[00:00:00] Dana Stanley: Before I start, I wanna tell you what this episode is not going to be about. This is not an episode of everything coming to Disney World in 2026, because to be honest, I think that is really easy to find online right now of just all of the things that are coming to Disney World next year. There’s plenty of that online and with all the dates and specifics, I think listening to it is gonna be really hard to keep track of versus reading it.

[00:00:31] Dana Stanley: But I still wanted to do this episode because there is a lot of changes. Coming to Disney World in 2026, and I don’t really think that any of them are bad things or negative things. There are a lot of things that I am excited about. I’m curious to see because to be honest, like I really miss Disney World a lot right now, and there are things that I haven’t had a chance to do, let’s say, even last year.

[00:00:57] Dana Stanley: Or maybe things that we haven’t done in a while and I miss, or maybe things that we haven’t done before, even though they’re like actually very old school. But for the sake of this episode, I want to talk strictly about the new things that are coming this year specifically, and not the things that are old and I’m just excited about.

[00:01:19] Dana Stanley: Hello and welcome to the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. I’m your host, Dana Stanley, creator of Laid Back Magic. As a mom of three, I know how tough it can be to find time to plan a Disney World trip that doesn’t leave you feeling stressed or overwhelmed. That’s why I’m here. To help moms like you create Disney vacations that feel even better than they look on paper here.

[00:01:39] Dana Stanley: We’re not chasing perfection, but creating our next favorite memories. So whether you’re brand new to Disney or looking to go deeper into the details, this podcast is your go-to for simple tips, mindset shifts, real life trip recaps, and expert insights to make your trip magical and manageable. New episodes drop every Monday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss a moment.

[00:02:00] Dana Stanley: Okay, let’s dive in.

[00:02:08] Dana Stanley: I don’t normally. Do like news or update related episodes, but because this is the start of a brand new fresh year, I do think it’s good to know what’s coming in case we need to be prepared for them when we’re planning our trips because some of these things, even though they’re not a change in the sense of logistics are working different, or the way you book dining or lightning liens is going to be different.

[00:02:38] Dana Stanley: But when new rides open, or old rides close, it has a ripple effect in your planning and the way the crowds move, the way rope dropping changes, early entry changes. Or there could be a park that you’ve kind of written off of not visiting at all this year because you don’t think that it has enough to offer for your family.

[00:02:58] Dana Stanley: And depending on when you’re planning for 2026, I do think a lot of these could make a big impact on your decisions that you have to make. So first up, let’s start in Magic Kingdom. I’m really excited about Big Thunder Mountain. Finally, reopening in the spring. We don’t have an exact date, just quote Spring for my first timers or my newbies.

[00:03:21] Dana Stanley: Big Thunder Mountain is a roller coaster that has a height limit of 40 inches. So while it’s not a super intense rollercoaster, it does have a height limit, two inches taller than seven Ds mind train. To kind of give you a scale, and it’s a very like lighthearted, rollercoaster. It’s not meant to scare you.

[00:03:41] Dana Stanley: It’s classic because it was always one of the three mountains. There was Space Mountain, big Thunder, and Splash Mountain, which is now re themed to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. And at first, I wanna say like, oh, I don’t know why I am so excited for this to reopen. But I do know it’s because I really like Big Thunder Mountain.

[00:04:00] Dana Stanley: I grew up with the Disneyland version. I have really good memories of riding it with my sister and my mom. I also haven’t gotten to ride it in a while because I was either pregnant. I missed it on a trip when my son was really little because he was just fussy and I couldn’t get away, and then it closed.

[00:04:20] Dana Stanley: I also think because Splash Mountain. Tiana is Bayou Adventure. Now I just wanna hold on to like the classics with these three mountains. And when Big Thunder Mountain is closed, it just feels like off. It feels like something’s missing over in Frontier Land. So for all of those reasons, I’m excited for this to reopen.

