The U.S. Air Force says any decision on whether or not to acquire new production F-16 Viper fighters is likely a year or more away. The service’s top officer in charge of force structure planning has also now raised the prospect of using a “spectrum of capability” to eventually supplant aging older-model F-16s. All of this comes as the Air Force has laid out a new vision to have 1,509 combat-coded fighters in inventory, hundreds more than it has now, by 2035, amid questions about whether industry and budgets can keep up.

Inside Defense and Air & Space Forces Magazine were among the first to report on the Air Force’s latest long-term fighter force structure plan late yesterday. This followed a roundtable with Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the service’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs. At the time of writing, an unclassified copy of the report, which was submitted to Congress last week, has not been released publicly. TWZ has reached out for more information.

Tabor said yesterday that the target fleet of 1,509 combat-coded fighters by 2035 would be approximately 40 percent F-35s, 40 percent F-15s (inclusive of F-15E Strike Eagles and F-15EX Eagle IIs) and F-16s, and 20 percent F-22 Raptors and F-47s, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. As an aside, the final expected F-47 fleet size remains unclear, though the Air Force continues to say it plans to acquire at least enough of those jets to replace its 185 F-22s on a one-for-one basis.

The current breakdown of the service’s fighter force structure is 45 percent F-16s, 30 percent F-35s, 15 percent F-15s, and 10 percent F-22s. Last year’s long-term fighter force structure report said the service was aiming for an eventual inventory of 1,558 combat-coded fighters and hoped to hit a milestone of 1,369 aircraft by Fiscal Year 2030. As of the start of Fiscal Year 2026, the Air Force had 1,168 combat-coded fighters, not including 103 A-10 Warthog ground attack jets, which have been part of this force structure planning in the past. The plan now is for the last of the A-10s to be retired by 2030. The new 2035 figure also does not include the hundreds of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones the service wants to have acquired by that time, something we will come back to later on.

Currently, the Air Force expects fighter fleet expansion to be driven by the acquisition of new F-35As, F-15EXs, and F-47s. This was also the case when last year’s fighter force structure report was released. The possibility of the Air Force also acquiring new-production F-16s has come up several times in recent years. Most recently, there were several reports last month that prime contractor Lockheed Martin had made a new pitch to the service for a version of the latest Block 70 version of the fighter, tentatively dubbed the F-16G. New Block 70 and Block 72 F-16s, which differ in what engine they use, are being actively produced at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Greenville, South Carolina. At that time, TWZ did a deep dive into the benefits that this could offer the Air Force.

“There is a spectrum of capability that we might want to replace the F-16s with,” Lt. Gen. Tabor said amid a discussion about the prospect of acquiring new Vipers at the roundtable yesterday, per Air & Space Forces Magazine. “It’s not urgent, frankly. What we don’t want to get to is a point where it is urgent, and we haven’t done the homework and decided ‘hey, this is really the right place to be.’ We do have time to churn through that and make sure that we have a good option going forward.”

“We’re not in a position where that decision has to be made immediately,” Tabor added, while acknowledging that “we are very conscious” that older-model F-16s are set to begin reaching the end of their lifespans in the 2030s. He also said any such planning was unlikely to be part of the process of developing the service’s Fiscal Year 2028 budget proposal, which will be released sometime early next year.

The Air Force is “in the initial phases of analyzing options for the next Future Years Defense Program,” a spokesperson for the service had told us last month without specifically mentioning any particular type of aircraft. “At this stage, we have neither defined the precise mission requirements nor the spectrum of options that could fill it.”

When it comes to the current F-16 fleet, the Air Force had 774 Vipers in inventory at the start of Fiscal Year 2026 and expected that number to drop to 768, according to past budget documents. This includes a mixture of subvariants, and not all of them are assigned combat-coded units. The Air Force has been substantially upgrading at least a portion of its existing F-16s, including with the addition of new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars and electronic warfare suites, to ensure their operational relevance for years to come.

The Air Force has also already been taking newer F-16s from squadrons transitioning to the F-35 and using them to replace older Vipers in other units. Last year’s fighter force structure report explicitly highlighted plans to supplant Block 30 F-16s in five Air National Guard formations – three combat-coded squadrons and two training units – with Block 40 and 50 types in this way.

As we’ve previously written:

“A new F-16 offers a fresh and highly mature airframe — one with a full service-life ahead of it, on the order of 12,000 flight hours without the need for structural upgrades — double that of the original F-16. This is compared to existing F-16s in the inventory with the decades of wear and fatigue already accumulated on them, with structural upgrades keeping them in the air. That difference in remaining structural life is arguably the single biggest advantage a new-build aircraft has compared with extending an existing one.”

“Dumping more money into existing F-16s is becoming questionable. Service life extensions and technical upgrades can only go so far and supporting these jets is becoming harder as parts dry up and suppliers who made them are long gone. A new airframe would give the Guard many decades of highly efficient service and the piece of mind for future force planning that goes with it.”

…

“The new [F-16G] proposal would let some Guard and Reserve units swap their F-16s for vastly improved F-16s — the same logic that drove the F-15EX buy — while also keeping the Greenville line hot, which is a significant benefit in its own right. And it accomplishes both in the most efficient way possible: not just in acquisition cost, but in sustainment cost, which is really the more problematic burden of the two. In the end, this points to another glaring reality check for the all-stealth-force concept, a vision the Air Force has effectively already abandoned.”

“The Air Force has spent years describing the F-35 as the replacement for its F-16 fleet, yet it now has to contend with aging F-16s, delayed or constrained fighter production, a larger stated requirement for total fighter capacity, and the lengthy transition toward the F-47 and uncrewed combat aircraft. In that environment, a new-build F-16 provides an option that sits between extending legacy aircraft and buying the most sophisticated — and expensive — fighters available.”

You can read our full prior deep analysis on this topic here.

Lt. Gen. Tabor acknowledged many of these exact same points at the roundtable yesterday. He notably described acquiring new F-16s as “maybe the lazy” option, but also one that would benefit from “practically a ready-made aircraft” that is in production now, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“The question is, can industry produce at those levels?” he also said, speaking more generally. “They’ve assured us that they can, and we believe them, but we also actually need to see it manifest.”

In the context of acquiring new F-16s, especially, it is important to note here that Lockheed Martin order books are very full already as a result of demand for these fighters from U.S. allies and partners. The company’s capacity, at least at present, to add a substantial new Air Force acquisition program on top of that is a real question. This, in some ways, mirrors questions that surround Boeing efforts to meet surging Air Force demand for F-15EXs.

