• When visiting Disney World in colder temps, I explore the park differently.
• Cold-weather character costumes and EPCOT Festival of the Arts are two winter-only experiences.
• A puffer jacket, Minnie Ear beanie, and gloves are not my usual park look, but a must this trip.

With more than 20 trips to Walt Disney World, I’ve visited during every season and most months of the year — a June work trip, November family trip for our Disney wedding, a 5th birthday trip in May, and in the runDisney ChEAR squad with a friend in February.

This year was my fourth time visiting in the winter months of January/February, and it was just my husband and me. Despite some very chilly days, this trip confirmed it — winter is officially my favorite time to visit Disney World, especially when it’s a kid-free trip.

Winter is a time to explore the parks differently

In the months when avoiding heat and crowds is a priority, it’s best to arrive early, stay late, and avoid being outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.

When it’s cold, it’s kind of the opposite. We focused on the indoor attractions and spots with indoor queues in the morning.

At 11 a.m., we searched for opportunities to be in the brisk afternoon air and lovely sunshine.

Once the sun started setting and it started getting chillier around 4:30/5 p.m., we headed to eat, taking our time over meals at restaurants geared more toward adults, like Takumi-Tei at EPCOT.

We found rare characters, cold-weather costumes, and new Cast Members

Late January/early February is one of the start times for the Disney College Program, also known as DCP in Disney lingo.

Some of my favorite Cast Member interactions have been with excited, brand-new college kids in “Earning My Ears” ribbons. These Cast Members are proof that some of the biggest Disney fans work in the parks.

This is also a time to randomly meet rare characters because characters are being “warmed up” (Disney speak for training) for parades, shows, and character meet and greets.

On this trip, we had two character firsts at EPCOT — meeting both Geppetto from “Pinocchio” and the mice from “Cinderella.” Usually, the only place to see these characters is during a parade.

I got a wave from Geppetto and helped the mice search for Cinderella’s glass slipper.

EPCOT is also home to many outdoor character meet-and-greets. When the temperature drops, the cold-weather costumes come out — Alice dons a gorgeous cloak, Moana has sleeves with seashells, and Aurora gets a stunning pink fur trim on her gown.

We found a new favorite location for a nighttime show, California Grill

With the not-so-magical weather, we changed our plans for the nighttime show.

Even in a hat, gloves, and multiple layers, the chilly nighttime air coming off the lagoon at EPCOT for Harmonious and the cold seats at Hollywood Studio Fantasmic! weren’t appealing.

Instead, we made our first visit to California Grill. Seeing fireworks fill the sky over Magic Kingdom, toasty warm with a goat cheese ravioli and a glass of Skywalker wine, was an experience I will happily repeat.

The best EPCOT Festival is for a few weeks and only in the winter

I’ve been to every one of the four annual EPCOT festivals multiple times.

EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is, without a doubt, my favorite. It’s the smallest, shortest, and least busy festival.

We visited the festival every day of our four-day trip. We climbed inside 3D chalk art, saw popular Disney artists, hopped inside scenes from Disney movies, and sampled sips and bites almost too beautiful to eat.

What I love most about the Festival of the Arts is the sense of community and inclusiveness.

We joined thousands of people from around the world to transform a wall into a colorful community art piece.

And, before leaving the park for the evening, we stood with other guests watching Spaceship Earth light up in rainbows while The Muppets sang “Rainbow Connection.”

This trip, we were prepared for the cold weather

Almost every winter trip to Disney, I have come home with an impulse purchase made while freezing in the park.

There’s the blanket from the EPCOT Mexico pavilion we huddled under during the fireworks in November, and the Mickey sweatshirt bought at a very chilly late-night Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I have two hoodies from my last trip in February — it was so chilly, I wore both at the same time.

Not this time! We were prepared for the cold, and instead of a suitcase full of cute vintage-inspired Disney dresses — my usual park look — I packed packable puffer jackets and gloves, and got creative with Disney-esque layers.

Multiple guests and Cast Members complimented my Minnie Ear beanie and Mickey-inspired red and black puffer jacket layers — items I got for an Alaska Disney Cruise that I never thought I’d wear in Florida, but looked great in front of the magical glow of Spaceship Earth.

• New satellite imagery shows the aftermath of US and Israeli strikes across Iran.
• The images from Sunday show damage at drone bases, naval facilities, and radar systems.
• The US and Israel said they hit a range of targets from military sites to high-ranking officials.

