The Festival of Fantasy parade has finally returned to Magic Kingdom after two years. It's a wonderful sight to behold as excited crowds line the parade route to catch a glimpse of this whimsical, colorful and fun parade, and of course it's amazing to have the iconic fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon back, and as picture-perfect as ever before! Of course it’s great news that a daytime parade is back at Magic Kingdom, but there were some significant cutbacks to the parade. The number of characters, dancers, and performers were reduced throughout the entire parade. For example in the lead float, the Princesses were without their Princes, and the entire Brave float was cut out of the parade. We can only hope that these changes are only temporary. In addition, and in a move to further Disney's diversity and inclusion initiative, the song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” has been removed from the finale section of the Festival of Fantasy Parade. “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” is a song featured in the Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain, an attraction that Disney has said no longer aligns with company ideals. Plus, Disney have also removed a snippet of the parade's music that used lyrics from “When I See An Elephant Fly” lyrics from Dumbo, an attraction in Magic kingdom that Disney has not yet announced any changes for.

Spring is in the air, and the Gaylord Palms Resort takes on a uniquely springtime feel each year at their Once Upon A Spring celebration. The event which is up and running now, includes colorful decor, fun live shows, interactive adventures, an escape room, a scavenger hunt, new spectacular light display, and a springtime pop-up bar! The pop-up bar, The Art Bar, opens Friday's from 5:30 pm to 9 p.m. Inspired by the season, the Gaylord Palms mixologists have combined springtime floral and pastel colors to create nine yummy cocktails and mocktails. The Details: The pop-up ART Bar is located at the Castillo de San Marcos Fort, in the resorts St. Augustine Atrium. Whimsy and wonder are inspirations behind this home of colorful cocktails and multicolored mocktails. Enjoy a new menu of craft beverages, specially created by Gaylord Palms mixologists for this year's springtime celebration. March 4 through May 7, 2022, select days, 5:30pm to 9:00pm

According to Disney, Disney Stars at Red Carpet Dreams' at Disney's Hollywood Studios will soon be added to the Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane line-up. The Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse meet and greets will offer Lightning Lane access via Disney Genie+ beginning March 11 2022. The updated line-up for Genie+ at Disney's Hollywood Studios is as follows: Individual Lightning Lane Entrances Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Entrances Alien Swirling Saucers Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage Disney Junior Play & Dance! For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Muppet*Vision 3D Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith See Disney Stars at Red Carpet Dreams—available beginning March 11, 2022 See Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight Slinky Dog Dash Star Tours - The Adventures Continue The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Toy Story Mania!

According to Disney, Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade will be receiving a Lightning Lane viewing area beginning March 11. The viewing area for Festival of Fantasy will be accessible via the Disney Genie+ upcharge.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has commented on the future of the Mary Poppins attraction that was planned to be coming to EPCOT's United Kingdom Pavilion, and it's exciting news. In response to a question at the 2022 Shareholder Meeting, Chapek said that the project is in a holding pattern currently, but looks forward to refunding the Mary Poppins ride in the future. Back in July 2020, Disney officially announced that the United Kingdom Pavilion expansion was paused as the park's reopened, and recovered from the COVID-19 shutdown. Originally announced at the 2019 D23 EXPO, the expansion to the United Kingdom pavilion was to add an entirely new neighborhood at the pavilion, complete with a ride. In the plans that were revealed, guests would step in time down Cherry Tree Lane past Admiral Boom’s house, then enter Number 17, home of the Banks family, where their adventure would begin. Let's hope that it's not too long before we can all step in time down Cherry Tree Lane with Mary Poppins and Bert!

Despite it being widely publicized in a leaked social media post from a senior Disney executive that the new Guardians of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction at EPCOT will officially open on Memorial Weekend, Disney has bypassed a major opportunity to officially announce an opening date at the Walt Disney Company Annual Shareholders meeting. It was thought that the opening date announcement was being made at the presentation by CEO Bob Chapek at the Disney shareholders meeting. Chapek mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as simply opening "this summer." Guess we will just have to wait a little longer for an official announcement!

The day has dawned, the fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon float is ready to roll through the pretty streets of Magic Kingdom, and were so excited as the Disney Festival Of Fantasy Parade is back at Walt Disney World! After a near two year absence, the day we have all been waiting for is finally here! The enchantment and pageantry of the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is truly a thrilling spectacular that can't be missed. The dazzling mix of floats, motion and original music will keep you humming along for days to come. Guests are able to enjoy everything the parade has to offer including the much loved characters from The Princess and the Frog, Tangled and Peter Pan. The Festival of Fantasy Parade will be performed daily at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm and will continue daily with these timings until Monday March 13 when the times will change by half an hour to 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm. .

