Greetings fellow Rope Droppers,
Somewhere out there, someone just looked at a Boo-to-You parade date in the first week of August and quietly lost it. Fair enough. It is still very much summer in Florida.
But those of us who do this on purpose know the truth! The first Not-So-Scary night is the real start of something great, and once the pumpkins go up on Main Street we get months of the parks at their best.
I have never once been mad about it.
Let's head in.
| 1 | Lakeshore Lodge's interiors are here, and they look familiar. |
| 2 | Not-So-Scary opens tomorrow with two new shows. |
| 3 | The Haunted Mansion is wearing 1971 again. |
| 01 | This Week's E-Ticket The Ghost of Reflections |
Disney Parks Blog
Disney Vacation Club released the first interior concept art for Disney's Lakeshore Lodge this week: a Pocahontas-themed lobby, three restaurants, and a two-story lounge pointed straight at the Magic Kingdom fireworks (WDWNT).
The lobby is the centerpiece. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto The Wetlands, a fiber-optic river runs through the floor, and a blown-glass "Colors of the Wind" sculpture hangs overhead with hundreds of suspended leaves. Furnishings use river-recovered cypress (The DIS).
| Venue | What it is |
|---|---|
| Moonglade | Lakefront table service, seasonal and locally sourced, cypress-tree views |
| Bay Lake Provisions | All-day quick-service marketplace, specialty coffee, open kitchen, hidden woodland critters |
| Paint Out Point Bar & Grill | Pool bar beside Lakeshore Lagoon, original plein-air artwork by Imagineers |
| Dandelion Terrace | Two-story lounge, archival Fantasia art, Magic Kingdom fireworks over Bay Lake |
This is Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, back from the dead. Reflections was announced in 2018, the site was cleared for it (River Country came down), then COVID stalled construction and the project quietly vanished.
WDWNT lined the new art up against the old Reflections concepts and the match is close: the same fireworks lounge, the same dandelion light fixtures, the same lobby glass and ceiling. Two things didn't survive the trip (at least from what we know now). Reflections' Pocahontas statue isn't in the new lobby art, and the Moonglade space, which was going to be Princess and the Frog themed, now has no announced IP at all.
We flagged the quiet pool renames a few weeks back (Lakeside Lagoon became Lakeshore Lagoon, Perspective Pond became Cypress Point). This is the substance behind that housekeeping.
For your planning:
Opening is "summer 2027." No month, no on-sale date, no DVC pricing announced yet.
It's a DVC property, but DVC resorts routinely release rooms for cash stays, so you don't need points to plan a 2027 trip around it.
Nothing here is bookable, yet. File it and watch for the sales opening.
Lakeshore Lodge: are you in?
It seems to continue a bit of an earthy theme for DVC resorts. The latest additions have included The Cabins Fort Wilderness, Polynesian Tower, and now Lakeshore.
| 02 | In the Queue The Party Starts Tomorrow |
Disney Parks Blog
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party opens August 7 and runs select nights through October 31, thirty-eight dates in all (Disney Parks Blog).
We've been running sellout updates for a month, so here's the board as it stands. As of this writing, ten of the 38 nights are gone: August 7, 11, 14, 18 and 21, plus September 4 and 8, and October 9, 13 and 31 (BlogMickey). Twenty-eight dates are still open.
What's actually new this year:
A show featuring Stitch: Stitch, Lilo and Angel take the Rockettower Plaza Stage, and the theme changes all night as Stitch raids Lilo's costume trunk.
Captain Jack's Buccaneer Bash: new pirate antics on the Adventureland Stage. Disney hasn't said what that involves yet (Attractions Magazine).
Chip 'n' Dale: a new meet near the Tiana's Bayou Adventure exit. Goofy isn't on this year's list (WDWNT).
