Every week is a busy week when it comes to Disney news. To help you keep up with all of the updates coming out of Walt Disney World and other Disney resorts, here’s WDWNT’s weekly recap of the Disney news from July 1-7!

Walt Disney World

• Read this roundup of all the specialty food and beverage offerings which were available during the Fourth of July festivities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World
• Monorail Silver has just emerged from a makeover, sporting a snazzy new interior which matches its outside stripe color
• A new road, which will connect Floridian Way and Reams Road, will be opening on July 10th
• A fleet of Disney Character buses, fully equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports, has been announced for Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for Magic Kingdom, taken on July 4 and featuring holiday crowds, new ears and more
• Watch the star-spangled spectacular that was the 2019 Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky 

• We reviewed the new Monsters, Inc.-inspired Cone 2319 cupcake from Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies
• Unforeseen maintenance has lead to the closure of Aunt Polly’s through November, which was scheduled to open for the limited-time Fourth of July season
• We tried the new limited-time “It’s a Party” Sundae from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
• In celebration of the Fourth of July, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Pinocchio Village Haus were both offering a huge 50% discount off food bills
• We reviewed the new Jerk-Smoked Brisket Sandwich and Ropa Vieja which sailed into Tortuga Tavern
• We reviewed the spicy new Mickey Mini Dome Cake and the Firecracker Beef Nachos from Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe
• This awesome new Redd’s Revenge Strawberry Dole Whip Float has set sail through Adventureland, complete with a mini chocolate pirate hat

Animal Kingdom

• Check out this week’s photo report for Animal Kingdom, including new snacks, new merchandise, construction and more
• We reviewed the Fourth of July Apple Pie cupcake from Restaurantosaurus
• “UP! A Great Bird Adventure” is scheduled to close for a brief hiatus in mid-September due to show updates

Hollywood Studios

• Check out this week’s photo report for Hollywood Studios, featuring construction updates, new MagicBands, pins and more
• The former Great Movie Ride show building is being painted a neutral shade of gray ahead of the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
• In preparation for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the March of the First Order concluded this week, with the troops being redeployed to patrol Batuu

Epcot

• Check out this week’s photo report for Epcot, featuring a dance crew, Canada Day celebrations and more
• Many big changes were announced this week for Epcot as part of the ongoing Project Gamma overhaul, including closures, moves and remodels: Electric Umbrella will close this winter for an extensive remodeling; the Art of Disney store will be moving to The American Adventure pavilion; Pin Central and the Fountain of Nations will be closing in early September, with MouseGear shutting its doors for an extensive remodel before the end of the year, with Club Cool set to return eventually; and Epcot Character Spot will officially close on September 8th, with new meet & greet locations throughout the park announced
• Newly-released concept art gives us a clearer idea of the layout of the remodeled entrance to Epcot, including a look at the fountain and bench designs
• Watch the incredible – and heartbreakingly the last ever – IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth – “Heartbeat of Freedom” fourth of July fireworks
• We reviewed Takumi-Tei, the brand-new Signature restaurant which opened this weekend in the Japan pavilion, where the service was amazing and food beautifully presented, yet very overpriced
• Earlier in the week we got a look at the Omakese Tasting Menu for Takumi-Tei, take a look at that here
• Neil Patrick Harris and Gary Sinise have been added to the line-up of narrators for the Candlelight Processional this holiday season
• Changes have been made to the existing facades at the France pavilion ahead of the opening of the upcoming Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction

Disney Springs

• Check out this week’s photo report for Disney Springs, featuring alcoholic glaciers, new merchandise, Alex and Ani release dates and more
• You can get the party started over at Goofy’s Candy Co., which is now serving alcoholic frozen glaciers 
• We reviewed the tropical new Piña Colada Crème Brûlée from Amorette’s Patisserie

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

• Special “Summer Fun” rates are now being offered at the seven Disney Springs resort area hotels, available for stays through August 28

Animal Kingdom Lodge

• Read our review of the new “The Lion King – Circle of Life” menu and live entertainment dining experience at Jiko

Polynesian Resort

• We reviewed all three varieties of Chocolate Covered Bacon which is now on offer at the Polynesian

