Walt Disney World Reopening Multiple Experiences in November

Throughout 2022, The Walt Disney Company has indicated that several beloved park amenities would return by the end of the year. Now that we only have a few weeks left, Disney is finally ready to say when.

Friends, we’ve just learned about the reopening dates for three of your favorite DVC vacation activities. Here are the details about what’s returning soon!

Fantasmic! Reopens at Hollywood Studios November 3rd!

On May 28^th, Fantasmic! reopened at Disneyland Park. This turn of events made the Walt Disney World side of DVC fans extremely jealous. After all, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been up and running since July 2020. Disneyland didn’t return until April 30^th, 2021.

How did Disneyland bring back its version of Fantasmic! first? While we may never know the answer to this mystery, I’m happy to report that it’ll be irrelevant soon.

Disney has confirmed that Fantasmic! will reopen at Hollywood Studios on November 3^rd. Yes, that’s two weeks from now on a Thursday!

Photo courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

So, we only have a handful of remaining days at Hollywood Studios without a nighttime extravaganza. At that point, the pandemic nonsense at the parks will seem like a relic of forgotten times.

Disney understandably wants to make a statement with Fantasmic!’s return. For this reason, the updated show will include new scenes and characters.

The new sequences will consist of characters and stories from Aladdin, Frozen 2, Moana, Mulan, and Pocahontas. Disney has mentioned an Elsa performance of Show Yourself during the updated Fantasmic! as a highlight.

Disney Will Sell Fantasmic! Dining Packages

Hollywood Studios will also offer dining packages to ensure seating. These reservations go on sale on October 26^th. However, the applicable shows won’t start until November 30^th. Until then, it’s whoever stands in line the soonest.

Photo courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

The dining packages start at $49 per adult. Here are the participating locations:

• 50s Prime Time Café — $51 for adults, $22 for children ages 9 and under
• Hollywood & Vine Breakfast — $54 for adults, $36 for children
• Hollywood & Vine Lunch/Dinner — $71 for adults, $47 for children
• The Hollywood Brown Derby — $73 for adults, $29 for children
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano — $54 for adults, $22 for children
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant — $49 for adults, $22 for children

Disney hasn’t indicated any Disney Genie+ information for Fantasmic! yet. In fact, none of the Walt Disney World nighttime shows currently participate. Still, you should keep an eye on Disney news in case Fantasmic! becomes the rare exception.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Returns on November 4^th

EPCOT has also confirmed the return of one of its missing restaurants. The beloved Disney Princess character meal at Akershus reopens on November 4^th.

In 2022, I’ve probably been asked the most about (the still-absent) 1900 Park Fare and this dining experience. People adore meeting up to five princesses at the Norway pavilion, just a few steps from the line queue for Frozen Ever After.

The Akershus/Frozen Ever After double-bill makes sense for park guests as a way to kill two birds with one stone. I’ve employed this strategy myself on countless occasions.

Now, we can all utilize this approach again in two weeks. As a reminder, Akershus serves tasty Norwegian cuisine with a kind of salad bar setup for its meats and cheeses. The most popular are gjetost, the brown cheese exclusive to Akershus, and Norwegian meatballs.

Photo courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

However, most of the meal involves a family-style service at the table. First, you choose your entrée and other parts of your meal. Then, a server brings it to your table. Meanwhile, Disney Princesses make the rounds by visiting each table.

Disney is also modifying Akershus for its return. The restaurant won’t serve breakfast. Instead, it’ll only operate for lunch and dinner. You can start booking reservations on October 24^th.

Other Dining Experiences Reopening or Changing Soon

The return of Akershus isn’t the only change to a Disney character meal, either. Tusker House returns to an “all-you-care to enjoy, buffet style dining experience” on November 1^st.

Disney is gearing up for the holiday season by updating its restaurant options and other experiences for guests. If some of these dates make you wince as a Halloween guest, I feel your pain.

Akershus and Fantasmic! are two of my favorite things about Disney trips. They return on November 3^rd and 4^th. Hilariously, my next trip ends on November 2^nd.

Photo courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Still, Disney has treated Halloween vacationers like me exceptionally well with two other locations. First, Monsieur Paul reopened at the France pavilion on October 18^th after a 30-month absence.

Jerome Bocuse, the son of legendary restauranteur Paul Bocuse, manages the restaurant in his late father’s memory. It’s one of the most revered and costliest meals in Orlando. Disney has established the new pricing at $195 per person, which is $100 less than what you’d pay at the similarly revered Victoria & Albert’s.

Finally, Kona Café will return on November 1^st. Of course, we already knew this, but Disney just indicated that the restaurant will have a slightly different look when it reopens. Hopefully, we still have the couches, my favorite tables at Walt Disney World. And if you see me there at lunch on the 1^st, feel free to come over and say hi!

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