This weekend marked the biggest Disney fan event of the year, Destination D23, with a series of panels and presentations celebrating the past, present, and future of the Walt Disney Company. Despite Destination D23’s smaller footprint compared to its big sister, the D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it’s still packed with big announcements from the Disney parks and Disney Cruise Line. Coming off of a busy week of announcements from Disney Parks as it gears up for 2026, it was exciting to hear even more news and updates from upcoming projects.
Destination D23 takes place at Walt Disney World on the off year of the D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Next year’s D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event will once again take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from August 14 through 16, 2026.
The Year’s Biggest Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line Announcements
These Disney fan events are a lot of fun to attend in person. The big “must see” events typically involve presentations hosted by Disney Experiences (where all of the big theme park and cruise line updates take place), and Walt Disney Studios (where you’ll hear about the latest film projects, including Star Wars and Marvel). But there are ancillary events that dive deep into the history of the Walt Disney Company that are, in my opinion, what make these fan events really meaningful.
Outside of the presentations, these events have numerous exhibits, such as ones showcasing artifacts from the Walt Disney Archives. If you’re a Disney nerd like me, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event and Destination D23 are two events you’ll want circled on your calendar.
Destination D23 is typically seen as the “smaller” event compared to the Anaheim event, with the “big” reveals usually reserved for the latter. While the announcements from Destination D23 are perhaps more mundane than a new E-ticket ride announcement, many of the news stories from this weekend are music to the ears of Disney fans. Let’s dive into the biggest announcements from the Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line from this year’s Destination D23!
Walt Disney World news
Walt Disney Audio Animatronic coming to Carousel of Progress
The lead story out of Destination D23 when it comes to Walt Disney World brings us to Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. It was revealed that the Carousel of Progress will receive its first significant update in more than 30 years.
The update will include the addition of a new scene at the top of the show, which will be hosted by Walt Disney himself. That’s right — a second Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic will emerge, this time at Walt Disney World. The first made its debut this summer at Walt Disney – A Magical Life in Disneyland Park. No timeline was given when this announcement was made.
What’s old is new again for Cinderella Castle
One of the more surprising announcements came from Magic Kingdom where it was announced Cinderella Castle will adopt a new color palate with hues of “grays, creams, blues, and touches of gold.” If that sounds familiar, that’s because it will effectively resemble its original color palate. No timeline was given as to when we can expect these changes, but the days of a pink Cinderella Castle are numbered, and the 50th anniversary changes will soon join the lineup of defunct castle overlays.
Tron: Ares overlay coming to Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom
There’s another temporary change coming to Tomorrowland in just a couple of weeks. In celebration of the release of Tron: Ares this fall, Tron Lightcycle Run will receive an overlay with red lighting effects and a new soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails. These changes go into effect for a limited time at Walt Disney World on September 15 as well as Shanghai Disneyland on September 16.
New design details revealed from villains-themed land coming to Magic Kingdom
The Disney Experiences presentation at last year’s D23 Ultimate Disney Fan Event culminated with one of the most exciting announcements of the evening: a new land inspired by the Disney Villains is coming to Magic Kingdom!
While we’re still several years out from the land being completed, we did get some new details regarding the design and inspiration behind the look of the land. Imagineers revealed how they were inspired by the Art Nouveau architecture found in Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain.
Imagineers took inspiration from Art Nouveau architecture along with the through line in the design found among the Disney villains to coin a new phrase to describe the look guests can expect to see througout the villains-themed land: Conjured Architecture.
It looks like Magic Kingdom received the lion’s share of announcements for Walt Disney World updates coming out of Destination D23! The park is currently undergoing a huge transformation, with a Cars-inspired section of Frontierland coming along with the villains land, plus all of the other exciting announcements from this event!
MAGIC KINGDOM WILL LOOK VERY DIFFERENT IN THE COMING YEARS!
