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Any trip to Disney World is a mixed bag of emotions from the joy you feel when you begin planning to the sadness you feel when you board your plane to go home. ©Disney You really feel the FULL spectrum of emotions throughout your entire trip, so we thought we would rank them! No one asked us to, BUT WE’RE DOING IT ANYWAY. We’re starting from the absolute BEST feelings in the (Disney) world to the downright strangest! Grateful! It’s pretty safe to say that we’re all going to feel an immense amount of gratitude the next time we step into the parks. Le Petit Cafe Cast Members Our love of Disney knows no bounds, and our steadfast appreciation for the Cast Members, which was already pretty high, will increase exponentially! THEY are the real magic makers! Pure JOY! This is clearly one of the best emotions anyone can feel when they’re in Disney World. From the moment we step off our plane at Orlando International Airport, our hearts are filled to the brim with joy! One of our FAVORITE sights after stepping outside of the airport: Magical Express is ready to take us to our resort! We can’t be the only ones doing an excited bounce on the monorail to the main terminal then power walking to the Magical Express! Once onboard, driving under that beautiful entrance archway, where all the traffic signs change from green to purple, the smile on our face stretches from ear to ear (no, seriously. Our families look forward to seeing us turn to giddy piles of goo!). Purple Road Signs Mean You’re In Disney World! In the parks, turning the corner just enough on Main Street, U.S.A. to gaze upon Cinderella Castle for the first time may bring tears to our eyes! Cinderella Castle Another joyful moment that we look forward to EVERY time we visit is seeing our favorite characters! Is it just us, or does our heart skip a beat when we spot Mickey for the first time on our vacations? It’s like we spotted Brad Pitt but…y’know…a mouse. JUST AS BIG A CELEB TO US and, dare we say, a wee bit more HANDSOME?! Mickey Mouse And of course, there are the nighttime spectaculars. You’re probably familiar with that warm, fuzzy feeling we all feel when we watch the Happily Ever After fireworks show along Main Street, U.S.A. (don’t even get us STARTED on when Tinker Bell soars across the crowd. We have dust in our eyes. We’re not crying, YOU ARE! SO WHAT?!). Happily Ever After Or, when Mickey leads the grand finale in Fantasmic! When his arm shoots up in the air and the fireworks…ahhh! Giddy Excitement! Next up is that feeling where you’re too excited and you just can’t calm down! This is somewhat different than joy — excitement has a shade of anticipation, like something incredible is ABOUT to happen! Remember that old 90’s commercial with the kid that said, “I’m too excited to sleep!” That’s because the anticipation of going to Disney World is just as exciting as the trip itself! Planning the trip is half the fun (we used to lay our outfit out perfectly the night before our trips so we could throw it on and go to the airport as fast as possible. Who are we kidding…we still totally do that!). True confession: we feel more excited about a trip being booked than we feel concern over how much money we just dropped to book that trip. Once you’re in the parks, that giddiness extends to all sorts of activities. How excited do you feel when you’re stepping aboard your favorite ride, or better yet, when you get your FAVORITE seat on that ride!? Who else requests the front row on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster? Or the back row on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Rock n Roller Coaster Sometimes the anticipation is better than the ride itself!! Passion Passion in a theme park? Why yes, you can feel passionate about quite a lot in Disney World, especially when it comes to FOOD! So much Nutella! Whether it’s a sweet dessert like the Nutella Waffle or a savory steak dinner at Morimoto Asia, if we could marry the food we eat in Disney World…we would (sorry, husbands and wives!). Just LOOKING at the food gives us butterflies in our stomach. Japanese A-5 Wagyu Strip Steak (Left) & American Wagu Strip Steak (Right) That first dip of plastic cheese, like the Corn Dog Nuggets or Loaded Fries at Casey’s Corner, is simply magical. Oh, don’t even get us STARTED on our love of cheese in Disney World. We don’t have enough time to properly convey our love of all things melty and cheesy. Bacon Mac and Cheese bacon Fries at Casey’s Corner …I mean… Nudel Gratin at Sommerfest …cheese means a lot to us… Refreshment Port’s previous Cheddar Cheese Poutine! Did we mention we love cheese? Lol…we do. Cheese is the BEST. Relief! Phew! Next on our list is relief! Sometimes we can run into situations at Disney World that make us a little uncomfortable. Whether it’s the weather getting reeeeally shady looking on the horizon right before a FastPass for Slinky Dog Dash, or we see our plans potentially going completely awry (like, sitting on a broken-down bus for an hour, missed our FastPass for Flight of Passage, awry!). Rain, Rain, Go AWAY! For example, we all know Florida can get oh so hot. We ALSO know how marvelous it feels when you take those first steps into an air-conditioned ride, shop, or restaurant (we will fight anyone who says the air conditioning in the cave portion of the Splash Mountain queue isn’t the BEST in all of Disney World! It totes is! ). Sometimes we’ll go shopping just so we can escape the heat! There are other glorious moments that can take the weight of the world off of our shoulders. How about being the last person allowed on the bus before they close their doors and head off to the parks in the morning, or back to your resort at the end of the night? It feels like you got the last golden ticket! Mickey Bus! Another moment that makes us want to shout from the rooftops is when you find the LAST open seat or table during lunchtime! On a busy day it can feel like an impossible task to find a table, and you instantly become the BIG hero of the day when you find some open seats! Tables in Epcot Near Yorkshire Fish Shop. Basically Worth Their Weight in GOLD at Lunch! The newest bit of relief has been scoring a Boarding Group for Rise of the Resistance! Imagine this: you have to wake up hours before the sun rises, strategize how to get to Hollywood Studios before the buses even begin to run, and you pray to the tech gods that your phone and internet are working properly! There are cheers throughout the park on a daily basis when boarding groups open up because there is a huge, collective sigh of relief when you find out you get to ride! Rise of the Resistance Boarding Groups Sign Trust us, this is one of the most unique and bizarre times of eager nervousness we’ve EVER felt at Disney World! Worry and Fear Disney certainly likes to play with our emotions, making worry and fear some of the more bizarre feelings you can have while on vacation! Because who actually feels genuine FEAR while in the Most Magical Place on Earth? A lot of people, in fact! Here’s a scary sight: The Headless Horseman at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! You can certainly feel some worry first thing in the morning! If you decide to rope drop a park, you can feel some mounting anxiety as the clock ticks closer and closer to opening! You have your FastPass reservations ready to go, but you’re still strategizing which ride to hit first! What ride will everyone ELSE try to go for first? It’s a lot of pressure! Hollywood Studios Rope Droppers in ACTION!!! There are plenty of scary moments, too! Meeting characters like Kylo Ren and Darth Vader can DEFINITELY give you the jitters, and seeing the First Order on Rise of the Resistance may give you that sinking feeling that you’re in for some trouble. As Han Solo would say, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this… .” Rise of the Resistance While we’re talking about scary moments on rides, can we take this opportunity to finally come clean and talk about how TERRIFYING Dinosaur is!? Listen, it’s loud, it’s dark, that Carnotaurus is HUGE and he wants to eat every single one of us. We aren’t talking about the cute Iguanodon — we’re talking about that spooky Carnotaurus behind him. We’ve been on this ride a zillion times and even knowing where he is, this guy STILL scares the pants off of us!!! Exhaustion Folks might be surprised at just how darn TIRED you can feel at Disney World. After a long day in the parks when you’re heading back to the hotel, you may catch yourself falling asleep on the bus! A welcomed sight at the end of a long day in the parks! You’ll know just how tired you are when the bus driver flips the lights back on when you reach your final destination (those fluorescent lights feel as bright as the sun at midnight!). We kind of secretly love the feeling of taking a shower in our rooms and washing all the “park funk” off of us, then falling into bed. Ahhhh! Heartbreak It should be a LAW that no one is allowed to feel sad at Disney World, but alas, this is one of the most bizarre, complicated feelings we can experience on vacation! This is one of THE most bizarre emotions to feel in Disney World because it just doesn’t belong and has no place in the Most Magical Place on Earth! Unfortunately, we must all return to Orlando International Airport Taking the Magical (aka Tragical) Express back to the airport (and getting that tag under your hotel room door the day before you depart saying it’s time to go) are such bummers. We’ve had more than one time we’ve found ourselves on the monorail making the last trip to our resort hotel to head home and we’re SO sad, but then we’ll see a little girl in a princess dress JUST starting her vacation or a child eagerly pointing out Cinderella Castle for the first time and remember that while OUR trip is ending, someone else’s is just beginning. And then we’re just really, really jealous. J/K. Kind of. Weirdest emotion: Joy, but over some pretty strange things For the weirdest emotion on our list, we’re returning to where we started: joy. But rather than the universal joy we all feel when we walk into the parks or watch the fireworks, there’s a different type of joy we want to talk about: the kind that perhaps needs some explaining to folks who don’t frequent the parks, or maybe they just don’t understand our DEEP love for Disney. For example, seeing the Tangled restrooms in Fantasyland (who knew we could love bathrooms so much?)… Tangled Restrooms …smelling the water on Pirates of the Caribbean… Ah, pirate water… …stepping into your favorite restaurant (who knew a restaurant could evoke so many strong emotions?)… The Brown Derby …and dropping some serious cash on some peculiar souvenirs, like balloons and yet ANOTHER pair of Minnie ears (you can never have too many!). Disney Parks Balloons There’s a reason we do what we do, bringing you all the news about Disney: we truly and genuinely LOVE these parks and what they represent. We may not all be there together right now, but even in closure, they stand as a symbol of hope for many. We will one day get those “Main Street Butterflies,” or the “Boarding Space Mountain Giggles” again. Hang in there, friends. What are some of the most bizarre emotions you’ve felt in Disney World? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: The BIGGEST Time Wasters in Disney World — And How To Avoid Them! We Want To See MORE Of These Seven Epic Food Trends in Disney World! NEW Sweet Treats Coming to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom — Plus an Updated Plant-Based Cuisine Guide! View the full article

Disney+ made its big debut on November 12, 2019. ©Disney And things just keep getting bigger for the streaming service! In early April, it was announced that Disney+ had already reached a major milestone with more than 50 MILLION subscribers around the globe. Looking forward, it appears that things will only go up from here. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Digital TV Research analyst Simon Murray forecasts a subscriber count of 202 million worldwide by 2025 for Disney+. Baby Yoda on The Mandalorian ©Disney The article notes that this is up from the analyst’s previous estimate of 126 million (which was an increase from an initial estimate of 101 million). Forecasts have been revised in light of the global health situation, as people seek more options for at-home entertainment. (Subscriber estimates were also increased for Netflix, Amazon, and more along with “total global streaming subscriptions” overall.) Of course, 2025 is still a ways ahead of us… do you know everything you can watch on Disney+ RIGHT NOW? Check out everything new on Disney+ this month by clicking here! Source: The Hollywood Reporter Are you a Disney+ subscriber? Please let us know with a comment! Related posts: NEWS! A Milestone Moment for Disney+ As Streaming Service Reaches 50 Million Subscribers ALL the NEW Content Coming to Disney+ Through January 26th! Hey, Western Europe! We’ve Got A Big Disney+ Update For Ya View the full article

