What’s new this month? Disney has a few announcements, and I think the month of May is the month of openings. A few movies will be opening this month, and some anticipated theme park attractions will open (or re-open, as the case may be). It sets things up nicely for summer. It might be the hottest time of the year to be there, but you can still have a great time. I’ll be visiting myself in June!
In other personal news, we have a new member of the family… a new cat has joined the family! While I’ve had cats with nerdy names before, this is actually the first time I’ve given a cat a Disney name. Say hello to Mirabel!
Disney news
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened today (May 3rd) in Magic Kingdom, after over a year-long refurbishment project. It features a new backstory and the height requirement lowered to 38″.
- We have dates for this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! The first party will occur on August 7th, and the last one on October 31st.
- A new dance party hosted by Stitch will occur at the Halloween Party, and it sounds like the themes will keep changing as Stitch finds new costumes to try on!
- Dates for this year’s Food and Wine Festival have also been announced. The event will run in Epcot from August 27 to November 21, 2026.
- The Refreshment Port in Epcot, currently under refurbishment, will become La Poutinerie hosted by Air Canada when it reopens.
- Impressions de France will re-open in Epcot on May 10th.
- In Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring the Muppets will officially open on May 26th!
- Dates for this year’s H2O Glow Nights at Typhoon Lagoon have been announced.
- Disney’s newest resort, Lakeshore Lodge, will be opening sometime in summer 2027. It will be partially DVC rooms and partially regular rooms.
- Disney World bookings for 2027 have opened, and with that we’ve learned of a few changes to the dining plans. There will be 3 dining plans instead of 2. The quick-service dining plan remains, the Disney dining plan has been renamed the table-service dining plan, and a new deluxe table-service plan joins the lineup.
- The Pixar film Hoppers is now available for streaming on Disney+, and will be available on blu-ray and DVD in June.
- The Mandalorian and Grogu is coming to the big screen this month, on May 22nd! We have learned that it will be 2 hours and 12 minutes long, and rated PG-13.
- Disney’s CEO Jeff D’Amaro recently had to announce about 1,000 layoffs in the company.
- Though not Disney related specifically, some big news in the travel industry: Spirit Airlines is going out of business and all flights have been cancelled.
Disney rumors
Disney World // The days of free Fastpasses seem to be long gone, but are they really? Some are speculating that Disney could start offering some free fastpasses to on-property guests to help strengthen that incentive (they already do something like this in Disneyland in California).
Boardwalk // There are now two vacancies at the Boardwalk, since Big River and Jellyrolls left. What might replace it? Fans have many guesses, including a signature dining experience, a jazz lounge, or a sports bar. I could see some sort of themed bar, if they can try to capture the magic of a place like Trader Sam’s with a different theme.
Resorts // We’ve gotten a little bit of a teaser about the Lakeshore Lodge project, with a projected opening of summer 2027. There are still some questions about the themeing of the resort, and especially the food options! When the resort was first announced it had a different name (Reflections), and there was going to be a Princess and the Frog themed restaurant. Will that restaurant still be part of Lakeside, or will we see something different?
Other Disney blogs
Over at Resorts Gal, you can learn about a really great activity at Animal Kingdom Lodge called String of Memories, where you collect different beads from doing activities at stations throughout your trip. Another reason why Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my absolute favorites!
The blog Disney With Dave’s Daughters shares. How many of them did you know about?
Now that Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin has reopened, the Disney Parks Blog is sharing some tips to try and get your best high score!
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