Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all of the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from July 29-August 4!

Walt Disney World

• It’s the end of an era at Orlando International Airport, as construction walls have gone up around Disney’s EarPort store for its refurbishment, covering up a popular photo op.
• We got a birds-eye look at construction of the new tram stop at the Transportation and Ticket Center, with the foundation in place!
• The 2020 Free Dining Bounce Back offer is now available for guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel through October 31st, 2019!

Magic Kingdom

• Hear ye, hear ye! Construction walls are down at Sir Mickey’s, revealing the new princess-themed Royal Portrait Studio!
• The super-fancy (and expensive) Signature Celebration Package at Cinderella’s Royal Table is now available!
• Some of the queue awnings at the Haunted Mansion have returned, which is great news for those who dislike passing out from the Florida heat.
• New brick work is now visible on the widening Cinderella Castle pathway.
• A new temporary security screening area has been erected near the bus loop drop-off.
• Hey… what happened to the water stations at quick-service restaurants?

• The seating area at Liberty Square Market has been completely demolished. But is this part of a ground-up rebuilding, or is this seating area history?
• Take a look at TRON Lightcycle Power Run construction and other enhancements happening at the Magic Kingdom in this new photo report! And find out what happens when an attraction wait time sign goes down! (That poor cast member…)
• Guests can enjoy specialty merchandise, an exclusive cupcake, and early attraction visitations on August 9th to celebrate the Haunted Mansion’s 50th anniversary. (Yes, it’s a party in the Magic Kingdom for the Disneyland version’s birthday.) Of course, if you want to celebrate prematurely, select items will be available for sale at the August 8th Disney Villains After Hours.

• Casey’s Corner’s Hot Diggity Dog of the Month features fried pickles, and is… pretty good?!?!
• Speaking of pretty good food, guests can get their Dole Whip served in a souvenir Tiki bowl at Aloha Isle Refreshments.
• Ahead of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the Minnie Mouse and Roy Disney bench has been relocated next to City Hall. Check out that, construction updates, and apples at the Confectionary (just apples!) in our photo report!
• Construction of the new entrance to the Magic Kingdom expands and temporary signage abounds in our latest update on the enhancements!
• Ever wondered what the top 5 best attractions to be on during the Magic Kingdom fireworks are? Wonder no longer! (Sadly, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress didn’t make the cut!)

Epcot

• Work continues on the Rose Walk pathway, while the Canada Pavilion and The American Adventure get some much-needed TLC in our photo report.
• We took a bite (and several more) out of the limited-time, Annual Passholder-exclusive gelato ice cream sandwich at Sunshine Seasons!
• One of the signs at Epcot Character Spot has returned… just ahead of the area’s closure. Everyone onstage for the finale! We also look at the newest Annual Passholder perks at the park!
• Over at the France Pavilion, the facade is coming together and the wall work moves ahead for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

• Blow the horns, beat the drums, and sound the alarm! Beverly is back at Club Cool!
• We learned more about the Annual Passholder offerings at the 2019 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, including Minnie Mouse and Remy magnets, as well as a Minnie cutting board, new clothing for sale, and a Passholder-exclusive gift card!
• Take a look at Guardians of the Galaxy and Canada Pavilion construction, soooo many sleepy Figment plushes, and a fully available lineup of beverages at Club Cool in our photo report!
• Epcot has a brand new World Showcase passport! Check out our photos and video of the refreshed experience!
• The remaining Leave a Legacy monoliths will be removed starting on August 6th. I guess this means the Millennium Celebration is finally over?
• No, Celine Dion is not here… and now, neither is O Canada!, which showed its last screening of the 2007-2019 film on July 31st. But you can remember it forever with our Full 4K 360° video, or enjoy a version of it in Flat-O-Vision!
• Construction areas around Innoventions West and the Coral Reef Restaurant expand and we finally see evidence of work on the Play Pavilion in our photo report.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• The construction walls are down around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ahead of previews. I wonder when we’ll get to see what’s inside?
• Guests can now enjoy a PhotoPass opportunity in Toy Story Land featuring Forky… on a trash can!
• The sign near the entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios is gone as part of the security screening area expansion… but will it return with the new logo?
• Guests can enjoy their blue and green milk with alcohol when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (I sincerely hope it helps the taste.)
• And if you’re looking for more booze in Batuu, Ronto Roasters and Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo will each offer an exclusive beer and mixed drink at each stand. (Still waiting to see what’s inside, though.)
• Cast members at the entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios are sporting sleek, comfortable new costumes! (And they look cool, too!)

