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Happy Halloween, DFB readers! It’s time to buy Halloween stuff! We’ve been in the parks, both Disney World and Disneyland, kicking off the Halloween season with decor, parties, and LOADS of snacks. This is also the BEST time to stock up on Disney Halloween souvenirs so you can give your home the proper Disney Halloween treatment. Well, now might be a good time to stock up on MORE Disney Halloween souvenirs because you can grab a cool Halloween tote on sale online right now! DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. There are tons of cute Halloween decorations, costumes, clothes, and accessories available at The Disney Store online right now. So you’ll want to stock up so you can grab a good deal on this tote, too! Get The Mickey Mouse Halloween Glow-In-The-Dark Tote ©Disney Okay, we are in LOVE with this adorable tote that features a Mickey pumpkin on it along with “Halloween” (like we didn’t know it was spooky season). This orange and black tote, though, GLOWS in the dark, so it looks cool during the day OR night. ©Disney This tote could also make a great candy bag for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (because you know those tiny little bags they give you during the party are WAY too small for all the candy you get). You can grab it now for $20 with ANY purchase, so there’s your excuse to buy more Disney Halloween stuff. Get at The Disney Store We’ll keep an eye out for more deals on Disney Halloween souvenirs, so stay tuned to DFB for more. Check out our Amazon Shop!The post How to Get a New Disney Halloween Tote Bag on Sale Today! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

This booth is a battle between the sweet and the savory. Is it all too much of a good thing? Will one prevail? Or is this the culinary case of a win-win situation? 2024 Belgium Booth The 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival has officially begun, and there is a lot to offer. There are plenty of food booths with tasty items, merchandise items to grab (of course), and even concerts to watch. But don’t let it overwhelm you. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know. And now we’re heading to one spot in particular — now it’s time for the Belgium booth! Are the Belgian waffles worth the trip? Or will the smoked gouda mashed potatoes steal the spotlight? Let’s find out. Menu Over at the Belgium booth, you’ll find a couple of different Belgian waffles along with a savory dish — the Beer-Braised Beef (served with mashed potatoes). There are also a couple of new beers this year! 2024 Menu Now that we’ve taken a look at the menu, let’s dive into the food itself! Eats Alright, now we’re adults here, so we’re going to follow the rules (no matter how badly we want to dive into those desserts!). You have to have dinner before your dessert, so we grabbed the Beer-Braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes for $6.25. Last year, we thought this dish was well-balanced with strong, tasty flavors. So, how does it hold up in 2024? Beer-braised Beef served with smoked gouda mashed potatoes This is the only item you really need; it was SO good. The mashed potatoes are so cheesy and would be totally delicious on their own. But they were tasty with the beer-braised beef! The beef was very tender and easy to cut with a plastic fork. They were very flavorful again this year. The portion size was also really good for this dish. It’s a solid, hearty dish that could easily count as a small meal for one person. Beer-braised Beef served with smoked gouda mashed potatoes Next up, we got the Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache for $5.50. In years past, we’ve really enjoyed these waffles. They’re usually light and fluffy, with pretty solid (if somewhat basic) chocolate ganache on top. Belgian Waffle with warm chocolate ganache The chocolate ganache had the consistency of Hershey’s chocolate syrup; it was very thin. It is better quality than Hershey’s syrup though, for sure! However, there was a lot of it poured right on the small waffle which instantly made the waffle soggy. We would have preferred a thicker ganache or less of it. Our waffle ended up soggy Finally, we got the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream for $5.50. In the past, we preferred the chocolate ganache version to this one. But can the same be said this year? Belgian Waffle with berry compote and whipped cream This year, we preferred the berry waffle! While there are better dessert options at the festival, this is a good waffle if you love waffles. The waffle was soft and had a nice sweet batter. The berry compote was made with blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. The whipped cream melted pretty fast on both waffles, so you’ll want to eat them quickly to get the fluffy