From Reopenings to Retirements: Disney World Updates You Might Have Missed (July 2025)

We’ve been swimming in what feels like a sea of Disney World updates lately. With holiday announcements anticipated any day now, I wanted to take a minute to bring you up to speed on a few things that might impact your vacation as of July 1, 2025.

We’ll start with a few character updates and an explanation of what to expect when it comes to seeing characters around the resorts. We’ve seen numerous questions about these special appearances, which, for the most part, are intended to be surprises.

Character Updates

Currently, Disney’s Cool Kid Summer promotion is taking place through September 1st. So if you’re visiting between now and then, you might want to take advantage of a few fun interactions in the park geared toward children. You might even see a few characters roaming the parks first thing in the morning during early entry.

As far as characters around the resorts, these pop-ups have been a thing for years. Back in 2022, Disney started what’s called the character caravan. It was a decorated bus that visited the resorts on a schedule. Unfortunately, that schedule was never published to the public, so it was hard to gauge exactly when you might run into a character at the resorts. At that time, the characters wore special costumes to celebrate Disney World’s 50th anniversary. Then, after the 50th, the caravan continued, and new outfits were created for the Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary. In late 2023, the Disney100 celebration fizzled out. The characters, however, continued to make surprise appearances, returning to their traditional costumes.

So when Disney announced special appearances at select resorts for Cool Kid Summer, it wasn’t necessarily anything new. What was new is that Disney provided schedules for when the characters would make appearances at select resorts. So if you’re visiting Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, or Art of Animation, you’ll find a schedule posted with the exact times the characters will show up, between now and September 1st. (Scheduled Character Appearances Announcement)

That said, you might still run into characters at any of the resorts. For instance, we’ve seen more character pop-ups at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside than we have anywhere else over the years. We’ve also run into a good deal of characters at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club and the Polynesian. These special surprises are not guaranteed, but always a joy to experience. I wrote a separate post a while back that shares some of our experiences meeting characters at the resorts.

In other character updates, Daisy Duck has moved from her former meet-and-greet location at Donald’s Dino Bash at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. She is now meeting inside Restaurantosaurus as part of a new summer offering called Daisy’s Dig. As of this update, this location has not been added to the My Disney Experience app. We’ve changed her location in our Animal Kingdom Characters Guide. This leaves Donald Duck and Chip and Dale as the only remaining characters in the former Dino-Bash area. We anticipate all of these meet-and-greet locations changing as the remainder of Dinoland closes in 2026.

You may also remember that Phineas and Ferb had a limited-time meet-and-greet near Epcot’s entrance during June. That experience has been removed from the My Disney Experience app as of this morning.

If you’re planning on meeting characters in the parks this summer, make sure to see our list of character updates: Disney World Character Meet-and-Greet Changes for This Summer (A Park by Park Breakdown). It touches on way more than we can cover here.

Attraction Updates

Over the last week, two attractions have reopened at Magic Kingdom. The Hall of Presidents reopened on Sunday, June 29th, after being closed most of the year. This is an incredible attraction that shares the history of the office of the president.

Astro Orbiter recently reopened after a multi-month refurbishment. You might want to take a ride on it during your visit to Magic Kingdom. I highly recommend a ride right about sunset. The views are a little extra at that time of day.

Also, at Magic Kingdom, it was recently announced that Under the Sea – The Journey of the Little Mermaid would close in late July for a brief refurbishment. (Read More Here) Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will close for a long refurbishment starting August 4, 2025. The attraction will receive several ride updates during its closure. It is expected to reopen sometime in 2026.

At Epcot, Spaceship Earth will close for a refurbishment starting August 25, 2025. (Details here) It is expected to reopen later this year.

On a more positive note, Test Track opens on July 22nd. (It’s been closed for over a year!) We shared details about passholder previews for Test Track here. You’ll also want to be aware of two upcoming Lightning Lane Multi Pass changes at Epcot in July. Soarin’ Around the World will drop to the lower tier category of Multi Pass selections, and Test Track will become part of the top tier with Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

This last weekend, we updated our Disney Ride, Attraction, and Theme Park Refurbishment page. With so many new lands coming to multiple parks, I added a section toward the top that shares permanent closings. Over the next week, we’ll see some beloved classics close at Magic Kingdom like the Liberty Square Riverboat, the Rivers of America, and Tom Sawyer Island.

As far as openings, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, the new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom, debuts in just a few short weeks on July 20, 2025!

Around the Resorts

As far as the resorts go, Stormalong Bay Pool has officially reopened, except the water slide and kiddie pool that’s inside the shipwreck. Those areas will likely open soon. Both resort entrances will now undergo staggered refurbishments. The Beach Club’s entrance is already in progress.

The lobby of the Grand Floridian is undergoing a major renovation. It’s probably not the place you want to visit for a relaxing afternoon at this time. It’s also important to remember that the gingerbread house will not return this holiday season.

Boutiki at the Polynesian, the resort’s first-floor gift shop, is wrapping up a month-long refurbishment. Work continues around the front of the resort as the entire entrance and parking lot area is restructured.

Lastly, Disney recently announced that they were adding a new pool area to the existing pool area at The Meadow of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.

We update our Disney Resort Hotel Refurbishment list regularly, if you would like an overview of what’s going on around the resorts.

Again, these are just a few of the things you’ll want to be aware of if you’re planning an upcoming visit. Make sure to follow along with our monthly snapshots (Disney World in July Monthly Snapshot) for a date-by-date timeline of what to expect.

More Planning

Planning a Disney World vacation? Here are a few helpful guides to get you started:

• Our Disney World Resorts Guide offers an overview of where to stay, including hotel reviews, photos, and amenities.
• Use our Disney World Dining Guide to plan meals, snacks, and must-try restaurants.
• Explore the Disney World Parks Guide for an introduction to all four theme parks.
• For those interested in the various modes of transportation, start with our Disney Transportation Guide. It shares details for the monorail, skyliner, and more!
• And if you’re planning to cool off, our Water Parks Guide covers both of Disney’s water parks.