food IS a theme park
When it comes to ranking the popularity of the Disney World parks, EPCOT doesn’t usually make the top of everyone’s list.
EPCOT
Sure, it’s popular right now thanks to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival (and you can read ALL about that here, as well as read all our food booth reviews), but today, EPCOT is popular for an entirely different reason. So, what’s going on? Why is EPCOT the ONLY park that’s sold out today when it comes to park pass reservations? Well, we think we have a clue.
Disneyland is undergoing some MASSIVE changes. There are so many that you might have trouble keeping up with them all. That’s why we’re here to help!
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland
Not only is the first Coco-themed ride EVER coming to Disney California Adventure, but that park is also getting a brand-new Avatar-themed land (completely different from the one in Disney World, too!). Over in Disneyland, construction is well underway for a new queue and gift shop for Haunted Mansion, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is getting closer to completion ahead of its opening date in November. Well, now, we’ve noticed something NEW at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — and of course, we had to share!
It’s the season of all things spooky, so yes, we’re riding Haunted Mansion a lot right now in Disney World. Okay, granted, we don’t need it to be Halloween to ride one of our favorite rides, but we love trying to spot new things.
Haunted Mansion
We’ve recently seen some new additions to the Haunted Mansion, too. Last year, we finally got our own version of Hatbox Ghost. Then there was the addition of a nice Rolly Crump Easter Egg. Then one of the picnic ghosts returned to the cemetery scene in the ride. Now, the second picnic ghost has returned after having been gone for some time.
Have you used Disney World’s NEW Lightning Lane system yet?
Lightning Lane
Back in July 2024, Disney World changed up its Lightning Lane offerings, ditching the old ways of Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes and swapping over to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass instead. The system has made some major changes to how and when you book your Lightning Lanes, but one of the biggest benefits is that you can now check prices for Lightning Lane Multi Pass in advance!
Y’all, everything is changing SO FAST in Disney World. We’ve even already seen quite a few changes this year, from the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to the reopening of a newly re-themed Country Bear Jamboree.
Magic Kingdom
But Disney World is JUST getting started with changes because many more are coming! Magic Kingdom is getting both a Villains-themed land and a Cars-themed land. Hollywood Studios is getting a Monsters, Inc. land and a villains-themed show (we’re loving all this villains love, by the way). A ride in Magic Kingdom will be changing soon, too, so if you have plans to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run on your next trip, you’ll need to mark September 9th in your Disney World calendar.
The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival has officially kicked off!
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival
We’ve spent the entire weekend eating ALL the things (so much food, y’all), and checking out everything the festival has to offer this year, including the food, merchandise, entertainment, and more. The festival runs through November 23rd, so you have plenty of time to catch it. While you’re at it, though, you may want to get in line for one of EPCOT’s most underrated rides because it recently got a Food & Wine update!
We talk about rope dropping the Disney World parks quite a bit, but one of our favorite times to visit the parks is actually late at night!
Hollywood Studios at Night
From holiday parties to After Hours events to Extended Evening Hours, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Disney World once the parks have closed to regular guests. However, if you want to take advantage of these offerings, you’ll definitely need to plan in advance. They’re only available on select nights and sometimes, only certain attractions are available for you to experience!
Okay, so a LOT is going on in Magic Kingdom now, and we get it — our heads are spinning, too, trying to keep up with all of it.
Jungle Cruise
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened. Country Bear Jamboree reopened with a new show. A WHOLE new Cars land is coming that will replace Tom Saywer Island and Rivers of America (and we’re still not sure HOW to feel about that). PLUS a Villains land is on the way. So in all that chaos, you might have missed an important announcement about a classic ride in Magic Kingdom. So we’re filling you in: Jungle Cruise will temporarily close as of tomorrow.
We often talk about things that annoy us in Disney World — now, don’t get us wrong, we’re still feeling pretty magical in the Most Magical Place on Earth, even when we are a little annoyed.
Magic Kingdom
But sometimes, it’s just TOO hot and muggy in Florida, y’all. Sometimes, there are BUGS. Random rainstorms still catch us by surprise (but we have learned to pack rain gear, even on sunny days). Sometimes, our favorite ride is closed. Sometimes, we’re annoyed at what other people do in Disney World. That’s okay, though, because we recently asked YOU, our DFB readers, about some things that annoy you on Haunted Mansion. There was one thing, though, that some of you mentioned: we think it deserves its own spotlight, and we HOPE this trend stops soon.
We still don’t believe it, but it’s really happening: A Monsters, Inc. land is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Monsters Inc. Land Concept Art ©Disney
We’ll admit this was one announcement we totally did NOT expect from D23: The Ultimate Fan Event, but we are STOKED. That’s because Disney also announced that we were finally getting the ride we’ve been wanting since 2001, when Monsters, Inc. landed in movie theaters: a ride based on the doors scene in the movie — and y’all, IT IS HAPPENING! Seriously, just go ahead and pinch us because we think we’re dreaming. Anyway, we’ve actually been hunting down some more details about the new ride and we think we found some clues about it.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
