Disney is now offering private ground transportation to/from Disney World resorts as a package add-on when you book your resort through Disney or an authorized Disney travel agent, like me. A package means booking a resort room and park tickets together. Prices will vary by car type, size, distance, etc. One-way and round-trip fares are available.
There are several options available, including vans, sedans, SUVs, executive limousines and stretch limousines. Up to one complimentary car seat will be available for children five years old and under, with additional car seats subject to availability.
Since this is a very new offering, I’ll update here as I hear additional information.
I also talk about other transportation options here:
Disney just announced that several fun parades and shows are returning to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando!
February 11, 2022 – “Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade!” – This is a brand new character cavalcade, which is like a mini parade of characters, on just a few floats at a time, that go by a few times a day. This one will feature Miguel from “Coco” for the first time, plus Nick and Judy from “Zootopia”, Moana, The Incredibles, and many more! Existing cavalcades featuring Mickey and other characters will still continue as well.
February 11, 2022 – Frontierland Hoedown – On the same day as the above cavalcade debut, the fun Frontierland Hoedown will be returning. This is a flash mob type show where dancers and characters from the Country Bears, Splash Mountain, and more will do the Hokey Pokey and other dance numbers in the middle of the street by the Country Bears theater. Audience participation is encouraged, so watch out if you happen to be walking by. It could just start randomly throughout the day.
February 25, 2022 – “Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire” stage show – This will be a newly reimagined character show on the stage in front of Cinderella Castle. It will feature scenes inspired by “Tangled”, “The Princess and the Frog”, and “Frozen”, along with new opening & closing scenes with Mickey and friends in their sparkling, 50th Anniversary, EARidescent outfits. This show will take place multiple times a day.
March 9, 2022 – “Festival of Fantasy” Parade – This beloved parade will finally return to the Magic Kingdom park, twice a day! Yes, the huge fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon float will be returning as well! It will also include many other floats featuring the princesses, Peter Pan, Mickey and friends, and many more.
As with all shows and events in the parks, check the printed park guides by the entrances or MDE app for times. I encourage you to catch these fun shows and parades. They really do add to the magic of the parks. It’s not just about doing rides. Soak in the ambiance and catch all the other things going on around you too. Have fun!
UPDATE 07/24/2024: The Genie+ service has now been retired at Disney World in Orlando. View my Lightning Lane page to learn all about the new service. The Genie+ functionality at Disneyland California remains the same, just renamed to Lightning Lane.
Starting Jan 26, 2022, you will be able to get a Genie+ for certain character greetings at Disney World. There will probably be more added in the future there and at Disneyland. Keep an eye out in the app when you go to pick your ride selections. The Genie+ service is ever changing.
Feel free to comment below or email me if you have any questions. It all sounds very confusing, but not too bad when you go to use it. We had a chance to try it out on our last trip. I’ll write about it in our Dec 2021 trip recap.
From January 21 – February 13, 2022, Disney California Adventure Park will celebrate Lunar New Year! Join the celebration with wishes for health, luck and prosperity throughout the Year of the Tiger, featuring Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean cultures.
Highlights include:
Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession
Appearances by Disney characters dressed in festive attire
The months of January and February are usually when the Universal theme parks like to do annual maintenance on their rides, especially water rides. Make sure to check each parks’ refurbishment calendar when planning your trip dates to make sure a favorite ride won’t be closed.
Below are just some main ones that I’m seeing as of this writing. In the calendars, scroll down to the Temporary Ride Closures section of each park, for the days that you’re considering. You have to open these in a browser, not the Universal app, for the Closures information to show up. They’re listed right before the calendar.
At Universal Orlando, the Revenge of the Mummy ride at Universal Studios and some of the water rides at Islands of Adventure have closed for refurbishment. Shrek 4D has closed permanently.
Check the calendars often, especially if your trip is still several months or even weeks away, since closures and dates for their reopening can fluctuate often. Closures do happen year-round, not just on January and February.
Of course, this applies to any other theme parks, or any other attraction/location, that you may be interested in going to as well. Always check their websites before you lock in your travel plans and before your trip dates, for any closures and changes. Or, you can use a travel agent, like me, who will stay on top of any changes for you. 😁
Let me know if you want any help figuring these out.
The months of January and February are usually when the Disney theme parks like to do annual maintenance on their rides, especially water rides. Make sure to check each parks’ refurbishment calendar when planning your trip dates to make sure a favorite ride won’t be closed.
Below are just some main ones that I’m seeing as of this writing. In the calendars, scroll down to the Closed for Refurbishment section of each park, for the days that you’re considering.
These calendars also show the scheduled times for the numerous shows and fireworks too (of course, subject to change), so it’s good to check them if you want to plan dining reservations or ride times around certain ones.
At Disney World, some notable closures include Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom. Additionally, the Magic Kingdom railroad and a few shows still haven’t reopened. Blizzard Beach is also now closed, but Typhoon Lagoon has reopened.
