TouringPlans Travel Beat 8-31-2025

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? Well, usually when Travel Beat is up late it’s because I was on vacation, but today it’s because we held the presses for news coming in from Destination D23, happening this weekend at Disney World. 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!

• Ratatouille in Disneyland Paris Switching to 2D
• Disney Would Really Like You To Visit Its Parks
• Disney Springs West Side Starbucks Reopens
• The Beak and Barrel Officially Opens at Magic Kingdom
• Cool Kid Summer Ending, But Will Return
• Volcano Bay Nights Begin on Friday
• Dates Announced for D23 in 2026
• New Patio Space Coming to Napa Rose at Disneyland
• Headline News Recap

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

Ratatouille in Disneyland Paris Switching to 2D

The original Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, “Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy” in Paris’ Walt Disney Studios Park, will close for an extensive renovation in October. The queue will be refreshed with a new scene (shown below) and inside the ride, guests will find new props and set pieces alongside tech upgrades like enhanced projections.

Perhaps most notably, the ride will no longer require 3D glasses to deliver its larger-than-life effects when it reopens in spring 2026. Could these updates someday make their way to Disney World? The queue at EPCOT already contains a very similar scene, but as to the rest … could be! However, the ride is only a few years old in its current incarnation, so Disney may be reluctant to begin a lengthy refurbishment. Time will tell!

Disney Would Really Like You To Visit Its Parks

If you have been following the weekly Data Dump, you are aware that crowds this summer have been … low. Disney is pushing heavily on its socials, reminding guests of $104 ticket days at Disneyland during Halloween season and dispensing advice on the best times to visit Disney World. It could just be a low-season push in the wake of schools throughout the country going back into session. Or it could be a harbinger that next year will see a repeat of this year’s extensive discounts. Again, time will tell … but if I were thinking about a 2026 trip, I’d keep my eyes peeled for early 2026 discounts to be announced in the next month or so.

Disney Springs West Side Starbucks Reopens

Coffee lovers rejoice: Starbucks has reopened on the West Side of Disney Springs after several months of “refreshment downtime”. And even if you don’t love Starbucks coffee, any time construction walls come down, it’s a win. The newly revamped store has updates to the exterior styling, extensive indoor decor updates, and flow improvements inside.

The Beak and Barrel Officially Opens at Magic Kingdom

After a reservation snafu, a 7 pm virtual queue redo, and a few days of media previews, the Beak and Barrel has finally opened at Magic Kingdom. Our parks team dropped in to check it out! The Beak & Barrel First Look

Cool Kid Summer Ending, But Will Return

Cool Kid Summer brought no-lines fun for littles (and grownups) and Early Entry character encounters to Disney World this summer, but schools are back in session, and the event ends on September 1. But good news, Disney has confirmed that it will return in the summer of 2026!

Volcano Bay Nights Begin on Friday

Here in the northeast where I live, there’s already a chill in the evenings. But in Orlando, the summer heat makes a perfect backdrop to Universal’s Volcano Bay Nights hard-ticket waterpark event. The first one is this Friday, September 5; if you’re headed that way, then check out our guide for everything you can see and do. 2025 Guide to Volcano Bay Nights.

Dates Announced for D23 in 2026

D23 returns to Anaheim in 2026, from August 14-16. As with the 2024 D23, events will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center. For those unfamiliar, the larger D23 event in California tends to have bigger and more exciting announcements than Destination D23, which is held in even years at Walt Disney World. Tickets will be available in the spring.

New Patio Space Coming to Napa Rose at Disneyland

Updates to Disneyland’s Napa Rose restaurant were announced in January and began in the spring. At the time, all that was mentioned of the outdoor seating was “two new fireplaces and expanded seating on the patio”. The original timetable targeted reopening in Fall 2025, but we didn’t get a date yet – just a look at concept art for the new patio.

Headline News Recap

We started the week with some exciting site news: updates to our room finder to add new filters and features. Disney World Hotel Room Finder Update: New Filters, Features, & 2026 Room Types

And then it was quiet until yesterday, when updates began coming out of Destination D23. In addition to the updates in the bullets above, we learned that a Tron overlay is coming in a couple of weeks: Limited Time Overlay Coming to TRON Lightcycle Run September 2025. And also that Carousel of Progress is going to get some love, including a new introductory scene featuring a Walt Disney audio animatronic. Limited Time Overlay Coming to TRON Lightcycle Run September 2025.

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