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Welcome back to Park & Heart!
What a beautiful Sunday morning so far - I hope yours is equally as grand!
Every Sunday, I pop into your inbox with just two simple things:
🏰 A peek at what’s new (or a trusty tip from the past) around Walt Disney World
💛 A dash of encouragement for the heart
No sales pitch. No “limited-time offer.” Just a little Sunday pause — because we could all use more "heart" and encouragement in our week.
It’s another slow news week in the parks, so today’s edition might lean a little heavier on the heart side.
✨ Halloween / Fall Decor | Magic Kingdom
The signs for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are now up outside Magic Kingdom — which usually means one thing: by Monday, Main Street will be dressed in its fall finest.
I’ll be at the very first Halloween Party Friday night, so watch for a LIVE from the park in our Facebook Group and on Instagram!
✨ Beak & Barrel | Magic Kingdom
Hoist the anchor, mateys — Disney’s brand-new Pirates of the Caribbean–themed lounge sets sail August 29! Reservations open August 14, so get ready to stake your claim.
The Beak & Barrel will serve swashbucklers during regular park hours and the Halloween & Christmas parties — marking the first-ever lounge to drop anchor in Magic Kingdom.
✨ Halloween Merch|Walt Disney World
Halloween Merch is already out at World of Disney with select items already available at resorts. More items are expected. I must say, this is the cutest collection of Halloween items Disney has offered in a few years.
✨ Construction | Yacht Club
The porte-cochere at the Yacht Club is currently under a major refurb and is totally boxed off, moving the valet and entrance area just in front of it.
✨ Lobby Refurb | Disney’s Pop Century
The lobby at Pop Century is officially under construction — but honestly, they’re pulling it off like pros.
Last week, I gave Grand Floridian a little grief for the chaos in their lobby during refurb season. But Pop? Even with the curtains and construction walls up, they’ve managed to keep things running so smoothly you’d hardly notice anything was happening.
This update continues the improvements / updates they've made to the food court and store areas.
✨ Disney Destiny | Disney Cruise Line
The Disney Destiny had it's float out on Saturday, bringing that ship one step closer to going into service.
On Friday the Disney Cruise Line had the "Steel Cutting Ceremony" for their next ship they are building. This ceremony marks the official start date of construction.
💛 Cookie Battle | My Two Cents
People will happily wait 45 minutes for a Gideon’s cookie — and I get it. They’re legendary. I still remember the first one I ever had, like it was a milestone moment in my Disney food life.
But here’s the thing… the cookies at Summer House on the Lake? They may not have the same viral social media fame, but they’re every bit as delicious.
And when it comes to cookies, I’m not an either/or kind of guy - I’m a why not both? kind of guy. Life’s too short for cookie loyalty. lol
🍔 My Top 5 Restaurant Suggestions at Walt Disney World (this week)
In no particular order (because they’re all so yummy). I want to share a few restaurant suggestions that do not get a lot of attention at Disney World - though I don't know why.
1️⃣ Rosa Mexicano - Swan & Dolphin (try the guac & grilled steak tacos!)
2️⃣ Sebastian's - Caribbean Beach (this place is so good!)
3️⃣ Enzo's Hideaway - Disney Springs (the entire vibe is so cool)
4️⃣ Captain Cook's - The Polynesian Quick Service
5️⃣ House of Blues - Disney Springs
When I worked Minnie Vans I would take most of my Friday night breaks at House of Blues - the food was amazing and there was good live music. I feel like this place was super popular YEARS ago - but to me, the food is super good (maybe it's the Southern in me?)
💛 HEART | This Week’s Encouragement
Speaking of great restaurants, Olivia’s is one of my favorites. And one evening, sitting outside on the patio, I stumbled into a little life lesson… courtesy of a slice of Key Lime Pie.
A family was seated across from me — mom, dad, and their teenage son, who looked about 14. When dessert time came, the boy ordered the Key Lime Pie. It arrived. He picked up his fork. And in three giant bites, it was gone.
His dad raised an eyebrow and, with a hint of sarcasm, asked, “Did you enjoy it?”
The boy shrugged.
That’s when things got interesting.
The dad caught the server’s attention and ordered two more slices of pie. When they arrived, he told his son, “Don’t touch yours yet.” Then he picked up his fork, shaved off the tiniest sliver, held it to his nose like a fine wine, and took a slow, deliberate bite.
You could see it — he was savoring every note of flavor.
He did it again. Another small sliver. Another pause to enjoy it. Then he nodded toward his son: “Your turn.”
The boy reached for a forkful big enough to feed Goofy, but Dad stopped him.
“No… just a little bite. Really taste it.”
So the boy did. And he kept doing it, in small, thoughtful bites.
The dad smiled and quietly said something we all need to hear:
“Slow down. Enjoy what's in front of you.”
It reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s famous words: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Sometimes we treat our days like that first slice of pie — rushing through, barely tasting anything. But the beauty of life is in the slow moments. In the tiny bites. In the sunsets, the laughter, the conversations that could have been missed.
It’s the same way I feel walking down Main Street U.S.A. and seeing everyone just walking to their first ride of the day - there’s magic everywhere, but you have to slow down to see it.
Beauty is all around you but you have to take the time to see it.
So this week, take your time. Savor the slice. There’s goodness in every bite — if we don’t rush past it.
And yes, I did have to order a slice for myself.
📚 BEHIND THE CURTAIN | Book & Shop Update
After spending about 7 hours straight trying to format my book and feeling like I made zero progress, I decided to outsource the formatting. That felt like a BIG advancement. I've outsourced my book cover design and the formatting of the book to get it prepped to upload to Amazon/the printer.
Yesterday morning (Saturday) I had an email saying the 1st Draft was ready for me to review! It literally gave me chills and teared me up to see what they had done! They formatted it within 48 hours when they told me 7 days!
Now I have to go through it for revisions on the formatting. ..but oh my word I'm so thrilled for it.
This whole book thing is getting real!
📚 Building Community | Group Meetups
This week we announced another Mouse Marketplace Disney Cruise Meetup. This one is for August 27, 2026 going to Alaska on the Magic. If you would like info on this cruise please request info from www.bookthemagic.com
Thanks for being here and for being a part of Mouse Marketplace!
—Bonnie
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