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Cover up in Key West or face a fine or jail time. The city enacted a new order Monday increasing the requirements for face coverings to battle the spread of coronavirus. View the full article

Go on a fin-tastic adventure with the newish Finding Dory's Friends scavenger hunt at Epcot. View the full article

We’re going to need to borrow Remy’s giant wooden spoon because our Spike the Bee Spork isn’t big enough for what we’ve got planned next! Viva la Remy Topiary! Now that several Epcot 2020 Food and Wine food booths have soft-opened for a Disney World Cast Member preview today, we’re on our way to hit up one of our favorite food booths — France! Bonjour from the World Showcase and future home (or should we say maison) of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure! The new attraction may not be available yet, but we’re très faim for some French-inspired Food and Wine festival eats and drinks! France Let’s take a look at this year’s offerings! Menu France has a bunch of returning classics from Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival which was unfortunately cut short this year! But never fear — France’s Fleur de Lys was one of our runners-up for our Best of the Fest food booth this year! France Menu We’ll walk you through each of ’em so you can pretend like you’re with us right now on our Parisan-eating escapades! Food We started our visit today with dessert! The Tarte Tropezienne: Coulis Framboise originally made its debut a few months ago and features a small brioche cake filled with light pastry cream, served with a raspberry coulis sauce. Tarte-Tropezienne For $3, this treat is a bit of a one-bite wonder, but the flavors were good and we especially enjoyed the raspberry reduction which was tart, but plenty sweet at the same time. You might not want to share this one not only because it’s so small, but also because it’s THAT GOOD! Tarte-Tropezienne The Tarte aux Oignons Caramelises et Chévre for $5.50 has made its way back on the menu. This goat cheese tart was a big hit with us back in March and we’re so we’re happy its super flaky crust will be gracing our presences once more. The caramelized onions it has inside remind us that French onion soup flavor we’re always craving. Tarte aux Oignons Caramelises et Chévre: Goat Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions on a Flaky Pastry Crust And fans of Fleur de Lys‘ Canard Confit à l’Orange will be excited to see its also returned for Food and Wine. The Braised Duck Confit à l’Orange is tender and juicy, served over a bed of mashed sweet potatoes for $6.25. Canard Confit à l’Orange: Braised Duck Confit à l’Orange with Mashed Sweet Potatoes Drinks Getting reacquainted with France’s beverages, we noticed VeRy Raspberry has also reappeared! For $5.75, this refreshing blend of Rosé Wine with a natural raspberry flavor is sweeter than a regular rosé, but not too sweet for our palettes. If you like a sweet wine with a really dry finish, give this one a try! VeRy Raspberry And, no trip to France would be complete without the La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy for $11.75! It’s made with vodka, Grey Goose l’Orange Vodka, St. Germain Liqueur, white and red cranberry juice. We couldn’t get enough of it during Flower and Garden, so we’re going to take full advantage of it now that its back at EPCOT! La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy Other drinks selections include Bordeaux, Merlot, and Cabernet Blend, Château Tarin for $6.00, or Kronenbourg 1664 Pale Lager Draft which is available in a 6oz. glass $4.75 or 12oz. glass for $8.75. With so many of our favorite items returning from Epcot’s 2020 Flower and Garden Festival, the other food booths are going to have to put on quite the show to impress our esteemed panel of judges when we start handing out our 2020 Food and Wine Best of the Fest titles! Stay tuned for more reviews which will be coming soon! Check out our full review of Mexico’s Food and Wine festival booth here! Are you excited to see so many Flower and Garden dishes have returned to France? Let us know what you’ll be picking up in the comments below! Related posts: Some of Our Favorites Are BACK at Fleur de Lys’ Flower and Garden Booth in Epcot — But With a NEW Spin! What’s NEW at the 2019 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival? Find Out Here! BREAKING NEWS: Disney World’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival Is BACK! And It Starts SOON! View the full article

Disney World has officially reopened, but things certainly aren’t back to normal. Disney World We’re contending with all sorts of new health measures in the Disney World parks and concerns about the global health crisis are still very much a reality. In response to these concerns, Florida Orange County mayor Jerry Demings spoke about the reopening of Disney World in a press conference today. Demings explained that he is optimistic about the Disney parks reopening, but if it comes down to it, the county would be willing to ask Disney World to reevaluate remaining opened. Train Station When asked if a reclosure could happen for Disney World (like it has for Hong Kong Disneyland) Demings noted that if we reach a point where cases are exceeding hospital capacities or if Disney is linked to an outbreak, the county won’t hesitate to take action. Disney World Overall though, Demings thinks that things are going well in terms of park reopenings. No outbreaks have been linked to any of the theme parks that opened prior to Disney World. “If there’s one place on Earth where we should be successful,” Demings said, “It’s Disney.” Stay tuned to DFB for all of the news about reopenings. Is Disney World safe and should YOU go? Click here for our thoughts. Are you planning to head to a reopened Disney World? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: Florida Surgeon General Warns That Current Measures Should Continue Until a Vaccine Exists. What Does That Mean for Disney World? NEWS! Initial Plan to Reopen Theme Parks Like Disney World Proposed By the Orange County Economic Task Force BREAKING NEWS! Disney World Proposes THEME PARK REOPENING DATES! View the full article

