NEWS ROUNDUP: New Halloween Experience, Price Increases, Special Summer AP Benefits and Previews, Seasonal Treats, 4th of July Celebrations & More

The roundup this week has some good news for Annual Passholders including special summer benefits and previews, and some bad news as well. Disney also announced a delicious new experience coming to the 2019 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The price of resort parking is going up and we have a guide to new seasonal treats around property. If you’re looking to celebrate the 4^thof July at Disney World, a full line up of special events is now available, and reservations on now open for one of Disney Worlds newest table service offerings. All this and more in this week’s news roundup below.

1 – Cruella’s Halloween Hide-a-Way Experience Announced for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Summer may be in full swing, but Disney is already looking ahead to Halloween. A new experience is being offered this year that is perfect for fans of Cruella de Vil. This extra ticket experience includes savory food items, along with desserts, a preferred viewing area for the Boo to You parade, and a chance to meet Cruella herself. Click here for all the information.

2 – Annual Passholder Previews for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and More Announced

There are many benefits to being a Walt Disney World annual passholder. This week Disney announced some summer benefits including passholder previews for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Other benefits include a great Bring a Friend deal and other discounts. Click here for all the details.

3 – Prices Raised for Annual Passes

With the investment that Disney puts into their parks and resorts, including a slew of new lands and attractions, it may not be surprising that Disney ticket prices continue to increase. The day after the passholders summer benefits were announced, Disney quietly raised prices for Walt Disney World annual passes. There were some pretty significant increases as high as twenty-five percent for some passes. The last increase for annual passes took place in October 2018, making this the second increase in less than a year.

Here is a rundown of new prices:

Non-Florida Residents:

• The Disney Platinum Plus Pass is now $1219, up from $994.
• The Disney Platinum Pass is now $1119, up from $894.
• The Gold Pass is now $699, up from $609. (Available to Florida Residents and Disney Vacation Members Only)

Florida Residents:

• Disney Plus Pass is now $999, up from $849
• The Disney Platinum Pass is now $899, up from $749.
• The Gold Pass is now $699, up from $609
• The Silver Pass is now $519, up from $479.

More for annual passes information and prices, click here.

4 – Parking Prices Increase

Parking Fees at Walt Disney Resort hotels also have been increased. Parking overnight at a value resort will be increased by $2 per night, with the two other categories being raised by $1 per night. Here is a rundown on the fees.

Standard Overnight Parking charges per Resort Category:

For reservations made before June 18, 2019:

• Disney Value Resorts: $13 per night
• Disney Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
• Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $24 per night

For reservations made June 18, 2019, and after:

• Disney Value Resorts: $15 per night
• Disney Moderate Resorts: $20 per night
• Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per night

Complimentary standard parking is available to Guests staying at the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Each campsite provides parking space for one (1) motorized vehicle.

Valet Parking is available at select Disney Deluxe Resorts and Disney Deluxe Villas for $33 per night (sales tax included).

5 – Details Released for 4^thof July Celebrations at Walt Disney World

Independence Day celebrations are just around that corner as Walt Disney World celebrates America’s birthday. Disney has released details of what you can expect at Magic Kingdom on July 3 and July 4 and at Epcot on July 4. Click here for all the details!

 6 – Imagination Pink Foodie Guide at Walt Disney World

Imagination Pink is one of the hot new color trends right now at Walt Disney World. You’ll now find this color not only in merchandise but also in some amazing new food items. Click here to see photos of some of the new items and where you can find them.

7 – Magic Shots Available During Disney Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom Park

Disney Villains After Hours is a fantastic way to spend a summer evening at Magic Kingdom Park. (Click here for our review of the night). Disney Cast Member Emily Southard has more details on some Disney PhotoPass Magic Shots that you can get throughout the evening.

Select nights through August 8, 2019, you can celebrate Disney’s best-loved baddies at Disney Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom Park! At this new summer event, experience the all-new night show “Villains Unite the Night,” the Maleficent Dragon breathing fire for the first time at night, wickedly good food and beverage selections, and special branded merchandise. Tickets are limited and selling fast, so get yours now!

As you can see, there’s so much for you to enjoy during this after-hours, separately ticketed event, but some of my favorite offerings are the exclusive Magic Shots available from Disney PhotoPass Service.

During the event, visit the photographers at the locations listed below where they’ll help you capture your inner villain and conjure up a sinister surprise in your photos.

There is an additional shot in front of Cinderella Castle.

If you attend the event, be sure to share your experience with us using #VillainsAfterHours and #DisneyPhotoPass!

To take home all of your Disney PhotoPass memories from the event, purchase Memory Maker One Day! With Memory Maker One Day, you’ll receive unlimited digital downloads of all your easy-to-share Disney PhotoPass photos and videos taken in a single day at Walt Disney World Resort for $69.* You can purchase it in the My Disney Experience mobile app during your visit or at Box Office Gifts near the entrance to Magic Kingdom Park.

8 – Reservations Now Open for Topolino’s Terrace-Flavors of the Rivera at Disney’s Riviera Resort

Disney’s Riviera Resort is opening later this year and will include some fantastic new restaurants. One of these restaurants, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera, is now accepting reservations. Disney Cast Member Alex Dunlap shares more about this new restaurant:

Are you ready to discover one of the most spectacular dining experiences in all of Walt Disney World Resort? Perched atop Disney’s Riviera Resort and opening later this year is Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera, which will offer stunning views and regional delights with a signature table-service dining experience.

