TouringPlans Travel Beat 10-12-2025

At Travel Beat we have all the “other” news from the last week or so—the stuff that wasn’t big enough to stop the presses for. What did the newsroom bring us this week? (Sneak peek: It was a banger!) Bullets are just ahead if you’re in a hurry, and more details follow below. Don’t forget to check out the Headline News Recap, in case there was something you missed!

• Win an Epic Universe Trip With McDonald’s Monopoly Game
• New Cold Brew Flavors at Disney World (and Disneyland)
• Rapunzel’s Tower Coming to Storybook Land Canal Boats
• Frozen Ever After to Receive Advanced Audio-Animatronics
• Universal Announces Holiday Decorations for Epic Universe
• Hand-Dipped Premium Mickey Bars Arrive at Disney World
• Disney World Ends Discount on Pre-Arrival MagicBands
• New Gordon Ramsay Joint Announced for Downtown Disney
• Four Seasons at Disney World Receives Michelin Hotel Honor
• Dinner With Santa Claus Coming to the Cake Bake Shop
• Banana Ball Coming to Disney World in 2026
• Mickey’s Philharmagic Refurbishment in November 2025
• Upcoming Disney World Projects Highlighted at Walt Disney Presents
• Harambe Market To Close Temporarily as Part of Animal Kingdom Menu Musical Chairs
• Headline News Recap

Can you guess which story inspired this week’s cover image? Leave your guesses in the comments!

Win an Epic Universe Trip With McDonald’s Monopoly Game

After several years on hiatus, McDonald’s has brought back its Monopoly Game; get pieces when you buy eligible menu items and match them up for a set to win. Collect St. James Place, Tennessee Avenue, and New York Avenue (the dark orange properties) to win a 5-day/4-night trip for four to Universal Orlando Resort. Head to the official rules for more details about this prize, or to the McDonald’s app to play.

Speaking of the app, this is a big improvement in the 2025 version of the game. You can scan your stickers in the app to keep track of them instead of having little piles all over the house and living in fear that you might be missing a set because you don’t have the right pieces in the same pile. (Does it sound like I’m speaking from experience?)

New Cold Brew Flavors at Disney World (and Disneyland)

Coffee addicts rejoice: cold brew and cold foam are being added to the menus at dozens of locations throughout Disney World where Joffrey’s Coffee is served. Along with these additions, you’ll find a series of themed cold brews on offer at a few locations:

• The White Rabbit | Magic Kingdom – Available at Cheshire Cafe
  • White chocolate sauce, raspberry cold foam, and topped with raspberry powder and a chocolate piece.
• Honey-Lavender Cold Brew | Magic Kingdom – Available at Golden Oak Outpost
  • Honey-lavender cold foam, honeycomb toffee, and a sugar candy piece.
• Epic Cold Brew Spectacular! | Hollywood Studios – Available at Epic Eats
  • Vanilla-flavored cold brew, cookie butter cold foam
• Cold Crumb | EPCOT – Available at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
  • Coconut-flavored coffee, vanilla custard cold foam, and shredded coconut
• Ube Cold Brew | Animal Kingdom – Available at Satu’li Canteen
  • Ube sweet cream, butterfly pea tea whipped topping, and freeze-dried raspberries.

Disneyland your park? Not to fear; look for these themed cold brews on the West Coast:

• Asgardian Apple Cold Brew – Pym’s Test Kitchen
• Cinnamon-Apple Cold Brew – Aunt Cass Café
• Crème Brûlée Cold Brew – Cozy Cone Motel 1 – Churros
• BearPaw Basin Cold Brew – Smokejumpers Grill
• Peanut Butter Mocha Cold Brew – Cappuccino Cart
• Mint Chip Cold Brew – Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
• Pumpkin Tiramisu Cold Brew – Café Daisy

Rapunzel’s Tower Coming to Storybook Land Canal Boats

Storybook Land Canal Boats at Disneyland has been closed since this summer, and when it reopens this winter, guests will find a new miniature of Rapunzel’s Tower from Tangled. You’ll find it between the Patchwork Quilt and Toad Hall; beyond the tower the scene continues with multiple wanted posters for Flynn Rider along a stone wall, and a secluded boat dock just a bit further down the canal. During the day, guests will hear an arrangement of “When Will My Life Begin?” as they pass by, but as winking lights come on at dusk, the music will change to “I See the Light”.

