May the 4th be with you! Hopefully your month is off to a good start, and with it I’ll bring you some of the latest Disney news. April seemed to fly by for me (mostly because I spent 3 weeks of it sick), although I did sneak in a trip to Disney there. Which included a medical issue that required a doctor coming to my room at Animal Kingdom Lodge – so I can tell you now that Disney has really great options if you ever need medical attention during a trip! I’m planning to write a blog post all about that soon. And hopefully May will be a much more magical month!
Disney News
- Lots of Star Wars news to kick off the month! At the theme parks head to Hollywood Studios for a number of great new photopass options, and visit a variety of locations for all sorts of fun Star Wars food options.
- Three new Star Wars movies have been announced – one described as going back to the “dawn of the Jedi,” one set after the Rise of Skywalker with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey, and one that will focus on the connected stories introduced in Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.
- Adventures by Disney has some exciting new destinations planned for 2024 – including a trip to Colombia inspired by Encanto!
- Over at Disney Cruise Line, the Silver Anniversary celebrations have begun. There will be new outfits for characters, special food and beverage items, new entertainment, and the addition of a new tier level to their Castaway Club (if you’ve sailed DCL 25 times or more, you are now considered “Pearl” status!).
- Prices to rent a cabana on Castaway Cay with Disney Cruise Line have gone up.
- Lots of cruise news lately – Disney Cruises will now get their own form of wearable technology (like a magic band) with the new DisneyBand+.
- You’ve probably heard news lawsuits and disagreements between Disney, the Central Florida Oversight District, and Ron DeSantis. If you want some help sorting out what’s going on and what it all means, Tom at Disney Tourist blog has a good recap.
- The new live action Little Mermaid film is coming to theaters later this month, and “land Ariel” will be making meet and greet appearances at both Disney World and Disneyland soon.
- Edna Mode will start doing Meet and Greets at Hollywood Studios on May 14th.
- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is back this year, and tickets are on sale now! The event runs select dates from August 11-November 1.
- Epcot Food and Wine Festival begins soon! This year the festival will run from July 27-November 18.
- Disney World will be expanding Fort Wilderness by building new cabins which will be part of DVC and are expected to open sometime in 2024.
Disney Rumors
Disney World // There has been a rumor floating around that Disney is considering moving their Florida theme park to Georgia in light of the lawsuits with the Florida government. Let me put this one to rest – there seems to be no real basis to this claim, and it apparently originated from a work of satire that was written.
Magic Kingdom // Another one that doesn’t seem to be based in any credible source but seems like an interesting idea… I’ve read a rumor that Disney World might change the themeing of Frontierland into New Orleans Square once Tiana’s Bayou opens. I’ll be curious to see if they do anything, since that area IS going to be a bit all over the place in terms of theme soon.
Other Disney blogs
Over at WDW Prep School, Shannon shares a ton of great info about the app Standby Skipper, designed to help you plan (and book!) your Genie+ day.
For Star Wars updates that were shared at Star Wars Celebration, Jenmarie from Anakin and his Angel has lots of great recaps as well as her own thoughts.
Tom from Disney Tourist Blog shares his thoughts about the new TRON ride at Magic Kingdom. Having just done it myself, I find I agree more with his initial impressions when he rode it in Shanghai, but he gives some good thoughts here (I also didn’t get the chance to ride it at night!).
Ever thought about staying at two different resorts during your Disney World vacation? Melanie at Polka Dots and Pixie Dust has lots of great tips about doing a split stay!
Thank you for keeping us informed about Disney stuff!