You’ve been HOODWINKED by Disney World! Sure, you may THINK you know everything going down across the parks… but you don’t even know the HALF of it.

Whether it be after park hours or out in broad daylight, Disney World is constantly doing things behind the scenes to improve guests’ experiences, keep everyone safe, aaaaand make a little extra cha-ching while they’re at it.

So what are the super-sneaky things Disney World is up to that they try to keep underwraps? Let’s pull back that curtain and take a peek, shall we?

Decking The Halls

If you’ve been to Disney World around the start of the Halloween or Christmas seasons, you might feel bamboozled when you walk into the park one morning and find it completely transformed since your visit the day before. This is particularly evident when the big switch from Halloween to Christmas happens. But what IS this sorcery? No magic tricks going on here, friends! But you DO have a team of magic-making, fast-working Cast Members to thank for that metamorphosis!

Disney World holiday decorations are put up overnight to ensure their installation doesn’t interfere with guest safety…or disrupt the magic! Holiday decor often doesn’t all go up on the same night, which means you might continue to spot new details as the season goes on (at least for those first few days!). But even when there’s still more decor to be added, you won’t spot Santa’s elves hauling a Christmas tree down Main Street, U.S.A. in broad daylight!(They DO, however, haul them around late at night while you’re sleeping. Just as Jolly ol’ St. Nicholas intended.)

Prepping For New Attractions

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening JUNE 28TH, 2024 THIS SUMMER — and we’ve seen a LOT of progress happening for it over in Frontierland. In fact, we’ve even seen the log flumes start going down that 5-story drop again. So what’s the hold up? Why hasn’t the ride reopened yet if it’s working? Well, it’s like an iceberg. We might be able to see the tip of it, but there’s SO MUCH MORE going on underneath the surface.

Fun fact about the DFB team — several of our writers and reporters actually WORKED in the Disney parks before joining our big happy journalism family. So we decided to pick one of our reporter’s brain for a minute, since she had been a part of the opening team for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT — just to see if we could figure out what MIGHT be happening RIGHT NOW over at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Keep in mind that these Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are completely different beasts, so while our reporter’s experience more than likely won’t reveal EXACTLY what’s going on in Tiana’s ride, it can help us at least get a clearer understanding for what all’s involved leading up to a ride’s debut on the cast member’s end. Cast members who are a part of the opening team will need to be trained on the attraction and get plenty of practice before opening day.

That’s why, if you go to Magic Kingdom BEFORE Tiana’s big opening, you might spot Cast Members riding the ride. Sure, it’s a nice perk that comes along with the job — but it’s also an important part of the overall process. Cast members not only need to be able to explain the ride to new guests, but it also provides practice for other cast members when it comes to general operations.

Cast members who are a part of the opening team will need to be trained on the attraction and get plenty of practice before opening day. That’s why, if you go to Magic Kingdom BEFORE Tiana’s big opening, you might spot Cast Members riding the ride. Sure, it’s a nice perk that comes along with the job — but it’s also an important part of the overall process. Cast members not only need to be able to explain the ride to new guests, but it also provides practice for other cast members when it comes to general operations.

Before cast members can ride though, the ride is first tested with sandbags that mimic a human rider — and after the ride is operating properly and deemed safe, real humans need to test it out, too. Usually, Imagineers are amongst the first to ride and may have to make slight changes to the attraction after they’ve done those initial ride-throughs. Even after a ride has been deemed safe for humans to ride, the testing doesn’t stop there. The ride is cycled almost constantly to see how it does and also to see what might happen after back-to-back ride-throughs. This also gives cast members the chance to practice ride evacuation procedures and emergency scenarios.

An opening team for a new ride takes A LOT of cast members — so before opening day, cast members spend A LOT of time training. They also test out procedures, and whenever it’s necessary, Disney may change up those procedures and then retrain the cast. And after these things are all set in stone, cast members get to welcome select groups of guests ahead of time to practice their new roles. This is where those cast members, annual pass holders, and DVC member previews come into play.

These previews not only give members an EXCLUSIVE look at the ride before the general public, but they provide the opening team with a solid ride operating experience minus the stress of it being fully open for EVERYBODY. A LOT goes on before opening day on the cast members’ end. And while this extra bout of training does help the cast prep for when the new ride finally DOES open to the general public, we’d still recommend waiting out those initial few weeks of a ride’s opening before planning your entire trip right after a new experience opens. Kinks and delays and virtual queue mishaps will still be prominent once a new ride finally goes live.

