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It’s been really great this summer to once again gather in the Harambe Theatre at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park for “A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King” and to feel our hearts soar with the sight of fireworks in the skies over Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT. We’re continuing to work on bringing even more entertainment experiences back to Walt Disney World Resort, and today I’m thrilled to let you know about four other favorites returning soon.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DisneyParks/~4/MXj1PWBApZ8View the full article

For quite some time we’ve been sharing updates about the Brightline train that is set to connect Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World. ©Brightline Over the past few months, we’ve taken a look at one BIG milestone the train hit, a peek at its progress from the sky, and even news about Universal plan to push for an airport train connection. Recently, we got a big update as to where the plans for this train from the airport to Disney World stand. Previously, we shared that Brightline was considering various routes from the airport to the Disney World station. At the time, 2 main routes appeared to be under consideration. One route would piggyback on State Road 417 through Hunters Creek. The other would go along State Road 528 to International Drive. Potential Routes ©Brightline | Obtained via the Orlando Sentinel The 417 route, which is the one Brightline prefers, has been estimated to cost $1.03 billion. The SR 528 route, on the other hand, was previously estimated to cost $2.1 billion. This SR 528 route would go along I-Drive, a massive area with tourist attractions. In April we shared that Universal Orlando Resort, the I-Drive business chamber of commerce, and more may push for this route that goes to I-Drive. Now, we’ve got an update as to what’s going on with the potential routes Brightline has been considering. Would You Take a Train to Disney World?©Brightline According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Central Florida Expressway Authority held a meeting on Tuesday, July 20th, 2021, and agreed unanimously to indefinitely delay a decision as to whether to allow Brightline to build the train on the Road 417 route. The vote reportedly came after hours of discussion. It appears that the discussion was dominated by a push from representatives of the I-Drive tourism strip and Hunter’s Creek residential community aimed at denying access of the State Road 417 route to Brightline. ©Brightline If Brightline is unable to use their preferred 417 route, then they may have to consider using the State Road 528 route. One consultant hired by Universal Orlando and the International Drive merchants noted that the alternative route could cost only $294 million more than the 417 route. But, a consultant hired by the expressway authority said the route preferred by the International Drive supporters could cost $1.7 billion (i.e. about $700 million more than the 417 route) and potentially up to $2.2 billion. ©Brightline John Sprouls, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Universal Parks & Resorts, shared that they would donate 17 acres for the rail corridor at the convention center if Brightline uses the 528 route, and that they would “put [their] money and [their] resources where [their] mouth is.” Hunter Creek Residents have been divided as to whether to allow Brightline to access 417, but the majority who spoke on Tuesday appeared to be against that option. There are various factors being brought up during these discussions including environmental concerns, noise concerns, tourism matters, and more. ©Brightline Following Tuesday’s meeting, Christine Kefauver, Brightline’s senior vice president for corporate development, issued a statement from Brightline which states, “We’ve always found success by building a large and wide-ranging coalition of support, which was on display today…Today’s resolution of support brings us one step closer to connecting Orlando and Tampa with Brightline’s modern, eco-friendly intercity rail service.” So, it seems Brightline still has a ways to go before it can finalize which route will be used to connect it from the airport to Disney World and beyond. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates on this situation. Click here to see what we know about where the airport train’s Disney Springs station could be located. Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Would you consider taking the train from the airport to Disney World? Tell us in the comments. The post Decision on Disney World's Airport Train Route DELAYED Indefinitely first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Hello from Magic Kingdom! Frontierland in Magic Kingdom We were making our way around Magic Kingdom in Disney World today to find these two Frontierland rides closed, so if you’re on your way to the parks you might want to read on! This morning in Magic Kingdom, the bridge to both Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain was closed, as were the rides. No estimated opening time The My Disney Experience app lists the rides as “temporarily closed.” The bridge has since reopened, but both rides remain closed. Splash Mountain Closed Cast Members advised us to “check back later,” as there is no current estimated time for either of the rides to reopen. We do not know the reason for the ride closures or previous bridge closure, and we overheard a Cast Member say, “it’s going to be a long while.” Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Closed Attraction closures happen daily throughout the parks, so they are very normal. But it is a bit strange when two attractions right next to each other close — especially for this long! See which Disney World rides are CLOSED for refurbishment in Disney World this week! We will be keeping a close eye on this today and be sure to update you if the bridge and rides reopen! Keep reading DFB for all your current Disney Park news! Click here to read more about the re-theming of Splash Mountain! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 heading to Magic Kingdom today? Let us know in the comments! The post Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Are CLOSED in Disney World Right Now! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Although The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland has mostly completed its transformation (the ride was closed until the refurbishment was complete), the update to the ride at Disney World has been happening in front of our very eyes. Jungle Cruise And it’s been changing a little bit at a time, each time we ride it — revealing a bit more of its new characters and new story. And we’ve been fascinated! And today, we noticed ANOTHER new update! Today’s update, though, isn’t with the ride itself, but with the sign above the ride’s queue area. Here’s what it previously looked like. It was a washed-out wooden sign with the Jungle Cruise logo on it. Old sign But today, there’s a brand new sign above the queue area! And this one is a lot more colorful! What do you think? The new sign no longer has the mask and spears at the top, and instead, now has a ship’s steering wheel there. Inside the wheel, you will find the Jungle Cruise Navigation Co. logo. It also now sports a bright green background. It certainly seems to stand out a bit more. A bit different, no? So that’s yet ANOTHER new change we’re seeing on the Jungle Cruise, and as the Disney World ride continues to get updated, we’ll keep YOU updated. See MORE Jungle Cruise changes 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 Jungle Cruise’s new sign? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: The Jungle Cruise Gets a NEW Sign in Magic Kingdom first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Who’s ready for the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival? It’s Food and Wine Festival season once again! We are! We’ve already hit up all the food booths (including the eight NEW booths this year) to get you all the deets AND reviews. And we’ve checked out some of the activities, too, like Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt and the cheese crawl! We’re also doing everything we can to help YOU plan for the festival, too, by offering up free downloadable maps and menus! Click the photo to download a printable version of our EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival map! And don’t forget that if you want to navigate the festival like a pro, you can also purchase our DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival e-book! And while we’re at it, we’re going to tell you about the things that everyone tends to get wrong at the festival, so you can avoid making these same mistakes yourselves. Believe us, we’ve been there and we’ve done all these things, too. We’ve learned from our mistakes so you don’t have to! Not Planning Ahead and Getting Too Full Fast The reason we’ve provided you with maps and food booth reviews is so you can plan ahead because trust us, there is a LOT of food and it can be overwhelming. If you just start eating at the first booth you see and make your way around, you will get full fast! Mini Candied Bacon S’mores Funnel Cake There is little to NO WAY to eat everything at the festival, at least in one go, so look at our reviews, decide what your food priorities are, and hit those booths first. Otherwise, you might miss out on something you really wanted to try because you already ate so much. See our BEST of the FEST list here! Not Bringing A Tray or Another Pair of Hands When you get your food from the food booths, you’ll need to be able to carry it to an empty table, bench, or wherever you plan on ending up to eat. So we recommend bringing a tray, or another pair of hands. This will be especially useful if you’re ordering a LOT of food from one booth. Passholder Board with Wine Holder Of course, our top tip is to bring both — have that second pair of hands scout out a table or spot to eat while you load everything up on the tray and carry it over. See 5 mistakes you could be making at the Food and Wine Festival here! Not Setting A Budget Before you arrive at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, we suggest setting a Food and Wine budget! All of our reviews have prices, so you can go through and pick and choose what you’re wanting to try! Then you can add up all of those items to see how much you need to save/budget for! Once you start buying those small plates of food and drinks (especially alcoholic drinks) without a plan, you might lose track and end up spending $400 before you even realize it! Use these! We recommend that you put your Food and Wine budget a Disney Gift Card (and special Food and Wine ones are available during the festival that you can wear on your wrist) and have that pre-loaded with your budgeted amount. Read more about budgeting for the Food and Wine Festival here. Arriving Later in the Day or On Weekends If you’re attending the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, we tend to suggest going earlier in the day, before the booths get super busy. Hopefully, this will give you the opportunity to hit all your priority foods as quickly as possible, and then take it easier later in the day when more crowds show up. WOW. Also, the weekends tend to be the busiest festival times. So if you’re looking to avoid crowds, you may want to visit during the week. See opening day food and Wine crowds here! Booking A Dinner Advance Dining Reservation Okay, here’s another pro-tip — if you’re planning to try LOTS of booth items, we suggest that you don’t make a dining reservation for that day. You won’t want to eat at Le Cellier after diving into festival foods, even if you have an ADR. Oftentimes you will be too full after a sit-down lunch or dinner to really be able to enjoy all of the festival offerings. Or maybe make a reservation for breakfast so you can enjoy the festival for lunch and dinner! Here are 10 unique Disney World breakfast items you NEED on your list! Forgetting To Drink Water The one thing we stress EVERY day at Disney World is to make sure you’re staying hydrated, especially on those hot Florida days. Your body loses a LOT of water when you’re walking around and sweating. And that’s especially true when you’re at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. Free Water in EPCOT This is even more important if you plan on drinking alcoholic beverages — they will dehydrate you, meaning that drinking water should be even more of a priority for you. So make drinking water a priority!! And don’t forget, you can get free water at Disney World! Everywhere you can get FREE water in Disney World! Not Pacing Yourself Trust us — we know what it’s like when you FINALLY get to the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival and you just want to start eating and drinking immediately because all the menu items are SO EXCITING! But we suggest that you try to pace yourself, or you’ll be full before you know it! So take it easy, slow down, enjoy each and every bite. Block and Hans Beer Flight And remember that you should pace yourself with the booze, too — believe it or not, these drinks can pack quite a punch! And just as a general note, Cast Members can only serve 2 drinks per ID at each booth. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your ID! You don’t want to have to turn around to go back for it. Looking for mimosas at Food and Wine?! Find out where to get them here! Forgetting To Pick Up A Festival Passport Okay, so sometimes we still do this occasionally — we get to the festival, have all our lists handy, but then we forget to pick up the festival passport. It happens to everyone! But Festival Passports are readily available FOR FREE all over EPCOT (you’ll most likely find them in front of shops). This little festival passport is a lifesaver! The passport not only lists every booth and menu but also has little checkboxes that you can tick off when you try something. PLUS if you’re participating in the cheese crawl, you’ll get stickers to add to your passport for each cheese you try — if you get all the stickers, you get a special prize! The Festival Passport also makes a nice — and FREE — souvenir when you’re done! Thinking The Festival Is Only About Wine Yes, there will be a LOT of wine to try out at the festival, but it’s SO much more than that. You’ll also find a lot of fun cocktails to drink (if you still want to get in on the boozy elements of the festival) as well as some fun non-alcoholic options like Mango Bubble Milk Tea and Strawberry Smoothies. Strawberry Smoothie Oh, and in case you missed it the word “Food” comes before wine, and that’s because, at its heart, this festival is more about the food than anything else! So you can enjoy yourself without ever needing to drink any wine (but if you want to, go for it!). See ALL of our Food and Wine reviews here!! Missing Out On Fun Activities With that being said, the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is also more than just food and wine! There are a ton of fun activities, including one you can enjoy with the kids — Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt! Basically, you purchase a map for less than $10 and then use stickers to mark the places you spot hidden Remys throughout EPCOT. Finish the map and you get a prize — last year, the prize was a cool prize! Redemption Prize! In addition, there is some great live entertainment going on, too, including the Jammitors, Mariachi Cobre, Voices of Liberty, and some local bands playing some of the last few decades’ top hits! So we hope this list helps you not make some of the mistakes that we’ve made in the past at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, and if you’d like even more great tips and information, you can check out our DFB Guide to the 2021 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Click here to see our 2021 BEST of the FEST!! And if you’re looking for more Food and Wine tips, you need to check out our Food and Wine guide! It is full of food crawls, tips, tricks, a daily schedule of events, and MORE! Use code CHEFS at checkout for 20% OFF!! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS! Ready to Plan for Your 2021 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Trip? Order the DFB Guide to the 2021 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book today! This 250+-page guide to the Festival offers insider tips and advice as well as all of the details you need to know to plan your best Festival visit ever. Your purchase includes several bonus items as well -- including a full daily schedule of events at the Festival and a printable World Showcase Booth Menu Checklist to carry with you as you Eat around the World! Order your 2021 edition today! Don't miss a moment of the fun! Use code Chefs at check-out for 20% off the cover price! 2021 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Index 2021 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booth and Menu Index 2021 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Special Events 2021 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Low-Cost Seminars and Demonstrations 2021 Eat to the Beat Concert Schedule Epcot Food and Wine Festival Fans Facebook Page 2021 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Wine and Dine Half Marathon Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic Food and Wine Festival 101 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Vegetarian Items Epcot Food and Wine Festival Gluten Free Items Will you be going to the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments! The post 10 Things EVERYONE Gets WRONG at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Now that things are starting to go back to “normal” in the theme park world, we’re seeing restaurant, resort, and attraction reopenings all over the place! Things are going back to normal! Disneyland Resort in particular has seen quite a few things open back up in recent weeks, and now, dining reservations are available for a returning restaurant in Disney California Adventure! At Carthay Circle Restaurant at California Adventure, we’ve been able to enjoy the Alfresco Dining for several months. However, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the reopening of the main part of the restaurant. Just last week, a reopening date was set for July 22nd. Reservations were set to be released yesterday…but never were. They have, however, been released this morning! Carthay Circle Restaurant in DCA We’ll be there very soon to give you our full review and thoughts on the experience, but you can go ahead and book your visit now! We spent a bit of this morning (and all day yesterday) refreshing the Disneyland site and reservations are available now, with an important note. Reservations are going FAST! So, if you’re looking to go soon, availability may be limited! ©Disneyland Stay tuned to DFB for all the dining news at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. We’ve got the latest updates and reviews to share with our readers! Click Here to Learn More About Reopening Restaurants at Disneyland Resort! Check out more Disneyland Food Reviews Here!! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Have you ever been to this restaurant? Let us know in the comments! The post Carthay Circle Restaurant Dining Reservations Have Finally Opened first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disneyland officially reopened on April 30th, 2021 after being closed for over a year. Things are slowly starting to look how they did before the longest closure of any Disney park in history, but what has changed? Disney California Adventure What is still changing? And what can you expect if you’re visiting Southern California’s Disney parks this year? We’re talking about the Disneyland changes, so check out all this and more in our newest DFB Video!  Are you a DFB Video subscriber? If you hit the button below, you can subscribe to our channel and catch up on ALL of our latest episodes! Check out our latest video and then comment below: Your favorite Disneyland attraction!The post DFB Video: What's Going to Be Different About Your Next Disneyland Trip first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There are several things you need to do prior to your Disney World trip like make Park Pass reservations, and, perhaps most importantly, make those Advanced Dining Reservations. Be Our Guest When Disney World reopened after the pandemic closures last year, it reduced the Advanced Dining Reservations booking window to 60 days, as opposed to 180 days. But, could that be changing soon? Here’s what we’re seeing. Earlier today one of our fantastic readers, Ron Mueller, reached out to us about something they were seeing with the Advanced Dining Reservations calendar. Specifically, they noticed that the calendar on the Disney World website allowed them to scroll through to January 17th, 2022 when selecting a date to search for reservations. That would be 180 days from today, much further than the 60 day booking window. So, we went to search for ourselves. Chef Mickey’s One member of our team took a look at the dining page and was in fact able to scroll the calendar all the way through to January 17, 2022. ©Disney But, when they actually tried to look for available reservations on that date, the Disney website showed an error message and said there was a problem searching for reservations at this time. So, no reservations could actually be booked for that far in advance. ©Disney Another member of our team looked on both the My Disney Experience app and the Disney World website and was only able to move the calendar through September of 2021, within the current 60 day window. So it seems that the glitch that allows guests to even scroll 180 days into the calendar is only appearing for some individuals. ©Disney So, what do we know? Right now, Advanced Dining Reservations at Disney World can still only be made 60 days in advance (though Disney Resort hotel guests can make reservations up to 60 days in advance plus the length of their stay up to 10 days). Some guests may be able to move the calendar on the dining site all the way through January of 2022, 180 days from now, but will not be able to make a reservation for that far in advance. Could this mean that Disney is preparing the site to eventually allow for reservations to be made 180 days in advance? It’s possible, but Disney has not yet made any statements to that effect or changed its policy. It’s possible that this is nothing more than a simple glitch in the system. Cinderella’s Royal Table We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we find. Click here to see why it’s harder than ever to get a reservation at Disney World restaurants. 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 60-day booking window or would you like a longer booking window? Tell us in the comments! The post Does This Dining Glitch Mean Disney World Will Bring Back the 180 Day Booking Window Soon? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

"Disney World at 50," a new book from the Orlando Sentinel, chronicles the historic development and opening of Walt Disney World. View the full article