We were treated to a surprise at the EPCOT Cast Member Preview today — some of the festival marketplaces for the upcoming A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival were OPEN! Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival So, of course, we took advantage of the chance to snag all the festival eats we could get! After a hiatus, the Desserts and Champagne marketplace has made its way back to Food & Wine — and we couldn’t wait to taste all of the sweet treats they’re serving up! Guests will find the Desserts and Champagne booth inside the World ShowPlace Pavilion. World ShowPlace Pavilion In addition to Desserts and Champagne, the World ShowPlace Pavilion is also home to the Festival Favorites, Appleseed Orchard, and Mac & Cheese booths! Desserts and Champagne Here’s what you’ll find at the Desserts and Champagne booth this year! Food As the name suggests, the menu offers up cake pops, champagne, and a Frozen S’mores drink available with or without alcohol! Desserts and Champagne Menu So, let’s start with the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake Pop! One thing we noticed right off the bat — it was SUPER rich! And that trend continued for the other flavors as well. Cake Pop Of the three flavors, this one was our least favorite because it was more basic than the other options. But, at $4, we would say this dessert is still a pretty good deal! Here’s a Look Inside the Cake Pop! Next, we tried the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake Pops with Crumbled Twix Chocolate Bars! This one is also priced at $4, and we liked the added flavor of the Twix bars! Twix Cake Pop And, of course, we also ordered the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake Pops with Crushed M&M’s Candies! This was our favorite of the three — we loved the crunchiness of the M&M’s! It’s also $4, so unless you’re looking for something more simple, we would suggest ordering one of the cake pops with a topping since they’re priced the same as the plain one! M&Ms Cake Pop All three cake pops were super-rich, so we would say any of the flavors are sharable — especially if you plan to do a lot more eating around the festival! The Spike the Bee Sipper and Spork are BACK for the 2020 Food & Wine Festival! Drinks In addition champagne, this booth also serves a Frozen S’mores drink that can be ordered without alcohol for $4.50, or with whipped cream vodka for $11. We decided to treat ourselves to the boozy version! Frozen S’mores This drink was SOOO good — and also incredibly rich! It reminded us of an alcoholic milkshake! We really enjoyed the flavor, so we would order it again. But just like the cake pops, we would say this one is sharable too, unless you can handle all of that richness on your own! Here’s the full menu from all of the booths at this year’s festival! Overall We liked everything that we tried at the Dessert and Champagne booth! If we had to describe the eats at this booth in one word, it would definitely be RICH! So, while we would order the cake pops and Frozen S’mores drink again, we would say these items are meant to be shared! Check out our review of FOUR different types of mac & cheese from the Mac & Cheese booth! Which of the menu items from the Desserts and Champagne booth do you want to try the most? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: What’s Actually NEW at Disney World’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival This Year?? News! MORE FOOD BOOTHS (Menus Here!) Coming to Epcot’s Holidays Around the World! We Asked Our Readers: What Do You Hope Returns to the Next Epcot Food and Wine Festival? View the full article

We’re BACK at EPCOT’S International Food and Wine Festival. We stopped by the Mexico Pavilion and had a downright fiesta trying all the dishes and drinks! Mexico Tacos and margs on the rocks! What could possibly be better than that combo?! Tequila fans will love this booth and everything it’s dishing out. Let’s start with the classic Ribeye Taco. The corn tortilla is filled with ribeye steak and topped with ranchera salsa, onions, chives, and a lime wedge. A solid taco choice! It had good tasting meat with a small spicy kick. The taco costs $6.95. Ribeye Taco The Pork Tostada was actually our favorite dish from Mexico. The fried corn tortilla added a great flavor and crunch! The tostada costs $9.75 and comes topped with chipotle black beans, roasted pork, fresh salsa verde, onions, and cilantro. Pork Tostada The meat was well cooked, the tortilla was crisp and the beans were slightly creamy. This whole thing worked REALLY well together. We washed our classic taco down with a Clásica Margarita for $10.75. The margarita is made with tequila, chile poblano liqueur, lime juice, and agave nectar with a salt rim. The ingredients are pretty straight-forward, but the drink is pretty much perfection. The rim was a little too salty for us so we might get it without salt next time. It’s been a while since we had such a good Classic Margarita! Clasica Margarita The two margs are tied for best! We loved the Mango Smoky Margarita as much as the Classic. The Mango Margarita costs $11.50 and is mixed with mango purée, mezcal, applejack, lime juice, and agave nectar with a tajín chile-lime rim. We just wish the mango was a little bit smokier. We’d really like to taste more of that Mezcal! (If you’re not a fan of the smokey spirit, you might think this is perfect though!) Mango Smoky Margarita We really liked the Passion Rose Sangria! It was a fun mix of red wine, rum, rose petal liqueur, passion fruit purée, and lime. Our only complaint is that rose is a little too strong. It started to taste a little perfume-y towards the end. The sangria costs $10.00. Passion Rose Sangria When you order the small Mexican Craft Beer, it’s served in this cool little compostable cup! (Save the Earth AND get a good beer? Win-win!) The craft beer is actually a Tulum Artisnal Lager crafted with citrus notes and made with Mexican Caribbean seawater. Fancy! The beer was refreshing, but a little heavy for the hot sun. The 6oz is $5.00 and the 12oz is $9.50. Mexican Craft Beer 6 oz. We’re big fans of the Mexico Pavilion! Everything we tasted was either a solid version of a classic food or a fun spin on an old favorite. Keep following us as we try everything at Food and Festival this year! Check out ALL of the menus at this year’s Epcot International Food and Wine Festival here! Do any of these dishes look good to you? Let us know if you’ll be stopping by Mexica for a tostada! Related posts: This NEW Funnel Cake Is a MUST-TRY at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival in Disney World How to Lure Your Kids to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival This Year! Tips From the DFB Guide: Do I Need Advance Dining Reservations During the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? View the full article