Security Sweeps

Safety is Disney’s number one priority — and that includes making sure everyone (meaning EVERYONE) exits the park when it closes for the evening. Once the parks have closed for the day, Cast Members perform walk-throughs to make sure there are no guests left behind (or sneaking around in the bushes). Cast Members typically clear sections of the park each night, sweeping for any straggling guests.

According to USA Today, who decided to observe Disney cast members recently AFTER park hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney has a process called “clearing the park” where they… well… do just that. The way Disney clears the park varies depending on the attraction and area. At Slinky Dog Dash, for instance, “cast members ensured no one else was in the queue behind the last guests at park closing. Then they made sure those guests exited the ride and headed toward the park exit when they were done.”

Meanwhile, back in Galaxy’s Edge, several cast members were assigned to block off access to areas that had already been cleared.“As section by section was swept, they moved forward toward the front of the park, ensuring guests didn’t turn back unnecessarily.” That being said, USA Today emphasized that “no one was rushed out…” Instead, additional cast members lead guests toward the exit while also giving ‘em a friendly “See ya real soon.”

As tempting as it might be to never ever leave the “Most Magical Place on Earth” — you’re gonna HAVE to. The only way you’ll be able to hang out in the parks AFTER they close (for at least a little while longer) is one of two ways: You could use your Extended Evening Hours perk (if you’ve got it to use), which allows Disney’s deluxe hotel guests the opportunity to hang out at select parks on select nights up to two hours after they close to the general public. OR you can purchase a ticket for one of the park’s after hours events.

After Hours events ALSO happen at select parks on select nights and allow event guests to hang out in the parks THREE hours past general closing time. These events boast drastically reduced crowds, rare character appearances, way shorter ride lines, and complimentary snacks too! But after these extended evening hours and after hours opportunities wrap up?…Yeah, you’re still gonna need to hightail it back to your hotel room.

Security Hiding Amongst The Shadows

Think of Disney’s daytime security team like Perry the Platypus. At first, Perry looks like a normal(ish) platypus, just chilling out with Phineas and Ferb, being all unsuspicious. But the moment he puts on his little brown agent hat, he’s suddenly… “PERRY THE PLATYPUS??”

As creepy as it might sound, Disney basically tracks you wherever you go in the parks. (But it’s all for safety reasons, 110%.) While it may not look like it, there’s really intense security inside the parks at all times — including surveillance cameras in the gift shops, on the rides, and in the queues. The cameras inside the attractions are to protect guests since it can be very dangerous for yourself and others if someone just so happens to, say, stand up on a moving ride or do something… explicit.

The only place we know there AREN’T cameras in Disney World is in the restrooms — since that’s, well, illegal. Other than that, anywhere in the parks is pretty much fair game. Besides the video surveillance, there are also a lot of plainclothes security guards throughout the parks. So that sea of guests you see in front of you? There’s a very good chance at least one or two of those guests is actually Disney security in disguise (It almost feels Truman Show-like, right?). These plainclothes security members can keep an eye on everything that’s going on — and are often closer to the problems that arise than a Cast Member with a name tag.

So what kind of things do these plainclothes security members keep an eye on? Aside from potential “guest altercations,” they’re also making sure nothing gets sneakily “swiped” off the store shelves, OR that guests aren’t abusing the Lightning Lanes systems. Y’know, just making sure everyone’s keeping on their best behavior.

While plainclothes security are pretty hard to spot if you’re not looking for them (because they’re literally BLENDING IN with everybody else), if you see a Disney Dad-like character standing by himself, wearing a sneaky little earpiece, then you might’ve accidentally stumbled upon one. That might feel kind of weird to know, but I also find it generally comforting — especially when I’m in a big crowd (which happens quite often in the parks).

Fireworks Testing

Time for some Disney razzamatazz! When Disney World is preparing to debut a new fireworks show, or a special display for a holiday or event, the show has to be tested before it’s performed in front of guests. And, as many Disney fans know, even outside of the “busy season,” there are still plenty of guests in the parks from rope drop to close. Which means the fireworks testing has to take place once the parks have already shut down for the day. And that means UBER LATE at night!

