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 January 6–12!

Walt Disney World

• A lot more 2020 booking offers went live this week for Walt Disney World, including a room discount offer for Florida residents on select nights from April through July, the Sun & Fun 25% off room discount offer through spring and summer and the free kids Disney Dining Plan package for 2020
• Disney Vacation Club members will receive a 20% discount on most purchases at Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea kiosks across Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for the Magic Kingdom, including the Kakamora Float, breakfast at Friar’s Nook, construction walls and more
• Splash Mountain has now closed for its annual refurbishment
• Take note that the Magic Kingdom bus loop load zones will be changing beginning next week to accommodate for construction work in the area
• What were previously listed as “limited-time” breakfast items at The Friar’s Nook are now a permanent addition to the menu

EPCOT

• Check out this week’s photo report for EPCOT, including construction progress, aquarium maintenance and more
• In construction across EPCOT, we noticed that the first tiles for the re-imagined fountain at the park entrance were laid in place this week, scaffolding has come down around Space 220 Restaurant, a new digital marquee sign was installed at Palais du Cinema ahead of the “Beauty and the Beast” Sing-Along debut, the construction walls at the park entrance plaza received a bold new Play! Pavilion theming, a permanent “Awesome Planet” wait time sign was installed in The Land pavilion and more steel frame segments were removed during the demolition of Innoventions West
• It is also worth noting that the East parking tram loop is now running
• The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts 2020 is just around the corner! Take a look at the full list of Disney and Wonderground Gallery artists who will participate and all the food items revealed for the World Showcase booths. Also, check out this arty new Mickey Annual Passholder magnet which has been revealed for the festival, cause we all love an AP magnet
• Gateway Gifts will close for refurbishment January 13
• The opening hours for the Imagination! pavilion attractions will be extended from January 12, including Journey into Imagination with Figment
• The Cast Member previews for the upcoming Awesome Planet, Canada Far and Wide and Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along attractions will take place January 16
• Walking around the World Showcase, you may notice that the background music loops in each pavilion have changed to more familiar tunes this week: songs from “Mulan” have been added in China, “Beauty and the Beast” in France and “Coco” in Mexico 
• The full menu (with prices) has been revealed for the soon-to-open Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue restaurant

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Check out this week’s photo report for Hollywood Studios, including us meeting a Porg, new signage at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, cheese sauce and more
• The opening hours of Hollywood Studios have been extended with an earlier time through January 26, so make the most of it if you’re traveling to Batuu this month!
• Due to a possible malfunction on the immersive pre-show in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, many guests have been left frustrated at missing out on the experience
• We got a look at the latest construction on the Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant in these aerial shots
• We reviewed the beloved Backlot Blondie, beautifully topped with chocolate, toffee and coconut
• MuppetVision 3D will close January 26 for renovations and updates
• New FastPass and stand-by entrances and exit signs have been installed at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and new poster art was revealed for the countdown series to the attraction
• Launch Bay Cargo is now selling merchandise from Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities
• Backlot Express is now offering warm cheese sauce as a $1 french fry upgrade

Disney Springs

• Check out this week’s photo report for Disney Springs, including a new Cinderella Castle charm by Pandora, a pepperoni pizza burger, “World of Pixar” merchandise and more
• It looks like the Chicken Guy! restaurant expansion will be taking over part of the Planet Hollywood Observatory gift shop
• A new campaign inspired by character has launched to encourage guests to discover, savor and shop at Disney Springs, creatively titled “Happily Whatever You’re After”

Blizzard Beach

• The annual closure for refurbishment on Blizzard Beach has been extended through January 18, five days past its original reopening date

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

• Guests visiting select Walt Disney World resorts should be aware of the shortened pool opening hours through the winter season

Disney’s All-Star Resorts

• We went to check out the latest construction update on the upcoming remodelled McDonald’s location, near the All-Star Resorts

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

• We reviewed the adorably sweet “I’m Nemo” cheesecake

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

• We were deeply saddened to report that the legendary “Aunty” Kau’i Brandt, the beloved Hawaiian cultural representative and former dancer form the Polynesian, has passed away
• We reviewed the new runDisney Blue Hawaiian Dole Whip Float

Disneyland Resort

• The Disneyland Resort have announced a selection of limited-time discount ticket offers for kids and Southern California residents

Disneyland Park

• Check out this week’s photo report for the Disneyland Park, including roaming R2-D2, riverboat refurbishment and more
• Directional signage has been installed and official virtual queue boarding group procedures have been released in time for the grand opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Galaxy’s Edge. Cast Member previews have now begun
• New, collectable Mobile Order buttons for Annual Passholders have been rolled out across the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge food outlets this week
• The newly-refreshed wall at the entrance to Tomorrowland has been unveiled, with space-age inspirations and a shiny metallic design
• Disneyland snacks are now being wrapped in a colorful, park icon paper, bringing an extra-tasty pop of color to the food outlets
• The “Star Wars” Hyperspace Mountain ride overlay was removed on Space Mountain

