A Southwest Airlines display at the airport this week, done in partnership with Disney and Make-A-Wish for World Princess Week, was a reminder of just how many places at Disney World you can actually meet a real Disney princess. Between Magic Kingdom and Epcot, a single day at the parks can turn into a full princess itinerary.
World Princess Week runs through August 23, 2026, and Disney has packed the celebration with new content, a princess concert special, and princess-themed wishes granted with Make-A-Wish. For families planning an actual visit, the parks themselves are where the celebration gets hands-on. Here’s what Disney released this week, plus where to find every princess in person.
A New Short Film and the Ultimate Concert Celebration
The centerpiece of this year’s celebration is a new short film called Once a Princess, Always a Princess, directed by photographer and filmmaker Alex Prager and now streaming on Disney+ and YouTube. The story follows two girls in neighboring apartment buildings whose shared love of Disney Princess stories turns into a lifelong friendship, one they eventually pass down to their own daughters.
What sets the short apart is how it was actually built. Disney used handcrafted miniature “bigature” castles inspired by Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid, along with custom character puppets, hand-painted backdrops, and a score performed by a 56-piece live orchestra. Floating carpets and underwater scenes were done with practical effects rather than computer animation, which is a notable choice for a project this size in 2026.
Alongside the short film, Disney streamed Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration live from Disney California Adventure Park, calling it the largest gathering of Disney Princess performing talent ever assembled. The lineup included Brandy, Halle Bailey, Auli’i Cravalho, Catherine Laga’aia, and a run of Disney Legends who originated the singing voices behind the animated films, among them Paige O’Hara as Belle, Jodi Benson as Ariel, Lea Salonga as Jasmine and Mulan, Judy Kuhn as Pocahontas, and Anika Noni Rose as Tiana. Make-A-Wish kids and alumni were seated in the audience for the live show.
The concert is now streaming on Disney+ and YouTube, along with a shorter highlight video from the night:
Disney Princess Consumer Products for World Princess Week
Disney Consumer Products rolled out a wide range of Disney Princess merchandise to coincide with the week. Mattel released a lineup of transformation fashion dolls, including an Ariel doll that switches between human and mermaid form. JAKKS Pacific has an interactive “Dance with Me Belle” doll launching this fall that dances alongside kids in three different ways.
Pandora added several lab-grown diamond pieces to its Disney line, including an Enchanted Rose Ring inspired by Beauty and the Beast, a Tiana Tiara Ring, and a Jasmine Rajah charm. Loungefly released a set of Tangled-inspired bags, and Disney Store added a new assortment of Disney Princess costume dresses along with exclusive bedside décor.
Disney Publishing is tying in as well, with the number one New York Times bestselling fantasy novel Rootbound: A Tangled Novel by Margaret Owen from Random House Children’s Books, a recipe collection called Disney Princess Cookie Party from Insight Editions, and a new activity book called Disney Mystery Coloring: Princesses.
Where to Meet Disney Princesses at Magic Kingdom
Princess Fairytale Hall sits directly behind Cinderella Castle, across the walkway from Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. It runs two queues, and each one leads to a different princess pairing.
Cinderella and Rapunzel are the two anchors most days, and each is usually paired with a rotating visiting princess. Tiana, Elena of Avalor, and Snow White have all filled that second spot recently, so the lineup can shift depending on the day. Signs outside each queue tell you exactly who you’re about to meet before you commit to a wait. Ariel also greets nearby in her own grotto if you want a third stop in the same corner of Fantasyland.
Where to Meet Disney Princesses at Epcot’s World Showcase
Epcot spreads its princesses out across the pavilions their stories come from, which makes for one of the more relaxed ways to meet several characters in a single loop. Belle and Aurora both greet in the France pavilion. Jasmine meets inside a lamp shop in Morocco. Snow White waits by the wishing well outside the Germany pavilion. Mulan greets in China, often in the gardens or the Great Hall. Anna and Elsa hold a continuous meet-and-greet at the Royal Sommerhus in Norway, which usually draws the longest line of the bunch.
None of these require a reservation. They’re standard queue-and-wait meets included with park admission, so a princess loop around World Showcase works well as an afternoon add-on to whatever else is on the day’s plan. Guests who want a guaranteed sit-down visit with several princesses at once can book Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway instead, which rotates a group that can include Belle, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora at the table.
World Princess Week is also a reminder of how many of these meets tie back to Make-A-Wish, since princess-themed wishes are among the most requested by children facing critical illnesses, and airlines like Southwest regularly fly wish families to these same meet-and-greets.