On top of all this, the Air Force’s still-evolving CCA plans remain something of a wildcard in these discussions. The Air Force has ordered General Atomics FQ-42 Vengeance and Anduril’s FQ-44 Fury CCAs into production, and is now aiming to have a combined fleet of at least 500 of these drones in inventory by 2032. The service is also still expecting to acquire additional CCAs, which could be of entirely different types, through a second iterative development cycle, or Increment 2, under this program. This is influencing the service’s crewed fighter force structure plans, but the full scale and scope of those impacts remain to be seen.

“CCA is very much a reality,” Tabor said yesterday, per Air & Space Forces Magazine. “It is going to be a part of our future, and there is absolutely a world in which the incorporation of CCAs into the force will mitigate the requirement for the number of fighters. That’s not the CCA that we have right now, but it is advancing very, very rapidly. We’re confident that it will play a major role in future versions of the fighter force structure report.”

The Air Force’s F-22s are currently set to be its first ‘aerial quarterbacks’ for CCAs, with F-35s and F-47s expected to follow. At the same time, TWZ has highlighted previously how CCA could offer particular value when paired with fourth-generation fighters like the F-16. This, in turn, could actually bolster the case for new Viper acquisitions as a more affordable force multiplier.

The Air Force’s ability to secure necessary funding and other factors will play in all this, too. 2035 is a long way off from a budgetary perspective. It also stretches across multiple election cycles, including the one that will decide the next presidential administration, all of which could lead to major changes in defense spending priorities. Congress can and routinely does demand that the U.S. military alter major procurement plans. Just in the past two years or so, legislators have intervened to force the Air Force to move ahead with the acquisition of new E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control planes and to save the U.S. Navy F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter program.

In the meantime, the Air Force clearly faces many continued questions about how to balance the need to modernize its fighter fleets while ensuring it retains enough tactical airpower to meet current and future operational demands. Even so, the service says it sees no need to rush to make a decision about whether to choose the “lazy” route of just buying new F-16s.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

The post Any Decision To Buy New-Build F-16s Not An “Urgent” Priority: USAF appeared first on TWZ.

One of the KC-10A Extender aerial refueling tankers the U.S. Air Force retired some two years ago has left the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. This aircraft is one of a set of KC-10As sold to private aerial refueling contractor Omega Air. At least one other potential operator, a still mysterious end user somewhere in North Africa, could also be in line to pick up several ex-Air Force Extenders.

Maxim Loshak, who goes by the handle @az_aviator on X and Instagram, caught the KC-10A leaving Davis-Monthan earlier today. The aircraft currently carries U.S. civil registration number N82247, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records confirm that Omega Air is the new owner. Online flight tracking data also shows the aircraft subsequently flew to San Antonio International Airport, which is Omega’s main base of operations.

The KC-10A in question previously carried the Air Force registration number 86-0034 and had been in the boneyard since May 12, 2023, per the service’s records. The Air Force acquired a total of 60 Extender tankers between 1979 and 1987, and lost one in an accident in 1987. The very last of the remaining 59 KC-10As was retired in September 2024. The Extender was derived from the three-engine DC-10 airliner and was designed to refuel aircraft using either the boom or the probe-and-drogue method.

As seen in the picture at the top of this story, N82247 notably lacks the KC-10A’s trademark boom under the rear fuselage. This is actually not entirely unexpected. The Air Force had put 10 Extenders up for auction last year in a non-flyable state. Each of the planes was missing a single engine, taken from under one of their wings, for reasons that are still not entirely clear. These particular aircraft were also among the first KC-10As to be retired, and their booms had been stripped to be used as spares for other examples that had remained in service until the type’s final retirement in 2024.

In addition to sourcing the requisite engines, “in order to make them flyable, the winning bidder will need to work with Boeing to obtain a fly-away kit to seal up the area where the boom systems was,” an Air Force spokesperson told us last year while the 10 KC-10As were still up for auction.

Omega Air could fit new booms to this KC-10A, as well as other ex-USAF Extenders it is in the process of acquiring. The company could also leave some of them configured as probe-and-drogue-only tankers. Omega already flies two ex-Dutch KDC-10 tankers, which are broadly similar to the KC-10, as well as another DC-10 converted into a probe-and-drogue-only tanker. The company has several Boeing 707-based tankers, as well.

There is a possibility that some of the KC-10As that Omega is acquiring could be operated in non-tanker roles. Carrying cargo was also a major role for Extender while in Air Force service. Still, this seems unlikely given that aerial refueling is Omega’s primary business. Some of the ex-Air Force Extenders might also be used as sources of spare parts. TWZ has reached out for more information about Omega’s overall plans for its new acquisitions.

Regardless, even in a boomless configuration, ex-USAF KC-10As will be a significant addition to Omega Air’s fleet. Demand for private aerial refueling services, in general, has been ramping up in the United States and elsewhere globally in recent years.

For the U.S. military, private contractors offer a valuable way to reduce demand for and strain on organic tanker fleets to meet non-combat-related aerial refueling needs. This, in turn, helps free up government-owned tankers for combat missions and other higher-priority taskings. Those tankers may also simply not need to fly as much with private companies helping to shift the burden. The ability of the Air Force’s existing tanker fleets, in particular, to meet even peacetime demands has been a growing point of concern for years now. This has been further exacerbated by persistent technical and other issues with replacement KC-46 tankers.

With all this in mind, the Air Force’s decision to retire the KC-10A fleet entirely was and still is controversial. Though the Extenders were certainly aging, they were also highly flexible tankers able to carry greater loads of fuel than the KC-46s that supplanted them.

Omega Air clearly still sees value in the KC-10A. As mentioned, at least one other operator in North Africa is at least interested in potentially acquiring Extenders. Others may yet emerge.

If nothing else, after just over two years, an ex-USAF KC-10A has returned to the skies for a second career in the private sector.

Special thanks again to Maxim Loshak for sharing his picture of N82247 with us.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

The post Retired KC-10 Extender Tanker Has Risen From Boneyard To Fly Again appeared first on TWZ.

Ukraine continues to struggle with throttling of the speeds at which weapons using the vital satellite communications services provided by the SpaceX Starlink system can operate, and one weapons manufacturer tells us it is rethinking whether to rely on it in the future. As we have previously reported, heavy use of Starlink on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine, including as a means of guiding one-way attackers in the air and at sea, has underscored potential risks of exclusive reliance on Elon Musk’s orbital communications networks in critical tactical tasks.

At issue are complaints by Ukrainian officials that “in various sectors of the front, the equipment ceases to function at speeds of 130–161 kilometers per hour.”

A limit on how fast Starlink terminals on vehicles can travel before the feed is cut off in certain areas impacts a slew of weapons and campaigns, especially strikes on Russian logistics behind enemy lines and in the sea of Asov, as well as the control of defensive interceptor drones critical for taking down Russian long-range one-way attack drones, like the notorious Shahed-136.

The following video shows one such Shahed interception.