[00:04:40] Dana Stanley: So what I do wanna say is I’m very excited for this to reopen, but I’m not necessarily excited for the changes per se. I’m not saying that I’m not excited about the changes, I’m just curious about the changes. Disney has said that it will now have a smoother track, which I think is great because Big Thunder Mountain was a very bumpy ride.

[00:05:05] Dana Stanley: But on the other hand, I’m like, how smoother are we talking? Like I don’t want it to be. Too smooth. I want it to be a little bumpy. You know, they also mentioned some like glowing effects and more backstory. None of that’s like a bad thing, like fine. That’s great. I’m just excited for it to be back open and let’s stay in Magic Kingdom since that’s what we’re talking about right now.

[00:05:25] Dana Stanley: And I am going to cheat a little bit for a second because I said that I wasn’t going to mention old things that I just haven’t had a chance to do. But since we’re talking about Magic Kingdom anyway, I just have to say I’m really excited to finally see Disney’s Starlight Parade. It opened last year, haven’t had a chance to see it very much.

[00:05:44] Dana Stanley: Have a love for nighttime electric parades, and that’s all. I’m just excited about it. Let’s mosey on over two. Epcot with a change that I’m very embarrassed, that I’m excited about. Like I almost took it off the list because I’m like, no, this is like very niche news. I don’t want this episode to be like that, but when I really think about it, I am genuinely excited about this, and that is for the Frozen Ever After Ride in Epcot.

[00:06:15] Dana Stanley: Which has no height limit, IE even like little babies can ride. It is getting a tiny, again, niche update in February where instead of the characters or the animatronics in the scenes having like, and I don’t know the exact terminology, but the faces aren’t like skin. There’s something projected onto their face like a screen.

[00:06:44] Dana Stanley: So like if. They were off, it would be an animatronic with like a black screened face and then they shine essentially a light or projector on the face and it looks so weird and I’ve always thought that since it was changed too frozen ever after. Like, why did they do that? It looks so weird. ’cause it, it has like a different hue to it.

[00:07:07] Dana Stanley: Like it’s just a character body like you would see in like. Pirate to the Caribbean, or you know, just like a, a robot person, animatronic. And then the face has a screen and it looks like a tv, like it’s a little bit bluish. And I never understood, it always bothered me. So now they are making them normal where there’s not a screen face.

[00:07:30] Dana Stanley: They just have a face that moves like a true animatronic. And the verbiage I’ve read is that this is Anna, Elsa, and Christophe, so all of the faces. Will not be TV faces, which is very cool. ’cause like honestly, even my daughters have asked why do their faces look like that? So I, I do think it’ll make an impact for the kids that are really into frozen because they’ll look so much more realistic and it won’t like take away from the experience.

[00:07:58] Dana Stanley: Now I do wonder if this new way will make the ride go down more or. Less, I’m not really sure if they’ll be more finicky. Were the TV faces easier? So I’m, I’m curious to see if that makes it better or worse. Another big ride that is getting updated. I have the opposite excitement about Big Thunder Mountain.

[00:08:22] Dana Stanley: I’m excited for this ride to close and that is rock and roller coaster over in Hollywood Studios. It’s closing this summer. There’s good things and bad things I think, to this. I’m not a huge, huge fan of this ride because it is like a very intense rollercoaster, like the opposite of what I’ve been saying.

[00:08:42] Dana Stanley: This is closing in March of next year, and then reopening in quote, summer of next year. This is like the opposite of what I said about Big Thunder Mountain and Seven Doors Mine Train. This goes upside down. It’s an intense true roller coaster with a 48. Inch height limit. So I will ride this maybe once every three to five years.

[00:09:06] Dana Stanley: I don’t go crazy for it, but the biggest reason why I don’t get on it is I don’t care about Aerosmith, like Aerosmith and Disney. Truly, who cares? I feel like maybe my mom was like the only one that thought that was cool. Honestly, maybe I’m wrong, but on the other hand of like good versus bad. This is just another ride that was open that would take up bodies away from other rides.