To our surprise, we’re coming at you live TODAY from the 2020 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival! While adventuring around EPCOT today at the Cast Member Preview, we couldn’t help but notice that some of the food booths around World Showcase were OPEN a little early! Food and Wine One of our stops today was at Funnel Cakes in the American Adventure Pavilion. Funnel Cakes have proven to be a DFB fave over the years, so we were VERY MUCH looking forward to what this stand had in store. At this year’s “Taste of Food and Wine” Festival, you can scoop up a Street Corn Funnel Cake for $9.00. Street Corn Funnel Cake We typically fall head over heels for those sweet dessert funnel cakes. Not to mention that last year’s funnel cake with SANGRIA compote made our Best of the Fest list! So, curiosity struck and we HAD to know if this savory funnel cake could measure up! Funnel Cake Stand The Street Corn Funnel Cake is your traditional cake, topped with roasted corn, cotija cheese, cilantro, cumin crema dusted with paprika. That sure SOUNDS delicious. Street Corn Funnel Cake The funnel cake was, in a word, GREAT. Tens across the board, in our opinion! It was SO great, in fact, that it just may find its way onto this year’s Best of the Fest! Street Corn Funnel Cake The flavors of the dish worked together like a dream. And the texture from the funnel cake itself gives it a soft crunch. Don’t be surprised if you hear us talk about this dish over and over as the festival continues through the fall! Street Corn Funnel Cake Want to try this delicious thing for yourself? You can find it at the Funnel Cake Stand in the American Adventure Pavilion in World Showcase! Pick one up for $9.00! Check out ALL of the menus and booths at this year’s Food and Wine Festival here! What dish are you looking forward to the most at this year’s Food and Wine Festival? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: How to Lure Your Kids to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival This Year! One of Our MANY Questions About Disney World’s Food and Wine Festival Might Have Been ANSWERED! Tips From the DFB Guide: Do I Need Advance Dining Reservations During the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? View the full article

WHAT A DAY WE’VE HAD! Mac and Cheese Who would have thought that when we woke up this morning to head to the Cast Member Preview of EPCOT’s reopening (thanks to a friend!), we’d end up with EARLY access to A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival!? Well, we’ve been eating our way around the fest as much as we can and we’re stopping into the NEW booth at this year’s festival — it’s time for Mac & Cheese! This festival marketplace is the ONLY new booth at the festival this year and can be found with three other booths in the World Showplace Pavilion. So, without further ado, let’s chat about Mac and Cheese, Hosted by Boursin Cheese! Food The menu at Mac & Cheese is (as is to be expected) FULL of Mac & Cheese options! Mac and cheese is basically our love language, so we were HERE FOR IT. After all, you KNOW how we feel about cheese. Plus, you can nab the Spike the Bee Spork here for $2.50 (bigger vessel for shoveling mac and cheese in our mouths perhaps??). Mac & Cheese Guys…just stop for a sec and admire this. This is a thing of beauty: ALL the Mac and Cheese Since this is a new booth, that means that ALL of the eats are new! Check out this Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese served with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce and topped with Herbed Panko for $4.50. This one was the BEST on the menu by far. It was crazy flavorful and oh-so-cheesy. Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese Next up, we tried out the Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese made with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce topped with Carrots, Celery, and Blue Cheese Crumbles for $5.50. We were super excited about this one because we LOVE buffalo chicken but…it wasn’t our favorite. All in all, there just wasn’t enough buffalo sauce and how can we love a BUFFALO mac without enough buff sauce? (It was still yummy, just not AS yummy as we’d hoped!) Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese Movin’ on to the Lobster Macaroni & Cheese for $6.50. This dish is made with that Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce, Lobster Cream, and Herbed Panko. This one was our second favorite behind the Gourmet Mac. It had BIG chunks of lobster, so lobster-lovers might find themselves a little obsessed with this dish! Lobster Macaroni & Cheese And we’ll wrap up with the Plant-based Macaroni & Cheese option for $5.50. As meat-eaters, this wasn’t our favorite, but it was a tasty option if meatless options are more your thing! It’s made with a House-made Italian Sausage (plant-based) and Peppers. Plant-based Macaroni & Cheese We hope you’re not full yet because there’s a NEW BEER at this spot too! Beverages The new option is the Stiegl Brewery Radler Zitrone. As a note, you can get it as a 6 oz pour for $4.50 or a 12 oz pour for $8.50. We thought this was a pretty darn good sip! It was crisp and almost gave us seltzer vibes. Stiegl Brewery Radler Zitrone Overall, we’re pretty big fans of the Mac & Cheese booth. Some of these dishes were im-MAC-ulate! Sorry, sorry, too cheesy? Follow along with DFB and check out the links below for ALL of our coverage at the 2020 A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival! Click here to see ALL of the EPCOT Food & Wine MENUS! Which Mac & Cheese dish looks the best to you? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: Surprise! A Taste of EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Booths are OPEN at the Cast Member Preview Today! Disney World Mac and Cheese Gallery DFB Video: All the Mac and Cheese in Walt Disney World! View the full article