The year is not even halfway over but we are already thinking about the holiday season in Disney World. Cinderella Castle all lit up during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! And it seems like many of you readers have the holidays on your minds TOO, because we get the same question all the time: “When does Disney decorate for Christmas?” (And whether you want the year to be flying by so fast or not, you can make those Advance Dining Reservations for Christmas day NEXT MONTH.) So today we’re laying out a timeline of when you can expect to see Christmas decor popping up all throughout the Most Magical Place on Earth just in case it helps your planning! Now, it’s rumored that ALL of Disney’s Christmas decorations go up in one night. And while a lot goes up over the course of a night, Disney World likes to get a bit of a head start when it comes to holiday decorating. October In October, Halloween and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are happening in full swing around Disney World. But Disney is usually prepping for holidays early in October as they start to hang Christmas lights on Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. You can usually spot cranes midday stringing Christmas lights on the castle while pumpkins are everywhere and spooky treats are being served down below! Christmas Lights on Cinderella Castle Last year, we also saw Christmas decor popping up throughout the parks like Disney’s Animal Kingdom during the month of October (we would want to get a head start too if we had THAT many lights to string!). DinoLand U.S.A. Christmas Lights We also caught whiffs of fresh gingerbread as the Disney World Resort Gingerbread Displays start to take shape! Grand Floridian Gingerbread House Last year, the Cinderella Castle Gingerbread Display at Disney’s Contemporary Resort was already well underway in October, followed by Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Gingerbread House in early November! Note they are not FINISHED during October, but the structures are being put into place. Click here to see all of last year’s Gingerbread Displays! Early November The first week in November usually hosts both the last Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. So Disney has VERY little time to turn the Magic Kingdom from spooky to jolly. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Last year, the final Halloween party was scheduled for November 1st and the first A Frozen Holiday Wish Cinderella Castle lighting was just two days later! Cinderella Castle If the castle lighting wasn’t magical enough, that was the same day the Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A appeared! Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree Main Street, City Hall, and the Train Station were also all decked out in their finest holiday decor. And even though Halloween was just days before, it was already beginning to look a LOT like Christmas! Hanging Wreaths In 2019, the weekend following the last Halloween party was one small leap for elves, but one GIANT leap for holiday kind throughout Disney World. Friday marked the day that all parks would officially kick off the Christmas season! The first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicked off on November 8th! Main Street at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, arctic puppets appeared and the Holiday Tree of Life Awakenings projection show started running every 10 minutes in the evening. Santa Goofy in DinoLand USA In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the holiday celebration began and they featured holiday projections on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, SNOAP (AKA, Disney’s fake snow), and the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! projection and fireworks show! Sunset Seasons Greetings On Saturday, the Christmas Tree Trail in Disney Springs opened, featuring 23 trees inspired by Disney characters, movies, and attractions! Oh, and did we mention churro bites, frozen Eggnog, and SANTA?! Haunted Mansion Tree This little maze of trees and snacks opened up even earlier in 2018, so stay tuned here at DFB and we’ll let you know when we hear dates for this year’s festivities! Check out our ultimate guide to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party here! Late November Epcot is usually one of the last parks to fully dive into the holiday season because the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival typically runs until late November. The park puts up decor in the middle of the month, but they really amp things up by the time the International Festival of the Holidays starts. Epcot International Festival of the Holidays Last year, the Food and Wine Festival ran until November 23rd and the Festival of the Holidays began November 29th, so Epcot had to do a major turn around in just under a week. The festival features food booths, holiday storytellers, and the Candlelight Processional (featuring celebrity narrators), festive entertainment, and special merchandise. Epcot’s Candlelight Processional Even though you have to time your visit close to Christmas, the Festival of the Holidays is a wonderful way to celebrate holiday traditions from around the world. Check out more info on Epcot’s Festival of the Holidays here! The Christmas decor remains up throughout the season and several elements even stick around for a few days (or sometimes weeks) after New Year’s Day. But by the time the runDisney marathon weekend takes place in early January, most of the holiday decor has made its way back into safekeeping. We already think Disney is incredibly magical on its own but seeing that castle lit up in Christmas lights is truly mesmerizing. And if you want a closer look at how Disney transforms the Magic Kingdom into a winter wonderland “overnight,” check out this video:  Check out some of our favorite ways to celebrate Christmas in Disney World here! Disney has announced the dates and they have started selling tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. But dates and ticket info for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have not been released yet. We will let you know as soon as they are! Have you ever visited Disney World during the holiday season? Let us know what you thought in the comments below! Related posts: 25 Can’t-Miss Experiences to Celebrate the Holidays at Walt Disney World This Year! The BIGGEST Time Wasters in Disney World — And How To Avoid Them! We Bet You Didn’t Know You Could Do THIS in Disney World View the full article

We love adding a pop of color to our Disney days, so we’ve got great news today! View and Rainbow The other day we spotted the sa-weetest new Dooney & Bourke collection (you gotta check it out if you love Disney animals)! Now, we just got a whole NEW way to rep their Disney style! Check out this new RAINBOW merch from Disney! First up, check out this fun Minnie Mouse Disney World Rainbow Spirit Jersey for girls. You can snag this colorful style for $49.99! ©Disney To buy the Disney World Rainbow Spirit Jersey, click here! If you tend to spend your time on the west coast, there’s a Disneyland version, too! It’s also $49.99! ©Disney Want to snag the Disneyland Rainbow Spirit Jersey? Click here! Plus, you can make it an ensemble! Look at this COOL Rainbow Sequined Minnie Backpack for $44.99. Look at that bow! ©Disney Click here to buy the Rainbow Sequined Minnie Backpack! You can find all of these new items on shopDisney. We can’t wait to get colorful! Want to see more great Disney merch? Click here! What do you think of these CUTE new rainbow items? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: Did You Know You Can Buy This ONLINE? The New Minnie Mouse Dooney & Bourke Collection Is Now Available Online! Minnie Mouse Fans NEED to See These New “Positively Minnie” Accessories! View the full article

Hey, pals! We’re back with another DFB Video, and today we’re talkin’ about why some people have great Disney World trips, and some don’t. It’s Mickey! Sometimes it might seem like some people just “get” Disney a little more than others, but honestly, there are some pretty simple tips to follow to ensure you’ll have a good time. Today, we’re breaking down why some people have a great Disney trip and some don’t! Check out all this and more in our latest DFB Video! And if you love this video, there’s plenty more for you to enjoy over on our DFB YouTube Channel! By the way, have you subscribed yet? If you hit the button below, you can subscribe to the channel and never miss a single episode! So check out the video and let us know: How you ensure that you’ll have a good time at Disney World. Related posts: DFB Video: 7 Disney World Restaurants We Never Talk About…And Why! NEW DFB Video: Disney World Gingerbread House Tour 2019! DFB Video: 6 Disney World Deadlines You’re About to Miss! View the full article

Shanghai Disneyland is now officially reopened! The Resort’s lengthy closure began on January 25th in light of the global health situation. However, May 11th delivered the start of a phased reopening of Shanghai Disneyland to guests. Shanghai Disneyland The reopening ushered in new health protocols for guests and cast members to promote safety across the Resort. It also appears to have ushered in plenty of Disney magic by way of Disney characters, cast members, and more. Disney has shared photos from Reopening Day, along with this message from Joe Schott, President and General Manager, Shanghai Disney Resort. ©Disney “For myself – and for our Shanghai Disney Resort cast members, who have taken great care to prepare the park for our guests – this is a very special moment.” ©ShanghaiDisneylandResort on Instagram ©ShanghaiDisneylandResort on Instagram ©ShanghaiDisneylandResort on Instagram “Making magic means even more to us today, as we reflect on the resilience of our community; our wonderful cast members who worked so diligently to preserve the park during the closure; the enthusiasm of our guests and fans; and, of course, the determination and dedication of the medical workers and first responders who helped to make this possible.” ©WaltDisneyImagineering on Instagram ©WaltDisneyImagineering on Instagram ©WaltDisneyImagineering on Instagram While we are certainly interested in the celebration of the reopening, there are also new technicalities we are noting as well. Readers may find this video by CNN.com of interest which shows the reentry process in action, including character photos, health QR codes, physical distancing measures, and more. Another quote from Joe Schott before we wish you a Magical Day! “Thank you all for helping the magic live on, in your homes and imaginations, during these challenging times. I hope you enjoy these moments of joy and excitement from the first day of our reopening at Shanghai Disneyland!” While we follow the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland, we are also keeping an eye on the status of other Disney Parks and destinations around the world. You can visit any of our links below to learn more. To read more about safety measure Disney is considering for the reopening on Disney Parks, resorts, and stores, you can click here. Are you following the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland? Please let us know with a comment! Related posts: Advance Purchase Tickets Are Now On Sale for the Reopening of Shanghai Disneyland. See the Process Here Shanghai Disneyland Expected To Reopen Within Weeks Will We Get to Hug Mickey When Walt Disney World and Disneyland Reopen? Shanghai Disneyland May Shed Some Light View the full article

