DISNEY NEWS ROUNDUP: 2026 Ticket Deal; New Animal Kingdom Attraction Opens; Tons of Holiday Treats & Beverages; Festival Performer Lineup; Cruise News; First Look at New Hotel Lobby & More

Chad & Cindy NykampNovember 8, 2025Last Updated: November 8, 2025

The holiday season is here at Walt Disney World. We’ve got details on exclusive holiday food and beverage items you can find at the theme parks, Disney Springs, and resorts! A new show and meet & greet are now open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! There’s a new ticket deal for early 2026 at Walt Disney World, and we got a first look at refurbishments at a popular resort. We’re also so excited to be gearing up for a preview cruise on the Disney Destiny next week! Learn about these stories and more in this week’s news roundup.

1 – Disney Announces New 2026 Disney World Ticket Deal

There’s a new Walt Disney World ticket deal for early 2026! Learn who qualifies and the discount at the link below.

Click here to learn about the new 2026 Disney World ticket deal!

2 – Holiday Treats Announced for Walt Disney World Theme Parks

There’s no shortage of holiday treats at Walt Disney World Theme Parks. This week, Disney revealed the holiday food and beverage items for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. Visit the link below to find out what’s available and where you can purchase them!

Click here for the complete list of holiday treats at Walt Disney World theme parks.

3 – Zootopia: Better Zoogether & New Meet and Greet Now Open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

“Zootopia: Better Zoogether” is now officially open at the Tree of Life Theater. The brand-new 4D production joins Officer Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, and other favorites from the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios movie as they come together in a new, original story featuring stunning visual effects and interactive surprises. An all-new meet-and-greet with Judy and Nicke has also opened. Catch showtimes for both experiences in the My Disney Experience app.

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4 – The Holiday Season Underway at Walt Disney World

The holiday season has kicked off at Walt Disney World. Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are fully decorated with holiday décor and their own unique Christmas trees. EPCOT won’t be decorated until later this month when the Festival of the Holidays kicks off. Outside of the parks, Disney Springs and the Resorts are also being decorated for the holiday season. Themed food and beverage items are available throughout the resort; keep reading to find out what’s available.

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5 – Holiday Treats Revealed for Disney Springs at Disney World

There are so many holiday food and beverage items available at Disney Springs! Keep the holiday fun going with exclusive treats only found at Disney Springs. Visit the link below for the complete list of items!

Click here to learn about the holiday treats at Disney Springs this holiday season.

6 – Full List of Holiday Treats at Disney World Resorts

The holiday fun also extends to Walt Disney World Resort hotels. There are plenty of holiday food and beverage items available at the resorts. Visit the link below to see what’s available and where to find them.

Click here to discover the holiday treats available at Walt Disney World Resort hotels this holiday season.

7 – Disney Reveals New Holiday Gift Cards & Pins

Every year, we eagerly await the new Walt Disney World holiday designs for Disney Gift Cards! This week, Disney revealed the latest designs and pins! Learn more about these unique gift cards at the link below.

Click here to see the new Walt Disney World holiday gift cards and pins!

8 – EPCOT Disney on Broadway Performers Announced for the 2026 Festival of the Arts

The EPCOT Festival of the Arts celebrates the arts and entertainment. Part of that is the Disney on Broadway concert series. This week, Disney announced the full lineup of Broadway performers coming to EPCOT. Learn more at the link below.

Click here to see the complete line of performers coming to Disney on Broadway at the Festival of the Arts.

9 – First Look Inside the Grand Floridian Lobby Refurbishment at Disney World

Construction has been underway since this spring to refurbish the lobby and other areas of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. This week, Disney released a look at the new updates, including a new lounge coming to the lobby. Visit the link below to see the transformation!

Reminder: as part of the ongoing enhancements at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, refurbishment work will continue in select areas through mid-2026. Guests may see or hear work during daytime hours. Efforts will be made to minimize disruptions, and most pools, dining, and other amenities will remain available for Guests to enjoy.

As renovations continue at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the gingerbread display will not be available during the 2025 holiday season.

Click here to see the new design of the lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

10 – Follow Along as We Sail on the Disney Destiny with Disney Cruise Line!

We’re so excited to be sailing on the Disney Destiny next week! Disney Cruise Line’s seventh ship has its inaugural sailing on November 20, but we’ll be enjoying a preview cruise and will be there for its christening. We’ll be sharing live updates on Instagram next week, and then we will have plenty of review and planning articles about the Destiny on our website when we return. Learn more about the Disney Destiny at the link below.

Click here to learn how you can follow along with us as we sail on the Disney Destiny with Disney Cruise Line!

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11 – The Disney Destiny Arrives in Florida!

After a two-week transatlantic journey, the Disney Destiny arrived in Florida on Sunday, November 2! The heroes and villains-themed ship was welcomed by none other than Hero Minnie, along with a crowd of more than 250 cast members, as it pulled into Port Canaveral, an exciting milestone before heading to its official homeport, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Learn more about the ship below!

Click here to see photos of the Disney Destiny arriving at Port Canaveral and learn more about this ship!

12 – ICYMI – Bob Iger Discusses his Disney Legacy in New Podcast

Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, joins “The Rest Is History” hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook for an extended conversation about Walt Disney’s creative and cultural legacy, leadership, and storytelling. In a candid and personal longform conversation ahead of his planned departure next year, Iger discusses Walt’s influence, the evolution of Disney’s storytelling, and what creative leadership means in 2025.

Listen and watch now:

Disney’s Legacy, with Bob Iger (Apple Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts, Video online tomorrow)
The Secrets of Disneyland with Bob Iger (Video online now)

The conversation, recorded over two days (October 2–3, 2025) at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank and Disneyland Park in Anaheim, anchors a special multi-episode series from “The Rest is History” exploring Walt Disney’s life and legacy of innovation and the lasting cultural impact of his original theme park – Disneyland – during its 70th anniversary celebration.

13 – ICYMI – Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce Podcast Records at Walt Disney World

This past weekend, the Kelce family (Kylie, Jason, Donna, and their young girls) traded their everyday routine for pixie dust and fun at Walt Disney World. Between rides and character meet-and-greets, Kylie shared all their family adventures on an episode of her podcast Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce here at Walt Disney World Resort. The episode debuted today, featuring an exclusive interview with her mother-in-law and the most NGL fan-requested guest, Donna Kelce (a Disney Vacation Club member and Disney Parks fan).

During the episode, Kylie shares mom hacks to consider when visiting Disney Parks in her fan-favorite segment “Can I Be Honest?”, highlights several of her favorite classic Disney treats, and shows that quality family time is best spent in Disney style.

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