The limiting of Starlink/Starshield occurred amid deteriorating relations between the Trump administration and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The latest chill between Washington and Kyiv was sparked by the American leader’s claims that Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure have reduced the supply of diesel fuel to the U.S. and other nations more than the conflict in the Middle East. Trump was upset Ukraine kept hitting these targets despite his demanding they stop.

Exacerbating this issue, Trump on Oct. 9 announced via his Truth Social platform that he had made a deal to purchase diesel from Russia, pivoting away from a years-old Western policy that placed massive economic pressure on Moscow.

Who gave the order to limit the speeds at which Ukrainian weapons using the Starlink/Starshield system operate is unclear.

“The order to limit a satellite system used by Ukraine ​for battlefield communications and drone operations came from inside the White House,” Reuters reported last week, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter. “The officials said ‌leaders at the Defense Department received a message that the SpaceX Starshield service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed.”

“No such request was ever made by the president,” a U.S. official told us on Monday.

“There has been no change to Department of War policy regarding intelligence sharing or any capabilities we are enabling Europeans to provide to Ukraine,” a senior Pentagon official responded to our questions about whether the Pentagon imposed the limits and, if so, why.

When we pushed for a more specific response to the Starlink/Starshield concerns, the Pentagon declined comment. However, Tuesday afternoon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon did not order any changes and that Ukraine violated Starlink’s terms of services.

We reached out to SpaceX as well, but the company did not immediately respond. Last week, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, said that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately” Trump. Musk had previously refused Ukrainian requests to use Starlink against targets inside Russia.

The prohibition against using Starlink inside Russia has drastically limited Ukraine’s ability to strike dynamic targets like mobile ballistic missile launchers and hunt for drone launch sites. However, Ukraine has not had to rely on Starlink in its campaign against oil infrastructure or other fixed targets deep inside Russia which upset Trump in the first place.

Tuesday morning, Zelensky spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and again brought up Starlink/Starshield in addition to other major concerns.

“…the situation with Starlink/Starshield… needs to be restored,” Zelensky urged.

Rubio denied that any assistance was being withheld from Ukraine. Noting that Starlink “is a private company,” the secretary told reporters that Trump is “frustrated…because he doesn’t like to be blamed for things that aren’t true, including accusations that somehow he had ordered intelligence sharing to be cut off. And that’s not true; he’s said that repeatedly.”

This most recent flap isn’t the first time SpaceX and Musk have faced particularly significant criticism over limiting some Ukrainian use of the network. Actions SpaceX took earlier this year to block unregistered Starlink terminals also had major consequences for Russian forces, which were sent scrambling to find alternatives to fill the massive resulting communications gap.

Given the tenuous nature of Ukraine’s ability to use Starlink/Starshield, the Wild Hornets company is reevaluating whether to use the SpaceX system in future endeavors even though, so far, it has experienced few problems with it. Wild Hornets is a major Ukrainian combat drone maker. Among other weapons, it makes the Sting interceptors, designed to defend against Russian Shahed kamikaze drones.

The Starlink/Starshield issue isn’t affecting current operations, a Wild Hornets spokesman told us Tuesday morning. “Our own communications system provides the basic connection to our interceptors,” he said. “Plus, our technology for remote control of the interceptors can use various sources of internet connectivity. True, the military often uses Starlink for this, but in our case, the terminal doesn’t need to be moved at high speeds (it simply provides a connection between the command center and the ground station to which the interceptor is connected—it’s somewhat similar to cell towers).”

Concerns about the reduction in speeds at which Starlink terminals can operate has Wild Hornets thinking about ditching a future project, the spokesman told us.

“But we understand that there are other types of interceptors,” added the spokesman. “For example, some drones carry a terminal on board and need to fly at high speed with it. In such cases, Starlink’s limitations make their operation impossible. From this point of view, it also makes us rethink some of the projects we’re currently working on. For example, launching interceptors from aerial platforms.”

“We’re keeping an eye on the situation,” the spokesman continued. “For our current operations (connections with ground stations), we can use any source of stable internet connectivity. Therefore, various solutions are possible in different locations. However, for these needs, everything is operating normally with Starlink at the moment. As for our plans with new projects, we don’t have a clear decision yet, but we will be testing alternatives.”

The spokesman declined to provide further details about what “alternatives” could look like.

There are a number of ways the lack of Starlink for extended-range drone operations could be mitigated to a degree, but the persistent, reliable, high-bandwidth and compact capability SpaceX provides has no direct alternative at this time. The use of drones that work as line-of-sight relays, which can be daisy chained together electronically with other airborne relays, with a connection spanning dozens or even hundreds of miles to a ground entry point is possible. You can read about this concept here. The use of swarms of balloons to create an active network over a battlespace and using Starlink on those slower moving platforms to relay line-of-sight connections to multiple drones below is another possibility. You can read more about this concept here. But we must stress again, nothing can fully replace Starlink/Starshield and its seamless beyond line-of-sight communications architecture at this time.

“I believe, in any case, depending on a single solution is very risky,” the Wild Hornets spokesman proffered. “Especially if you don’t have full control over it. Especially when it comes to something as critical on the battlefield as communications. That’s exactly why our ecosystem is built around our own communications technology and basically is open to various solutions when it comes to internet connectivity.”

As far as military units are concerned, the commander of the Georgian Legion told us that his forces have been affected by issues with Starlink/Starshield even though the main concerns have been about the speeds at which weapons can travel and still have connectivity. The Georgian Legion is fighting in the heavily contested Kramatorsk region of eastern Ukraine.

“We use Starlink a lot because, in this war, reliable communication is essential,” Mamuka Mamulashvili told us. “It helps us stay connected when everything around us is changing. Of course, we’ve learned not to rely on just one system. There are alternatives, like mobile internet, fiber-optic connections, radio and other satellite systems such as OneWeb. But honestly, none of them can fully replace Starlink in Ukraine right now.”

“The problems were not limited to the speed restriction of approximately 160 km/h,” the Georgian Legion commander pointed out. “Starlink connectivity itself was also intermittent, repeatedly switching on and off. This caused communication disruptions across various drone systems, not just those operating at speeds exceeding 160 km/h. As a result, the impact was broader than the restriction on high-speed interceptor drones. Intermittent connectivity created problems for drone control and communications across multiple systems, affecting their reliability and the ability to carry out missions as intended.”

“We had serious communication problems,” Mamulashvili explained. “At one point, our drone operators were struggling to maintain a reliable connection with the drone systems, which disrupted coordination and made it difficult to carry out missions as planned. When you lose the connection between the operator and the drone, you can lose control of the situation in seconds. We managed to adapt, but it definitely affected our work.”

“We have to adapt and find solutions, as we always do,” the commander said. “This war teaches you one thing every day. You can’t depend on a single technology or expect someone else to solve all your problems. You have to be ready for anything and keep moving forward.”

