It has been a busy summer inWalt Disney World so far! From closures to new restaurants and everything in between. Have you been waiting for the Test Track opening date? Well we’ve got that now! So let’s dive into what’s new in Walt Disney World.
Cool Kid Summer
It’s not just for kids, I had the best time enjoying this at Hollywood Studios! We can’t talk about What’s New in Walt Disney World without mentioning this fun edition! Each park has dance parties and character interactions for all the kids and kids at heart. In Magic Kingdom you can join the party with Stitch at the Galactic Blast dance party in Tomorrowland. You’ll find Pluto in Storybook Circus at the Big Top Bash. It’s a great way to see characters and just let your kids dance off some energy! Hollywood Studios is throwing it down in Animation Courtyard. There are characters roaming around and having a good time with guests, some really great interactions! Inside the Disney Junior theater there is a huge dance party happening with even more characters and air conditioning!
Hoping over to EPCOT you will find Goofy in Communicore Hall hosting a dance party, games and activities. This is great again because…..air conditioning! Over in Animal Kingdom you will find a sing along on Discovery Island, a limited time Wilderness Explorers Badge and fun activities on Rafiki’s Planet Watch!
Closures and Openings
Hollywood Studios
This summer is the one of mourning a little bit too in Walt Disney World. Just a couple of weeks ago on June 7th we saw the closure of Muppet Courtyard, Muppet Vision 3D and Pizza Rizzo. I am a big Muppets fan so this made me super sad. This Hollywood Studios closure is making way for the new Monster’s Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios. This new land will feature two new attractions and a show. While I am excited for this, I am going to miss Muppet Vision 3D so much! The Muppets will be moving right along to a retime of Rockin’ Roller Coaster. Which means that ride will be closing as well, but not until 2026.
EPCOT
A happier announcement for what’s new in Walt Disney World is that we finally have a reopening date for the reimagined Test Track in EPCOT! Disney has announced that Test Track will reopen on July 22nd! This will be a welcome reopening in EPCOT for sure. Also in Epcot we had the new Geo-82 restaurant lounge open on June 4th. This is a 21 and older lounge on the back side of Spaceship Earth. It looks to have a very elevated menu and some beautiful views of the park. We have a reservation for July 16th and I can’t wait!
Magic Kingdom
Another sad closure happening this summer in Walt Disney World is the Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island in Magic Kingdom. July 6th is the set closing date for both of these iconic attractions. This is to make way for a new Cars themed land with two new attractions, shops and dining. Again, I am excited for the new stuff but will be so sad to see Tom Sawyer Island and the Riverboat go. The park views from Liberty Square will just not be the same. Also in Magic Kingdom we are getting a new Pirates themed lounge! The Beak and Barrel lounge is set to open “late 2025” with no specific date announced yet. It was mentioned that select nights of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party would be able to make reservations. I’m not 100% sure that is actually happening.
Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away New In Walt Disney World
I think I am MOST excited for this part of what’s new in Walt Disney World! Ever since they announced this at D23 last August I have been waiting (not so patiently) for the opening announcement. Disney Starlight is the new nighttime parade coming to Magic Kingdom. We have not had a nighttime parade here in Walt Disney World since the SpectroMagic Parade closed in 2010. It has been too long! I am looking forward to this parade for so many reasons. My oldest saw SpectroMagic but was too little to remember it. My youngest has never seen a nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom like this. On top of that, a dancer I have watched grow up has been cast in the parade. I can’t wait to see her in Disney Starlight! You can read a little about her journey being cast as a dancer in Disney World here!
Shows In Hollywood Studios New In Walt Disney World
We can’t talk about what’s new in Walt Disney World without mentioning the two new shows we got in Hollywood Studios on May 27th! Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After took over for the Lightning McQueen Driving School and is such a fun show featuring all of our favorite villains. We also got a brand new Little Mermaid show. It’s in the same theater that used to house Voyage of the Little Mermaid. This reimagined show is beautiful and the casting is perfection! I feel like the shows are what Hollywood Studios is all about. I love these two additions to the park.
Flavors of Florida
Not really something new in Walt Disney World since they do it every year but still! Flavors of Florida starts June 27th in Disney Springs and it’s one of my favorite things every year. There are tons of yummy food, treats and drinks created for this event. All celebrating the flavors and ingredients of Florida. There are even cooking demo’s that include samples of some of this delicious food! You have to sign up for those so make sure you click here each week to get your spot! Stay tuned, I’ll be doing a full break down of all the Flavors of Florida things. Make sure you’re subscribed and have the blog added to your favorites!
Conclusion
I have no doubt I have missed something here, there are a lot of things happening in Walt Disney World right now. We have a lot to look forward to in the next few years but even right now we have some new things to enjoy. I have a feeling there will be some big announcements at Destination D23 in August with more details on bigger projects. We can’t wait for Destination D23, it is one of my favorite events D23 puts on!
I hope you are as excited as I am for all the new things coming to Walt Disney World, it’s an exciting time in the parks. while I am sad for what we are losing, I know it’s just part of the process and part of Walt’s dream of the parks always evolving and changing. Let me know what you’re most excited for and what you will miss from the closures, I would love to know! Thank you for reaching along this week and have a magic day!