We bring you a lot of stories every single day. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. So in case you missed anything from our feed, we have rounded up all our stories in one place to get the news at a glance. Here is your Daily Recap for Monday, May 22, 2023.

Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• Another piece of décor left over from Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration has been removed from Cinderella Castle, leaving just one remaining golden ribbon.

EPCOT

• A new menu, featuring the new Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée and the returning items, is now available at Farmers Feast at this year’s EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.
• We tried the new Shrimp Cocktail & all-new drink menu at Space 220 Lounge in EPCOT.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• A guest reportedly became stuck between a boat and the unload platform at Na’vi River Journey. Emergency services responded to the scene and, according to a few anonymous reports sent to WDWNT.com, cut a hole in the platform to free the child.

New Merchandise

• A new plush by Steiff depicting Winnie the Pooh is now available at Die Weihnachts Ecke in the Germany Pavilion at EPCOT.
• A new Monsters University Spirit Jersey is available at Magic Kingdom, in Star Traders of Tomorrowland.
• A new collection of Dooney & Bourke bags commemorating the 20th anniversary of “Finding Nemo” is now available at Magic Kingdom. 

Other Walt Disney World News

• According to Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro, the closure of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which is set for September, will enable Walt Disney World to claim a tax write-off of approximately $300 million.

Disneyland Paris

• As part of the ongoing struggle for increased pay and improved working conditions, Disneyland Paris Cast Members have called for a strike which would occur tomorrow.

Entertainment and Media

• Ray Stevenson died of currently unknown circumstances on Sunday at 58-years-old.
• An open casting call has just been released for the role of Moana in the upcoming live-action remake of the same name.
• Some major announcements were revealed by Lorcana France TCG at a Ravensburger demo session for Disney Lorcana today, as French stores enjoyed a close-up experience and new information regarding the upcoming trading card game.

The Walt Disney Company

• Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro discussed the boundaries of two domestic parks expanding during the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media & Communications Conference. Both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom were mentioned.
• Josh D’Amaro also addressed Disney’s plans to focus their opportunity and expansion on their core assets, claiming additional, regional parks were not of interest to the company at this time.
• The third planned wave of layoffs at The Walt Disney Company has begun, and will impact roughly 2,500 people, after initially only estimated to affect 700. No frontline cast members in the parks are intended to be a part of it.
• Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro spoke on both domestic and international park performance and investments during the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media & Communications Conference.

WDW News Today

Club Mouse Beat 40th Tag クラブマウスビート 40周年バージョン

That’s it for today; we hope you enjoyed this Daily Recap. Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

The post Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to be a $300 Million Tax Write-Off, Josh D’Amaro Teases ‘Aggressive’ Theme Park Expansions, & More: Daily Recap (5/22/23) appeared first on WDW News Today.

On May 22, around 3:00 p.m. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a young guest reportedly became stuck between a boat and the unload platform at Na’vi River Journey. Emergency services responded to the scene and, according to a few anonymous reports sent to WDWNT.com, cut a hole in the platform to free the child. Reports indicate that no major injuries were sustained, but nothing about the incident has been confirmed by Disney nor emergency responders at this time.

According to one report, the guest had their foot out of the boat before it arrived back at the unload platform. Upon arriving at the destination, the guest’s foot and leg became lodged between said platform and the attraction’s boat that they were seated in. Thankfully, a Disney cast member operating the attraction stopped the ride before any irreparable damage could be done to to guest’s appendage.

Sources say it’s unclear if the ride will operate as normal tomorrow or if operations will be suspended for repairs.

Na’vi River Adventure is a slow moving boat ride in Pandora — The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests must climb in and out of the boat ride vehicles pictured above, which is a few feet below the platform.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Guest Reportedly Gets Foot Jammed Between Boat & Unload Platform, Leading to Emergency Hole Being Cut in Na’vi River Journey Ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom appeared first on WDW News Today.

If you’ve ever visited Universal’s Volcano Bay water park, you’re probably familiar with the TapuTapu wristbands and virtual line system. Typically, guests would use their TapuTapu to get into a virtual line for different attractions, such as Krakatau Aqua Coaster. Recently, Universal has been testing for a potential stand-by queue at the Krakatau Aqua Coaster in Universal’s Volcano Bay, which would be a major change from the current system.

Normally, guests enter a sort of virtual queue for Krakatau through the TapuTapu wristbands provided at no extra charge upon entering the park. The idea is that guests can experience other things around the park and return when it’s their time to ride. The downside is that guests can end up with very long waits for a single popular attraction, preventing them from joining other virtual queues.

The TapuTapu may be used for purchases, photos, interactive features, and, most frequently, getting in line for the park’s attractions at stands like these. The Krakatau TapuTapu station is currently unavailable because of the test, though the regular system will return tomorrow.

Each guest may only be in one virtual queue at a time, and that limited availability can cause issues on busy days. Krakatau is the most popular attraction at Volcano Bay, and it’s not uncommon for the virtual queue to be backed up for hours. For the guest, it means the ride may stop accepting new people hours before the park officially closes, and if someone does tap into the long wait, it relegates them to a limited selection of experiences until their arrival time.

Today was the final day of testing. While no official decision or announcement has yet been made, guest feedback from this experience will determine whether a permanent queue is put in place or virtual line with TapuTapu carries on. Waits this morning were considerably short compared with the normal virtual average, estimated at 30 minutes.

Krakatau Aqua Coaster is a water coaster that traverses the Krakatau volcano, a 200-foot icon for the park. It behaves somewhat like a roller coaster, with descents and ascents as you ride in a raft. Universal has this to say:

It’s a drencher. Honorary Waturi can experience the power of Krakatau on this amazing ride. Four-person canoes slide upward through the mists and into the dark twists and turns within the volcano before emerging with a plunge through a shimmering waterfall.