There’s a LOT to accomplish in a single day at Disney World! Between all the rides to ride, shows to see, and characters to meet, FastPass+ is an excellent way to do it all. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom With park crowds being relatively low in the morning, it may be optimal for you to make FastPass+ reservations in the late morning and early afternoon. This gives you the chance to ride some prime attractions in the morning before the lines build up, AND leaves the possibility to score MORE FastPasses later in the day. But as you’re planning your FastPass selections, you may find that this strategy leaves little time for lunch. And keeping your energy up is critical to check all those boxes off your “to do” list! FastPass+ sign at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run With that in mind, we have six lunch suggestions for you to consider. These lunches will get you to your FastPasses on time, while still giving you a delicious meal. We cover all four parks in this list, so let’s jump right in! Satu’li Canteen – Animal Kingdom We’re beginning our list in Animal Kingdom! Satu’li Canteen in Pandora: The World of Avatar is one of our favorite counter service locations in Animal Kingdom! Satu’li Canteen Their claim to fame is delicious create-your-own “Satu’li Bowls” that taste nothing like your typical “fast food.” Bowls typically come with your choice of protein (chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu), a base (rice, potatoes, or veggies), and sauce! Satu’li Canteen Bowl Considering where it’s positioned in the park, it’s a great in-between option after you ride Flight of Passage or Na’vi River Journey! If you find yourself spending your first half of the day on the “left” side of the park, Satu’li Canteen is perhaps your best counter service option! The food is fresh, healthier than average, and delicious! Read our full review on Satu’li Canteen here! Friar’s Nook – Magic Kingdom We’re heading to Magic Kingdom for our next pit-stop lunch location. Friar’s Nook is positioned perfectly in Fantasyland for groups with young kiddos to grab something to eat in between FastPasses for Peter Pan’s Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! Friar’s Nook This is one of the spots you can find a hot dog, but they also have delicious varieties of loaded tots! Those creamy bacon mac & cheese tots are LEGENDARY, my friends! Mac and cheese COVERED IN TOTS. Carbs are sustained energy, right? Boom. Justified. Enjoy the tots for lunch. Creamy Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Tots at The Friar’s Nook Due to its central location within the park, it’s also a good mid-way stopping point if you’re getting from one side of the park to the other. So when you’re traveling between Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, take the route behind Cinderella Castle and grab some tots on the way! Read more about some of the delicious cheesy dishes Friar’s Nook has served up in the past here! Casey’s Corner – Magic Kingdom Another excellent quick lunch option in Magic Kingdom is Casey’s Corner! This counter service location has been a park staple since the dawn of time. Like Friar’s Nook, its proximity to Cinderella Castle means it has a great central location within the park! Casey’s Corner As you’re crossing from one side of the park to another to get to all your FastPass+ reservations, swing by Casey’s Corner for a hot dog, corn dog nuggets, some loaded fries, or any one of their seasonal specialties! The menu switches up here quite frequently so you’re likely to find something new every time you visit! Loaded Corn Dog Nuggets Casey’s is a POPULAR spot, often having long lines at lunch (all day, really!). But thankfully, they also offer MOBILE ORDER! You guys know how much we love Mobile Order, right?? If you really want to save time, order as you’re making your way to Casey’s Corner or while standing in line for a ride pre-lunch, and then all you have to do is let the app know that you have arrived so they can prepare your order! Mobile Order Pick Up at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom Skip the line and spend more time in the parks! P.S. — ALWAYS spring for the optional side of cheese. Check out some of our favorite dishes from Casey’s Corner here! Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe – Animal Kingdom Let’s head back to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the fourth quick lunch option. Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe may not be a counter service location that’s on your radar, but it should be! Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe As you head into Asia, it has the perfect location to stop at for food before hopping on Expedition Everest. It’s even MORE convenient if you need to grab a bite while you drip dry after a ride on Kali River Rapids! Not to be confused with the neighboring table service restaurant, Yak & Yeti, this counter-service location is a picturesque pit stop in the middle of your journey across Animal Kingdom that offers Asian-inspired dishes for a fraction of the price that you would pay at its table service counterpart. Teriyaki Beef Bowl at Yak & Yeti If you’re looking for something other than burgers and fries, this is a great option (although you CAN get Kobe beef burgers here, too)! You get a really great bang for your buck here, as the serving sizes are bit larger (perfect for sharing!), and the food is really quite good! We’re BIG fans of the Teriyaki Beef Bowl and Honey Chicken, but their fried rice is pretty awesome too! Note that all seating is outdoors here, though, so on super hot or super cold or super windy days, it might not be the best option. Read our full review on Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe here! La Cantina de San Angel – Epcot If you find yourself hopping back and forth between Future World and World Showcase to get to your FastPass reservations for Frozen Ever After and Test Track, the Mexico Pavilion is home to one of our favorite counter service locations (AND one of yours too — it ALMOST won our Counter Service Throw Down!). La Cantina de San Angel La Cantina de San Angel sits along World Showcase Lagoon and serves up some delicious eats and tasty drinks! You can certainly get your margarita fix here, and if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, this is a GREAT value for your Quick Service meal credit, especially if you prefer your lunch to come with a side of tequila. Pollo Cascabel at La Cantina de San Angel We also must take this opportunity to point out our favorite add-on at La Cantina: 75 CENT QUESO! You guys know we love our cheese here at DFB, so we feel it’s our duty to point out whenever possible those places in Disney World where you can get your melted cheese on the cheap. Side of Nacho Cheese The Taco plates, the Empanadas, the MARGARITAS…we really love everything here. We kinda get why y’all voted it so high! But, again, all the seating is outside, so be prepared. Read our most recent review of La Cantina de San Angel here! Ronto Roasters – Disney’s Hollywood Studios If the name of your game at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is spending ample amounts of time in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Mobile Ordering a Ronto Wrap from Ronto Roasters is perhaps the best way to get a quick and delicious lunch between FastPass reservations! Ronto Roasters in Disney World The Ronto Wrap is one of our favorite food items in all of Galaxy’s Edge! The classic version is roasted pork, grilled pork sausage, peppercorn sauce, and a tangy slaw in a soft pita. It’s so so SO good. We’re possibly licking our screens right now looking at this pic…just sayin’. Ronto Wrap Due to Ronto Roasters’ limited menu, if the Ronto Wrap IS your jam, it does take the hassle of making a decision out of the equation (thus saving you more time). Just keep in mind that this IS a smaller menu, so if you want more options, consider Mobile Ordering your lunch from Docking Bay 7. Read our full review of Disneyland’s Ronto Roasters here! The two parks share nearly identical menus and offerings! It is more than possible to grab a GREAT lunch on the go and power on to your next FastPass! We gotta refuel, so we may as well do it in one of the tastiest ways possible in Disney World! These lunches are hearty enough to fill you up and keep you rolling from midday to park close! Where do you like to grab a SUPER quick lunch at Disney World while you conquer all of the rides? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: BEST Disney Dining Plan Quick Service VALUES for 2020! 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A Disney park is a place unlike any other – where we are transported to wondrous worlds of fantasy and adventure to create unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime. Today, we marked a return to those worlds, as Shanghai Disneyland reopened its gates to welcome guests and fans. For myself – and for our Shanghai Disney Resort cast members, who have taken great care to prepare the park for our guests – this is a very special moment. Making magic means even more to us today, as we reflect on the resilience of our community; our wonderful cast members who worked so diligently to preserve the park during the closure; the enthusiasm of our guests and fans; and, of course, the determination and dedication of the medical workers and first responders who helped to make this possible. For Shanghai Disney Resort, while this is a key step in our phased reopening, there are many more milestones to come for us and our sister parks around the world. I invite you to learn more about our approach to reopening our parks here. Thank you all for helping the magic live on, in your homes and imaginations, during these challenging times. I hope you enjoy these moments of joy and excitement from the first day of our reopening at Shanghai Disneyland! View the full article

Disney’s animated films take us to some extraordinary places! They’ve taken us under the sea in The Little Mermaid and even to outer space in films like WALL-E. ©Disney And did you know there are a ton of REAL places all over the globe that served as an inspiration for many of our beloved animated films? Grab your snacks and settle in for an adventure around the world as we check out 14 real places from Disney’s animated films! New Orleans — The Princess and the Frog We’re starting our tour down in New Orleans! The Princess and the Frog tells the story of Tiana, an aspiring chef whose dreams are put to the test when she turns into a frog! This film truly embraces the culture of New Orleans, from the beignets that Tiana prepares to the riverboats that pass by playing jazz music. ©Disney If you take a trip to New Orleans and you explore its historic sights, you’ll easily recognize various moments and ‘snapshots’ of the film, from New Orleans’ iconic streetcars to the Uptown Mansions to the historic French Quarter. Photo Credit: Rebecca Todd at neworleans.com And don’t forget about the bayou! Tiana spends a good deal of time there. And while visiting New Orleans, you can take a swamp tour to check out some of Louisiana’s natural wonder. Photo Credit: Rebecca Todd at neworleans.com Did you know that Disney has announced a Princess and the Frog-themed restaurant? Princess and the Frog Restaurant ©Disney While they haven’t shared many details, they have shared that it will be a Table Service restaurant at Disney’s new Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge that will allow guests to experience waterfront dining on “the bayou.” You can learn more about the Princess and the Frog-themed Restaurant here! Virginia — Pocahontas Both Pocahontas and John Smith were real, historic figures, and Jamestown, the settlement in the film, is a real spot that you can still visit to this day (you probably learned about it in grade school!). © Walt Disney Studios Pocahontas, much like in the film, played a key role as a peacemaker between the Powhatan natives and the English settlers. John Smith’s map of Jamestown! You can take tours of Historic Jamestowne, Virginia, and get an idea of what life was like back then! © Virginia.org There’s even a statue erected in Historic Jamestowne to commemorate John Smith! © Virginia.org The REAL Pochahontas may have only been about 11 years old when she met John Smith (SERIOUSLY…it’s best not to think too hard about it!), but the movie stands the test of time teaching generations about one of the first settlements in what would become the United States. London — Peter Pan The London skyline is one of the more iconic shots from a Disney animated film! Peter, Tinker Bell, Wendy, John, and Michael flying past The Elizabethan Tower and Big Ben is certainly a memorable moment. ©Disney Those who have the opportunity to visit London may not be able to fly past it per se, but they can at least walk by it! © parliament.uk If you don’t find yourself in London anytime soon, you can hitch a ride on Peter Pan’s Flight in Disney World and Disneyland and soar above the city of London! ©Disney If you find yourself in foggy ol’ Londontown, be sure to take a gander up at Big Ben where the Darling children paused before taking off for the second star to the right! Sydney Harbour and Australia — Finding Nemo Finding Nemo doesn’t shy away from the fact that our favorite school of fish live somewhere in the Pacific Ocean near Australia (P. SHERMAN, 42 WALLABY WAY, SYDNEY! P. SHERMAN, 42 WALLABY WAY, SYDNEY!). © sydney.com You can spot the Sydney skyline at a couple of points throughout the film, with the iconic and VERY recognizable Sydney Opera House off in the distance. © Disney If you want to get sweeping views of the city just like Nigel, you can take part in the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. You may even be able to spot P.Sherman at 42 Wallaby Way! © sydney.com If you can’t find your way to Australia, you can check out The Seas with Nemo and Friends in Epcot instead! Paris — The Hunchback of Notre Dame Perhaps the most ‘on the nose’ location, the Notre Dame cathedral almost acts as a main character itself in the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. After all, when Victor Hugo first penned the book in 1833, it was in an attempt to save the cathedral from neglect. ©Disney One of the novel’s key features is the lengthy descriptions of the church, so when it was adapted to an animated film, Disney knew they would have to do the building justice! The facade of the church is quite the sight to see! Unfortunately, after the devastating fires that ravaged the building in April 0f 2019, the structure is closed off from visitors until further notice. © parisinfo.com The cathedral is decorated in gargoyles, much like the ones that Quasimodo befriended in the film! gargoyles This structure is a feat of architecture and engineering. It is, to this day, one of the most recognizable examples of Flying Buttresses (the big long arms that reach out from the sides, helping hold up the building!). While the building may not look quite like its famed self, we can still turn to the animated film for a look back at Notre Dame in its original glory. New York City – Oliver and Company Oliver and Company really used the location of New York City to its advantage. © Disney The film really captures the “concrete jungle,” making it very obvious that the film doesn’t take place in just ANY old city. © ABC 7 New York Those familiar with the hustle and bustle of Manhattan will recognize many of the sights throughout the film, down to the small details like the street vendors selling knock-off sunglasses. © Disney Billy Joel‘s iconic voice just feels at place in New York, doesn’t it?? Norway — Frozen The massively successful Frozen franchise took a ton of inspiration from the culture and history of Norway. From the mythical creatures and magic in the films to the architecture and clothing, the country of Norway is deeply woven in the fabric of these films! ©Disney Catching a glimpse at the Northern Lights in Norway makes it obvious why Elsa would have such amazing powers! © visitnorway.com You can also visit the Akershus Fortress — sound familiar? © visitnorway.com Not only was this building the inspiration behind the castle in Arendelle, but its name was the inspiration behind a certain restaurant in Epcot! Read our Akershus Royal Banquet Hall review here! Route 66/American West – Cars We’re heading out West for our next film! The Cars franchise used a ton of inspiration from the National Parks and natural wonders of the American West. They also gathered inspiration from the real Route 66! © Disney The mountain off in the distance in Radiator Springs was inspired by Tucumcari Mountain in Tucumcari, New Mexico, one of the more well-known cities along Historic Route 66. © route66news.com And the mountain ranges that are in the shape of Cadillac fins (aptly named Cadillac Range) can be spotted not only in the Cars films but in Cars Land in Disney California Adventure. These are based on Cadillac Ranch… © Disney Cars Land! …which is an art sculpture in Amarillo, Texas. © visitamarillo.com Pretty cool!! Peru — The Emperor’s New Groove The Incan capital city of Cuzco served as the namesake of the film’s anti-hero, Kuzco! Despite the film’s campy and humorous nature, there are clear connections to the culture and nature of Peru. © Disney The village in which Pacha resides looks awfully familiar…pull up a picture of Machu Picchu and you’ll see what we mean! © journeymachupicchu.com This legendary Lost City of the Inca got a starring role in this sleeper hit! Hawaii — Lilo and Stitch Lilo and Stitch is full of Hawaiian culture! From surfing to hula dancing, the characters in the film truly live out this way of life in an authentic way. Photo credit: onlyinyourstate.com As far as their fictional town of Kokaua goes, the inspiration came from Hanapepe, a real town on the island of Kauai. © Disney Thanks to our friends at Wander Disney, we got an awesome glimpse into just how accurate Disney was when they recreated this town in Lilo & Stitch! Photo Credit: Wander Disney (IG: @wanderdisney) We still think this beautiful city in Kauai would be a dream to live in, even with an alien pet like Experiment 626! Olympia, Greece — Hercules Hercules takes a ton of inspiration from Greek gods, legends, and the monuments that were built to honor them. The ancient site of Olympia and the Temple of Zeus make appearances in the film. © Disney Not much of the real Temple of Zeus still stands today, but what remains is nonetheless marvelous: Photo Credit: greeka.com Disney is creating a new live-action Hercules film! We can’t wait to see what other parts of Greece are featured in the new movie! Read all about the live-action Hercules film here! Scotland — Brave One of the films’ most recognizable locations is Castle DunBroch, where Clan DunBroch resides in the Pixar film Brave. © Disney There were several sources of inspiration behind this castle, including Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland… © eileandonancastle.com …as well as Dunnottar Castle! © dunnottarcastle.co.uk We can practically see Merida and her brothers running around in those pictures, can’t you?! China — Mulan The Disney film Mulan has a few obvious nods to ancient Chinese culture. The opening scene of the film depicts the Great Wall of China. © Disney Building The Great Wall began as early as the 7th Century BC, with the most notable sections of the wall built by the Ming Dynasty between the years of 1368–1644. Mulan was inspired by The Ballad of Hua Mulan, a Chinese poem that takes place during the Northern Wei era between the years of 386-536 AD. Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk The Imperial City where the Emperor resides in the film is also directly connected to Chinese history. © Disney The palace was inspired by and was designed after the real Forbidden City, located in Beijing, China. Photo credit: maine.edu Disney is releasing a live-action Mulan film that is supposed to take an even deeper look at the life of Hua Mulan. The release date for the film has been pushed back but Disney is still planning to release it in theaters. Read all about Disney’s new film release dates here! Château de Chillon — The Little Mermaid Finally, we’re heading to Château de Chillon in Switzerland for the inspiration behind Prince Eric’s castle! © Disney The real castle sits along Lake Geneva, and the resemblance is uncanny! Photo credit: fineartamerica.com You can see similar sites on Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom at Disney World, too! After seeing Ariel strut out of the water in the film, we imagine the water at the REAL castle would be much MUCH colder! As you can see, Disney ties a large amount of history and iconic locations from around the world into their films. While we love seeing them when watching our favorite Disney films, we think it’s pretty cool to explore where the inspiration came from and to learn a little history ourselves! Looking for Disney+ content inspired by the PARKS? See the full list here! What’s your favorite real-life location that can be spotted in a Disney animated film? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: EVERYTHING You Need To Know From The Walt Disney Studios Panel at The D23 Expo! What To Watch on Disney+ If You Want To Feel Like You’re In The Parks! Is The Future Of Movies…On Demand? View the full article

