Disney Dining

Parking lot changes are the kind of thing nobody notices until they are standing in one, confused. New attractions get concept art and a press release. A repainted parking space gets nothing. You find out when a cast member waves you off a spot you have used a dozen times. Something is changing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios right now. Crews have been repainting sections of the parking lot, adding new disabled parking spaces and new guest pick-up and drop-off-only spaces.

A 91-year-old Disneyland icon says an administrative error has effectively erased him from the systems responsible for his retirement money and health coverage. Disneyland chef Oscar Martinez, who retired in 2017 after more than 60 years at Disneyland Resort, said Disney Benefits, Disneyland, Fidelity Investments, and Cigna mistakenly recorded him as deceased on July 31, 2026.

Walt Disney World is executing a property-wide renewed effort to clamp down on unauthorized resort hopping, this time targeting guests attempting to sneak into hotel swimming pools. Cast Members at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort have officially confirmed that Disney management is aggressively enforcing its long-standing “no pool hopping” policy, turning away non-resort guests at the gates of Luna Park Pool.

Halloween Horror Nights asks scare actors to get closer to guests than performers at almost any other theme park event. That can create unforgettable encounters, but it can also create problems when guests take those interactions too far. Universal appears to be paying particularly close attention to that issue in 2026. At Universal Orlando Resort, Art the Clown remains a major draw after his roaming appearances last year attracted huge crowds and problematic guest behavior.

Disney follows a sequence before an attraction opens, and park watchers know it cold. Walls come down. Signage goes up. Landscaping shows up overnight. Then, the cast members start walking inside. That last step is the one that counts. Cast previews are not marketing. They are an operational necessity. Before an attraction handles thousands of guests a day, the people running it have to actually run it. Which makes this week’s news at Disney’s Hollywood Studios matter more than it sounds.

Saturday, September 5, is the last day Walt Disney World guests can grab a churro from either Sunshine Churros kiosk at Disney Springs. The West Side and Marketplace stands are reportedly closing permanently after Saturday’s operations, eliminating two dedicated walk-up snack stops from the shopping, dining, and entertainment district. The closure was first reported by WDWMagic on September 4.

The best theming at Disney is the kind you find, not the kind you get shown. That is why the Walt Disney Studios Lot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios works. Since the courtyard opened in May, Imagineering has been slipping character statues into spots most guests walk straight past. A cat on a roof ledge. A cricket on a sign. A monkey climbing through store signage. Nothing gets announced. It just shows up. And it keeps happening.

Middle-earth Enterprises has filed new U.S. trademark applications for “THE SHIRE” and “LA COMARCA,” and both applications identify “Providing theme park services” in International Class 041. The filings are real, current, and relevant to anyone watching the future of The Lord of the Rings in location-based entertainment. What they do not do is confirm a Lord of the Rings land at Universal Orlando Resort.

Walt Disney World guests visiting Magic Kingdom on 13 dates in September will not see the park’s standard nighttime lineup of Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away and Happily Ever After. The change is tied to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which takes over Magic Kingdom after the park closes early to regular day guests on select nights. Disney’s official 2026 party calendar lists September 1, 4, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, and 29 as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates.

Labor Day weekend marks the end of an era for water park enthusiasts visiting Walt Disney World. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park is set to close its gates for a seasonal refurbishment starting Wednesday, September 9, 2026, leaving Disney’s Blizzard Beach as the sole operating water park across the resort.