The 3 Most Unexpected Things That Happened in Disney World in May

Another month down in Disney World and we’re headed into the summer!

Magic Kingdom

We had a pretty busy month FULL of Disney news (which seems to be the norm these days). Sure, we saw some things coming like preparations for Pride Month and even the 4th of July, but some news was downright SHOCKING. Here are the three most unexpected things that happened in Disney World last month!

1. Disney Began Lifting Social Distancing Measures And Mask Rules.

First up, we have to talk about probably the most MAJOR development of the whole month — changes to health measures. In May alone, Disney announced that face masks would no longer be required in outdoor areas and that social distancing would slowly start to reduce.

Main Street

We’ve already seen this in practice in the parks. Guests are still required to wear face masks in all indoor areas and on attractions. This change also means that guests can now eat and drink while walking around in outdoor areas. As for the social distancing, we’ve seen some changes start to take place. In some areas, social distancing markers have been removed and some attractions are back to loading every row when they were skipping rows.

One little spark!

These changes came after the CDC announced that fully vaccinated individuals no longer had to wear masks outside. Still, it was somewhat surprising to see Disney change these policies that we’ve dealt with for so long now!

To learn more about the change to the mask policy, click here.

2. A NEW Halloween Event Will Replace Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

So, we were expecting to get some kind of announcement about Halloween festivities here soon. After all, the spooky season is fast approaching! We thought for sure we would hear about the confirmation or cancellation of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but the news we got surprised us.

Boo Bash ©Disney

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has been totally replaced this year with Disney After Hours BOO Bash, a three-hour event in Magic Kingdom with many of the same offerings as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party — with a few adjustments.

©Disney

This certainly came as a surprise that it is an entirely new event! And, the news got even more surprising when we saw the ticket prices. Spoiler alert: BOO Bash is WAY more expensive than a long night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Want to see more about the BOO Bash? Click here!

3. Another MAJOR Hotel Refurbishment Was Announced!

And our last surprise of the month came with some news about a VERY popular Disney World hotel. We knew that Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is getting a refurbishment (including Moana-themed guest rooms) and Disney’s Contemporary Resort is getting a room refurbishment too.

Grand Floridian

But now, the entire monorail loop is on the same page because we got the surprising announcement that some rooms at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort will be changed as well! One building of hotel rooms will be converted into Villas for Disney Vacation Club guests. Maybe not the most drastic refurbishment, but definitely exciting!

Click here to learn more about the Grand Floridian changes!

All of these updates were pretty big surprises in May. Now, summer is beginning and it’s time for a whole new month of surprises from Disney World. Of course, you can follow along right here with DFB!

Headed to Disney World this summer? Click here for a MUST-READ.

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today!