To begin a new week, we’re sharing more #DisneyMagicMoments with a breathtaking sunrise from Shanghai Disney Resort as the phased reopening of Shanghai Disneyland begins today. Our friends in Shanghai are passing along this spectacular daybreak for everyone to enjoy at home. It’s a magical look at the bright sun rays framing up Enchanted Storybook Castle to usher in a new day! Stay tuned for more stories like this. And from our Disney cast members at Shanghai Disney Resort and around the world, remember, “To all who come to this happy place, welcome,” -Walt Disney. View the full article

Visitors in face masks streamed into Shanghai Disneyland as the theme park reopened Monday in a high-profile step toward reviving tourism that was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. View the full article

Shanghai Disneyland is reopening its gates following a lengthy closure. Shanghai Disneyland Shanghai Disneyland, which has been closed since January 25th, is reopening to guests on May 11th. Take a glimpse into the reopened park with this live stream! Upon reopening, Shanghai Disneyland has implemented a number of health and safety measures including reduced park capacity. But even though only a limited number of people can make it into the park, we can take a peek inside virtually. Shanghai Disneyland Wondering how you can glimpse through a magic mirror into Shanghai Disneyland? Chinese digital media outlet The Paper is live streaming the reopening on Twitter! ©The Paper The live stream shows video from various points around the park, which has now officially reopened. Click here to watch! Click here for more information on the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland Have you watched the live stream of the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: NEWS! Shanghai Disney Resort to CLOSE Indefinitely in Response to the Coronavirus Outbreak in China Will We Get to Hug Mickey When Walt Disney World and Disneyland Reopen? Shanghai Disneyland May Shed Some Light Theater Shows? Play Areas? What WON’T Reopen Initially In Shanghai Disneyland View the full article

The Rides and Attractions Throw Down is ON, and things have already started to heat up!! Test Track While we have been shocked by some of the picks, we were really surprised by one of the choices in this round. Based on previous convos and comments from readers, we expected some of the picks from this week. Therefore we weren’t too shocked that the epic adventure of Rise of the Resistance… Rise of the Resistance …the high flying excursion through Florida orange fields on Soarin’… Soarin’ Entrance …and the interactive gaming of Toy Story Mania made it to the next round of the competition. Toy Story Mania But, we were a little shocked that Mission: SPACE lost to The Seas with Nemo and Friends! The Seas with Nemo and Friends It just goes to show that you never know what’s going to happen in these exciting brackets and we can’t wait to see who moves on to the next segment of this wild ride!! Mission: SPACE You can check out the full list of winners so far… Round 1.3 Results! …before defending your favorite attraction’s honor, since the next part of the epic showdown is TONIGHT! We can’t wait to see what all you mamas out there pick this Mother’s Day! Click here to grab a black and white printer-friendly bracket of our Rides and Attraction Throw Down! Grab your printable brackets and GET READY TO RUMBLE! Choose your top choices LIVE in our Instagram stories to see what happens! Just be ready to battle it out for your favorite attractions. What’s YOUR favorite Disney World attraction? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: These 10 Disney World Attractions Need An In-Ride Photo or Video ASAP! When Disney World Reopens THESE Are at the Top of Our Must-Do List Check Out How Disney Fans Brought the Attractions Home With ‘Homemade Disney’! View the full article

There has been a LOT happening Florida recently! Monorail at Disney World As theme parks talk about what health and safety precautions will need to be in place before they re-open, other business have started to welcome guests back inside their doors. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Florida barbershops and salons will be opening tomorrow with heath and safety guidelines in place. Harmony Barbershop ©Disney Governor Ron DeSantis has stated that guests must have appointments before visiting barbershops and salons. Locations have to leave 15 minutes between each appointment to sanitize the area. Barbers and hair stylists will be required to wear masks, but not gloves, and guests won’t have to wear either. However, they are encouraged to do so, and businesses could offer them to their customers. Spaceship Earth According to guidelines, “barbershops and salons should remove all unnecessary, frequent-touch items, such as magazines, newspapers, service menus, and any other unnecessary paper products and décor from customer service areas.” Unlike restaurants, there won’t be restrictions on operating hours or the amount of customers, but people won’t be allowed in the waiting rooms. Haunted Mansion This news comes after Disney Springs has started to re-open some of its own third-party stores and restaurants. We previously reported that Governor DeSantis’ plans for the state’s re-opening will be “data driven” and responsive. He plans to monitor the numbers as businesses like barbershops open in the coming days and weeks. We’ll keep you updated with more information! Take a look at Florida’s Three-Phase Plan for re-opening the state here! Do you have plans to visit Florida theme parks in 2020? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: Review! Get Your “Party Party” on With the 10th Anniversary Avatar Cupcake in Disney World! NEWS: Mobile Order Is Getting an AWESOME Change in Disney World (And We Are SO Here for It)! These NEW Space Mountain Sweatpants Rock Our World in Magic Kingdom! View the full article

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at DFB! Whether you’re a a momma to kiddos, pets, friends, grandkids, neighbors — we THANK YOU for all that you do each day! ©Disney And, the Disney Parks Moms Panel wants to thank you and all of the motherly figures in their lives in this precious video! All week, the Disney Parks Moms Panel has been taking on the challenge to share photos of their favorite Disney memories with their moms, grandmas, and chosen mommas! Check out some of their memories and the sweet words they had to share with the important women in their life in Disney’s video! https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/media/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Moms_Panel_Mothers_Day_v2-proxy.mp4 You can join in on the fun by sharing your pictures with the tag #DisneyMagicMoments! We wish you a wonderful Mother’s Day — even if it’s full of Zoom calls! We may not be able to meet up with some of our favorite people for celebration hugs, but we’ll take what we can get! Need a Mother’s Day activity? Check out all of our Disney recipes here! How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: Check Out How Disney Fans Brought the Attractions Home With ‘Homemade Disney’! We’ve Got the Ultimate Bunker Resource List — Complete With Ways to Bring Disney Magic Home! Life Is the Bubbles! Today’s International Mermaid Day (and We’re Celebrating with Some Disney Magic)! View the full article

It’s no secret that Minnie Mouse is a lover of fashion and a style icon in her own right. She even has her own iconic fashion statement…polka-dots! Her love of the bold and playful pattern can also be seen in one of her newest outfits at Topolino’s – Flavors of the Riviera at Disney’s Riviera Resort, but not how you are expecting. Minnie, in her special dress, visiting Topolino’s – Flavors of the Riviera at Disney’s Riviera Resort, a Disney Vacation Club ResortLook closely and you might see that even though her dress is covered in the words of some of her favorite poems, her love of polka dots is clear as one of the poems is an ode to her signature print. We hope this poem makes you smile as much as polka dots make Minnie Mouse smile. Ode to my Polka-Dots I wake up every morning And put on my polka dots I open up my closet, And I see them –lots and lots! The color doesn’t matter Some are red and some are blue But all my skirts are spotted, My bows and bags are too! I dress them up with ruffles I dress them up with lace You’d think that I’d grow tired of them But oh! That’s not the case! When I look into the mirror, And it’s polka dots I see, I just can’t help but smile Because they make me feel like me! View the full article

Disney World recently sent out guest surveys about the parks and announced new precautions for future visitors. Premium Mickey Ice Cream Bar at Disney World Although Disney World is still closed until further notice, analysts predict the parks could be open as early as July. According to the Orlando Sentinel, analyst Bernie McTernan from Rosenblatt Securities stated that Disney Would could possibly open in late July. Big Thunder Mountain Shanghai Disneyland plans to reopen this week with queue and ride distancing, new parade procedures, temperature and QR checks, and more. McTernan predicts that if Disney World follows similar guidelines, parks in the U.S. could open later this summer. Shanghai Disneyland @gourmetdyy Although other analysts have predicted opening dates later in the fall, McTernan’s prediction suggests a July 22nd re-opening date. Disney Springs has started Disney World’s phased reopening with third-party stores and restaurants, but Disney has not released a date for projected park openings. Disney Springs With no Disney World park opening dates on the calendar just yet, Disney Resort hotels are not listing reservations until July 1st at the earliest. We’ll keep you updated with more information! Take a look at the BIG changes that might be coming to Disney World soon! Do you have a Disney World vacation planned for 2020? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: REVIEW! The Goshiki Food Studio at the 2020 Epcot Festival of the Arts! Review! Look Out Chicken and Waffles, We Want Chicken and DONUTS at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Progress Update! Take a Look at the Cinderella Castle Makeover Happening in Disney World! View the full article

