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Ah, Corn Dog Nuggets, is there a better savory treat you could eat? This classic treat, which you can find at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom, pairs very nicely with a cup of plastic cheese (the delicious dip that’s so good, we made t-shirt’s about it!). We love our Corn Dog Nuggets! You might know that this treat can be found at multiple Disney World parks, but did you know you can find these tasty morsels OUTSIDE the parks? Over at Fort Wilderness, while you can find popular offerings like Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue (which is currently not available), Trail’s End, and P & J’s Southern Takeout. But did you know that this resort also has a nighttime food truck that serves the legendary Corn Dog Nuggets?! Fort Wilderness The Chuck Wagon is a food truck located near the Chip ‘n’ Dale Campfire Sing-a-long that’s known for its s’mores making kits! However, it’s also home to the iconic savory treat we all know and love. It’s important to note that the Chuck Wagon is typically open at night, with the truck opening around 5PM every night. The Chuck Wagon! At this truck, you’ll find a range of hot dog-based options, including the All-Beef Hot Dog with French Fries, the All-Beef Chili Cheese Hot Dog, and of course, those delicious Corn Dog Nuggets with French Fries! The Menu! The Corn Dog Nuggets and Fries are available for $8.99 at the Chuck Wagon! We snagged some for comparison’s sake and have to say, we loved this treat. The nuggies had a nice crispy breading that was just a hint sweet. And of course, there was a delicious, juicy mini hot dog inside each nugget. Corn Dog Nuggets! One of the things we really love about these nuggets is the nice ratio between the batter and the hot dog. There’s just a perfect coating of batter around these mini hot dogs, giving a nice, balanced flavor! Look at that batter to hot dog ratio! These are a seriously delicious treat, plus you get a nice healthy portion of nuggets and fries! If you’re near Fort Wilderness or you’re heading to the Chip ‘n’ Dale Campfire Sing-a-long, it’s worth it to take a pit stop and get some of these delicious crispy bites! Yum!!! However, this isn’t the only time you’ll find a delicious Disney treat at a resort hotel! Over at Port Orleans — French Quarter, you can find delicious Mickey Beignets at Scat Cat’s Club Café. Whether you’re looking for classic, fluffy beignets or a more boozy version, they’ve got you covered! Mickey Beignets Sometimes, resort hotels even have treats that you can’t find in the parks (and are arguably better than some of the snacks in the parks!). One case is the legendary Tonga Toast, which you can find at Capt. Cook’s and Kona Café in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort! The Tonga Toast from Capt. Cook’s We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more! Review: WARNING! Don’t Look Inside Disney World’s Newest Treat Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: The Unexpected Place to Find Corn Dog Nuggets in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The holidays are an especially busy time for air travel in the United States. Orlando Airport Crowds People are going on vacations or on trips to visit family, which is why it’s important to be aware of all the current policies in place when it comes to travel restrictions. It’s also good to be prepared for possibly how busy the airports will be during this time, and luckily, we just found out what busy days you should be aware of if you’re traveling through Orlando! The holiday travel season kicks off tomorrow, December 17th, and Orlando International Airport recently tweeted out their projected top 5 busiest travel days for the season! Check them out in the tweet below: Interesting! We weren’t expecting the 18th to be the busiest day, but it makes sense, as it’s the Saturday before Christmas and people will probably be arriving into town for vacations. We wanted to compare these 5 busy travel days with how busy it’s projected to be in Disney World, so we took a look at the current park pass reservations still available. On December 18th, only Animal Kingdom and EPCOT are available. ©Disney On January 1st — New Year’s Day — Animal Kingdom and EPCOT are also the only parks still available. It makes sense for the parks to be busy that day, as many people celebrate New Year’s in Disney Word. And, the airport will probably be busy because people will fly home after celebrating New Year’s Eve! ©Disney On December 30th, there are NO parks available! Definitely expect it to be busy in Disney World that day as well as the airport. People might be trying to squeeze in some park time right before they have to leave, or heading to the parks as soon as they get into town for New Year’s Eve. ©Disney December 27th also has NO park available as of this writing. It should be similar to the 30th, especially because the projected amount of travelers through the airport is only separated by 5 people. ©Disney Finally, on December 23rd, only EPCOT is still available. With it being 2 days before Christmas, people are bound to be in the parks. And, there are probably a high amount of travelers because people are coming into town for Christmas Day! ©Disney It’s good to know about these busy travel days if you’re planning on going through the Orlando Airport during these dates. If you’re flying out of Orlando, make sure to give yourself plenty of extra time to get through security, as lines will probably be longer than usual! Stay tuned to DFB for more travel news and updates as it relates to Disney World. Click here to learn more about the travel mask mandates extended in the U.S. Don't Miss Out on Any Disney World Fun This Holiday Season! The DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World® Holidays 2021 is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. Order The DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World® Holidays 2021 now! It includes over 400 pages of must-have information, including: A full What's New!! chapter for the 2021 Holiday Season A full Monthly Schedule of Events for the Holiday Season How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!) ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM. And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat! ;-D Click HERE to order your 2021 Guide now and get 20% off with code PEPPERMINT! As always, our e-Books are 100% guaranteed! If you don't love it, you get your money back! Want Even MORE? The DFB Everything Bundle comes with ALL of our guides, including the Holiday Guide, for one low price! It includes: Pre-order of the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2022 The 2021 Food & Wine Guide The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Holidays 2021 Pre-order for the 2022 Flower and Garden Festival Guide All three DFB Snack Guides Click HERE to order your DFB Everything Bundle! MORE Disney World Holiday INFO! Check Out the FULL List of Holiday Treats Coming to Disney World This Year See the List of Holiday Treats Coming to Disney World’s Hotels Get All of the Latest Information about the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays See the Booths, Menus, and Food Photos for the Festival of the Holidays Check Out Our Photos & Reviews of the Holiday Treats in Disney World Watch Our Video About What We Wish We’d Known Before Going to Disney World During the Holidays Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Are you flying to or from Disney World during this busy travel season? Let us know in the comments! The post Going to Disney World for the Holidays? Beware of these BUSY Travel Days! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Alice In Wonderland is one of those classic Disney movies that still captures our imaginations. And this year, it celebrated its 70th anniversary! Alice at EPCOT And in celebration of the big anniversary, Disney has dropped a ton of merchandise, including a lot of fun Mary Blair-inspired items! AND the Baby Care Center at Magic Kingdom even recently got a brand new Alice in Wonderland theme! And if you recall, D23 released a massive — albeit expensive — collection of plushes of Alice in Wonderland characters! But if you didn’t want to get the whole set, those plushes have become available individually on shopDisney exclusively for D23 members. And now two more plushes will become available soon, including an Alice Plush. This plush is modeled after pre-production art for Alice In Wonderland by Disney Legend Mary Blair. ©D23 The March Hare Plush will also be available soon! Both plushes come in a collectible box. ©D23 According to the D23 website, we’re seeing different dates on when the plushes will be available to D23 members on shopDisney. Although one date posted is tomorrow, December 17th at 7AM PST, the website also says they’ll be available on December 3rd, which was two weeks ago — we did check to confirm they are not currently available on shopDisney. We’ll let you know if we get an update on that. In the meantime, the other plushes are also still available to D23 members, including the Cheshire Cat Plush, who is quite literally losing his head! ©D23 Cheshire Cat is $36.99. Click Here To Buy The Cheshire Cat Plush The D23 Exclusive Mad Hatter Plush is also still available! He’s even drinking a cup of tea! ©D23 The Mad Hatter is also $36.99. Click Here To Buy The Mad Hatter Plush Off with her head! The Queen of Hearts Plush is available to D23 members, too! ©D23 She’s $36.99, too. Click Here To Buy The Queen of Hearts Plush Finally, you can still grab the Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee Plush — they’re attached at the hip! ©D23 The Tweedles Plush is $36.99. Click Here To Buy The Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee Plush To purchase, make sure you’re logged into shopDisney with the same email address you use for your D23 member account. Don’t have a D23 account — no worries! You can sign up for a free membership to get access to these collectibles! And we’ll let you know if D23 releases any other fun merchandise, so stay tuned! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you been collecting these plushes? Let us know in the comments! The post Disney's Releasing More 'Alice In Wonderland' Plushes Online Soon! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Peppa Pig Theme Park releases on-board video of Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster. View the full article

Every mile, still magic! Whether you’re ready to experience the magic of your first runDisney event, or are gearing up for your fiftieth race, you can start planning now because we are excited to reveal the 2022-2023 race season schedule.View the full article