whipped cream. This was a pretty good waffle Drinks In terms of drinks on this menu, we have a returning favorite, the Belgian Chilled Coffee, and some new and returning beer options, which you can get individually or as a beer flight. The Belgian Chilled Coffee (non-alcoholic) for $5 or the Belgian Chilled Coffee featuring ChocoLat Deluxe Salted Caramel Chocolate Liqueur for $12. Both of these are returning options from previous years. Belgian Chilled Coffee The Belgian Chilled Coffee is simply a cold coffee with cream and sugar in it. There was nothing special about it. We would prefer to grab one of the festival offerings at Joffrey’s. However, if you’re simply looking for a basic coffee with cream, this is it! The alcoholic version may have more to offer in terms of flavor. This year, the new beers on the block are the Brouwerij St Bernardus Dragòn Wit and the Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte Duchesse Red Sweet & Tart Cherry Ale. The third beer offering is the Brouwerij Van Steenberge Gulden Draak Tripel Ale. The first beer on the flight is the Brouwerij St Bernardus Dragòn Wit which was a very clean European pure-tasting beer. It has a taste you don’t usually get with beers here in the U.S. It is the lightest beer in the flight. Beer Flight The second beer is the triple ale. Last year, we didn’t really enjoy the Brewery Van Steenberge Gulden Draak Tripel Ale. It reminded us of a fresh espresso shot in coffee. It’s strong but not something we personally enjoyed. That said, you may enjoy it if you don’t mind a good kick in your drink. This year, we found it to be very full-bodied and a bit bread-y! The third beer was by far our favorite of the three. It is a sweet and tart cherry ale that was delicious. It’s not overly sweet but has a nice cherry flavor without the bitterness you might expect. Overall, this flight is great because it gives you great variety with light, heavy, and sweeter beer options. It’s a great beer flight! Remember, you can get these beers a flight for $10.25, or if only one is calling your name, you can pick up a 6 oz. pour for $5.75 or a 12 oz. pour for $9.75. OVERALL You gotta get the braised beef with smoked gouda mashed potatoes! That is the shining star at this booth. The beer flight is fun with good variety, and the berry compote waffle was our favorite of the two options. Don’t miss this booth! Full Spread 2024 That’s it for this booth, but there’s a LOT more where that came from! Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival! Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know: Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival! And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below. IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What items from this booth would you most want to try? Tell us in the comments! The post My New Favorite Lunch Is in EPCOT, and It's Only .25 first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We know that a trip to Disney World is not cheap. Magic Kingdom The cost of travel, hotel, park tickets, food, and, of course, souvenirs can add up. We are all about saving you money during your trip to Disney World and giving you all the tips and tricks for setting you up for a magical vacation. But trust us, this $25 upgrade could totally change your Disney World vacation! There are a lot of great benefits to staying at a Disney World Resort. At all three hotel tiers there are different room types that range from Standard Rooms, Preferred Rooms, Park View Rooms, Pool View Rooms, and the list goes on and on. While room prices fluctuate based on the time of year and depending on if you are staying in a Value, Moderate, or Deluxe Resort, there is a $25 upgrade at Value Resorts that we think is so worth it! All-Star Music Resort Value Resorts may be the lowest tier of hotels at Disney World, but they are not to be slept on! The biggest perk is that these resorts are the cheapest resorts on the property, meaning you get to stay at a hotel in Disney World for a fraction of the cost compared to a Deluxe Resort. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort Value Resorts also have super colorful and fun theming that make you feel immersed. They also share perks that both Moderate and Deluxe Resorts have. I’m on a Mission to Stay in a Moderate Hotel With My Value Resort Budget in Disney World All-Star Music Those staying at Value Resorts can partake in Early Theme Park Entry, which allows you to enter one of the four theme parks each morning 30 minutes before non-hotel guests. Early Entry into Disney’s Hollywood Studios Regardless of what hotel tier you stay in, you also can take advantage of free transportation around Disney World which includes buses, monorails, the Skyliner, and watercraft. Disney Bus One of the newest hotel perks is that those staying at a Disney World hotel can book their Lightning Lane reservations seven days in advance! Lightning Lane While rooms can be upgraded at all the resorts, it is significantly cheaper to upgrade your room at Value Resorts, especially at the three All-Star Resorts. You can choose between a Standard and a Preferred Room. All-Star Music Prices do fluctuate based on season and day of the week, but on average, it is about an additional $25 a night to upgrade your Standard Room to a Preferred Room. So what does this mean? This means that your room would be in a more desirable location, like being closer to the main lobby where the shopping and food court is, as well as bus transportation. 