Disneyland Resort

• A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Southern California this weekend, leaving several attractions at the Disneyland Resort temporarily closed
• Read this roundup of all the specialty food and beverage offerings which were available during the Fourth of July festivities at Disneyland and Walt Disney World
• You can also read the full lineup of entertainment and activities which took place for the Fourth of July at the Disneyland Resort
• The new Pixar Pals parking structure has now opened at the Disneyland Resort – check out our full photo tour of the garage here
• Also, check out our construction update on the latest progress over at the pedestrian bridge connecting the newly-opened parking structure, which is due to open in mid-September

Disneyland Park

• Check out this week’s photo report for the Disneyland Park, featuring low summer crowd levels, lunch at Plaza Inn and more
• Read our review of the Poke Bowl, available now for a limited time over at Bengal Barbeque
• We reviewed the new Main “Street Dog” from Refreshment Corner
• We also tried the new Breakfast Chimichanga from Frontierland, making for a quick and greasy breakfast option

Disney California Adventure

• Check out this week’s photo report for Disney California Adventure, featuring a Black Panther meet & greet, a Toy Story 4 take-over, and more

Downtown Disney District

• Check out this week’s photo report for the Downtown Disney District, featuring topiaries, new merchandise and more
• We reviewed the patriotic new Red, White and Blue Cake Shake from Black Tap, which was available for a limited time only this week
• The Stitch parking lot at the Downtown Disney District has now permanently closed, although parking is now available at the Simba lot instead

Disneyland Resort Hotels

• Craftsman Bar opened this week at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, read our full review of the fresh bites and colorful cocktails on offer here

New Merchandise

• Even more new The Lion King merchandise will be stampeding into Animal Kingdom this month, including apparel, Funko Pop! vinyls, a bold MagicBand design and more
• This colorful new Rainbow Yarn Minnie Mouse Youth Spirit Jersey is now available in the parks
• For the adults is this new Tie-Dye Briar Rose Gold Spirit Jersey, which we spotted in the Disneyland Resort
• This new Spider-Man: Far From Home limited edition MagicBand has swung into Walt Disney World
• Check out the July 2019 pin trading releases for Disneyland Paris
• These cute new Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox Splash Mountain plushes have plunged into the Magic Kingdom
• Also, these new Splash Mountain Wishables plushes are now available in the parks and on shopDisney

• On your marks, get ready, as the new limited-edition runDisney event MagicBands are now available for pre-purchase online
• This super-tall new The Lion King Stacking Sipper Cup has arrived at Animal Kingdom
• A new Minnie Mouse Icon apparel and accessory collection is now available at World of Disney in the Disneyland Resort
• An adorable new limited-release Nana from Peter Pan knit-effect plush is now available in Epcot
• Pledge your allegiance to the rebellion with these new Star Wars patches, available now in the Disneyland Resort
• A new souvenir popcorn bucket has arrived at the Disneyland Resort, featuring Mickey and Minnie enjoying classic Disney Parks snacks
• Celebrate the Circle of Life with this beautiful new Open Edition Simba and Rafiki MagicBand, now available at Walt Disney World

• This stunning new polka-dot, vintage-inspired Minnie Mouse dress has swept into The Dress Shop in Disney Springs
• There’s plenty of new merchandise available in the Norway pavilion at Epcot, including new trolls, new Vikings and more
• This adorable new Figment plush from the Big Feet collection has appeared at Epcot
• New The Lion King-inspired apparel has stampeded into Epcot
• A whole host of release dates for even more Disney Parks Designer Collection Mouse Ear Headbands and Hats have been announced, so we can expect our collections to keep on growing!
• One of the beautiful designs is this Alex and Ani Minnie Mouse Metal Ear Band, which is reminiscent of those iconic bangles and available now on shopDisney
• These beautiful IllumiNations – Reflections of Earth farewell light-up Minnie Ear Headbands are now on sale at Epcot
• These exotic Plumeria Minnie Ear Headbands were also spotted in the parks, all the way from Aulani
• Also in the headgear department are these new sleep masks, featuring Mickey, Minnie and Princess Aurora, available now in the parks

Entertainment & Media

• Check out our roundup of this week’s Box Office movers and shakers, with Toy Story 4 still very much at number 1
• Read our full review of Spider-Man: Far From Home, in theaters now
• We learned that Disney have casted Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid, and are looking at Melissa McCarthy to play the role of Ursula
• These powerful new images from The Lion King reveal the cast with their characters

That’s all of the Disney news for this past week! Make sure you check back at the end of each week for our weekly recaps!