It’s time to go over all the surprising and unexpected news from Disney World this week!

From the shocking price of this Disney World hotel to the return of fan-favorite shows, there have been some surprising announcements this week!

Star Wars Hotel

Reservations for the Star Wars hotel, aka the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, opened up this week for Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders. We already knew that the price tag for a 2-night stay was pretty high, but DVC members learned how many points a reservation would cost. Spoiler alert: It’s a LOT of points.

For a base, standard room at the Star Wars hotel, DVC points begin at a whopping 295 points PER adult. For reference, most DVC rooms around Disney World average around 15 points for standard rooms. If you were hoping to use your DVC points, you might have to start saving now.

Here’s the cost of DVC points for the Star Wars hotel!

Animal Kingdom Live Entertainment

Live entertainment is returning to Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Chakranadi and Kora Tinga Tinga are returning to perform in the streets of Africa, and the Tam Tam Drummers will perform again in early November.

We have not yet heard news about the Harambe Village Acrobats, but we’ll be watching closely for an announcement of their big comeback!

Learn more about live entertainment returning to Animal Kingdom!

Hollywood Studios Live Entertainment

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Disney announced that the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular will return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on December 19th, 2021. We have not seen this show since Disney World closed in March 2020.

The Epic Stunt Spectacular is a long-running live show that gives the audience an inside look at how some of the stunts from Raiders of the Lost Ark are performed. The Casting Director may even select you as a volunteer!

Read more about the Indiana Jones stunt show returning!

The “Disney Movie Magic” projection show is also returning to Hollywood Studios on November 7th. 

Character Meet and Greets

A big thing still missing from Disney World is character meet and greets, and this week Disney announced their plans to move forward with a new, modified version for guests! Although it won’t be quite the same with hugs and autographs, guests will still be able to get individualized time with characters.

Disney Princesses will be returning to Princess Fairytale Hall in Magic Kingdom, Minnie Mouse will be at Red Carpet Dreams in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you can also find Disney Junior characters in the Animation Courtyard. And Mickey Mouse will be in the Town Square Theater on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom!

Here’s more information about modified character meet and greets!

Disney Genie

The Disney Genie service will officially launch on October 19th, and we’ve been learning a lot about everything included in the free service, as well as the paid services Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection (aka pay-per-ride). We were surprised to learn that if you choose the pay-per-ride option for the qualifying attractions, you will NOT be able to cancel or modify your reservation.

That means you will NOT receive a refund if you don’t show up to your reservation unless the ride was closed and your reservation could not be rescheduled. And if you change your mind about the ride you reserved, you can’t modify your reservation. So if you use this service, make sure you double-check the ride and time!

Learn more about how the pay-per-ride system will work with the Disney Genie!

And that’s all the unexpected news from Disney World this week! Keep reading DFB for more Disney World news and updates.

How busy will Disney World be on the first holiday weekend of the 50th anniversary?

What’s most unexpected to you this week? Tell us in the comments!