to you. (Note that it doesn’t seem to be available to Annual Passholders making Park Passes through the “hotel path” rather than using the number of allotted days for their pass.)

Changes have also been made in terms of what buttons need to be selected so that you can make Park Passes for family members and friends in your group. You’ll now want to make sure you are sharing ALL of your plans with your group.

Another change made to the app now means that you also can’t see to whom certain Park Passes are tied. The system now redirects you to log into the Disney website through an internet browser, so that may cause some delays when checking certain plans.

Click here to read more about these Park Pass changes

2 — Buffet News!

If you love Disney World buffets, then get ready. Buffet service is returning soon to Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

The family-style dining will continue through October 31st, but on November 1st, 2022, buffet fans can rejoice with the return to the more “normal” buffet service that this spot was known for. Full menu details haven’t been shared yet, but we’ll update you when we know more.

Click here for the buffet details!

3 — Fireworks CHANGES

Over at Magic Kingdom, we have some BIG fireworks news to share. First, some important changes are coming to the fireworks times in Magic Kingdom. Starting October 17th, the fireworks times change from 9PM all the way up to 8:15PM. That’s a huge difference and could really impact your dinner or park hopping plans, so make sure you keep that in mind for your scheduling! Click here to learn more about these changes.

But that’s not all. Some big changes have been made to the actual Magic Kingdom fireworks show too. While Disney Enchantment is still the show being offered at that park, a NEW section has been added as a sort of intro part that features footage of Walt Disney, Roy Disney, and other historical videos of the Most Magical Place on Earth during its development.

If you’re a big Disney history fan, this is something you’ll probably really appreciate.

Click here to learn more about these fireworks changes!

4 — H2O+ Is Retiring!

In GIANT Disney news for fanatics of the little soaps and shampoos you find in the Disney hotel rooms, Disney’s bath products brand — H2O+ — is retiring at the end of the year. 😭 

According to Carlye Wisel, however, the products won’t be leaving Disney properties at this time though. So it looks like the products will be sticking around in Disney’s hotel rooms for the time being. Of course, that is subject to change as this situation develops.

If hearing about the brand’s retirement has you nervous about losing any of the products that you know and love, then you may want to act fast. You can still buy some of their general (typically non-Disney) items on Amazon right here. A number of their Disney-specific items were available on shopDisney as well, but those seem to have since disappeared from the website. 😮

We’ll be keeping an eye out for updates there.

Click here to learn more about the H2O+ brand retirement

5 — BIG Disney+ Day Perk

Are you a Disney+ subscriber? Then you’ll need to know about this big Disney+ Day perk. On Disney+ Day, September 8th, 2022, ALL Disney+ subscribers will get to enter ANY of the Disney World or Disneyland theme parks 30 minutes before the park’s regular opening time. (Tickets and a valid Park Pass are required.)

On top of that, on Disney+ Day (again, September 8th), guests staying at select Disney World and Disneyland hotels (who would normally get to enter the parks early through the Early Theme Park Entry perk) will get to enter the parks a full HOUR before the regular opening time. This is for all qualifying hotel guests, not just ones who are Disney+ subscribers.

Click here to read more about this HUGE Disney+ perk!

6 — Annual Passholder Discount News

Now we hop over to the news that Disney World Annual Passholders need to know about. Disney has announced that Annual Passholders can save BIG when it comes to staying at Disney World hotels this holiday season.

Specifically, Annual Passholders can save up to 25% on rooms at select resorts for most nights from October 23rd through December 25th, 2022.

Click here for full details about this discount.

But that’s not all. Annual Passholders can usually get discounts on lots of merchandise in Disney World, but that discount is about to get better! From September 14th through October 14th, the Annual Passholder merchandise discount will increase from 20% to 30%!

That could score you some significant savings in the parks, but remember it won’t be around for long so you’ll want to act fast once September 14th hits.

Click here to learn more about this discount increase!

7 — Hotel Booking Changes

Booking a hotel for a future Disney World visit? You used to be able to make a room-only reservation as far as 499 days in advance, but that has now changed.

As of August 19th, 2022, you can only book a Disney World hotel through the end of whatever Disney has released for its “annual product release.” In other words, room-only reservations now seem to be limited to whatever dates Disney has released for general vacation package booking (right now that’s through December 31st, 2023).

If you only book packages or never book your hotels too far in advance, then this might not affect you. But if you’ve used that old 499-day rule in the past to score a hotel reservation really early, that could impact your plans.

Click here to learn more about these hotel booking changes!

Of course, other Disney news was also shared this week. See more details below:

• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has reopened in Disney World
• Get a complete list of what’s coming to Disney+ in September
• Reservations are now open for 3 behind-the-scenes tours returning to EPCOT
• Monkeypox cases have been reported in all 50 U.S. states
• Get an update on the Reedy Creek Improvement District dissolution situation

• Some more concept art for the Splash Mountain re-theme has been shared
• Get a look at some NEW photos shared of the Moana attraction coming to EPCOT
• Southwest now offers upgraded boarding online
• Watch the live-action Pinocchio trailer
• Flying to Disney World just got CHEAPER with this $59 sale!
• We spotted some new Minnie ears that might be the most gorgeous ones we’ve ever seen

That’s it for this week! Stay tuned for more Disney news.

Did you know that a new King Kong series is in the works at Disney+? Click here to learn all about it!

What news from this week interests you the most? Tell us in the comments!