As Disney welcomes a busy holiday season, its firefighters say they are bracing to be stretched further. Jon Shirey, president of the Reedy Creek Firefighters Association, at the Reedy Creek Improvement District Emergency Services Headquarters at Walt Disney World, Thursday, December 16, 2021. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) A woman at a hotel within Walt Disney World had a heart attack in the middle of the day this past Sunday. The call came from the Bay Lake Tower hotel near the Magic Kingdom while the only rescue vehicle for the area was on another call, according to union members of the Reedy Creek Fire Department, which serves the resort. A call log from the department showed a medic team arrived within nine minutes of dispatch, but it took over 13 minutes for a rescue unit from another zone to arrive and 20 minutes before the woman was given epinephrine, a critical treatment. The woman died that afternoon. Had more people initially responded, she likely would have received the drug sooner and would have had a better chance of survival, Jon Shirey, president of the Reedy Creek Firefighters Association, told the Orlando Sentinel in an interview. “Time is tissue; time, in this case, is life-saving,” he said. “The average person has about four to six minutes to be in cardiac arrest without some of these life-saving treatments before there’s permanent brain damage or irreversible death.” For the first responders at Disney, the call realized their worst fear: that the short staffing they say the department has been working with for years would endanger guests and possibly prove to be fatal. As the resort welcomes a busy holiday season, its firefighters and paramedics say they are bracing to be stretched further. They claim they are increasingly relying on outside fire departments to respond to calls and take people to hospitals, which can lead to delayed care at vital times. The union is in arbitration with the district over the staffing issue, pushing for more first responders. “We’re putting people who are visiting Disney in danger,” said Tim Stromsnes, the union’s communications director. Disney spokesman Avery Maehrer called the union’s claims about safety at Disney “simply not true.” “The safety of everyone who comes to Walt Disney World Resort has always been extremely important to us, and we are grateful to all the first responders who continue to keep our property safe,” he wrote in a statement. Union members say the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which runs the resort’s emergency services, reduced staffing when the parks closed in March 2020 as part of an agreement to avoid layoffs, and now they are not adequately staffed to respond to a fire at a resort hotel, much less a large-scale emergency. “It’s a huge danger,” Shirey said. “If there is a big event, we’re not even remotely close to being able to handle it on our own.” Eryka Washington, Reedy Creek spokeswoman, responded by saying Reedy Creek prioritizes safety and ensures the fire department has “appropriate levels of fire and medical services at all times,” including at Disney’s theme parks. She confirmed that the district did not lay anyone off while the parks were closed because of the pandemic and paid EMT staff’s salaries for 16 weeks while they were at home. Washington did not provide any details on the minimum staffing agreement and would not provide additional information about the union’s staffing claims on the record. In the case of the heart attack, the fire department used to have two rescues assigned to the Magic Kingdom area, but smaller shift staffing has led to gaps in coverage, Stromsnes said. Washington said the response times for the call were normal and four units were at the hotel within 14 minutes of the call. Shirey was not on the call, but he said normally an engine and a rescue arrive at the same time for such incidents and having additional units would have sped up treatment. The call log shows an engine was assigned within two minutes of the medic unit but was canceled on the way as another engine responded and arrived 14 minutes after the medic unit was assigned. Reedy Creek Improvement District Fire Department Station 4, on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. (High-dynamic-range composite image by Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel) (Orlando Sentinel) No new staff, firefighters claim Firefighters say Reedy Creek has not increased its firefighter staffing since 1989. In those 32 years, Disney has added another theme park — Animal Kingdom — another water park — Blizzard Beach — several new hotels and expanded the Disney Springs shopping district. Sean Pierce, a lieutenant paramedic, said he started working at Reedy Creek in 1997, when minimum staffing was 30 personnel per shift. He said as calls for help increase and the resort expands, firefighters are expected to do more with less. “Disney doesn’t build a theme park and then say, ‘Hey, we’re going to take a third of the employees from the Magic Kingdom, from Animal Kingdom and [Hollywood] Studios and we’ll supply Epcot with the employees.’ When they build a park, they open up and they hire employees,” he said. “So why isn’t the fire department doing that?” Minimum staffing per shift at the Reedy Creek Fire Department is currently 26 firefighters spread across five ambulances and four fire engines, Shirey said. These 26 people are responsible for responding across Disney’s theme parks and hotels and accidents on neighboring sections of I-4 and State Road 429. The union alleges Reedy Creek has continued to operate on the temporary staffing agreement made as the pandemic started, resulting in smaller staffing even as Disney returns to normal operations. That deal is the cause of the arbitration, Shirey said. Pre-pandemic, the department had 32 firefighters between eight ambulances and four fire engines per shift, Shirey said. A national standard for firefighting set by the National Fire Protection Association recommends at least 42 firefighters respond to fires in high-rise buildings, defined as those with floors higher than 75 feet “above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.” During peak times, Magic Kingdom used to have up to three medic units of two people each in the park, while Epcot and Hollywood Studios had two and Animal Kingdom one, Shirey said. Now, all parks except Magic Kingdom have one medic unit in the park, he said, placing two people in charge of the initial medical response for thousands of guests and staff. Magic Kingdom has two units, but their shifts only overlap during peak hours, Shirey said. The theme park is the most-visited in the world, with nearly 7 million visitors in 2020 and 21 million in 2019, data from the Themed Entertainment Association showed. Neither Disney nor Reedy Creek would discuss the specific staffing allegations raised by the union. The staffing also affects members of the special operations team, which evacuates riders from complex rides and transportation when they break down, including the monorail and gondola system, Shirey said. Rescue from the Skyliner could take 60 to 90 minutes for each of the gondola’s 300 cabins with optimal staffing, he said. Fellow firefighters refuse to ride it. “I wouldn’t go on the Skyliner, because I think we’re grossly understaffed to do an effective rescue on that,” Stromsnes said. When the Skyliner stalled in October 2019, it stranded passengers in the air, at least one without necessary medication, for nearly three hours. The district’s website shows it is hiring firefighters and paramedics. Shirey said the district told firefighters they were looking to start the process in January, but Washington would not comment on that. When the union has brought up its concerns, the response has been that the call volume does not show the need for larger staffing, Shirey and other firefighters said. “They’re not worried about staffing for the ‘what if’ calls, but ... that’s exactly what we’re here for,” Shirey said. “We are here for those ‘what if’ situations, those truly traumatic incidents, and so to not staff with that in mind just seems kind of foolish.” Disney Skyliner aerial gondolas, on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel) (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Relying on other departments Fewer firefighters mean fewer resources, especially vehicles able to take patients to hospitals, and the Reedy Creek Fire Department has increasingly called on nearby agencies for assistance. From September through November 2021, the Orange County Fire Rescue dispatched 33 calls to Reedy Creek’s coverage area, an increase from 11 over the same timeframe in 2020 when the parks were operating at reduced capacity because of the pandemic, and from 18 in 2019, data provided by agency spokeswoman Lisa McDonald show. The Osceola County Fire Rescue dispatched Reedy Creek calls three times this year over those three months, compared with no calls in 2020 and 2019, representative Andrew Sullivan said. Reedy Creek’s mutual aid data conflicts with those numbers, showing Orange County assisted with 29 total EMS and fire calls and Osceola County seven over that timeframe this year, compared with 14 and 0 in 2020 and 9 and 0 in 2019, respectively. Firefighters say these calls are becoming more frequent this month. On Dec. 4, Orange County responded to three calls from Reedy Creek, county data show. Reedy Creek’s logs show one call. Andre Perez, president of the Orange County Fire Fighters Association, said mutual aid calls take away from the agency’s services for county residents. “As [Reedy Creek’s] call load increases and they are unable to respond their full resources to those calls, then that puts a strain on our system,” he said. County firefighters take longer to respond to Reedy Creek calls and are not as familiar with Disney locations, both of which can cause delays, Perez said. McDonald said the department was “not aware of any issues of access on Disney property” and conducts collaborative training with Reedy Creek at Disney. Reedy Creek Improvement District Fire Department Station 4, on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. (High-dynamic-range composite image by Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel) (Orlando Sentinel) A letter of warning On June 14, the union’s secretary Pete Simon wrote Greg Hale, Disney’s chief safety officer, about the fire department’s staffing amid increasing call volume. Hale responded that the matter should be discussed with the fire department. “I am confident that the Fire Department administration will maintain an appropriate level of staffing to support the taxpayers in the District,” Hale wrote in an email provided by Shirey. Five days later, a person dining at the Boathouse restaurant at Disney Springs had a seizure. Reedy Creek firefighters responded but did not have an ambulance available, Shirey said. An Orange County Fire Rescue team arrived within 22 minutes of dispatch, agency spokeswoman Ashley Gipson said. Concerned, Shirey emailed Hale that the delay demonstrated the firefighters’ worries. “Had this call been of a more serious, life and death matter, I can assure you this Guest would be dead,” Shirey wrote. “They would not just be dead, but they would have died in front of quite the large audience of fellow diners, all wondering why the fire department sat on scene for nearly an hour instead of transporting. For my crews’ sake, for the sake of the fire department and Disney reputation, I urge you to at least dig into this issue a bit further.” Shirey said Hale did not respond. Katie Rice Orlando Sentinel