Even though many things are reopening again, some parts of Disney remain affected by the global pandemic. Akershus still closed Some hotels remain closed, live entertainment is not fully back, and things like FastPasses remain on a hiatus. Another part of Disney that is being impacted right now is Adventures by Disney. The global, guided vacation system just canceled more trips in the United States for this year. Adventures by Disney has canceled all trips in Southern California through the end of 2021. This includes trips with Disneyland Resort and Southern California Adventures and Escapes. ©Disney Adventures by Disney said this is due to several of the venues on upcoming trips not being open to visitors yet. ©Disney People who have booked trips in Southern California for the rest of this year can choose a full refund or a future travel credit to be used for an Adventures by Disney trip through the end of 2022. Future travel reservations with this credit must be booked by May 31st, 2022. ©Disney You can reschedule your trip until Tuesday, August 31st, 2021. If you don’t contact Adventures by Disney by then, your trip will automatically be canceled and you will be given a refund to the original form of payment. There are trips available for 2022. ©Disney We’ll keep you updated if we see any other changes that have to do with Adventures by Disney, so stay tuned to DFB for more! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! The post NEWS: Adventures by Disney Has Canceled All 2021 Southern California Trips first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Foodies can relish these Central Florida events happening this week, weekend and beyond. View the full article

We’ve all seen those dads in Disney who wear the funny shirts that say things like, “Most Expensive Day Ever.” Or maybe a simple #BROKE will suffice. This shirt cost me HOW MUCH? ©Disney It’s funny because it’s TRUE! Because Disney World trips are so EXPENSIVE! HOWEVER, there are some things in Disney World that — shockingly enough — won’t break the bank to experience. Hotels? Pricey. Park tickets? Pricey. Drinking Around the World? Don’t even get us STARTED. Drinking Around the World is more expensive than this shirt! But Disney World surprises us every now and then with some prices that make us go, “Hey! That’s not half bad!” (Or maybe we’ve experienced sticker-shock so frequently that even normal-priced things seem like a great deal? Dunno. Moving on… .) Boat Rentals Disney’s Friendship and Ferry boats can only satisfy your nautical desires for so long. Time to sail Disney’s waters on your own! Friendship Boats Okay, actually — gonna burst your bubble here real quick — the motorized boats you can rent at the different marinas scattered throughout the Disney World resorts are temporarily unavailable. Boo! But the keyword here is “temporarily” — meaning they should be up-and-running again in the future! ©Disney There are three different types of motorized boats you can (hopefully will soon be able to) rent are a Sea Raycer by Sea Ray® which seats two guests for $32 per half hour, Boston Whaler® Montauk which seats up to 6 guests for $45 per half-hour, and Sun Tracker® Pontoon boats which seats up to 10 guests for $45 per half-hour. Not too shabby for being able to cruise around Disney’s lakes and lagoons on your own accord! Someday soon… Do you know what’s still available to rent RIGHT NOW? Kayaks and canoes, over at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds! ©Disney If you make your way over to The Bike Barn at the Meadow Recreation Area in Fort Wilderness (during the operating hours of 9AM-5PM), you can rent a canoe or kayak for $13 per hour. Fun stuff, right?! This is a first-come/first-serve basis, though — so if this is something you *really* want to do during your Disney World vacay, make sure you head to the recreation area earlier in the day for a better chance at grabbing a rental. Learn more about Fort Wilderness offerings HERE! Bike Rentals For the land-lubbers out there who would prefer your family time on land rather than water, consider renting bikes or surrey bikes! Both adult bikes and children’s bikes — some with training wheels — are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you need them, helmets and child seats are complimentary with all bike rentals. Adult and child bikes are available — some with training wheels! Disney offers bike rentals for $20 at eight resort locations: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter (scheduled to reopen on October 28, 2021), Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (scheduled to reopen on October 14, 2021), Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (currently unavailable during construction in the surrounding area), The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Check with your resort concierge for availability! To really test that family-togetherness, look into a Surrey Bike rental. Disney offers a 2- or 4-person Surrey bike for $25 per person. Surrey Bikes A Surrey bike rental makes for great family memories, photo opportunities, and exploring your resort in a whole new way. Just make sure that everyone is contributing to the pedaling! Surrey bike rentals are available at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter (scheduled to reopen on October 28, 2021), Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (scheduled to reopen on October 14, 2021), Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. BoardWalk Inn & Villas historically also offers bike rentals, but check with the resort concierge regarding availability, as it is currently not listed as an option. Check Out 52 Fun Ways to Upgrade Your Disney Vacation Mini Golfing Even after years of being around, it still amazes us how many Disney World guests don’t realize there are two mini-golf courses available on property for anyone to play. FORE! The first mini-golf course is Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, based around the movie…*pause for dramatic effect*…FANTASIA! This course is located across from the Swan and Dolphin resorts. Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf And the second mini-golf course is Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course — celebrating the fun of snow and sand combined! This course is located right next to Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park. Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Both courses are 18-hole mini-golf adventures of fun at the reasonable price of $14 per Adult, $12 per Child (Ages 3–9). Walk-ups are welcome (though you may have to wait for a bit), but you can also make reservations for the next day and beyond in advance by calling (407) WDW-PLAY. Learn about Disney’s NEW junior golf classes HERE! Haircuts at the Magic Kingdom Rats! Did you forget to get that much-needed trim *before* vacation? Magic Kingdom has you covered! (Well, at some point once again it’ll have you covered. The Harmony Barber Shop is temporarily unavailable, as of now). One haircut, please! If you’ve ever wanted a haircut on Main Street, U.S.A. but were afraid of how costly it might be, worry no more! The Harmony Barber Shop has three different haircuts you can choose from Child’s Haircut (starting at $18), Adult Haircut (starting at $19), and My First Haircut (starting at $25). That’s right — you can celebrate your little one’s momentous occasion right there on your Disney World vacation! The My First Haircut package comes with commemorative Mickey ears, a keepsake lock of hair, and an official milestone certificate. Considering the cost of the pair of Mickey ears alone, this is a GREAT deal! Harmony Barbershop ©Disney The regular child’s and adult haircuts are pretty standard — cut, style, spray — so don’t think about getting *too* crazy. But, one thing’s for sure, the barbershop team is going to make you look spiffy and, dare we say, dapper by the end of your session! Plus, they can also give you a major style upgrade in the form of cool colored hair gels and “pixie dust” (AKA, chunky glitter!). Considering these are hair services performed IN Magic Kingdom, those prices are downright reasonable. We’ll keep you posted as soon as Harmony Barber Shop reopens! Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is still closed too…Or IS it? Click HERE to learn more! EPCOT Scavenger Hunts Looking for a new way to entertain your kiddos around EPCOT’s World Showcase? Then take your travel party to Disney World during an EPCOT festival for one of their unique scavenger hunts! Remy’s Hide & Squeak Map Purchasing Location sign Here’s a list of different EPCOT scavenger hunts we’ve experienced: *Festival of the Arts: Figment’s Brush With the Masters *Flower and Garden: Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration *Food and Wine: Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak *Festival of the Holidays: Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Figment’s Brush with the Masters Each one cost us around $6.99-$7.99 and included a sticker map gamecard and a prize (after you finish the scavenger hunt and redeem it back at Disney Traders, MouseGear, World Traveler, or any of th redemption locations)! 2020 Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Map The games are all very much in the same vain — locate the items/characters in each of the showcase pavilions — but the prizes vary. For Olaf’s scavenger hunt, we learned about holidays traditions and received a cute Frozen-inspired cup. Olaf in his Sleigh (we found you!) Remy’s scavenger hunt took us on an adventure to make Ratatouille! This gave us our choice of cute ice cream cups. Redemption Prize! Finding Spike the Bee in gardens around EPCOT let us pick out our own plastic tumbler (we REALLY liked this one). Tumblers! And after finding Figment hiding in paintings around World Showcase, the prize was a 3D puzzle. More games! This interactive experience helps keep kids engaged around the World Showcase AND doesn’t cost an arm-and-a-leg. Win-win! P. S. — adults can do it, too! Learn more about EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival booths HERE! Behind the Seeds Tour If you’re riding Living With The Land over in EPCOT’s Land pavilion, you need to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times to protect the plants growing in the greenhouses. Such a relaxing time HOWEVER, if you schedule a Behind the Seeds Tour, you’ll get the opportunity to walk THROUGH the greenhouses — no boat ride required! Behind the Seeds Tour Desk This experience is temporarily unavailable, but when it returns you’ll be able to once again experience an hour-long tour around the four Living With The Land greenhouses. During this tour, you can visit the fish during feeding time, see GINORMOUS fruits and veggies, and learn about how the cast members over in The Land pavilion use hydroponics to help their plan grow big and strong. This tour is a lot more reasonable than any of Disney World’s other tours; it’s priced at $29 per person! More Mickey! This tour requires advanced reservations, which you can make (again, once it’s back up-and-running) by calling 407-WDW-TOUR. Interested in taking more tours? Check out THIS tour that explores a location featured in Disney’s live-action film, Cruella! Uniqlo Clothes One of the most popular Disney souvenirs is a good ol’ graphic tee, commemorating your vacation and all the memories you made. But even t-shirts can be pricey in the World of Disney gift shop — or any of the other gift shops located around the resorts. Disney Springs Lucky for you, there are cheaper alternatives over at Uniqlo in Disney Springs. Mickey Motifs Collection Uniqlo is a clothing store that originated in Japan and made its way into Disney Springs around July 2016. It features unique Disney tees and sweaters