11 Tricks To Get A Hotel Room Upgrade No Matter Where You’re Staying World Premiere Food Court Value Resorts are very spread out, and the All-Star Resorts are very big, which means you could potentially have a very long walk to the main lobby. This $25 upgrade could save you so much time and can be a nice treat when you return from the park since you don’t have to make the trek to your room. All-Star Sports We totally think that it is worth the little extra cash to upgrade your room to a preferred room when you stay at one of the three All-Star Resorts! We’ve Stayed at Every Disney World Hotel. These Are the BEST. Planning a Trip to Disney World? We’ve Got Everything You Need to Know The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Disney World Vacation A Month-by-Month Guide to Planning Your Disney World Trip Tips, Hints, Lists, and Videos for Planning the BEST Disney World Trip Learn About the Disney Park Pass System The Ultimate Disney World Packing List Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lanes Insider SECRETS for Your First Trip to Disney World A Complete Look at the Current Disney Discounts and Deals The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! Join the DFB Newsletter to Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox! Click Here to Subscribe Have you ever upgraded your room at Disney World? Let us know in the comments?The post This Upgrade is a Disney World Game Changer! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

All aboard the Hogwarts Express! It’s time to head back to Hogwarts. Welcome back to Hogwarts! Today, September 1st, is “Back to Hogwarts” day — the day Harry Potter heads back to Hogwarts for school each year. This marks a special day every year for Harry as he gets to return to the only place that has ever felt like home to him. The magnificent castle is a special place for Harry and all of us Harry Potter fans. While we can visit Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, we’ll also soon be able to visit the awe-inspiring Ministry of Magic, and Universal just released brand-new details about the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter on this special day! An all-new Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be opening in 2025 at Epic Universe in Orlando. The new theme park will take us to Wizarding Paris as well as the Ministry of Magic! ©Universal You’ll begin your journey in 1920s Wizarding Paris where you’ll find new shops and restaurants. You’ll be able to search for a wand at the new store Cosme Acajor. ©Universal And you can enjoy the first ever live stage show in the Wizarding World — Le Cirque Arcanus. While these details were known before, Universal did share a new look inside the streets of Paris as we’ll get to walk them! ©Universal Universal also released NEW details about the Ministry of Magic! We’ll enter the 1990s British Ministry through Floo passageways that will take us right into the atrium where the restored Fountain of Magical Brethren will be standing tall. There will be flying memos throughout the atrium and the beautiful enchanted weather ceiling above us. ©Universal Through the atrium, you’ll enter the new attraction Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. It’s Delores Umbridge’s trial day, and we’ll be taken on an epic journey through the Ministry. There will be scenes we’ve seen in the films as well as some we’ve never seen before. You’ll get to explore many locations of the Ministry as you walk through the queue including the locker room where there’s evidence that Harry, Ron, and Neville are in training to become Aurors. ©Universal You’ll get to see past Ministers in the Hall of Ministers. The ministers from the 1700s to the 1980s will be seen interacting with one another. ©Universal There’s also a map room, where a magical moving map of the Ministry can be seen! ©Universal Plus, we’ll get to walk through the Aurors’ headquarters! How cool is that?! Universal shared that we’ll find plenty of Easter eggs in this room including tributes to fallen Aurors. ©Universal And, we’ll even get to walk through Umbridge’s small pink and gold office where we’ll meet her former house