🚝 Dad at Disney Weekly #053 ✨

Hi All,

D23 kicked off TODAY, Disney Springs is going full Halloween, and I've got two new resort comparisons on the blog — including the lodge that's quietly the best deluxe value near Magic Kingdom. Let's get to it:

LATEST NEWS

D23 is happening right now — August 14-16…. Disney's big fan event kicked off today in Anaheim, and this is historically where the park-changing announcements drop (new lands, new resorts, new attractions). You can follow along on Disney's D23 event hub all weekend — I'm watching for anything that affects Disney World trip planning, and the stuff that matters will be broken down in next week's issue. If a "Horizons"-style deep dive is your thing, panels are streaming on Disney+ too.

Disney Springs has gone full Halloween…. Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar flipped to its Halloween overlay this week with new themed menu items, and Disney also posted the fall lineup for Disney Springs — new eats, seasonal shopping, and the Halloween foodie spread. Good news for planners: Disney Springs needs no park ticket, so this is a free evening of fall Disney (minus what you eat, which, fair).

Food & Wine is 13 days out…. EPCOT's festival opens August 27 and runs through November 21 — included with regular admission, no separate ticket. If you're going this fall, this is the week to lock the room: close-in fall inventory is exactly what the $19/point rental promo below covers. Taking kids? The festival-with-kids playbook has the booth strategy that keeps everyone fed and nobody melting down.

The Warrior Games are coming back to Disney World in 2027…. Disney announced the Warrior Games return to WDW next year — the adaptive sports competition for wounded, ill, and injured service members. Not a trip-planning item, just a genuinely great thing happening on property worth knowing about.

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NEW ON THE BLOG ✍️ 

The lodge with the boat is the sneaky value play…. Everyone fights over the monorail resorts; meanwhile Wilderness Lodge has TWO DVC options with some of the lowest point charts near Magic Kingdom. Boulder Ridge vs Copper Creek: same lodge, same pools, same boat to the castle — different rooms, and sometimes different prices. I broke down which one to rent in the full comparison, with real 2026 rental math (~40-55% under cash rates).

Giraffes with your coffee…. The other "help me pick" question finally has its answer: Jambo House vs Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Same savanna, two very different stays — Jambo's iconic lobby and Boma vs Kidani's quieter halls, extra bathroom, and Sanaa's bread service. Verdict by kid age inside.

In case you missed these…. Fall trip forming? The week-by-week October guide tells you which October you're actually booking (there are three), and the MNSSHP cheat sheet covers party-night strategy before the good dates sell out.

Starting from zero? The free DVC Savings Guide is the 10-minute head start — and all my money-saving tools live at dadatdisney.co/tools.

VIRAL FOOD OF THE WEEK 😍 (IT WAS NATIONAL S’MORES DAY)

CHECK OUT @DAD_AT_DISNEY FOR MORE AWESOME PHOTOS LIKE THIS!

DISNEY DEALS

🔥 $19 points are still live — and fall is the target…. DVC Rental Store's promo pricing new 0-7 month bookings at $19/point is still running, and the 0-7 window now covers Food & Wine, MNSSHP season, and most of the fall value calendar. That's how a deluxe studio lands in moderate-resort territory — including the Wilderness Lodge stays from this week's blog post. Applies to new point bookings, not confirmed reservations. Browse current DVC availability. (Affiliate link — I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)

🗓️ Booking 2027? The calendar's open through June…. Up to 65% off Disney's Deluxe rates, and spring 2027 is sitting right in the 7-11 month sweet spot where resort selection is best. If next year is even a maybe, check what's open. (Affiliate link — I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)

🚼 The stroller math still wins…. Kingdom Strollers delivers a real Baby Jogger to your resort — free delivery, pickup, and rain cover — for about $100 per week vs $27-31/day renting Disney's plastic doubles in-park. Every model meets Disney's size rules. Check availability for your dates. (Affiliate link — I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)

Party ears, the premium edition…. MNSSHP nights are selling and the in-park merch lines are real. If you want ears that survive more than one trip, the Loungefly Disney Halloween ears headband is the buy-once option — and it still costs less than park-price ears. 🎃

The bottle cooler that pays for itself…. Park-cart drinks are $5+ each; bringing your own is the oldest dad trick in the book. The Disney Baby MaxiCOOL 4-bottle cooler snaps onto the stroller, keeps things cold ~8 hours with the included ice pack, and looks the part (Mickey, obviously). 🧊

Cup holders: the marriage saver…. The Disney Baby Cups 'N Cargo stroller organizer adds two expandable cup holders, zippered pockets, and mesh cargo to any stroller — including rentals. Clips right onto a Kingdom Strollers Baby Jogger, which is exactly where ours lives. ☕

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• August 14-16: D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event — expect park announcements

• Aug 7 – Oct 31: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2026 (select nights)

• Aug 27 – Nov 21: EPCOT Food & Wine Festival 2026

• September 9: Typhoon Lagoon closes for the season

• October 22-25: Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend

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