You might see glimpses of fireworks testing from outside of the parks at nearby hotels… but only by chance and IF you stay up late enough to catch them! But since we’re on the subject… which Disney World resorts tend to have the BEST fireworks views? We gotchu. At the Contemporary Resort, you can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the resort’s private balcony during your meal at California Grill. Not to mention, some of the Contemporary’s rooms have fireworks views too (these rooms are labeled as “Theme Park View” on the website) — which allow you to just look out your window or relax on your balcony for a great show. (Just ask the Front Desk which channel to put on the TV so you can hear the music during the spectacular, as well).

And over at Polynesian Village Resort, you MIGHT be able to time your dinner reservation at ‘Ohana just right so you can watch Happily Ever After from your table. Just keep in mind that not all Ohana seating has fireworks views, but you can improve your chances of getting a fireworks view by requesting it when you check in for your reservation. That type of seating is NEVER guaranteed, even when you ask, but cast members will try to make it happen for ya IF they can.

You can also see the Magic Kingdom fireworks FOR FREE from the beaches and boat docks around the resort if you prefer watching them from outside. Grand Floridian has great fireworks views, too, if you situate yourself around the marina. But you can also pair dining with pyrotechnics over at Narcoossee’s —which is the resort’s seafood restaurant that juts out over Seven Seas Lagoon.

For the EPCOT fireworks, BoardWalk Inn has benches near Jellyrolls that’ll provide some FREE nighttime spectacular views. And in the same Resort area, you’ll find Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club Resorts both have hotels rooms that’ll get you fireworks views, too. You can also watch EPCOT’s Luminous from Stormalong Bay — the pool that the two resorts share. Over at Grand Destino Tower in Coronado Springs, both Toledo — Tapas, Steak, and Seafood (as well as the nearby Dahlia Lounge) also have fireworks views where you can see both the EPCOT fireworks AND some of the Hollywood Studios fireworks that go off during Fantasmic, too!

Show And Parade Rehearsals

Nope — performers at Disney aren’t born with all their lines and choreography memorized (though sometimes it may seem that way). Turns out, Disney’s performers get plenty of practice before they first debut in front of guests!

Show rehearsals are scheduled very similarly to when fireworks testing takes place (AKA: when the parks are closed). This allows performers to do a full run-through on-stage before debuting in front of guests. Disney parade performers have the SAME opportunity to practice without an audience before they make their official debut! And that also goes for testing any new floats or effects for new and seasonal parades as well!

One of our editors for the DFB site actually used to be in Mickey’s Magical Friendship Fare at Magic Kingdom — so she gave us a little sneaky-peeky concerning what goes on during these after-hours rehearsals. For these kinds of shows, cast members initially start rehearsals in an off-site studio before transferring over to the theme park stages themselves. Then, when it’s time to practice inside the park, they’ll begin by working on strictly blocking for the first night or so before eventually practicing the whole thing in full costume.

Our editor got the chance to be “good friends” with Olaf, and she told us that Olaf has to get harnessed and locked into a system for the castle stage so he doesn’t fall. And in order to GET to that system, he has to cross through the kitchen for Cinderella’s Royal Table! During rehearsals, this is also Olaf’s time to really learn how to be a living, breathing snowman. (I mean, this whole “being alive” business is still pretty new to him — so this is his chance to really start practicing blinking his eyes, moving his mouth, and getting those articulated head motions down. As one does when they become a freshly animated snow person.)

So what NEW shows are currently being rehearsed while the rest of us get some shut-eye? Beginning on June 10th — to kick off the opening of the CommuniCore Hall and Plaza at EPCOT — a BRAND NEW Encanto stage show called ¡Celebración Encanto!, will make its big debut! This’ll be a sing-along performance that highlights popular songs straight from the film! The show will be running several times a day and will take place on the CommuniCore Plaza stage, BUT only for a limited time!

This sing-along currently has an end date of September 6th, 2024 — so if this is something that you want to check out before it disappears like Bruno, make sure that you start planning your EPCOT trip SOON. Meanwhile, over in Hollywood Studios, The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure will be taking the stage this fall. This will happen where the former Little Mermaid performance used to take place inside Animation Courtyard, and will still be based on the cartoon version of The Little Mermaid movie, featuring classic songs from the film like “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and more.