Earlier, Disney announced it planned on offering a hybrid festival experience for guests when EPCOT reopened ion July 15th. We’re at the park today attending a Cast Member preview and we actually got to experience a Taste of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival TODAY! Food and Wine Incorporating elements from both Food and Wine (which normally doesn’t kick off until the fall) as well as Flower and Garden (since this year’s springtime festival was cut short), we already expected a Taste of Epcot to be a pretty unique offering! We’ve spotted a few Flower and Garden topiaries this afternoon, and you’ll never BEE-lieve who else we just ran into! That’s right — everybody’s favorite cross-pollinator has crossed over to Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival this year! We first discovered the brand new Spike the Bee Sipper at The Honey Bee-Stro where he was buzzing up a storm at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival. Spike the Bee Sipper But since he barely had his time to shine, EPCOT has brought him BACK! This time, instead of being filled with the Honey-Peach Freeze, he’s being served with your choice of soft drink or lemonade at Refreshment Outpost for $15. Refreshment Outpost And look at what else is being offered at this year’s Food and Wine Festival — the Spike the Bee Spork has also returned! We spotted him being sold at the Hawai’i food booth for $2.50, and we hope other outdoor kitchens will be stocking him soon. Spike Spork Carrying your own Spike the Bee Spork around the Food and Wine fest is a great way to cut down on single-use plastic cutlery — plus it makes a really cute keepsake of this unforgettable mash-up event. Spike the Bee Spork Seeing this Flower and Garden merch fluttering around EPCOT today did seem a little strange to us at first, but it’s already such an unusual and historical time at Disney World right now — we’re just going to roll with it! We’ll let you know what other bits of Flower and Garden we spot at EPCOT, but for now, check out which pieces of festival merchandise we’re hoping will make their way back here! Click here to see the health and safety modifications Epcot has made to its festival food booths! Did you have a chance to grab your Spike the Bee Sipper or Spork before the parks closed? Let us know if you’re excited to see these Flower and Garden items return for Food and Wine in the comments below! Related posts: Ahh, Guys! Have You Seen This Spike The Bee SPORK Coming to Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival? How Do You Socially Distance an EPCOT Food and Wine Booth? Click Here to See! Review! Refreshment Port Is Servin’ Up One of the Cutest and BEST Deals at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival! View the full article

We took the time to stop and smell the roses at EPCOT’S Cast Member Previews and noticed something joyous on our way! Epcot Entrance Disney has been getting creative with character meet and greets lately. We’ve seen Timon and Rafiki on a riverboat in Animal Kingdom and Gaston riding a real horse in Magic Kingdom. NOTHING beats the cheerful meeting we encountered today! As we made our way to Mexico to pick up an Avacado Margarita we were stopped in our tracks by the brightest bit of sunshine this side of World Showcase! Joy, the happy little sprite-like character from Inside Out, was skipping heartily through a FIELD. Joy Strikes a Pose! We were inspired by her childlike abandonment and had to go visit her. She stopped behind a fence to create some space between her and the guests. She was still close enough to look her best for a photo! Joy Making Her Way Through the Field The only thing that would have made this better is if Sadness was trailing behind her gloomily picking flowers and complaining about the sun. UGH SO CUTE Joy is usually located at the Imagination! Pavilion and now she gets to frolic in fields! We have to admit, we’re a little jealous! We will continue to keep our eyes out for new character experiences at Disney World! Want to see what was happening in Hollywood Studios during Cast Member previews? Check out our first look here! What do you think of the new character meet and greets? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: Say “Hiya, Pal!” to the New Character Meet-and-Greet Locations in Epcot! EPCOT Has a New Way for You Find All Your Favorite Eats at the Food & Wine Festival! THIS Was the EPCOT Virtual Queue We Weren’t Expecting Today! View the full article

Disney World’s EPCOT will reopen to guests again starting July 15th, along with Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened over the weekend). Epcot Entrance Wednesday is a big day for guests at EPCOT for another reason, too… it is also the day that the 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival kicks off! And even though the Festival will run well into the fall, guests at the Festival will also experience aspects of the park’s SPRING event, the Flower & Garden Festival! For instance, Disney has already announced that guests will be able to see the Remy topiary in the France pavilion which made its debut for the Flower & Garden Festival, and guests will be able to purchase merchandise from the spring event, too. It was so nice seeing this little guy with his giant wooden spoon today! We Got to Say Bonjour to Remy Today! But guess what?? Today, by way of being invited guests to a Cast Member preview, we are in EPCOT today… and we spotted a few other topiary friends still in the park! We saw Bambi, Flower, and Thumper in Future World outside of the temporary Mouse Gear merchandise location. Bambi Topiaries And we’ll keep updating this post if we spot any other Flower and Garden topiaries throughout the day! That way, if you have plans to be in EPCOT during the park’s initial reopening, be sure to keep your eyes extra peeled for potential Flower & Garden-inspired fun! Citrus Blossom And if you’re planning to check out the 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, we have all of the information you need right here — including this handy printable guide! See the MENUS for the 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Food Booths here! We hope you’ll stick with us throughout the day, as we explore more of EPCOT. And if you haven’t found out about this helpful new Food and Wine feature on the My Disney Experience app, click here! Surprise! Food and Wine Festival booths at EPCOT are now open! Click here to learn more! Which Disney topiary is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: BREAKING NEWS: Disney World’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival Is BACK! And It Starts SOON! Your Phone Could Be a Game-Changer at This Year’s EPCOT Food and Wine Festival With This HUGE Update What’s New in Epcot — LOTS of Construction, Halloween Merchandise, and the Return of Beverly! View the full article

