Universal Orlando A train of riders was evacuated off Jurassic World VelociCoaster on Monday April 27 after the coaster stopped before its launch. No injuries, ride reopened the same evening. Eyewitness Ethan Hershaft caught the evac on video and coined the now-viral nickname.
Legoland Florida Legoland Florida announced a FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience running June 11 to July 19, 2026, mirroring the actual World Cup window. Included with park admission. Activities include Spot Shot, Super Squad, Design A Jersey, and a Lift the LEGO Trophy photo op. Brick-built meet-and-greets with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Vini Jr. Two new LEGO sets (43019 Soccer Ball, 43020 World Cup Trophy) hit park retail.
Disney World Disney just dropped the full Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 calendar. 38 nights from August 7 (the earliest start ever) through October 31, pricing flat at $119 to $229, tickets on sale May 5 (resort) and May 12 (public), and Stitch is hosting a costume-changing dance party at Rockettower Plaza Stage with Lilo and Angel.
Universal Orlando After roughly five weeks behind scrim, Hogwarts Castle's main tower is mostly visible again at Islands of Adventure. Crews pulled scrim off Saturday April 26, exposing the freshly repainted clock face and stonework. Trade outlets are citing a May 21 completion target, though Universal has not officially confirmed a timeline. Forbidden Journey has remained open throughout.
Universal Orlando Universal quietly reopened the Universal Legacy Store at CityWalk Orlando on Friday April 24, taking over the space the Epic Universe Preview Center vacated 11 days earlier. The new version leans even harder on the catalog: four life-size Tom Whalen photo ops (Jaws, Back to the Future, E.T., Universal Monsters), a Whalen Jaws art collab, plus the new UNIVRS collection. Here's the full tour.
Disney World Disney Parks dropped a moody Mickey-cards tease across social this weekend, kicking off Halfway to Halloween 2026 — which means Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates and ticket info are imminent. Here's what we know, what to expect based on 2025, and what to watch for in the next 72 hours.
Universal Orlando Universal slipped a new 15% passholder discount on single-day Epic Universe tickets onto its website with no press release, no social push, and no announcement. Inside the Magic spotted the change late on April 25 — pushing some passholder rates as low as $126 after tax.
Disney World Disney has dropped the opening-day schedule for Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!, the new 20-minute stage show debuting May 26 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios — eight performances a day, inside a refreshed Animation Courtyard.
Universal Orlando The ONE PIECE: Grand Pirate Show is back for year two at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights, with a new 20-minute WaterWorld stage spectacular. We look at the show’s reception, what an Orlando version might look like, and the precedents that suggest a Hollywood-only IP rarely stays Hollywood-only for long.
Disney World A factual, neutral retrospective on the four-year dispute between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and The Walt Disney Company over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, from its 2022 origin in Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act through the March 2024 settlement, the $17 billion development agreement, and the January 2026 departure of the final state appointees from the special-district board.
Disney World A wave of Bluey-themed merchandise - pin sets, Create-Your-Own headbands, plush wearing tiny Mickey ears, and more, is heading to Disney's Animal Kingdom ahead of the May 26 opening of Bluey's Wild World at Conservation Station.
Universal Orlando The first vertical coaster supports for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the high-speed coaster replacing Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida, are now in the ground in the New York section, with the first stretch of gray track on-site as construction races toward a 2027 opening.
Disney World Disney drops a brand-new Mandalorian & Grogu mission for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run on May 22, Fantasmic! shifts its standard showtime to 9:00 PM starting April 24, the Mickey & Minnie short Vacation Fun closes for a multi-month refurbishment, Soarin' Across America locks in a May 26 debut, and Bluey's Wild World is on the Animal Kingdom calendar for late May.
Universal Orlando Universal officially confirms facial recognition at Epic Universe portals, the CityWalk Burger King serves its final Whopper, Yoshi's Adventure reopens after a short refurb, Lost Continent demolition pushes forward at Islands of Adventure, and aerial photos reveal fresh Epic Universe expansion progress.
Universal Orlando New construction walls have wrapped around Poseidon's Fury at Islands of Adventure, signaling the Lost Continent is entering the next phase of a 4.9‑acre demolition widely rumored to make way for a Pokémon land.