Lookin’ to catch a new movie? ©Disney Last year was a weird one for movies and we’re still getting back into the swing of things when it comes to catching new flicks on the big screen. One of the first movies to have a theatrical release was Free Guy and now we know when we can STREAM it! Disney has announced that 20th Century Studios Free Guy will come to Disney+ on February 23rd, 2022! ©Disney The film follows a bank teller (played by Ryan Reynolds) who discovers he’s actually a background character in an open-world video game and decides to rewrite his story. Free Guy Coffee Truck Free Guy was named The Comedy Movie of 2021 at the People’s Choice Awards and received a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Comedy. Free Guy Tune in to Disney+ in February to catch the flick from your living room. And, as always, keep an eye on DFB for all the latest Disney updates! Did you know you can watch Disney+ with 32 people at once!? Click here to learn more! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Are you excited to watch Free Guy? Tell us in the comments! The post Find Out WHEN Free Guy Will Be Available on Disney+! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

More behind-the-scenes tours will return to Walt Disney World in early 2022, including the Keys to the Kingdom experience. Wild Africa Trek at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park is one of the returning experiences at Walt Disney World. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Some behind-the-scenes tours will be resuming at Walt Disney World in early 2022, the company announced Thursday. The add-on experiences, which Disney clusters under the category of Enchanting Extras Collection, will start their returns Feb. 6, according to the official Disney Parks Blog. The Keys to the Kingdom experience, a five-hour walking tour, goes backstage and underground into the utilidors at Magic Kingdom. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, tours called Caring for Giants, which involves African elephants; Up Close With Rhinos; Wild Africa Trek; and Savor the Savanna also will return. Prices range from $35 to $199 per person, and the experiences also require park admission. Reservations are recommended and can be made at DisneyWorld.com or the My Disney Experience app. Dewayne Bevil Orlando Sentinel

Disney World has released a LOT of new merchandise to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, including several new Minnie ears headbands, spirit jerseys, and an entire vintage collection. 50th Anniversary Merchandise in the Magic Kingdom Most recently, we’ve seen some shockingly expensive 50th Anniversary souvenirs, including a $1,000 Mickey ears hat and a $300 gold Loungefly mini backpack. Both of these items (among others) are part of the Luxe Logo collection, which has some of the fanciest Disney merchandise we’ve ever seen. Now, the newest Luxe Logo items have hit the shelves in Disney World! Trust us, you’re going to want to see these ones. We were visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios when we glimpsed the new items in the Legends of Hollywood gift shop. This shop is home to lots of fancy merchandise, like those 50th anniversary backpacks we mentioned earlier. Legends of Hollywood Right beside the bright gold bags, we saw the new Luxe Logo tracksuit. The tracksuit is two pieces, so you can buy them separately or together. Both are made with a black velvety material that is covered in bright gold embroidered pinstripes. Top piece The top resembles a spirit jersey, with its off-the-shoulder sleeves and “Walt Disney World” embroidered across the back. Unlike most spirit jerseys, this top also has a hood. Back of the top piece On the front, there’s a big pocket and an embroidered gold logo of the Cinderella Castle for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. It’s not called Luxe LOGO for nothin’ The sweatpants in this suit are made with the same material, and they have a stretchy waistband that ties with a black ribbon in the front. Sweatpants The same gold 50th logo that was on the top piece is embroidered on these pants as well. 50th Anniversary logo We think this tracksuit is GORGEOUS. But are you ready to hear the price? Spoiler alert: you’re not. Luxe Logo tracksuit If you want to buy the top by itself, it’ll cost you $149.99. The sweatpants are $129.99. So in total, this 50th Anniversary Luxe Logo tracksuit will cost $279.98. WOWZA Almost $300 for a pinstriped Disney tracksuit? As much as we would LOVE to have this beauty hanging in our closets, we’ve got to admit that the price is a tad ridiculous. But if that fits the budget for you (or you just can’t help yourself — we understand), you can head into Legends of Hollywood to find the Luxe Logo tracksuit now. Keep following DFB for more updates on the latest new merchandise in Disney World. Click Here to See Some Surprisingly Affordable Luxe Logo Minnie Ears in Disney World Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021 Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe Would you pay $300 for a tracksuit in Disney World? Let us know in the comments! The post A NEW 50th Anniversary Item Has Arrived in Disney World and...It's EXPENSIVE (Shocker!) first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Though many things have reopened in Disney World, several experiences, restaurants, and/or attractions are still closed. Animal Kingdom Recently, we’ve seen select restaurants reopen and news shared about entertainment that is set to return in the future. Now, we’ve got a BIG update about a bunch of awesome tours and special experiences returning to the parks in 2022! Disney recently announced that all of the following tours will be returning on February 6th, 2022 and most are now available for booking. Let’s take a look at what will soon be coming back: Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom First up, we have the return of the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in Magic Kingdom. With this tour, guests get to learn about the history of Magic Kingdom, take a visit to the underground Utilidors, learn about some ride secrets, enjoy lunch, and more. Cinderella Castle The tour lasts 5 hours and is priced at $114 per person (not including tax). It is limited to those 16 years old and older. Click here to learn more about the Keys to the Kingdom tour! Caring for Giants If you are big fan of animals, then you might want to check out the Caring for Giants tour when it returns. With this 60-minute tour, you’ll get to learn more about the African elephant herd in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and get a glimpse at what it takes to care for these amazing creatures. Such Amazing Animals! You’ll also get to view the elephants from a special backstage viewing area. The tour is priced at $35 per person (tax not included). Guests must be 4 years old or older to participate. Learn more about this tour here. Wild Africa Trek Want a tour that will make you feel quite adventurous? Then check out the Wild Africa Trek! With this tour at Animal Kingdom you get to cross a swinging rope bridge near crocodiles, ride along the savanna, learn more about the animals, and even enjoy some African-inspired snacks! Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom The tour costs $199 per person (tax not included) and is limited to those 8 years and older who meet a specific height and weight requirement. Learn more about the Wild Africa Trek here! Up Close with Rhinos You can get an up close view of more animals with the Up Close with Rhinos tour. This tour lasts 60 minutes and takes guests backstage to see some rhinos from a special viewing area. You’ll get to learn about their behavior and the challenges that these animals face in the wild. Rhino on Kilimanjaro Safaris! The tour is limited to those ages 4 and older and it is priced at $45 per person (not including tax). Learn more about the Up Close with Rhinos experience here. Savor the Savanna Finally, you can combine your love for the sights and sounds of the savanna with your love for FOOD with the Savor the Savanna experience. This experience will be available to book later this month. During the tour, you get to taste some African-inspired dishes, paired with regional beer and wine options, as you look over the Harambe Wildlife Reserve from a special, private viewing area. You’ll also get to listen to a guide as they talk about the unique residents in the reserve and the care provided to the animals in the park. Kilimanjaro Safaris The experience is priced at $174 per person (tax not included) and it is limited to those ages 8 and up. Learn more about Savor the Savanna here! Advance bookings are highly recommended for all of these tours. You should be able to check for and make reservations for all of the tours mentioned above (except for Savor the Savanna) right now. Reservations for Savor the Savanna will open later this month. To make reservations, visit the Disney World website, click the links above for more information, or check for availability in the My Disney Experience app. Note that these tours require park admission and Park Pass reservations. Get Ready to Go for a Tour! These tours could make an awesome present idea or could be a great way to celebrate a special occasion. We’ll keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we find. Click here to learn about Disney World private VIP tours. Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Which of these tours would you be most interested in experiencing? Tell us in the comments! The post NEWS: 5 Special Tours Are Coming Back to Disney World Next Year! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

