Exciting news! Many of our favorite characters are returning to Disney World in the coming months!

But first, one new favorite is debuting in the Magic Kingdom park. Maribel, from Encanto, will appear in the “Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade” starting June 26, 2022!

Other characters and events will start on the following dates:

• July 6 – Minnie Mouse will join Mickey Mouse in Town Square Theater at Magic Kingdom Park
• July 6 – Chip ‘N Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long will return to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
• July 10 – Peter Pan and Snow White will greet guests at Magic Kingdom Park
• July 17 – Star Wars Launch Bay will reopen in Hollywood Studios park, where you can encounter Chewbacca, BB-8, and Darth Vader

In the coming months, a visit to Magic Kingdom Park will bring chances to meet Aladdin, Jasmine, Merida, Pooh, Tigger and Storybook Circus pals like The Great Goofini in Pete’s Silly Sideshow. Your favorite toys will be ready for playtime in Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Donald Duck and friends will rejoin their prehistoric party at “Donald’s Dino-Bash!” in DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.

Many other character encounters have already returned to the various Disney parks. Check your app for times and locations.

If you want to chat about a trip to any of the parks, feel free to contact me.

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.

Breaking Genie+ News!

Starting June 8, 2022, Disney World guests will no longer be able to pre-purchase the Genie+ service for the length of your trip. You may only purchase it on the day you intend to use it during your trip, which is an option available now as well.

If you wish to pre-purchase your Genie+ for any trip after June 8th, make sure to do it now. Any purchases made before June 8th will be honored even if your trip is after that date.

No word yet on any changes in Disneyland or any other parks. This is just for Disney World in Orlando Florida.

If you have any questions about the Genie+ service or want me to help plan your Disney trip, feel free to contact me.

The Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is returning this Fall to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World! The evening extra-ticketed event will take place on select nights from Aug 12 – Oct 31, 2022. Party festivities begin at 7pm but you may enter the park after 4pm with the party ticket.

Partake in all of this spooktacular fun:

• Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular! – three sinister sisters bewitch and bedazzle the residents of Magic Kingdom park in this fun stage show.
• Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular – a wickedly wild fireworks display featuring some of your favorite Disney characters, hosted by Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade – fun parade unique to the party. Must see!
• Disney Junior Jam – dance with some favorite Disney Junior friends at Storybook Circus. Perfect for young partygoers!
• Trick-or-Treat – collect candy as you roam trails around the park in search of some of your favorite sweets.
• More treats – eat more Halloween-inspired food and beverages
• Dress in costume – revel in the festive atmosphere around the park with fellow party-goers and Disney favorites in their Halloween finest.
• Photo Ops – commemorate the night with themed back drops and magic shots.
• Shopping – of course, there will be themed party merch!

Ticket sales for this party start on May 18, 2022 for everyone, and already on sale now for select Disney resort guests. Prices range from $99-$199, depending on day. Annual passholders and DVC members get $10 savings per ticket.

For more details about the party and to buy tickets, go to this Disney World party page:

• Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Be sure to read the costume guidelines and other Know-Before-You-Go before you go. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or want help planning your Disney trip.

©Disney

Disney+ subscribers can save up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for most nights from July 8 through September 30, 2022.

You must provide your Disney+ account email for verification and it only applies to certain rooms at the Disney World Resort in Orlando for stays between these dates. Rooms are limited, so book quickly if you want to take advantage of this offer

• Save 25% on Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Resort Villas
• Save 20% at Moderate Resorts and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
• Save 15% at Value Resorts (20% at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Suites)
• Save 10% on the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground

For more details on this offer, check out the Disney Offers page:

• Disney+ Subscribers: Stay in the Magic and Save Offer

Feel free to contact me if you would like me to help with your trip.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be opening in EPCOT at Disney World on May 27, 2022!

Take off on an intergalactic chase through space and time with the Guardians of the Galaxy. This family-thrill attraction features the first ever reverse-launch on a Disney coaster and is one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world. It also rotates 360 degrees so you can focus on the action!

Begin your adventure by touring the Galaxarium—a planetarium-like exhibition showcasing the similarities and differences between Xandar and Earth’s galaxies. You’ll even get to discover some of the incredible wonders of Xandar and learn about their technology.