Russian sources, meanwhile, are gloating over the speed limits placed on weapons using Starlink/Starshield, particularly how it is affecting Ukraine’s mid-range drone attacks that have crippled Russian logistics. As we explained in a previous report, Ukrainian units have relied on the SpaceX system to help extend the range of their drones to reach as far as 150 miles into Russian-occupied territory. The SpaceX system is not used to hit targets inside Russia proper.

The following video shows some of these mid-range attacks.

“Disabling or slowing down Starlink has significantly reduced the enemy’s ability to launch medium-range drone strikes along the ‘Novorossiya’ highway,” influential Russian milblogger Vladimir Romanov reported. The highway, also known as the R-280, is a key link between cities in occupied southern Ukraine and the occupied Crimean peninsula. The road has been a frequent target of Ukraine’s mid-range strike campaign.

“The success of these strikes depends on the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ access to American satellite communication,” Romanov noted. “For the past six months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been attacking civilian transport – trucks, cars, and buses – exclusively through the use of ‘Starshield.’ This means that, for the past six months, American military satellite infrastructure has been used to carry out terrorist acts against Russian civilians, and so on. In other words, the United States is still directly involved in the war with Russia!”

As for how widespread worries among Ukrainian weapons manufacturers are, the Wild Hornets spokesman suggested that his company is not alone. He said he has spoken with other companies relying much more heavily on Starlink/Starshield who have expressed concerns. He pointed to growing interest in the European Eutelsat satellite constellation as an example of companies seeking options, but noted that “of course, creating something like Starlink won’t be easy.”

We’ve reached out to the Ukrainian Brave1 defense technology incubator and the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries (NAUDI) for additional insights into how this issue is affecting Ukraine’s defense manufacturing base.

It will be interesting to see if other Ukrainian weapons companies also consider scrapping plans to rely on Starlink in the future and what architectures will emerge at least as a backstop to it.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

The post Major Ukrainian Arms Maker Rethinking Future Reliance On Starlink appeared first on TWZ.

More than a decade after its finale, ‘Glee' is returning to our television screens. But in the intervening decade since its conclusion, the show’s legacy has been impacted by controversy and the deaths of multiple cast members. Caitlin Hornik explores whether a reboot can reclaim some of what has been lost

• Former "GMA3" co-anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are married.
• The two first sparked controversy when they were spotted cuddling while still legally married.
• Nearly four years later, the two are now legally wed, and their exes are engaged.

As one of the internet's favorite sayings goes: Never let your spouse stop you from finding your soulmate.

"GMA3: What You Need to Know" co-anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach sparked controversy in November 2022 after their relationship became public when photos of them cuddling were published by The Daily Mail.

The relationship between the two journalists — who were legally married to other people at the time — subsequently made national headlines. 

Holmes married attorney Marilee Fiebig, 49, in 2010, the same year Robach married actor Andrew Shue, 59. After the news broke, both Holmes, 49, and Robach, 53, said they were either separated or in the midst of divorce proceedings when they were photographed together.

"To be clear, we were outed as being in a relationship, but everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterers — being outed as cheating on our spouses — and it wasn't the case," Holmes said on a December 2023 episode of their podcast, "Amy & T.J."

In October 2025, nearly three years after the first headlines about their relationship, Holmes and Robach announced on their podcast that they had gotten engaged.

One year after their engagement, Robach and Holmes married on September 19, 2026, in Holmes' home state of Arkansas, according to public marriage records. People reported the news on October 13.

In a happy twist, Shue and Fiebig are also in a relationship and have been together since December 2023. They announced their engagement just over a week after Robach and Holmes' marriage became public.

Here's a timeline of the scandal that rocked "GMA3" and led to both Holmes and Robach exiting the morning show.

Holmes and Robach did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Keyaira Boone, Esme Mazzeo, and Libby Torres contributed to a prior version of this article.

November 30, 2022: The Daily Mail published photos of Robach and Holmes.

Robach and Holmes began cohosting "GMA3: What You Need to Know" in 2020, although they had worked together at ABC since Holmes' hiring in 2014.

In November 2022, The Daily Mail posted images of them together in a series of intimate situations, including having drinks in a New York bar and traveling to a cottage in the Shawangunk Mountains of upstate New York. The two were pictured laughing together, holding hands, and casually touching one another.

Shortly after, Entertainment Weekly reported that Holmes shuttered his X and Instagram accounts, and Robach deactivated her Instagram profile.

December 2022: Shue deleted pictures of Robach on his Instagram profile.

Shue's account was wiped of pictures of his wife the day after The Daily Mail published their photos of Robach and Holmes, E! News reported.

December 2022: An interview with Robach and Reese Witherspoon from earlier in the year resurfaced, hinting at similarities between "GMA3" and "The Morning Show."

An October 2022 interview between Robach and Witherspoon resurfaced on Twitter, reminding viewers that the host had once possibly hinted at drama occurring behind-the-scenes of "GMA3."

Witherspoon, who was promoting her Apple TV+ drama "The Morning Show," asked Robach and her co-hosts whether the fictional workplace drama "hit home a little bit."

"We can give you a few more plot lines," Robach replied, as her colleagues laughed. Witherspoon jumped on the opportunity to take the show's stories to the next level. 

"Email me," she told Robach.

December 2022: "GMA3" staffers said Robach and Holmes did not start dating until they were separated from their spouses.

People reported that Holmes and Robach were both effectively single when they began dating, citing sources. 

"This was two consenting adults who were each separated. They both broke up with their spouses in August within weeks of each other," a source said.

"The relationship didn't start until after that," they added.

Meanwhile, the two anchors continued filming. On December 2, they even joked about what "a great week" they were having in a sarcastic tone, according to Page Six.

December 5, 2022: Robach and Holmes were pulled off the air.

Robach and Holmes were placed on hiatus from "GMA3" amid the scandal. The New York Times reported ABC News' then-president, Kim Godwin, called the news frenzy surrounding their relationship an "internal and external distraction" on a morning editorial call.

It came amid claims from staffers that Holmes had engaged in relationships with other colleagues at ABC during his time there, while married. He has not publicly commented on the accusations.

December 28, 2022: Holmes filed for divorce.

Holmes filed for divorce from Fiebig in New York. They were married for nearly 13 years and share one daughter, Sabine.

On the same day the news broke, Holmes and Robach were photographed making out in Miami.

January 2023: Holmes' estranged wife, Marilee Fiebig, spoke out via her divorce lawyer for the first time since the scandal broke.

"Marilee's sole focus has remained on the overall best interest of her 9-year-old daughter," Stephanie Lehman, Fiebig's lawyer, told The Daily Mail.

