Back to Disney World after 6 years, fill me in please

[Bacon]

Can't wait to read your "How Disney World has gone downhill in 6 years" post when you get back.

She's not @KATIEBUG101

 

[WondersOfLife]

So much to tell. Here are the "bullet points" (I'm continuing to edit as I remember things)

All

• MyMagic+ to include MyDisneyExperience, Magic Bands, and FastPass+ ("FP+")

MK

• New Fantasyland including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Princess Fairytale Hall, Winnie the Pooh, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Belle and Ariel M&Gs, Gaston's Tavern, Little Mermaid ride, and Casey's Corner Big Top area with Dumbo move to this area.
• New queue for Peter Pans Flight, themed to children's flat in London, added (replacing bathrooms)
• Old Fantasyland skyway boarding rethemed to bathrooms from Tangled (i.e. "Tangled Toilets")
• Gift shop in Liberty Square is now Memento Mori's, a HM gift shop
• Skipper Canteen restaurant opened in Adventureland
• Festival of Fantasy 3pm parade
• New Mickey's Friendship Faire castle show
• NO nighttime Main Street Electrical Parade (as of October 10)

Epcot

• Tiered FP+ system
• Maelstrom replaced with Frozen Ever After
• Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet added to "Norway"
• Spice Road Table lagoon-adjacent restaurant added to Morocco.
• Most of Innoventions closed
• New version of Soarin' ("Around the World")
• Candlelight Processional is the Gospel story of the Birth of Jesus. It has a celebrity narrator and a gospel choir. You can book a dining package to go along with it. Or wait standby.

Animal Kingdom

• Camp Minnie Mickey closed. Avatarland to open in its place next year
• Festival of the Lion King moved to Africa
• No Jammin' Jungle Parade
• New Harambe Market counter service area opened (with shortcut)
• New Asia shortcut opened
• Tiffins Restaurant opened on Discovery Island
• Rivers of Light show to be running (we hope) before you arrive

HS (where to start?)

• No Sorcerer Mickey Hat (aka "Big A** Hat (BAH)")
• Earfell Tower torn down
  
• Lights, Motor, Action, Backlot Tour, "Honey, I shrunk the kids" playground, and Streets of America CLOSED to make way for Star Wars and Toy Story Lands
• Because of SOA already closed, no more Osborne Lights during the Christmas season
• Tiered FP+ system.
• Walt's office removed from Walt Disney: One Man's Dream (moved to his actual office in Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA)
• American Idol show closed. Replaced with Frozen show moved from closed theatre in back of park
• Area around Muppets 3D show now called Muppets Courtyard
• Pizza Planet (now in Muppets Courtyard) rethemed as PizzeRizzo (opening soon)
• Bigger focus on Star Wars
• Animation Academy (or whatever it was called) closed and is now Star Wars Launch Bay
• Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Projection/Fireworks show
• No more Star Wars weekends (on the premise that you're exposed to SW with every visit to HS)

To add a little more onto this list..


MK

• Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management closed, reverted back to the original version.
• Country Bear Jamboree show shortened, cutting a few lines and the two songs "Devilish Mary" and "Fractured Folk Song"

EPCOT

• Captain EO closed, replaced with Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Re-imagined Test Track
• 3rd theatre added to Soarin'

Hollywood Studios

• Star Tours: The Adventures Continue opened
• Changes added to The Great Movie Ride as a result from TCM sponsorship
• 3rd track added to Toy Story Mania

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

There are now two Dumbo rides in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom.