5 Big Disney Thanksgiving Updates You Need to Know This Week

Hey there!

If you're in the US it's a holiday week and I hope you're going to spend some time tomorrow with people you love and get some downtime before we really kick off the last stretch of 2024. We had family arrive in town yesterday and I already feel weirdly out of a normal work routine having entered the "what day is it?" zone lol. My son (who"s 24) is handling the bulk of the cooking tomorrow and I must say I'm really loving this. He's gotten a meat smoker and loves doing turkey and other big cuts of meat in there and it turns out so good!

I will be back at work on Friday morning heading to Epcot for the first day of Festival of the Holidays to check out what's new and show the cookie stroll which is one of my favorites.

I'm going to go over the main news briefly here, but I want to refer you guys over to this week's podcast which just dropped today. It has the full recap of all the news and I do a deeper dive into it there.

Listen on any podcast app while your driving or taking a mental health walk and let's hang and chat Disney! Spotify and Apple are the most popular ways people listen and make sure to follow the show so you automatically get the latest episode.

Let's dive into this week's news!

Bye-Bye MuppetVision: We've been anxiously waiting to hear the location of Disney's new land for Hollywood Studios ever since they told us a Monsters Inc. land would be coming and didn't say where it would go. Now we have confirmation that it is indeed replacing the Muppets Courtyard area of the park. And while it makes sense for many practical reasons (that I go over in my podcast) my Kermit-loving heart is a little bit crushed. But we did get some good news. Really good news if you're a Muppets fan because they won't be leaving Hollywood Studios. They will be "moving right along" down Sunset Boulevard to join Rock n Roller Coaster in a re-theme of the ride. This will replace Aerosmith as the featured "talent" for the coaster. In the concept art, you can see exactly what this new land will look like. Here's a high-quality image to click on so you can zoom in. This will replace not only the MuppetVision theater, but also PizzaRizzo, Mama Melrose, and the shopping areas back there. This is all very under-utilized space and makes sense to change it up. The new Monstropolis will have dining, shopping, and a theater show along with the main attraction, a suspension coaster. No word yet on the timing of any of this but Disney says you'll have time to enjoy these attractions before they're closing for good. You can read the full article on Disney's site here.

Black Friday Deals on Disney Vacations: There are still some discounts to be had on booking your next Disney trip especially for early 2025. Check out the details here and make sure to contact our friends at MickeyTravels to get you the best price!

New DVC Resort is Official: We've talked several times about the new resort that's been underway near Fort Wilderness Campgrounds and that it was likely a return to Disney's original plans of building a nature-themed DVC resort and now it is officially confirmed as Disney's Lakeshore Lodge. I do wish we'd get a new resort that wasn't a Vacation Club property, but that seems to be all we are getting lately. And while everyone can stay there, its often a heftier price for non-DVC members. This won't be opening until 2027 so we have a while to get excited about it, but you can check out the details here.

Thanksgiving Parade: If you enjoy the tradition of watching the Macy's parade tomorrow Disney has a big presence this year and you can check out all the appearances here.

Ranking the Top 10 Best Bars at Disney World: In today's podcast, we are ranking all the best Top 10 bars and lounges at Disney World, where they are, why we love them, and most importantly, what to order. This is a good episode you won't want to miss! Listen on Spotify, Apple or any podcast app.

Everything We Know About Disney’s New Cruise Ship: Disney’s newest ship sets sail in December and we put together a great video guide of everything you can expect on the Disney Treasure! This ship has so much to offer. If you have already booked it then this video will get you so excited for your cruise! And if you’re considering it this video will show you exactly what will be on this new Triton class ship joining Disney Cruise Line’s fleet in December 2024. Check out the video here or bookmark it to watch later!

Amazon Outfit Links: I had a lot of requests for links to some of the festive outfits I wore the past few days. It's easier to share those here since Insta doesn't let me share more than one link at a time. (These are affiliate links)

• The red skirt I wore for Jollywood
• my fav bodysuit (size up I wore an XL so it would be comfy)
• the skort with pockets that was crazy comfy for Very Merry (I'm in a L)
• my new fav converse hi-tops. It needs to be this style of Converse for top comfiness
• This under $20 Mickey bag that looks way more expensive and is so cute

Nov. 8th- Dec.20: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Nov. 9th- Dec. 21st: Jollywood Nights

November 29th-Dec. 30th: Epcot Festival of the Holidays

That's it for me! I hope you have a great rest of your week! Take good care of yourself and I'll talk to you next Thursday.

Until next week,
Serena

✨🏰✨

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We dive deeper into it all in our weekly news episode on the Living by Disney podcast! Every Tuesday and Thursday we're your one-stop shop for all things Disney World: planning, news, and real talk. If you want to follow it on whatever podcast app you use like Apple or Spotify.

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