She confirmed that the divorce between Fiebig and Holmes was progressing. "To that end, T.J.'s lawyer and I have been working together to move their divorce forward privately, expeditiously, and as amicably as possible," Lehman continued.

Lehman criticized Holmes' public actions.

"Notwithstanding, we continue to be disappointed by T.J.'s lack of discretion, respect, and sensitivity toward Marilee and the party's daughter," she added.

The divorce was ultimately settled in October 2023, People reported.

January 27, 2023: Holmes and Robach exited "GMA3" permanently.

In late January 2023, TMZ was the first to report that the co-anchors were preparing to officially exit "GMA3."

The same day as the reports, Holmes' and Robach's exits were confirmed. In a statement given to Business Insider, ABC said that Holmes and Robach were officially leaving the network.

"After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, about different options, we all agreed it's best for everyone that they move on from ABC News," a spokesperson for the network said. "We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions."

December 1, 2023: Robach and Holmes made their red-carpet debut as a couple.

The two attended KIIS FM's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 together. They showed plenty of PDA in their first public appearance as a couple.

December 5, 2023: Robach and Holmes released the first episode of their podcast, a year to the day after their relationship was publicly revealed.

During the first episode of "Amy & T.J.," the former anchors emphasized that they were both separated from their respective partners when their relationship began.

"To be clear, we were outed as being in a relationship," Holmes said on the podcast. "But everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterers, being outed as cheating on our spouses, and it wasn't the case."

Robach, for her part, said her close friends knew she was in the middle of divorcing Shue when the photos of her and Holmes leaked in November 2022.

"I took my ring off early August. It was very clear to anyone who knew me that I was in the middle of a divorce," she said.

Holmes also acknowledged that the couple probably could have gone about things differently.

"We shouldn't have allowed — and I could say that in hindsight — for folks to find out about our relationship before they found out about our divorces," he said. 

But Robach said they were trying to protect their families from potential backlash.

"We thought we were protecting our children and our families, and we thought we had time," she said. "And we thought we had a right to privacy. And maybe that was foolish and silly."

December 5, 2023: The same day the podcast launched, reports surfaced that Robach's and Holmes' exes were dating.

Page Six first reported that Robach's ex, Andrew Shue, and Holmes' ex, Marilee Fiebig, had been dating for about six months.

People reported that they "bonded over their shared experience of splitting from their partners," citing a source.

March 17, 2024: Holmes and Robach ran the New York City Half Marathon together.

As running has been part of their relationship for years, the two continued their tradition by participating in the NYC Half Marathon in March 2024.

Robach called the day "13.1 miles of pure joy" on Instagram.

September 30, 2024: Holmes and Robach announced they had moved in together.

The decision to move in together was spurred by Robach's then-21-year-old daughter, Ava, who asked to temporarily move into her mom's apartment due to a roach infestation.

"I've just said, 'Hey y'all, knock yourselves out. I'll be at T.J.'s,' " Robach said on their podcast.

This led to the two officially cohabitating.

"I've enjoyed the time that we've had together. It's been a little different, but I've liked it," Holmes said.

In February 2025, Us Weekly reported that their exes, Shue and Fiebig, had moved in together as well.

October 14, 2025: They announced they are engaged.

In a four-minute minisode of their podcast, Robach and Holmes shared the news that they are officially engaged — and had been for around a month.

"I was in three massive football stadiums three weekends in a row, wearing my engagement ring very proudly, very excitedly, and kept waiting for somebody to point it out or ask me, 'Hey, what's that?' And it never happened," Robach said.

Holmes added that if any news about the proposal came out from anyone besides them or "the 10 people" they told, it was nonsense.

September 19, 2026: They get married in Arkansas.

According to a wedding license obtained by People, Holmes and Robach applied for the license the day prior. They tied the knot in Arkansas, where Holmes was born and where his alma mater, the University of Arkansas, is located.

October 13, 2026: News of their wedding becomes public.

The license was filed with the County Clerk's office in Washington County on October 13, which is how the news of their marriage became public. They have not commented on their marriage yet, but they've talked about it before.

During a May 2026 episode of their podcast, they shared that they had picked a date and "a way" they wanted to get married that "would be very special to us," but didn't give details. "We can't say what that is. That's a big thing for us."

October 21, 2026: Shue and Fiebig announce their engagement.

On October 21, Shue confirmed to People that he and Fiebeg were engaged after three years of dating.

"I don't know how it happened, but there's a happy ending," he said. "I don't think there was anything other than this just happened to be our way of getting to know each other and being able to share ourselves with each other in a time where we both needed a friend," he added, referring to how they first met.

"We're very grateful and hopeful," he concluded.

• After Robert and John F. Kennedy were assassinated, a rumor formed that the family could be cursed.
• Their history has been marred with tragedy, from four plane crashes to a deadly skiing accident.
• In 1969, Ted Kennedy publicly referenced the curse when apologizing for fleeing a fatal car crash.

Members of the Kennedy family have reached the highest positions in public office, becoming senators, congressmen, and even the president. Now, the next generation of Kennedys is carrying that legacy forward.

Still, the family has also endured profound losses across generations. Most recently, Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, died at 42 in September.

The family has also dealt with numerous tragedies, from illness and assassinations to fatal accidents and addiction. The family’s history of loss has fueled the long-running notion of a “Kennedy curse.”

Here are the many tragedies that have affected the Kennedy family.

Kennedy patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr. had high expectations of his children. Some conspiracists have suggested he was to blame for what would befall his family.

Joe Kennedy Sr. rose from reasonably humble beginnings to become an ambassador to Britain, and he made millions working as a bank president, selling liquor, and owning a Hollywood studio, The Atlantic reported.

Conspiracists have maintained that the Kennedy patriarch committed crimes like bootlegging to make the fortune that eventually supported future Kennedy endeavors.

The New Yorker reported these crimes were often mentioned "in the same breath" as the tragedies that struck the Kennedys, "assuming that there is a dark pattern in the way things happen."

The first Kennedy to feel the brunt of his ambition was his daughter, Rosemary, born in 1918.

She had seizures and tantrums and was intellectually disabled, though her parents worked hard to keep that a secret from society. 

To avoid the suspicion that anything was different about Rosemary, she was presented alongside her sister Kathleen at Buckingham Palace with other eligible debutantes, Marie Claire reported.

"To present Rosemary, an intellectually disabled adult, to the monarchy at Buckingham Palace during the debutante season was more than a bold act," Kate Clifford Larson, the author of "Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter," said, Marie Claire reported.

"A debutante with intellectual disabilities would have stirred long-held prejudices about passing along 'defective' traits to the next generation," she said. "Joe and Rose were determined to keep the family secret, making sure that Rosemary was treated just like all the other eligible young women presented at court that year."

In 1941, Joe Kennedy Sr. organized for his daughter, then 23, to have a lobotomy, with disastrous consequences.

