News
Disney Fanatic is here to deliver the latest in Disney news from The Walt Disney Company and beyond.
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Aug- 2026 -17 August
Disney World Guests Face 13 Months of Construction at Coronado Springs Resort
There's nothing worse than checking into an expensive Disney World hotel and realizing construction is going to be part of your vacation. Unfortunately, that's now something guests at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort need to consider. A substantial refurbishment is officially underway at the popular Disney World hotel. More importantly, Disney isn't expecting the work to disappear anytime soon. Th
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17 August
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Area Blocked Off, Disney World Confirms Closure
Echo Lake at Disney's Hollywood Studios is undergoing a significant refurbishment. Guests arriving at the third Central Florida Disney park on Monday found scaffolding surrounding one of the area's busy dining locations. Dockside Diner Gets Wrapped in Scaffolding WDWNT reported on August 17 that metal scaffolding had been installed completely around the Dockside Diner, the Quick-Service dining loc
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17 August
Disney World Removes Popular Transportation Option From 2 Resort Hotels
If you’re checking into Disney’s Yacht Club Resort or Disney’s Beach Club Resort this week, don’t head straight for the boat dock without checking your transportation plans first. Disney has temporarily taken away one of the most convenient ways to travel from these EPCOT-area hotels. The FriendShip boat dock shared by Yacht Club and Beach Club closed Monday, August 17, for maintenance. The closur
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17 August
Disney World Permanently Ends 8-Year Guest Perk, Effective September 16
Another piece of the Walt Disney World experience is officially reaching the end of the road. Disney has confirmed that the Play Disney Parks app will permanently retire on September 16, 2026. The shutdown comes roughly eight years after Disney introduced the platform as a new way for guests to play games, earn achievements and interact with the parks from their phones. And this isn't a change tha
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17 August
Disney World Pushes Back EPCOT Opening Time on 2 Days in October
If EPCOT is part of your Disney World plans this October, there are two dates you'll want to circle on the calendar. Disney's currently posted park hours show EPCOT opening an hour later than normal on two mornings during the 2026 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend. On Friday, October 23, and Sunday, October 25, EPCOT is scheduled to open at 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. Both changes correspond
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17 August
Universal Studios Permanently Closes 2 Orlando Rides, One Replacement Already Rising
Universal Studios Florida has officially said goodbye to two major attractions in just one year. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit permanently closed in August 2025. Now, exactly one year later, Fast & Furious: Supercharged has joined it. But Universal isn't simply removing attractions and leaving empty spaces behind. At least one replacement is already becoming impossible to miss. Fast & Furious: Hollywo
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17 August
Massive Carousel of Progress Overhaul Confirmed: Dollhouse Miniatures, a Screen-Free Future, and a Narrative Shift Toward the Children
The 2026 D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event delivered monumental news for Walt Disney World, but the most heartwarming updates surround the legendary Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. Magic Kingdom’s iconic rotating theater is officially undergoing a top-to-bottom reimagining. Credit: Disney Disney Imagineers recently revealed an array of groundbreaking new details about the attraction’s upcoming ove
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17 August
14-Year-Old Disney World Favorite Is Finally Preparing To Reopen at Magic Kingdom
Disney World guests have watched construction take over several corners of Magic Kingdom in recent years. But one project in Fantasyland is finally starting to look finished. Big Top Souvenirs has remained unavailable since February as Disney carried out an extensive refurbishment of the Storybook Circus location. Disney confirmed from the beginning that the closure would be temporary and that the
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17 August
After 20 Years, Expedition Everest Is Heading Toward a Major Disney World Shutdown
Twenty years after Expedition Everest opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, one of its biggest problems is finally getting addressed. But fixing it comes with a catch. Disney confirmed at D23 that the legendary Yeti inside Expedition Everest will finally be repaired. The figure has spent years operating in the stationary mode Disney fans have come to know all too well. Now Disney plans to bring it ba
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17 August
Pirates 6 Is Happening With Johnny Depp, But Jack Sparrow Won’t Be the Captain This Time
For nearly a decade, the future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been as murky as the depths of Davy Jones' locker. Following the release of 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, fans were left wondering if Captain Jack Sparrow would ever set sail again. However, during the 2026 D23 Fan Expo, legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer finally broke the silence, confirming
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