Have you ever braved this unique thrill ride? Let us know in the comments.

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

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A new plush by Steiff depicting Winnie the Pooh is now available at Die Weihnachts Ecke in the Germany Pavilion at EPCOT.

Winnie The Pooh Plush by Steiff – $119.99

The official Steiff USA website offers the following description of the plush:

“Steiff’s newest Winnie the Pooh design is made of wonderfully soft, blonde plush and is Steiff’s first 5-way jointed Disney licensed character made just for children. Measuring 11 inches tall, this bear sports a characteristic red sweater and observes the world around him through black button eyes. Raised eyebrows, a cheeky nose and cuddly round bear ears complete his face perfectly! Pooh’s jointed limbs allow him to be fully posable, adding to his character and charm.”

This Winnie the Pooh plush is slightly different from the one that debuted at Hundred Acre Goods and inside the Germany Pavilion alongside Dumbo and Tigger last January.

This plush is the first 5-way jointed Disney-licensed plush that Steiff has produced for children. In the photo above, you can see that we tested that out by slightly rotating Pooh’s head.

A stainless steel button fastens the yellow tag with red text that reads “Handmade by Steiff knopf im ohr” to Pooh’s right ear. “Knopf im ohr” is a German phrase that translates to button-in-ear, which serves as the Steiff brand’s trademark of quality and craftsmanship. The brand has been using the button-in-ear tactic to set its products apart “forever since 1880”, according to an informational snippet found on the Steiff website.

The height of the plush comes in at 11 inches in its fixed seated position. If you’re considering purchasing it for your kids, you may be interested to know that Pooh is machine washable on a gentle cycle.

Pooh is covered in a soft, muted yellow “fur” and is seen wearing his iconic red top, making him easily recognizable as the willy nilly silly old bear who we all know and love.

Good news for fans of Winnie the Pooh: new Disney Munchlings chocolate bars have arrived at Walt Disney World, including one flavor that is inspired by the scented Pooh Munchlings Honey Cake plush. Since their initial debut late last year, we’ve covered the arrival of several Disney Munchlings products, including mystery plushes, an ear headband, keychains, and more.

Leave a comment letting us know what you think of this new Winnie the Pooh plush.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post New Steiff Winnie the Pooh Plush Arrives at Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW News Today.

As part of the ongoing struggle for increased pay and improved working conditions, Disneyland Paris Cast Members have called for a strike which would occur tomorrow.

According to a tweet posted by DLP Report, the strike is expected to take place over the span of three hours on Tuesday, May 23. At this time we have no details on whether the strike will impact the process of the park’s opening in the morning.

Disneyland Paris Union UNSA has called for a general Cast Member strike tomorrow, Tuesday May 23 from 6am to 9am as part of some of the Cast’s ongoing fight for better pay and working conditions. It’s unclear what effect it may have (if any) on the Resort’s opening procedure. pic.twitter.com/Vfbkh3Zrl5

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) May 22, 2023

Earlier this month, a performance of Disney Stars on Parade at Disneyland Paris was canceled at the last minute due to yet another Cast Member strike.

Another similar situation occurred at Disneyland Paris back in February when protests against unequal pay caused one performance of “Dream…and Shine Brighter” to go on without any characters and another performance to be completely canceled. You can watch a full performance of “Dream…and Shine Brighter” here.

Due to a pension reform bill that raises the pension age from 62 to 64, numerous protests and strikes have occurred in France over the past several weeks.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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No matter how far you live from Disney World, it always seems like the journey takes forever!

And if you do live far away, that’s even more true. You can’t just plan for the days you’re in the parks, you have to plan travel days too — suddenly a quick weekend trip turns into five days, five turns into seven, and so on. But what if you could fly to Disney World even faster — by going into space?

How does a flight to Disney World by way of space sound? New research shows that flying from Sydney to London could take only two hours by 2033 — a trip that currently takes 22 hours on average. How? Sub-orbital “earth-to-earth” space flights, according to Forbes.

The Royal Air Force, King’s College London, and the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority have been conducting medical research to see how passengers would fare during a flight like this. So far, research shows that “physiological responses are likely to be benign for most passengers,” per the CAA’s medical lead Dr. Ryan Anderton.

However, passengers might have problems during the G-force portion of the journey, where trouble breathing and momentary loss of vision have been reported. It’s possible that older people will handle the pressure better than younger travelers.

In the future, the U.K. to Australia flight would involve “taking off in a G-force rocket up to 62 miles or 100 kilometers” — the point at which it would then technically be in space. Passengers would feel G-forces of 4G for around 30 seconds.

But, the aircraft wouldn’t continue into space — instead, it would stay sub-orbital and re-enter the earth’s atmosphere at 6Gs for 10 to 15 seconds. Don’t go booking your tickets just yet though, as the CAA believes the journey would cost as much as $350,000 at first! Though, it would “reduce over time and with increased demand.”

For now, though, it looks like sub-orbital flights will continue to mainly exist for tourism and research purposes. It’s possible that someday in the future, we might be able to hitch a sub-orbital flight from Sydney to Orlando that takes just a few hours!

Until then, we’ll be keeping an eye out for the latest flights and planning tips that’ll help you get to Disney World. Stay tuned to DFB for more!

Air Travel Tips That’ll Change Your Life

Would you take a sub-orbital flight? Tell us in the comments.

The post Your Next Trip To Disney World Could Include…ACTUAL SPACE FLIGHT?! first appeared on the disney food blog.