Disney Discussions Weekly Recap for the Week of 10/06/24
All the Disney happenings from the week of 10/06/24. Catch up on the past week’s Disney news, an excellent tool for your trip, and see how many times WDW had to close in the past. Plus, Muppets, forev
What a week—another Hurricane. We are praying for those dealing with Hurricane Milton's aftermath. Milton took up most of the news this week, so the news section will be a little lighter than usual.
Catch up on the past week’s Disney news, an excellent tool for your trip, and see how many times WDW had to close in the past. Plus, Muppets, forever Muppets.
Hello to our new subscribers, and thank you for all the support. Please let me know what you want to see in Disney Discussions — The Free Disney newsletter going forward. Please share with your Disney-loving friends and family.
This week’s Disney news 🐭
Walt Disney World News 🏰:
🚜 Reflections Lodge Site Construction Begins at Walt Disney World - WDWNT
Disney has not officially announced anything regarding this construction, but work has begun at the previous Reflections DVC site. I’m betting Disney wants to sell more Fort Wilderness DVC cabins and the new Poloy rooms before announcing a new DVC resort.
💰 Walt Disney World Has Lost $547 Million Due to Hurricanes - WDWNT
This estimate considers every Hurricane closing for WDW from 1999 to This week. According to International Theme Park Services, Disney lost about $45 million per closed day.
🚗 Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy Now Permanently Closed - The DIS
🗺️ New Park Map Debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Racing Academy Removed & MuppetVision 3D Loses Featured Spot - BlogMickey
With Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy permanently closed, a new park map has debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The map features the Rock ‘n’’ Roller Coaster attraction on the cover and MuppetVision 3D replaced by Vacation Fun on the spotlight page.
Meet Hank: Today’s Longest Serving Disney Cast Member - Disney Parks Blog
At 92 years old, Henry Ameen, affectionately referred to as Hank, started as a Jungle Cruise skipper in 1958. As of October 8, 2024, he celebrates his 62nd service anniversary and holds the legendary status as the current longest-standing employee of The Walt Disney Company.
Disneyland News:
Disney Announces Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Magic Key Previews - Diservations
Magic Key previews will occur at Disneyland Park on select dates from Monday, October 21st, until November 12th. The park closes early at 7 p.m. on November 13th for a media preview event.
A Virtual Queue will be in place for Magic Key previews.
Prices increase at an average of 6%. The highest-priced one-day, one-park ticket with no blockout days rose from $194 to $206 — surpassing $200 for the first time. The lowest-priced one-day, one-park ticket is still $104.
Magic Key prices will increase between 6% and 20%, depending on the pass. Here’s the breakdown:
Inspire: from $1,649 to $1,749 (6% increase)
Believe: from $1,249 to $1,374 (10% increase)
Enchant: from $849 to $974 (14.7% increase)
Imagine: from $499 to $599 (20% increase)
Disneyland teases the return of the nighttime parade, Paint The Night. - Instagram
Disney Entertainment News 🎬:
Freakier Friday arrives in theaters on August 8, 2025! - Walt Disney Studios on X.com
The “live-action” Lilo And Stitch movie will be released on May 23, 2025! - Walt Disney Studios on X.com
Muppet News 🐸 :
NEW Muppet*Vision 3D Walt Disney World Parades Pin - WDWNT
image from WDWNT
Disney Discussions Recap:
🧚 Pixie Dust ✨
Fun Fact:
Here’s a list of each time Walt Disney World closed
1985: Hurricane Elena
Magic Kingdom and EPCOT closed early on August 31st, 1985.
1999: Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd prevented all four Walt Disney World theme parks from opening on September 14th, 1999.
2001: 9/11
September 11th, 2001, Walt Disney World guests heard a sudden announcement that the park was closed. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure never opened that day.
2004: Hurricane Charley
Walt Disney World closed early on August 13th, 2004, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom never opened.
2004: Hurricane Frances
A month after Hurricane Charley, Walt Disney World had to close again. None of the theme parks opened on September 4 or 5, marking the first time Walt Disney World closed for consecutive days.
2004: Hurricane Jeanne
Walt Disney World closed on September 26th, 2004.
2005: Hurricane Wilma
Disney World did not open on the morning of October 24th, 2005, due to the Category 5 hurricane. The parks opened in the late afternoon after the storm had safely passed.
2016: Hurricane Matthew
Walt Disney World theme parks closed early on October 6th and remained closed on October 7th, 2016.
2017: Hurricane Irma
Walt Disney World theme parks closed slightly early on September 9th, 2017, and remained closed through September 11th.
2019: Hurricane Dorian
Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney's Animal Kingdom closed early on September 3rd, 2019, due to the approaching hurricane. However, Disney decided to keep EPCOT and Disney Springs open into the evening once it was clear the hurricane would have minimal impact.
2020: COVID-19
The Disney parks were closed from March 16th through July 10th. Disney Springs reopened on May 20th. The parks reopened in phases, with Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom opening on July 11th and EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios opening on July 15th, 2022.
2022: Hurricane Ian
Walt Disney World was closed on September 28 and 29 due to Hurricane Ian. It reopened in phases starting on September 30th.
Fun fact: I was on property and staying in the Riviera for this one!
2022: Hurricane Nicole
Walt Disney World theme parks closed early on November 9th. They reopened late the next day.
2024: Hurricane Milton
The parks closed early on October 9th and remained closed on October 10th, reopening on October 11th.
Magic Shot of the Week:
At dusk, Toy Story Land in Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios is perfection.
❓ What’s your favorite Disney spot at Dusk? Leave us a comment to let us know!
We all have those photos we love from a Disney vacation. Every week, I’ll share one. They will be my photos, but I’d love for you to share yours so I can include them. Email me your Disney photo to photos@disneydiscussions.com, and it’ll go in a future weekly recap.
Disney Tip of the week:
So you booked your Disney Trip and have dates, but are you confused about when to start booking Dining, tours, Lightning lanes, etc.? Have no fear—Diservations has a great tool to help!
Visit their Trip Planning calculator! Enter your trip’s start date, and you’ll get all the necessary dates.