food IS a theme park
The day is HERE! A whole new area has opened in Hollywood Studios, and we may or may not be able to stop talking about it. It truly is that magical.
Walt Disney Studios — Animation Building
Walt Disney Studios has been a fantastic addition to the park, with a courtyard full of fun animal statues, handprints of famous Disney characters, and walk-around characters enjoying the Florida weather. The indoor section, The Magic of Disney Animation, has officially opened to the public!
Don’t let this surprise bit of Disney magic go to waste if you’re lucky enough to experience it!
Pinocchio and Geppetto
If you’re SUPER lucky, you might stumble upon a rare and unexpected magical moment right in the middle of EPCOT! The next time you find yourself in the American Adventure Pavilion, keep an eye out for this special occurrence… but make sure you play it right so you don’t fumble it!
Yes, we love super advanced roller coasters and finding hidden details throughout Disney World but it’s really the little things that remind us of the magic and is a huge reason why we keep going back.
Ariel
After a long day in EPCOT, we were heading out towards the front of the park when we saw two very familiar princesses who made us stop and smile. No, it wasn’t an official meet-and-greet location, and you couldn’t find it listed on the app — it was a pure, magical stop that made our day so much better.
Do NOT count on these outdated tips while planning your Disney World vacation!
Pirates of the Caribbean
Since its introduction in 2024, Disney World’s Lightning Lane service has allowed guests to bypass standby lines for select attractions through an extra purchase made on the My Disney Experience app. Over the years, there have been some popular tips and strategies for how to get the most out of your Lightning Lane experience. But if you’ve heard either of these two Lightning Lane tips, beware that they DO NOT work anymore!
Today is a special day in Disney World. It’s Valentine’s Day! That means you’ll want to enjoy all those special Valentine’s Day treats and spend time with your Valentine in the parks.
Belle and Beast
However, Valentine’s Day also brings special character meet and greets to the parks. Now, last year, we enjoyed Villaintine’s Day (and were a little disappointed they didn’t bring it back this year). This year, we still saw some super rare characters, though, because the Princesses in EPCOT were joined by their princes for SPECIAL meet and greets. And let’s just say…these special character couple meet and greets were VERY popular.
Disney World is changing a lot these days. Three of the four theme parks are undergoing major renovations, and a new CEO is about to take charge of the company.
©Disney
Throughout these changes, Disney is feeling a little bit like our parents lately. They’re changing the way the house looks (A LOT), and they’re giving us new rules all the time. As if that wasn’t enough, Disney is also enforcing 5 curfews in 2026.
A massive (and sad!) change just hit Animal Kingdom Theme Park — DinoLand, U.S.A. is now GONE.
Chip and Dale in Dinoland!
The land officially closed on February 2nd to make way for the new Tropical Americas land. With that change, we lost a couple of rides, a few dining locations, and some incredibly themed character meets. But don’t worry, many of those characters have now moved to other spots around the park!
While you might be thinking about all the rides you’re going to hop on at Disney World, you can’t forget about meeting some of the characters! Seeing your family’s favorite movie characters come to life right in front of you is only one of the reasons Disney Parks is so magical.
The Astounding Donaldo at Pete’s Silly Sideshow in Magic Kingdom
Before you head to Magic Kingdom to meet some of the Fab Five (aka Mickey and his pals), you need to know about this character change.
Construction is ALL over in Disney World right now, but Disney’s Hollywood Studios is home to TWO different massive land overhauls, which means lots of walls (and that’s not even counting the smaller construction projects happening around the park).
Muppets Courtyard behind walls (August 2025)
Muppets Courtyard is in the process of becoming Monsters Inc. Land, and Animation Courtyard is undergoing lots of changes to become the new Walt Disney Studios area. We’re beyond excited for what both of these projects will bring, but for right now, they’re behind walls, and we’re just getting slight glimpses whenever we can.
Hollywood Studios has been going through a major transformation with new lands and areas coming to the park. One I’m most excited about is the Walt Disney Studios area, which is replacing Animation Courtyard and Star Wars: Launch Bay.
©Disney
Disney just dropped new details (including an opening timeline), and y’all, is it too early to already book a trip?
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