To ensure we are equipping our readers with all the information they need, we will continue to report on all travel, safety, and COVID-related news that could impact a Disney Parks visit. While many things in Disney World have returned to “normal,” Florida continues to be affected by COVID-19. Face coverings are required indoors in Disney World Disney World has maintained certain health and safety measures, while Orange County (where part of Disney World is located) has been referred to as a “rapid riser” county and a COVID-19 hotspot. Now a dominant COVID-19 variant has been identified in Orange County’s wastewater, so here’s what you need to know. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Omicron variant is now the “predominant strain of COVID-19 in Orange County,“ after it was detected in area wastewater samples. While clinical Omicron cases have not been detected yet in the area, wastewater surveillance has been used to get early data on COVID-19 transmission. In the summer, wastewater samples predicted the Delta surge. Health and safety signage in EPCOT The first case of Omicron in the U.S. was detected on December 1st in California, in a fully vaccinated individual who had returned from a trip to South Africa, and at this time no confirmed Omicron cases have been found in Orange County. According to Florida state data, Orange County saw 1,002 new COVID-19 infections last week, which is an increase from the prior two weeks, but a decrease from the second week of August in which the county saw 9,164 new cases largely due to Delta. Disney World Health and Safety Signage Early studies have indicated that Omicron could be less severe than Delta, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said that preliminary data is showing that vaccines and boosters are effective against the new strain. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said that the majority of hospitalizations right now are due to the Delta variant. Mask signage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom If we look back at December 2020, over 200 Orange County residents died of COVID-19 at that time, compared to just two deaths in December 2021, and local state health officer Dr. Raul Pino said that the COVID-19 14-day positivity rate is at 3.8% right now, compared to 9.2% at the same time last year. DFB is here to keep you updated on health and safety policies in Disney World and how they may affect your next Disney World trip, so stay tuned for more updates and recommendations from health and science professionals. Click here to read more about Omicron and COVID-19 in Disney World. Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! The post Omicron COVID-19 Variant Present in Wastewater in a Disney World County first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

For several months, Disney Cruise Line couldn’t set sail due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But now cruises are back up and running again! Disney Cruise We’ve seen information about the state of the cruise business in general at one Florida port, and some construction updates on Disney Cruise Line’s latest ship — the Disney Wish. Now we’ve got an important update for those who have Disney cruises planned for the future! Over the past several months, we’ve seen the final payment policy and other cruise line policies repeatedly extended, providing a bit more flexibility to those with future cruises booked. Now, it appears the policies have been extended again. Here’s a look at the current policies you need to know about. We’ll start with the final payment policy. As of right now, guests with sailings through September 30th, 2022, don’t have to make their final cruise payment until 60 days prior to the sailing. This specifically applies to guests booked in unrestricted stateroom categories. So if you haven’t already reached your final payment due date and you fall within those requirements, you can wait until 60 days prior to your cruise to make your final payment. ©Disney Cruise Line Disney’s cancellation fee schedule has been extended as a result. For sailings through September 30th, 2022, the cancellation fee schedule has been relaxed for the time being. Instead of having that fee schedule start as early as 119 days prior to the sailing, it starts 59 days prior to the sailing for guests who have booked a non-suite and non-concierge category room. There are specific rules that apply to those who are booked in suite and concierge rooms, as well as those booked on the maiden voyage for the Disney Wish. ©Disney Cruise Line What if you want to change your cruise date? According to the Disney Cruise Line website, for sailings booked by July 31st, 2021 that are scheduled to sail on or before December 31st, 2021, guests can change their sail date up to 15 days prior to departure. Guests must change those cruise dates to sail dates that start before September 30th, 2022. ©Disney Cruise Line Disney Cruise Line’s website also has details about their flexible refund policy, specifically as it applies to those who experience COVID-19 related concerns within 14 days of their sailing. If you have a cruise planned for the near future, this is important information to know about. ©Disney Cruise Line These dates and policies are all subject to change again. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more details. Want to learn more about Disney Cruise Line’s upcoming ship — the Disney Wish? Check out some of the links below! See more details about the shows coming to the Disney Wish Get a sneak peek at scenes from Disney Cruise Line’s first attraction at sea Get a first look at the Incredibles-themed family competition area coming to the Wish Check out what surprising character will make their first appearance on Disney Cruise Line’s new ship And stay tuned for more Disney Cruise Line updates. Click here to see the latest construction update on Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship! What You Need to Know About Disney Cruise Line Learn All About Disney Cruise Line and Its Various Ships Check Out Lots of Details About Disney Cruise Line’s Newest Ship -- the Disney Wish (Including More About the Star Wars Bar and First Attraction at Sea Coming to the Wish) See the Latest on Disney Cruise Line’s Mask Policy Learn About Disney Cruise Line’s COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Policies Check Out 10 Things That’ll Be Different About Your Next Disney Cruise See More About the Virtual Queues and Other Changes Made on Disney Cruises Check Out How Much It’ll Cost to Sail on Disney’s Newest Cruise Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe Have you ever been on a Disney Cruise? Tell us in the comments! The post Disney Cruise Line Updates Select Payment Policies first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Guests who want to get even closer to the magic of nature and Disney now can book a number of tours as we continue our phased approach to bring back these world-class offerings and experiences. Looking for the perfect holiday gift idea you won’t soon lose or forget? Putting together your bucket list for the new year and looking to add some excitement? Making a resolution to spend more time outdoors? Then try one of the following tours available for booking now and returning beginning Feb. 6, 2022:View the full article

A piece of Disney World is going on tour! Soul of Jazz Exhibit Earlier this year, EPCOT got the new The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure exhibit in (You guessed it!) The American Adventure Pavilion. Well, Disney announced that this exhibit would be hittin’ the road and heading on a three-museum tour around the United States. Now, the tour has kicked off! The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure exhibit opened at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri on December 10th. At first exclusive to EPCOT, the exhibit is now bringing the spirit and history of jazz (with the help of characters from Pixar’s Soul) to museums around the country. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with the American Jazz Museum, the New Orleans Jazz Museum, and The National jazz Museum in Harlem to recreate an EPCOT experience for visitors and residents to enjoy. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum We visited the new exhibit in Kansas City to take a look at what the traveling version includes! When you walk into the American Jazz Museum, there’s a central lobby. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum The lobby features a store, a general seating and welcome area, the entrances to the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and a section in the general space where you’ll spot The Soul of Jazz exhibit. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum We purchased a ticket and it was checked as we entered the main jazz museum space. The Soul of Jazz is off the lobby and not actually in the museum itself so our ticket was not checked when we went to view it. Tickets for the American Jazz Museum are $10 for adults and combination admission that includes the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is $15 for adults. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum The exhibit was larger than we expected, but not huge. It looked pretty familiar to us; after all, it is a traveling version of the exhibit in EPCOT. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum Still, this version of the exhibit felt a little like we were stepping into the film. We could sing with the band… The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum …see Joe Gardner’s classroom… The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum …and head over to the Half Note Club. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum Of course, the exhibit has a lot of amazing and historic pieces from the Jazz greats like this dress worn by Pearl Thurston Brown… The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum …a photo of Billie Holiday… The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum …and more! The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum And the exhibit brought some added Soul fun with it too! We spotted Soul coloring pages for kiddos and a little Soul activity page that we snagged before heading into the full museum. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum In the gift shop, they also had some Soul merchandise items available for purchase. The Soul of Jazz at the American Jazz Museum The exhibit will be in Kansas City until April 2022. Don’t forget, it’s also at the New Orleans Jazz Museum and is headed to The National jazz Museum in Harlem in February! As always, keep an eye on DFB for the latest Disney updates! Want to learn more about the traveling exhibits? Click here! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Will you be visiting one of these traveling exhibits? Tell us in the comments! The post PHOTOS: We Found a Piece of EPCOT in...Missouri?! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Each day, D23 (the official Disney fan club) has been giving away some fun FREE prizes as part of their Season of Magic sweepstakes. ©D23 We’ve seen everything from a holiday train set to crafting supplies. Today D23 is giving out prizes that will make any fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas SCREAM! What’s this? A prize pack with 8 awesome items for Nightmare Before Christmas fans?! Why Sandy Claws himself would be thrilled! If you win today’s D23 Season of Magic prize, you’ll get ALL of the following: Sally’s Storage Jars – BoxLunch Exclusive Beach 7-Quart Slow Cooker – BoxLunch Exclusive Everybody Scream Soup Mug Zero Mood Lamp – BoxLunch Exclusive Jack Head Faux Tree Mini Planter Jack Skellington’s Suit Apron Sally’s Patchwork Dress Apron Poster Sherpa Throw – BoxLunch Exclusive ©D23 That’s a whole bunch of epic Nightmare Before Christmas items. If you don’t win the prize, you can click some of the links above to buy the items individually online! To enter in the sweepstakes, you will need to visit the D23 website. Then, you will have to sign in to your D23 membership account. Not a D23 member yet? No problem! You can sign up for a FREE General D23 Membership right now and sign up to win this great prize. Jack! D23 is continuing to make new daily prizes available through December 23rd, so be sure to come back for more updates! Click here to see all of the 50th Anniversary merchandise you can get online right now! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Are you a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Tell us in the comments! The post You Could WIN 8 Nightmare Before Christmas Items Right Now! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

When it comes to traveling to Disney World, many guests fly into Orlando International Airport. Orlando International Airport And some big changes coming to the airport soon, including a brand new terminal, which will feature NEW dining spots from some of our favorite Disney World restaurants, as well as a new Disney Store! And we now know when the new terminal will open. According to the official Orlando Airport website, South Terminal C will open to passengers in July 2022. And that terminal will feature a new location for one of our favorite Disney Springs restaurants, Wine Bar George. Wine Bar George at Disney Springs According to a map we previously saw of Level 2, Palm Court of Terminal C, Wine Bar George could potentially have 1,062 square feet of space in the new terminal. But that’s not all because the map also shows a spot denoted as Provisions by Cask and Larder, which will be operated by the owners of The Polite Pig. This will be their second location at the airport. ©Greater Orlando Aviation Authority According to The Orlando Business Journal, the new terminal is currently about 87 percent complete. The new terminal is part of a larger airport expansion project that will also include a connection to the Intermodal Terminal Facility — this will eventually be the home to a new Brightline high-speed rail train that will be able to take guests from the airport to Disney World, ©Brightline Meanwhile, we also know that the airside second level of the North Concourse will be getting a new dining spot, too — Sunshine Diner by Chef Art Smith. And yes, that’s the same Art Smith who owns Disney Springs‘ Homecomin.’ We’ll be keeping an eye on an opening date for that, as well as on progress about the new terminal, so stay tuned! Here Are The Important Facts About the New Mears Connect Magical Express Replacement Coming to Disney World Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think of the new terminal at Orlando Airport opening soon? Let us know in the comments! The post WHEN The NEW Terminal Should Open at the Orlando International Airport! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Looking to bring a bit of Disney into your home? Wishing you could recreate a fun Disney recipe for the holidays? Want a little sugary treat to add to your Christmas table? You’re in the right place! Linzer Cookie There are lots of different cookies you can have around Disney World, but one of the most iconic during the holidays is probably the Linzer cookie. We’ve seen this type of cookie pop up in a few spots, and it’s been available for several years at the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. But what if you could make that cookie at home with a special Mickey twist?! We’ve got all the info you need to know right here! Today we’re sharing our copycat recipe for the EPCOT Linzer cookies, with a Mickey-shaped twist. You know Linzer cookies — the ones with the little cookie window cutout full of jam and topped powdered sugar? According to The Philadelphia Inquirer the cookie originated in Austria and has been adapted over time for American tastes. The cookie is essentially the ever-popular Linzer Tart but in cookie form! Most authentic recipes will have some form of ground nuts in the dough — almonds and hazelnuts are common — and the jammy center can really be any flavor you like, but raspberry or red currant are the most common. Ready to Make These?! Note: the recipe makes about 1 dozen cookies with the cutters we used. If you make them a tad smaller, you can yield more. Ingredients 14 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp butter extract 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup almond flour 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 & 1/2 cups raspberry jam Non-melting powdered sugar (also known as donut sugar) for topping 2 cookie cutters (one of which is a smaller shape to cut out those windows in select cookies). Note you can search online for Linzer cookie cutters — like these — and find lots of fun options or use a small bottle cap to cut the centers. If you have a 3D printer and want the same ones we used, the file can be found here. Let’s Get Started! Steps 1 — Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Adjust rack to middle of oven. 2 — Cream butter and sugars with paddle attachment in a mixer. The Butters and Sugars Are in If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a handheld mixer or do this by hand (it’ll be a workout!). Cream on high until pale and fluffy looking — about 4 minutes. That’s What You’re Looking For! 3 — Scrape down bowl and add egg and both extracts. You likely have vanilla extract hiding in your pantry, but butter extract? Maybe not, unless you bake frequently. This is a secret many bakeries use to add an extra layer of buttery flavor to doughs and batters. Most grocery stores sell it in the spice aisle. Add in the Extracts Mix on high until well incorporated. Add the Egg and Extracts 4 — In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients — all-purpose flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a whisk by hand until well blended. Almond flour is just finely ground almonds. Again, most stores sell this n the baking aisle. If not or if you have someone with a nut allergy, feel free to substitute an equal amount of flour here (it just won’t taste quite the same!). Mix It Up! 5 — Pour dry ingredients into mixer and mix, on low/medium, until dry ingredients are just incorporated. Mixing It Together The dough will feel a little sticky but not so much that it is hard to handle. The Dough is Ready 6 — Form into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in fridge for 60 mins. Time to Let It Cool 7 — While dough chills, pour 1 & 1/2 cups of jam into a heatproof container and microwave for 1-1.5 minutes until jam is bubbly and hot. Get That Jam Heated Up! 8 — Pour jam through a strainer into another bowl. Time to Strain Use a spatula to stir and press the jam through the strainer. This will remove the seeds and make your jam slightly thicker once it sets up. (Seeds in jam are rarely fun to chomp into!) Use That Spatula 9 — When ready to cut cookies, liberally flour your surface and place dough on top. Use Plenty of Flour Flour the top of the dough and roll, gently, with a rolling pin until 1/8 inch thick. Now, it’s time to cut. Time to Cut Out Your Mickey Shapes We used 2 different Mickey-shaped cookie cutters — one that is larger and one that is smaller (to cut out Mickey shapes on select cookies — more on that in a second). Our team member’s family member made the cutters using a 3D printer file. They uploaded the files for us so anyone trying these at home (that also is equipped with a 3D printer) can make the cutters at home to use too! Click here to download the free file. Our Mickey Cookie Cutters If you don’t have Mickey cookie cutters at home or don’t have a 3-D printer to make your own custom ones, you can buy some online! For example, this set from Amazon comes with 5 Mickey-shaped cookie cutters in different sizes. It’s typically priced at $8.99, but is on sale right now for $5.99! You could also use any non-Mickey or non-Disney cookie cutters of your choosing, or just use a larger cup and something in a smaller shape to cut out the windows — a bottle cap can work! — or whatever else you’ve got at home to make it work! ©Amazon | Tmflexe Once you’ve got your cutters ready, cut your dough with any cutter and carefully use a spatula to transfer to a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined cookie sheet. This is a finicky dough to transfer and ours stuck a good bit to our work surface. Just take your time and add flour as needed to prevent sticking. Transferred onto the Baking Sheet For ONLY half of the cookies, use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out a window in the center of the cookie. Do this AFTER cookies are transferred to the cookie sheets to prevent warping the cookies. Time to Cut Those Smaller Mickeys Here’s what the cut-out windows should look like for those half of the cookies. (Definitely bake up the little Mickeys! They’d go great on the side of a cup of cocoa!) What It Should Look Like 10 — Chill cut cookies for 30 minutes before baking. This is key to prevent the cookies from over-spreading. You want crisp cutouts, not blobs. 