The 6 Most Unexpected Things That Happened in Disney World This Week

When it comes to unexpected things in Disney World, this past week was a doozy.

Cinderella’s Castle

There were evacuations, new merchandise policies, finger scans, menu changes, and more! Here are six unexpected things that happened in Disney World this week.

Purchase Limits

Although we recently saw a purchase limit with the new Halloween items in Disney World, the purchase limit has since become even stricter. Now the merchandise policy limit of two items per guest has been extended to almost all merchandise sold throughout all of Disney World.

A Peek at the Sign Advising Guests About the Purchase Limit

A Cast Member explained that this new policy is due to a merchandise supply issue, and we don’t know how long this purchase limit will last. We will be keeping a close eye on this change.

Read more about the new Disney World purchase limit here!

Finger Scans Are Back

This week we visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom and were surprised to see that finger scanning has returned to Disney World.

Finger scans are back!

From our vantage point, we did not see Cast Members sanitizing the finger scanners between guests, but we did see hand sanitizer stations once entering the park. This is another change we’ll be closely monitoring!

Read more about the return of finger scanners in Disney World here!

Food

We saw three big surprises in Disney World food this week, including milkshakes, a new menu, and price increases.

BoardWalk Ice Cream Milkshakes

On Disney’s BoardWalk, BoardWalk Ice Cream added milkshakes to their menu! We tried two of the new milkshakes, Cookies ’n Cream and Currents, and Strawberry Riptide.

Cookies ‘n Cream Milkshake

We really enjoyed both these milkshakes and for $5.49 each, they are a pretty good portion size for the price! Next time you visit Disney’s BoardWalk, you might want to make a stop to enjoy this cold treat on a hot day.

Check out more photos of BoardWalk Ice Cream milkshakes here!

Menu for La Creperie de Paris

La Creperie is a brand new restaurant opening on October 1st in EPCOT’s France pavilion. This restaurant will have both Quick Service and Table Service and will serve sweet and savory crepes alongside ciders and wine.

Just hand over the crepes and no one will get hurt ©Disney

Disney released the menu for La Creperie this week and we can’t wait to try their savory galettes and sweet dessert crepes.

©Disney

You will NOT need a reservation for Table Service, as they will be operating on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Here’s the full menu for La Creperie de Paris!

Price Increases at Yak & Yeti

Yak and Yeti Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom received quite a few price increases this week, making it a bit more expensive for anyone choosing to dine there.

Yak and Yeti

The prices of select Small Plates, Shareables, Soups and Salads, Noodles and Bowls, Specialities, Grilled, Sides, and Kids’ Menu items all increased, some by $1 or more. Make sure you factor in these menu changes if you are planning your Disney World trip on a budget!

Here are the menu changes for Yak and Yeti!

Rides

Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group Change

This week we noticed a small change in the virtual queue process of obtaining a boarding group pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Previously, when clicking through the virtual queue screens in the My Disney Experience app, you would come to the “Create Your Party” screen, where you could select everyone who wanted to ride.

Rise of the Resistance Vehicle

Now, Disney will auto-select your party for you! After you get your boarding group, you should be able to go back in and remove people if necessary.

Read more about the Rise of the Resistance change here!

Splash Mountain Re-theming News

Disney gave us a lot of information this week about the plans to change Splash Mountain’s theme to that of The Princess and the Frog! They showed new concept art and announced that there will be new characters and a new story for Princess Tiana, ending up in a big Mardi Gras finale.

©Disney

The story of the new theme will follow Princess Tiana as she leads guests on an adventure through the New Orleans Bayou, and guests will be able to “actively participate” in the story!

Check out the details announced about Splash Mountain this week! 

Evacuations

Was the theme of this week in Disney World evacuations? It happens sometimes but this week it happened with two rides AND a hotel!

Smuggler’s Run Evacuated

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run was evacuated earlier this week after the fire alarm went off. People around the building were also asked to step away.

Guests leaving ride

Evacuations can and do happen in Disney World all the time, and Smuggler’s Run opened up again shortly after the evacuation.

Read more about the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run evacuation here!

PeopleMover Evacuated

Our favorite chill ride, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover in Magic Kingdom, was ALSO evacuated this week. Guests were escorted off the upper platform of the ride.

PeopleMover evacuation

The PeopleMover has since reopened, so if you’re visiting soon you should probably be able to catch this beloved ride through Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland.

Photos and videos of the PeopleMover evacuation!

Polynesian Resort Evacuated

And in more unexpected evacuation news, Disney’s Polynesian Resort guests had to evacuate this week following a fire alarm going off.

Credit: Alexis Miller

After it was resolved, the alarm went off again later that day but no one was evacuated at that time. What is going on with alarm systems at Disney?

Click here for photos of guests evacuating Disney’s Polynesian Resort hotel!

Living with the Land

Living with the Land has been closed for multiple days due to a “safety issue.” A reopening timeline has not been set.

It’s been closed for a whole week!

Characters

Goofy at Tower of Terror

And in surprising and unexpected character news, Goofy seems to be staying at the Hollywood Tower Hotel (aka Tower of Terror) this week! Goofy, are we in the Twilight Zone?!

Goofy! Get a new hotel!

Goofy greeted guests near the exit of Tower of Terror in his vacation clothes and even showed off the contents of his suitcase, but we really hope someone helped him switch hotels!

Here are photos of Goofy at Tower of Terror!

So that’s everything unexpected that happened in Disney World this week! Are you surprised by any of this news? Keep reading DFB for all your Disney World news, updates, tips, and tricks!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today!

Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

ready-to-shop-button
Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. 🙂

What are you surprised by this week? Tell us in the comments!

The post The 6 Most Unexpected Things That Happened in Disney World This Week first appeared on the disney food blog.