MickeyBlog News for January 5th, 2026
Hello and Happy New Year!
I hope that you just finished a lovely 2025 holiday season, and I’m confident that amazing things are in store for you in 2026!
That’s especially true at Disney theme parks, as Imagineers are perfecting them right now.
So, we briefly interrupt your holiday sports viewing to bring you MickeyBlog News.
The Holiday Season Ends with a Bang
New Year’s Eve crowds
We told you that Walt Disney World intended to make a huge deal of New Year’s Eve.
The parks always go big for this particular holiday, and that’s especially true of EPCOT.
New Year’s Eve Party – EPCOT
Not coincidentally, Park Passes sold out early at EPCOT, indicative of massive crowds.
My Disney Experience displayed all the events that guests could enjoy at Disney World.
Disney
Then, MickeyBlog’s reporters attacked the full list of New Year’s Eve activities.
Our staff didn’t let an unexpected cold spell in Central Florida slow them down any.
Photo: Disney
However, Disney did temporarily close Typhoon Lagoon as a precautionary measure.
You may recall that this happened a LOT in early 2025. So, the year ended as it began.
H2O Glow
Still, we could tell by the massive wait times that the cold weather did not deter any tourists.
Disney rewarded the loyalty of its guests by offering some limited-time New Year’s Magic Shots.
Disney PhotoPass
Some of them are still available, but they end today, January 4th. So, it’s now or never!
Guests have known this, which explains why the New Year’s crowds were ridiculously large.
Photo: Disney
Fans knew that they could watch the Fantasy in the Sky New Year’s Fireworks and Happily Ever After.
So, they flocked to all the parks…and by “they,” I mean “we.”
MickeyBlog brought you coverage from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
Yes, our reporters were among the lucky thousands who rang in the New Year at EPCOT’s dance party.
That’s always one of the holiday highlights on the annual calendar, and this year was no different.
All in all, a wonderful time was had by all, which is always the case with major holidays at Disney World.
Whither Sprinkles?
Photo:seoclerk.com
Okay, let’s now discuss the strangest story of the past week, one that happened too late for me.
I wrote the Strangest Disney Stories of 2025 during the last week of the year…BUT!
Photo:Rappler
On December 30th, word leaked of something that sounded impossible to the point of laughable.
Some Sprinkles employees started posting on social media that they were out of a job.
They informed the world that the cupcake franchise would close all its locations.
That wasn’t the shocking part, though. It was the timeline.
According to these posts, Sprinkles would close the following day!
Apparently, the private equity firm that purchased Sprinkles from its founder made a business choice.
Sprinkles
This firm decided that cupcakes were no longer profitable and just ended the business.
Legally, they had the right to do that, but the way they handled it was nothing short of monstrous.
Photo: Sprinkles
Those Sprinkles employees turned out to be correct. Sprinkles DID close on December 31st.
I cannot believe that’s a real thing that happened, as there wasn’t even a whisper of it.
Photo: Sprinkles
Ownership sent out a memo telling Sprinkles workers not to show up on January 1st.
These people got no warning that they were about to be out of jobs in January.
Photo: Sprinkles
As a reminder, people rack up lots of bills during the holiday gift-giving/travel season.
So, some Sprinkles workers are facing housing insecurity and financial crises over this choice.
At Disney Springs, ATM cupcake machines are no longer a thing, either, although that’s a trivial concern.
You can still find plenty of sweets in this area of Disney World, so it’s not a big deal.
Photo: Sprinkles
To the workers who worked at Sprinkles, this is an act of indefensible betrayal, though.
Former owner Candace Nelson said as much in a since-deleted Instagram post.
Disney Miscellany
We’ve got several other stories to cover this week, starting with My Disney Experience.
The app has introduced a section for Disney Visa cardholders, which is a useful addition.
Disney also added a helpful new parking feature to My Disney Experience.
At the Rose Bowl Parade, Disney kicked off the Disney Celebrates America campaign.
We’ve also had several Disney Dining Plan changes for 2026, including some Patina restaurants.
Some other restaurants MAY have been dropped from the plan as well…but maybe not.
Photo: Disney
MickeyBlog is still chasing this story, so I cannot say for sure yet whether this is a change or a holiday-related miscommunication.
I am sure that the PizzeRizzo billboard, easily the best thing about the restaurant, is gone forever.
Disney
Then, we have the big Hollywood Studios story of the week, the incident during a show.
A heroic Cast Member saved the day at Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
I’ll discuss this one more in Disney Headlines, but you can learn more about the hero here.
Disney has promised that it’ll make changes to the show in light of this unexpected incident.
Inner Tubes – H2O Glow
Circling back to Typhoon Lagoon, the Beachcomber Shacks and Umbrellas cost more now.
We also know when Harambe Market will reopen with its new menu.
In an odd turn of events, the TRON Identity program has closed permanently.
Disney Miscellany Part II
2026 Festival of the Arts
At EPCOT, DISNEY ON BROADWAY is about to be a thing again.
The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts officially opens on January 16th, which is 12 days from now.
2026 Festival of the Arts
As usual, DISNEY ON BROADWAY will sell out all its shows. So, you should pay attention to this.
We just learned the pricing and packages available to guarantee seats for DISNEY ON BROADWAY.
Photo: Disney
Anyone who wants to go to the show should buy one of these packages. Period.
Then, in a weird story we’re also tracking, Brightline is apparently in serious financial peril.
Should the company collapse, I presume someone else would just buy it for cheap.
So, the train rides aren’t going anywhere, barring something unforeseen. Still, this is worrisome.
Photo: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Then, we have the best Disney theme park news of all. Stacey is back!!!
Finally, on a more personal note, MickeyTravels has done it again.
For the fourth straight year, the travel agency has earned Diamond Earmarked status with Disney.
That’s THE highest honor a Disney-related travel agency can earn, and it’s a credit to all the impeccable MickeyTravels agents.
I always rave about MickeyTravels, and this is why. Customers trust this agency completely.
Why is that the case? Customers know that MickeyTravels makes magic one vacation at a time.
MickeyTravels
Congratulations to all my friends at MickeyTravels! You’re incredible human beings!
Photo: MickeyBlog
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, an EarMarked By Disney – Authorized Travel Agency – Diamond Level, will be in touch soon!