Frozen Ever After to Receive Advanced Audio-Animatronics

In 2016, the newly debuted Audio-Animatronics in Frozen Ever After were groundbreaking, including the first all-electric AAs. But it’s been almost a decade, and even more breakthroughs have been made. This week, Disney announced that it will be updating the Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff Audio-Animatronics in Frozen Ever After, taking inspiration from the AAs in Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen.

Disney hasn’t revealed a timetable for the refurbishment, other than “early next year”, or said whether other work will be done while the ride is closed to make these changes. But globe-trotting Disney fans have noted the difference in faces between newer Audio-Animatronics in Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen and the projection technology used in Frozen Ever After, so this is a welcome upgrade.

Universal Announces Holiday Decorations for Epic Universe

Universal has confirmed its Christmas-season entertainment and special events this week, and that includes what’s new this year because they’ve got a new park. At Epic Universe, you can look for holiday decorations in Epic Universe at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, and in Celestial Park. Stay tuned for our full guide to everything holiday, coming this week!

Hand-Dipped Premium Mickey Bars Arrive at Disney World

What’s better than a Mickey Bar? Now you can get hand-dipped Mickey Bars with a variety of toppings. But if you’re a collector you’ll be doing a tour of Disney World, as only one of the eight varieties is on offer at each location. The list of dips and locations is below.

• Sprinkles
  • Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies
  • Ice Cold Hydraulics
  • Dinosaur Gertie’s Ice Cream
• Mickey-shaped Sprinkles at Centertown Market
• M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Minis at End Zone Food Court
• Salted Caramel Pearls
  • Everything POP Shopping & Dining
  • Riverside Mill Food Court
• SKITTLES® POP’d Original Freeze Dried Candy
  • Gasparilla Island Grill
  • Landscape of Flavors
  • Happy Landings Ice Cream
  • Anandapur Ice Cream Truck
• Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Bar Pieces at Intermission Food Court
• Chopped Peanut Butter Cups at Trail’s End Restaurant

Disney World Ends Discount on Pre-Arrival MagicBands

When MagicBands first rolled out in 2013, they were free with a hotel stay at the Disney World Resort; later updates made them paid but with a pre-arrival discount. As of this week, the pre-arrival price is the same as an on-site purchase or one made through DisneyStore.com. And cruisers, bad news – the pre-order discount for DisneyBand+ has vanished too. If you’re wondering why you might bother with a pre-arrival order, then? Well, I have three in my family with yellow bands, and as far as we know, pre-orders still have your name printed on the back.

New Gordon Ramsay Joint Announced for Downtown Disney

If it feels like the Earl of Sandwich at Downtown Disney District has been “moving to its new home” forever, you’re not wrong. In actuality, it’s only been a couple of years, but if you wondered what the second floor was for on its new two-story building, now we know! The second floor will be home to Gordon Ramsay at The Carnaby.

The new restaurant is a British-themed gastropub, “inspired by London’s famed Carnaby Street during the height of the ‘60s cultural revolution: plush interiors, iconic British pop art and an irresistible soundtrack of ‘British Invasion’ rock bands, all transporting patrons to a groovier, more glamorous time.” It’s a joint venture between the creators of Earl of Sandwich and the Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay, and the menu will include Chef Ramsay’s legendary beef Wellington, crisp and tender fish and chips, and decadent sticky toffee pudding. Of course, you can also look for an extensive liquor menu – I mean, sir, this is a pub. And on select evenings after dark, you can find live entertainment too.

Four Seasons at Disney World Receives Michelin Hotel Honor

Michelin is known for its restaurant stars, and there are a few locations at Disney World that have earned a nod from the prestigious Guide Michelin. This week, Michelin got into the hotel review business with the release of the first year’s Michelin Keys. Five hotels in the Orlando area were named, including the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.