elf who is packing it all up. Of course, there will be plenty of cat plates to be seen! ©Universal Past Umbridge’s office, you’ll enter the lift station where you’ll board the lifts that will take you to the courtroom for the trial. According to Universal, this ride will be incredibly thrilling as it’s so “technologically advanced.” ©Universal The lifts will start in the lift shafts but then careen off course and wind up moving through different parts of the ministry. You’ll be face-to-face with different creatures and Death Eaters in this wild thrill ride. ©Universal We’ll even explore many never-before-seen locations like the Ministry Archives and Department of Magical Creatures! Several characters from the books and movies will be featured for the first time in any Harry Potter attraction like Yaxley, Macnair, the Carrows, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. ©Universal One of the neatest details about this ride is that Imelda Staunton, the actress who played Delores Umbridge in the films, has reprised her role as Umbridge for the ride! ©Universal After hearing all these new magical details, we CANNOT wait to experience the Ministry of Magic and this brand new ride! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic is one of five new lands coming to Epic Universe. The other lands include Super Nintendo World, Celestial Park, Dark Universe, and How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk. Epic Universe will open sometime in 2025. ©Universal The world of Harry Potter is getting bigger as this new land opens, but even more is yet to come including new gaming options, a new Harry Potter baking show on Food Network, new LEGO collections, and more! If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you don’t want to miss out on all the exciting happenings coming soon. Happy Back to Hogwarts Day! Keep following DFB for more Epic Universe news. We’re GIDDY Looking at These New Aerial Photos of Epic Universe Read more: DFB's complete guide to Universal’s Epic Universe >> Are you excited for the new Harry Potter ride? Let us know in the comments! The post NEWS: Universal Shares CLOSER LOOK Inside Its NEW Harry Potter Ride at Epic Universe first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Connections Cafe and Eatery is part of this year’s EPCOT Food & Wine Festival with a couple of special items! Connections Eatery Connections is another one of the of the permanent snack locations that also join in on the festival fun with exclusive, limited-time snacks, and since they’re in EPCOT year-round, you might not know about those special eats! Come with us to check out this year’s TWO offerings! Menu Over at Connections Cafe and Eatery, you’ll find TWO new Food & Wine Festival items! A Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich with pickled cucumbers on a brioche bun, and one drink that is ONLY at the Eatery, a Blackberry Caipiroska made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Minute Maid Lemonade, strawberries blackberry syrup, and frosted mint syrup. Eats We picked up the Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich with pickled cucumbers on a brioche bun for $12.49. This was INCREDIBLE! It’s got a great glazed flavor that the chicken is totally coated in, and we love that it’s sitting on a total bed of pickles that have a great snap to them. Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich The textures of the chicken and pickles together were fantastic, and the way the glaze matched with them? Amazing. We do need to mention, though, that the sauce has a low heat to it, so keep that in mind if you’re totally spice-averse. It’s nothing crazy, and it’s not going to make you need to reach for water or feel like your mouth is burning, but it is there! Drinks We also checked out the Blackberry Caipiroska, which is made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Minute Maid Lemonade, strawberries, blackberry syrup, and frosted mint syrup for $15. This one was so good that we would LOVE to see it return for EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival, too! Blackberry Caipiroska It’s very subtle and very floral — it reminds us of a drink you’d get together with your girlfriends to make for your afternoon get-together! You can’t really taste any of the alcohol in it since the floral and fruity flavors are stronger, so beware of that while drinking. We loved it so much that we think it deserves an honorable mention on our Best of the Fest list! OVERALL Overall, this is an extremely strong location for Food and Wine, and we encourage you to stop by and give both offerings a try if they’re something you would enjoy! We know the actual festival booths are often more of the main event at festivals, but this is a perfect example of why it may be a mistake to totally bypass these permanent locations with festival offerings — we definitely will be coming back to grab both the sandwich and the drink at LEAST once throughout the rest of the festival. They both were SO good! That’s it for this booth, but there’s a LOT more where that came from! Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know: Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival! Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival! And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below. IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Would you try this festival treat? Tell us in the comments! The post You Seriously Do NOT Want To Miss the NEW Snack at Connections Eatery in EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We’re making our way AROUND THE WORLD… EPCOT’s World Showcase, that is! 2024 Booth And if you’re planning your own tasty trip “around the world” during the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, we recommend having a plan in place for everything you’d like to try at the Festival’s Marketplace Food Booths. That’s why we’re reviewing every single Food Booth and trying every menu item for you, and we hope you’re ready to join us at the Brazil Booth to see if it should earn a spot on your list! Menu The menu at the Brazil Booth is short but sweet. Well… it’s pretty sweet if pork belly and cheese bread sound as good to you as they do to us! 2024 Menu That’s right! Brazil is once again delivering its famous Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) to the Festival! It’s joined on the menu by Feijoada, a popular returning Pork Belly dish. These dishes are joined by two drinks: the Frozen Caipirinha with Cachaça and Xingu Black Beer. These sips are also returning items, which begs the question… Can the Brazil Booth rest on its laurels with a menu entirely based on returning items? Let’s find out! Eats We’re digging first into the Feijoada. This savory dish features pork belly over black beans with Brazil nut pesto, and BEN’S ORIGINAL Long Grain White Rice, and it’s available for $6.50. Feijoada: Black beans with pork belly, Brazil nut pesto, and BEN’S ORIGINAL Long Grain White Rice All truths told, the Feijoada has a history of mixed reviews. For instance, in 2022, it was one of the most flavorful dishes we tried at the Festival. In 2023, we couldn’t wait to try it again, but, alas…the pork belly was dry and a bit tough. Simply put, it didn’t deliver. This year has redeemed this dish, though. It’s so flavorful, thanks to the chimichurri sauce, and the black beans were seasoned perfectly. The rice is perfectly cooked. The pork belly has a hint of spicy heat, but it’s not overwhelming. Feijoada: Black beans with pork belly, Brazil nut pesto, and BEN’S ORIGINAL Long Grain White Rice The Pão de Queijo (which, by the way, is one of the eligible items for those who plan to partake in Emile’s Fromage Montage Cheese Crawl) typically earns rave reviews. It’s up for grabs for $5. Pão de Queijo: Brazilian cheese bread After all, what could go wrong with Brazilian cheese bread when it’s served warm and packed with cheese? As always, the cheese bread did not disappoint. It’s super chewy, cheesy, and just the right amount of greasy. Everything about this is SO good, and we’ll continue to order this year after year as long as it’s available. Pão de Queijo: Brazilian cheese bread Drinks You can wash down either dish (or both) with a Frozen Caipirinha with Cachaça once again this year! Frozen Caipirinha featuring LeBlon Cachaça This frozen refresher is consistently a hit, especially on an inevitably hot day at the Festival. If you love the tart burst of lime that comes from a traditional margarita, give this Brazilian drink a try! You can raise a glass for $12. You can also opt for Xingu Black Beer for 6 ounces for $5.75 or 12 ounces for $9.75. OVERALL Oh, Brazil booth, how do we love you? Let us count the ways. This booth was a true winner for us this year, and we’re happy that the Feijoada has been returned to its former glory. Of course, we’ll always come here for the cheesy bread, but this is one booth you don’t want to skip at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know: Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus Find ALL of our EPCOT Food and Wine Festival REVIEWS right here! And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below. IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What items from this booth would you most want to try? Tell us in the comments! The post Disney Didn’t Have To Go THIS HARD on This EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Booth, but We’re Glad They Did first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Your trip to Disney World is almost here, right?! Disney World merch Are you all ready? You’ve got your bags packed? Flight and hotel reservations set? You have your