Who out there among us isn’t feeling a little EXTRA-indulgent these days! Cupcake at Disney’s Pop Century Resort In fact, not sure about you guys, be we’ve taken to storing some snacks between our couch cushions so that we don’t have to get up as much (and the kids and pets haven’t caught on to us yet!). WE KID, WE KID! And when Disney World reopens, why not keep a good thing rollin’? That’s why we want you to know what some of your over-the-top super-indulgent options are! Spiked Milkshakes at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort If you didn’t think you could make an already super-indulgent dessert even more extra, then you haven’t met the Spiked Milkshake at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort’s The Fountain! If you’re looking to keep your Boozy Milkshake game on-fleek, The Fountain’s got your back. They feature a fresh Milkshake flavor every month — and you can get them SPIKED! Coconut Dream Milkshake We kicked off 2020 with The Fountain’s New Year’s Resolution Shake, which was basically a vanilla shake loaded with rainbow sprinkles, topped with whipped cream, MORE sprinkles, and popping candy! Although we opted for it sans vanilla vodka, it was still basically a giant party in an oversized glass! New Year’s Resolution Milkshake Most of these Milkshakes cost about $14 with the option to spike ’em for $2 more! Click here for our full review of one of these BOMB shakes! Japanese Wagyu Beef at Morimoto Asia What could be more decadent than eating at the world-famous Iron Chef’s restaurant, Morimoto Asia, in Disney Springs? How about ordering up one of his signature Japanese delicacies — Wagyu Beef! Raw Wagyu This ain’t your Momma’s Salisbury Steak! For one thing, it’s presented to you raw before it’s cooked tableside over a traditional scorching hot Japanese Ishiyaki grilling stone! That’s so you can see all that mouth-watering marbling! So you can get Wagyu all over Disney World, but what makes this so extra? This particular Wagyu Beef is A5 certified, meaning it’s the highest of the high quality certified beef imported from Japan — you even get a certificate WITH YOUR COW’S NOSE PRINT! It’s basically the cow’s fingerprint. Either way, it’s legit. Almost TOO legit. Cooking Stone. Seriously. Don’t Touch This Thing. Morimoto Asia’s Waygu Beef will set you back $28 PER OUNCE with a 3-ounce minimum requirement! Seriously, you can almost count the dollars spent AS YOU CHEW! Still, it’s more like delicious performance art in our minds! Check out our review of Morimoto Asia here! $100 Punch Bowl at The Edison Why drink from a glass when you can drink from a WHOLE BOWL? Did you know you can get a variety of cocktails at The Edison in Disney Springs served in a Punch Bowl?!? Samantha Sterling Punch Bowl $100 is quite the upcharge from the $13-$14 price range these mixed drinks normally cost but talk about an experience! Most drinks we’ve had at Disney aren’t almost big enough to contemplate SWIMMING in! Wouldn’t it be great if more drinks at Disney World came with their own ladle? Just make sure you bring a couple of friends to help you tackle this thing — and divvy up its cost! Split between friends we think this makes for a fun night out and a great photo op! Read our review of The Edison’s Samantha Sterling Punch Bowl here! Seven Seas Lagoon at The Wave Lounge While we’re on the topic of Disney World’s biggest dranks, how about taking The Wave Lounge‘s Seven Seas Lagoon for a test swim over at Disney’s Contemporary Resort? Seven Seas Lagoon Cocktail The generously proportioned 24-ounce beverage includes Skyy Vodka, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, lime and pineapple juices, soda water, and agave. There are even some candy fish and gummy life preservers (AND of course a glow cube and popping boba balls, in case you forgot you were at Disney World! ) thrown in just in case you get in over your head! This one costs around $22! Click here to read our review of the Seven Seas Lagoon Cocktail! Takumi-Tei at Epcot’s World Showcase Just when you thought life couldn’t get any better at Disney World, Epcot revealed a new $$$ restaurant, Takumi-Tei! Takumi Tei Takumi-Tei translates to “House of the Artisan,” and its cuisine and atmosphere are inspired by Japan’s natural beauty. BOY DID THEY NAIL IT! This place is straight-up gorgeous. Get ready to have your horizons (and belt) expanded with a menu of freshly prepared sushi and meat or seafood entrees. Mozaiku Roll AKA the Prettiest Sushi on Earth OR select the Omakase option (which is basically you telling the chef “surprise me!”). For $130 bucks plus a $75 optional sake and wine pairing, you’ll get a 7-course prix fixe meal specially selected by the chef. Kamo (Seared Duck) If you have even deeper pockets and a group of guests, consider popping for the private chef’s table experience in the Water Room. This 9-course experience with optional beverage pairing was absolutely PER-FECT on our visit. Plus the room is a straight-up stunner. This costs $180 dollars per guest for up to eight guests. A 6-course optional sake and wine pairing is available for $100 more per person. Hama no Kani (Yep, There are Baby Crabs in There!) Takumi-Tei is a joy for all the senses — not just your tastebuds! Each dish is plated more beautifully than the last and we think many guests will get a kick out of this experience. Check out our FULL Takumi-Tei meal and review here! Rent a Yacht at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort We’ve been talking a lot about food and drink since it’s one of our favorite ways to indulge, but there are other things that don’t involve chewing sipping (we promise they’re still as fun as eating!). How about being a big-shot yachtsman for the day? Yachts at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort That’s right, buccaneers! If you’re ever dreamed of sailing across the Seven Seas Lagoon in your very own private yacht, YOU CAN! This life-changing event won’t come cheap, but it WILL come with its own private Butler if you rent Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa’s Grand One! It’s $400 per hour and you can bring up to 18 guests along (17 if Mr. Belvedere’s onboard!). Check out these 10 insanely expensive things at Disney World! So who’s ready to overindulge with us when the parks reopen? Any takers? Heck, we don’t even really need anything fancy right now — just your average Pineapple Dole Whip would suffice! What are you most looking forward to indulging in when the parks re-open? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: DFB Tips: How To Plan Your Girls’ Weekend in Disney World! 25 Can’t-Miss Experiences to Celebrate the Holidays at Walt Disney World This Year! The 31 Things To Eat In Disney World If You’re Obsessed With CHEESE!! View the full article

Disney Ambassadors Highlight Cast Member Magic Around the World | #DisneyCastLife View the full article

Be sure to mark your calendars, Disney fans! Shanghai Disneyland There are a lot of pieces in motion for Disney right now! There are reopenings scheduled to begin soon, ongoing government timelines, and special events coming down the road. Having trouble keeping track of it all? These are the ten most important Disney dates you need to know! May 11th, 2020 — Shanghai Disneyland Reopening On January 25th, Shanghai Disneyland became the first Disney park to close due to health and safety concerns. And on May 11th, they’ll also be the first Disney park to reopen worldwide. Other areas of Shanghai Disneyland Resort experienced a phased reopening — Disneytown, Wishing Star Park, and Shanghai Disneyland hotel began to resume limited shopping, dining, and recreational operations on March 9th. Pirates of the Caribbean at Shanghai Disneyland The park will implement a number of safety measures including controlled attendance, temporary suspension of parades and nighttime spectaculars, and health screenings for guests. With Shanghai Disneyland taking the lead on Disney park reopenings, we definitely have our eyes fixed on May 11th. Click here to learn more about the reopening protocols at Shanghai Disneyland May 15th, 2020 — Hong Kong Disneyland Accepting Hotel Reservations The next milestone we’re keeping an eye on — Disney’s Hollywood Hotel and Explorers Lodge in Hong Kong Disneyland are accepting reservations for May 15th and after. Hong Kong Disneyland park continues to remain closed since originally shutting its gates on January 26th. Hong Kong Disneyland While we don’t have word on when the park itself may open, the opening of hotel reservations beginning on May 15th marks another step towards resuming operations for Hong Kong Disneyland. Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel recently resumed character dining meals — click here for details May 20th, 2020 — Disney World Begins Phased Reopening With Locations in Disney Springs The first Disney reopening scheduled in the United States is also drawing near. On May 20th, Disney Springs at Walt Disney World is scheduled to being a phased reopening. The reopenings will begin with select third-party restaurants and retail locations. Disney Springs A number of health and safety measures will be implemented, including increased sanitation measures, limited capacity and operating hours, and required face coverings for both guests and Cast Members. There’s still no word yet on a timeline for additional reopenings throughout Walt Disney World Resort, but Disney Springs will take the first step on May 20th. Click here to see which Disney Springs restaurants have confirmed they will be reopening on May 20th May 31st, 2020 — Japan Extended Its State of Emergency Up To This Date Tokyo Disneyland closed its gates on February 29th, and the closure is still set to last “until further notice.” While we haven’t heard any updates from Disney, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, recently extended the nationwide state of emergency declaration until May 31st. Scrump Dumplings in a Super Cute Stitch Cup at Tokyo Disneyland! While we’re still waiting for official word from Disney, the extended state of emergency likely has an impact on the timeline they establish for any reopenings in Tokyo. Have questions about the closures? Click here for the answers to your FAQs June 1st, 2020 — Existing Disney World Hotel Reservations Have Been Canceled Up To This Date Back in March when Disney World extended its closure “until further notice,” dining and hotel reservations could only be booked from June 1st and later. This was also the earliest arrival date available for the private free dining offer extended to guests impacted by the closure (NOTE: this offer has since been suspended). Animal Kingdom Lodge Currently, Disney World has canceled hotel reservations through the end of May, which leaves June 1st as the earliest arrival date with reservations currently still standing. Click here to learn more about the Disney World park closures June 18th, 2020 — All Disney Cruise Line Sailings Are Canceled Through At Least This Date Currently, all Disney Cruise Line sailings are canceled through at least June 18th. And some sailings even farther out have been affected as well. All Vancouver sailings are canceled through the end of June and Disney Magic sailings are canceled through July 2nd. ©Disney Magic While all sailings outside of these dates are still currently scheduled to continue, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said cruises will probably be the last of Disney’s travel-oriented businesses to resume. For now, we’re staying tuned for any further announcements from Disney Cruise Line. Click here to read more about Bob Chapek’s comments on Disney Cruise Line July 1st, 2020 — Earliest Date For Which Guests Can Make Disney World and Disneyland Hotel Reservations As it currently stands, July 1st is the earliest arrival date that can be booked for hotel reservations at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Disney website notation May 8, 2020 We will keep an eye on the availability of reservations to see if we notice any other changes for either Disney World or Disneyland. But as of right now, the earliest new arrival date that can be booked is July 1st. Was your Disney trip impacted by the closure? Click here for a step-by-step guide to canceling, refunding, and rescheduling your vacation August 13, 2020 — The First Scheduled Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in Disney World As it stands, August 13th is the first scheduled Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party of the year in Walt Disney World. There are several potential health concerns related to the party, including high-contact points like trick-or-treating, and heavy crowds gathering for the parade and fireworks. Headless Horseman is the harbinger of the Boo To You Parade Disney hasn’t announced any altered plans or canceled event dates, which means August 13th is currently still the kickoff date for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year. Click here to learn more about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party November 1, 2020 — New Marvel Hotel in Disneyland Paris Still Has Standing Reservations For This Date The new Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel in Disneyland Paris was originally set to open on June 15, 2020. But the timeline for the opening has now been pushed back. Disneyland Paris has stated that they don’t have a new opening date yet, but as of now, guests booked for November 1st and beyond remain confirmed. ©Disney At this time, Disneyland Paris is still set to remain closed “until further notice.” Click here to learn more about the closure of Disneyland Paris October 1, 2021 — Official 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World This is a huge date in Disney history — October 1st, 2021, will mark the official 50th Anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World. In preparation for the anniversary, Disney has started construction on many new attractions, restaurants, and even hotels. But with projects currently on hold, this could impact the celebrations that were originally planned for the milestone. ©Disney Artist Concept for New Cinderella Castle With the reopening timeline for Disney World still unclear, the anniversary celebrations could end up being different than originally envisioned. What can we expect from the 50th anniversary of Disney World now? With reopenings, delays, and special events coming at us fast, it’s tough to keep track of the important milestones at Disney parks around the world! These are the ten most important Disney dates that you need to know to stay in the loop! We’ll be keeping an eye on all of these dates and more. Be sure to sign up for our DFB Newsletter to make sure you’re the first to know about all the latest updates. Which of these dates are you following the most closely? Let us know in the comments! Related posts: 7 Impossible Decisions Disney Has To Make Right Now Here’s How Much it Would Cost For You To Go to EVERY Disney Theme Park in the World! It’s Costing Disney HOW MUCH To Close The Theme Parks?! View the full article