Dinner With Santa Claus Coming to the Cake Bake Shop

On four nights only, you can meet Santa at a Cake Bake Shop special event. Cake Bake Shop is known for controversial pricing (although the food is pretty tasty), and the $200 price tag for the prix-fixe dinner (children are $150) might be a non-starter for many. Reservations are not available through My Disney Experience or on OpenTable, and must be requested using the Cake Bake Shop’s reservation form. The Cake Bake Shop Dinner with Santa is offered on November 18 & 25; December 2 & 9, 2026.

Banana Ball Coming to Disney World in 2026

Perhaps you are wondering: “What even is Banana Ball?” You would not be alone. The answer: it’s an exhibition-style baseball league (think Harlem Globetrotters, but baseball) founded by the Savannah Bananas. Do they sound familiar? They made an appearance at Disneyland back in May to star in a Castle Dance and a cavalcade.

The Bananas won’t make an appearance at Disney World, but guests will be able to attend actual games as the Loco Beach Coconuts face off against the Party Animals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Stadium. You can enter the ticket lottery by November 1 for the chance to see one of two games played on May 29 and 30, 2026. Standard tickets start at $35.

Mickey’s Philharmagic Refurbishment in November 2025

Mickey’s Philharmagic will be closing for most of November, beginning on the 1st of the month. Got a Thanksgiving trip planned? Not to fear; although Disney hasn’t announced an official reopening date, it has operating hours back on the calendar beginning on November 23. This is a routine refurb (the last one was in 2021), but this time around, we hear that the seats are scheduled for replacement.

Upcoming Disney World Projects Highlighted at Walt Disney Presents

On Friday, a brand-new exhibit opened at Walt Disney Presents in Hollywood Studios. Stop by for a close-up look at models and other information about three new lands coming to the parks in the next few years: Piston Peak, Monstropolis, and Tropical Americas.

Harambe Market To Close Temporarily as Part of Animal Kingdom Menu Musical Chairs

Ahead of the final closure of Dinoland U.S.A. on February 2, 2026, Disney is planning some menu rearrangements so that some of your favorites will continue to be available. First up: Restaurantosaurus → Harambe Market → Kusafiri Bakery.

Every parent of a picky eater knows it’s essential to have one park location that’s a basic burger and fries outfit. Since Restaurantosaurus is closing, Harambe Market will be taking over this role, closing temporarily on October 20 to prepare for it. While it’s closed, some of Harambe Market’s unique items will make their way to the Kusafiri Bakery, which will extend its hours through lunch. Harambe Market is expected to reopen in February 2026.

Also closing on October 20 are Trilo-Bites and Dino-Bite Snacks. Trilo-Bites’ Buffalo Chicken Chips will head to Eight Spoons Cafe on Discovery Island, and the Dole Whip Floats will go to Warung Outpost in Asia. The hand-scooped ice cream at Dino-Bite will have a brief hiatus before coming back in February at a yet-to-be-announced location.

Headline News Recap

Tons of headlines this week! Right on the heels of last week’s Travel Beat, we covered the accessibility changes for some of Universal Orlando’s rides: Change in Accessibility for Six Major Attractions at Universal Orlando Resort

Just a couple of days later, we announced the date for this year’s (virtual) Gingerbread Snapdown: Save the Date! 2025 TouringPlans Gingerbread Snapdown

We got updates to previously announced attraction news. At Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, a Scooter Audio-Animatronic was announced as part of the retheme: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster to Muppets Re-Theme Details – Updated!. And for Zootopia: Better Zoogether! (which opens in less than a month), there was an Audio-Animatronic announcement and Annual Passholder and DVC Member preview dates. Zootopia: Better Zoogether! Roars to Life on November 7, 2025 – Updated!

At Disneyland, there’s a new California Resident ticket deal: Disneyland California Resident 50% Off Park Hopper Ticket Deal. Which probably doesn’t completely ease the sting of price increases throughout Disney World and Disneyland. Highlights of Disney World and Disneyland Yearly October Price Increases in 2025.

The promised updates to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique rolled out along with the rest of the price adjustments this week. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Package Updates in October 2025

Last but not least, Universal says: “Disney raising prices? Hold my beer, we’ve got a discount.” (Thanks to Tom D. for the tip.) Save Up to 30% on Universal Orlando Stays in Winter 2025

That’s it for this week’s Travel Beat. What news are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!