At the time, the media said the operation was "easier than curing a toothache," NPR reported, and was frequently used to "treat" people with mental illnesses. However, the lobotomy only made Rosemary's condition worse.

For months afterward, she was unable to walk or talk, and she was put into an institution and cut off from her family for the next two decades. Rosemary lived at a mental health facility until her death in 2005.

The next tragedy struck the eldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

Joe Jr. had been groomed for political office his whole life. When he was born, his grandfather, who was then the mayor of Boston, had told the press he would become president one day, according to the National Park Service.

Joe Jr. was successful both as an athlete and a student, Vanity Fair reported.

When he graduated from high school, he was awarded a trophy for the best student in both "scholarship and sportsmanship," according to Vanity Fair.

Joe Jr. left before his senior year at Harvard Law to volunteer as a Navy flyer in World War II. He died during a failed secret bombing campaign.

According to the National Park Service, Joe Jr. volunteered for the mission, which involved flying explosives over enemy territory, detonating them, and parachuting to safety. However, the explosives were accidentally set off early, killing both pilots on board the aircraft. 

"His worldly success was so assured and inevitable that his death seems to have cut into the natural order of things," his brother John wrote in a family memorial.

In 1948, another plane crash rocked the family when Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy died in a plane crash in France.

She had been a headstrong child, and her decisions in her love life caused a rift in the family — her mother, Rose, disapproved of Kathleen's soon-to-be marriage to a Protestant man, The Atlantic reported.

Months after their wedding in 1944, her husband was killed in battle, and she began an affair with Earl Peter Wentworth Fitzwilliam, a married man. 

Before the couple traveled to Paris to seek her father's blessing, People reported that their 10-seat plane encountered turbulence and crashed into the mountains between Paris and Cannes.

Both Kick and Peter, who was piloting the plane, were killed on impact. She was 28 years old. Only her father, Joe Sr., attended her funeral, according to The Atlantic.

After Joe Jr.'s death, Joe Sr. turned his focus to John F. Kennedy, who told a friend, "Now the burden falls on me."

Joe Sr. helped him begin his political life, using his contacts to call in favors and spending tens of thousands of dollars on his campaign, The Atlantic reported.

He reportedly said, "We're going to sell Jack like soap flakes," per PBS.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy became president of the US, and his family became forever regarded as American royalty. 

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in downtown Dallas.

He was fatally shot on November 22, 1963. President Kennedy was 46 years old.

The so-called "curse" of the Kennedys began to solidify the following week when Jackie Kennedy, who was known for shaping her family's image and her husband's presidency, invited a Life magazine reporter to Cape Cod for an exclusive interview.

During the interview, she said, "There will be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot," CBS reported.

"You must think of this little boy, sick so much of the time, reading history, reading the Knights of the Round Table, reading Marlborough," she continued, The Atlantic reported. "For Jack, history was full of heroes."

It was over the next few years, as Robert "Bobby" Kennedy grieved for his brother, that he started to see parallels between his family and the ancient Greeks.

A devout Catholic, Bobby began to question the source of his family's tragedies and whether God could give him the answer as to why they had all suffered so much grief, The Washington Post reported.

Bobby had studied the ancient Greek tragedies throughout his education, and he began to draw parallels between the classic parables and his family's woes.

"He began to wonder if the Kennedy family had somehow overreached, dared too greatly," author Evan Thomas wrote in "Robert Kennedy: His Life," per The Washington Post.

"Athenian drama returns obsessively — as we do, every November 22nd — to the shocking and yet seemingly inevitable spectacle of the fallen king, of power and beauty and privilege violently laid low," Daniel Mendelsohn wrote in The New Yorker.

In 1964, seven months after his brother was assassinated, tragedy almost struck the Kennedys again when Sen. Ted Kennedy went down in a plane crash.

Two people were killed in the incident, but Kennedy lived, CNN reported. He was left badly injured, though. He broke two ribs and three vertebrae, and his lung collapsed, Boston Magazine reported.

After the incident, Bobby alluded to the Kennedys being unlucky.

"There are more of us than there is trouble," he told the media after the crash. "The Kennedys intend to stay in public life. Good luck is something you make, and bad luck is something you endure."

Just four years later, in 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning to be president.

He was shot moments after he had won the California Democratic presidential primary. After he was struck, he asked a busboy if everybody else was unharmed, The Atlantic reported.

The busboy reportedly placed a rosary in his hand and told him that everyone was fine, according to The Atlantic. Robert "Bobby" Kennedy died soon after at the age of 42.

It was yet another blow to the Kennedy family, especially since Bobby had been acting as a surrogate father to his late brother John's two children. He also had 11 children with his wife of 18 years, Ethel Kennedy.

In 1969, Ted Kennedy had another near-death experience when he survived driving off a bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick in Massachusetts.

Ted Kennedy, then a senator, drove the car off the bridge after leaving a cookout party at a rented cottage, The Atlantic reported. His passenger, a woman named Mary Jo Kopechne, died at the scene.

Ted reportedly tried to save Kopechne, but he then fled and didn't report the crash for 10 hours. Still trapped inside the car, Kopechne drowned in the water. Ted later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and was sentenced to a two-month suspended jail sentence, the BBC reported.

Ted remained a senator after the controversy but lost his chance to run for president.

After the crash, Ted Kennedy publicly referenced the idea of a family curse for the first time.

During his televised apology a week after the crash, Ted Kennedy said he had wondered "whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys," The Washington Post reported.

It marked the first time a member of the Kennedy family openly spoke about the reported "Kennedy curse," the Herald Tribune reported. But the speech had been crafted by several speechwriters, The New York Times reported, and was arguably more of a PR stunt than a true apology or admission of guilt.

In the speech, he recalled the "scrambled thoughts" that went through his mind after the crash, which he gave to the press. 

"They were reflected in the various inexplicable, inconsistent, and inconclusive things I said and did, including such questions as whether the girl might still be alive somewhere out of that immediate area, whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys, whether there was some justifiable reason for me to doubt what had happened and to delay my report, whether somehow the awful weight of this incredible incident might in some way pass from my shoulders," he said.

"I was overcome, I'm frank to say, by a jumble of emotions: grief, fear, doubt, exhaustion, panic, confusion, and shock."

In 1984, Bobby Kennedy's son, David Kennedy, died of an overdose in a hotel in Florida.

David had struggled with addiction for years after his father's assassination in 1968.

The New York Times reported that David was possibly traumatized after watching his father's assassination on TV when he was 13 years old. He was only 28 years old when he was found dead in his Los Angeles hotel room.

Cocaine, painkillers, and a prescription drug used to treat several different psychotic disorders were found in his system, the Times reported, though there was no determination of whether it was an accidental overdose. 