Disney World Walt Disney World has a countdown clock ticking down to 3 p.m. ET Thursday with just three words under it — 'This is the way.' Here's everything we already know about Smugglers Run's Mandalorian & Grogu overhaul, and what today's tease almost certainly adds.
Disney World The project formerly known as Reflections, buried by the pandemic in 2020, quietly resurrected as Lakeshore Lodge in late 2024, just got its first real specs. Disney Vacation Club now has it at 967 rooms, summer 2027, with waterfront Lake Houses, a Bambi-to-Brother-Bear theming pitch, and a front-row seat to Magic Kingdom's fireworks.
Disney World Disney just dropped the 2026 dates for H2O Glow After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon, and the character list reads like a '90s-kid fever dream: Powerline Max, Scrooge McDuck, Launchpad McQuack, and Chip 'n' Dale as the Rescue Rangers are all coming to party under the neon. Thirteen nights, June 2 through September 5, starting at $85.
Universal Orlando Those mysterious camera-topped stanchions fans spotted at Epic Universe's portal entrances finally have an official explanation. Universal quietly updated its Effortless Entry page to confirm Photo Validation, its preferred term for facial recognition, will gate entry into each of the park's four portal lands whenever Virtual Lines are active.
Disney World A $1.54M contract quietly approved by CFTOD on February 27 authorizes the permanent abandonment of the remaining High Temperature Hot Water hotel loop — the last Walt-era piece of centralized heating infrastructure feeding the Magic Kingdom Resort Area. After 54 years in the ground, one of Reedy Creek's original utility marvels is being decommissioned for good.
Disney World A quiet CFTOD board vote on February 27 approved a $6.57M contract to replace the electrical guts of the Studios North Central Energy Plant at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Paired with the already-reported Studios South expansion, that's both of the park's central plants getting rebuilt simultaneously — a backstage tell that almost always precedes something big.
Universal Orlando Cosmos Fountain drained for show-lighting upgrades, multiple fireworks-tech job postings, a "Universal Celestial Goodnight" trademark filed in December, and a new launch pad behind Helios Grand. Universal won't confirm the show — but the receipts are piling up.
Disney World Twenty-five years ago this week, Disney opened the most unusual resort ever built at Walt Disney World — a kraal-inspired lodge wrapped around a 33-acre African savanna. Here's how it came to be, and why it still feels like magic.
Universal Orlando Universal just opened a second round of Halloween Horror Nights 35 auditions, with a tight April 22 deadline and the confirmed return of Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow teaming up in a brand-new house.
Disney World runDisney's Disney Duos weekend is in full swing at Walt Disney World — and today's 10K stars Winnie the Pooh and Tigger with a honey-pot finisher medal to match.
Universal Orlando One of the only big non-ride kid zones inside Epic Universe goes dark from May 4 to May 22, with the reopening landing neatly on the park's one-year anniversary. It's the second Isle of Berk refurb of 2026, and it lands right before peak summer family travel.
Disney World The "Wildest Ride in the Wilderness" gallops back to Magic Kingdom on May 3 after a 16-month overhaul — new track, refreshed trains, a brand-new Rainbow Caverns scene, and a 38-inch height requirement that opens the coaster to a whole new crop of little buckaroos. And as of yesterday, cast members are already climbing aboard.
EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets gets a May 26 opening date, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad returns May 3 with a new height requirement, Wilderness Lodge boats go dark through May 1, EPCOT Flower & Garden hits its midseason stride, and Disney Destiny opens up its engine room for the first time.
Universal Orlando Pay-per-ride Express access debuts across all three parks, the Epic Universe Preview Center wraps up, Burger King Whopper Bar gets a closing date, Comic Strip Cafe refreshes its menu for the first time in 27 years, and Butterbeer Season returns to the Wizarding World.
Disney World Disney has officially announced that Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets opens May 26, 2026 at Hollywood Studios. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem take over G-Force Records with a star-studded new set list, a first-ever Scooter Audio-Animatronic, and nine celebrity cameos.
