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 November 11-17!

Walt Disney World

• A new update to the My Disney Experience app has streamlined the direct-to-room online check-in process, with a new option for the “Service Your Way” Mousekeeping opt-out program

Magic Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for Magic Kingdom, including new jewelry, character sightings, a special “gift” from Big Al, and more!
• Watch our recording of the magical Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, and the beautiful Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime parade from the second night of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2019
• This week we were back trying more of the delicious treats at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2019. From Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, we tried the surprisingly good Carved Turkey Sandwich and Frozen Eggnog, we tried the disappointing To Be Jolly Float from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, tasted the highly-Instagrammable Orange Bird Cake, found our new-favourite Dole Whip flavor in the Kakamora Float from Aloha Isle, got a serious sugar high from Sven’s Carrot Cake and tried the Tamales from Pecos Bill’s, and tried the worst item we’ve ever reviewed on this site: the Beer Cheese with Antler Crackers from Gaston’s Tavern
• Work has begun on creating a new walkway connecting the Contemporary and the Magic Kingdom, while work continues on building a bridge between the Grand Floridian and the park. Meanwhile, concrete has been poured and the structure due to house security has started to take shape at the Transportation and Ticketing Center
• Holiday displays around the park are continuing to appear, and this week we noticed the newly-decorated Christmas window displays around Main Street Emporium
• We saw that a tree has sprouted from the center of the Liberty Square Market seating area, which is currently under construction

Hollywood Studios

• Check out this week’s photo report for Hollywood Studios, featuring holiday festivities, popcorn buckets, and every single new holiday treat (there’s a lot of them about right now!)
• Watch our video of the amazing Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! firework spectacular which is lighting up the Chinese Theater this holiday season
• The toys in Andy’s back yard are all feeling festive, with the Toy Story Land characters all meeting & greeting in their holiday apparel
• Santa Claus is back on Sunset Boulevard for the most festive meet & greet opportunity
• We reviewed the new Frozen 2 slushies with Elsa and Olaf glow clips  which arrived in the parks this week

Epcot

• Check out this week’s photo report for Epcot, featuring a monorail evacuation, Christmas in the World Showcase and more!
• Believe it or not, the 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts is just around the corner! This week, multiple performers were announced for the Disney on Broadway Concert Series, and other festival happenings and events have started to be revealed, such as a new Le Cellier brunch, a Wall-E family play zone and more
• In construction news across Epcot, we noticed additional extended queue areas have been revealed for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Creperie de Paris in the France pavilion, new concrete has formed a possible temporary park entrance bypass in Future World, work has been continuing steadily along on the enhancements to the main entrance to the park, an additional structure is now visible for the Regal Eagle Smokehouse in the American Adventure pavilion, and the restrooms over at Future World East have now closed for their extensive refurbishment
• The designated smoking area at the International Gateway has been relocated to near the temporary ticketing booth
• The former Camera Center will be reopening on December 8th as a new Pin Traders location

Animal Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for Animal Kingdom, including Christmassy meet & greets, festive desserts and more!
• We reviewed the underwhelming Peppermint Cookies ‘n’ Cream Milkshake from Trilo-Bites
• If you will be visiting Animal Kingdom on November 20th, be aware that character meet and greet hours have been shortened on that day in DinoLand U.S.A
• Primeval Whirl will be resuming it’s seasonal operating hours on November 23, a full day early!

Disney Springs

• Check out this week’s photo report for Disney Springs, including holiday snacks, the Disney+ pop-up kiosk, and more!
• There’s lots of festive new treats to try across Disney Springs right now! We reviewed the cheery and colorful Peppermint Bubble Waffle and Cherry Jubilee Crepe over from Aristocrepes, the seasonal Holiday Turkey Burger and Peppermint Cookies ‘n’ Cream Gelato Shake from D-Luxe Burger, the mediocre Gobbler Poutine from The Daily Poutine, the delicious new Turkey Sliders from B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co., the adorable Holiday Yule Log from Amorette’s Patisserie, and the tasty Obi Wan Chicken Wings from Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar
• The new Ron Jon Surf Shop location is now open at Disney Springs, take a full tour of the place here
• We noticed that select Pandora – The World of AVATAR items (including those shoulder Banshees) are now being sold worlds away at Disney Springs
• The NBA Experience is now offering Annual Passholder and DVC discounts through March 2020