"He was sensitive and gentle, which was attractive," his ex-girlfriend Rachel Ward later wrote of David in The Sydney Morning Herald in 2014. "David was very young when his father, Robert F. Kennedy, died, and it had an enormous impact on him. He had a drug addiction and was a troubled soul. He didn't have the arrogance of the other Kennedys because he was lost and struggling. But in the end, he couldn't get himself together and went under."

In 1997, Michael Kennedy, another of Robert Kennedy's sons, died in a skiing accident in Colorado.

Michael, 39, had been tossing around a football with his relatives while skiing.

The family had played "ski-football" for generations, The New York Times reported, and Kennedy was skiing while playing football on skis with relatives and friends when he struck a tree; he was not wearing a helmet.

In another public tragedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and her sister died in a 1999 plane crash near Martha's Vineyard.

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The group was dropping off Bessette on the island before Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy planned to travel on to Hyannis to attend his cousin's wedding.

However, after encountering hazy conditions off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Kennedy, the plane's pilot, crashed the plane into the ocean, killing everyone on board. 

As Coast Guard officials searched for the missing bodies, the public outpouring of grief grew over the tragedy of the three young passengers' deaths.

Twenty years later, in 2019, tragedy struck the next generation of Kennedys when Saoirse Kennedy Hill, Robert's granddaughter, died from an accidental overdose.

Saoirse died of an overdose at the family's compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, The New York Times reported. She was 22 years old when she died, and had previously written about her struggle with depression, which she called "deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest."

"Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise, and love," the family said in an official statement. 

In 2020, another of Robert's granddaughters, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and her 8-year-old son, Gideon, died in a canoe accident.

The mother and son went missing in a canoe while searching for a ball that had drifted out into the Chesapeake Bay. Both of their bodies were later found by divers, The New York Times reported.

Tatiana Schlossberg, the eldest child of Caroline Kennedy, died in December 2025.

In a November 2025 essay for The New Yorker, Schlossberg revealed that she had been diagnosed with terminal acute myeloid leukemia. Doctors discovered the cancer shortly after she gave birth to her daughter in May 2024.

In the essay, Schlossberg reflected on the pain her diagnosis caused her family, writing that she had spent her life trying to protect her mother before facing a tragedy she could not prevent.

Schlossberg and her husband, George Moran, had two children: their daughter, Josephine Moran, born in May 2024, and their son, Edwin Garrett Moran, born in April 2022. He is the first great-grandchild of John F. Kennedy.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced that Schlossberg died on December 30. She was 35.

Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died at the age of 42.

Kyle Francis Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert and Ethel, and daughter of Michael Kennedy (who died in a 1997 skiing accident), died on September 21 at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts.

She spent much of her career in education, advocating for more equitable elementary education.

Though her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed as of October 21, she struggled with health issues over the past few years, including a severe spinal cord injury that left her with long-term paralysis and other serious health challenges, according to Kennedy's obituary.

After her injury, Kennedy continued her advocacy work by testifying before the Massachusetts State House about discrimination in healthcare against disabled individuals.

She is survived by her former husband, Liam Kerr, and their two sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10. Their daughter, Josephine, was a twin to Conor and died just days after she was born in 2014.

Even if some otherworldly force like a curse isn't at play, it's undeniable that the Kennedy family has suffered a long string of tragedies and heartbreak.

In 2018, Edward Klein, who wrote a book about the Kennedy curse, defended his claim about the misfortune the Kennedy family experienced.

"I've looked high and low and cannot find another family since the ancient Greek House of Atreus that has suffered more calamities and misfortunes than the Kennedys," Klein, the author of "The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years," told The Washington Post.

"The humanity of their story is what keeps us engaged," Kennedy family biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli told NBC News in 2019. "We peer behind the scenes of their wealthy lifestyle, and we see, for all the advantages they have, tragedy can still happen."

• If I could take my first cruise again, I'd pick up a case of water on my way to the port.
• I'd pack a bar of laundry soap.
• And I'd leave my formal dress at home.

The closest thing I'd seen to a cruise ship was the Staten Island ferry.

That changed in April 2022, when I left my home in NYC to take my first cruise. I flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a seven-night voyage on one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. We sailed to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.

I had a good time, but some things would've made my trip easier, cheaper, and more comfortable. Here's what I think all first-time cruisers should know before setting sail.

Some cruise ship cabins, like those at the front of the ship, can be rockier than others.

Before booking, I should have researched how a cabin's location can affect how much motion you feel while the ship is moving.

My ocean-view cabin was at the front of the ship, and I felt more movement than I expected. As a first-time cruiser, I found it uncomfortably rocky. Shaky nights made it tough to sleep.

Several seasoned cruisers on the voyage told me that the front of the ship was one of the worst places to feel motion. Higher decks in the middle of the ship felt calmer and more stable.

If you are as prone to motion sickness as I am, I suggest choosing a room in the middle of the ship.

The restaurants included in the cruise rate had a variety of high-quality dishes, so splurging on specialty restaurants wasn't necessary.

One of the most distinctive things about cruising is that most meals, snacks, and drinks are included in the cruise rate.

However, on Wonder of the Seas and many other mega-ships, more than a dozen restaurants with specialty offerings, such as sushi, are not included and incur additional charges, either as a one-time fee or per dish. I paid $40 to $60 for each specialty meal. 

I reserved all specialty restaurants before my trip, but I found myself wishing I hadn't booked so many once I realized the included restaurants offered a wide range of delicious food.

There were multiple buffets, and the main dining room served a three-course meal with changing menu items each night.

These included options that satisfied every craving. One of the best meals I had was in the main dining room.

Since I booked so many specialty restaurants, I didn't have time to try all the buffets or eat in the main dining room more than once. If I had known they'd be so satisfying, I would've saved money and eaten more of the included meals instead.

Formal nights weren't enforced, so don't waste luggage space on nice outfits if you don't want to participate.

I have an aversion to dressing up, but I knew my cruise included formal nights, so I brought one nice dress. After the first formal night, however, I learned that the dress code wasn't strictly enforced. I noticed people wore a variety of outfits, from suits and evening gowns to T-shirts and track pants.

I was happy to relax my look on the other two formal nights, but the dress felt like a waste of the limited space in my carry-on suitcase. If I had known it wasn't necessary, I would've left it at home and brought multiple other articles in its place.

Though it was a Caribbean cruise, I got chilly on the top decks, so bring some warm clothing.

My favorite times to be on the top decks of the ship were early in the morning and late at night, when there weren't as many crowds. These were also the coldest, windiest parts of the day.

Instead of my shiny, poofy, formal dress, I should've brought another pair of pants and another sweater to keep me warm. Since I didn't, I ended up wearing the same pants and sweater nearly every morning and evening.

Laundry on board can be expensive, so consider bringing a bar of laundry soap to save money.