One Word: Construction

Disney can’t pull the wool over your eyes COMPLETELY, especially when it comes to construction. (But that doesn’t mean they don’t TRY to, especially when it comes to RESORT construction.) More often than not, you’re gonna wind up running into some sort of construction going on when you’re doing a little resort hopping.

Sometimes the construction ain’t a big deal — and Disney’s just giving the hotel a little TLC — but other times a hotel will be undergoing major construction “for your future enjoyment!” While the results are usually pretty swanky, Disney has to find the time to actually DO these refurbs — meaning they have to work on ‘em when they know they won’t be COMPLETELY ruining current guests’ hotel experiences. (Or, at very least, not keeping ‘em awake at all hours of the night.) Which is why MAJOR resort construction usually happens in the afternoons, when Disney knows MOST of their guests will be out and about, exploring the parks or Disney Springs.

And that’s GREAT and all… unless you’ve got a child with a set nap schedule — OR you’re gonna want to head back to the resort midday to take a nap yourself. Depending on where your room is located — and how close it is to the hotel’s construction zone — your resort might not currently be able to provide you with the best afternoon cat nap ever. (Unless you’re capable of sleeping through drilling, hammering, and beeping vehicles.)

You can always check a resort’s construction updates on each hotel’s main page via the Disney World website. All construction notices will be listed toward the top of the page in bright, orange letters to let you know what you need to be aware of BEFORE you book a room there. And WE’LL let you know when we hear about new construction projects, too! We ALWAYS do via our free DFB newsletters!

Price Increases

You KNEW this one was coming, didn’t you? Budgeting for a Disney World vacation is hard enough as is without Disney ever-so-sneakily bumping up those price tags whenever you least expect them to. So WHAT potential price increases do you need to save back for, just in case?

Price Increase #1: Genie+

When Genie+ was first introduced back in 2021, it used to cost a flat rate of $15 per person per day. But now, Genie+ prices are date-based, rising and dropping depending on demand — with the highest Genie+ price that we’ve seen so far reaching up to $39 per person, per day. Genie+ pricing ALSO depends on which park you’re gonna be using it for that day. (So, for example, getting Genie+ for your day in Magic Kingdom is gonna be more expensive than getting it for your day in Animal Kingdom.)

On top of that, there’s also a separate price for Genie+ if you want to use it across multiple parks with your park hopper ticket. This multi-park Genie+ price usually matches up with the most expensive park price available that day. (So for instance, if Magic Kingdom had the highest Genie+ prices at $27, then the multi-park Genie+ option will also cost $27 that day). So even if you’re park hopping between EPCOT and Animal Kingdom (which are the two cheaper parks for Genie+), you’ll still likely have to pay that “Magic Kingdom price point,” since you’ll be using it for more than one park. It’s all fairly complicated — much more than a year ago! And since Disney doesn’t share prices in advance, you’ll probably need to budget for the maximum amount.

With all that being said, if you’re in need of a FREE Disney Genie+ cheat sheet (so you can figure out HOW to use this line-bypassing service — or if you even WANT to use it during your next vacay), go ahead and click on the link below!

Price Increase #2: Merch

Price increases on merchandise are often done quickly and without any warning. MagicBands are a REALLY good example of that. While Disney World Resort guests can get the regular-style bands discounted if they order them through their My Disney Experience account before vacation, once you arrive these bands could cost anywhere from $19.99 to $64.99, depending on your style and design.

So if you’re visiting soon, be prepared with a flexible souvenir budget — OR find those authentic Disney souvenirs at a much cheaper price point someplace else. Oftentimes, the DisneyStore website will run sales on select items straight from the parks. OR you can take a trip over to one of the character warehouses located in the Orlando Premium Outlets nearby (which’ll sell overstocked Disney merch at discounted prices)

Price Increase #3: Food

We love Disney food. We love it a lot. But, MAN, it’s getting pricier and PRICIER.We’re constantly spotting overnight price changes on restaurant menus that usually amount to just a few dollars at a time. But once you add all those price increases together, it could amount to A LOT more than you spent on food during your last visit. (Even if you’re last visit wasn’t too terribly long ago.)