We’re with some friends at the Cast Member Preview for the reopening of EPCOT AND EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival. We’re reporting on the new procedures for old-favorites like Spaceship Earth and experiencing new processes like the Digital Guidebook. World Showplace Entrance Disney has now integrated virtual lines for gift shops to reduce crowding and will continue to use a modified version for Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We just learned that four Food and Wine booths at EPCOT will be accessed using virtual queues at Food and Wine Festival. Festival World Showplace (the big blue tent near the UK Pavilion in World Showcase) is an indoor venue hosting four marketplaces this year: Appleseed Orchard, Wine & Dine featuring Festival Favorites, Desserts & Champagne, and Mac and Cheese Hosted by Boursin Cheese. Unlike the gift shops, it appears you must enter the virtual line whether World Showplace is crowded or not. Inside World Showplace To enter the line, head to the Showplace and give the Cast Member your name and number. You will receive two text messages. One that informs you that you made a reservation and another that notifies you when they are ready to have you enter. World Showplace Virtual Line Messages It took 15 minutes for us to receive the second notification at Cast Member previews. The Cast Member said guests have a two-hour window to return to World Showplace. Desserts & Champagne Festival Booth The inside is a real treat because it’s air-conditioned and has some well-spaced-out seating and tables. It’s a great place to chow down on mac and cheese and take a load off! World Showplace Disney World continues to make changes and updates while they are in the process of re-opening. We will be sure to keep you updated as we continue to experience everything new happening the theme parks. Keep following along with us as we discover the new processes and procedures! Check out all the festival booths and menus at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival in 2020! What do you think of the new virtual line system at Disney World? Let us know! Related posts: EPCOT Has a New Way for You Find All Your Favorite Eats at the Food & Wine Festival! One of Our MANY Questions About Disney World’s Food and Wine Festival Might Have Been ANSWERED! NEW Details Released for Appleseed Orchard Booth Coming to The Epcot Food and Wine Festival View the full article

We’re just a few days away from the reopening of Hollywood Studios! Hollywood Studios Today, Disney held Cast Member Previews of both as-of-yet-unopened parks. We’ve been taking a look around EPCOT all day and now (thanks to a friend!), we’ve gotten a glimpse inside the preview of Hollywood Studios! Let’s check it out! Keep in mind that this is a preview so things might change before Hollywood Studios officially opens to the public. Today, there were a good number of folks exploring Disney’s glitziest park, but still nothing like a typical day pre-closure. Wait times were averaging around 10-15 minutes with some outliers (we’re looking at you Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway!). Sunset Boulevard Speaking of Runaway Railway, the attraction is open. It’s not too surprising that it is in high demand considering it was only open for a few weeks before the parks closed down. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway The queue inside Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway has been outfitted with social distancing stickers and plexiglass barriers to help protect guests as they navigate back and forth through the switchbacks. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Queue Rise of the Resistance was using a standby queue; remember that Disney announced that it will use a Virtual Queue when the parks open to the public. The line stretched all the way out of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the attraction has seen a lot of downtimes so far today. Rise of the Resistance Queue Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run didn’t have nearly as long of a line. Still, the queue is outfitted with social distancing stickers all the way outside past the Millennium Falcon. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Queue We’ll be reporting LIVE from Hollywood Studios on Wednesday, so keep an eye on DFB for ALL of the latest updates! Click here to learn more about the new Virtual Queue process for Rise of the Resistance! Are you headed to a reopened Hollywood Studios soon? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: News! Park Hours Extend AGAIN at Hollywood Studios — This Time for Early March NEWS: Rise of the Resistance in Disney World to Use a Modified Virtual Queue Upon Reopening Hold Your Breath, Disney World! There’s a New Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Poster! View the full article

When we arrived at EPCOT for a special Cast Member preview today, little did we realize the 2020 Taste of EPCOT Food and Wine Festival booths would also be underway (surprise)! Food and Wine We thought being reunited with Spaceship Earth and riding Test Track with a short wait would be about as exciting as our day would get! But suddenly we’re now hoofing it around EPCOT’s World Showcase to get you the full scoop on this year’s Food and Wine line-up! Disney announced the marketplace food booths would be returning for EPCOT’s 2020 Food and Wine Festival this year — you can check out the complete list of outdoor kitchens and menus here! Spaceship Earth And while there is a new booth and some fun new menu items at a Taste of EPCOT Food and Wine Festival to explore, each booth LOOKS and works a little differently from past years’! Citrus Blossom Booth That’s because Disney has implemented several health and safety modifications at each marketplace. Just like we’ve experienced before at several retail and dining locations throughout Disney World, the queues to the cash register are now socially distanced with physical distancing markers on the ground showing guests where they may stand. Social Distancing Line Cast Members will now take your order from behind a plexiglass barrier that has been installed at each cash register. Contactless methods of payment are highly encouraged. Plexiglass at Cash Registers Once your order is in, you’ll still go over to the pick-up window to retrieve your food and drink. If there isn’t space at the pick-up window, you might have to wait by the cash register until a spot opens up. You’ll also notice a plastic sneeze guard has been installed over the prep counter. Earth Eats Booth Hand sanitizer stations are located near each booth to can sanitize your hands often. We saw many food booths had them right near the cash registers. Hand Sanitizer Station But there are several additional hand sanitizer stations scattered throughout the World Showcase. Hand Sanitizer And just as we’d suspected, Disney has installed the new utensil dispensers we’d seen previously at Disney Springs. Instead of digging through a tub of cutlery, these impressive dispensers allow you to touch only the handle of the spoon, knife, or fork you’re taking without touching anything else! New Utensil Dispensers We actually hope to see many of these new health and safety practices stick around in years to come! If you’ll be heading to EPCOT soon, you can learn more about this year’s Food and Wine booths with this new paperless guidebook. And don’t forget to grab our printable copy of the Food and Wine fest so you can circle your favorites! We’ll be back with more reporting from a Taste of EPCOT in just a little bit (including some reviews!), but in the meantime, check out which restaurant just got added to mobile order here! Follow along with our live coverage from our first day back at EPCOT here! Which food booth would you like us to review first? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: BREAKING NEWS: Disney World’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival Is BACK! And It Starts SOON! Tips From the DFB Guide: Do I Need Advance Dining Reservations During the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? 7 Things You’ve Gotta Know If You’re Going To Disney World in September View the full article