In our latest episode of #DisneyCastLife, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day with our weekly look at Cast Members keeping the Disney magic alive at home and in their communities. During this week’s show, we have a special Mother’s Day message from Rebecca Campbell, president of Disneyland Resort, along with a feature on a group of remarkable nurses and their Disney tribute to frontline workers. We also highlight caring Cast Members at Walt Disney World Resort making a difference in their hometown and much more. For more inspiring #DisneyCastLife stories, follow the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Ambassador team on Instagram at @WDW.Ambassador and @Disneylandambassador. And be sure to keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for more #DisneyMagicMoments. RELATED STORIES: #DisneyCastLife: Disney Ambassadors Share Cast Member Magic in New Video SeriesDisney Ambassadors Highlight Cast Member Magic in New Episode of #DisneyCastLife View the full article

There comes a time when your kids start to get old enough to want to go to Disney World (for ours it was basically the second they were born. Shocker, right?). Or maybe you haven’t been for a while and you really want to go back — with your baby this time. Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World Whatever your situation, it can be a pretty hard decision to choose when you’re ready to take those kids to Disney World! After all, Disney is GEARED towards kids in a lot of ways, so you don’t want to miss the window that they’re going to enjoy it in a way that only kids can. We’re taking a look at the pros and cons of taking your kids to Disney at different ages. Check it out! Taking Babies and Toddlers to Disney World (0-3 years old) We’re gonna start by talking about the little ones and then we’re gonna work our way alllll the way up to teens. You might have your own ideas about taking babies and toddlers to Disney World. After all, Disney trips are a handful and so are your babes! First up, let’s talk about the pros of bringing your kid to Disney at age 3 or younger! Pros First off, even if they won’t remember the trip, you WILL! You can really make some awesome memories as a parent when you get to watch your baby interact with Mickey for the first time or see your toddler dribble Dole Whip down their face. Plus, there’s something super magical about Disney pictures and we love having them from when our kids were little babies (and from when WE were babies!). Even Babies Are Enchanted by Snow White! So precious! We think there’s nothing quite like looking back on childhood photos with your kid when they’re bigger, and Disney photos are some of the best to have mixed in those family albums! They might not remember, but you FOR SURE will have stories to tell! We’ve Loved Meeting These Two Since We Were Babies! Don’t forget that Walt Disney originally wanted to create an amusement park that parents and children could experience together, so a large number of Disney World attractions DON’T have a height requirement. There are actually quite a large number of rides you can enjoy with your baby. IF there IS a height requirement, you can take advantage of the Rider Switch program (but more on that later!). Another big thing to keep in mind: your tot can visit Disney essentially for FREE. Babies under three don’t require a ticket! This can be massively appealing to some parents because once those kids hit three, you’re looking at full-priced airline seats for your kid (if you fly, that begins at age two) AND close to adult-priced tickets for your kid (the difference between adults and kid prices for tickets is SO minimal it’s crazy. We’re talking a handful of dollars for hundred dollar+ tickets!). A Disney trip when they’re smaller may be more financially doable for your family than when they’re older. Cons Now, of course, there are cons to bringing the super littles to the ‘World for the first time. This won’t be a trip to remember for little kids. It takes until 4-6 years for long term memory to develop in most humans so odds are your tyke probably isn’t going to be able to look back on this trip like you will. If you want them to remember hugging Mickey for the first time, you may want to hold off for a few years. It’s Mickey! And, like we said, babies are a lot of work at home and they’re going to be a lot of work in Disney World. (Luckily, we have tips!) Tips You will likely have a much better trip if you remember that Disney has a GREAT resource for your day in the parks with little kids. It’s the Baby Care Centers! These are the place to be for anything you need to take care of your babe. They’ve got diapers, formula, private nursing rooms, and a way to warm bottles and food. Keep in mind that some of the products will cost you a small fee but it’s a great spot to cool off and get some supplies, or just have some calm and quiet away from the stimulation of the parks. This is also a great place to nurse or use your breast pump if needed. Magic Kingdom Baby Care Center The next thing to keep in mind is that you can get diapers and supplies delivered to your resort. You can use services such as Amazon to have supplies delivered right to your resort before you leave home! No stuffing hundreds of diapers into your suitcase. Take it from our experience, this is a TOTAL lifesaver. If you’re worried about having some other challenges in the parks, check out our suggestions for dining with a baby in Disney and the best rides for toddlers! Click here for ALL of our great dining tips for doing Disney with babies! Taking Little Kids to Disney World (4-7 years old) We’re moving on to little kids ages 4-7 years old. This is a great time to take kiddos to Disney World for the first time since they’re still young enough to be excited about meeting the characters and all the fun, little-kid targeted Disney stuff. It’s Magical For Kids to Meet Characters at This Age! This is the age that we’ve found kids truly embrace the magic of Disney, so it’s a great time to take them! Pros Now is the age they have a chance of remembering their trip! We especially think this is a great age to take your kiddos if you don’t head to Disney that often. You get the balance of the joy of taking littles to Disney and their ability to remember how much fun they had. Mickey Meet and Greet Plus, this is the age your kiddos will GROW LIKE WEEDS. That means that, if you have any little early adventurers in your family, they may hit heights where they can start going on some “big kid” rides like Splash Mountain or even Tower of Terror (one of our kids grew FAST and actually went on this at three and LOVED it! You never know how your kids will surprise you!). For some kids, this can feel like a rite of passage to be tall enough to ride these rides, and it can be fun to see them experience them for the first time with all the “big kids.” But be sure to really prep them for those big kid rides — YOU might think they’re ready, but if they’re not, it can be a big set-back for your Disney dreams. Cons On the con side, don’t think that you’re going to escape strollers just because your kids are a little older! Disney World means literally MILES of walking and that can be a lot on little legs, especially in the Florida heat. So know your kid’s limits! Bring or rent a stroller if you need one. Fancy Nancy meeting in Animation Courtyard Plus, kind of like babies, little kids can still require a lot of attention on a Disney trip. Make sure you’re keeping up with normal schedules, like snacking and napping, so that they stay in a good mood while they’re in line to meet Mickey. Sometimes they won’t be happy, and that’s OK too! For us, this age range was when our kids suddenly had a LOT of opinions about what we did or didn’t do at Disney World. This meant a few more disagreements all around but also meant they felt more involved in the family vacation. Brace for any meltdowns and set clear expectations with your kids BEFORE your trip to help prevent what you can, but remember to stay flexible. Tips We’ve got a BUNCH of great tips for hittin’ the parks with littles this age. The first one is to make sure you check the Times Guide for when characters meet. Sometimes you’ll find characters meeting that aren’t listed on the My Disney Experience app, so it can be valuable if your kiddo is looking to meet a lot of characters. You can also grab times guides from the front desk of your resort hotel! Toy Story Land Buzz Meet and Greet We also recommend using Rider Switch for rides that your kid is too short to go on or just doesn’t want to ride. If you have a bigger kid or if both parents want to go on a ride, ask a Cast Member about Rider Switch at the entrance to the attraction. An adult can wait with your little while anyone big enough to ride goes through the line. After they’ve ridden, you switch and the other adult gets to ride without waiting (along with 2 other guests, if a bigger kids wants a second ride!). Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Another great tip for anyone, but especially at this age, is to plan a resort day into your trip. Never ever underestimate most kids’ attraction to pools. It’s more appealing than most of the rides in the parks to our kids and usually what they’re still talking about once home! Many resorts feature a kids’ splash area if they’re not strong swimmers or just want to get wet, and all Disney pools offer complimentary life jackets for kids. To learn more about Rider Switch, click here! Taking Big Kids to Disney World (8-10 years old) Alright, let’s talk about Disney with big kids, AKA 8-10 year olds. There are some surprising differences between traveling with big kids and little kids! Pros A pro to bringing bigger kids is most children start to want to ride coasters and grown-up rides at this point. Space Mountain Now, this is isn’t a catch-all! A lot of kids start riding coasters at 5 and 6 or even younger. Whatever age your coaster-riding kiddo is, make sure you check out height charts before you go with whatever shoes your kid plans to wear! 8-10 should be the ages that most kids can ride anything they want in Disney World, but double-check, especially if you have a shorter little one. The tallest height requirement in Disney World is 48 inches for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Primeval Whirl. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster line Remember, even if you’re kid is tall enough, don’t push them too hard! Make sure they’re comfy with the coasters and rides they want to go on. For some scarier rides, it might be a good idea to watch some ride-throughs on YouTube before your trip to see if they’re still interested. You don’t want to be ON Tower of Terror when your kiddo realizes what’s about to happen to them! Tower of Terror Another benefit of traveling with big kids is that they’re going to have more energy. Like…a lot more. You still need to pay attention to their needs, but some kids might have the ability to start early and stay late. Primeval Whirl This can be great if you like to get the most out of your day by spending as much time as possible in the parks but would be otherwise limited by a younger child tapping out early in the night. Cons On the cons side of bringing big kids, they might not be as interested in character meet and greets which can be a bummer if you miss that window for their first Disney trip! It depends entirely on your kid and their personality, but unfortunately, this is the age it can start to be “not cool” to meet the characters. We STILL Love Meeting Ariel If you plan on using the Disney Dining Plan, you have something else to keep in mind with kids this age. Kids below 10 are required to use the children’s Dining Plan, meaning they order form the children’s menu at all locations. Child portions are still relatively large, but if you have an older kid with a ravenous appetite or more adult tastes, you may want to explain beforehand that they’ll be required to stick to the kiddie menu. Or consider foregoing the Dining Plan and paying out of pocket so your kid can order as they please from the adult menu. Tips One important tip that we like to suggest if you ARE traveling with multiple age groups across your kids is to not be afraid to split up if you’ve got more than one adult and more than one kiddo! You and your kids might have a better time if you can focus on their needs (and yours!) separately. Hollywood Studios Morning At this age, if one kid HAS TO ride all the roller coasters, but little sister is too small and would much rather meet the princesses, splitting up can save time and sanity. We’ve also got some great tips on introducing kiddos to rollercoasters for the first time in this DFB Guide video! Dividing and conquering, even for a brief time, can be a useful tactic to tackle the parks with multiple aged children. Click here to learn the best way to introduce your kid to rollercoasters! Taking Tweens and Teens to Disney World (11+ years old) And finally, let’s talk about taking your teens and tweens to Disney World! Pros There’s nothing wrong with waiting til your kids are in their teens or preteens to visit Disney World — it can be fun to have a more grown-up Disney trip with the whole fam. The great thing about tweens and teens is that they’re old enough to be able to do their own thing so that you can have some mom and dad time too. Hollywood Studios Kids this old are also QUITE opinionated (in good and bad ways!), but they CAN help plan your trip as a family. You can ALL decide what you want to do and make sure everyone checks off a few items on their must-do list, which helps everyone feel equally invested. Cons On the other hand, teens and tweens come with some pretty unique cons. If you wait until your kids are teens to take them to Disney you’re going to miss a lot of milestones. It’s possible a lot of the kid stuff won’t be up their alley anymore, so you may have missed some of the memories! We Use Our Phones ALL the Time in Disney World! Another consideration is your accommodations. If you thought your kid shot up like a weed when they were younger, this is the age they often grow taller than YOU! If you have multiple kids, the idea of sharing a bed with siblings in your hotel might not be as appealing to them as it once was, so discuss this with your kids before booking. You may need to pop for different accommodations to comfortably fit everyone. Suddenly it’s Not So Cool to Share a Bed With Your Siblings! Plus, this entirely depends on your child, but this age is when many kids don’t want to engage with the family as much. It’s possible they may be in the “I’m too cool for Disney” mindset and have their heads down in their phones the whole trip. On the other hand, some kids are MORE engaged with their family at this age — so again, it really depends on your kid. If your kid falls in the “too cool” category, it can really stink to spend the whole time begging them to get off their phones! Consider having a talk with your teen prior to the trip so that they know that you want to be able to spend some no-phone time with them. Tips The big way to help make the most out of your vacation with teens is to give them a little bit of independence. This might be the trip where you splurge to get more spacious accommodations. We also think it’s a great choice to have them help you plan the trip so they’re more engaged when you get there. If they feel like their opinions were heard when planning, it’s possible they’ll be more engaged in the trip. Paddock Pool at Saratoga Springs If they’re old enough and you’re comfortable with it, plan to give them some alone time. Let them separate from you to go chat with friends, sleep in while you ride rides at rope drop, or hang out by the pool while you do something they’d rather not do. You can let your teen kids split off and give them gift cards to use as limited spending money. For more tips for teens, click here to check out our guide to dining with teens! For more ideas for doing Disney with teenagers, click here! So, what age should you take your kids to Disney World? So, with all that in mind, what age SHOULD you take your kids to Disney World for the first time?? The answer is simple: Whatever age you think is OK! There is literally no right or wrong answer here it really and truly depends on your family and your kid. Cinderella Castle Maybe families with dedicated Disney fans might want to start a little earlier than those who are going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Or maybe that “free until three” bit seems a little too enticing? Maybe you want to wait until your kids are more grown so you can experience it all alongside them? Regardless, each age we brought our kids has been great for different reasons and we wouldn’t take back any of those trips or the memories. So decide what’s right for YOU! For more great tips for your Disney trip, click here! What age did you first bring you kids to Disney? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: Best Snacks and Snack Ideas for Babies and Toddlers in Walt Disney World How to Plan a Disney Trip Your Kids Will Love DFB Video: Thirteen Things You Need to Know Before Going to Disney World… with KIDS! View the full article

