food IS a theme park
Who’s ready to build?
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Heads up, LEGO fans, if you’re in the market for some new Disney builds, head over to Amazon ASAP. Currently, the E-tailer has several Disney sets on sale, some near 40% off! Are any of them for you?
Start getting trip-ready!
©Getty Images
With 2024 almost over, it’s time to start looking forward to 2025…including trips to Walt Disney World next year! It’s never too early to start preparing, and if you head over to Amazon right now, you can find some ESSENTIAL Disney items for $15 and under!
Say it ain’t so!
A Guinness
The holiday season might be a bit less enjoyable for revelers in the U.K. — and maybe further — thanks to a shortage of the iconic beer Guinness. According to various reports, a surprise “surge in demand” has left many of the United Kingdom’s pubs in short supply of the iconic spirit as the busy holiday season looms.
A major piece of Florida’s theme park history is closing after over 80 years.
©Visit Central Florida
More than 30 years before Disney World changed the landscape of Florida tourism forever, Cypress Gardens was the most famous attraction in the Sunshine State. Originally opened in 1936 by the legendary Dick Pope Sr., the botanical garden and theme park was headlined by a water-skiing show that drew in millions of guests – – including some huge celebrities – – to see daredevil performers including Pope’s son Dick Pope Jr. The show’s success popularized the sport, made the park’s home of Winter Haven the “water skiing capital of the world”, and put Florida on the metaphorical map for millions.
Every week, we report the average Disney World wait times in every park so that you can be prepared for your next trip to Orlando!
Magic Kingdom
Disney World’s average wait times were surprisingly low this week (considering we’re so close to Christmas), though the Magic Kingdom’s TRON Lightcycle / Run topped the list with the highest average wait at the resort. This was one of the (shockingly) few instances where the wait time averaged over an hour.
Disneyland’s NEW entrance is almost ready.
Disneyland entrance
2025 is shaping up to be a big year for the “Happiest Place on Earth.” For most of 2024, construction has been ongoing at the entrances to both of the Disneyland Resort’s theme parks: the original Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. The work has been installing new $3 million turnstiles — dubbed “tapstiles” by many — which replace the traditional physical turnstiles with kiosks that allow users to tap their MagicBand+ to enter the park through a small gate. Said kiosks also feature facial recognition technology.
The era of hidden ticketing and reservation fees is about to end.
Magic Kingdom
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’ve encountered “junk fees” at some point in recent years. Whether purchasing tickets to an event or booking plane tickets or a hotel room for a vacation — even at Disney World — you’ve probably come across the concept: there’s one ticket or booking price listed, only for a ton of previously unannounced fees upping the price considerably at checkout. Thankfully, this frustrating experience is soon to be a thing of the past.
Take a sneak peek at special marathon merchandise!
©Disney
The 2025 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is almost here! Taking place from January 8th through the 12th, next year’s installment will feature “thoughtful touches reminiscent of a classic Disney era,” each inspired by whimsical character favorites, musical entertainment, and more. Now, Disney has released a first look at the weekend’s exclusive merchandise.
Disneyland has agreed to settle a high-profile class-action lawsuit for $233 million.
Disneyland
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times confirmed that the Walt Disney Company approved a preliminary settlement covering back pay with interest for 50,0000 current and former Disney employees.
January 6th is shaping up to be quite a day at Disney World.
Magic Kingdom
As we’ve said many times in the past, refurbishments are a fact of life at Disney World. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single day when every ride and attraction across the report is up and running without a single one closed for some kind of maintenance. Given the complex nature of many of these attractions and their necessary safety requirements, this is understandable. However, even when keeping that in mind, the sixth day of 2025 is setting up to be a doozie.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