11 — Bake cookies in preheated oven until just slightly golden. In our oven the whole cookies took 9 minutes and the cookies missing the centers took 7 minutes. EVERY oven is different so watch, watch, watch. When you see the edges juuuuust starting to golden, pop em out! They’re Ready! 12 — Let cookies cool completely before assembling. 13 — When ready to assemble, either use a knife to smear jam on the bottom cookies or fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with the jam. We Got a Piping Bag for Ours If you use the piping bag, cut the tip off the bag… Ready to Go, Just Need to Cut Off the Tip and Get Piping! …and gently squirt jam on the cookie. Looks So Delicious Avoid getting too close to the edges. This is What it Should Look Like 14 — Pour a bit of the non-melting powdered sugar into a small mesh strainer. Hold it over the top cookies and gently tap the side of the strainer with your hand. Powdered sugar should gently shower down on the cookies. You do this first so you don’t cover the pretty jam on the completed cookie! Gently Tap 15 — Take a top powdered sugar-covered cookie and carefully place it on a jam-covered cookie. Put a Sugar-Topped Cookie on Top of the Jam Covered One Repeat with remaining cookies. Finishing Them All Up When you’re done, you should have some adorable Mickey-shaped Linzer cookies with a bit of that jam showing through the center. Love Them!! You can serve these up as part of your holiday spread, wrap them up in some clear wrap and give them out as gifts, or just devour them all on your own (we won’t judge ). A Peek Inside And now, let’s go through some notes and tips. Baker’s Notes and Tips The dough NEEDS to be chilled between cutting and baking. If not, the cookies will spread and lose their pretty shapes a bit. Be sure to leave enough time for the dough to be chilled! You’ve Got to Chill the Dough to Get This Pretty Shape The dough will puff when it starts cooking but should settle back to the crisp, cut shape as in nears the end of baking. Don’t be alarmed! This dough is very soft and can be tricky to handle. Just take your time, use extra flour to prevent sticking as needed, and be patient! Sugar, Jam, and Patience Are Key Once the cookies are assembled, you can add an extra bit of jam in the center window of each cookie if you want it really jammy. (And, really, who DOESN’T want an excuse for more jam?!) You can do this with regular powdered sugar but the pretty white sugar won’t last super long on the cookie. It’ll seem to disappear over time as the oil in the cookie comes in contact with the sugar. That’s what’s special about non-melting sugar. This is what Disney uses and it should stay nice and white on top of the cookies! Use That Non-Melting Sugar Don’t have any non-melting sugar at home? You can grab some on Amazon! This non-melting sugar powder (which is also called snow sugar or donut sugar) comes in an 8oz serving and is $6.62 for 1 bottle. Note, however, that shipping is extra. ©Amazon | Larissa Veronica For these cookies, you can use any flavor of jam. Traditional Linzer cookies use red currant or raspberry, but use whatever you like to make this cookie just what you want to eat (we were wanting to try it with cherry preserves!). Disney uses almond flour in their cookie — we asked! — but you can omit this and use the same amount of regular flour instead if you chose, it just won’t be quite the same! Our Cookies There you have it — a fun and delicious cookie recipe you can make at home with family and friends or bring to a special holiday celebration. If you make these cookies at home, be sure to let us know in the comments! Click here for more Disney recipes! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Are you a fan of Linzer cookies? Tell us in the comments! The post Copycat Disney Recipe: Mickey-Shaped (!!) Linzer Cookies from EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

National Cupcake Day | How To Make Mickey Mouse Cupcakes At HomeView the full article

It’s hard to think about right now, but 2022 will be here sooner than you think! We’re so close to the start of the 50th Anniversary Celebration! Though we’re in the final weeks of 2021 (it IS Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, after all), there’s a lot to look forward to — and start planning for — in Disney next year! Of course, a lot of the BIG openings and debuts on the docket right now are slated for the next few weeks and the anniversary (looking at you, Space 220 and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure), 2022 certainly has its fair share of events. So pretty! With the new year not as far off as you may think, here are 8 Disney events in 2022 you need to put on your calendar NOW! January 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon Though January is typically a slow and quiet month in Disney World (which can be a GREAT thing for vacationers), there’s still one way you can get active on your trip! This one’s for the athletes! The 2022 runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon takes place January 5th-9th, and it’s a HUGE deal for athletes who like fitness as much as they like magic. ©Disney Even if you aren’t boldly participating in the marathon or the other races held that weekend, it can be a blast just being there to watch (and partake in adjoining activities)! It’s a heartwarming and epic spectacle to behold and a totally unique time to experience Disney World! On the flip side though, these races draw huge crowds, so it’s definitely a date to keep in your brain if an early 2022 trip is on your horizon. Click here to learn more about the 2022 marathon weekend! EPCOT International Festival of the Arts January is also the month when EPCOT International Festival of the Arts begins. The 2022 festival will take place from January 14th through February 21st, 2022 2021 Festival of the Arts This is one festival NOT to miss! Known for its art (both edible and visual), make sure you add this to your calendar ASAP! Dance with penguins? Don’t mind if we do! Aside from admiring the work of dozens of Disney artists, guests can sample creative foods or take in the Disney on Broadway Concert Series Click here to see the booths for the 2022 Festival of the Arts! February Princess Half Marathon While the Festival of the Arts will carry on most of this month, at the end of the month is the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend, taking place February 22nd-27th. ©runDisney Not only is there the race itself, but the extended weekend features different events and attractions for all skill levels, plus lots of Disney entertainment for the whole fam! Click here to see the medals for this upcoming race! March EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival Another month, another EPCOT festival! The Flower & Garden Festival is coming! The dates are still TBA, but ’tis the season for the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, so prepare yourself for lots of lush landscaping, topiaries GALORE, and garden-inspired eats! In 2021 the festival ran from March 3 – July 5, 2021. See our best of the fest from last year’s festival here! Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Opens Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is slated to open March 1st, 2022. This is a highly anticipated experience. It’s not quite a hotel — think more like an all-inclusive cruise. But for 2 nights. In space. Well, “space.” You’re still in Florida (spoilers!). ©Disney | Obtained via IGN You get to be a part of the action on the ship, performing activities and interacting with the ship’s “crew.” This unique experience has a, well, unique price to go with it. For the 2 night trip, it costs about 5k for two adults! Dates are starting to sell out though, so, while pricey, many fans are jumping at the chance to eat blue shrimp in space. Click here to learn more about this new hotel experience! April Earth Day/Animal Kingdom’s Birthday! One date we CAN confirm is that Earth Day takes place April 22nd! Tree of Life Compared to other major holidays in Disney World, this may seem a modest celebration, but it’s an apt time to visit Animal Kingdom, whose anniversary falls on Earth Day. Happy Birthday, Animal Kingdom! Honestly, we’d visit this eco-conscious, Earth-centric park any day, but April 22nd feels especially fitting! Check out an Earth Day Disney+ playlist here! May May the Fourth “May the fourth be with you!” That’s what you’ll be saying when you wisely visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 4th, 2022. Galaxy’s Edge It’s a special day for Star Wars lore, making Galaxy’s Edge THE place to celebrate! And if you plan far enough ahead and play your cards right, you may even be able to toast the occasion with a cocktail at Oga’s Cantina! On occasion in past years, we’ve seen Star Wars merchandise on sale or new goodies just for this day! How popular was May the Fourth last year? Click here. July EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival We’re calling this one July but with an asterisk next to it. The big star of the show in terms of EPCOT fests, Food and Wine has been getting longer and longer each year. In past years, generally speaking, we typically saw the fest run from mid to late August through the week before Thanksgiving in November. However, the past two fests both started mid-July, adding at least a solid month to this already lengthy fest! Food and Wine Festival! That’s almost 4 full months to experience all the food, drinks, and entertainment, including the popular Eat to the Beat Concert Series. September D23 Expo You’ve still got lots of time to plan for the next D23 Expo, which is always a fun time for mega-Disney fans to see special shows, snag special merch, and be a part of special Disney news and events! Destination D23 in 2021 Next year’s event takes place September 9th-11th at the Anaheim Convention Center near Disneyland, so be sure and jump on these tickets well in advance if you want to attend! Learn more about the next D23 Expo here! October EPCOT’s 40th Anniversary The big anniversary on everyone’s mind for the past year has been Magic Kingdom’s (and with it, all of Disney World!). But ANOTHER park has a big birthday coming up the same day one year later. EPCOT (then EPCOT Center) opened on October 1st, 1982! Spaceship Earth That means October 1st, 2022 is its 40th birthday! So not only will it still be the 50th Anniversary celebration of Disney World, but it will be a special day for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow! EPCOT went all out with fun merch and snacks for its 35th a few years back so we’re expecting a similar celebration next year (not to mention the neverending sea of construction in the park might FINALLY be coming to an end in