Imagineer Zach Riddley has shared the first look at the marquee signage for the upcoming Connections Café and Eatery at EPCOT. It matches the signage for the Creations Shop, with which it shares a building. Connections is just across the breezeway in the former home of Electric Umbrella. This is the first of five new marquees which are being installed at Connections Café and Eatery, which is the successor to the ever popular quick serve Electric Uberella. Opening to guests this spring, this new fast-casual restaurant and adjoining café was inspired by the core EPCOT idea of "connecting"- by the common bond we share over food and the gathering of people across cultures. EPCOT is a park about people, and this new location within World Celebration will commemorate that with the talent and skill found within the kitchen, and those who gather together to enjoy each other's company over a meal. Zach Riddley said “I’m excited to share a first-look at more progress from EPCOT. This morning, the first of five new marquees was installed at Connections Café and Eatery! These marquees continue the design language established with our recent Creations Shop marquees, leveraging large-scale typography in our signature EPCOT World Bold font. “Opening to guests this spring, this new fast-casual restaurant and adjoining café was inspired by the core EPCOT idea of “connecting”– by the common bond we share over food and the gathering of people across cultures. EPCOT is a park about people, and this new location within World Celebration will commemorate that with the talent and skill found within the kitchen, and those who gather together to enjoy each other’s company over a meal. “I’ve had a chance to walk these spaces with our Imagineers bringing the design to life and it’s truly a stunning addition. Connections Café and Eatery continues to take shape, and we’ll have much more to share as progress unfolds. There are unique design features that echo EPCOT of the past that are truly stunning. Stay “connected” with us here for more exciting reveals.”

AristoCrêpes in Disney Springs has permanently closed. The webpage and online menus for the quick-service kiosk have been removed from the Disney website. The kiosk which is on the bridge near Rainforest Cafe in the Marketplace is expected to have a new name and menu in the coming weeks. When the kiosk reopens, it will carry items from the nearby Marketplace Snacks. Unlike AristoCrêpes, Marketplace Snacks struggles to keep up with demand, particularly for the in-demand Dole Whip items. AristoCrêpes has never been truly popular since opening, with both its menu and location hampering its chances of success. Changing the locations menu, serving as a secondary location for Dole Whip appears to solve both problems for Disney Springs.

The Walt Disney Imagineering Instagram account has shared a close up look at the construction of the new TRON Lightcycle Run attraction at Magic Kingdom. More specifically, they shared a look at the current installation of the canopy ETFE roof on the outside of the attraction. Assistant Construction Manager, Angela Wu, provides us with a close-up look at construction progress on TRON / Lightcycle Run at the Magic Kingdom. In the video, Assistant Construction Manager, Angela Wu, provides a close-up look at construction of the upcoming attraction. She talks about how they are currently working on the canopy. It will have a “unique, graphic pattern” when you experience the attraction at night. Wu was able to first experience TRON Lightcycle / Run over at Shanghai Disneyland. Then, she started working as an intern for Walt Disney Imagineering on TRON Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom. There is no current opening date for TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney World Resort recently introduced a new, interactive television system with a more personalized and easy-to-use experience for Guests, The new interactive TV's are being slowly rolled out throughout the resort, with hotel rooms throughout Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge the latest to receive the upgrade. The interactive TV's offer access to complimentary Disney content, provides connectivity to streaming subscription content, and more. This interactive television system personalizes the in-room TV experience by welcoming Guests upon arrival. Guests can also enjoy streaming in their room with complimentary Disney content and connectivity for their personal device to stream their subscribed content (Disney+, Hulu, etc.). Standard channels, park hours, resort amenities and information are also available. Smart phones, tablets and laptops are supported to stream to the TV. Only content from Chromecast-enabled apps (mirroring is not supported) can be sent to the TV. Guest credentials and Connect My Device pairings will be cleared upon each check-out. Guests will use their personal devices to log into any subscription services, so information is not stored in the system.

Great news for the kids, and the big kids too, face painting has returned to Disney's Animal Kingdom. Starting from this week, face painters will be available in the Harambe Market area at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. At this location, Guests will be able to choose from a selection of different animal-inspired designs and more. Face painting is currently offered daily, and hours of operation match those of the nearby Mombasa Marketplace. Harambe Marketplace is a beautifuly themed area of Animal Kingdom that offers some pretty amazing quick serve food! The marketplace is constructed to resemble an authentic African marketplace, built around an old colonial-era train depot and lorded over by an iconic water tower, here the citizens of Harambe welcome travelers from around the world! The food here is worth the trip, with a delicious ribs and chicken bowl, a Harambe salad with chicken, a hot bowl with plant based sausages, and don't forget a scrumptious Simba cupcake with an adorable edible image of the Lion king cub. So go grab some really good food, and get your face painted like Simba too!