As of August 13, Disneyland's Droid Depot sells an interactive Ewok that giggles, makes motorized facial expressions, and even reacts to the droids you build in the same shop — the first of three Batuu Adventure Buddies, debuting D23 weekend. We break down the Ewok, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights takeover of nine hotels, and Disney's new BÉIS travel-gear collaboration.

Buried in Disney's Food & Wine announcement: on September 18, cheese gets its own dedicated, air-conditioned, interactive home at EPCOT's CommuniCore Hall — a festival first, paired with the returning Emile's Fromage Montage stroll. Here's why an indoor cheese anchor is a bigger deal than the single line it got in the press post.

The biggest on-site payoff isn't the theming — it's the 7-day Lightning Lane Multi Pass window (off-site guests wait until 3 days out), plus 30-minute Early Entry every day at all four parks. We rank every 2026 resort perk by real value and call out exactly who should book off-site instead.