[00:09:30] Dana Stanley: I do like, like Mickey Minnie’s runaway railway, so it will just be another thing from March to summer being closed, making wait times across the park, just a little bit higher in Hollywood Studios. I am very curious to see. How much of a re theme this will be so similar to what Splash Mountain did with Tiana’s Bayou instead of Aerosmith, it will be Muppet themed.

[00:09:57] Dana Stanley: Am I a diehard Muppet fan? Not really. I do like the Muppets because do I have people in my life that absolutely love the Muppets? Yes, I sure do. So like I’m so happy for them and I’m just really happy. For this to finally get changed over, like I’m just glad that it’s finally closing so we can make it something else that’s Disney related and we can stop talking about it.

[00:10:21] Dana Stanley: While I’m kind of like, meh, about that update, I am very excited about two other things that are coming to Hollywood Studios. Both of these are, again, summer. The first one being the Disney Junior Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live. I am. Truly pumped about this and should really have put it at the top if I was going in order of excitement because there is a, like a new dance party for the kids and I’m curious exactly how this will play out.

[00:10:51] Dana Stanley: If it will, I’m assuming stay almost exactly the same of the Disney Junior Dance party. Like to be able to dance with Mickey and all the friends here. I’ll just actually read what’s on Disney’s website. Join the party at Mickey’s house. Step into the rhythm at this fun-filled show packed with upbeat toe tapping tunes.

[00:11:13] Dana Stanley: Watch the adventure unfold when Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse embark on a road trip to round up their best pals, goofy Daisy and Pluto, who haven’t made it to the party yet. The excitement builds as all friends gather back at Mickey’s house for a grand high energy finale. I mean, that’s cute. Like I have a 2-year-old boy, so I’m very excited.

[00:11:36] Dana Stanley: About seeing this dance party, and I know it’ll be wonderful to get his energy out. And while I really love that for my 2-year-old, this I love for all of my kids, actually, my entire family. So there’s a new walkthrough. All about Walt Disney animation and I’m gonna leave a link in the show notes for all of these things so you can read about them specifically.

[00:11:59] Dana Stanley: ’cause this one has a lot of information. But what you need to know is that there will be different departments that you can walk through all related to real animation. So like the first room is story, the second is layout, the third is hand drawn and so on. And there’s going to be character meet and greets.

[00:12:20] Dana Stanley: In these departments. I don’t know if they’re in all of them, and I have no idea how they’re going to handle this logistically. Very, very curious. Very excited to see this. ’cause what I love about Hollywood Studios, and if you’ve been around Disney for a long time, back when it was MGM is, it was all about making the movies.

[00:12:44] Dana Stanley: And if they do this well. I really think Hollywood Studios could be like a contender for my favorite park because one of the things in this update is a new playground, a Mary Blair inspired playground. And I’ll read from the website ’cause I’m, this sounds so cute. It says, our youngest animators to be can explore the quote drawn to Wonderland playground.

[00:13:11] Dana Stanley: Which, if you guessed, it’s like Alice Wonderland, filled with an oversized flower garden with musical instruments, a mad tea party playset, and a toge wood exploration area, which is like the woods in Alice Wonderland. So I’m imagining like branches and trees. All inspired by the original Alice in Wonderland concept art from Mary Blair.

[00:13:34] Dana Stanley: And listen carefully. Really picture this, it will be the perfect whimsical indoor play area for little ones to grow. So finally, this will be one of the first playgrounds in Hollywood studios. Very, very pumped. It’s funny ’cause as I’m reading all of these, really wanna go to Disney World in the summer.

[00:13:58] Dana Stanley: And I vowed to myself that we were not gonna go to Disney World in the summer again, like for a while. And this next one is also quote, summer 2026, and that is to meet Bluey and bingo over at Animal Kingdom. So side story, a couple months ago we went to New York City to visit Bluey and Bingo’s house. It was very cool.