At Disneyland, the monorail will be closing permanently and Toontown is slated for a major refurb in the coming months. Currently, Splash Mountain and the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage rides are closed.
Check the calendars often, especially if your trip is still several months or even weeks away, since closures and dates for their reopening can fluctuate often. Closures do happen year-round, not just on January and February.
Of course, this applies to any other theme parks, or any other attraction/location, that you may be interested in going to as well. Always check their websites before you lock in your travel plans and before your trip dates, for any closures and changes. Or, you can use a travel agent, like me, who will stay on top of any changes for you. 😁
Let me know if you want any help figuring these out.
The popular Mardi Gras parade will be returning this year! Catch beads flying through the air as you enjoy a dazzling Mardi Gras parade with authentic floats direct from New Orleans. This year’s parade features six brand new floats along with six traditional favorite floats.
Note: there is no Mardi Gras parade on April 1, 2 and 8.
On select nights, there will be live concerts by some pretty big names, including Styx, Khalid, Marshmello, Diana Ross and more live on the Music Plaza Stage. Get there early! Check the site often for updates to the lineup.
Of course, there will be plenty of treats, from sizzling New Orleans specialties to flavors inspired by tastes from around the world, available for purchase. Be sure to visit the Mardi Gras food kiosks located throughout the park.
Access to the parade and concerts are included with the standard park entry ticket to the Universal Studios park. Make sure that you start your day in that park, not Islands of Adventure, if you don’t have park-to-park tickets.
At EPCOT in Disney World, the Festival of the Arts has started. It will run from Jan 14 – Feb 21, 2022 this year.
The EPCOT festivals are great because it gives you a chance to try different activities and foods that aren’t normally there. We love them! The food portions are small, so it’s fun to “eat around the world“. The food booths are spread out around the park, but mostly around the countries. Here’s a list of festival food booths.
Since this particular festival is themed to the arts, there are also many artsy activities. Many artists will be there to display their work, with some having showcases of them working on them. You might be able to catch an art lesson. If you can catch them doing sidewalk chalk art, those are amazing! There will also be lots of artwork available for purchase, of course.
You can also contribute to a “paint by numbers” type giant mural, and there are several photo ops where you can be “in” a famous painting scene. Those are always fun.
One of the highlights of the festival is the Disney in Broadway Concert Series. On select nights, performers from the Disney Broadway shows will hold concerts. There are usually 3 showtimes a night, but they’re very popular, so line up early. If you want to guarantee a seat for a specific time, you may want to consider doing a dining package for that day. You have to book the specific meal package that coincides with the showtime that you want, at participating restaurants, which will include the meal and tickets to return for that showtime for those attending the meal. Here are more details on the concert series lineup and dining packages.
You don’t need an additional ticket or fee to attend the festival. You just need the usual park ticket and park reservation to enter EPCOT. The festival activities and food booths will usually open when the World Showcase opens. Here’s the full description of the festival from Disney’s Festival of the Arts page. Have fun!
Disney World just announced that several beloved restaurants are finally reopening or returning as buffets.
Flying Fish (Boardwalk area) – Jan 27, 2022
Ale & Compass (Yacht Club resort) – Jan 30, 2022 (serving lunch also)
Turf Club (Saratoga Springs resort) – Feb 3, 2022
Cape May Cafe (Beach Club resort) – Feb 15, 2022 (serving breakfast & dinner buffets)
Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge) – Feb 17, 2022
You can make reservations for these restaurants starting Jan 20, 2022, if you’re within your 60 day reservation window, or whenever your 60 day window opens after that.
As with all things with restrictions nowadays, make sure to Know Before You Go.
Disney Cruise Line is offering 50% off deposits for new bookings made by March 11, 2022 for select sailings through May 31, 2023.
This offer is valid on any new reservation for select Disney cruises departing between June 18, 2022 and May 31, 2023 that does not require final payment at time of booking. Remaining balance will be due at time of final payment. This offer excludes Disney Wish sailings through September 30, 2022.
And of course, know the current policies and changes due to Covid on their Know Before You Go page.
We just did a 7 night Western Caribbean Christmas cruise on the Disney Fantasy and we had a great time! We supposedly sailed at about 50% capacity so it was great! No lines or crowds anywhere. They couldn’t do the big deck and atrium parties but there were still plenty of activities, the shows were Broadway quality still, the dining was always delicious, the ship was kept immaculately clean as usual, and the crew members were fantastic as usual. Everyone who was eligible had to be vaccinated and everyone was tested before boarding, masks had to be worn indoors, and many other changes to activities n dining were made for social distancing and reduced contact, but everything was fine. It was no big deal. We totally felt safer there than at the parks or anywhere else. We loved roaming the gorgeous ship with so few people around and always being able to sit and watch the waves go by. We’ve sailed DCL several times before and it was slightly different, but still magical and great! We would absolutely sail Disney cruises again, even during these times, and especially during these times. My trip reports are coming soon, but I’ve started to post pics on my Instagram, so follow me there.
If you have any questions about cruises or would like me to help book yours, feel free to contact me.
Adventures By Anne 