time!). Check out what EPCOT’s last big b-day celebration was like here! November EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays One of Disney World’s last Holiday events to arrive on the scene each year, you can typically expect the final EPCOT fest of the year, Festival of the Holidays, the last week of November — in most years it has opened on Black Friday right after Thanksgiving and runs typically until just before New Year’s Eve. This year’s fest’s dates are November 26th-December 30th. 2021 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays The fest features festive foods from around the world, the beloved Candlelight Processional, and holiday Storytellers sharing various holiday traditions. Click here to learn more about Festival of the Holidays! TBD Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind We’re psyched for this next one! This one isn’t a full “TBD” — we do have an opening season for this one! The Guardians, Marvel’s ragtag bunch of misfits from all around the Galaxy, are about to land in EPCOT — and they’re bringing a massive indoor roller coaster with ’em! ©Disney Announced as opening “Summer 2022,” we’ll finally get to experience what has been going on for the last 84 years in the ol’ Universe of Energy building (we kid, we kid! But seriously, they’ve been building this thing for ages now!). This ride will feature a unique rotating car design and a reverse launch! We think it’s safe to say a boppin’ awesome mix playlist will be involved as well! Click here to see more about this exciting new Marvel ride coming to EPCOT! TRON Lightcycle Run In other “rides we’ve been waiting to open for about 600 years now,” the TRON coaster enters the chat. If you’ve peered at Magic Kingdom recently, it’s hard to not notice the MASSIVE wonky shaped structure by Space Mountain — that would be TRON. The ride first debuted at Shanghai Disneyland and will soon make its U.S. debut. But when will it open?! TRON construction August 2021 All that Disney has shared is TRON Lightcycle Run is set to open in 2022. Aside from that, they’ve been pretty tight-lipped about it all. The ride is inching closer to completion visually, so we’ll be eagerly checking for updates on an opening timeline! Click here for the latest on the TRON coaster! Rodeo Roundup BBQ We’re starting to wonder if we just imagined this new restaurant in Hollywood Studio’s Toy Story Land. It sure feels like it with how little Disney talks about it! But no, we didn’t imagine it. The restaurant is just making progress at a snail’s pace. Will you ever open?! Slated to open in 2020…it didn’t. Then 2021 came and…it didn’t (though we do have a couple weeks left in 2021 — anything is possible we suppose!). So barring any unforeseen setbacks, it seems hard to picture this one not opening sometime in 2022. But again, it’s Disney, so you never know (remember when we waited almost 4 years [!!] for Space 220??). Get a Peek Behind the Roundup Rodeo BBQ Construction Walls! Of course, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on the latest and greatest regarding opening dates and news! But in the meantime, 2022 is already shaping up to be another banner year for all things Disney! Is Disney World’s Star Wars Hotel Worth It? Here’s What Our Readers Think! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What are you most looking forward to at Disney in 2022? Let us know in the comments! The post 14 Disney Events in 2022 To Put On Your Calendar Right NOW first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Walt Disney World's holiday services department puts up more than 600 Christmas trees. That requires a lot of ornaments and a plan. View the full article

“Harmonious,” the stunning new nighttime spectacular at EPCOT, has been thrilling guests nightly since the start of the 18-month-long Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary celebration, bringing everyone together around World Showcase Lagoon. This is a show that can only be done at EPCOT. “Harmonious” illuminates our shared humanity and celebrates the power of Disney music to unite us as one global community, with an ensemble of musical artists from around the world reinterpreting familiar Disney songs in their own voice, honoring their respective cultures.View the full article

A few weeks back, Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts reopened (Riverside on October 14th and French Quarter shortly after on October 28th). However, Riverside’s beloved table service restaurant, Boatwright’s Dining Hall, stayed closed during the initial opening phase. Let’s go get some dinner! But now, Boatwright’s has opened to the public once again after being closed for nearly two years, and we’re here, ready to chow down and tell you our thoughts! Let’s dig in. Atmosphere Starting out with the atmosphere, Boatwright’s is one of those places that, if you weren’t looking for it, you might not even notice that it’s there! It’s only open for dinner and it’s hidden away in an unsuspecting building at Port Orleans Riverside. If Port Orleans – French Quarter is all about the revelry of Mardi Gras and New Orleans’ vibrant French Quarter district, Port Orleans – Riverside is all about the southern sprawling plantations, giant live oaks, and the simpler life down on the bayou. Boatwright’s reflects that asthetic. Boatwright’s is open! It specializes in down-home, southern-style cuisine, including some delicious Louisiana favorites. The inside looks like an old boat construction warehouse, and you’ll notice that especially in the details, with boat hulls and tools are strewn throughout the decor. Inside Boatwright’s Once we checked in at the front podium, we were led to our table. Check-in area There is a main dining room under the skeleton of the boat being built and there are also tables on a raised surface to the side. The tables are a little close together here, which gave the dining room a slight cafeteria feel. It’s not exactly what you’re expecting at a restaurant where entrees are between $21 and $35. Dining area We were seated at a standard wooden table with some mismatching chairs, which added a bit more character to the set up. The place settings were simple blue cloth napkins with silverware and a small side plate. Table setting Now it’s time to see what’s on the menu! Menu Starting out with the appetizers, the menu already has our mouths watering with picks like French Onion Soup Au Gratin and Mardi Gras Fritters! ©Disney For entrees, they’ve got all the classics. You can go coastal with some Deep South Shrimp and Grits or hit up Tennessee for the Nashville Hot Chicken. If you want a little bit of everything, we recommend the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Chef’s Platter. ©Disney Sides include seasonal vegetables, southern greens, and fried okra. The dessert menu just screams the word “decadent” with options like Mississippi Mud Crème Brûlée, Banana Cream Pie Bread Pudding, and Pecan Pie Cheesecake. Are you hungry yet?! ©Disney And, they didn’t forget about the kiddos! Just like the grown-ups, kids can start with an app, choose an entree… ©Disney …and then choose their add-ons of sides or desserts! They’ve even got their own special drink option that comes in a souvenir character cup. ©Disney And, speaking of drinks, Boatwright’s has fountain beverages plus Pomegranate Lemonade, a Grapefruit Spritzer, and the popular (and Instagrammable) EARidescent Sip-a-bration on the menu. You can even drink your coffee like real Louisianans do — with chickory! Chickory coffee has more of a punch and a stronger flavor than your average Folgers. ©Disney Beyond that, they have hot beverages, specialty cocktails, dessert cocktails, and more than two dozen different kinds of beer. You certainly won’t go thirsty! The even have Abita beer, which is brewed in New Orleans (well, technically Abita Springs, LA, hence the name!) and not typically seen on restaurant menus ’round Disney World. Beer list We were given a paper menu for the alcoholic drinks… Drink menu …and a QR code to scan for the food menu. Don’t forget your phone! Now, let’s get to the best part — the FOOD! Food We started out with the Southern Hurricane cocktail for $13.09. When in Rome, err, NOLA. This had tropical juices with Plantation dark rum and Bayou silver rum. It also had a floater on top of Southern Comfort and was garnished with a lime, lemon, orange, and cherry skewers. It’s such a pretty color! With two kinds of rum and a floater of liqueur on top, this drink was pretty boozy! The fruit flavors were strong as well, but the drink wasn’t too sweet like tropical juice drinks can be sometimes. Like any good Hurricane, it does its job hiding all that booze behind sweet and fruity flavors so watch out because they can sneak up on you! If you don’t like rum or the taste of alcohol in your drinks, this one is not for you. But, if you’re a rum fan, you’ll be happy with the Southern Hurricane! Watch out for that floater on top! Next, we were brought some classic cornbread with honey butter. Unlike some honey butters where the two are mixed together, this butter had the honey right in the middle! It’s literally honey…and butter. Honey butter. Corn Bread and Honey Butter The bread is served slightly warm (as all good cornbread should be!) and you get a decent sized loaf. It’s a great way to kick off a southern meal! It’s like a warm hug For appetizers, we ordered the Boudin Balls for $13 and the Mardi Gras Fritters for $12. We’re eating all of our apps in fried ball form today, thank ya very much. Let’s EAT The Boudin Balls are a mix of andouille sausage, smoked sausage, and dirty rice that’s then breaded and fried. They were served with a remoulade, creole mustard, and pickled vegetables. Boudin Balls These were delicious! Other Boudin (pronounced boo-DAN) Balls we’ve tried have had lot of meat in them, but these were mostly rice — they didn’t have too much ground sausage inside. We’re sure those familiar with “real” boudin balls are shaking their heads at these right now, but don’t! True boudin sausage is just seasoned ground pork and rice. Fry it up in ball-form, you’ve got boudin balls. This is two other kinds of ground sausage and rice. So, not authentic for the die-hard ride or die boudin fans, but still really flavorful. And that’s what counts! These definitely aren’t a light appetizer, as they’re pretty dense. And, watch out, because these were pretty spicy! Spicier than they look! They had two sauces with them — the one on top is the spicy pepper remoulade (pronounced row-mah-lawd. [See, now you can talk like a Cajun too!]) and the one on the bottom was the creole mustard, which was pretty tangy. The