Disney has made some important changes, announcements, and updates this week, and if you missed them, you’ll be VERY confused on your next trip to the parks.

Between a change at 2 character dining locations and the return of EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival (with NEW menu items), there’s a lot to break down to make sure YOU are prepared. So let’s go through all of the most important updates you need to know about.

Magic Kingdom Restaurant News

First up, we have big news from Magic Kingdom. Cinderella’s Royal Table has CHANGED in 2 key ways. For starters, the princesses are back! For a while, Cinderella has only made limited appearances or there was a limited meet-and-greet with her. Now, you’ll still find a Cinderella meet-and-greet before your meal, but once you hit the dining room you’ll be able to meet some more royal friends like Jasmine, Snow White, and more.

With that change has come a big price increase. Breakfast here has increased from $45 per adult to $65 per adult, and lunch/dinner went from $67 per adult to $79 per adult. Changes have hit the kids’ pricing too. Click here for full details.

Does the return of these characters justify the price increase? That’s something you’ll have to determine for yourself. Our full review of the updated restaurant will be coming soon, but in the meantime, you can click our link below to see some of our thoughts.

Do Characters Justify the Price INCREASE at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Disney World? We Found Out

A Controversial Dining Change

Next up, we’re hopping to Disney’s Contemporary Resort where another iconic restaurant — Chef Mickey’s — has also changed! Character dining has been back here for a while, but as of March 1st, the buffet returned to Chef Mickey’s.

That’s right, there are no more family-style meals here. Instead, you’ll find a variety of items on the buffet line. Breakfast includes Mickey waffles, fruits, meat and cheeses, and more.

But, as with Cinderella’s Royal Table, this dining change (albeit controversial for those who don’t love buffets) has come with a price increase. Breakfast used to be $45 per adult but has now increased to $51 per adult. And dinner is more expensive too at $62 per adult (previously $60 per adult). Kids’ pricing has seen some changes here as well.

We’ll be sharing a full review of this restaurant soon, so stay tuned for that!

Click here to get a first look at the return of the buffet at Chef Mickey’s!

The Flower & Garden Festival Is HERE

Our next bit of news takes us to EPCOT where the 2023 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival has officially begun! The Festival will run from now through July 5th, so you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy it, but you’ll want to be prepared before you go.

Click here to see our FULL coverage from the Festival’s opening day — we’ve got links to everything you need to know here!

There are NEW topiaries at the Festival this year, including the Encanto one shown above and a Tiana one. Click here to see more photos of the Encanto topiaries, and click here for a FULL list of topiaries and gardens you can check out.

As you walk into the park, be sure to grab a Flower and Garden Festival Passport. This FREE souvenir will hold your stamps for the Festival Food Challenge (more on that in a second) and has all kinds of useful information that you can access throughout your adventure.

While eating at the food booths is a huge draw, you’ll also want to check out the merchandise! Orange Bird, Snow White, and Figment-themed items are all available now, but be warned — you might be tempted to buy a whole bunch of this stuff!

If it’s the food and drinks you’re after, there is a LOT to pick from. You can check out all of the Flower & Garden Festival menus (with prices) here. Plus, we’ve got an entire page dedicated to our reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Festival so you can know what’s worth your time and what might be a “skip.” And we’ve also got our picks for the very BEST eats and drinks at the Festival (including some new and returning items, some picks for kiddos, and a great plant-based item!).

If you want to turn that food into a prize, check out the Garden Graze challenge. If you buy 5 participating items out of the list of designated dishes, you could get a special prize which includes an exclusive DOLE Whip, a unique souvenir cup, and even some seeds to plant at home. Click here to see our thoughts on this challenge and whether it’s worth it!

But there are more prizes to be won in EPCOT! If you’re willing to chase a BEE around the park (don’t worry, it’s a “fake” one and won’t sting), you could win a unique prize thanks to the Spike the Bee scavenger hunt. Click here to learn more about that activity!

And you can’t forget about the entertainment. While at the Flower & Garden Festival, you can enjoy the Garden Rocks concert series (featuring both local bands and nationally recognized bands, like Smash Mouth and Simple Plan).

Plus, you’ll want to stick around until it gets dark so you can check out the Encanto-themed light show on Spaceship Earth. It’s a colorful way to end the night!

We’ve got an entire Flower & Garden Festival GUIDE for you to pick up if you really want to make sure you’ve got every single piece of information you need to master the Festival — check it out here!

Plus, you can pick up some unique Flower & Garden Festival shirts (or sweatshirts) to make you stand out in the crowd!

Stay tuned for more Festival news (remember one booth will CHANGE its menu multiple times during the Festival so there’s a lot more to cover in the coming weeks)!

Master the 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival With Our FREE DFB Printable!

Big Water Park News

Next, we have some important news for those water park plans you might make this year. At the moment, Blizzard Beach is open while Typhoon Lagoon has been closed for refurbishment. Soon, that will change.

On March 19th, Typhoon Lagoon will officially REOPEN! And it’ll feature some unique treats too so you’ll want to come hungry.

But with Typhoon Lagoon’s reopening will come Blizzard Beach’s closure. Blizzard Beach will CLOSE for refurbishment on March 19th and no reopening date has been set yet.

So if you’re looking to cool off at a water park this spring, keep these changes in mind when making your plans!

See what After Hours event is returning to a Disney water park soon!

BONUS: The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Has Begun

As a bonus, we wanted to mention that the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival has officially returned to Disneyland Resort! This will run from March 3rd through April 25th, though the food booths actually opened a little EARLY in the park!

To see the full menus (with prices) for the event, click here!

And you can click here to grab our FREE DFB printable for ALL of the Food and Wine Festival Booths! We’ll be sharing full reviews of the booths soon, so stay tuned for updates.

Of course, other Disney news was also shared this week. You can catch up on those stories by clicking the links below:

• See What’s CHANGED at a Popular Magic Kingdom Ride
• This Major Disney Ride Will Be Closing For Refurbishment Soon
• MORE Changes Are Coming to Disney’s BoardWalk Hotel Soon
• Your Favorite Snack Might Already Be GONE From Disney World
• PHOTOS: A Popular Ride Has Reopened EARLY in Disney World!
• “There’s a New Sheriff in Town” — Florida Governor DeSantis Ends Disney’s Reedy Creek District

• WARNING: This BIG Amazon Change Could Impact Your Disney Trip
• Move Over Figment, a NEW Popcorn Bucket Has Arrived in Disney World
• SNEAK PEEK: 32 Limited-Time Eats Are Coming to Disney World!
• The “Disney World of Gas Stations” Is Coming to Central Florida!
• Disney’s BRAND NEW Earl of Sandwich Restaurant Is NOT What You’d Expect
• PHOTOS: The Mandalorian and Grogu Are In Disney World!

Hold up for a sec! Before you plan your next trip to Disney World, check out our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here. 

You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place.

Grab the bundle here!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

What news surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments!

The post 4 Important CHANGES Hit Disney World — Here’s Everything You Need to Know first appeared on the disney food blog.