• Oh, hey, we finally see what’s inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as its Disney’s Hollywood Studios incarnation opens for previews!
• The new entrance area and expanded security checkpoint is almost ready for guests! Check out this new area with a classic look!
• There’s construction and hijinks with the Citizens of Hollywood afoot in this photo report!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Artisan-sculpted puppets, sparkling decor, and more are coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the holiday season. Plus, there’s some neat artwork to enjoy, too!
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Come for the animal-watching, stay for the people-watching in this new photo report!
• Elsewhere, Primeval Whirl’s refurbishment has once again been extended, this time to September 28th. (At this rate, it may feel like 65 million years when it finally reopens!)

• Starting August 29th, Annual Passholders can enjoy secret menu items, exclusive character meet-and-greets, Photopass opportunities, and a Simba magnet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (with more meet-and-greets and Photopass opportunities at Epcot)!
• Guests being picked up or dropped off will be moved to Row 1 of the Peacock Lot through September as part of entrance enhancements.
• Take a “walk on the wild side” with a new Lion King canteen-themed sipper at popcorn carts around the park!

Disney Springs

• Check out a new engraving cart, new merchandise, and construction work on the Cirque du Soleil theater in our new photo report!
• The Weekend Bayou Brunch is now available at House of Blues! Omelets and etouffee!

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

• Some of Major League Soccer’s All-Star Week events were held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex last week.

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

• It’s a column-palooza in our look at construction at Disney’s Riviera Resort!
• We also got a look at construction of the walkway from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to the Magic Kingdom, which will likely include a bridge. (Otherwise, it’s going to be a real short Electrical Water Pageant.)

• Pineapple. Coconut. Chocolate-covered. Bacon. Kona Island. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Need I say more? (Well, we did in our review.)
• Signage is up for the Disney Skyliner at the station servicing Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort! (Spoiler alert: it’s colorful.)

Disneyland Resort

• Bad news! The Disneyland Annual Passholder-exclusive mug has sold out! Good news! If you have the mug, you can still use it to get 99-cent refills on soda, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate at participating locations through September 5th!
• As Halloween Time descends on the Disneyland Resort, guests can enjoy a variety of sweet treats (and one savory one), available to everyone!

Disneyland

• You’ll need to spend a few more credits… I mean, dollars, to get select legacy lightsabers at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. I guess even a galaxy far, far away isn’t immune to price hikes.
• Check out new merchandise and character appearances (and DUCKS!) all around Disneyland in our new photo report!
• We have been chosen… to tell you about an Alien Pizza Planet sipper now available featuring the Little Green Men!
• The Main Street Electrical Parade has returned to Disneyland, and with it come sixteen(!) commemorative food items available around the park!
• And when there’s specialty food items, of course we’re going to review them! Check out our take on the savory options at The Refreshment Corner, including the Firefly Hot Dog, Chili Mac Bread Bowl, and Firefly Chips!

• Did you think we’d leave out the sweet stuff? Check out our reviews of the Main Street Electrical Parade cake at Plaza Inn and Jolly Holiday Bakery’s Lady Bug Macaron!
• And once our stomachs have settled from all that food, we checked out the Mango Pineapple Dole Whip at The Tropical Hideaway.

Disney California Adventure

• No need to head to the Quantum Realm to look at the future, we got a look at concept art for the Ant-Man Microbrewery and Restaurant coming to the Marvel-themed land!
• We take a look at the new merchandise and the latest enhancements coming to Hollywood Land in our latest photo report.
• Halloween is creeping up on us, and we have a look at the specialty food and merchandise items coming to Oogie Boogie Bash when it comes to live starting September 6th!

• Speaking of Oogie Boogie Bash, we also got a new look at the new “World of Color” show, “Villainous!” and “Mickey’s Trick and Treat Show,” both exclusive to the event, as well as a new addition to the “Frightfully Fun Parade” joining the event this year: the Cheshire Cat!
• Do you like gyros? Do you like french fries? If you do, then you’ll probably like our review of the gyro fries at Paradise Garden Grill.
• Hakuna matata! Simba and Nala cake pops have pounced into Trolley Treats!

Downtown Disney District

• Limited edition pins have returned to Disney’s Pin Traders after a brief disappearance. Once again, you don’t have to enter the parks to get your hands on that sweet pin action!

Tokyo Disney Resort

• We learned more about Tokyo Disneyland’s “Disney Halloween” festival, including food, merchandise, decorations, and the return of the Spooky “Boo!” Parade.