[00:14:18] Dana Stanley: We got to play in their kitchen and slip on the beans and we sat in their living room, we laid in their beds. It was very cute. And at the end of the experience, you got to meet the characters like you find them in the backyard. It was super cute, like it was awesome. The kids loved it, but the characters were so stiff.

[00:14:39] Dana Stanley: It just shows you like how much of an experience Disney gives you. Like it was just kind of funny. They were very stiff. Their costumes I don’t think had a lot of movement and they just kind of like very awkwardly turned and like waved at you and that was about it. So I’m dying to see how Disney does it with the blue and bingo costumes.

[00:15:00] Dana Stanley: I’ve seen the little teasers online. I’m just very curious how the whole experience is gonna be. It is at the conservation station in Animal Kingdom, which means there’s gonna be a short train ride getting to them. Which I don’t wanna say it’s like a bummer. It’s not a bad thing. I just don’t expect it to be like a short in and out thing.

[00:15:20] Dana Stanley: Like if you wanna prioritize it this summer, you definitely have to prioritize it. And I just like that they’re trying to free up some space, like move people around such a big park. I feel like the last few things I’ve said are very like kid driven, which I like. And the last thing in like. This kid bubble is that promotion wise for 2026 all year long, kids are eligible for a free dining plan when you buy one adult dining plan.

[00:15:49] Dana Stanley: And I haven’t read like the super fine print on this, but the thing that I did notice, which is rare, is that you can add this onto a DVC room and for us in our scenario. My husband and I are two adults with two kids that would be eligible from three to nine years old. So we would essentially be paying for ourselves for the dining plan, and then our two girls get it for free.

[00:16:18] Dana Stanley: So for the hassle that I have mentioned of using the dining plan on the podcast in the past of is just a lot of mental math, even more planning on top of it, thinking of where you’re going to eat ahead of time. I usually avoid the dining plan. But for this, in our scenario, I think I may face the hassle.

[00:16:40] Dana Stanley: I think it might be worth it. And just like this promo, there’s also just some more features that I am excited to use in 2026. The My Disney Experience app got a little bit of a refresh where you can show your dining reservations on the map and your lightning lanes on the map. So when you’re looking at the map, you can just see where you’re gonna be and when it makes it so much easier to visually imagine, especially if you’ve never been to Disney World before, you can also get the activity schedule.

[00:17:14] Dana Stanley: For most of the resorts, I haven’t seen it on the boardwalk. This is not inside the app. But if you go into a browser under the resort hotels and then you hit the recreation tab, you’ll see a little hyperlink of view, the full schedule of recreation and entertainment that they have usually at the resort.

[00:17:32] Dana Stanley: So if you’re wondering when the arts and crafts are, or the campfire or what movie is going to be playing that night out on the lawn. You can see it all there. And this is kind of new because last year if you wanted to see the schedule, you would just kind of see it in the lobby or the elevator and take a picture of it.

[00:17:49] Dana Stanley: Now you can download it to your computer ahead of time. So that is my list of new things coming to Disney World in 2026 that I’m actually excited for. Not every single new thing. But everything I’m genuinely, at least at the bare minimum, curious to see how it all plays out. Come back next week for a very special guest where we will chat about Disney’s newest ship, the Disney Destiny we’re chatting with.

[00:18:18] Dana Stanley: Melissa McGill and I cannot wait. See you next week.

[00:18:23] Dana Stanley: Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. If you enjoyed today’s episode and it was helpful for you, it would mean the world to me. If you’d write a quick review, your reviews, help more moms like you find the show, and I read every single one of them seriously.

[00:18:39] Dana Stanley: Thank you in advance. You can find me on Instagram at somewhere worthwhile, and I’d love to hear from you there. DM me. If you have any questions about this episode or what you’d like to see in future ones until then, keep planning for your next favorite memory and I’ll see you next time.