In October 2023, hundreds of price increases hit Disney World, and many snacks were also affected. This included things like Mickey pretzels, Starbucks drinks, Joffrey’s Coffee, Dole Whips, prix-fixe meals, personal pizzas, premium ice cream bars… Basically, you could throw a dart at any of these Disney menus and you’d more than likely hit a price increase. So how can you better prepare yourself for the potential of Disney’s spiked dining prices? First of all, know that the HUNDREDS of October price increases we experienced LAST year weren’t an isolated case.

Historically-speaking, food prices tend to sweep across the property around October — so if you plan on visiting PAST October of this year, just brace yourself for potentially higher food costs.But DON’T assume you’re out of the woods IF you’re visiting BEFORE October — since Disney still finds ways to bump up menu prices, little by little, all year round. It’s just…more like a wave of price increases instead of a huge TYPHOON of them.

Now, I know we’re called Disney FOOD Blog because we’re all about the Disney eats and drinks around the parks — but at the end of the day, I want you to feel like you can DO Disney on a budget that you’re comfortable with. While Disney dining might be tasty, you don’t HAVE to rely on Disney restaurants if you don’t WANT to. There are several nearby grocery stores and big box stores just RIGHT outside the Disney bubble that you can hit up for some cheap and easy meal options that you can take into the parks with you.

If you don’t have a rental car or you don’t want to take an Uber to the local grocery store, you can also have those food items delivered to your hotel — via grocery app services like Kroger Delivery and Instacart. That way, you can save money by ordering items — like breakfast bars, or sandwich fixings, or whatever else you wanna take into the parks with you (just as long as they don’t need to be kept frozen or reheated)

Paint Job

Time for Disney to get ARTSY on us! Disney World restaurants, attractions, show buildings and decor are regularly repainted to keep them looking fresh. This is especially important for anything exposed to the intense Florida sun, which can cause some serious sun bleaching over time.

And while you might be able to see this paint activity being not-so-subtly hidden with scrim or those go-away green walls, the repainting itself will be done after guests have exited the parks. Recently, we’ve seen these paint job walls and scrims pop up in:

• Frontierland at Magic Kingdom (around Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Country Bear Jamboree — which is ALSO getting remodeled and will reopen later this summer as Country Bear MUSICAL Jamboree)
• CommuniCore Hall and Plaza at EPCOT (which should be coming down OFFICIALLY once this area opens on June 10th)
• And Vacation Fun — an Original Animated Short with Mickey and Minnie (which should actually be reopening here in the next few days on May 25th

Pushing Back Release Dates

While new rides, restaurants, and show releases are EXCITING to hear about, your eagerness to experience them may come back to bite ya. While Disney will sometimes give us very loose opening timelines for their new projects, there’s no way to guarantee that they’re gonna stick to these timelines. There’s actually a very good chance that Disney might quietly push back a release date, but not overly-advertise it.

Take the Cake Bake Shop AND Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs, for instance. Both eateries were slated to open by the end of 2023. And yet here we are, well into 2024, and they’re… still under construction with no exact opening date. And the same thing happened to CommuniCore Hall and Plaza; Originally, Disney had said we should expect to see it open toward the end of 2023 — but NOW we’ve got an OFFICIAL opening date for it on June 10th of this year.

Now, Disney’s not doing this because they’re being mean. Delays can — and do — happen. So if you really wanna time your visit JUST right so that you can SEE these up-and-coming experiences, wait until Disney makes a more solidified announcement for an attraction’s official opening date. With all that being said, make sure you’re not putting ALL your eggs into one basket here. You don’t want the weight of your trip to rely solely on one ride or one show or one restaurant being open. So many things could happen that’ll delay an opening yet again, or cause a ride/show to shut down for the day, or you may not even be able to get into a virtual queue OR snag an advance dining reservation for it. LOTS of factors to consider.

So make sure that when you’re planning this big Disney trip of yours, you’ve got a WHOLE list of things you’ll be excited to see and do rather than just being excited for ONE thing and ONE thing only.

Who KNEW Disney World could be so… so… ninja-like? Sorry, Disney — but we’ve just UNRAVELED your secrets to all our DFB friends. (But you guys can keep a secret… right? Right???)

Stay tuned for more fun behind-the-scenes updates and hidden gems here on DFB!

The Disney World Mistake You’ll Make in June

Did we reveal something you didn’t know about? Let us know in the comments!