Hey there, DFB friends! We’re back with more unexpected Disney World news from the week, and this week was a bit UNUSUAL to say the least.

You may have heard that there was a FIRE at Cinderella Castle (everyone is fine, no one was hurt!) and surprisingly, that’s not the only big news of the week! Take a look at everything else unexpected that happened there.

Disney Tours Returning

Five (yes, five!) special Disney World tours are returning in 2022, and they include the the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom tours including the Caring for Giants tour, the Wild Africa Trek, the Up Close with Rhinos tour, and the Savor the Savanna tour.

With the Keys to the Kingdom tour, guests get to learn Magic Kingdom history, and the Animal Kingdom tours take guests behind the scenes and up close with animals like elephants and hippos.

Read more about the 5 Disney Tours returning in 2022 here!

Yellow Monorail is Back

The yellow Monorail has returned! This sunny Monorail had been taken out of operation to receive a new, refreshed look.

The interior of the Monorail has been updated with a fresh, bright yellow color, and we were excited to see it return!

Check out more photos of the yellow monorail!

Rare Princess Appearance

At Princess Fairytale Hall in Magic Kingdom, the usual princesses who appear include Tiana, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Elena. Occasionally a mystery princess visits, and this week we were treated to a RARE princess appearance — Jasmine!

It’s not often Princess Jasmine visits Magic Kingdom, and during our visit we actually got to see FIVE Disney Princesses! So if you’re in Magic Kingdom and you see a “Visiting Princess” sign, it might be worth a visit!

Here are more photos of Princess Jasmine!

Fog!

We’ve seen our fair share of weather in Disney World and this week was something you don’t see very often! There was such a thick fog one morning that the Magic Kingdom ferryboats could not safely transport guests from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to the Magic Kingdom gates.

As a result, the Monorail line grew VERY long, and it’s times like these that it’s worth remembering you can also take a bus from the TTC to Magic Kingdom!

Check out more photos of the fog in Magic Kingdom here!

Castle Fire

Probably the most surprising news of the week was the fire near Cinderella Castle. After a Cast Member reported a small fire, emergency response vehicles were dispatched to Cinderella Castle, leading to fire and rescue vehicles making their way down Main Street, U.S.A..

Cinderella’s Royal Table was evacuated, as was the area around the castle. The fire was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt, and as of the next day, everything was back to normal! Just another day in Disney World, where it’s not always a walk in the park.

Read all about the Cinderella Castle fire here

Early Theme Park Entry Change

Early Theme Park Entry is a new perk that was introduced back in September, and it allows all Disney World hotel guests and guests at select other hotels to get into Disney Parks 30 minutes before the official opening time. Disney just announced a BIG change for this perk, and it’s for a limited time.

From December 19th, 2021 through January 3rd, 2022, Early Theme Park Entry will increase to 60 minutes before park opening! That means qualified guests get an entire HOUR in a Disney Park before it opens to everyone else. Note that you will still need a park reservation and your resort ID if you want to take advantage of this perk.

Read more about the extended Early Theme Park Entry here!

Genie+ Changes

Disney World recently launched their Genie planning service, which includes two paid options called Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections (pay-per-ride). These paid services allow guests to skip the standby line and instead use the Lightning Lanes, which are the former FastPass+ lanes. Disney is making a temporary change to these services soon, and it involves some of the most popular rides in Disney World.

From December 19th, 2021 through January 3rd, 2022, some of the pay-per-ride options, which are the most popular and in-demand rides in Disney World, will be included in Genie+! These rides include Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom, Frozen Ever After in EPCOT, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Hollywood Studios, and Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. For a limited time, these rides will be included in the $15 per person Genie+ rate!

Learn more about the Genie+ and pay-per-ride changes here!

That’s all the unexpected news of the week! Stick with DFB for all your Disney World updates and planning needs, and keep checking back for more!

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Were you in Disney World this week? Tell us in the comments!