• And if that wasn’t enough, we also learned about how “Disney Halloween” will be celebrated at Tokyo DisneySea, including a new show, “Festival of Mystique.” (Sorry, Marvel fans, there’s no mutants in this one.)
• Guests looking to see the “My Friend Duffy” stage show at Tokyo DisneySea must now purchase a full meal set at the Cape Cod Cook-Off Restaurant. (There’s still no comment on the matter from Gelatoni.)
• Take a look at “Disney Pirates Summer” at Tokyo DisneySea and a quick walk through Ikspiari in our new photo report!
• Meanwhile, we take a look at a new parking garage, and at Tokyo Disneyland, there’s construction in Critter Country, and a world of Country Bear merchandise.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

• As part of the transformation of the castle at Hong Kong Disneyland, towers and spires representing 13 stories of beloved Disney Princesses and heroines are being lifted onto the castle base.

Merchandise

• Gaze into the mouth of horror as a terrifying creature approaches… no, wait, that’s just the new Forky costume available on shopDisney. Check it out, along with other, less-traumatizing costumes!
• Dumbo joins the ranks of the sleepy Dream Friend plushes, as we saw at the Magic Kingdom’s Big Top Souvenirs.
• Halloween has arrived at shopDisney with new treats including plushes, t-shirts, and Haunted Mansion Mystery Pins!
• A Splash Mountain Funko POP! Vinyl 3-Pack is now available at the Disneyland Resort, and floats into shopDisney on August 14th!
• On shopDisney, a new bangle from Alex and Ani puts Tiana in the spotlight! (Beignets not included.)
• A new line of Mickey Mouse women’s loungewear has arrived at the Disneyland Resort’s World of Disney.
• Guests at Disneyland’s Star Wars Launch Bay can now purchase customizable D-Tech magnets.
• All hail the Pumpkin King! A new line of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” merchandise, along with returning favorites, can now be scared up at the Disneyland Resort.
• Tale as old as time, prices that are high, Beauty and the Beast…. -themed Dooney & Bourke purses are now available on shopDisney!

• Guests can “Host a Ghost” and pick up other items celebrating the Haunted Mansion’s 50th anniversary at Disneyland!
• For those looking for vessels to hold their swinging wake-up, you can check out the new Haunted Mansion mugs and tumbler at… Disney California Adventure?
• The prim and posh Perdita is the newest limited edition addition to the Classic Cozy Knits plush collection. We found ours at the Emporium in the Magic Kingdom.
• Some new Haunted Mansion merchandise has hitched its way to Memento Mori in the Magic Kingdom!
• If you’re looking for some floral fashion with a Disney flair, check out this Mickey and Minnie rose floral dress at The Dress Shop at Disney Springs!
• A new Cinderella Castle Loungefly backpack has arrived at the Magic Kingdom’s Emporium… but the secret weapon is that interior lining.
• And not to be outdone, there’s also a Sleeping Beauty Castle Loungefly backpack at Disneyland’s Main Street Clothiers!
• The Main Street Electrical Parade is back at Disneyland, and there’s new merchandise at Disneyana and Disney Showcase for the occasion!
• Tokyo DisneySea is celebrating its 18th birthday on September 4th, and there’ll be a lot of merchandise to mark the event!
• You ain’t never had an accessory like the Aladdin Charm Bracelet or the Genie’s Lamp Necklace at the Magic Kingdom’s Emporium.
• New mariachi and Dia de los Muertos-inspired items have arrived at Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion!
• As a certain caterpillar once said, “Oh, candy corn!” Kick off Halloween season with candy corn Minnie ears at Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories in Disney Springs!
• Jack Skellington, Oogie Boogie, and Zero can be found on a new Nightmare Before Christmas ear headband at Disneyland’s Port Royal Curios and Curiosities.

Other Disney News

• Disney has filed a patent for an augmented reality device that could be used to see more information at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and the theme parks.
• Walt Disney Imagineering and Khan Academy have partnered for “Imagineering in a Box,” a new video/activity course that takes you through the Imagineering process.

WDWNT News

• Take a look at the latest offerings from The Lost Bros, including a treat patterned tee, a Steamboat Willie jersey, and a Mushu’s Chinese Takeout tee!
• On “Dreamfinders,” our own Nathan Hartman sits down with Tony Goldmark of “Some Jerk With a Camera” fame!
• The latest “Nerd Alert” brings us the definitive ranking of Spider-Man movies! (And for fans of Spider-Man movies… hey.)
• “ParksCenter” talks The NBA Experience, Annual Passholder perks, and more!
• WDW News Tonight celebrates 100 episodes with a new game, a new Top 7… oh, and a brand new studio with a live audience!

That’s all of the Disney news for this past week! Make sure you check back at the end of each week for our weekly recaps!