This past week, the Disney Company changed in a critical way.

You’ve likely heard the news by now but Bob Chapek is no longer CEO and Bob Iger has returned to the position. The change resulted in some immediate impacts and could greatly affect the Disney Company further in the future. On top of that, a Festival has begun in EPCOT, and more news has been shared. So let’s go through all of the BIGGEST news from the week right now!

Bob Iger Is BACK

In HUGE news, Bob Iger is back as Disney’s CEO following Bob Chapek’s exit. The change was recently announced and its impact has already been felt. Disney stock values jumped following Iger’s return.

So what caused Disney to bring back Iger and replace Chapek? A number of things. The Board of Directors reportedly determined that Bob Chapek did “irreparable damage to his ability to lead” the Company. Disney also reported some big losses (to the tune of $1.5 billion) in streaming recently. That, coupled with a number of other steps taken by Chapek during his tenure appear to have led to the decision to have him replaced.

There’s a lot to unpack here, a lot of expectations for what Iger could/should do (click here to see how celebrities have reacted to Iger’s return), and a lot of questions with answers that remain to be seen.

You can click here to see the 7 big challenges Bob Iger will face as Disney’s new CEO or learn about what can change and what won’t change due to Iger’s return.

For more details about what has already changed now that Iger is back, or more about his salary and other things related to his return, check out the links below:

• Bob Iger has announced that Kareem Daniel (a lieutenant of Bob Chapek) is leaving Disney
• Bob Iger’s CEO salary has been revealed
• The first thing Disney fans want to see from Bob Iger
• Bob Iger is back — what happens now?
• Bob Iger will share details about the future of the Walt Disney Company with employees soon
• Will Bob Iger’s return affect the dissolution of the Reedy Creek District?
• Iger reportedly believed Chapek was “killing the soul” of the Disney Company

Record HIGH Prices for Genie+

Over at Disney World, a record HIGH price has been reached for the standard Genie+ service — $29.

Previously, the service had been capped at $15 per person per day. Then, date-based pricing was introduced and, thus far, the highest price has been $29. It even remained at that price on Thanksgiving, but things could change during the upcoming holiday season.

Remember that Genie+ is the replacement service for FastPass+. The standard Genie+ service gives you the ability to select 1 Lightning Lane at a time throughout the day. When your return time for a ride’s Lightning Lane arrives, you’ll skip the standby line to get on faster. But select rides are NOT available through the “standard” Genie+ — instead, some rides must be paid for separately through Individual Lightning Lanes.

Due to recent changes, the price of the standard Genie+ service will vary depending on when you visit. Pricing for Individual Lightning Lanes varies depending on the park, date, and ride.

Click here to see our FULL GUIDE to Genie+

EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays Is HERE

EPCOT has welcomed another seasonal festival within the park — the 2022 International Festival of the Holidays! The Festival will run from now through December 30th, 2022, and there’s a lot to see while there including special food booths, unique entertainment (thanks to some incredible storytellers), merchandise (of course), and more.

To grab a FREE DFB printable for the holiday booths, click here. And for our DFB-exclusive festival map, click here!

We’ve been making our way through ALL of the food booths at the Festival to share our favorites. Check out EVERY single one of our booth reviews here!

If you’ll be at the Festival of the Holidays, you’ll want to stay in the park until the sun goes down. Why? Well, because during the Festival a NEW light show will debut!

You’ll also want to watch those times guides for showings of EPCOT’s classic Candlelight Processional. This show tells the story of Christmas with dozens of singers, a celebrity narrator, and some incredible musicians. Keep in mind you can get a dining package for Candlelight Processional so you can get reserved seating.

If you’re all about sweet eats, check out the Cookie Stroll. With this special challenge, you’ll buy 5 cookies from participating food booths and then get to redeem your prize with the 5 completed!

For more Festival tips, check out how $8 will make your next EPCOT festival more enjoyable, and stay tuned for the latest updates!

Click here to see full reviews of ALL of the Festival of the Holidays booths

Black Friday

Get ready to shop — Black Friday is here and it has brought some great deals with it. Click here to see our page with EVERY single Black Friday Disney deal. Thus far, we’ve seen deals advertised directly from Disney’s website and we’ve shared an ultimate guide to some of the best Disney Black Friday deals.

We’ll keep an eye out for special discounts and deals throughout the day, so stay tuned for more. And check our page linked below as it gets continually updated!

Click here to take a look at EVERY SINGLE Disney Black Friday deal

Magic Kingdom News

Finally, we end with some quick Magic Kingdom news. Right now, you can catch a special holiday parade during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But soon you won’t need a special event ticket to see this entertainment offering.

From December 23rd through the 31st, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will take place at 12PM and 3PM in Magic Kingdom. No separate party ticket is needed (though you will need admission and a Park Pass for Magic Kingdom).

Considering this is really the only chance to see the parade during the day without a special event ticket, it’s a great (but popular and likely busy!) time to visit.

Click here to learn more about the Christmas Parade’s arrival in the park during regular hours

And that’s it for this week’s big news. For more updates, check out the posts below:

• Opening date announced for Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland
• Gideon’s Bakehouse founder talks expansion plans
• Everything coming to Disney+ in December
• Dates announced for Lunar New Year in Disneyland Resort
• Dates announced for the 2023 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
• Takumi Tei has reopened in EPCOT

Hold up for a sec! Before you plan your next trip to Disney World, check out our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here. You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place. 

Stay tuned for more updates!

What news from this week surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments!