June was a jam-packed month in Disney World!

So many things happened in June, like the announcement of holiday offerings in both Disney World and Disneyland, the return of popular offerings, and more! Let’s get into the biggest things that we learned in Disney World in June!

Brightline High-Speed Rail

Disney announced that it would be backing out of an originally proposed deal for a high-speed rail station at Disney Springs. The Brightline train was proposed to leave from the Orlando International Airport and make several stops around Orlando, including one at Disney Springs.

The rail corridor map has unfortunately been redrawn and plans no longer include a stop at Disney Springs, though there will still be a stop near Disney World property that guests traveling to Disney from the airport will be able to use. The train will also stop at Universal Orlando.

Click here to read more about WHY Disney backed out of airport train deal

Bob Chapek’s Contract Renewal

While this isn’t news that happened IN Disney World per se, it is big and will affect Disney World. Bob Chapek’s contract as CEO of The Walt Disney World Company was renewed in June for three more years.

Chapek started as Disney CEO in February 2020 and has gotten a lot of backlash since then for various reasons, including things like the park pass reservation system, increased prices in the parks, and the recently plummeting of Disney stock prices.

Click here to see what Disney executives have to say about how inflation is affecting the parks

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Reopening Date Announced

Back in May, Disney announced that the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique would be reopening in 2022, but a specific date was not provided, but in June, we learned that the boutique will be reopening in both Disney World and Disneyland on August 25th!

In Disney World, this only goes for the boutique in the Magic Kingdom, the locations at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney Springs will be reopening at a later date.

Click here to see the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique coming to the Disney Wish cruise ship!

Harmony Barber Shop Pricing

Also located in the Magic Kingdom, the Harmony Barber Shop is reopening on July 31st! Recently, Disney released some updated pricing information for the various services offered at the barber shop.

Most of the services went up in a price by a few dollars, including the My First Haircut experience, which is where toddler-aged children can get their first haircut, along with a commemorative pair of ears, a certificate, and a keepsake lock of hair. This service will now start at $28 per child. 

Click here to read more about the Harmony Barber Shop updated pricing information!

EPCOT International Food & Wine Menus Announced

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will be starting in just a couple of weeks on July 14th, and June brought us the menus for the booths at the festival!

There will be a number of new and returning food and drink items at the festival, and we’ll be bringing you all of our thoughts, so make sure to stay tuned to DFB for our full reviews.

Click here to see everything NEW coming to the 2022 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival!

Enchantment Twice Per Night

For a limited time in July, the Enchantment fireworks in Magic Kingdom will have two showtimes, one at the usually scheduled 9:20PM and then again at 11PM.

The twice nightly shows will begin on July 14th, but by July 24th, showtimes are back to only one each night.

Click here to read more about the Enchantment fireworks!

New Theme for Top of the World Lounge

The Top of the World Lounge is located at the top of Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It is a lounge for Disney Vacation Club Members only, and it has been closed for some time now, though we knew that it would reopening “soon.”

Disney recently announced that the lounge will be reopening on July 11th, and when it does, it will have a new theme based on Disney villains!

Click here to read more about the new theme for the Top of the World Lounge in Disney World!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

In June, Disney celebrated Halfway to the Holidays, and part of the celebration was the announcement that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be returning to the Magic Kingdom this year (for the first time since 2019!).

Disney also released information regarding pricing and which nights guests will be able to attend the party.

Click here to see a FULL list of prices and dates for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

Festival of the Holidays

Also during Halfway to the Holidays, Disney announced that the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will be returning, as well.

Returning with it will be the festival kitchens serving up holiday foods from around the world, the Holiday Cookie Stroll, and the Candlelight Processional. The festival begins on November 25th.

Click here to see everything announced for the 2022 holiday season in Disney World!

More Characters Returning

We also got more news about character meet-and-greets and interactions that will be returning to the parks. We now know that characters will be returning to Pete’s Silly Side Show in the coming months, and on July 10th, Peter Pan and Snow White meet-and-greets are returning to Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom!

