The Ultimate Disney World Things to Do List for Summer 2026

Summer is a popular season to plan a Walt Disney World vacation. With children out of school and adults more easily able to take time off from work, it’s no wonder many families have their sights set on the most magical place on Earth. Aside from the hot weather, The summer season is an ideal time to visit.

This summer in particular is full of bucket list-worthy deals that you’ll want to include in your vacation itinerary. Considering this is the perfect time to start planning your summer vacation at Walt Disney Worldlet’s dive in and see what’s in store at the theme parks and beyond!

Float down a lazy river at Disney World’s water parks (for free!)

Few things sound more appealing during the summer months at Walt Disney World than a relaxing trip around a lazy river. Coming back to summer 2026 is free entry to the water park for Walt Disney World hotel guests. To be eligible for this offer, your name must appear on a hotel reservation. This offer is valid for arrivals from May 26 to September 8.

On your day of arrival and check-in At your Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you and your entire group named on the reservation can visit one of Disney World’s water parks — Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach — for free!

READ MORE: WAYS TO SAVE ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION

Meet your favorite Disney characters

Meeting characters is a feature of every Disney World vacation, and summer is the perfect time to meet your favorites! With the return of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER taking place from May 26 to September 8, guests staying at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside will have scheduled visits from some Disney characters.

Keep your eyes peeled when entering the park early this summer. Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel can enter any of the four theme parks 30 minutes before the posted opening time, and during this time, the characters will be available at all four theme parks. Additional character interactions will take place in the park, including interactive experiences such as GoofyCore at EPCOT.

This summer also marks the arrival of Bluey and Bingo to the Conservation station in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The Conservation Station will also include a new animal exhibit this summer featuring animals native to Bluey and Bingo’s home country of Australia.

READ MORE: A SEASONAL GUIDE TO THE WALT DISNEY WORLD IN 2026

Delight with the Muppets on a reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Big changes will be underway this year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with new offers in time for summer. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with Aerosmith will have its last day of operation on March 1st. The roller coaster will not be closed for too long, however, as was previously announced. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will reopen its doors in summer 2026 with a new headliner: the Muppets.

This new version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will have changes made to the pre-show with the the very first Audio Animatronic of Scooter!

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with The Muppets is sure to have more surprises in store, so be sure to follow along in the weeks and months leading up to the launch of the new version of this Hollywood studio classic.

READ MORE: HOW TO SURVIVE THE SUMMER HEAT AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Find out how unlimited the high score can be in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

After a renovation lasting several months, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will reopening in spring 2026 in the Magic Kingdom. Once reopened, the Tomorrowland attraction will feature new passenger vehicles as well as a new show stage featuring a new character named Buddy.

These new transport vehicles will be equipped with new blasterswhich makes it even easier to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg! The driving system will include a new rating system, where is your the scores are practically unlimited! That’s right, no more capping at 999,999. Be sure to check out this newly updated Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin this summer.

READ MORE: IS A SUMMER VACATION TO DISNEY WORLD RIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY?

Embark on a new mission on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Star Wars: The Edge of the Galaxy has Disney’s Hollywood Studios is about to receive one of its biggest changes since opening in 2019. Millennium Falcon: The Smugglers’ Race will allow guests to embark on an entirely new mission with new scenes, characters and destinations seen along the way.

Your new mission may take you to a number of new destinations seen in the Star Wars universe, notably Coruscant, Bespin or the remains of the second Death Star near Endor.

That’s not all: passengers will be joined by The Mandalorian and Grogu. Those sitting in the back row with the Engineer role will now be responsible for monitoring Grogu during the mission.

The new mission comes just in time for the summer season and will launch on May 22.

READ MORE: HOW TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS PLAY A ROLE IN DISNEY PARKS IN 2026

Fly across America in EPCOT

This summer marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As America celebrates its 250th anniversaryWalt Disney World is preparing for a summer of memorable offers.

Perhaps more particularly, a new version of Soarin’ arrives at EPCOT in time for Memorial Day weekend. The new version of the ride will be called Soaring across America and will feature more than a dozen American monumentsboth artificial and natural.

If you are visiting during the July 4th holiday, you will want to add the spectacular limited time fireworks to your itinerary.

READ MORE: HOW DISNEY PARKS CELEBRATE AMERICA 250

The Ultimate Disney World Summer 2026 Bucket List was originally published on The World of Spark.

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