Rhino Brawls, Wristbands, and a New Ship Called Believe

The Parks

Kilimanjaro Safaris did what Kilimanjaro Safaris does best this week: it reminded everyone why it’s the one ride at Walt Disney World that nobody can script. TikTok user Brittany Ford caught roughly two minutes of two rhinos butting heads and chasing each other across muddy pathways, close enough to the truck that two more members of the crash joined in. As Inside the Magic pointed out, there are exactly two attractions at Disney World where no two rides are the same. Jungle Cruise has that reputation because of live skippers. Kilimanjaro Safaris earns it because nobody cues a giraffe. The animals live in enormous habitats and go where they want, and this week, what they wanted was a fight.

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Over in Adventureland, the actual Jungle Cruise is getting a costume change. Starting November 3, the attraction flips into its holiday version, Jingle Cruise, and stays that way through the end of the season. Disney Fanatic noted the timing is classic Central Florida chaos: Halloween Horror Nights wrapping up, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary done, Christmas merchandise already stocked in the Emporium, while tourists are still wearing Halloween ears. Welcome to the strangest six weeks on the Disney calendar.

AllEars confirmed two more permanent closures hit Disney World, continuing a steady churn of attractions and offerings quietly phased out as the resort reshuffles its lineup. Meanwhile, price increases landed right on schedule. WDW Prep School broke down the October hikes, which touched annual passes across all four tiers, parking, and that fountain Diet Coke. October means pumpkin spice and price hikes now, apparently in equal measure.

Disneyland Paris kept its Halloween season running strong, with Team Phantom and Team Harvest growling along the parade route and Disney Villains terrorizing Fantasyland through November 1, according to DLP Report. And at Disneyland in Anaheim, Mickey Visit dug into the archives for the rides Imagineers planned but never built, a reminder that every park is as much a record of canceled ideas as realized ones.

The Shows

New York Comic Con gave Lucasfilm Publishing the floor, and the Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away panel delivered news for readers rather than viewers. Laughing Place reported 50th anniversary books, a new Ahsoka comic, and what panelists teased as a “Jar Jar reckoning,” with panelists Ahmed Best, Will Sliney, Dr. Chris Kempshall, and Kiersten White on stage. Books carried the week’s biggest Star Wars news.

Hallmark is borrowing Disney’s crown jewels for the holidays. Chip and Co shared a first look at Lacey Chabert in Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, with Chabert modeling Disney Princess-inspired wardrobe pieces built specifically for the role. It is a made-for-TV production, but the styling leans hard into Disney royalty to create crossover appeal.

Disney Parks Blog kept its ongoing mystery alive with Secrets to S.E.A., the online scavenger hunt building toward a brand-new Society of Explorers and Adventurers character. The story began in August at D23, when Imagineers opened a crate from the S.E.A. Archive on stage and found something nobody expected. Clues have continued to drop through September and October, and the slow reveal format is turning into one of Disney’s more effective fan-engagement plays this year.

The Business

Disney Cruise Line is building serious momentum toward its new ship. Disney Believe sets sail December 18, 2027, from Port Everglades, and D23 confirmed it will debut the world’s first stage adaptation of Encanto, along with an all-new Frozen Family Feast experience. Disney Vacation Club members are getting first crack at the earliest sailings: an exclusive Believe First Wave sailing departs January 5, 2028, with DVC booking opening November 21, 2026, roughly 14 months before the general public gets a shot. As Lightning Brain noted, first sailings on a new ship class carry real weight in the fan community. These are the voyages the diehards chase.

Walt Disney World is also testing new technology. Disney Tourist Blog detailed a trial of wearable Key to the World wristbands aboard the Disney Treasure, replacing the traditional card system, with potential to expand to future Disney Cruise Line sailings and beyond.

The Details

MickeyBlog profiled Chef Jerry Quijada Gonzalez, who now leads Be Our Guest Restaurant as Chef de Cuisine after starting his Disney career more than two decades ago in the International College Program at EPCOT’s Mexico Pavilion. Disney loves to spotlight this kind of career arc because the path from college program intern to flagship kitchen leadership doesn’t happen often, anywhere.

Disney Experiences shared a similar story about Dacia, who began on the overnight custodial team at Walt Disney World in the early 2000s and is now an Area Manager with Holiday Services, collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering on seasonal offerings. Twenty-three years from backstage cleaning to leadership is a long climb, and Disney is clearly interested in telling these stories right now.

ESPN and Disney Jr. marked two years of their Take Back Sports Powered by Disney Jr. initiative during National Youth Sports Week, running October 5 through 11. The Walt Disney Company framed it around getting kids access to sports and the teamwork and confidence that comes with it.

Smaller, stranger items rounded out the week. Attractions Magazine reported that Universal Studios Japan is rolling out Happy Meal toys featuring Jaws, Back to the Future, and Minions starting October 16, released in two waves of five designs each. Disney Food Blog flagged a Dollywood souvenir riff on Disney’s iconic Cinnamon Bread that fans should admire rather than eat. And TouringPlans ran its Saturday Six verdict on Universal Nights at Epic Universe, weighing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the park’s new after-hours event. MiceChat, meanwhile, took a trip into the archives with a Yesterland look back at Retro Space Mountain, presented by FedEx, a reminder that even Disneyland’s most futuristic ride has its own strange history.

Sources

• Disney Dining
• Inside the Magic
• Disney Fanatic
• AllEars
• WDW Prep School
• DLP Report
• Mickey Visit
• Laughing Place
• Chip and Co
• Disney Parks Blog
• D23
• Lightning Brain
• The DisInsider
• Disney Tourist Blog
• EYNTK Disney Parks
• MickeyBlog
• Disney Experiences
• Walt Disney Company
• Attractions Magazine
• Disney Food Blog
• TouringPlans
• MiceChat

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