As our Disney World Table Service Throw Down came to a close, we couldn’t help but think back to a time in a previous bracket when the world seemed to spin right off of its axis! La Cantina de San Angel And if you were following along with our counter service tournament of champions, you might have some idea of what we’re referring to! If not, READ ON! Things seemed to take a turn for the truly bizarre right from the start of our Counter Service Restaurant Throw Down, and they only got weirder the longer the competition went on! Sudden, Inexplicable Rise to Victory When we saw Epcot Mexico pavilion’s La Cantina de San Angel had taken down France pavilion’s Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in the very FIRST ROUND, we called our optometrist to have our eyes checked! Roulé Lard and Fromage at Les Halles But it was TRUE! Somehow, La Cantina de San Angel had silently slipped into the hearts of our readers and stolen their votes (we will never again question your love for tacos!). But the brutal battle between Mexico and France wasn’t over quite yet. La Cantina de San Angel went back to finish the job, taking out L’Artisan des Glaces in round two! L’Artisan des Glaces Pressed Brioche Ice Cream Sandwich with Pistachio Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce Lotus Blossom Cafe was the next to fall victim to La Cantina’s ninja-like moves, extinguishing the hot streak Lotus Blossom Cafe had been having after taking out Japan pavilion’s Katsura Grill and the Morocco Pavilion’s very popular Tangierine Cafe. Lotus Blossom Cafe But perhaps even more shockingly, La Cantina burned up Flame Tree Barbecue in round four. WHAT?! We thought this long time Disney’s Animal Kingdom institution was a serious contender for first place! Never would we have expected empanadas to defeat Baked Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork! I mean, C’MON! It’s mac and cheese…with meat…and ONION RINGS on it! Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Pulled Pork And in the truest case of fact being stranger than fiction (even we couldn’t make something like this up and we have very VIVID imaginations!), you wouldn’t believe who finally dethroned La Canita de San Angel in round five…wait for it…wait for it…pregnant pause…it was GHIRARDELLI SODA FOUNTAIN! The Seemingly Total Randomness of Ghirardelli’s Wild Card Success Ghirardelli??? THE Ghirardelli? Like, from Disney SPRINGS? In the final FOUR??? Did we have some sort of secret Ghirardelli agenda even WE were not aware of? If you’d asked us before all of this began which restaurants our readers would pick as their top four favorites, we never would have guessed Ghirardelli would make the cut. NE-VAHHHH! Ghirardelli So we looked for some reasons why this might have occurred. After reviewing the bracket, we thought maybe it had something to do with Ghirardelli’s placement and the path it took to victory. The Marina at Ghirardelli Ghirardelli brawled Pepe by José Andrés in round one. Okay, OKAY, maybe not the most well-known quick-service spot, especially given how many dining options there are to choose from in Disney Springs…we think we might be on to something here. Pepe In round two Ghirardelli faced off against Earl of Sandwich (well, there goes THAT PLACEMENT idea we JUST had!). Disney folks are seriously bananas about their Earl of Sandwich and NO WAY would we have foreseen this royal purveyor of bread and deli meats dethroned in the second round! Buuuut chocolate and ice cream can be very persuasive… . Earl of Sandwich Ghirardelli duked it out with The Mara in round three — another spot that might not be on everyone’s radar depending on how frequently you visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. So yeah, maybe Ghirardelli DID get a free pass to round four, but we figured the vocal love of Zebra Domes would have overcome even ice cream. But your vote STILL went to Ghirardelli! Zebra Domes In round four, Ghirardelli snuffed out Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe (or Snack & Yeti as we like to call it since we like to share their Honey Seared Chicken in the afternoon with our buddies!). Free chocolate squares to the rescue! Yak & Yeti Local Foods Cafe La Cantina de San Angel Returns Which brings us to round five, a showdown that left us completely flabbergasted! La Cantina de San Angel and Ghirardelli. This is when Ghirardelli’s reign of terror finally ended — and La Cantina ascended to the FINAL TWO. Pollo Cascabel at La Cantina de San Angel We think you probably remember how the rest of the story goes — La Cantina de San Angel entered the octagon and squared off against Aloha Isle. The rest, as they say, is history (What? you didn’t think La Cantina could take down a G.O.A.T. like Pineapple Dole Whip, did you?!). Yes, those were truly some strange times we were living in only a few short weeks ago. Not sure what to really blame it on now, but if we had to say something our guess would be: Tiger King. Obviously. Did you vote for La Cantina de San Angel or Ghirardelli in our official DFB Counter Service Throw Down? Tell us why in the comments below! Related posts: Going to Disney World?? You Need Our BEST Disney Dining Plan Snack Credit VALUES for 2020! These 15 HUGE Disney World Snacks Are Totally Worth Wearing Your Stretchy Pants! Do Yourself a Favor and DON’T Eat This at Disney World! View the full article

Even if you’ve got a slew of Disney World experiences under your belt, there are probably still a few things about the parks that don’t make a whole lot of sense! Hiya Mickey! That’s why we’re gonna examine five common issues that, even to this day, still confuse some self-proclaimed Disney World experts — even US! We’re going to start with one of the most common issues we hear about from folks who aren’t very familiar with some of Disney World’s unique one-off policies. Why Can’t I Make a FastPass for Rise of the Resistance? Rise of the Resistance is Disney’s newest attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’ve been too busy with life to keep up with all the details on the Rise of the Resistance attraction since it opened, you may find yourself wondering why you can’t reserve a FastPass for the ride. Lieutenant Beck on Rise of the Resistance It isn’t a computer glitch — it’s just that Disney’s Hollywood Studios operates this super-popular ride a bit differently from the rest. Up until the parks closed they were still only offering boarding groups for Rise of the Resistance. Needing to join a Boarding Group to secure a spot to ride the attraction means that you have to get inside Hollywood Studios before the park officially opens for the day and jockey for a place in the virtual queue using the My Disney Experience app. Rise of the Resistance While we don’t know what the case will be when Disney World reopens (although they have mentioned that they will potentially introduce virtual queues for much more than just Rise), we know Rise of the Resistance FastPasses still aren’t a thing on My Disney Experience. However, you can still currently reserve FastPasses for Hollywood Studios’ other newest attractions including Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway as well as Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run! Read more information about Rise of the Resistance’s boarding group system here! Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge It’s possible when the parks reopen even more Disney World attractions will offer virtual queues similar to the process Rise of the Resistance uses, but the manner in which they’ll be issued and for what has yet to be revealed. Find out to decide which Hollywood Studios’ tier one FastPass you should choose here! Universal Studios has announced that they will potentially implement virtual queues when they reopen as well. Why Aren’t There More Parades in Disney World? Ever since Magic Kingdom’s long-running Main Street Electrical Parade moseyed away in 2016, we haven’t seen a new nighttime parade come in to replace it. Pete’s Dragon Float in the Main Street Electrical Parade There are still daytime performances of Festival of Fantasy and Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! at Magic Kingdom, but there seem to be fewer parades in general at Disney World these days, especially when you compare now to how it was a few years ago. Festival of Fantasy Parade Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios used to have big parades back in the day including Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade along with Aladdin and Frozen-themed processionals down Hollywood Boulevard when the Disney films were released. Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade And until more recently, the March of The First Order led by Captain Phasma (of Star Wars fame) used to storm through Hollywood Studios. It wasn’t a crazy big spectacle or anything, but still, it was something really cool to witness first hand! Captain Phasma leading First Order Stormtroopers If you love the thrill of watching parades while enjoying your vacation and want to see something new next time (especially at night!), consider going to Disney World during the fall or winter. Special holiday parades such as Mickey’s-Boo-to-You Halloween Parade and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade (which normally require separate tickets) can be a great way to change up your parade repertoire! Boo-To-You Check the calendar before you go because these special after-hours events only happen on select nights at Magic Kingdom. And the closer you get to Halloween or Christmas Day, the more likely the party is to sell out AND cost more, so always get your tickets ahead of time instead of buying them at the gate! Check out our FULL REVIEW of last year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party here! Once Upon a Christmastime Parade Here’s our Ultimate Guide to last year’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas parties! And keep in mind this year’s Disney Villains After Hours parties now include the Villains Cursed Caravan! It’s a mini-parade, but it includes the fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon float from Festival of Fantasy AT NIGHT! Maleficent Dragon As you can probably imagine, the flames look even more EPIC at night! Disney’s Villains After Hours Event also costs extra to attend and only occurs on certain evenings at Magic Kingdom. This party offers an assortment of special treats, spooky lighting, and minimal wait times for popular rides since only a limited number of tickets are sold! See our Ultimate Guide to the 2020 Disney Villain After Hours parties here! Why Can’t We Meet Rare Characters As Often? There are several places to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and Goofy throughout Disney World, but why isn’t there a little more of a variety? Don’t get us wrong — these guys are great and all! We especially love it when we can meet them wearing special outfits like the safari attire they wear at Tusker House or the artsy clothes they’re sporting at the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast! Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast a la Art Characters Check out our FULL REVIEW of the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast here! It’s just that while the Fab Five is truly nothing short of classic, we’d love to see some of Disney’s rarer guys make a cameo appearance every now and then! Last year, our wish was granted when some characters from Chicken Little, Zootopia, and Ratatouille who DON’T usually meet showed up for Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration! Hello from the Magic Kingdom! We can sometimes spot a few unique characters at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Character Palooza (an unpublished but somewhat predictable event that occurs around mid-day featuring many of the costumed characters who perform later in the evening’s production of Fantasmic!) we want something a little more official to hang our Mickey Ear Hats on! Big Al Moseying around Frontierland Rare characters even come out at some special after-hours events such as the holiday parades and Disney Villains After Hours which we mentioned earlier — you just don’t actually get a chance to “meet” any of them! Sorry, You Won’t Be Meeting Mr. Big Bad Wolf or Mr. Oogie Boogie! And rare characters are often brought out for special photo ops at runDisney events, but unless you’re a super planner, you probably won’t have your autograph book handy! Either way, we hope Disney will find a way to bring back some of our buds we’ve lost along the way, especially some of the ones that have only disappeared more recently like Baymax and Sadness! How to Get Around on the Disney Skyliner It doesn’t seem that hard, right? But we still had a lot of confusion about exactly where the Skyliner went and what connected to what before we got a chance to ride regularly ourselves! Here’s a tricky thing that often trips people up: even though the Disney Skyliner goes to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, you need to transfer lines, meaning there isn’t a line that goes straight through to each park. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is where you’ll need to switch gondolas. Disney Skyliner System Route Map It’s funny because we’ve had many people SWEAR to us they rode straight to Hollywood Studios from Epcot. But it’s just not possible! The International Gateway at Epcot connects to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort, while Hollywood Studios has its own separate line out of Caribbean Beach. Disney Skyliner On a side note, you can also use the Disney Skyliner to indirectly get to Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and Disney’s BoardWalk Inn which are only a short walk from the International Gateway! That comes in mighty handy if you need to swing by Beaches and Cream real quick and you’re staying at Art of Animation! Check out our Disney Skyliner FAQ right here! How to Get Around On Fort Wilderness’ Internal Bus System Another transportation system that really trips people up can be found at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. This enormous property is REALLY spread out. Sometimes it’s too far to walk to the pool, dining, or other recreational activities you’d like to enjoy! Fort Wilderness Tri Circle Ranch While you could walk and easily get your 10,000 steps in every day, there are other ways of getting around. You can bring a bike or golf cart from home or rent them by the day from the resort. Other than that, you’ll need to know how Disney’s Fort Wilderness’ internal bus loops work (Yes, they have their own internal bus system!!). These are color-coded routes: purple, yellow, and orange — and depending on where you’re trying to get to, you might need to get on more than one bus! Chip and Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long Area The orange bus line will take you to the Meadows area, which includes most of the major amenities of the resort. This is where you’ll find the main pool area, snack bar, and other activities including Chip and Dale’s Campfire Singalong and Movies Under the Stars. This line also runs through the 600-700 and 1000-12000 campsites. Tri Circle D Ranch The yellow bus line also connects to the Meadows, but it runs through the 100-500 and 1400-1900 campsites, while the purple bus line runs through the 2000-2800 campsites along with the quiet pools and recreational sports areas on the other side of the resort. Nearby Tables You can also take a boat from Settlement Depot to Magic Kingdom. The boat dock is only a short walk to Pioneer Hall where the Hoop Dee Doo Revue dinner show is performed. Hoop-Dee-Doo Pioneer Hall Players Boat transportation is also provided to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge or Disney’s Contemporary Resort, while you can take a bus from Outpost Depot to get to all the other Disney Parks, water parks, and Disney Springs! Piece of cake…right?! Whew. Yeah. We still don’t get it. Read our FULL REVIEW of the Hoop Dee Doo Revue here! Well, friends, we certainly hope you found at least one useful piece of info for planning your next trip to Disney World, and if you have a question about something you still don’t really get about the parks or resorts, don’t be afraid to reach out to us and ask it in the comments below! What are some things that still trip you up at Disney World? Let us know in the comments below! Related posts: Disney News This Week: ALL the News and Updates from the Most Magical Places on Earth! What Exactly is Rope Drop in Disney World and How Can YOU Do It Like a PRO? The BIGGEST Time Wasters in Disney World — And How To Avoid Them! View the full article

