5 Disney Updates You Need to Know

Disney World has been BUSY this week.

The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival has kicked off and SO many character meet and greets have returned to the parks. There’s a lot of other news, too, so let’s get to the five biggest stories!

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

It’s finally here — the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival has officially started. Ahead of the festival, we saw food booths beginning to pop up, followed by their menus. We even got a first look at all the festival merchandise.

Food & Wine Festival 2022

Can’t get to EPCOT for the festival? You can also get a lot of that merchandise online, including a Figment Oven Mitt.

PHOTOS: Booth Menus with Prices Arrive Ahead of EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

MANY Meet and Greets Return to Disney World

We saw a LOT of characters return to Disney World this week. Darth Vader and Chewbacca are meeting guests again in Star Wars Launch Bay in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Peter Pan has popped up in Fantasyland with his spontaneous appearances.

Goofy is accepting hugs again over in Storybook Circus in Magic Kingdom. Snow White has started meeting guests again in Magic Kingdom, and Cinderella’s Stepsisters have moved to the Gazebo for traditional meet and greets. Finally, Jasmine and Aladdin are meeting guests in Adventureland. Whew! That’s a lot of Disney friends.

FULL LIST of Character Meet and Greets Currently Available in Disney World

Finding Your Car Just Got Easier in Disney World and Disneyland

If you’ve ever driven to Disney World or Disneyland, you’ve probably lost track of your car at least once because those parking lots are huge AND confusing. Well, Disney has FINALLY given guests a way to find their car at the end of the day via the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps.

All you’ll have to do is tap the car locator card in the app, enter your parking information (or let your phone’s Location Services do it for you). When you’re ready to leave, you can pull up the car locator on the app to see your saved information.

Finding Your Car in Disney World and Disneyland Is About to Get A Lot EASIER

Halloween Scavenger Hunt Coming to EPCOT

A new Halloween activity is headed to EPCOT this year! Beginning on September 29th, EPCOT guests will be able to participate in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit! You’ll be tasked to search throughout EPCOT for pumpkins painted to look like Disney characters. This is just like Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit we’ve seen in Disneyland.

To play, you’ll need to head to a store to grab a scavenger hunt map, game board, and stickers. You’ll place a sticker in the appropriate place whenever you find a pumpkin. Once you’re done, you’ll turn your completed map in to get a prize!

A Halloween Scavenger Hunt is Coming to EPCOT This Year

Disney Scores Over 100 Emmy Nominations

Emmy nominations are in and Disney came out very strong, scoring over 100 nominations! Some Disney+ Marvel shows received nominations including Loki, What If…?, and Moon Knight. Some Star Wars shows on Disney+ were also nominated, including Star Wars: Visions and The Book of Boba Fett.

Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight in Marvel Studios’ MOON KNIGHT. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

ABC and Hulu also received a fair share of nominations, including Abbott Elementary, Pam & Tommy, The Great, and Only Murders in the Building.

NEWS: The Walt Disney Company Scores Over 100 Emmy Nominations

Honorable Mention: Airline News

We’re going to throw in all the airline news we got this week because it affects Orlando International Airport. Hawaiian Airlines announced that it will stop service between Honolulu and Orlando beginning on September 7th due to staffing issues and the current high price of fuel.

Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines is adding a new non-stop route between San Antonio and Orlando.

Finally, Orlando International Airport announced that the following airlines will be operating out of its new Terminal C: Aer Lingus, Azul, Breeze Airways, British Airways, Caribbean, Emirates, GOL, IcelandAir, JetBlue, Lufthansa, and Norse.