Disneyland Resort news
New Leslie Iwerks documentary about Disneyland’s construction coming to Disney+
If you’re like me, then your favorite thing to watch on Disney+ is The Imagineering Story. The six-part docuseries gave a rare look behind the scenes at Walt Disney Imagineering to show how the theme parks have been imagined, designed, and built over the years. The film was directed by Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, who worked with Walt Disney in the company’s early years and had a hand in creating Mickey Mouse.
This winter, a new Leslie Iwerks documentary will come to Disney+. The documentary is called “Disneyland Handcrafted” and will feature never-before-seen footage highlighting the construction of Disneyland. The documentary will also be released on YouTube.
New patio concept art revealed for Napa Rose
Work is underway at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa to bring a refreshed look to its signature restaurant, Napa Rose. New concept art was revealed at Destination D23 showing the new outdoor patio dining space coming to the restaurant:
Novelty popcorn buckets and sippers coming to Disneyland Resort
Everyone loves a good novelty popcorn bucket and sipper cup. Several new collectable buckets and sippers are making their way to Disneyland Resort in the coming months. Holiday fans can get ready to line up for this new Holiday Christmas Tree Tree Truck Bucket coming to Disneyland Resort. The bucket will also be available at Disney’s Aulani Resort and select Disney Cruise Line ships.
Also coming to Disneyland Resort this holiday season is a new limited-edition Holiday Zombie Mug at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. A different version will also be released exclusively at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Walt Disney World.
Disney Cruise Line news
Disney Destiny
All eyes are on the Disney Destiny, which will make its maiden voyage in November. Themed after Disney heroes and villains, the Disney Destiny sounds like it will be the ship you’ll want to sail on if you’re all about character appearances. Speaking of character appearances, we learned that Dr. Facilier will be on the ship in a new “meet and play” encounter, and from the looks of this newly-released concept art, it looks like he’ll be performing some close-up magic and parlor tricks.
We also got a sneak peek at some of the specialty drinks coming to the themed lounges on the Disney Destiny. We’ve previously heard about some of the mystical cocktails available at The Sanctum, the Doctor Strange-themed lounge on the Destiny…
…the newest cocktail to be revealed is the Mirror Dimension, made with Stoli Elit Vodka, Lychee, Fresh Lemon Juice, Pink Peppercorn, and Eletricdust Buzz Rock. It comes served in a glass that reacts to your touch.
Cask and Cannon, the bar themed after Pirates of the Caribbean, will include on its menu the Dead Man’s Chest, a beverage experience for two. The drinks are made with Zacapa 23 Solera Rum, Pineapple, Lime Juice, Agave Nectar, and Coconut Froth and come with gold coins.
We also got a new piece of concept art from Cask & Cannon at Destination D23:
Over at Haunted Mansion Parlor, The Chilling Challenge will make a variant appearance on the Destiny. The popular drink found on the Disney Treasure will feature different ingredients — this latest version will include Camus VSOP Cognac, Cointreau Noir, Joto Yuzu Sake, Orange Blossom Foam, and Edible Viola Flowers.
The Haunted Mansion Parlor on the Disney Destiny will also feature souvenir mugs to add to your collection. Be sure to save room in your suitcase for the Poseidon Mug...
…and the Siren Mug.
We’re inching closer and closer to the maiden voyage of the Disney Destiny — I cannot wait to see these spaces come to life in person!
DISNEY CRUISE LINE LAUNCHES ITS NEXT SHIP, THE DISNEY DESTINY, THIS NOVEMBER
International Disney Parks news
Disneyland Paris
We heard an exciting update regarding the opening timeline of World of Frozen, the new land coming to Disneyland Paris. The new land will officially open in the spring of 2026 — that’s right around the corner! With the land’s completion, Walt Disney Studios Park will mark its transformation into its new name, Disney Adventure Park.
Be sure to follow along for more of the latest news and updates from the Disney theme parks as well as Disney Cruise Line! 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Disney Experiences and I cannot wait to take you along for the ride.
LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE D23 ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EVENT
Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line’s Biggest Announcements From Destination D23 2025 originally appeared on The World of Spark.