And that’s not all because Disney also shared that Aladdin, Jasmine, Merida, Pooh, and Tigger will also be returning for meet and greets! Plus in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’ll once again be able to meet Darth Vader at the Star Wars Launch Bay, plus Chewbacca and BB-8, too! Also in Hollywood Studios, you’ll be able to meet characters from Toy Story, and Donald’s Dino-Bash is returning to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well!

Click here to read more about character meet-and-greets returning to Disney World!

Chip ‘n’ Dale Campfire Sing-A-Long

Disney announced that the Chip ‘n’ Dale Campfire Sing-A-Long is returning to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on July 6th!

The Sing-A-Long is free to attend and guests can roast marshmallows (s’mores kits are an additional fee), sing songs and meet Chip ‘n’ Dale! Once all the fun is over, you’ll have the opportunity to watch a movie, as well.

Click here to learn more about the Chip ‘n’ Dale Campfire Sing-A-Long!

Mirabel From ‘Encanto’ Makes Her Debut

On June 26th, Mirabel from the popular Disney movie Encanto made her Disney World debut in the Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade!

This cavalcade currently runs twice per day at 5:10PM and 6:20PM, and as of now, this is the only time you can see Mirabel in Disney World.

Click here to see Mirabel in the Adventure Friends Cavalcade!

Genie+ Additions

June saw the addition of some new experiences to Genie+. Both the Adventurers Outpost meet-and-greet where you meet Mickey and Minnie and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! were added to the service.

This means that you can skip the line for these experiences if you pay for the Genie+ service.

Click here to read more about Disney Genie+

4th of July Fireworks

With 4th of July just around the corner, June saw the announcement of the return of the special Independence Day fireworks to both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT!

“Disney’s Celebrate America — a Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” will be available for viewing in the Magic Kingdom on both July 3rd and July 4th and will take the place of Disney’s Enchantment both nights. Disney did not share many details on the EPCOT 4th of July fireworks, but in the past the EPCOT show has been a short sequence following the main fireworks event of the evening.

Click here to see all of the food coming to Disney World and Disneyland for the 4th of July!

Buffet Returning to Hollywood & Vine

Hollywood & Vine is a character dining experience located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

It was traditionally a buffet prior to the pandemic-related closures, but since its reopening, it has been a prix fixe style restaurant. Disney recently announced that the buffet will be returning on August 28th!

Click here to see the COMPLETE list of back-to-normal character dining experiences in Disney World!

Victoria & Albert’s Reopening Date

Victoria & Albert’s is the fanciest and most signature dining experience at Disney World. It is located at the Grand Floridian and has received many fine dining awards. It has been closed since 2020, but in June, we learned when the restaurant will be reopening!

The restaurant will be reopening on July 28th with a reimagined dining room!

Click here to read our 2020 review of Victoria & Albert’s!

Genie+ Changes

June also saw a few changes to Disney Genie+, the new paid way to skip the line at Disney attractions. Guests pay $15 for each person in their party on each day they would like to use the service. Previously, Genie+ was purchased in advance of your Disney World trip, but in June, it became only available to purchase at midnight the day you wanted to use it. 

June also saw Disney make the 120-minute rule official. The 120-minute rule states that guests can make another Lightning Lane selection 120 minutes after they make the first one if that Lightning Lane selection was for later in the day. So for example, if you reserve a Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for 4PM that day, you could make another Lightning Lane selection two hours later, at 11PM.

Click here to see a step-by-step guide to using Genie+

Minnie Vans Returning

In June, we learned that Minnie Vans would be returning to Disney World, and then we saw that happen!

Minnie Vans have returned to Disney World! You can book a Minnie Van using the Lyft app and then use them to go anywhere within Disney World. One change to the service is that the Minnie Vans no longer provide transportation to and from the airport, like they had previously.

Click here for everything you need to know about Minnie Vans

And that’s everything we learned in Disney World in June! There’s a lot to look forward to as we head into July, including the return of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, the opening of the Harmony Barber Shop, and more!

As always, make sure to stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney news and information!

Click here to see 10 not-so-magical truths in Disney World!

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What news are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!

The post 18 Huge Disney World NEWS Drops You Missed Last Month first appeared on the disney food blog.