Welcome to another weekly recap of the BIGGEST Disney news!

From big updates about the 2022 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival to information about things returning to Disney World, we’ve got some exciting news to share this week. Let’s check out what you need to know!

1 — EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival News

It may only be December in 2021, but Disney is already looking to the future! This week, we got some exciting news about a festival that will be returning to EPCOT once again in 2022 — the Flower & Garden Festival! Recently Disney announced that the Flower & Garden Festival will take place from March 2nd through July 4th, 2022!

Disney also shared that a number of things will be returning to the festival this year, including the Garden Rocks concert series, activities for the whole family, lots of food booths, and more!

Click here to see the 7 things that will be coming back to the 2022 Flower & Garden Festival!

2 — Limited-Time Genie+ and Early Entry Changes You Need to Know About

If you’re heading to Disney World soon, we’ve got some BIG updates on two important things — Disney Genie+ and Early Theme Park Entry.

First, Disney recently announced some important limited-time changes when it comes to Disney Genie+ and Pay-Per-Ride selections. From December 19th, 2021 through January 3rd, 2022, select rides will no longer be available as Individual Attraction Selections (pay-per-ride), but will instead be INCLUDED in Genie+!

It will apply to 4 specific rides (1 in each park).

To learn more about these Genie+ change and see what rides have been impacted, CLICK HERE!

In terms of Early Theme Park Entry, there will be changes taking place during the holiday season as well. Right now, all Disney World hotel guests (and guests at select other hotels) can enter any Disney theme park 30 minutes early on any day (note that they must still have a valid ticket and Park Pass for that park). But from December 19th, 2021 through January 3rd, 2022, Early Theme Park Entry will be bumped up to 60 minutes before park opening time!

This can be a big perk especially as holiday crowds arrive in the parks.

Click here to see more about this important Early Theme Park Entry change!

3 — More Reopenings in Disney World

This week we saw 3 things reopen in Disney World and we got news about more things that will be back at the resort soon.

First up, over at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside, Boatwright’s Dining Hall reopened! From Mardi Gras Fritters to Boudin Balls, we sampled some of the dishes at this reopened spot and we’ve got ALL the details for you. Click here to see our FULL review of Boatwrights.

At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, another restaurant reopened — Story Book Character Dining at Artist Point! During the meal, guests get the chance to say “hello” to various characters from a distance, including Snow White, Dopey and Grumpy, and the Evil Queen as they dine in an enchanted-forest themed space and munch on tasty treats.

We’ll be sharing a full review of our experience at Story Book Character Dining soon, but in the meantime, you can check out some photos and VIDEOS of our experience here!

This week, Kali River Rapids also reopened in Disney’s Animal Kingdom after being closed for several weeks for refurbishment. So if you’re looking for some water ride fun during your next trip to Disney World, you can stop by this spot.

While those 2 restaurants and 1 ride have already reopened, we’ve got more reopenings in the future to look forward to. Recently, Disney announced that 5 special tours will be coming BACK to Disney World in 2022.

From the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in Magic Kingdom to Wild Africa Trek in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there will be plenty of fun to be had in the parks next year!

Click here to see what tours are returning in 2022!

4 — Fire Reported in Magic Kingdom

One of the biggest news stories from this week took place later in the day on December 14th. In the late afternoon/early evening on that date, a fire was reported near Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. Emergency vehicles were sent into the park, guests were evacuated from select areas, and other guests were held outside of the park as the situation was handled.

Disney then reportedly issued a statement indicating that there had been a small fire in Magic Kingdom and that it was quickly extinguished.

If you want to know what happened after the fire was reported and how guests were handled/evacuated from within and outside of the park, click here.

Disney’s fire department has since commented on the potential cause of the fire in Magic Kingdom. You can click here to learn more.

On the topic of Disney’s emergency personnel, a story was shared later this week where Disney’s firefighter union made comments indicating that they feel they are short staffed. You can click here to read more about their comments.

Click here to learn more about the fire that took place in Magic Kingdom.

5 — runDisney News

If you’re a big runDisney fan, then it’s time to take out those calendars and start booking your next Disney trip! While we already had some 2022 dates for select runDisney races, Disney has now announced dates for more races in 2022 and select races that will be returning to Disney World in 2023.

We don’t have registration dates yet for these races, but we’ll be on the lookout for more updates!

Click here to learn more about runDisney races.

6 — Orlando COVID-19 Updates

To ensure we are equipping you, our readers, with all the information they need, we’ve continued to report on all travel, safety, and COVID-related news that could impact a Disney Parks visit. This week, we got some COVID-19 updates related to Orlando specifically.

First, Disney World’s Orange County has been listed as a COVID-19 “hotspot.” Click here to read more about what that means.

We also learned this week that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is present in the wastewater in Orange County, Florida. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Omicron variant is now the predominant strain of COVID-19 in Orange County based on those wastewater samples.

Click here to see more health and safety updates for your trips to Disney World or Disneyland.

That’s our recap of the big Disney news from this week. But wait…there’s more! Other news was also shared this week. Check out those stories by clicking the links below!

• See EVERYTHING coming to Disney+ in January
• Ride testing has started on the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride coming to EPCOT
• The official prizes for Olaf’s Scavenger Hunt in EPCOT have arrived 
• McDonald’s is giving away FREE food for a limited time during the holidays
• What’s going on with reservations for the Star Wars hotel? We’re taking a look here

• The NEW detective Jessica Rabbit animatronic has debuted in Disneyland
• We saw surge pricing in action for Disney Genie+ in Disneyland
• An indoor face mask requirement has now become effective in California
• Disneyland Magic Key holders: get ready to be celebrated for a whole MONTH next year!
• Select California residents can save big on Disneyland tickets in 2022
• You could have a PRIVATE party in Mickey’s House in 2022 in Disneyland

• A $5 million lawsuit has been filed against Disney regarding Disneyland’s Magic Key passes and park reservations
• The date has been announced for the 2022 Walt Disney Company shareholder meeting
• Disney made a souvenir that is worth $2 MILLION
• 2022 merchandise has made its way online!
• See when the new terminal should open at Orlando International Airport

Stay tuned for more Disney news!

Click here to see what’s new in Animal Kingdom!

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When are you planning to visit a Disney park next? Tell us in the comments!

The post Fire Reported in Magic Kingdom, Flower & Garden Festival Dates, Genie+ Changes, and More BIG Disney News first appeared on the disney food blog.