Just as you are about to reach the culmination of the tour, everything goes sideways, and you are called into action to help the Guardians of the Galaxy. Join Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Star-Lord on an urgent mission where you’ll rewind, rotate and head towards the action through an exciting space pursuit.

Ready for an awesome quest across the cosmos to save the galaxy? It’s all up to you!

©Disney

H2O Glow After Hours is back in Orlando! This is a separate ticketed event at Disney World’s Typhoon Lagoon water park where it will stay open 3 extra hours for a fun-filled glow party. Enjoy the rides with less crowds, specialty lighting, and a groovy DJ. Tickets are on sale now!

This party will be held on Saturday nights from May 28 – Aug 27, 2022, from 8pm – 11pm, but you can enter the park at 6pm to enjoy a few extra hours before it officially begins.

Here is the pricing info:

Adult (ages 10+): $75 plus tax
Child (ages 3-9): $70 plus tax

Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members:
Adult (ages 10+): $59 plus tax
Child (ages 3-9): $54 plus tax

Ice cream, popcorn, and some bottled beverages are included. Other snacks will be available for purchase.

For additional details and to purchase your tickets, go to the official Disney H2O site:

• Typhoon Lagoon H2O Glow After Hours

Feel free to contact me if you’d like me to help you plan your trip.

Pics ©Disney

The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival at Disney World will take place from July 14 – Nov 19, 2022.

There will be food from the countries of the World Showcase and many other booths around the park. Specific booths and menus haven’t been released yet, but it seems they add more every year.

The Eat to the Beat Concert Series will return with performances on select nights. The star-studded lineup has something for every taste—from pop to country to R&B and more. These shows are held in the America Gardens Theater and are included in your EPCOT ticket. No need to buy a separate ticket, but seats can fill up fast, so line up early!

There will also be plenty of additional activities and merchandise if past festivals are any indication. We love these EPCOT festivals. It’s always fun to try new foods and activities there.

More details will be released as it gets closer, but I wanted to let you know about the new dates ASAP in case it affects your trip planning.

Here is the official Disney site for this festival if you want to follow along. They will add more details here.

• EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about these festivals or need help planning your trips.

Coming soon! The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival at Disney World will be starting on March 2, 2022 and go all the way until July 4, 2022 this year! This is much longer than usual.

We love this festival! The most unique feature of this festival is the awesome topiaries. There are so many incredibly detailed and life-like floral topiaries of Disney characters and various other objects all around the park. They are amazing! If you go, definitely go around to find them all.

Another favorite is all of the different food kiosks with such creative foods and drinks to try. It’s fun to go with others so you can share a little something from each kiosk. There’s no way you can eat everything yourself, at least not in one day. Check out this Food Kitchen page for a full list of the offerings.

The Garden Rocks Concert Series is also returning to the America pavilion theater with a long lineup of artists. View the concert lineup here.

There will also be scavenger hunts, cooking demonstrations, a butterfly house, play areas and other activities for the little ones, and of course, plenty of merchandise. For more details, view this page for the festival:

• EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

There’s no shortage of things to do at EPCOT for the next few months. Hopefully, you can make it to Orlando to check it out. Let me know if you want me to help you with your trip.

Pics ©Disney

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.

From Feb 25 – Aug 7, 2022, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios, Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, and Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom will be a part of the Disney World Genie+ choices instead of the Individual Lightning Lane choices.

This might add some more value to your Genie+ purchase if you intend to ride these. However, it could also change your Genie+ strategy as far as what order to get which rides. Plan ahead!

For more details on Genie+, check out my previous blog post:

• Disney World Genie Service is Live

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.

February 21, 2022 is the last night of the EPCOT Disney on Broadway concert series from the Festival of the Arts at Disney World. Disney Parks has announced that they will livestream this last concert on their “Disney Parks” YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok channels at 8pm ET.

The concert series usually has two performers, but this special last performance will feature four performers who have sung in Disney musicals on Broadway – Ashley Brown (“Mary Poppins”), Josh Strickland (“Tarzan”), Kissy Simmons (“The Lion King”), and Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”)!

Set a calendar remindar to tune in! Should be awesome!

• Finale concert of Disney on Broadway