Boudin Balls were also topped with sliced of Fresno chiles, which took it a little over the top with the spice! Great presentation You need to be able to handle spicy food to eat these, but they’re really yummy and satisfying to snack on. A peek inside! Next, we tried the Mardi Gras Fritters. Get your hand fans out now y’all, cause this is a faint-worthy description: Panko-covered, deep-fried pimiento cheese (some spell it pimento, some, like Boatwright’s, pimiento) topped with pepper jelly. We’ll give you a moment to collect yourself and wipe the drool off your keyboard. Better? OK, let’s move on. They were also resting on a small bed of arugula. These were SO GOOD!! And, how could they not be? Deep fried cheese is usually a win for us! Deep fried cheese? Sign us up. The cheese had a mild spice to it and was super ooey gooey. The jelly on top was the star, though — the sweet-heat contrast made an appetizer that would normally be heavy feel much lighter and deepened the flavor profile. Like mozzarella sticks but better The only thing we didn’t like about these that they were a bit oily, so be warned that they can be a little messy. They are totally worth the mess! (What do you expect with a deep-fried blob of gooey cheese!) This was crispy, salty, creamy, sweet, and spicy ALL in ONE BITE and it was basically perfect and anyone who likes cheese (so…basically everyone) should try. Thank you for coming to our TED Talk. Mardi Gras fritters for life. That CHEESE though! Now, time for the main event! For our entree, we opted for the All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Chefs Platter for $35. This includes ribs, Nashville hot chicken, smoked sausage, barbecued beef brisket, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, street corn, and green beans. Sure, the neverending barbeque might seem odd for a coastal Louisiana-themed joint, but we’re here for whatever they’re serving, so we dug in. The ribs were incredibly tender — the meat was falling off the bone! Actually, the bone even broke in half while were were eating it, so watch out for that, but they were cooked very well. They were on the sweeter side and not spicy at all. These are great for someone looking for something milder on the menu compared to all of the other foods filled with spice. The grilled sausage was smoky and spicy. You could definitely taste the flavor of the grill and it was honestly spicier than the hot chicken! The skin had a nice snap to it as well. A lot of food! The hot chicken was also very tender, and despite its name, the spice level wasn’t too bad! We would say it’s a mild spice. Unlike regular Nashville hot chicken which is usually on the bone, this was more of a chicken tender dipped in hot sauce. It wasn’t our favorite, but it was a lighter choice compared to the other meats on the plate. Not your typical Nashville hot chicken Now, let’s move on to the brisket, which was so tender you could cut it with a fork! The sauce it was covered in was smoky and then sweet, with the spice coming through after. If you’re a brisket person, you should enjoy this rendition. Brisket! As for the sides, the green beans were sweet and spicy, mostly because they were underneath the ribs and the chicken. They had a good crunch to them, but not a lot of flavor. We think we caught a little bit of garlic, but they were not heavily seasoned, they just had a lot of butter on them. The macaroni and cheese is homemade and has thick noodles, but the sauce was lacking for us. It’s missing that overall cheesy flavor and those awesome cheese pulls a lot of mac and cheeses have. But, it was a good break from the other foods on the plate because it’s a way milder flavor. Can you see the beans hiding down there? The street corn is grilled with sour cream and green onions on top. The corn itself is sweet and there was no additional seasoning, but the onion contrasted with the flavor of the corn really well! The grill marks also gave a nice charred contrast of texture and flavor. Finally, we tried the mashed potatoes, which were the best thing on the whole plate! These were classic mashed potatoes done really well. They were buttery and creamy, and the skins were left on, which added some more texture. It was only seasoned with salt and pepper, but it was perfect that way! Corn and taters are classic sides Overall, if you’re a meat eater and you’re also VERY hungry, this is a great option! It’s all-you-care-to-enjoy, so you can get refills on any of the food if you want more. But, if you want a light meal or don’t eat some of the foods on the plate, you should probably try a different entree, because all-you-care-to-enjoy is for sure not light! Chef’s Platter Lastly, we had dessert, of course! We got the Banana Cream Pie Bread Pudding for $7, which is house-made bread pudding with fresh bananas, vanilla creme anglaise, caramel sauce, bourbon-soaked golden raisins, and vanilla ice cream. This dessert does contain alcohol, so be aware of that before you order it! Doesn’t it look amazing?! This was absolutely delicious. The bananas were spread throughout the bread pudding and the top had crunchy sugar crystals from being in the oven. The ice cream made it even more decadent! This honestly reminded us a lot of the stellar bread puddings you can often grab at Pacific Wharf Cafe way over in Disneyland’s California Adventure. We want ice cream on every dessert forever, please The bread pudding is definitely great for sharing, as it’s pretty heavy! You could probably split it with 2 or even 3 people, unless you want it all for yourself (which we COMPLETELY understand!). Look at that melty goodness! If you’re a big fan of bananas, this one is for you. But, if you want something on the lighter side, this wouldn’t be our pick — the sorbet option would be a better choice! Nosh or Not Head on down to the Bayou for some country cookin’ if… You’re REALLY hungry and would like an all-you-care-to-enjoy meal that has a variety of options, that way you get to try a lot of different food! (There’s loads of other foods you might enjoy but the unlimited option is appealing!) You’re looking for pure southern comfort food that’s also a bang for your buck. You want the upscale experience of delicious food, but also don’t want to get really dressed up and eat at a stuffy restaurant. Hop along to the next watering hole if… You’re looking for a quiet place to eat — it can definitely get noisy in here with how close the tables are to each other. You want a more intimate or romantic experience. The ambiance does not have the most “fancy date night” vibe, it’s more geared toward families. You don’t enjoy bold flavors or spicy food. Boatwright’s is inspired by New Orleans, so that means a lot of flavor and spice! Overall Overall, the food was pretty well done! We think the value of Boatwright’s is great considering the prices and portion sizes. Plus, having a sit-down option at Port Orleans is welcome for guests staying there. The service was also amazing — everything was timed just right and our server made great informed suggestions. She told us that all of the staff have been studying the menu for weeks because they’re so excited to finally be back! We honestly think Boatwright’s is a hidden gem, which might make it easier for you to score a reservation, maybe even last minute! Just keep in mind that they are only open for dinner right now, so double check the hours they’re open. If you’re looking for some New Orleans flavors that will fill you up, this is the place to be! Click Here to Check Out the Newly Reopened Port Orleans — Riverside! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you ever been to this restaurant? Tell us about your experience in the comments! The post REVIEW: Thanks, Disney World. Jelly-Topped Fried Pimento Cheese is Our Love Language Now. first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Earlier this year Royal Caribbean decided to shift plans and send what will be the new world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, to Florida instead of China. View the full article

We’ve been following all the construction updates of Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Wish! Scale model of the Disney Wish in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios And we have to say the hype is REAL after seeing details about all the shows coming to the ship, the Star Wars-themed Hyperspace Lounge, the onboard roller coaster, and the one thing we’re ALWAYS the most excited about — the FOOD! And today, we got another new construction update — this time, about the ship’s staterooms! Disney has outlined the process it took when designing the ship’s staterooms, stating that it starts with collaboration when designers and artists spend YEARS considering every detail, right down to the light, color, and shapes seen in the rooms. Just like with the theme parks, Disney Imagineers are figuring out every detail, large and small. Like look at this beautiful Cinderella-themed headboard! ©Disney After the team makes hundreds of mockups of the rooms to make sure that everything is JUST RIGHT, most of the pieces of the stateroom are built offsite. Once the design is approved, each of the 1,254 staterooms is put together on an assembly line, where each piece of furniture, artwork, lighting, etc. is installed on a conveyor belt. Talk about efficiency! ©Disney Once the rooms are all put together, they travel to the site of the ship and get lifted BY CRANE into the ship. And this is what it looks like: ©Disney “Staterooms are the perfect blend of what Imagineering does best: artistry and technical perfection,” Disney wrClaire Weiss, Walt Disney Imagineering wrote on the Disney Parks Blog. “It is a priority for every aspect of our design to be both narratively beautiful and highly functional to provide you with the best experience! Everything we do is with our guests in mind.” And guests will get to finally see those staterooms, and the rest of the Disney Wish, when it first sets sail in the summer of 2022. And we’ll keep covering everything about the Wish, so stay tuned! Here’s A FIRST LOOK At ‘Incredibles’-Themed Family Competition Area on the Disney Wish Cruise Ship Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2022 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Will you be setting sail on the Wish in 2022? Let us know what you’re most excited about in the comments! The post PHOTOS: See a Construction Update On the New Disney Cruise Line Ship! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Orlando Science Center be the site for free COVID-19 Vaccinations on Saturday. Free admission to museum will be included. View the full article