Greetings from Disney Springs on what turned out to be a very busy day. We experienced food and retail locations reopening, some Disney-owned locations closing after reopening, and everything in between. Let’s get going, there’s a lot to cover.

First thing’s first, Disney has again opted not to utilize the virtual queue system for stores prior to their scheduled openings today. While this was a staple for a couple of weeks, it seems the consistently low crowds in the mornings have convinced management that the system isn’t needed at this time.

Around 9:45 am, we saw the usual crowd of a few dozen guests form around the entrance at World of Disney.

Unlike what we saw yesterday, where a proper physically distanced line was formed by guests, today was a mad rush as soon as the doors swung open, at which point physical distancing became an afterthought for most.

Perhaps Stitch should try to spit water on people to ensure they keep their distance.

Inside the store, we found this new Forky bag. We’re not 100% sold on this idea.

Over at The Dress Shop at Marketplace Co-Op, this Flamingo Summertime Fun dress is an energetic addition for the warmer months. We’ve got the details, including pricing, on this dress in its own post – click here to see it in its entirety.

Over at Disney’s Days of Christmas, new knit character stockings have made their debut. Pictured here are Mickey, Minnie, and Stitch, but there are actually 6 new stockings in total. Take a look at our complete post on these stockings for the full lineup and pricing.

While some locations are rolling out new merchandise, three Disney-owned stores were inexplicably closed today, after having reopened on Wednesday and operated every day since then. Goofy’s Candy Co., The Art of Disney, and Wonderful World of Memories all had their “Sorry, we are closed” decals re-applied to their entrances and no Cast Members were seen inside.

While those locations are closed, one fan-favorite had its reopening today: Aristocrepes. The restaurant, located near the aforementioned stores in the Marketplace, is once again serving its namesake crepes and bubble waffles. For more pictures and operating hours, click here for the full post.

We also saw developments over at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, and more specifically the new “Shine Bar + Social” patio bar addition. The expansion, which was hidden behind construction walls, was revealed today. Both the original restaurant and the new patio are expected to open on June 17th.

On a final reopening note, the Coach store has reopened, offering both Disney-themed and standard merchandise. Inside the store, little has changed from its pre-closing state.

Elsewhere in the Town Center area of Disney Springs, Vera Bradley had its usual selection of masks. You can also purchase mask filters from the designer shop. Masks run $8.00 each, while filters are $2.50 for a two-pack.

Moving on to construction, little has changed at lululemon. While work is actively occurring, it has all been hidden behind work walls thus far.

At the M&M’S Store, a bit more work is visible due to the overhaul of the storefront. Despite the pretty involved level of construction, the store is believed to be on track for a 2020 opening.

Last on the construction update list, City Works Eatery & Pour House continues to press along with their patio overhaul. The project is expected to be completed in about a week and should provide some nice cover for those opting to eat or drink outside.

On the note of outdoor dining, Food Truck Park has seen a notable change – guests will now place their orders at a single point of sale, and can then retrieve their food from the truck(s) whose food they ordered. This is being done to reduce the amount of interaction, specifically exchanging payments, being done at the trucks themselves.

Guests wishing to take in some music with their meals should head over to House of Blues, where live music has consistently been offered since its return last week.

This change to ordering at the food trucks makes sense, as crowd levels continue to slowly grow, and improvements to both safety and efficiency are always welcomed.

Contrary to popular belief, the Aerophile hot air balloon does occasionally take to the skies. The poor weather recently has kept it grounded quite a bit over the last week, but conditions were much improved this afternoon.

Other types of balloons are available at Disney Springs as well, including a couple of Baby Yoda balloons which were recently added to the assortment.

While not available for riding in (that we’re aware of), this old Skyway bucket hangs high in the ceiling at the recently-reopened DisneyStyle. We’ll take this over the Skyliner any day.

That’s all for today, we hope you’ve enjoyed the various updates from around Disney Springs. For breaking news and updates from Disney resorts around the world, click here and follow @WDWNT on Twitter.