at a more reasonable price. For example, you see these shirts right here? Short Sleeves These are from Uniqlo’s Disney Stories Collection. Sweatshirt The graphic short-sleeved tees for adults were $14.90 each, and the sweatshirts were $29.90 each! That’s pretty stinkin’ awesome, considering the fact a Spirit Jersey from any of the Disney store gift shops is normally priced around $60+! Walt Disney Story Books Short Sleeve There’s even an adult Disney storybook shirt we found for $9.90 — in-stores and online! ©Uniqlo But WAIT! That’s not ALL! You can also DESIGN YOUR OWN SHIRTS! Let’s create! The UTme! shirt customization program allows you to take your own image (or one that UTme! has preloaded on their program), edit it the way you like, and PRESTO! Print it on your own graphic tee. These shirts cost a whopping $24.90 for adults and $19.90 for kids. Not too shabby! How cool is that?! What galactic Disney shirts are we DESPERATELY wanting today? Find out HERE! Silhouette Portraits This might be our favorite affordable souvenir on Disney World property; if you blink, you might miss it. Silhouettes The Silhouette Carts can be found in Magic Kingdom over in Liberty Square (near Sleepy Hollow Refreshments) and in the middle of Main Street, U.S.A. You can also find them in EPCOT’s France pavilion and Disney Springs (near the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop). Silhouette souvenirs at the Disney parks have been around ever since Disneyland opened back in 1955. Though they’re not as prevalent in the parks as they once were, Disney still employs a talented group of cast members ready to commemorate your Disney vacation with their artistically hand-crafted silhouette portraits of you and/or your family. Check out the fun Disney character silhouettes, too! Ready to have your mind blown? These silhouettes only cost $10 per person AND you 2 copies of each silhouette! Even adding a frame for $9.95 is a steal of a deal! These are HAND CUT. It’s pretty bonkers to watch — the artist looks at your profile and starts cutting! No tracing, no guide, just SWEET SKILLZ. Finally, as a bonus tip — don’t forget to snag a FREE Disney souvenir, yep those celebration buttons! Stop by a Disney hotel front desk, Guest Services in the Parks, or most gift shop checkouts and check-in podiums at restaurants to collect a button to show off what you’re celebrating! Celebration Buttons Alright, we understand — these are all still technically ADDED expenses to your already-pricey Disney World vacation. BUT, if you have some wiggle room in your budget, these may be some solid options you want to consider adding for a bit of extra magic to your trip! Looking for more unique Disney World souvenirs? Click HERE to keep exploring! Learn more about some of our tips for saving money and finding unexpected deals at Disney! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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’s the most affordable souvenir you’ve ever purchased at Disney World? Let us know in the comments below! The post 7 Things at Disney World That Cost LESS Than You Think first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Chef José Andrés is the owner and creator of Jaleo, which has a location inside Disney Springs! Jaleo in Disney Springs And Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has just awarded Andrés for his humanitarian and unifying efforts with $100 million. This new award is called the “Courage and Civility Award.” Previously, Chef José Andrés was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and 2018. He’s also received the accolade of Humanitarian of the Year, by the James Beard Foundation, and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his work with the World Central Kitchen — the non-profit organization he founded. His restaurant Jaleo in Disney Springs serves dishes inspired by Spanish cuisine, such as paellas and tapas! Cheese Selection at Jaleo According to CNN, Jeff Bezos announced on Tuesday that he would be awarding José Andrés $100 million as the “Courage and Civility Award.” Bezos claimed that the money was part of a “‘surprise’ philanthropic initiative he wanted to announce” to “honor those who have ‘demonstrated courage’ and tried to be a unifier in a divisive world.” ©CNN The money that’s part of the award is for each recipient to use however they see fit. CNN reported that Andrés said this would start a new chapter for his organization, World Central Kitchen. Bezos has said that this is a new philanthropic effort, so we may see more awards given in the future. Keep following DFB for more news about Disney and related topics! Click Here to Learn More about Chef José Andrés’s Humanitarian Efforts! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 to Jaleo in Disney Springs? Let us know in the comments! The post Jeff Bezos Awards Disney World Restaurant Chef and Owner 0 Million first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Check out the new food items at Disney Springs' Flavors of Florida food event. View the full article By KATHLEEN CHRISTIANSEN ORLANDO SENTINEL | JUL 21, 2021 AT 9:41 AM Flavors of Florida Frontera Cocina offers up the Shrimp Ajillo Tostada as part of Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Those wishing to savor the delicious bites of a Walt Disney World food fest without the price tag of theme park entry should head to Disney Springs for Flavors of Florida. More than 30 restaurants and stores at the dining, entertainment and shopping complex offer a slice of summer with Sunshine State-inspired dishes and beverages throughout the event. Most of the items in the 2021 lineup are new — the key lime pie at House of Blues, local burrata at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, peel and eat shrimp at The Boathouse and ceviche at STK Orlando have been previously featured. Here are a few newbies that caught my eye on a recent visit. Try the Florida Shrimp Tacos with Watermelon Salsa at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar during Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/El Sentinel) Florida Shrimp Tacos with Watermelon Salsa The first thing that drew me to this $13 dish at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar: the watermelon pico de gallo. I’ve sampled many salsas but never one crafted with watermelon. It came with three corn tortilla tacos filled with shrimp and the aforementioned topping, which proved a refreshing way to kick of my Flavors of Florida expedition. The Lemon Blueberry Cookie Sandwich is available at Vivoli il Gelato during Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Lemon Blueberry Cookie Sandwich Craving something sweet, my next stop was a short distance away: Vivoli il Gelato. The soft, massive lemon cooler cookies perfectly complimented the semi-sweet, smooth blueberry gelato. My only regret: I wish I had someone to share it with on the spot because this $11 treat won’t travel well. Get the Orange Blossom Cupcake at Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC during Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Orange Blossom Cupcake I’ve passed by Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC on multiple visits, admiring the pastries but not the attached price tag. Flavors of Florida provided the perfect excuse to finally indulge. For fans of lightly sweet desserts, this one’s for you. The moist, dense vanilla cupcake topped with orange-flavored icing was perfection for $6.25. Bonus: All items sold here are gluten-free, vegan and kosher. Frontera Cocina offers up the Shrimp Ajillo Tostada as part of Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Shrimp Ajillo Tostada Looking for a light appetizer? Try Frontera Cocina’s Shrimp Ajillo Tostada, which is so beautifully presented, it’s almost a shame to eat it. There’s a lot going on in this one — roasted garlic-guajillo Florida pink shrimp, citrus-soy vinaigrette, avocado, jicama, heirloom cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and orange, all on a warm tostada — but it all blends together for a most pleasing app that rings in at $10. Ge the Key Lime Pie Donut at Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew during Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. - Original Credit: Orlando Sentinel (Dewayne Bevil/Courtesy photo) Key Lime Pie Donut While I did not personally try Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew’s offering, a colleague informs me the pastry is exactly what you’d expect: doughy key lime, light in the frosting and tart inside. He said he particularly liked that the $6.50 doughnut isn’t “HUGE” like some of the shop’s other menu items. Refresh with YeSake's Watermelon Boba Slushie during Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Watermelon Boba Slushie After eating my fill at Disney Springs and enduring the Florida heat, all I wanted was a refreshing drink — which I found in YeSake’s slushie. Fun fact: This was my first time sipping boba, and I’m not sure if I’m a fan. But the drink was delicious. Try the Florida Sunset Éclair at Amorette's Patisserie during Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Snacks for later The sweet treats are abundant at Flavors of Florida, so why not take some home? A few that will travel well include Wondermade’s new Orangesicle and seasonal Key Lime Pie marshmallows ($8.95); key lime and strawberry flavored cupcakes ($5.19), marshmallow pops ($4.99) and crisped rice treats ($5.49) at Goofy’s Candy Company and Disney’s Candy Cauldron; the adults-only, orange liquor-infused Florida Sunset Éclair ($10) at Amorette’s Patisserie; and The Ganachery’s Key Lime Ganache Pop ($6). Find the Florida Sunshine candle and salt/spice blend at The Spice & Tea Exchange as part of Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Shop ‘til you drop For those who would rather shop their way through Flavors of Florida instead of consume calories, head to Basin for citrus-scented Florida Sunshine soap ($1.80 per ounce) and bath bombs ($4.99) or the Satsuma bath bomb ($5.99); Columbia Sportswear or Ron Jon Surf Shop for Florida-themed shirts; or The Spice & Tea Exchange for the Florida Sunshine candle ($33.99) or Florida Sunshine salt spice blend ($14.95). Goofy's Candy Company has a variety of treats from cupcakes to crisped rice treats in strawberry and key lime flavors available as part of Flavors of Florida through Aug. 12 at Disney Springs. (Kathleen Christiansen/Orlando Sentinel) Flavorful future When I planned my path to conquer Flavors of Florida, my number one pick and first stop was Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant for the Florida Key Lime Salmon ($29). Sadly, they were sold out the day I visited, so I will definitely try it on a repeat visit. While YeSake’s watermelon drink was refreshing, I think the Coca-Cola Orange Cream Float at Coca-Cola Rooftop Beverage Bar would be more my speed — and shareable since I don’t plan to go solo on my next visit. Plus, you can’t beat the views of Disney Springs from this location, especially at night. As a huge fan of lime, I shocked even myself by skipping lime-inspired dishes on my first trip. Next time, I’ll likely leave with a slice of crisped rice key lime pie or maybe that Everglazed doughnut. If you go: Flavors of Florida runs through Aug. 12 at select restaurants and shops at Disney Springs, which is open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 1486 E. Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista. Pro tip: Heading early to Disney Springs can help beat the crowds (and the heat), but a few restaurants do not open until later in the day, so plan accordingly. Find more information and view the full menu lineup at disneyparksblog.com.

