Is there anything better than some exciting Disney news? From theme parks to entertainment, the Walt Disney Company tends to cover it all.

This year, the company is going through a major state of change. Bob Iger’s term as CEO is coming to an end, and the parks are expanding in ways we haven’t seen in years. They’re also continuing with celebrations and daily fun, so it can be a lot to keep up with. That’s why each week we like to do a weekly wrap-up of the biggest Disney news from the week, so you don’t miss a thing.

From Anaheim to Orlando, Disney has kept the people busy this week! We’ve got some exciting changes coming up soon and some news that no one was expecting. Starting off over at Disneyland, not even Disney could have predicted this news.

Monorail Evacuation

In case you missed this week’s biggest news, it was reported that a power outage caused crews to help evacuate people off the Monorail in Disneyland. According to CBS, the Anaheim Police Department said about 60 people were trapped on the Monorail attraction for almost 4 hours on January 8th.

The power outage stalled the attraction near Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. Disneyland said the outage happened in the late afternoon and impacted two trains. Passengers were removed via the fire truck ladder.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Disney transportation suffer an outage that caused stops, but it certainly doesn’t happen often. No one was injured during the power outage, and Disney reported availability for the monorail the following day.

NEWS: 60 People Evacuate Monorail After Power Failure in Disneyland

Festival of the Arts Menus

Over in Orlando, this week also included full menus for EPCOT’s upcoming Festival of the Arts! The festival that focuses on culinary, visual, and performing arts runs from January 16th to February 23rd, and we couldn’t be MORE excited. This week, we finally got the full list of snacks and sips we’re going to try when the festival begins.

Around the parks, we have several new and returning items, including:

Opening Bites Menu

Location: CommuniCore Plaza

Food Items:

• Soft Shell Crab Slider: Green papaya slaw and mango ketchup on a sweet roll
• Enchanted Rose: Dark chocolate mousse rose

Beverages:

• Crooked Can Brewing Company Fantasia Fusion IPA
• von Trapp Brewing Bohemian Pilsner
• Southern Tier Brewing Co. Caramel Cookie Bar Imperial Stout (New)
• Beer Flight
• Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Champagne

The Deconstructed Dish Menu

Location: Near Test Track

Food Items:

• Deconstructed BLT: Pork belly, soft-poached egg, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, and tomato jam
• 🎨 Deconstructed Key Lime Pie: Key lime curd, key lime gelée, toasted meringue, and graham cracker crumbs with waffle cone triangles (New)

Beverages:

• Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep: Frozen mint and simple syrup blended with strawberry purée (Non-alcoholic beverage)
• Wicked Weed Brewing Blank Canvas Wheat Ale
• Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep: Frozen mint and simple syrup blended with strawberry purée with Old Forester 86 Bourbon

Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe Menu

Location: Norway

Food Item:

• Hazelnut Praline Boller: Cardamom bun with hazelnut cream (New)

Goshiki Menu

Location: Japan

Food Items:

• Taiyaki: Crisp, flaky fish-shaped chocolate-flavored pastry filled with custard and served with whipped topping (New)
• Sushi Doughnut: Doughnut-shaped sushi with salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, and sesame seeds over a decorated plate of wasabi aïoli, sriracha aïoli, and eel sauce
• Tokyo Kawaii Roll: Crispy shrimp tempura wrapped in multicolor sushi rice and topped with refreshing yellow yuzu sauce and tangy plum sauce (New)
• Wagyu Bun: Steamed bun filled with sweet-and-savory minced American wagyu beef (New)

Beverages:

• Grapey Apple Boba: Crafted black grape beverage with green apple popping boba (Non-alcoholic beverage) (New)
• Crooked Can Brewing Company Wasabi IPA (New)
• Masu Sake served in a traditional personalized wooden cup
• Sake Flight: Peach, mango, and strawberry-flavored Nigori sake (New)
• Yuzu-Pineapple Punch: Shochu-based cocktail with refreshing yuzu and pineapple flavors (New)

This is just a quick glimpse at what you can expect to find at the festival, which is far too short in our opinion! You can also check out the Disney on Broadway Concert Series, the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, and artwork all over the park. It really is such a gorgeous and tasty time.

FULL MENUS ANNOUNCED for the 2026 EPCOT Festival of the Arts

SO MANY DISCOUNTS

Finally, this week was full of Disney World discount drops! From hotels to tickets, there are so many ways to save this summer in Orlando. If you’ve even considered going to the resort this year, this might be your time to price that trip. (Even if the pricing is just for fun.)

First, we have up to 30% off select Disney Resort hotels for 5 or more consecutive nights. You can also gran 25% for stays of 1 to 4 consecutive nights. This deal is for stays most nights from May 1st through October 4th, 2026. The discount total will depend on which hotel you’re staying at, so be sure to check the full details out.

If you’re a Florida Resident, you can save up to 35% on stays of 4 nights or longer from May 1st to July 29th, 2026. Florida Residents aren’t the only exclusive group with a good deal. Annual Passholders can save up to 40% on rooms at select rooms. This might be one of the biggest room discounts we’ve seen in YEARS. It’s available for passholders from May 1st to July 29th, 2026, for stays of 4 or more nights. 

You can also check out the Add Free Days to Your Stay deal. You can get two free room nights and theme park days when you purchase a select 4-night, 4-day (or longer) Walt Disney Travel Company room and ticket package. It’s available for visits most nights from May 26th through September 15th, 2026, and can only be booked January 6th through February 15th, 2026. We did the math on this one, and it’s GOOD!

It’s not just about rooms in Disney World! They also dropped a handful of ticket-only deals. For a limited time, Disney is offering two free theme park days when you purchase a 4 to 8-Day Disney Theme Park Ticket. These tickets can be used from May 26th and September 15th, but they must be purchased by February 15th!

Disney also announced a new Discover Disney Ticket for Florida Residents. You can buy a 4-day Discover Disney Ticket for $255 plus tax or a 3-day Discover Disney Ticket for $235 plus tax. If you do the math on the 4-day option, your tickets are just $64 per person, per day! They also dropped the Florida Resident 2-day, 2-park ticket deal for $95 per day. 

There are SO many discounts, this really is the time to go if you’re looking for a good deal. If you want to go when everything new and exciting is open… these deals might not be it for you.

Disney Discounts and Deals

Phew! Did you get all of that? It was a busy week for the parks, and next week is looking to be even busier! Be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog for live reviews and updates from Festival of the Arts opening day, Disney news, discounts, and more.

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Tell us which news you’re most excited about in the comments!