Newly captured satellite imagery shows destruction and damage to infrastructure at military installations across Iran after waves of US and Israeli airstrikes.

The images, collected on Sunday by the US spatial intelligence firm Vantor and obtained by Business Insider, show that a wide range of targets have been struck since Saturday, including a drone base, a naval facility, and a radar system.

The US involvement is more widespread than the brief round of American strikes in June 2025, which primarily targeted Iran’s nuclear sites.

In the southern coastal city of Konarak along the Gulf of Oman, the images reveal destroyed and damaged buildings, storage bunkers, and aircraft shelters at Iranian drone and air bases.

At a nearby naval facility in Konarak, the imagery shows destroyed and sinking vessels and damaged buildings adjacent to the pier. The US military confirmed on Sunday that it had struck a Jamaran-class corvette and said it was “sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman.”

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US has “destroyed and sunk” nine Iranian naval vessels and would continue to target the remainder of the fleet.

At the Zahedan airbase in eastern Iran, near the country’s borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, imagery reveals an obliterated radar system.

The US military said on Saturday that it had targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and control facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. B-2 stealth bombers struck fortified missile sites with 2,000-pound bombs.

In contrast, the US focused its attacks in June 2025 — the first direct American strikes against Iran in decades — on fortified sites associated with Iran’s effort to enrich uranium.

The Israeli military said it has targeted Iranian air defense systems, missile launchers, and fighter jets in strikes that began Saturday and have continued into Sunday. Israel said it has killed 40 senior Iranian commanders, as well as the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Despite these blows, Iran has managed to launch a steady pace of drones and missiles, damaging buildings and ships across the region.

Israeli fighter jets have dropped thousands of munitions over more than 700 aircraft sorties. More than 200 people have been killed or wounded in the joint strikes, according to local reports.

Iran has retaliated to the strikes by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel and more than half a dozen other countries across the Middle East, including at major US military bases in several Gulf states.

The retaliatory fire has killed and wounded dozens of people in Israel and the United Arab Emirates, officials said, and caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure across the Gulf.

US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said on Sunday that three service members have been killed and five more seriously wounded as part of combat operations against Iran. It said several other American personnel sustained minor injuries.

The announcement marks the first time the US has acknowledged casualties during the operation. Trump warned of potential losses on Saturday when he announced the start of the strike campaign.

“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war,” Trump said in a video address to the nation. “But we’re doing this — not for now — we’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”

• US and Israeli forces killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the weekend.
• Users bet at least $255 million over his killing and strikes in Iran on Kalshi and Polymarket.
• Some people claimed markets were rigged or unfair. Others criticized the death-related markets.

First came the bets. Then came the bombs. Now comes the outrage.

On Saturday, while many Americans were waking up to news of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, some were betting money on what would happen next — and expressing confusion and anger over what was happening on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.

The market-surveillance software company Bubblemaps said Saturday morning it had identified several new cryptocurrency wallets connected to Polymarket that collectively made over $1.2 million related to strikes on Iran.

Meanwhile, hours after the strikes began, Kalshi posted on X about the volatility in markets related to the ousting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On Polymarket, at least $200 million was staked on four wagers related to US strikes on Iran, regime change, or Khamenei’s death. Kalshi, which is more regulated and barred by US law from offering markets related to war and assassination, recorded almost $55 million in contracts related to whether or not Khamenei would be “out” in the next several months before activity in those markets was halted on Saturday afternoon.

The drip-drip of news and ambiguities in the contractual language on Kalshi and Polymarket led some users to think they had an edge as the day progressed. But several expressed outrage at the processing of their bets — or “trades,” as Kalshi calls them.

“Robbery. This platform is terrible,” wrote one Kalshi user, who posted an image showing a loss of $11.25 on a long-shot bet on Khamenei’s ouster.

While Kalshi only lists seven open markets on its “Iran” page, Polymarket had 187 Iran-related markets open as of Sunday morning, many with very little trading volume.

One that has since closed asked whether the US would “forcibly remove” Khamenei by March 31. Polymarket posted a “clarification” that the market resolved to “no” because the US had “merely contribute[d] to or assist[ed]” in the killing of Khamenei.

Some commenters urged that the outcome be disputed. Polymarket, where activity is logged on the Polygon blockchain, has a complex, decentralized resolution mechanism for many of its markets.