Before there was the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival — heck, before there was Epcot — there was the Walt Disney World Village Wine Festival. View the full article By DEWAYNE BEVIL ORLANDO SENTINEL | JUL 21, 2021 AT 8:39 AM 2021 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival From The Noodle Exchange kiosk kitchen, a Traditional Spicy Vietnamese Beef Pho with Shaved Beef, Enoki Mushrooms, and Thai Basil, one of the featured dishes at the 2021 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., photographed Friday, July 16, 2021. The festival runs through November 20. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Before there was the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival — heck, before there was even Epcot — there was the Walt Disney World Village Wine Festival. For this week’s Disney World at 50 feature, which publishes Wednesdays on OrlandoSentinel.com, we look at the roots of wine celebrations at the resort. The wine festival started as a modest, two-day event in a ballroom at the Lake Buena Vista Conference Center in January 1982, about eight months before Epcot’s grand opening. Sentinel reporter Davin Light noted that some folks wore jeans and others work minks, and that cowboys mingled with corporate presidents at the first one. “There were tables all around the room, and every table was a different winery,” remembers Heather McPherson, former food editor at the Sentinel. “There was a winemaker, an actual winemaker there or somebody with the family.” Disney was tapping into the growing interest in wine. “No one had done it on that scale. … It’s nothing like it is today. But for Disney doing it on that scale was remarkable,” McPherson says. “Locals came. And then people started coming in from farther away.” Its emphasis, as its name indicates, was on wine. The first event touted 80 California wines from 40 wineries. There was a flat entrance fee that granted unlimited tastings. “My, how far the food has come,” says McPherson, now media and manager for Millennium Management Group, which owns several restaurants at Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista and Downtown Disney District in California. She remembers tables with “mounds of cubed cheese and bread.” DISNEY WORLD 50TH ANNIVERSARY Order “Disney World at 50,” our new book on the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World JUL 21, 2021 AT 10:30 AM She also recalls paying $18 for admission. “Wild and crazy kids that we were, we would spend $36 and do a white wine day and a red wine day,” she says. The event expanded with more days, extra-ticket seminars and celebrities. A noted wine in 1987 was Smothers Brothers’ Mom’s Favorite White. (Dick Smothers went scuba diving in Epcot’s Living Seas exhibit, the Sentinel reported.) Chef Paul Prudhomme made an appearance in 1994. In the early ’90s, the event started moving, eventually stopping at Fort Wilderness, the Contemporary and Yacht and Beach Club. Somewhere in there, the “Village” was dropped from the name, producing the Walt Disney World Wine Festival. The cover charge topped the $40 mark. DISNEY WORLD 50TH ANNIVERSARY Disney World at 50: Spirit of ’71 gets visual shout-outs at parks JUL 14, 2021 AT 5:16 AM And then it was gone. In April 1996, a reader wrote the Sentinel and asked “Whatever happened to the Walt Disney World Wine and Food Festival?” Enter the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival that fall, signaling the end of the original wine event. “For $1 to $2, guests can sample everything from escargot or baked Brie in France to vegetable sushi and cold soba noodles in Japan or couscous with chicken kebab in Morocco,” Sentinel reporter Linda Shrieves wrote in advance of the new event. Another change: Epcot admission was required to attend the festival. A one-day Disney World theme park ticket in 1996? That sold for $38.50. This Series This story is part of the Orlando Sentinel’s “Disney World at 50” series – a year’s worth of stories leading up to 50th anniversary of the historic opening of Walt Disney World on Oct. 1, 1971. More stories, photos and videos at OrlandoSentinel.com/WDW50. Order our book Order your copy of “Disney World at 50,” the Orlando Sentinel’s new hardcover keepsake book chronicling the 50th anniversary of the opening of the most magical place on Earth. Supplies are limited. Order your copy at OrlandoSentinel.com/DisneyBook

One of the most classic ways to travel around Disney World (and one of our favorites!) is the monorail. The EPCOT Monorail is BACK! There are two theme parks with monorail service at Disney World — Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. While the Magic Kingdom monorail loop has been running since the reopening, the EPCOT monorail line just reopened the other day after being closed since March 2020. And now, just 2 days after reopening, it’s already closed again! When we stopped by EPCOT this afternoon, we noticed this sign out in front of the monorail station. What’s going on? Disney hasn’t shared any information on this closure or how long it will last. We’ll make sure to check back in on it tomorrow to see if it’s running. Fingers crossed that this closure doesn’t last long! This reminds us a bit of the closure of the PeopleMover in Magic Kingdom. Just a few days after being open for a year-long refurbishment, the ride experienced issues and had to be evacuated. We’ll be on the lookout for more details. We’ll let you know if we receive any updates on the monorail, so stay tuned to DFB. We’ve got the latest Disney parks news to share with you! Click Here to See What the EPCOT Monorail Was Like When it Reopened! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 ridden the EPCOT monorail? The post EPCOT Monorail Unexpectedly Closed Two Days After Reopening first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

A lot has been changing at Disneyland Resort lately! Mickey! We’ve seen the opening of Avengers Campus, the return of fireworks, and the reopening of fan-favorite restaurants! One of the restaurants scheduled to open soon is Carthay Circle, which you can dine at on July 22nd. However, your meal will look very different! Carthay Circle, located on Buena Vista Street inside Disney’s California Adventure, and its lounge opened in 2020 for Carthay Circle Lounge Alfresco Dining. But now the actual restaurant is reopening! And, it will have an almost entirely new menu! Carthay Circle is where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered!! Beginning with starters, everything listed is a new item since before the closures. There are Warm Cheddar Parkerhouse Rolls for $14 instead of the Signature Fried Biscuits that used to be on the menu, along with other fun new items like a Chicken “Arepa” for $18 and Artichoke-Parmesan Fritters for $17! ©Disney Moving on to Entrees, we only really have one returning menu item from the pre-closure menu — the Niman Ranch Pork Chop for $48, but it’s being served with a Blackberry-Orange Vinaigrette rather than the former Brown Butter Vinaigrette. There is still Sustainable Fish on the menu, but now it’s whole grilled for $51. If you’re looking for steak, there’s a 20 oz Grilled New York steak for $75 instead of the former Pan-Roasted Filet Mignon for $54. ©Disney If you want something sweet, you have two new options — a Valrhona Chocolate Cream Puff for $15 and a Warm Apricot Butter Cake for $15. ©Disney The kids menu has one returning item — the Orcchiette for $12. But now, it’s served with marinara, whereas before you could choose between marinara, butter, or Alfredo sauce. There’s also a Cheese Quesadilla for $12 and Orange Dragon Chicken Skewers for $12. ©Disney Kids also have one dessert they can get (which is new) — the Hazelnut Crunch Mickey Pop for $10. ©Disney As for the non-alcohol drink menu, nothing has changed! You can still get things like the Wildberry Lemonade for $6.50, Twin Bill for $6, or Carthay’s Signature Blend Press Pot Coffee for $8. ©Disney And for alcoholic beverages, those haven’t changed either! They’re just as they were before the closures, but here’s a refresher of the options available: ©Disney As for the After Dinner Drinks and Dessert Wines, everything has also remained the same as before. Get your Irish coffee for $13.50 or sip on a Brandy Alexander for $13.25. ©Disney And here’s a look at the current offerings for the Disney Family of Wines. ©Disney That’s the entire new menu at Carthay Circle in Disney’s California Adventure! Reservations for this dining location were supposed to release today, but we haven’t spotted any yet! We’ll be checking out the new eats as soon as the restaurant opens, so stay tuned to DFB for a full review! Click here to see more about the reopening of Carthay Circle Check out more Disneyland Food Reviews Here!! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Are you excited to try this new menu? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: See the NEW Menu for Carthay Circle in Disneyland Resort! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Welcome back, DFB friends! We’re here with another What’s New at Magic Kingdom! Splash Mountain And, we’ve got plenty of updates to share with you! So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive right on in! Magic Kingdom Food Update Frontierland and Liberty Square Get ready for all the Mickey Bars you can eat! TWO ice cream carts have both opened once again in the Magic Kingdom over in Frontierland and Liberty Square, just a few feet away! Frontierland Ice Cream Magic Kingdom Merchandise Update Emporium We’re mad for the Disney Parks, so the Cheshire Cat Hat on the shelves at the Emporium seems like a fitting outfit to add to our park wardrobe (and yours too!) for $27.99. Cheshire Cat Hat We were SO excited to see the Mickey Hand Soap appear in Disney World recently all the way from Tokyo Disneyland. While they sold out very fast, they are finally restocked at the Emporium… Mickey Soaps …so you can add a bit of magic to your everyday life with a Mickey-shaped soap squirt! Mickey Soap If you want to keep your coffee hot during the morning or make sure your drinks don’t spill in the car, you’ll be head over heels for the new lidded mugs! NEW Mugs You can tote around the mouse with the most with the Mickey Lidded Mug… Mickey Mug …and the Donald Duck Lidded Mug for $19.99 each! Donald Mug Also on the shelves, you an find a Disney Key Inspired Mug… Key Mug …with a key stirrer that comes with it, so you can mix up everything in your drink for $19.99! Key Stirrer While you might be getting something for yourself, you can also dress up your nuIMO in the Mickey Icon nuIMO Backpack… Mickey nuIMOs Loungefly …and Disney Snacks nuIMO Backpack for $21.99! Disney Snacks nuIMOs Backpack Uptown Jewelry Anybody else here got their own mini collection of Dooney & Bourke bags? While the latest collection debuted online recently, the Hunchback of Notre Dame Dooneys were also at Uptown Jewelry! You can find the Wallet available for $158, Satchel for $198… Hunchback of Notre Dame Bags …and Tote right now for $298 in the parks and online! Hunchback of Notre Dame Bags Memento Mori As Halloween is just around the corner in Disney World, you’re going to want to stock up on the spookiest merchandise in the parks early. And, Memento Mori has got you covered with new, Haunted Mansion inspired items like the Ghost Host Shirt… New Haunted Mansion Tee …Hitchhiking Ghost Shirt… New Haunted Mansion Tee …Madame Leota MagicBand… Haunted Mansion MagicBand …and Haunted Mansion Metal Earth Pop-Up for $21.99! Haunted Mansion Pop-Up Star Traders There have been so many themed Stitch Crashes Disney collections (and there are still plenty more to come)! And, you can find a few of the items from various series like the Aladdin line with the Stitch Crashes Aladdin Plush for $29.99… Aladdin Stitch Plush …and Stitch Crashes Aladdin MagicBand for $39.99! Aladdin Stitch MagicBand You can even find the past, Pinocchio Pin, for $24.99 on the shelves too! Pinocchio Stitch Pin Main Street, U.S.A. Jasmine is a VERY underrated princess, so that’s why fans were thrilled to see her get her own balloon along Main Street, U.S.A.! I sold out quickly, but has finally been restocked once again! Restocked Balloons Christmas Shoppe There may not be anything new over at the Christmas Shoppe, but the merchandise has been moved around inside the store to be more organized… Christmas Shoppe …with designated sections for ornaments, figurines, and more! Christmas Shoppe Magic Kingdom Construction Update Jungle Cruise We can’t WAIT to see Jungle Cruise‘s refurbishment completed soon in the Disney Parks with new storylines, characters, and more! Jungle Cruise As you make your way through the water, you can spot all sorts of animals with elephants… Elephant …giraffes… Hello, Friends! …lions… Lion’s Den ..rhinos, and hyenas. The NEW Scene Some props have been removed Ginger Snap scene. Updated scene Here’s what it looked like before. Prior Scene Cinderella Castle Main Street, U.S.A. is about to get a HUGE change as the Partners Statue will be undergoing a refurbishment in time for Disney World’s 50th anniversary! The sign says that the statue will be going through routine care by removing oxidation buildup from patinated bronze. The process will proceed in multiple phases by stripping metal to its bare metal “before cleaning, reapplying a patina, and coating the entire figure in protective polymer and wax.” Partners Statue Construction TRON: Lightcycle Power Run Each time we’re in the Magic Kingdom, we can’t help but take a sneak peek at the construction over at the TRON Lightcycle Power Run. Disney World is pushing forward with the progress in order to hopefully finish it in time for the 50th-anniversary celebrations. TRON Construction Recently, some of the blue features that will make up the outer part of the structure have now been added as the beams, poles, and more continue to be set up for the indoor and outdoor attraction. Look at That Progress Well, that’s all for this What’s New at Magic Kingdom! We’ll catch you next time for more updates. And, if you have any questions about your next Disney vacation, let us know so we can help you find the answers! Stay tuned with DFB for the latest Disney entertainment and news! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 are you looking forward to seeing the most in the Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments below! The post What's New at Magic Kingdom: Partners Statue Refurbishment and Another Jungle Cruise Change! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The cruise ship Disney Wonder is docked at Port Everglades, getting a feel for its potential new digs as the company negotiates a deal to establish a year-round home at the port beginning in 2023. View the full article By RON HURTIBISE SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL | JUL 20, 2021 AT 4:43 PM The Disney Wonder cruise ship is shown docked at Port Everglades on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, getting a feel for its potential new home. (Susan Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel) An unusual sight is greeting locals and tourists at Port Everglades: The familiar Mickey Mouse ears and Disney signature logos grace the side of the cruise ship Disney Wonder in the port’s southern section. What’s it doing here? It’s not establishing squatters rights ahead of Disney Cruise Line’s hoped-for plan to use Port Everglades as a home base beginning in 2023. It’s not part of a return-to-cruising marketing strategy by the global entertainment giant Walt Disney Company. And Disney isn’t using our port as a backdrop for the lamest Pirates of the Caribbean sequel yet. RELATED: Port Everglades gets OK to pursue talks with Disney Cruise Line for year-round terminal » Port Everglades spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy says the ship moved here recently from PortMiami, where it had been waiting out the pandemic-induced cruise-industry shutdown. It was moved here temporarily because its normal spot at PortMiami was needed for a Royal Caribbean ship that’s housing first responders working at the Surfside condominium collapse site, Kennedy said. Nevertheless, the ship is unintentionally serving as an 83,000-ton, 11-deck billboard for Disney Cruise Line’s possible year-round presence in the Fort Lauderdale area. The familiar Disney signature logo graces the Disney Wonder cruise ship, docked at Port Everglades while Disney Cruise Line officials negotiate a possible year-round Disney presence at the port beginning in 2023. (Susan Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Disney Wonder is now docked at Terminal 26, across from the Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park. On Saturday it will move north to Terminal 4. Its current visit won’t last long, Kennedy says. The ship is scheduled to head to San Diego for a two-night cruise to Baja California on Sept. 24 to 26, according to the cruise line’s website. After that, it’s off to Galveston, Texas, for twice-weekly voyages to Cozumel, Mexico. Which Disney ship will call Fort Lauderdale home is not yet known. RELATED: Disney Cruise Line wants to base one of its ships in Fort Lauderdale » In an April 26 letter seeking authorization to negotiate a berth and terminal agreement with Broward County and Port Everglades, the cruise line said it was looking for a new homeport for a 3,500-passenger ship as three new ships, powered by liquified natural gas, enter the company’s fleet by 2025. Port Canaveral, 60 miles east of Disney’s famous Central Florida theme parks, has been home to Disney Cruise Line since 1998. Two ships — Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy — currently operate at that port, southeast of Kennedy Space Center. This year, Port Canaveral became the first U.S. port capable of fueling docked ships with liquified natural gas, which is more environmentally friendly than the heavy fuel oil and marine gas oil that power most cruise ships operating today. RELATED: Condo insurance may be tougher to get after Surfside collapse » PortMiami has hosted Disney ships on a seasonal basis, while they’ve only docked with passengers at Port Everglades when Port Canaveral has been shut down during hurricanes. In June, the Broward County Commission voted to allow Disney Cruise Line to negotiate a home port contract with Port Everglades for use of Terminal 4 and its adjacent berth, which had been used by Carnival Cruise Line prior to the pandemic. A deal has been negotiated but is under review by attorneys from both sides, Kennedy said. Final approval is expected after the commission returns from its summer break.

