Soarin' Across America to Debut Summer 2026

Disney just announced that changes are coming to Soarin’ at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland starting in summer 2026.  To coincide with the celebration of America’s 250^th birthday, Soarin’ will become Soarin’ Across America.  We’ll take a look at what that means, and speculate on how long this might be in effect for.

 

If you’re unfamiliar (though you’re probably not, if you’re reading this blog), Soarin’ is a motion simulator ride that makes it feel as if you are flying (or soaring!) over various beautiful locales.  This is done by lifting the rows of seats inside a theater into the air and leaving your legs to dangle freely below you as you are immersed in a large screen in front of you.  This also includes the feel of wind and smells related to each location.  If I haven’t mentioned it previously, Soarin’ is one of my absolute favorite attractions in any Disney park.  I try to do it multiple times per trip whenever we’re there.

 

WDW News October (Price Increases and More!)

 

Disney put out a few news tidbits today.  We’ll talk about what they are, but more importantly, WHY they were announced today of all days.  I guess I shouldn’t bury the lede here – any positive news that came out was offset by the annual ticket price increase that always comes around this time of year.  I don’t know whether it will soften the blow of higher prices, but Disney must think so.  In any case, let’s start there.

 

Ticket Price and Annual Pass Price increase:

Disney had already rolled out new pricing into 2026 when packages became available earlier this year, so this is mostly a continuation of that and the addition of November and December 2026, which of course are the highest priced tickets you will find at any time.  Trying to pinpoint exact increases on various days is sort of a fool’s errand, because there are so many variables at play.

My Resort Hopping Day (Conclusion)

 

This is the second piece of my whirlwind resort tour of Walt Disney World.  You can (and should) read the first part here - otherwise it looks like I just beamed into Disney and started walking around.  I last left off by saying goodbye to the Crescent Lake and Skyliner resorts and heading over to Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Let's pick it up here.

 

I have Animal Kingdom Lodge on my short list of places to stay; my one knock has been that it’s kind of remote and only accessible by bus, the only deluxe resort to have exclusively bus transportation.  The price (especially via DVC points rental) has always been on the lower end of the deluxe properties though, and I wanted to see for myself whether the savanna views would make it worth the inconvenience.

 

My Resort Hopping Day (Part I)

 

I recently had the opportunity to do something at Walt Disney World that I had never done before – spend an entire day resort hopping.  Normally when we get the chance to take a trip, we devote the majority of our time to the parks.  I’ve talked about this in the past, but given the high cost of a Disney trip and the (in)frequency with which we visit, the parks are always my primary focus.

 

But this time was different, mostly because this wasn’t a “real” trip to Disney.  I had gone to Florida for an entirely different reason (family related) but found a way to squeeze in one day to myself in Orlando.  I had originally wanted to spend the day at Epcot by myself, but my family was not fond of this plan and I can’t really blame them.  Disney has been something that we do all together and I didn’t want them to be upset if I managed to have this kind of fun without them.

 

Destination D23 Announcements

 

This past weekend, Disney hosted their bi-annual Destination D23 convention in Orlando.  This is a bi-annual event because it alternates with the larger D23 in Anaheim.  Usually D23 proper is where most of the big parks announcements (among other things) are announced, where Destination events tend to be smaller, fan focused historical presentations.

This was NOT true two years ago, and that fact, combined with an especially huge D23 event last year had many fans thinking that we were in store for more major announcements, regardless of the year or name of the event.  But as the event approached, people noted that there wasn't even a Disney Parks panel listed, so many bloggers and those in the know were warning fans to lower their expectations, as it looked like nothing major would be announced.

Disney World News Roundup August 2025

 

Artwork Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Yesterday, Disney put out a few small posts on their blog that provided updates to things that were already in the works.  I wouldn't consider any of these to be earth shattering news, but since there were a few stories in rapid fire succession, I thought we would take a look at them all here and provide some commentary where applicable.

 

The thing I find the most interesting about these tidbits is the timing.  Next week is Destination D23, the every-other-year fan event held in Orlando.  This alternates with the larger D23 events which are held in Anaheim.  Last year was one of the biggest D23 events I can remember, with major announcements affecting all parks in the future.   

 

WDW vs Disneyland Attraction Showdown

 

In a recent post, I talked about some differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland in terms of everything but the attractions.  So today I figured I'd actually take a look at those attractions and try to determine how they measure up against each other.  

A few "rules" before I get into the heart of it.  If the attractions are exactly the same on both coasts, there's no point in talking about them here (think Rise of the Resistance as an example).  Similarly, if there is an attraction in one park that doesn't exist at the other resort, there's nothing to compare, so I also won't be talking about these.  This includes rides that are similar in lots of ways but distinctly different (Test Track vs Radiator Springs Racers, for example).  I'm also leaving off an attraction like the Jungle Cruise - it is different in some ways, but the experience for this one is largely based on your skipper no matter what park you're in.  Oh, I also have to leave off Tiana's Bayou Adventure.  While there are some differences, I have only had the chance to experience the Disneyland version so far, so I can't make a fair comparison.