Markets that hinge partly on death are among the most controversial ones offered on prediction markets because they could create financial incentives for killing. In Israel, several people were reportedly arrested, and at least two were indicted in February based on their use of military secrets to make Polymarket bets.

In late February, six Democratic senators asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which has emerged as the main regulator of US prediction markets, to take action against contracts that “incentivize physical injury or death,” citing several Polymarket contracts and not mentioning Kalshi.

Chris Murphy, another Democratic senator, said this weekend on X that he would introduce legislation “ASAP” to prevent “people around Trump” from “profiting off war.”

By the end of Saturday, Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour posted on X that bets on Khamenei’s ouster would be paid out for their value the minute before Israel and the US reportedly struck Iran. Users who bought contracts after that point would be partly reimbursed, he said.

Some people protested or expressed confusion over how their positions would resolve. Others were supportive of Kalshi’s decisions.

“90% of you never read any rules and are mad at Kalshi because you couldn’t make money off your lil $10,” one user said in the comment section on Kalshi. “Get a grip, start reading rules.”

Representatives for Kalshi and Polymarket didn’t immediately respond to questions sent by email on Sunday morning.

Have a tip? Know more? Reach Jack Newsham via email (jnewsham@businessinsider.com) or via Signal (+1-314-971-1627). Use a personal email address, a nonwork device, and nonwork WiFi; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.

• The US shared new video footage from its strikes on Iran.
• The US and Israel launched strikes with hundreds of aircraft and numerous munitions.
• The footage includes missiles launched at sea and the destruction of Iranian targets

New US video footage shows elements of its strikes on Iran, including the launching of missiles and fighters and the destruction of multiple targets.

The footage shared by US Central Command on Saturday shows destroyers firing missiles at sea and carriers launching combat aircraft. It also shows repeated strikes on Iranian military targets. It said its forces are “delivering an overwhelming and unrelenting blow.”

It did not specify exactly what was hit, or attribute each attack to the US or Israel, which jointly took part in the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury on the American side and Roaring Lion on the Israeli side.

It said the operation, which started Saturday morning, involved precision munitions launched from the air, land, and sea, and said it “involves the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation.”

A US official also told Business Insider that the US launched Tomahawk cruise missiles from warships and that ground forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS. Other weapons were also employed.

The Israel Defense Forces said that it used around 200 fighters in what it described as “the largest military flyover in the history of the Israeli Air Force,” adding that the jets dropped hundreds of munitions “targeting approximately 500 objectives, including aerial defense systems and missile launchers, in a number of locations in Iran, simultaneously.”

Israel has also released footage showing an attack on missile launchers at a remote site in Iran.

US Central Command said attacks were intended to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that posed an imminent threat.” President Trump vowed to destroy Iran’s missile program and other military capabilities and said that the aim was for Iran to “never” have a nuclear weapon. He called on Iranian forces to surrender or face “certain death.”

CENTCOM said targets included “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.”

Strikes have been reported across Iran, including at military sites and the residence of Iran’s supreme leader. Satellite imagery showed a burning Iranian warship in the aftermath of the initial strikes.

Iranian officials said that at least 85 people were killed at a girls’ elementary school, and the Iranian Red Crescent humanitarian group told the BBC that 201 people had been killed in the country.

After the start of the US and Israeli strikes, Iran launched counterattacks against Israel and against multiple nearby nations, many of which have bases that host US forces and are US allies. Those nations reported many successful interceptions, but also some damage. Details about Iran’s attacks are still emerging, and attacks may continue.

CENTCOM said that its forces had successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks. It said there was damage to US military facilities, but that it was minimal and did not impact operations.

Bahrain said the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, located in the country, was hit by an Iranian missile attack, without giving details on the extent of any damage.

Iran’s strikes also targeted Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan. Some countries reported injuries from falling debris, including Kuwait, which said that three armed forces members had minor injuries from shrapnel from the interception of drones and ballistic missiles. The United Arab Emirates said one person was killed by falling debris in its capital, and four people were injured and taken to the hospital after an incident in a part of the city of Dubai that is known for luxury hotels.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the US and Israeli strikes “wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate.” Iran has vowed further action, and Israel has hinted that its actions so far only represent the beginning of its operation. The US has indicated the same.

Flights have been cancelled across the region, and multiple countries have closed their airspaces, resulting in major disruption for what is one of the world’s busiest flight routes.