George Lucas sold the rights to Star Wars to Disney in 2012, and boy, has Disney put their purchase to WORK. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge It seems like everywhere we turn there’s new Star Wars content popping out left and right. There are hundreds of merch items, TV shows, films, and an entire theme park land on EACH COAST — seriously, what haven’t they done? Honestly, though, it can sometimes seem like a bit much. Which got us wondering…has Disney “jumped the shark” with Star Wars? Let’s take a look. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t as well-received as the previous films. The third trilogy in the Skywalker Saga just wrapped up with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker last December. Now you might expect such a HUGE finale to be a big “win” for the Star Wars brand, but it turned out that Rise of Skywalker was pretty significant evidence that Disney might be stretching a little too thin with the brand. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Opening Night The box office performance was super irregular for a Star Wars film. Rise of Skywalker saw a HUGE opening weekend raking in $175 million at the box office, according to Forbes. Shortly after, though, box office revenues took a big dip as the film garnered mixed reviews, per NBC. The Atlantic even called it “the most incoherent Star Wars film ever made.” Yikes. ©Disney Is Disney pushing the brand past its limits or did they just get unlucky with some “meh” aspects of the movie? Not every movie can be an Empire Strikes Back, right?! It’s hard to tell from looking at the Rise of Skywalker situation on its own. So, let’s look at much, much more. Click here to find out when you can judge Rise of Skywalker for yourself on Disney+! Disney slowed theatrical releases after the poor reception of Solo. Rise of Skywalker wasn’t the only box office flop that Disney headlined under the Star Wars name. After the success of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an anthology-style spin-off, Disney opted to bring a Han Solo prequel to theaters with Solo: A Star Wars Story. Solo: A Star Wars Story ©Disney You might have noticed there haven’t been any more films dubbed “A Star Wars Story” since Solo‘s release in 2018 — there’s a good reason for that. Solo was poorly received with people criticizing the lack of plot. Hey, we get it! It’s pretty hard to live up to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo! Still, this failure was enough to get Disney to switch gears. The company themselves even said they believe that they’ve over-saturated the market with Star Wars content, according to The Guardian. In the wake of Solo, Disney opted to switch focus to TV shows rather than further theatrical releases. ©Disney Some Star Wars fans can definitely agree with the over-saturation. Folks who loved the OG films have started to feel like the original spirit is lost in the overload and, according to Esquire, big fans have expressed issues with the inconsistent world-building that Disney has done since their purchase. To learn more about the intricate Star Wars lore, click here! There’s a LOT of Star Wars in Hollywood Studios — maybe too much. Another way we get the feeling that Disney might have jumped the shark with Star Wars is by just taking one step into Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios could easily be renamed “That Star Wars Park…with Slinky Dog Dash and Tower of Terror.” True, we love Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (and we’ll tell you why in a minute!) but does the park really need THREE dedicated Star Wars sections? Star Wars Launch Bay Star Wars fans might be thrilled that you can head to Galaxy’s Edge, or Star Tours: The Adventure Continues (which is still inexplicably STEPS from Galaxy’s Edge!), or Star Wars Launch Bay. They might have loved the (now-extinct) Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away stage show and accompanying “parade.” Maybe their only hope is to catch the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular fireworks show or to see their little one in the Jedi Training Academy. Still, doesn’t that seem like a LOT for a park originally designed to reflect all aspects of Hollywood? Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular ©Disney Lest we remind you that Hollywood Studios is NOT a Star Wars-themed park. The over-saturation of the brand in the park kind of makes it feel like Disney got their hands on ONE big Hollywood franchise and ran with it (and just…kept…running). We love the Skywalkers and all, but we’re not sure how we feel about their unofficial takeover of Hollywood Studios real estate. Want to get a GREAT view of Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular? Click here! BUT, we don’t want to say it’s all bad in Disney’s foray into the world of Sarlacc beasts, Wampas, and Sandcrawlers. Some (REALLY) GOOD has come of it. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance are EXTREMELY popular in Disney World and Disneyland. It’s not all crazy overshoots with the brand. Disney has done some pretty AWESOME stuff with Star Wars and it definitely has us debating whether they’ve jumped the shark — or if they’re still far from doing so. The Ship’s Bridge in Rise of the Resistance Just look at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on both costs, especially the opening of Rise of the Resistance. It’s been SO popular in Hollywood Studios that the park spent most of early 2020 with extended morning hours. Thousands of guests flooded the park prior to opening each morning for a coveted spot in the high-demand virtual queue. Sometimes, physical wait times even shot above an hour even WITH the use of the virtual queue! The ride is awesome but it is also POPULAR. The story was similar in Disneyland, when Rise of the Resistance opened in the west coast, Galaxy’s Edge boarding groups from the virtual queue were gone within minutes of going live. Yeesh. Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Why do people love this ride so much? Because it is SO immersive, technologically advanced, and all-around amazing. We love riding it AND we love talking about it. We’d fight for another spot in a virtual queue right now if we could! (Seriously…it’s awesome!) Lieutenant Beck on Rise of the Resistance But people also like that they get to be a PART of the action in Star Wars. That’s why Galaxy’s Edge and Rise have such a following. You feel like you’re in the films alongside your favorite characters. This shows that people still have a huge love for the Star Wars universe, even if it does seem like a little much sometimes. Click here to read EVERYTHING you need to know about Rise of the Resistance. Galactic Starcruiser in Disney World is highly anticipated. And Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge isn’t the only project that has people excited about Star Wars. Galactic Starcruiser, an immersive Star Wars hotel experience, is set to open soon in Disney World and it’s pretty highly-anticipated. Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Disney has billed the Starcruiser to be an experience like no other and many are already hoping to get a spot in the early days of its opening. With work forging ahead and hiring already in the works for certain positions “on board” prior to the closures, we’re pumped for when reservations open later this year. …If they open later this year. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Concept Art Galactic Starcruiser definitely stands as another example of people wanting to be a part of the Star Wars story themselves. Click here to see the latest updates to Galactic Starcruiser! The Mandalorian was extremely well-received and is already on track for a second and third season. It turned out to be a pretty great move when Disney decided to focus more on TV shows than theatrical releases for Star Wars. Just look at the Disney+ hit, The Mandalorian. We LOVE The Mandalorian, and so do audiences. According to Business Insider, it quickly became the top-streamed show in the U.S. after its release last year. The Mandalorian ©Disney Beyond that, the Baby Yoda craze was practically a phenomenon. People went insane when merch wasn’t available with the release of the show and Disney is STILL cranking out that good, good “The Child” merch. “The Child” from Disney+’s The Mandalorian ©Disney The Mandalorian did so well that Season 2 is set to premiere this October and Season 3 is already in the works! We just can’t get enough of Mando and his tiny green quasi-son (we’re talking about The Child if that wasn’t clear). The Mandalorian is a quintessential Star Wars show and people still want more. Click here to learn more about the SEASON 3 of The Mandalorian! So Has Disney Jumped The Shark With Star Wars? Well, despite the over-saturation and a few specific flops, it seems like the Star Wars brand still has plenty of life left in it. People still go hard for that John Williams score and all the lightsaber sound effects. They pay hundreds of dollars to build their own droids at Droid Depot and lightsabers at Savi’s Workshop. And yes! They’re streaming and talking about new Star Wars content all the time. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance People still love Star Wars, they just have a problem with movies that aren’t as good. It’s all in the execution, and if Disney can continue to do Star Wars well, they’re likely in no danger of jumping the shark anytime soon. They do have a whole “galaxy far, far away” to play with, after all. For more on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, click here! What do you think? Is Disney doing WAY too much when it comes to Star Wars? Tell us in the comments! Related posts: Disney News This Week: ALL the News and Updates from the Most Magical Places on Earth! Star Wars Hotel Construction Update: See What Disney World’s Galactic Starcruiser Looks Like Now! NEW PHOTOS! See INSIDE Rise of the Resistance at Disney World’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge With This NEW Preview! View the full article