EPCOT is preparing to open to the public on July 15th and is kicking it all off with a modified version of the International Food and Wine Festival. Mexico We’re tagging along with a friend at the Cast Members Preview and already getting a taste of what Food and Wine Festival has to offer this year. There have been some obvious changes like the reduced amount of booths and menu items. There have also been some additions like the Mac and Cheese booth and now a new digital guide with interactive features. We got a sneak peek of the new paperless guidebook on My Disney Experience earlier. The guidebook is now live and anyone can view it! Much like the digital menus we’ve seen in Disney restaurants, you’ll find signs like this throughout the park that will enable you to point your camera at the QR code and download the app. Food & Wine Festival Digital Festival Guidebook Let’s take a look inside and see what we can find. The menu gives you four options: Festival Marketplaces (food!), Live Entertainment, Festival Merchandise, and Fun for All Ages. ©Disney Festival Marketplaces gives you a full list of all the festival booths including all the available food and drink. Plus, an interactive map to show you where to go! Margaritas here we come! ©Disney Live Entertainment will tell what live entertainment is performing that day and where to find it. Right now, the two forms of entertainment are the JAMMitors and Mariachi Cobre. ©Disney We’re still waiting on updates for Festival Merchandise. This part of the app will most likely tell us what merch is on sale and how to find it. ©Disney Fun for All Ages gives you a description of some of the things that little ones may enjoy. You can find the instructions for Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt here! ©Disney Hopefully, this new paperless option will help you navigate EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival this year. Be sure to follow along with us once EPCOT is officially open! We’ll be doing food reviews and updates as opening progresses. Want to see the full Food & Wine menu lists with pictures? Head here! What do you think of the new digital guidebook? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: One of Our MANY Questions About Disney World’s Food and Wine Festival Might Have Been ANSWERED! 6 Must-Do Epcot Food and Wine Festival Travel Hacks! Tips From the DFB Guide: Do I Need Advance Dining Reservations During the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? View the full article

California has made a new update in its response to the global health crisis. Hollywood Sign Last month, we found out about the delay in the reopening of Disneyland in line with government and health officials’ guidance. California has been tightening regulations for at-risk counties with limitations on indoor operations. Now, in response to rising case numbers, California Governor Gavin Newsom just announced that certain sectors will see the closure of indoor operations statewide. According to the new restrictions, the following sectors must cease indoor operations effective immediately: dine-in restaurants, wineries & tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums, and cardrooms. Bars must close ALL operations. ©Office of the Governor of California Some counties have been noted on a county monitoring list as high risk in terms of the global health crisis. Orange County, where Disneyland is located, is one of those noted. This list of counties is subject to further restrictions with the closure of indoor operations for fitness centers, places of worship, offices for non-critical sectors, personal care services, hair salons and barbershops, and malls. ©Office of the Governor of California It is not yet clear how this new order will affect Disneyland. Stay tuned to DFB for the latest updates on how the global health crisis is affecting the Disney parks. Click here to learn more about the delay to Disneyland’s reopening. Related posts: The Future of the Film Industry Might Look a Little Different for Disney — Here’s How Hollywood is Mapping Out Its Return Disney CEO Bob Chapek Comments on the Future of the Disney Parks Disney Along with Several Other Major Companies Seek Over $1 Trillion in Relief For Local Aid View the full article

Carnival Corp. announced it is accelerating the removal of old ships from its fleets that could mean the end for vessels from Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America. View the full article

Is it weird to lose sleep over a giant geodesic sphere? Spaceship Earth Well, we tagged along with a friend for Cast Member previews of EPCOT and got to see inside that giant golf ball we all know and love today. And while there have been some changes made, we can tell ya Computer Lady is safe and sound! In fact, she’s not going anywhere for the time being! This iconic ride has been refurbished many times, but there’s just something about the current permutation of Spaceship Earth’s elements we’re especially fond of. For us, this ride is composed like a beautiful symphony — Dame Judi Dench’s narration is the sweet melody while rhythmic pounding from the papyrus guy beating his reeds flat along the Nile provides the up-beat tempo to our journey up into the ball. Epcot Entrance Disney announced its plans to reimagine Spaceship Earth last summer at D23 Expo and later stated the renovation would begin on May 26th, 2020. When the day came, Disney World even updated its website’s “closed for refurbishment” attractions sealing Spaceship Earth’s fate — or so we thought… . Spaceship Earth Disney later confirmed Spaceship Earth would, in fact, be reopening in its unaltered form with the rest of EPCOT! And while we haven’t gotten to go up in the ball since mid-March, we DID have the chance to sail our way through the decades today. The ride was a walk-on for us during the special Cast Member preview, but we’ll be curious to see how the wait times hold up once EPCOT officially reopens on Wednesday! Now that Splash Mountain is going to be rethemed with The Princess and the Frog elements, we’ve noticed it has become one of the most popular attractions at Magic Kingdom! Future World Construction And although all the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and burning Rome-scented goodness have remained quite intact, a few health and safety modifications have been made. As you can see, social distancing markers have been placed on the ground in the ride’s outdoor queue area. Spaceship Earth queue And once we entered the loading area, guests were being seated in every other row. There was a party of two in the car before us with an empty row, then our group of four took up the next car. Spaceship Earth We noticed the in-ride camera that captures your photo at the beginning of the ride was working and interactive touchscreen in each car was also working. You can opt-out of this portion of the ride and a generic movie will play at the end of the ride should you choose not to participate. Touchscreen The rest of our time on Spaceship Earth was just as glorious as we’d hoped it would be! Even though we had to keep our face mask on the whole time, we were wearing some big smiles underneath. Computer Lady Upon exiting, the interactive elements of Project Tomorrow are unavailable, but you will still see your goofy photo posted on the big screens! Project Tomorrow When Spaceship Earth will receive its makeover remains to be seen. For now, Disney is stating the attraction will, “continue to be available in its current state while we pause on its planned refurbishment.” We’ll continue to keep you updated as we learn more about the future of Future World and Spaceship Earth! Are you happy or sad Spaceship Earth’s refurbishment got postponed? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: Guess What Epcot Update Just Hit the Disney World Website! Pardon Disney’s Pixie Dust: This Disney World Construction Could Impact Your Next Vacation Here’s How to Navigate the Crazy MAZE of Epcot’s Construction! View the full article