Disney California Adventure

• The construction for the upcoming Spider-Man attraction is in full swing at the Avengers Campus
• We reviewed the winning new Asada Fries from Award Wieners and the zesty Finish Line Cone from Cozy Cone Motel
• We also tried the new attraction-inspired signature cocktails at the Annual Passholder-exclusive alfresco tasting terrace
• The full menus have been revealed for the Lunar New Year marketplace booths, and details have been released on the 2020 Sip and Savor Pass

Tokyo Disney Resort

• A Colombian couple was arrested for theft on the Disney Resort Line monorail this week

Tokyo Disneyland

• We went to watch the fun, new “Very Minnie Remix” performance, and were blown away by the nostalgic new “It’s Very Minnie” show
• Scaffolding came down this week across New Fantasyland, revealing Beast’s Castle and more magical details
• If you didn’t think hand soap could be fun, check out these new limited-time Minnie Mouse soap bubbles that debuted for the “Very Very Minnie!” festival
• Halfway through the work on Cinderella Castle, we saw the spire return to the palace with only minor changes
• We reviewed the sweet, fruity and adorable new souvenir desserts for the Very, Very Minnie celebration

Tokyo DisneySea

• We reviewed the new CookieAnn Sandwich, Lunch Case and Dessert offerings from Dockside Diner at Tokyo DisneySea

New Merchandise

• Hit those New Year’s resolutions in the Columbia Sportswear special-edition Mickey Mouse “Have Ears, Will Travel” collection
• Drift off with this cute Astronaut Mickey plush
• If you’re a D23 member, you’ll get exclusive early access to this monthly, limited-edition Mickey Mouse plush collection coming soon to Amazon
• Collect these new retro attraction art pin sets from Tokyo Disney Resort
• Step out in these adorable Minnie Mouse children’s shoes and shoelace charm accessories
• “Choose Your Destiny” with this Star Wars apparel collection by Her Universe
• Bounce around in this colorful PIXAR Luxo Ball Spirit Jersey

• Accessorize with these fun and adorable character hair clip accessories, featuring Mickey Mouse, Marie and Rainbow Unicorn
• Pack for the day with this Mickey Mouse patterned Disneyland Resort backpack
• Prep for your race with these Walt Disney World Marathon 2020 D-Tech on Demand MagicBands and phone cases
• Speed away with this collection of Radiator Springs Racers and Piston Cup merchandise
• Sparkle in this Cinderella Castle charm by Pandora
• Get your head in the game with this “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” spirit wear that arrived on shopDisney
• Celebrate Japanese Hina Matsuri (Girl’s Day) with these adorable dolls and merchandise
• Wait for the Splash Mountain refurbishment to end with this fun line of “I Brer’ly Got Wet” apparel, which reveals a secret message when soaked!
• Go pillaging in this fun Redd Minnie Ear headband bracelet by Alex and Ani
• Ring in the Year of the Mouse with this Lunar New Year merchandise and apparel collection on shopDisney

• Accessorise for your park day with these subtle Alex and Ani “Park Life” collection charm bangles and this pretty “Park Life” purse collection by Dooney & Bourke
• Check out even more additions to the popular “Park Life” merchandise and apparel collection, including a towel, sticky notes, ornaments and more
• Decorate with this fun, vintage Alien Pizza Planet poster art from Art on Demand
• Dress for the parks in this resort logo, pastel rainbow Walt Disney World apparel
• Visit the cantina in this Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge DJ Rex graphic tee
• Chug along with this Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride vehicle train toy
• Dress up your little loves in these adorable character baby onesies
• Rock the Dots with this new Minnie Mouse collection
• Celebrate your amazing achievement with these “Class of 2020” graduation Mouse Ear headbands
• Race to buy this awesome, light-up “Star Wars” Millennium Falcon souvenir popcorn bucket

Entertainment and Media

• This week, new concept art for the sequel to “Avatar” was revealed, and fans of Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom will recognize some of the locations from the ride, as the movie will explore Pandora even further, traveling to lands and meeting creatures we already know from the attraction
• The first trailer has been released for the Disney+ movie “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made”
• Meghan Markle signed a voiceover deal with Disney
• The creator of the “Lizzie McGuire” reboot for Disney+ has quit as showrunner after only two episodes, leaving the future of the series uncertain

Other Disney News

• We were sorry to report that former Walt Disney World Director of Operations and Executive Vice President of Parks Bob Matheison passed away this week at age 85
• A new Club runDisney membership program launches in February at Walt Disney World, featuring a range of special benefits for runners
• Disney Vacation Club has eliminated add-on fees for select in-room resort amenities, such as coffee and laundry detergent

WDW News Today

Make sure you catch up on the News Today episodes from this week!

News Today 1/7/20 – Rise of the Resistance Pre-Show Issue, Tokyo Disney Theft, MouseGear Closes

News Today 10/1/20 – Disney Film Music Hits EPCOT, Very Very Minnie Starts, Toy Runaway Railway Train

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