It’s time for the holidays in Disney World!

Along with the VERY busy crowds, there was some surprising news this week, like learning about a new Genie+ booking option, or finding out about another Magical Express replacement. Take a look!

Genie+ and the Christmas Parade

Although we knew that the Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade would be returning to daytime shows in Magic Kingdom for a limited time during the week of Christmas, we were surprised to find it available as a Genie+ selection!

If you really want a good spot to catch this parade, you can book it through Genie+ to get access to a reserved viewing area on the east side Cinderella Castle. You must purchase Genie+ in order to book this option but it’s a great way to get an ideal view of the parade!

Learn more about booking the Christmas parade through Genie+ here!

Mears Express Bus

After Magical Express is discontinued in January 2022, guests will have to pay for transportation from the Orlando International Airport to Disney World. One of the options will be Mears Connect, which is the same company that operated the complimentary Magical Express service. Mears Connect will not begin operating until January, so imagine our surprise spotting a new Mears Connect bus in the Animal Kingdom parking lot this week!

This Mears Connect bus was white with a colorful swimming sea turtle, and it was transporting guests from Animal Kingdom to the Swan and Dolphin Resort hotels. We can’t wait to see if there are other designs!

Check out more photos of the Mears Connect bus spotted in Disney World!

All-Star Sports Opening Date

After several delays in reopening, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort finally got an opening date of March 31, 2022! All-Star Sports will be the last Disney World hotel to reopen after the March 2020 closure due to the global pandemic.

All-Star Sports is one of three Disney World value resorts, and it’s one of the most inexpensive places to stay on Disney World property. Reservations are now open, and we’ll have to wait and see whether this opening is delayed again!

Read more about Disney World’s All-Star Resorts here!

EPCOT Permit

This week we found a permit filed by Walt Disney Imagineering to “fabricate and install show set items” at the building where Creations Shop and Club Cool are now located. We also found another permit that listed “installation of lighting hardware.”

Essentially, the plans hint at Disney World Imagineers installing lights and set items, but we don’t yet know what this could mean. Disney has not made any announcements yet, so we have to wait and see how this turns out!

Read more about the Disney permits filed for EPCOT here!

Magical Express Replacement

Another replacement for the Magical Express was announced this week! In addition to Mears Connect, guests will be able to have the option to book The Sunshine Flyer, which designs their buses as “old-fashioned passenger cars and train engines.”

The Sunshine Flyer service will begin on February 1st, 2022, and tickets will be priced at $17 per adult and $12.50 per child for a 1-way trip, while round trip will be $34 for adults and $25 per child. These buses will transport to all Disney World Resort hotels!

Learn more about The Sunshine Flyer here!

That’s all the unexpected news from this week in Disney World! Keep reading DFB for more Disney news and planning tips!

Check out the popular items Disney dropped online this week!

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Were you in Disney World this week? Tell us in the comments!

The post 5 of the Most Unexpected Things That Happened in Disney World This Week first appeared on the disney food blog.