All articles tagged with #disney world
Disney World uses layered, engineering- and ecology-based methods to limit mosquitoes across its Florida properties, from curving roofs and heavy drainage to biological controls and low‑dose repellents. Homeowners can adapt many tactics: eliminate standing water, treat containers with larvicides, choose non‑puddling plants, try garlic sprays, and use traps or biological predators.
Hallmark reveals its 2026 Countdown to Christmas lineup: 34 original movies and three Mistletoe Murders episodes, launching mid-October and anchored by three event films—Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story (NFL crossover), Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True (filmed at Disney World), and A Grand Biltmore Christmas (set at Biltmore)—featuring longtime stars and themes of romance, family and community.
Harrison Ford, 84, is set to reprise Indiana Jones for a new Disney World attraction at Animal Kingdom, where his likeness will appear as an animatronic for Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent. Ford revealed the project via a pre-taped message at the D23 convention; the ride is part of the park’s Tropical Americas expansion and will follow Indy through a Mayan temple and serpent-protected ruins, though Disney has not announced an opening date. This marks the first use of Ford’s image in an Indy attraction, even as the franchise’s cinema future remains uncertain.
84-year-old Harrison Ford confirms he’ll reprise Indiana Jones for a new Disney World attraction, Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, and will serve as the actual model for the ride’s Indy animatronic at Animal Kingdom, with Ford hinting at an in-park appearance and reflecting on his seven-decade career (including recent SAG Life Achievement Award).
Disney World is phasing out its iconic flat-topped trash cans across its four theme parks and two water parks, replacing them with taller, solar-powered, self-compacting models. Fans mourn the change, recalling how the cans doubled as impromptu tables and photo backdrops, while Disney says the upgrade improves waste management and park operations as the rollout continues this summer. Nostalgia for the old design persists, with collectors and merchandise keeping its memory alive even as the new cans take center stage.
PwC canceled its 20-year Disney World finale for the 2026 US summer interns, ending the Impact trip; interns will finish with smaller team events as the firm pivots to more team-based learning and client exposure, while also shrinking entry-level hiring locations and headcount as part of a broader transformation driven by AI.
A 54-year-old man with a pre-existing heart condition suffered cardiac arrest on Disney World’s It’s a Small World boat ride in Orlando on April 2 and died after being transported to a local hospital. The death was disclosed in the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ quarterly park-injury report, marking the ride’s second fatality since its 1971 opening (the first occurred in 2014). Disney World did not immediately comment.
Disney has released a sneak peek of its 2026 holiday lineup across Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Store, featuring a pastel collection, festive apparel and accessories, ornaments, bags, and magnets, plus preview items for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party such as a miniature Mickey bag charm and related party gear.
Katherine Randle spent seven years at Walt Disney World portraying Ariel, Rapunzel, and Mary Poppins from ages 18 to 25, but heavy Rapunzel braids caused chronic neck pain and arthritis. Despite medical care and union involvement, she says casting wouldn’t disapprove her in Rapunzel, and her final shift ended in tears after a manager urged her to seek health services. Now pursuing an MFA in London, she still wears a neck brace and cherishes the job, even as she questions whether she should have left sooner. Florida law provides workers’ compensation for on-the-job injuries, but removal from a role wasn’t granted, and other performers describe similar safety concerns; Disney did not comment.
Disney World confirms the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights will not return for the 2026 holiday season; the castle will instead feature holiday projections, with Dream Lights last lit in 2019 as part of the park's 2026 holiday plan release.
Disney World Resort hotels will again be decorated for the holidays in 2026, featuring Christmas trees, festive decor, holiday music, and themed food including gingerbread treats; menu details will follow; the season runs November 13, 2026 to January 6, 2027; gingerbread displays were not confirmed.
Starting with iOS 27, Apple Wallet will offer dynamically updated digital keys for participating hotels, with Disney World planning to support the enhanced feature by the iOS 27 rollout. You can already add Disney World tickets to Wallet via the My Disney Experience app, and the upgraded passes will show day-of details like park reservations, Lightning Lane selections, special events, and dining reservations, updating automatically throughout the day. The My Disney Experience app remains required for making bookings, and Resorts World Las Vegas also plans to offer enhanced Wallet keys with iOS 27.
A two-year-old, Lane Graves, was snatched by an alligator at a Disney World resort in 2016; a decade later his parents say they are honoring him by keeping the promise they made after his death.
On the 10th anniversary of Lane Graves' death at Disney World, his parents released a tribute video and highlighted the Lane Thomas Foundation, which raises awareness for pediatric organ donation and provides financial help to families; the foundation has assisted about 200 families and counts celebrity supporters, while Disney unveiled a lighthouse sculpture in Lane's memory near the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Since the 2016 fatal alligator incident at the Grand Floridian, Disney World has removed about 414 alligators under Florida's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) and added barriers and training to boost guest safety; experts say the removals do not threaten Florida's healthy alligator population, which is estimated at around 1.3 million.