Rare characters are meeting guests at Magic Kingdom this summer, and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano has permanently closed — all this and more in today’s daily recap for Sunday, May 11, 2025.
Daily Recap (5/11/25)
Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom
- With Walt Disney World’s Cool Kid Summer approaching soon, several rare Disney characters are out meeting guests in Magic Kingdom Park.
- As a new addition to the Magic Kingdom character roster, Romeo McGrowl of the Country Bear Musical Jamboree is now meeting guests in Frontierland.
EPCOT
- A popcorn cart located in World Celebration in EPCOT caught fire earlier today, with Cast Members quickly putting out the flames.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano is now permanently closed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the menu for the restaurant has already been removed.
Disney Springs
- Construction walls have been built around the Cast Member entrance of the Days of Christmas store in Disney Springs.
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
- The decking around the newest DVC Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort appears to be complete as crews start on ground work around the cabins.
New Merchandise
- A First Order Probe Droid and an Anakin Skywalker (Ahsoka’s Vision) Lightsaber are now available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- A new Germany Pavilion-inspired backpack matching the Germany merchandise collection is available for sale at Das Kaufhaus in EPCOT.
- A new Cinderella castle-themed sweatshirt, long sleeve shirt, and t-shirt are now available in the Emporium at Magic Kingdom Park.
- A new clear Mickey Mouse Loungefly mini backpack with sequins has arrived at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom.
Other Walt Disney World News
- In a series of social media posts from multiple sources, a plane with a Gaza banner was seen flying over both Walt Disney World and later Universal Orlando Resort.
Disneyland Resort
- Less than a week before the kickoff of its 70th Anniversary celebration on May 16, Disneyland is busy adding decorations and details around the resort.
Disneyland Park
- In a tradition matching the past several years at Disneyland Resort, Cast Members are handing out carnations to all mothers at the entrance to Disneyland Park for Mother’s Day 2025.
The Walt Disney Company
- A virtual D23 event called “Magic After Dark: The Story of Disney’s Nighttime Spectaculars”! is coming soon for Gold Members.
Universal Orlando Resort
Epic Universe
- A new skit shared by Saturday Night Live (SNL) titled “The Deathly Diner” parodies the new vampire-themed restaurant Das Stakehaus in Epic Universe.
- After weeks of previews, Universal has begun installing ring lights around the facial recognition cameras at the lockers for Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.
That’s it for today; we hope you enjoyed this Daily Recap. Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you tomorrow!