Here is the latest News From the World of Disney parks and entertainment including Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line for February 9 – 22, 2018.

Highlights from the World of Disney:

• As expected, theme park ticket prices increased at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
• Black Panther slayed the box office.
• Disney Cruise Line shines in the annual Cruise Critics awards.
• Toy Story Land opening date has been announced.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom extends their “Party for the Planet”

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WALT DISNEY WORLD

February 11 – As expected, both Walt Disney World raised their theme park ticket prices but that wasn’t the only increase. Daily parking for non-resort guest raises from $20 to $22 and the Minnie Van service is increasing from $20 to $25. (Link)

February 11 – D23 members will get a chance to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday November 16-18 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. (Link)

February 11 – The D23 Expo in Japan featured several announcements (reiterations):

• The Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at Epcot will open in 2021 in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World.
• The Star War-inspired resort will combine luxury with complete immersion. Guests will immediately become citizens of the galaxy and are encouraged to dress up in the proper attire. (Link)
  

February 14 – The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the winners of their annual VES Awards, honoring outstanding visual effects in motion pictures, television and other media. Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom won the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project. (Link)

February 16 – We have an opening date for Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Set your clocks for June 30th. (Link)

February 20 – Tickets for Star Wars: Galactic Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 27 are now on sales. (Link)

February 21 – The menus for the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival have been revealed and oh boy does it all look yummy! (Link)

February 21 – Beginning July 27 Be Our Guest will be offering an enhanced prix fixe dinner menu featuring a variety of new French-inspired dishes such as Charred Octopus and Escargot. (Link)

February 22 – The 20th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park will feature a “Party for the Planet” and take place April 22 – May 5 and will feature the debut of UP! A Great Bird Adventure featuring Russell and Dug from the Disney•Pixar animated comedy-adventure film UP. (Link)

DISNEYLAND RESORT

February 11 – Disneyland ticket prices also increase. (Link)

February 11 – Disneyland had it’s share of announcements at the D23Expo Japan.

• Pixar Place will open June 23.
• The Incredibles will be getting their own float in the Paint the Night Parade.
• The much anticipated Incredicoaster will also make it’s debut on June 23. (Link)

February 13 – In the “take my money” news of the week, Disney Home, a new store at Downtown Disney, opened in the storefront formerly held by D-Street. The store features Disney-themed home-related treasures such as glass wear, linens, kitchen goods and more. (Link)

February 13 – The Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland is getting a new character meet -n- greet. Rey from the two most recent Star Wars anthology movies will begin greeting guests in May. (Link)

February 22 – The Lamplight Lounge will open at Pixar Pier on June 23 at Disney California Adventure park. Lamplight Lounge will serve California casual gastro-pub cuisine and offer outdoor seating with views of the illuminated Pixar Pier and “World of Color.” (Link)

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

February 13 – Cruise Critic announced their annual awards and Disney Cruise Line was WELL represented.

• Disney Wonder – #2 Best Mid-Size Overall, #1 Best Mid-Size Entertainment,  #2 Best Mid-Size Cabins, #2 Best Mid-Size Public Rooms, #5 Best Mid-Size Dining, #5 Best Mid-Size Service, #7 Best Mid-Size Embarkation, #9 Best Cruises for Families and #10 Best Mid-Size for Value
• Disney Dream – #6 Best Cruise for First-Timers, #6 Best Large Ship Overall, #3 Best Large Ship Entertainment, #5 Best Large Ship Cabins, #9 Best Large Ship Service, #9 Best Large Ship Dining, #6 Best Cruises for Families and #9 Best Large Ship Embarkation
• Disney Fantasy – #2 Best Cruises for Families (Link)

DISNEY MOVIE/ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

February 11 – If you have one of the most iconic singers of a generation in your cast, you better let her sing. That seems to be the case with the new live-action version of The Lion King as Sir Elton John said he and composing partner Sir Tim Rice are planning on writing a song for Beyonce who will be playing the part of Nala in the remake. (Link)

February 14 – The newest Incredibles 2 trailer was released during the NBC Olympics coverage.

February 16 – Descendants 3 is coming. It will premiere in the summer of 2019.

February 18 – The British Academy of Film & Television Arts presented their annual awards, similar to the Oscars in the US, and Coco received the award for Best Animated Film. (Link)

February 19 – Black Panther is blowing past box office estimates like they don’t even exist. The newest Marvel movie posted the 5th highest weekend box office of all time. (Link)

February 21- Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be flying onto homes on March 13 for Digital and March 27 for 4K & Blu-ray. The special features will include up to 14 deleted scenes. (Link)

REFURBISHMENTS

Refurbishments are now located on their own page.

CURRENT SPECIAL OFFERS

That’s all the news for now. Be sure to check back on February 9, 2018 for our next News From the World of Disney and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for breaking Disney news.

Sue Nowicki is an alumnae of the 2014/15 Disney Parks Moms Panel. She is a recovering team mom trying to find out how to fill her time now that her Team Mom days are over. When not planning her next Walt Disney World vacation she is the Business Sales & Incentive Coordinator for a community bank in Northern Indiana. You can follow her on Twitter @MQPodcast.

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