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

Beach Club Resort

• We went to check out the refurbishment progress over at Beaches & Cream, which is now accepting reservations starting January 19th
• A stunning 20th anniversary gingerbread holiday carousel is on display in the Beach Club, inspired by Peter Pan’s Neverland

Boardwalk Inn

• Check out the impressive miniature version of Disney’s Boardwalk, created entirely from gingerbread, now on displayat the Boardwalk Inn

Coronado Springs Resort

• Take a look at the Christmas decorations and displays across Coronado Springs and Gran Destino Tower

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

• This year’s stunning gingerbread house is finally finished and on display in the lobby of the Grand Floridian, looking as magical and delicious as ever, with princesses and pastry chefs showing up for the grand opening

Reflections: A Lakeside Disney Lodge

• We went to check out the latest construction update on Reflections, and spotted some heavy-duty machinery, along with new framework for the Tri-Circle-D ranch

Riviera Resort

• In a video released this week, Disney revealed a behind-the-scenes look at the beautiful hand-painted murals which will be on display across the Riviera

Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

• Take a tour of this year’s amazing gingerbread house village display over at Saratoga Springs, including a look at the new limited-edition gingerbread collection pin which is now available

Wilderness Lodge

• Wilderness Lodge has also gotten on board with the trend, with its first annual gingerbread cabin now on display, featuring Humphrey the Bear

Yacht Club Resort

• There’s a miniature winter wonderland at the Yacht Club, as the resort’s 2019 Christmas Village is now on display

Disneyland Resort

• Check out this week’s photo report for the Disneyland Resort, including Tomorrowland construction walls, the Sleeping Beauty Castle lights and more!
• New aerial imagery over the Disneyland Resort shows the installation and construction progress for the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Spider-Man attractions

Disneyland Park

• Following a guest jumping particularly violently on, and subsequently breaking, one of the wooden bridges on the attraction, Tarzan’s Treehouse had to shut temporarily
• We’ve been out trying lots of tasty new treats for the Holidays 2019 celebration at the Disneyland Park! We tried the Chicken Mole, Caldo de Pollo, Pan Dulce Ice Cream Sandwich, Frozen Abuelita Horchata and Champurrado from Rancho del Zocalo, the Sugar Plum Candy Churro, Holiday Cookies and Mickey Gingerbread Man from Market House, the Pumpkin Spice Shake from Red Rose Taverne, delicious Hot Chocolate Beignets from Cafe Orleans, the impressive new vegetarian Yellow Curry Rice Plate from Bengal Barbecue, the French Dip Sandwich from Refreshment Corner, and the new Steakhouse Burger and Caramel Pecan Brownie Parfait from Galactic Grill
• New construction walls have gone up outside of the Rise of the Resistance queue area in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
• We learned that Indiana Jones Adventure is due to undergo a major refurbishment project in 2020
• Starting November 18, Annual Passholders will be able cruise along in after-hours access to the holiday “it’s a small world” 
• Meanwhile, we were thrilled to see that the construction walls have been brought down in Tomorrowland, with a newly-expanded walkway now walk-able

Disney California Adventure

• The Festival of Holidays 2019 celebration has brought many new treats to Disney California Adventure too! We tried the new Salisbury Steak from Flo’s V-8 Café, the disappointing Loaded Latke from Smokejumpers Grill, the delicious Pork Tamale and Iced Horchata from Cocina Cucamonga, the Plant-etarium Street Tacos from Studio Catering Co., the Horchata Churro with condensed milk dipping sauce, the Peppermint Churro with chocolate and vanilla icing, a Sleigh Ride Slush, Wonderland Hot Chocolate and Holiday Eggnog from Hollywood Lounge, all the offerings over at the Making Spirits Bright Marketplace, the Chocolate Peppermint Sundae and Bar from Clarabelle’s, the new Apple Fritter Bread Pudding and Plant-Based Pumpkin Soup from Pacific Wharf Café, the Holiday Dinner Pizza and Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake from Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, Cheesy “Corn” Dog and Cheesy “Corn” Fries from Award Wieners, and the new Peppermint Mickey Shake and Churro Shake from Schmoozies
• Carthay Circle Restaurant will be closing for a refurbishment in January 2020