Build your night around these (WDWMagic):
| Show | Time |
|---|---|
| Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade | 8:15 PM (second showing not yet confirmed; it ran 11:15 PM last year) |
| Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular | 10:00 PM |
| Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular | 9:05 PM · 10:35 PM · 12:00 AM |
Ask for a teal bag if you need allergy-friendly treats (WDWNT). Doors open at 4 PM for ticket holders even though the party starts at 7.
Our view: the four remaining August nights are the value play. Same parade, same fireworks, same candy, at $139 to $149 instead of October's $189 to $229. You're trading money for heat. Take the indoor trails, bring a towel, and put the difference toward a second night. Annual Passholders and DVC members also save $10 on select dates through October 2.
| 03 | Ears to That The Mansion Drops Its Scrim |
The scaffolding came down at the Haunted Mansion last Friday, and the facade underneath is much closer to how it looked on opening day in 1971 (WDWNT).
The specifics: the bricks are a darker reddish-brown, the trim went from beige to gray, the cupola dome is green again, and the roofing is black. The chimneys picked up ashy black detailing. The bat weathervane stayed exactly where it belongs.
The timing is a gift, though. The Mansion looks its most 1971 the same week the party season kicks off.
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| 04 | On the Horizon Disney Springs Loads the Cauldron |
Disney Parks Blog
Disney released the full Halloween menus for Disney Springs this week, and most of it lands August 11 (WDWNT).
The headliner is the Halloween overlay at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar, back August 11 through November 9 with an almost entirely rebuilt menu. New this year: Candelabra Eggs, the Dark Forest Dip, Midnight Mayhem Popcorn Chicken, Bone Kebabs, a new Skull of the Dead Dip, and a Temple of Doom Margarita. The Alien Invader Sliders are the main returning item (Attractions Magazine).
Everything else is spread across more than two dozen venues, and the start dates do not line up.
For your planning:
The Polite Pig started August 1, so its Piggy's Potion and lamb shank are already out.
Most venues open August 11: Amorette's, Everglazed, The Ganachery, eet, Splitsville, T-Rex, Terralina, Homecomin', Chicken Guy and more.
Erin McKenna's Bakery is October only, the 1st through the 31st. Don't plan that one for an August trip.
Later starts: Raglan Road September 1, Swirls on the Water September 4, Jaleo's scallop dish September 22.
If you're already planning a Disney Springs night for Six Ravens (see below), stack the Hangar Bar onto it after August 11 and you've got a full snack route in one parking lot.
| 05 | From Around the Kingdom Quick Turns |
Coffyns Are Live: Six Ravens soft opened at Disney Springs on August 3, the savory Gideon's spinoff we told you had no date. Expect a two-Coffyn purchase limit and a text-you-back virtual queue once the line gets long. (WDWNT)
Full Eight Rows: Test Track is finally loading all eight rows for the first time since its 2025 reopening, and the finale sliding doors are working again after last year's vehicle impact. Optimized usage, and a fixed ending in one go. (BlogMickey)
Kermit Season: Passholders get a free Kermit magnet at Mickey Shorts Theater, a Kermit Magic Shot on Hollywood Boulevard from 10 AM to 4 PM, and a Key Lime Kermit shake at Dockside Diner, August 11 through September 24. Bring a photo ID. (The DIS)
Gorilla Falls has a new leader, and he seems like a good hang.
Bakari, a 21-year-old western lowland gorilla, is settling in as the silverback of Animal Kingdom's family troop, the role Gino held for nearly three decades. His caretakers say he's calm and easygoing, and that his signature move is stretching out with his chin propped on one hand while he watches the world go by (Disney Parks Blog).
Disney Parks Blog
The introduction to the troop is deliberately slow, so he may not be out when you walk the trail. Worth a look anyway. Welcome home, Bakari.
| 06 | See Ya Real Soon See You at the Party |
A resurrected resort, a new silverback, and a mansion that looks fifty-five years younger. Not a bad way to start Halloween in August.
See ya real soon,
Gabe