Since I brought only a carry-on luggage, I hoped to get some laundry done on board, but then I saw the pricing sheet.

Living in New York City, most of the apartments I've rented haven't had in-unit laundry, so I'm used to paying to have my clothes washed. But rather than pricing by weight, as local New York laundromats do, Royal Caribbean charged for each article of clothing. Each shirt was $4, and a dress cost $9. Most surprisingly, washing just one pair of underwear would have cost $2.

I thought this would add up fast, so I didn't do any laundry on my trip. In hindsight, I should have brought a bar of laundry soap to hand-wash a few things. 

I would've brought my own case of water if I knew it was allowed.

To ensure I stayed hydrated throughout my trip, I opted for the water bottle package while booking trip extras like restaurant reservations and excursions. For $16, Royal Caribbean delivered a case of 24 water bottles to my cabin. It seemed expensive for a pack of water, but I thought this was just part of the price of cruising.

When I was boarding the ship, though, I noticed people carrying their own cases of water. That's when I realized Royal Caribbean allows guests to bring their own nonalcoholic beverages.

If I had known this, I would've brought my own water and saved a few bucks.

If I had known these details before my cruise, I could have had a better time while saving some money. Hopefully, my findings will help other first-time cruisers.

While I enjoyed parts of my cruise, some of this knowledge could've made my trip much more comfortable.

On my next cruise, I'll remember what I learned about cabin locations, formal nights, and cool, windy mornings sailing in the Caribbean Sea.

• I worked in several locations across Disney World, and fall is my favorite time to visit the parks.
• I love dressing up for the Halloween events at Magic Kingdom and seeing the characters in costumes.
• There are some great food opportunities in the fall, like the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. 

If you're planning a trip to Disney, I suggest you look at the fall.

After years of working at Disney World and visiting during every season, fall is still my absolute favorite time of year to be in the parks.

It's usually less crowded since schools are back in session, and the Florida weather cools slightly from the oppressive summer heat. 

This is during Florida's hurricane season, which typically runs from June through the end of November, so I recommend packing a rain poncho and checking weather alerts before you travel.

Otherwise, here's my list of some of the best things to do, see, and eat at Disney World in the fall. 

I love strolling down Main Street right after the fall decorations go up.

There is nothing like walking down Magic Kingdom's Main Street USA in the fall. It's lined with pumpkins, seasonal drapes, scarecrows in funny outfits, and Mickey-shaped jack-o'-lantern wreaths. 

I like to grab a seasonal coffee at the Main Street Bakery (Starbucks) and spend time soaking it all in. 

The decorations make it feel so cozy and allow for some really cute photos. I make sure to have a little photo shoot in this area every year. 

Although they cost extra, events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are worth it.

I think Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is the best special event at Disney World all year.

It runs from the end of August through October 31, and it requires a special park ticket, which is usually a little more expensive.

However, during this event, guests get the opportunity to trick-or-treat all around Magic Kingdom and feel like a kid again. 

There are also special entertainment offerings unique to the event, such as the "Boo to You" Parade, the "Hocus Pocus" stage show, and exclusive character meet-and-greets. 

"Boo to You" is my favorite. It features all the classic characters, including Mickey and friends, the Hundred Acre Woods gang, most of the princesses and their princes, Pixar stars, Haunted Mansion maids and butlers, and a wide range of villains. 

For adults, this is also the only time of year to go all out with costumes in the parks.

Typically, only children under 14 are allowed to wear full costumes at Disney World. But when special events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are running, adults can go all out (as long as they're still following park guidelines).

This is such a fun way to celebrate Halloween, especially because you can see all of the unique costumes that everyone comes up with. 

If you're not into wearing a full costume to the parks, you can also Disneybound by using your regular clothes to match the color scheme or aesthetic of your favorite character in a more subtle way. Park employees and other guests will usually pick up on your outfits, too, which makes for some fun interactions with fellow fans. 

I love Disneybounding different characters all year, but it's especially fun when the park is decorated for Halloween. 

This is probably the best time of year to see characters in unique outfits.

Seeing characters is always a huge highlight of any Disney trip, but it's extra special in the fall when you can see their Halloween outfits. It's the cutest thing to see Mickey dressed as a vampire or Winnie the Pooh dressed as a bumblebee. 

You never know what your favorite character will dress up as, and it's exciting to see them in something other than their typical outfit. 

I also love seeing all of the Magic Kingdom park employees in their festive Halloween uniforms.

Hollywood and Vine gets a total makeover for Halloween.

Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood Studios serves a buffet-style meal with character meet-and-greets. But in the fall, it typically transforms into a Halloween-themed dining experience. 

All of the classic Disney characters — Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald — are dressed up in their Halloween costumes. They also have Halloween-inspired desserts and festive decor throughout the restaurant. 

Haunted Mansion always gets me in the Halloween spirit.

Out of all of the rides at Disney World, Haunted Mansion truly embodies the Halloween season.

If you're anything like me and like to be spooked — but are also a huge wimp when it comes to anything scary — this is the perfect ride for you. It has such a good mix of scare and fun. 

Taking a ride always gets me into the Halloween spirit.

You must pop over to Epcot for the International Food and Wine Festival.

Fall isn't complete unless I go to Food and Wine at Epcot, which usually runs from August to November.

It's my favorite festival that Epcot offers throughout the year because it's full of amazing foods and drinks inspired by cuisines from around the world.

The stands and offerings always rotate, but one of my favorites was Appleseed Orchard in the Canada Pavilion. It had an assortment of different beers and ciders along with sweet treats like a frozen apple-pie drink and apple-crumble tarts. 

Garden Grill reminds me of a Thanksgiving feast.

One of my favorite things about the fall season is all of the amazing food, and the Garden Grill buffet reminds me of a Thanksgiving meal with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, a harvest salad, and a berry shortcake.

This restaurant, located in Epcot's The Land pavilion, is another character dining experience featuring an all-you-can-eat, family-style meal.

The seasonal, Halloween-themed treats are absolutely worth getting, too.

Speaking of food, there are a lot of great seasonal Halloween-themed treats to be found throughout Disney World at the resorts, parks, and Disney Springs throughout autumn.

Although these tend to rotate, one of my favorites is the candy-corn milkshake at Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland.

It's candy-corn flavored and topped with a big Mickey-shaped marshmallow. Whenever it's available, I'm sure to order one.

This story was originally published on September 19, 2024, and most recently updated on October 21, 2026.

Danny Trejo’s son has claimed his 82-year-old father had no idea who conservative commentator Ben Shapiro was before he agreed to star in The Daily Wire’s upcoming Minneapolis movie. The same may or may not be true for fellow Hollywood stars including James Franco, Rob Lowe and Jonathan Majors, writes Kevin E G Perry