Hong Kong Disneyland

• A model has been revealed, outlining the exciting Frozen-themed land which will be coming to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2021

New Merchandise

• It’s snuggle season, and these cozy new Rose Gold, Mickey Mouse and “it’s a small world” adult onesies are now on sale in Walt Disney World
• In jewelry news, this sweet new Cinderella Castle Alex and Ani bracelet and this character Kingdoms and Castles collection is now available in the Magic Kingdom,
• The new Star Wars x Coach purse collection has landed online
• This awesome new Disney Skyliner Mickey Mouse Funko Pop! figure is now available in Walt Disney World
• A collection of beautiful new Dapper Day dresses inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan swung into Disney Springs this week
• A new, light-up candy cane Mickey bottle topper/straw is now available at Walt Disney World
• The first collection of surprisingly sturdy new slap bracelet MagicBands have hit the shelves in the parks, featuring Mickey and Friends, Stitch, Olaf and Orange Bird designs

• The November collection from the Disney Wisdom series has now arrived, featuring Simba and some wise words from Rafiki
• Meme culture has hit the parks again, as these new “Current Mood” magnets featuring Frozen and Lilo & Stitch have arrived at Walt Disney World
• In stationery, these fun and colorful new Mickey Mouse fidget pencils are now on sale at Walt Disney World
• Get ready, because shopDisney and Disney Store have revealed their Black Friday deals for 2019
• Check out this fun, new, retro-inspired “Happy New Year 2020” tee which is available now at Walt Disney World, and this cool new A Goofy Movie and Goof Troop apparel collection which just hit the open road on shopDisney
• A cute new Lady and the Tramp phone case and wallet is now available at Hollywood Studios
• The new knitted Spirit Jersey sweater design has arrived at the Disneyland Resort

Entertainment & Media

• Take a look at Emma Stone’s brand-new look for the upcoming live-action movie Cruella

Disney+

This Tuesday brought the release of the long-awaited Disney+ streaming service. Sadly, the Disney+ launch suffered multiple problems from system outages, user login errors and long wait times for customer support. It wasn’t all bad news, of course, with a reported 1.3 million hours of collective streaming tracked in the first 24 hours of the service being launched. It was also discovered that content warnings have been added to movies and shows which portray outdated cultural depictions across the Disney catalogue. Mid-week, a new update was installed which added “resume” and “restart” options to the interface, following mixed user feedback on the original version. You know us, we had to watch all of the exclusive offerings we’ve been counting down the days for, so read our reviews below…

• The Imagineering Story – Episode 1: “The Happiest Place on Earth”
• The Imagineering Story – Episode 2: “What Would Walt Do?”
• The Mandalorian
• Noelle
• High School Musical: The Musical: The Series 
• Float
• Lady and the Tramp
• Forky Asks a Question and Pixar In Real Life Episode 1

Watching through the library, we found an altered version of the Greedo scene in Star Wars: A New Hope, and that the mysterious symbol atop Grunkle Stan’s fez has been removed in Gravity Falls. It was also reported that Disney+ has promised to offer The Simpsons episodes in its original aspect ratio, following viewer feedback

Other Disney News

• Walt Disney Imagineering has debuted a magical new logo and website after the debut of The Imagineering Story docuseries this week on Disney+
• There’s a whole army of Storm Troopers over at Orlando International Airport, as we can see from the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge themed decor and shuttle station wraps which have recently been added to the terminals
• Disney CEO Bob Iger has taught a 13-lesson course in business strategy and leadership for the online education platform MasterClass
• Bombardier has claimed a new monorail order which could potentially be for Walt Disney World

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!