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Welcome back to Park & Heart! This week has so much magic!
If this is your first Park & Heart, welcome. Each Sunday, I keep it short & sweet with two of my favorite things:
🏰 What’s new or what's old (and helpful) around Walt Disney World
💛 A bit of heart-level encouragement
No selling. No pressure. Just a weekly pause because we all need a little positivity in our lives
Let's go to Hollywood…
🏰 PARK | Disney Updates Worth Knowing
✨ Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away| Magic Kingdom
This new nighttime parade is up and running and making smiles from Main Street to Frontierland. I loved it!
✨ Animation Courtyard|Hollywood Studios
Disney surprised us this week with an announcement that Launch Bay is going away and that the Magic of Disney Animation is returning to it's original spot, complete with a sorcerer Mickey Hat! This will open in 2026
✨ Breakfast Buffet in France|Epcot
A new breakfast buffet is opening in Chef de France when the International Food & Wine festival begins.
✨ TestTrack 3.0|Epcot
TestTrack has now officially re-opened and I am a fan! This also caused a shuffle in the lightning lane tiers at Epcot.
✨ Holiday Parties|Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios
If you're planning on attending the Holiday Parties, please keep in mind that both the Halloween & Christmas parties always seem to sale out - so don't miss out on getting your tickets.
✨ Lobby Refresh | Disney's Pop Century
The lobby of Disney's Pop Century is getting a refresh (the gift shop just finished its refresh). I love the way they display items from the various decades so it will be interesting to see how this area changes.
✨ Water Parks | Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach
Your day of arrival gets you free entrance into one of the waterparks. Pack and Travel accordingly. Seriously, take Disney up on this offer. BOTH pars are amazing!
💛 Tips for enjoying the Water Parks | My two cents
If you’re planning to go to the water parks, here are my tips:
✅ Pack Accordingly with a day bag to you can get to the water parks ASAP
✅ While there are lots of shade at both parks, if you're not going to be in your chair much, don't sweat it if you don't have a shady spot.
✅ If a cabana is in the budget - go for it! These are great! Book them early!
✅ The cement is HOT - water shoes are a great idea!
✅ Right now the parks close at 8pm - the later you stay, the less crowded it is. And 8pm is plenty warm right now.
✅ The food at the water parks is surprisingly good!
🍔 My Top 5 Underrated Restaurants at Walt Disney World
In no particular order (because they’re all yummy):
1️⃣ Sebastian's – Caribbean Beach
2️⃣ Sanaa – Kadani Village, Animal Kingdom Lodge
3️⃣ Ale & Compass – Disney’s Yacht Club
4️⃣ Geyser Point – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (more of a lounge)
5️⃣ Splitsville – Disney Springs (yes it's a bowling alley but the food is GOOD)
💛 HEART | This Week’s Encouragement
I was standing on the monorail platform at Disney’s Polynesian when I noticed two little girls sitting on the ground, happily playing while they waited.
A family approached with another little girl in a stroller — dressed as Moana, no older than five. She appeared to be non-verbal, and didn’t say a word… but her eyes were fixed on the girls playing nearby.
After a moment, she quietly climbed out of her stroller, walked over to them, and reached into a small pouch. Without a word, she handed each of the girls a handmade friendship bracelet.
Her mom leaned in and softly explained, “She made those to give away to other kids.”
The two girls lit up, said thank you, hugged her, and invited her to play. And just like that, all three sat down in perfect unison.
They quickly realized she wasn’t going to speak — but they didn’t flinch. They just told her how beautiful her dress was. How much they loved the bracelets. And kept playing, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Within a minute or so, the monorail arrived. The moment was over — but it was too sweet to forget.
This week, you might be the one giving the bracelet — offering a quiet gesture of kindness. Or maybe you’ll be the one receiving it — with the chance to respond with grace and gratitude.
Whichever role you find yourself in: lean in with love.
Kindness doesn’t need an explanation.
And connection doesn’t always need words.
There is magic in every small act of grace.
Let your guard down and look for moments to be a bright spot to those you come into contact with. You will have lots of opportunities to spread kindness this week - fix your eyes on those moments.
Let’s not miss them.
📚 BEHIND THE CURTAIN | Book & Shop Update
I can finally say it… the book is written! All 15 chapters and their devotional sections are complete. (Of course, I’ll keep tweaking and editing — but it feels so good to say it’s finished!)
Next up? Figuring out the formatting and design to get it ready for print. The plan right now is a softcover version plus Kindle — both self-published through Amazon. My goal is still a September release, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
On the shop side, Halloween Season hits as soon as the first party begins. CRAZY. Also, it’s time to start promoting our group cruise and upcoming meetups. These are all about building our community in real life, and I can’t wait to share the details with you soon
Thank you for being here and for allowing me to share my heart in addition to the parks.
—Bonnie
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