From Our Desk

Original Disney and Universal park reporting.

Permit-tracking scoops from the public record, first-party wait-time studies, and the analysis the announcement calendar leaves out. Every edition, newest first.

  1. Disney World Wait Times Recap: July 20 to 26, 2026

    The numbers are in for July 20 to 26, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind topped the charts at 76 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  2. Disney World Wait Times Recap: July 13 to 19, 2026

    The numbers are in for July 13 to 19, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind topped the charts at 72 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  3. Disney World Wait Times Recap: July 6 to 12, 2026

    The numbers are in for July 6 to 12, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Test Track topped the charts at 74 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  4. Old Key West Review, the Quiet Deluxe Stay We're Glad We Tried Once

    A full week at Disney's Old Key West on our own DVC points over July 4th week. The honest verdict on the Sandcastle Pool, Olivia's buttermilk chicken, and the Disney Springs boat, plus the downsides worth knowing before you book, the stairs, the stroller, and being the last stop on the bus loop.

  5. Disney World Wait Times Recap: June 29 to July 5, 2026

    The numbers are in for June 29 to July 5, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind topped the charts at 76 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  6. The Afternoon Storm Is the Real Reason Your Disney World Ride Was Closed

    One June evening, 30 of the 31 Magic Kingdom attractions we track went down within a single hour. It was not a breakdown wave. Here is what Florida storm season actually does to Disney World rides, hour by hour.

  7. Disney World 2027 Ticket Prices Are Up as Much as 8 Percent, and Spring Break Now Outprices Christmas

    Disney World's ticket calendar now runs through October 31, 2027. We analyzed all 487 days on sale and found higher prices almost across the board, a new $219 peak, and a spring season that costs more than Christmas week.

  8. Disney Ride Reliability Report, June 2026

    The June 2026 numbers are in. Golden Zephyr was the least reliable headliner across the Disney parks, running about 63 percent of the day. Here is how the month played out.

  9. Original Nickelodeon Studios Blueprints From Universal Orlando Are Turning Up on eBay

    A seller on eBay is auctioning original Nickelodeon Studios production blueprints and stage floor plans, including a 1994 GUTS plan with the Aggro Crag, pulled from the Orlando studio that closed in 2005. Here is what is up for grabs and what to know before you bid.

  10. Disney World Wait Times Recap: June 22 to 28, 2026

    The numbers are in for June 22 to 28, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Test Track topped the charts at 72 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  11. Level99 at Disney Springs Opens June 29 in Disney's Most Cursed Building

    Level99 opens at Disney Springs on June 29, 2026, with 63 challenge rooms and a two-story bar. Tickets, prices, hours, and how to spend the night for less.

  12. Your Complete Guide to July 4, 2026 at Disney World for America's 250th

    America turns 250 on July 4, 2026, and Disney World is going all out. The full guide to the rare three night fireworks, the new Soarin Across America, the veteran honored every afternoon, and exactly how to plan the day.

  13. Disney World Summer 2026 Deals, Every Ticket and Room Discount You Can Book Right Now

    Disney World has more live discounts than usual this summer, from a 4-Day 4-Park ticket around $109 a day to rooms up to 30 percent off and passholder Good to Go Days. Here is every current deal and how to stack them.

  14. Interactive feature Best Restaurants at Disney Springs, Ranked for 2026

    Every Disney Springs restaurant ranked, from date-night standouts to the best quick bites. A sortable, filterable ranker over all 45 spots, fronted by a dusk waterfront hero, with the picks for families, quick bites, and the tables that book up first.

  15. Interactive feature The Carousel of Progress Closes July 6, and the Permits Point to Walt Coming Back

    Walt Disney Imagineering filed permits at the Carousel of Progress. The attraction is reported to close July 6, 2026, with refreshed scenes and a reported audio-animatronic of Walt Disney himself for a 2027 return. Scroll the revolving theater through every decade.

  16. Interactive feature Disney's New AI Knows What Ride You Want Before You Do

    Disney filed a patent for an AI metamodel that copies its slow demand simulation and forecasts booking curves in seconds. We read all sixteen pages and turned the scary part into an interactive, with a play-it-yourself engagement curve and a Dave versus the metamodel speed race.

  17. Disney World Wait Times Recap: June 15 to 21, 2026

    The numbers are in for June 15 to 21, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Test Track topped the charts at 70 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  18. Interactive feature The Arcade is open, six free games for the queue

    Meet the Arcade, six free little theme-park games for the queue, the layover, and the countdown to your next trip. Each one shown mid play, with a box to pitch the game we build next.

  19. Interactive feature Disney's oversight district is rebidding who guards Walt Disney World property

    The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has an active competitive RFP to hire a private security firm for District facilities, including the Disney Springs parking garages. A shortlist committee met June 18. A live public-records feature.

  20. Interactive feature 30 Years of Toy Story in the Parks

    Scroll three decades of Toy Story in the Disney parks, from Buzz Lightyear's 1998 blaster to Toy Story Land and the new 2026 Toy Story 5 photo spots. An interactive timeline.

  21. Disney World Is Closing the Disney Springs Free Parking Loophole on June 28. Here Is What Changes and How to Park for Less

    On June 28, 2026, Disney World permanently restricts the buses and boats leaving Disney Springs to resort guests, closing a long-running free parking workaround. Here is what changes, who it affects, and how to still park for less.

  22. Disney World Wait Times Recap: June 8 to 14, 2026

    The numbers are in for June 8 to 14, 2026. Hollywood Studios ran the longest lines at Walt Disney World, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind topped the charts at 74 minutes. Here is how the week played out.

  23. Toy Story 5 at Disney World: Everything Coming to the Parks

    Toy Story 5 hits theaters June 19, 2026. Here is everything coming to Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, from the new Pixar Plaza banners to the film's tablet villain, Lilypad.

  24. Halloween 2026 Arrives at Disneyland, and Disney Loses the Voice of a Generation

    Disney laid out its entire 2026 Halloween Time season at Disneyland today, headlined by a new Haunted Mansion street party and the end of the daytime parade. Inside a heartfelt goodbye to Peabo Bryson, a room discount that now stretches into 2027, and a Magic Kingdom that looks more like a construction site by the week.