• Denny Balmaceda is a 38-year-old fashion designer who flew from Jersey City to San Francisco.
• A woman asked to switch seats with him so she could sit next to her husband.
• Denny quickly realized her husband was Keegan-Michael Key.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Denny Balmaceda. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In February, I boarded my plane that would fly from Newark Airport in Jersey City to San Francisco. My business-class seat had been booked by a clothing brand I had been working for at the time. My seat on row 11 was a window seat with my own little nook, a treat for me, who usually flies in the economy seats.

As I settled in, neatly arranging my things in the compartment above my head and around my seat, a woman I didn’t recognize kindly asked if I would mind switching seats with her so she could sit next to her husband.

I quickly said, “Sure.” I know that in economy, this kind of question can produce mixed feelings, because if you’ve booked a window seat, you’re not going to want to switch to a middle seat. But in business class, all the seats are good, so I didn’t mind.

I hadn’t realized who her husband was

Just as I responded to her request, I looked up and saw Keegan-Michael Key. I was switching seats with his wife, so she could sit next to him. She continued, explaining she thought she had booked them to sit next to each other.

I took her seat in row 10, and she took mine in row 11.

So not only did I get to travel in business class — already a lot of fun for me — I also got to travel in front of a celebrity that I absolutely love. He’s literally one of my favourite actors.

His wife leaned over and said Key would be happy to take a photo with me. He did, and he was so nice. Throughout the flight, he was the same with everyone who came up to him — a real gentleman.

He was so nice

Every single person who came up to him got his time and never once seemed annoyed. He talked to everyone and let people take photos with him.

When his wife needed help with anything, he helped.

And as the flight came to an end, I asked if he could grab my bag, and he didn’t flinch — he was fine with it.

There was no sense that he thought he was above anyone on that plane. He was just a real person who happened to be a celebrity.

Working in the fashion industry, I know there are both celebrities who are rude and those who just have bad days. I know that sometimes, people just want to be themselves without the fame. They just want to travel on planes and not be recognized. But he didn’t fit into any of these categories.

After the flight landed and before we went our separate ways, I took a couple of photos of us together to show my wife.

It was a one-in-a-million chance that I’d switch seats with someone famous, and I was very happy and surprised to get to experience it.

• Americans are being advised to shelter in place in many Middle Eastern countries.
• The US and Israel struck Iran on Saturday.
• Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have closed their airspaces.

Americans in many Middle Eastern countries have been advised to shelter in place after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday.

The US Department of State Consular Affairs and related embassies posted on X that US citizens in countries including Iran, Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, were advised to shelter in place until further notice.

Hours later it posted guidance for US citizens in Iraq, advising them to “exercise increased caution, limit their movements, and be prepared to shelter in place.”

“There are reports of missiles, drones, or rockets in Iraqi airspace. The security environment remains complex and can change quickly,” the US Department of State Consular Affairs wrote.

“If you are in Iraq, you should review your personal security plan and evaluate options to shelter in place or depart Iraq should the situation deteriorate,” it continued.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem said it had directed all US government employees and their families to shelter in place, and that Israel had closed airspace to all civilian flights.

The US Department of State Consular Affairs also warned of imminent drone and missile attacks in Bahrain.

The US Embassy in Beirut wrote that the Department of State “urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon now while commercial options remain available.”

The US Department of State Consular Affairs also noted that “out of an abundance of caution” US citizens in Pakistan should follow strong personal safety precautions, including staying aware of their surroundings, avoiding large crowds, and ensuring that their “Smart Traveler Enrollment Program” registration is updated.

Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have closed their airspaces. A video shared on Flightradar24 showed airplanes leaving the region.

Of the approximately 3,400 flights scheduled to the region, 230 were cancelled as of 12 p.m. Central European time, while 40 due to fly on Sunday were preemptively cancelled.

Airports in the region shared travel updates online. Dubai Airports said all flights at Dubai International and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International were suspended until further notice. It advised passengers not to travel to those airports at this time, and to contact their respective airlines for updates on flights.

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia, Hamad International Airport in Doha, and Abu Dhabi Airports gave similar advice to passengers.

In a video statement posted on social media on Saturday, President Donald Trump vowed to destroy Iran’s missile program and navy and said the objective of the strikes is to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats.”

“My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so — and I do not make this statement lightly — the Iranian regime seeks to kill,” Trump said.

“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war,” Trump continued.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.