We’re out here at EPCOT today experiencing many things in the park for the first time in MONTHS! Test Track We’ve just arrived at the park and we couldn’t believe our luck when we saw Test Track was virtually a walk-on! Well, actually, we COULD believe it since wait times at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom have been significantly shorter these days now that there are way fewer people in the parks. Let’s see what modifications they’ve made to Test Track since the last time we rode it, shall we? Test Track’s Cast Members were excited to welcome back guests today. Even though there was almost no line to get on Test Track today, we noticed some plexiglass barriers have been installed in the main waiting area in case there’s a back-up. It felt pretty surreal walking straight through this part of the queue since we’re pretty used to spending a significant chunk of our EPCOT day in here if we couldn’t snag a FastPass for the ride! Test Track Queue We also noticed Test Track’s interactive elements are unavailable at the beginning portion of the ride. These are the stations where guests normally build and customize their SIM vehicles, but the ride is using a generic prototype car for the time being. But don’t worry — the simulator still has plenty ‘o speed! Test Track Some of the touchscreens are still on while others have been turned completely off. Social distancing markers have been placed on the ground and show guests how far apart they should stand throughout the entire queue. Test Track Queue Once we arrived at the loading area, each party was being given their own car. Not gonna lie — it felt pretty swanky to have our own personal ride vehicle. And remember — you must wear your face mask at all times in Disney World, even if you’re seated alone. Once we were all buckled up, we were on our way! Test Track The ride was just as thrilling and exciting as we remembered it! And don’t worry about your mask flying off — the speed of the car keeps it pretty much glued to your face. Plus the breeze from zooming around is refreshing and just the quick cooldown we needed. Upon exiting, you can see the scoreboard isn’t working right now since guests aren’t customizing their cars. Test Track Scoreboard The interactive elements at the end of the ride are also not available. The in-ride cameras were also turned off so we didn’t see any goofy photos of ourselves riding the attraction when we exited. Test Track Interactive Element And that’s the way Test Track is and shall be — for the time being, at least! We’ll let you know what else has changed at EPCOT as we continue to explore the park, but for now, be sure to check out which restaurant has just been added to mobile order here! Click here for our first look back in EPCOT Is Test Track one of your favorite rides at Disney World? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: PHOTO: Epcot’s Test Track Cast Members Have Returned To Work This NEW Burger Joint Has Reopened in Disney Springs! These Musical Groups Are CONFIRMED To Return to Disney World View the full article

If there’s one thing we look forward to every year, it’s EPCOT Food & Wine. Hawai’i Booth We were taking a gander at an almost-reopened EPCOT today at the Cast Member Preview (we were invited by a friend!). Much to our surprise, some of the festival marketplaces for the upcoming A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival were OPEN! Take a look! We spotted several of the booths for this year’s fest open and taking orders! Eek! We spotted Hawai’i, The Citrus Blossom, and more! The booths had all-new health measures like distanced queues, separate ordering kiosks, and plexiglass barriers. The Citrus Blossom As expected, there was also some added dining space. Guests are allowed to remove their masks to eat when standing at one of these tables. Food & Wine Seating Now, not ALL of the festival marketplaces were open just yet. We spotted a few that have yet to get going. Guess we’ll just have to wait until July 15th for the official start of the fest! Unopened Booth Stay tuned to DFB for the next few days as we bring you TONS of pics and REVIEWS from this year’s modified Food & Wine Festival and the reopening of EPCOT as a whole. We can’t wait to get eating! Click here for EVERYTHING you need to know about A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival! How excited are you for A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: Final Performer Announced for Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival Eat to the Beat Concert Series! FULL MENU For The NEW Cool Wash Booth at the 2019 Epcot Food & Wine Festival! We Tackled the New CHEESE CRAWL at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival! View the full article

Disney is gearing up for EPCOT to reopen this week. Sunshine Seasons With the start of A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival and a ton of new health measures, we’re expecting some changes when we get back into the park. We’re even already seeing some changes! Today, we noticed the addition of the Mobile Order feature to a favorite EPCOT quick-service spot! Sunshine Seasons has been equipped with mobile order before, but for the past few years, it hasn’t had the options. Now, the Disney World website has this hidden-gem counter-service spot tagged with Mobile Order again. My Disney Experience Screenshot With added concerns around high-touch surfaces and physical distancing, it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that we’re seeing some expansion to Mobile Order. Of course, EPCOT isn’t open to the general public yet so we may see more additions or changes to Mobile Order, so stay tuned to DFB for all of the latest news! Click here for more Disney World dining updates! Are you ready to get back to Epcot? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: BREAKING NEWS: These Disney World Restaurants are OPENING July 11th and 15th! What’s New at Epcot This Week: Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille Construction, Mission Space Restaurant, Cuties, and Christmas Kringla! Review: Vegan Cupcake from Epcot’s Sunshine Seasons! View the full article

