Happy April! This is always one of my favorite months of the year – here in Pennsylvania it’s finally starting to get warmer and the weather is so nice, work is just slightly less crazy than usual, and it’s also my birthday (just so you know). If you find yourself in Disney this month there are great things happening on both coasts, too! From Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot to Food and Wine at California Adventure, spring is one of my favorite times of year to visit.
Disney News
- Moana will start a meet and greet at Animal Kingdom on April 22.
- Figment will also be appearing for a meet and greet at Epcot “later this summer.”
- Also in meet and greet news, Mirabel from Encanto will be appearing in Magic Kingdom at some point this fall.
- Disney will once again be celebrating Earth Day at Animal Kingdom on April 22nd, with specialty merchandise and snacks – and other “special surprises” yet to be announced.
- Corksicle will be opening a retail location with a kiosk in Disney Springs later this spring. If you’re not familiar with Corksicle, they make insulated mugs and wine glasses – check out my Grogu mug!
- Disney Cruise Line has now released bookings through summer of 2024, and ships will be stopping at the new private island Lighthouse Point starting in June 2024.
- Some of the new topiaries at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival this year include Princess Tiana and Mirabel, Luisa, Isabella, and Antonio from Encanto.
- If you’ve ever wanted to do yoga in the theme parks before they open, Disneyland is now giving the opportunity to resort guests for Sunrise Yoga.
- For the first time, Disney World will be using the virtual queue at the same time for two different rides. Both TRON in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind are currently using the virtual queues.
- Along with the new TRON ride, there’s also a new TRON food kiosk called Energy Bytes.
- In continuing its tradition of remaking animated films, Disney just announced the latest live action movie will be Moana.
- Genie+ hit a record-high price point this past week, coming in at $35 for the week of spring break – it’s also been selling out, which has only happened a handful of times previously.
- We’re getting new Muppets content! Starting on May 10th, Disney+ will introduce a new Muppet series called Mayhem – featuring (of course) Electric Mayhem.
- During a recent shareholders meeting, Bob Iger announced that the company plans to invest $17 billion in Disney World over the next 10 years.
Disney Rumors
Disneyland // Although Splash Mountain closed at Disney World in February, it’s still currently operating at Disneyland. A rumor is saying the closing date will be May 6th (based on a report from the Orange County Register), but Disney has not confirmed that.
Disney World // With that “$17 billion investment” potentially coming over the next decade to Disney World, there’s lots of speculation on what that money might go towards. While some people are guessing this could mean a 5th gate, others believe it’s more likely Disney will invest in overhauls or expansions of the existing parks (like Zootopia or Moana coming to Animal Kingdom, or the potential Coco/Encanto/Villains lands of Magic Kingdom which have been discussed).
Other Disney blogs
Have you ever gone through the pain/joy of trying to register for a RunDisney event? Jenn at Fairest Run of All shares a great recap of her frustrations and the important things to remember for next time.
Flying to Disneyland and not sure what airport to head to? (There’s a bunch in the area!) Mindy at This Fairy Tale Life has info on the airports near Disneyland.
Melanie at Polka Dots and Pixie Dust shares a look inside the new Little Mermaid rooms at Caribbean Beach resort.
If you’re going to be visiting the TRON attraction at Magic Kingdom anytime soon, make sure to check out the tips for riding TRON shared by Allyson over at WDW Prep School.
Over on the Disney Tourist Blog, Tom takes us through a photo tour of the new Rodeo Round-up BBQ restaurant and all the fun Toy Story details.
What Disney news are you most excited about this month?
I still refuse to see any live action remakes… but I must be the only one if they keep making ’em. >D