Disney’s Riviera Resort and Topolino’s Terrace celebrate the grandeur of Europe that has long inspired many beloved Disney stories over the years. Featuring regional dishes from Italy and the French Riviera, this exciting new restaurant lets you indulge in an unforgettable dining experience accompanied by incredible views of the Walt Disney World Resort and surrounding areas. Whether you’re rising early for a fun character breakfast or taking in nearby nighttime spectaculars over a glass of wine and flavorful meal, Topolino’s Terrace is designed to delight all the senses.

If you’re starting the morning off with the Storybook Breakfast Dining Experience, you’ll find yourself dining in the beautiful indoor rooftop restaurant with bird’s eye views and character greetings from some of your favorite Disney friends: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. Breakfast begins with fresh pastries including Danish pastries, croissants, blueberry scones, or Epi bread (a rustic pull-apart baguette shaped like a wheat stalk). Entrées include dishes like quiche Gruyère with house-made pancetta, sour cream waffles, wood-fired butcher’s steak, smoked salmon, plant-based omelets, and more.

For the evening dining experience, guests will enjoy a selection of fresh oak-grilled meats, classically-prepared seafood, handmade pastas, and decadent desserts infused with French and Italian flavors. Start off your meal with a Burrata con panna with black winter truffle and sea salt or gnocchi with duck confit and aged parmesan.

Entrées include options such as rigatoni (with braised chicken, charred artichokes, and crème fraiche), bouillabaisse (with seared cod, mussels, turbot, clams, and saffron rouille), king salmon mi-cuit, and beef filet. If you’re looking to pair your meal with a glass of wine, you’ll also find an impressive collection of wines sourced from the Mediterranean coast.

Conclude your dinner with a delectable dessert like the Fruits of the Forest with black currant mousse, blueberry sorbet, macerated berries, and hibiscus cake. Or try the pistachio mousse with pistachio cake, lemon curd, and morello cherry.

Reservations are now open for Topolino’s Terrace with the first available date being December 16. The Storybook Breakfast Dining Experience will be offered daily 7:30–11:00 a.m. and can count as one table service entitlement for breakfast on the Disney Dining Plan. Evening dining will be from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will count as two table service entitlements for dinner on the Disney Dining Plan. Discounts for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members will also be available. There will also be a minimum dress code for evening dining. For more information on the dress code and the restaurant, visit the Walt Disney World Resort website or call 407 WDW-DINE (407 939-3463).

For more information on Disney’s Riviera Resort or to make hotel reservations, visit the Walt Disney World Resort website or call 407 939-7762 or your travel agent. If you’re a Disney Vacation Club Member, you can make cash reservations by calling Member Services at (800) 800-9800.

9 – Disney Minnie Van Service Celebrates Milestone

Disney Minnie Van Service recently enjoyed a major milestone. Disney Cast Member Thomas Smith shares the news:

Our popular Minnie Van transportation service at the Walt Disney World Resort is celebrating a major milestone – 1 MILLION GUESTS MAGICALLY TRANSPORTED!   

And the best is yet to come for Minnie Vans connected by the ridesharing service Lyft. It was just announced that Lyft is now the official rideshare of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort and new enhancements will be added to the Walt Disney World Resort service as early as this fall.

10 – Special Edition Plush Supporting The Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund Now Available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

As many of you know ‘The Lion King’ is celebrating its 25^thAnniversary this summer, and a new live-action film is being released in July. Disney Cast Member Thomas Smith shares details on some ways that your love of movie can help a great cause.

To celebrate the release of the upcoming groundbreaking feature film, Disney’s “The Lion King,” The Walt Disney Company is launching a global campaign to raise awareness of the crisis facing lions. The campaign will support the Lion Recovery Fund and its partners to help advance conservation across Africa, including the goal to double the number of lions in the wild by 2050. For each Special Edition Simba and Nala plush sold globally, Disney will donate US $5 to the Wildlife Conservation Network in support of the LRF and its local partners.

Special Edition Simba and Nala plush are now available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and can be found at additional locations at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort beginning July 1^st.*

Special Note: Each of the 40,000 plush represents one of the lions whose future Disney and the Lion Recovery Fund are working to ensure.

Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund supports a variety of organizations working across Africa to benefit people, wildlife and habitats. WCN has established an unparalleled reputation for integrity and programmatic impact and the LRF is dedicated to ensuring a long-term future for African lions and their habitats by engaging communities and developing campaigns that build support for the protection and revitalization of these animals.

Special Edition Simba and Nala plush can be found at the following locations at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort:

• Now available at Mombasa, Island Mercantile, and Discovery Trading Company at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as Seaside Souvenirs at Disney’s California Adventure park.
• Starting July 1^st, available in World of Disney, Elias & Co. and Bazaar at Disneyland Resort and in Emporium, Mouse Gear, World of Disney and more locations at Walt Disney World Resort.

For more information on the Lion Recovery Fund and Disney’s conservation efforts, visit www.disney.com/LionKingProtectThePride.

Disney’s “The Lion King” comes to theaters on July 19, 2019.

*In North America, available at Disney store, and in the U.S., available at shopDisney.com and select locations at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.