Disney Dining

Confession time. Many Disney fans used to be the type of people who paid for Disney+ every month, watched maybe two things, and quietly wondered if they should cancel. Then Disney started doing this thing every Friday this summer, and now many fans check that app like it’s my morning coffee. If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s what you’ve missed: Disney+ has been dropping brand new perks for subscribers every single Friday. Not the same perk recycled, either.

Another sweltering day has arrived at Walt Disney World. Summer weather is nothing new in Central Florida, but this week’s hot conditions have pushed temperatures into territory that is forcing major theme parks to rethink parts of their daily operations.

Tokyo Disney Resort is raising the price of admission once again, with guests set to pay the highest one-day ticket prices in the destination’s history later this year. Credit: Disney As Disney parks around the world continue adjusting pricing strategies, guests have increasingly voiced concerns over the overall cost of a vacation. Admission prices, Lightning Lane purchases, hotel rates, and parking fees have all climbed in recent years.

So the live-action Moana is officially out. As of July 10, you can go watch Maui and Moana sail the open ocean in real life instead of animation, and the internet has plenty of opinions about whether you should. But while everyone else is glued to box office trackers, I want to talk about the part of this story that actually made me smile: what this movie did for Hawai’i. Here’s the deal.

For many guests, a trip to Universal Orlando Resort is months—or even years—in the making. Families save for vacations, friends plan reunion trips, and Harry Potter fans dream of finally walking through the gates of Hogsmeade or racing through Gringotts. Those memories are supposed to be defined by excitement, not frustration. But lately, an entirely different conversation has been taking over fan communities.

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures may be heading toward one of the biggest theatrical launches of 2026, with early projections pointing to a major debut for Tom Holland’s return as Spider-Man. Credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios More than three weeks before its theatrical release, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) is already shaping up to be the year’s biggest opening.

For generations of film historians, Disney enthusiasts, and cinema preservationists, one title has remained the ultimate forbidden fruit of the entertainment industry. Song of the South, the 1946 musical that blended live-action actors with animated characters, is arguably the most fiercely guarded piece of media in American history.

Another piece of Walt Disney World’s history is getting a fresh look. As the Florida resort continues updating hotels across its property, one of its oldest destinations is quietly entering a new chapter. While newer Disney Vacation Club expansions have attracted much of the attention, work has also been unfolding at a longtime guest favorite. Credit: Disney Disney has spent the past several years balancing modernization with nostalgia across Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney’s latest return to its animated library has hit an early hurdle. Just days into its theatrical run, Moana (2026) has earned a 36% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it below 2025’s Snow White (39%) and making it the studio’s lowest-rated live-action remake in recent years. Credit: Disney The result is particularly notable considering the difficult road traveled by Snow White.

There are Disney names everyone knows. Walt, obviously. Then there are the names that built the magic from behind the curtain, and this week we lost one of the biggest. Don Iwerks passed away on the evening of July 9 at the age of 96. Disney confirmed the news the following day, and honestly, it hit harder than I expected. If you’ve ever stood in the middle of a Circle-Vision theater and felt like the whole world was wrapping around you, that was Don.