Orlando Sentinel food writer Amy Drew Thompson and tourism reporter Dewayne Bevil dish on some of the more than 100 food items and 120 beverages at Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival. View the full article

The Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary, also being dubbed “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” is coming on October 1st! There will be special nighttime spectaculars, a new attraction, new EARidescent outfits for Mickey and pals, and so many more changes starting on October 1st. ©Disney As part of the 50th celebration, Disney will unveil 50 brand-new character sculptures scattered around all four Walt Disney World parks! Let’s take a look at all of the character statues that have been revealed!! We will continue to update this post as more statues are revealed. Disney has said that this Fab 50 Character Collection will include surprising ways that guests can interact with the sculptures as part of the celebration. ©Disney The artist’s rendering seems to suggest there will be some kind of digital interaction with the character statues. We can’t wait to find out more! In the meantime, let’s take a look at the statues that Disney has given us a preview of so far! ©Disney The first of the fab 50 to be announced was none other than Mickey Mouse. You can watch the announcement video, and Magic Kingdom location reveal, below. Here’s a closer look at the gold character sculpture of Timon and Pumbaa! ©Disney While we haven’t seen any official photos yet, we also know that Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Pluto, and Chip ‘n Dale gold statues will also be found around Magic Kingdom for the 50th anniversary. Make sure to check back as we will continue to update you as more of the Fab 50 Character Collection characters are announced! Click here to learn more about Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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. Who do you think will be the next character to be revealed as part of the Fab 50 Character Collection? Share your predictions in the comments! The post ALL of the 50th Anniversary Gold Character Statues Coming to Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

It’s only Tuesday and it has already been a pretty exciting week if you’re a fan of all things Poly! Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort officially reopened yesterday (with their re-imagined Moana-themed guest rooms), along with Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto! We’re BACK at the Polynesian! Today, we’re back at the Polynesian, specifically at Barefoot Pool Bar to fill you in on a secret menu drink we recently discovered! Barefoot Pool Bar is one of our favorite poolside spots to sip on some tasty cocktails (we even invented one of our own here!), so we were thrilled when we heard about the Samoa Sunrise. Samoa Sunrise This secret menu cocktail has a floater of 151 Rum, Dark Rum, Apricot Brandy, and POG Juice! POG Juice, of course, is our favorite tropical blend of Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava Juices. It comes in a variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks around Disney World. Samoa Sunrise This secret menu drink in particular is delicious and not too sweet! Rum drinks can have a tendency to be sickly sweet (especially when it’s mixed with POG Juice), but these ingredients turned out to be a great combo! If you love POG juice and you’re staying at the Polynesian, we’re pretty sure that you need to order this drink. Samoa Sunrise Be sure to ask for it by name at Barefoot Pool Bar! It costs $13 and pairs well with The Voyager, our little cocktail hack that became a real menu item! Samoa Sunrise and The Voyager! We’ll be on the lookout for more secret menu items around Disney World, so stay tuned for our latest discoveries! Click here to take a look at a reopened Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto! 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 is your favorite secret menu item at Disney World? Let us know in the comments! The post Review: A Secret Menu Drink With POG Juice?! This is True Disney World Paradise. first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Welcome back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! A beautiful day for a stroll through Studios! We like to give you regular updates about what’s new inside the parks, so let’s see what’s been going on at Hollywood Studios! Hollywood Studios Food Updates Ice Cold Stand The Ice Cold Stand was back open at the front of the park! Time for a cold drink! The Cast Member said it had been open since Friday, so of course, we got a drink and took a picture with the Coca-Cola man! Just us and our bestie We’re glad there’s a place to immediately get a cold drink right when you walk in the park again! Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company The Joffrey’s locations inside Studios now have the new sugarcane straws! Sugarcane straws We’ve already seen these in EPCOT, but it’s good to know the offering is expanding. Sugarcane straws The straws don’t get soggy like the paper ones do and they’re 100% biodegradable, compostable, and reusable! Click here to read more about the new sugarcane straws! Hollywood Studios Merchandise Updates Celebrity 5 & 10 We found a new Dumbo mug inside Celebrity 5 & 10! Dumbo mugs! Enjoy your morning cup of Joe in the vintage-style mug for $14.99. Dumbo mug We also spotted the new mugs with silicone tops, like this Mickey one that’s just adorable! Mickey mugs! The 5 & 10 also had the Donald version of the mug! Donald’s lid is his hat, how cute! And the Mickey & Friends Water Bottle is also over here, previously seen at Disney’s BoardWalk! Stay hydrated with Mickey and Friends It sells for $27.99. Legends of Hollywood The NEW Hunchback of Notre Dame Dooney & Bourke collection is now available in Disney World! Available now! We found the bags at Legends of Hollywood, but they’re also available online. Wallets! How cool is that pattern?! Click here to see more about The Hunchback of Notre Dame Dooney & Bourke collection! We also found this Haunted Mansion shirt in Legends of Hollywood… Some hitchhiking ghosts …that will go perfectly with the Haunted Mansion capri leggings we already saw in Memento Mori in Magic Kingdom (which we also found here)! Matching leggings! Get the shirt for $36.99. Keystone Clothiers This AWESOME Avengers sweatshirt was in Keystone Clothiers and features different Avengers inside the letters that spell Avengers. It’s like Avenger inception! Avengers… ASSEMBLE! We spotted Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, and Captain America… Of course Iron Man is the star …as well as Vision, Ant-Man, Black Widow, and Hulk on the sleeve! …and none for Hawkeye, bye! Get the sweatshirt for $54.99. Sleeve detailing We also found an Avengers fanny pack to go along with the sweatshirt! Subtle, but still cool It’s a simple design but can definitely fit a few Infinity Stones inside. Don’t think Mjolnir would fit in here though Get the fanny pack for $29.99. Rock Around the Shop Inside Rock Around the Shop was this new Star Wars Spirit Jersey hat! What characters can you spot? Kind of like what the Avengers sweatshirt was doing, the characters make up the letters spelling out Star Wars! Snag it for your noggin for $34.99. We see Chewie! There’s also a new-to-us Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway pin that’s super cute! New pin alert! Join Minnie, Mickey, and Pluto on a perfect picnic for $12.99! Oh, and Goofy is back there, too! What’s up, Goof! The car part of the pin actually slides up and down! Cool! A unique pin for a unique ride! Tower Hotel Gifts Inside the gift shop at the exit of Tower of Terror, we found some equally creepy merch! These Nightmare Before Christmas frames have been restocked, and they’re amazing if you want to start getting your Halloween decorations early. Can you tell which famous Disney ride Lock, Shock, and Barrel are imitating? Looks familiar… Oogie Boogie is also available! Both frames are $27.99 each. Oogie Boogie doesn’t scare us! Also, note that the Tower of Terror bellhop hats AND Minnie ears were out of stock! Toy Story Land The Dump Truck stand in Toy Story land is open again! It may be a dump truck, but these toys aren’t trash!! Of course, they’re selling toys from Andy’s collection. They’re obviously not moving because people are watching And they have those crazy Slinky Dog ears! Have you seen anyone wearing these? But, they also have misting fans to keep you cool and bubble wands! Great for cooling off! Speaking of keeping cool, let’s talk about the HEAT over the past few days! Hollywood Studios Additional Updates It was HOT and crowded in Hollywood Studios over the past few days. The “feels like” temperatures were around 101 degrees!!!! Yikes! It looks pretty, but the heat was brutal! People were trying to find shade wherever they could. Hiding out in the shade That’s all we have for you from Hollywood Studios! we’ll be checking back in over the next few days to see what other new things pop up, so stay tuned to DFB for more. Click here to read about if fireworks could return to Hollywood Studios for the holidays 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 seen people in the fountains at Disney World?! Let us know in the comments! The post What’s New in Hollywood Studios: Some BRUTAL Heat and a Returning Creepy Souvenir! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort officially reopens to all guests today, but that’s not all there is to get excited about! Polynesian Village Resort We’ve been brought you a look at all the excitement happening in the resort including a NEW Dole Whip treat (!!), brand new Moana-themed guest rooms, and more! And, while most of the restaurants (including ‘Ohana and Kona Cafe) had already reopened, there was still one fan-favorite spot that had yet to reopen with the hotel…at least, that’s what we thought… . Disney surprised us all and announced that Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace would be reopening to guests yesterday and you know that we HAD to stop by to check it out! So, put on your lei and get ready to head to a Polynesian island because we’re bringing you a look at all the drinks, eats, and everything else this popular bar has to offer! Atmosphere Now, if you’re not familiar with Trader Sam’s, this bar is themed as an extension of the Jungle Cruise attraction in Magic Kingdom. Basically, the idea is that Trader Sam, the famous head-salesman-turned-gift-shop-owner, needed a place to store all of the artifacts that he collected from his travels all over the globe and he decided to stow them away in this “happy hideaway” in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. And, that’s why you’ll have to find the little hole in the wall down the hallway from Capt. Cook’s to get in! If you’re not looking you just might miss it! Now you’ll find the bar open from 3PM to midnight daily, but you’ll want to be mindful of the time if you’re traveling with guests under the age of 21. Trader Sam’s is only open to all guests until 8PM and then transitions into only allowing those 21 and older. Trader Sam’s Hours Information And, holding only 51 seats total in the bar, you’ll likely have to do a little bit of waiting before you can get in. But, Disney is currently using a Virtual Queue here, where guests can check-in with a Cast Member (it opened yesterday around 1:30PM) and “get in line” for a spot when it becomes available. Thanks, Rosie! You’ll get a text message when you first sign up saying that you’re in line, and when your table is ready you’ll get another text message asking you to come to the entrance! Just keep in mind that there may only be standing room when you’re name is called because seating is first-come, first-served. You can explore the rest of the hotel while you wait! And, whether you’re standing or sitting in the bar, there is SO MUCH to look at when you come inside! The tiki bar is literally filled to the brim with eclectic artifacts, pictures, souvenirs, and more! You can find unique light fixtures and even an octopus leg up above… There’s a lot to take in here! …plus behind the bar, you’ll find lots of little trinkets and a pearl that comes to life when someone orders up the Polynesian Pearl cocktail from the menu! Order up the Polynesian Pearl and see what happens! But, take some time to really look around here because you can spot some fun nods to Disney, like Orange Bird… Hey there, little buddy! …books about how “Eating People is Wrong”… A little reading, anyone? …and even the first dollar bill which is hidden reallllly well in a display case. It’s hard to find but it’s up there! As far as seating, guests are encouraged to share tables when inside because there isn’t a whole lot of space. So, you might find yourself sitting (or standing) with strangers when you visit. This really is something to keep in mind if you are still looking to distance yourself when dining. Lots of people in here. And, one of the best parts of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is all the interactive elements! Your server is a Skipper and they come fit with just as many puns as you might expect on the ride, but they have some help from the bar itself! Just be warned, all the cinnamon that goes in must come out…through your straw. But, once you get past all the fanfare, the drink itself is very smooth and is on the sweeter side. It’s got a lot more juice flavor than other drinks like the Zombie, but that cinnamon sure does pack a punch when you get some in your straw! It is available for $23 or $43 if you’d like to take home that sweet mug. We may have gone a little crazy on the cinnamon And, the last shareable drink that we gave a try is the Nautilus which is made with Barbancourt Pango Rhum, Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Combier Crème de Pêche de Vigne Liqueur, Tropical Juices, and Falernum. By now you may have noticed that “Tropical Juices” is used in a lot of the tiki bar’s drinks, but this was the drink that we thought had the strongest flavor from it (though there is some tartness to it). The Nautilus The giant cocktail costs $32 if you’re opting to forego the souvenir mug or $58 with it. Nautilus And, one little detail that big-time Trader Sam’s fans may have realized by now is that the cocktails are no longer served with long bendy plastic straws. Instead, the bar has ditched the plastic and opted for long paper straws that have a red and white pattern. So, is it a little less fun? Maybe. But, paper straws are being implemented in a lot of Disney restaurants now so Trader Sam’s is just getting the memo. Now for the appetizers! First, we ordered up the Thai Chicken Flatbread that comes with Bacon and Peanut Sauce for $12. If you’ve been following along with us for a little while now, you know that we love a good flatbread and this one certainly stacks up in the rankings! The peanut sauce was our favorite part of the dish and the chicken was served on top in nice big chunks. But, the crust on ours could have used a bit more cooking in the kitchen and was just a little too doughy. Thai Chicken Flatbread And, we couldn’t settle for just one appetizer — we also ordered up the Kalua Pork Tacos with Cabbage and Pickled Vegetables for $10.50. All in all, we weren’t overly impressed with the dish. We thought that the meat was nice and moist and the veggies added a nice crunch to each bite. Kalua Pork Tacos But, if you’re a fan of sweet and spicy foods then you’re going to like this one because the fresh pepper adds a lot of heat to the dish. Nosh or Not Make the trek over to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto if: You enjoy uniquely flavored drinks. There’s a whole lot of rum and tropical juices here so if you’re into fruity drinks then this is the place to visit! You want to visit a high-energy bar during your trip. Like we mentioned, almost every drink that you can order comes with some grand delivery and the Skippers know how to bring the energy and involve you in it too! You love Jungle Cruise! Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is one piece of the Jungle Cruise story in Disney World (and Disneyland), so you’ll get another flavor of punny jokes and entertainment here. Avoid the head salesman (and his bar) if: You’re not a big fan of tropical drinks. Trader Sam’s is a tropical-themed bar and all of the drinks will feature some sort of juices. This also isn’t the best place to go if you’re looking for a meal. There are only a few appetizer options and there’s not much to choose from if you have dietary restrictions. You’re looking for a faster dining experience. This is a popular spot to visit, so the virtual line can get REALLY long and you might find that the wait time is longer than you’re willing to stick around. You want a more relaxed environment for drinks. There is A LOT going on when you visit Trader Sam’s between swimming Skippers, chanting Tiki Gods, and more — so, it’s basically the opposite of relaxing. You want to have a separate table for your party. Trader Sam’s is currently operating at full capacity and guests are encouraged to share tables, so you might find yourself sitting with strangers while you’re here. Overall After over a year of being closed, Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto certainly still lives up to all the hype. It offers a unique, fun, and interactive dining experience that you won’t find at any other Disney World bar and will likely remember (and laugh about) for years to come. So, if you can make room for a trek over to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and handle the long wait times to get in, then it’s definitely worth a visit! Plus, you might even walk away with one of Trader Sam’s artifacts (well, souvenir mugs) that you can take home with you and be reminded of all those cheesy jokes that the Skipper cracked. And, keep in mind that if you can’t get into the bar (or you don’t want to wait), the full cocktail menu is also served outside at Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace! The atmosphere is a bit more laid back here, but you’ll still get to try all those tropical concoctions! And, be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more Disney food news and updates! Check Out a Complete List of What Restaurants ARE and ARE NOT Open at Walt Disney World’s Theme Parks Right Now 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! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 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 order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 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 Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto? Let us know in the comments! The post REVIEW: Does Trader Sam's Still Live Up To The Hype in Disney World? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There is SO much to watch on Disney+ right now, and yet there’s even more content coming soon! Disney+ ©Disney We just finished streaming all of Loki, and now we’ve got other new series like Monsters at Work and Turner and Hooch. Next Wednesday, another new show joins the lineup — Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life! Today, Disney released a new trailer for the upcoming series, and it has got us squeaking with excitement! The video was shared with the tagline “Big adventures come ‘n’ small packages” and based on what we see here, we definitely believe it. This show seems like it could be great for the whole family to watch together! We’ll be looking out for more sneak peeks and details ahead of its release next week, so stay tuned. ©Disney We’ll continue sharing the latest news on everything coming soon to Disney+, so keep following along with DFB! Here’s Everything Coming to Disney+ in August! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What’s your favorite Disney+ series right now? The post VIDEO: Chip 'n' Dale Are Getting Their Own Disney+ Series! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article