Depending on where you currently reside, several states have instituted travel advisories that could put your Disney World plans on hold. Spaceship Earth New York was one of the first places in America to enact one of these emergency orders which requires every traveler to self-quarantine upon entering (or re-entering) the state for two weeks after visiting a state with a high infection rate. And now, the New York Governor has just upped the stakes by implementing a new penalty for travelers who disobey his emergency order. Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo has passed a new order that states any out-of-state travelers arriving in New York from states that have been previously identified as high-risk will incur a $2,000 fine if they fail to identify themselves upon entry. The news was relayed earlier today via Twitter. Several states including Florida, Texas, and more recently California have been identified by New York health officials as being especially high-risk for travelers. Residents or visitors will need to complete a 14-day self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or another temporary lodging before going out amongst the general public to prevent the spread of infection. We’ll continue to closely monitor this situation for further developments, but for now, you can learn more about the emergency order that Florida’s governor has just extended here. Is international travel banned right now? Here’s the latest info you need to know. Are you a New York resident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. Related posts: Disney World’s Options For Potential Health Screening in the Parks According to Analysts, Disney Parks Will Most Likely Need a Vaccine to Exist to Return to Regular Operations What Has To Happen Before Disney World Reopens View the full article

Disney+ subscribers who also happen to be Star Wars fans have a BIG reason to rejoice today! ©Disney A brand new animated series called Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be coming to live streaming service sometime next year! Although Disney hasn’t released a ton of details about the new show yet, the storyline will follow a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army and will take place immediately following the Clone Wars. Known as “The Bad Batch”, each clone will possess a singular exceptional skill and the crew will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to find their new purpose in the aftermath of the Clone Wars. ©Disney “While the Clone Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucasfilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni’s vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch” said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. ©Disney Star Wars: The Bad Batch will feature the same executive producer (Dave Filoni), as The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Clone Wars while several other producers who have worked on various projects within the Star Wars universe will also be involved with the new series. Even though Disney+ launched less than a year ago, there’s been a lot of new Star Wars content to watch and look forward to including seasons two and three of The Mandalorian which you can learn more about here! Check out the making of The Mandalorian in this docuseries called Disney Gallery! Are you bummed about Star Wars: The Clone Wars wrapping up? Let us know if you’ll be tuning in to the new show in the comments below! Related posts: ALL the NEW Content Coming to Disney+ Through January 26th! See The New Movies and Shows That Are Being Added To Disney+ in 2020! THIS IS THE WAY! Season 3 of The Mandalorian Is Already In the Works For Disney+! View the full article

Shortly before Magic Kingdom began welcoming back guests last week after its longest closure in history, Disney released some information about construction schedules for attractions that were in-progress. Main Street, U.S.A. And while we suspected the temporary closure might delay some of the delivery dates of the projects Disney had planned, we’ve since learned construction on TRON: Lightcycle Run will be picked back up in stages. Even though Cinderella Castle’s royal makeover will be finished in time for Disney World’s 50th anniversary next year, the future surrounding TRON: Lightcycle is still unknown. We noticed at Magic Kingdom yesterday that the construction site is still full of equipment although workers were noticeably absent. TRON Lightcycle Run Construction The major headliner is a similar version of Shanghai Disneyland’s TRON: Lightcycle Power Run and was supposed to be completed by 2021. But while some construction projects will be able to surge forward such as Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park (which was already nearing its completion and was originally set to open July 18th before it was delayed), others will be waiting for their time to resume. TRON Lightcycle Run Construction And while the Splash Mountain re-theming does not have a set timeline, we do know Imagineers are working with operations partners to get it started. Will it start before TRON: Lightcycle Run’s construction resumes? We’ll have to wait and SEE! Click here to learn more about the reimagining of Splash Mountain! TRON Lightcycle Run Construction We will continue to keep you updated on the progress of TRON: Lightcycle run, but for now, you can follow along with our live coverage from EPCOT right here! Spaceship Earth’s refurbishment has been postponed! Learn more details here. Do you think TRON: Lightcycle Run will be ready in 2021? Cast your predictions in the comments below! Related posts: Could TRON Bring FastPass Tiers To Disney World’s Magic Kingdom? We Have an UPDATE on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties in Reopened Disney World! You’ve GOTTA See How Construction Is Progressing on Cinderella Castle in Disney World! View the full article

We’ve been scoping out Disney’s Animal Kingdom ever since it reopened last week. Tree of Life And so far we’ve already spotted a few new pieces of merch including the new Fab Five coffee mugs and Together Again t-shirts! But now, we just discovered a new long sleeve tee we’re simply WILD about! Check out this brand new Lion King Long Sleeve Shirt we just saw at Disney’s Animal Kingdom yesterday! The shirt is adult size and costs $36.99. Lion King Long Sleeve Shirt We love the graphic it has on its front featuring Simba, Timon, and their trusty companion warthog, Pumbaa! In fact, we recently saw this comedy duo on a new MagicBand not too long ago! Lion King Long Sleeve Shirt We also love how the sleeves are accented with some rather sporty looking yellow stripes! Très Lion King chic! Lion King Long Sleeve Shirt Even though Festival of The Lion King hasn’t resumed quite yet and it’s way too hot in Florida to even think about wearing long sleeves right now, we’ll be squirreling this shirt away for cooler days ahead! Speaking of squirrels, did you meet our new friend yet? Click here if you haven’t! Check out all the characters we’ve spotted at the newly reopened Disney parks so far here! Which Disney park is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below. Related posts: PHOTOS: Disney World Is Now Selling Official Welcome Back Merchandise! Eight Lessons We Learned the Hard Way About Taking a BABY to Walt Disney World BREAKING NEWS: Disney World To Discontinue Free MagicBands And Add Functionality to Smartphone App View the full article