News this month might be fairly light, but next month’s round-up should more than make up for that – with the D23 Expo happening next weekend, Disney is sure to make plenty of announcements about the parks, movies, Disney+, and more. That being said, there’s still plenty of things happening all the time, so here’s the lastest for this past month!
Disney News
- More behind the scenes tours will be available starting in October – we see the return of Behind the Seeds, DiveQuest, and Dolphins in Depth.
- Attractions at Disney World that were previously “individual lightning lane” attractions with Disney Genie were moved to be part of the regular Genie+ lineup through August 7th. Disney has since extended that deadline indefinitely – meaning that Expedition Everest, Space Mountain, Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway are now all part of the regular Genie+ lineup.
- Another positive change to the Genie+ app is that the app now displays the next time you are eligible to book a Lightning Lane. Instead of trying to do math from when you last made one, it will tell you exactly when you are able to do so.
- Over at Disney Cruise Line, character meet and greets have now returned to normal and they are no longer doing physically distanced meets.
- An update to Disney Cruise Line’s policies: starting today, guests 12 and older are required to be vaccinated (those younger are not). On September 23, 2022, for Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish sailings departing the U.S., fully vaccinated Guests are no longer required to participate in COVID-19 testing. November 7, 2022 is the end date for fully vaccinated guests sailing aboard the Disney Magic.
- The theme for RunDisney’s Springtime Surprise race weekend for 2023 has been announced – next year will be Pixar themed races.
- Disney has declared September 8th “Disney+ Day,” and will see a number of new releases on that date, including the live action Pinocchio movie.
- A few other new Disney+ items that are coming soon include Andor (a Star Wars show),
- At the D23 Expo Disney has a ceremony for the Disney Legends Award, which is given to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Disney legacy. This year’s honorees include Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Disney rumors
Disney+ // Plans are in the works for Disney to develop some sort of “membership” or loyalty program for their products, which is being called Disney Prime right now in comparison to Amazon Prime. No word on what that might include – discounts/advantages for Disney+, music, movie tickets, theme park stays, etc.
D23 Expo // With D23 right around the corner, there are lots of rumors about what might be announced. Just a few of these possibilities include: an opening date for the new Tiana attraction, a ride announcement to replace Primeval Whirl, a show announcement to replace The Little Mermaid in Hollywood Studios, a big refurb of Tomorrowland in Disneyland, info about the other new cruise ships, something with Encanto coming to the parks, and more.
Other Disney blogs
Ever wonder about the beverage tastings on Disney Cruise Line? Christy at Disney Park Princess was able to try the tequila tasting, mixology, and the chocolate and liquor tasting.
Over at Imaginerding, George is back of another review of a Disney book – this time he’s taking a look at “The Women of Walt Disney Imagineering.“
Wondering where to stay at Disneyland? Mindy at This Fairy Tale Life has a review of the Howard Johnson hotel in Anaheim (I stayed there my first trip to Disneyland so I can recommend it too!).
If you’re headed to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and wondering the best times and spots to watch the Halloween parade, Heather from WDW Prep School has you covered.
Frustrated at the thought of having to get up at 7am on your vacation? Tom from Disney Tourist Blog shares why you don’t actually need to be up that early to use Genie+ effectively.
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