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 Friday, August 18, 2023.

Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• The Liberty Square Riverboat at Magic Kingdom will close for a week-long refurbishment later this month

EPCOT

• Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana” will have both wet and dry paths when it opens to the public later this year. Also, previously teased MagicBand+ interactions are no longer a certainty
• We released our full guide to the ongoing 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• 28 guests were stuck on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and though initial reports suggested that the assistance of firefighters was needed in the evacuation, the ride was actually evacuated by Cast Members following standard procedure and without the aid of Reedy Creek Fire Department

New Merchandise

• A new mod-style dress inspired by Disney’s Contemporary Resort and “The Incredibles” has arrived at the resort
• Photographer Matthew Cooper has released his 2024 Walt Disney World calendar featuring artful photos from throughout the theme parks

Other Walt Disney World News

• Walt Disney World is no longer handing out paper straws and plastic lids at quick-service restaurants and snack locations as Disney Parks & Resorts hopes to achieve zero landfill waste by 2030
• Walt Disney World is counter-suing the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board at the state level for Breach of Contract and Florida Constitution violations
• Zach Riddley, the Imagineer who led the years-long overhaul of EPCOT, has been promoted to Global Creative Strategy Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering

Disneyland Resort

• The Tiana’s Palace restaurant will open on September 7 in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park
• Mickey and Minnie Halloween Candy Buckets previously available at Walt Disney World Resort have made their way to Disney California Adventure alongside a Halloween-themed tote bag
• Cars Land at Disney California Adventure has received a Halloween makeover as part of its Haul-O-Ween overlay

Tokyo Disney Resort

• Two new park trash can-inspired pouches and two new charging cable bands are available at Tokyo Disney Resort

Disney Cruise Line

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Entertainment and Media

• Disney Lorcana was not released at Disneyland and Walt Disney World despite releasing in specialty gaming stores

Disney+

• “Ahsoka” will launch on Disney+ on August 22 as opposed to August 23. The first two episodes of the new “Star Wars” series will debut at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT
• A new trailer for “Percy Jackson and the Olympics” has been released and a release date has been set: December 20, 2023
• “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” will return with new episodes on Disney Junior and Disney+ in 2025, and Duffy the Disney Bear will be joining the cast

The Walt Disney Company

• D23, the official Disney fan club, will host the Black Flame Ball in Salem, MA this October in honor of 30 years of “Hocus Pocus”

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

The post Walt Disney World No Longer Handing Out Paper Straws & Plastic Lids, Disney Countersues CFTOD Board, & More: Daily Recap (8/18/23) appeared first on WDW News Today.