plan of action for once you hit the resort and the parks? And maybe the most important, how’s the budget looking? Speaking of the budget, to try and help you stay on track, we thought we’d go over some of the dumbest things people overspend on at Disney World! Buying Bottled Water Now before we go and get offended or think we don’t want you to drink water, hear us out. We LOVE hydration. We’re in the parks every single day of the year, rain or shine, and if there’s one thing we can tell you is that Disney World is one hot and humid place almost all year around. So, we want you to be hydrated, but buying a bottle of water is just not the move, especially since there are free refilling stations all over the parks. Water fountain and refill station All of that being said, what we HIGHLY recommend you doing is to get your own reusable water bottle. Our signed water bottle! They will come in so handy, keep you from getting overheated, and could even make for a creative souvenir like ours (we got ours signed by some of our favorite characters). View on Amazon Buying FuelRods at the Parks Now, you’re going to burn straight through your device’s power when you’re at Disney World. At this point because so much happens in the My Disney Experience app, it’s not if your phone will die but when. So, if you’re about to run out of juice and you don’t already have a portable power bank, the next best thing is to get yourself a FuelRod. Fuel Rod machine The system is great because it allows you charge your phone up and then when the rod is dead, you can swap it out for a fresh, fully charged one and keep on trucking. But here’s the thing, we’d recommend you not purchasing them at the parks, but rather get your FuelRods straight from Amazon. FuelRod This is because you can typically get a set of 2 FuelRods for the price you’d pay for 1 in the parks. They’re the same FuelRods too and can still be swapped out for fresh ones from the kiosks. View on Amazon Buying Ponchos at Disney World In addition to being a very hot and humid place, Florida is also extremely rainy (during the long rainy season), which is why you always want to come prepared. Rainy Day at EPCOT Umbrellas are nice and all but they’re not typically very portable, so your next best bet is to use rain ponchos. Now if you’re going to buy them at Disney World, just be prepared to pay quite a markup for them. FROGG TOGGS Poncho What we recommend you doing instead is to grab some those ponchos right from Amazon because they’re typically much cheaper and of a higher quality than you’ll find at the parks. Packing bag We love our FROGG TOGGS ponchos and can’t recommend them enough as they’re lightweight, sturdy, and can fold down in their own bag which helps bringing them with you incredibly easy. View on Amazon Buying MagicBands Now this one could be a bit controversial, but buying MagicBands could be a rather quick way to overspend at Disney World. Wish MagicBand+ This is mainly because you already have to do basically everything from the My Disney Experience app at Disney World, and let’s be honest, you always have your phone with you. ©Disney Also, a lot of people already wear a watch which then makes wearing a MagicBand too a bit tricky and bulky. The last thing we’d want for you is for your brand-new MagicBand to just become a novelty that collects dust on your shelf. MagicBand+ All of that being said, we’ll be the first to recognize that even though they aren’t strictly necessary, they can be a lot of fun to collect. Star Wars Resistance Magicband+ Those are just a couple of the things we see people overspending on when they’re at Disney World, but now we’d love to hear from you! Until then, we’re always keeping our eyes and ears open for all the latest Disney news, so keep following DFB for more! Disney World Has a MAJOR Breakfast Problem, and We Need to Talk About It. Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What things do you see people overspend on at Disney World? Let us know in the comments! The post 4 Dumbest Things People Overspend on at Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Is it just us or are more shows getting canceled on TV and streaming services now after just one season? ©Netflix We recently saw Amazon cancel its My Lady Jane series after one season. Disney+ just canceled the Star Wars show The Acolyte after just one season. Disney+ also canceled Renegade Nell, again after just one season. Even The Muppets Mayhem didn’t survive the one-season cancelation curse on Disney+. Well, we’ve got some bad news about a new show on Netflix, too: Dead Boy Detectives has been canceled after one season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dead Boy Detectives has been canceled by Netflix after just one season. The series followed a duo of ghosts and a medium who joined forces to become detectives for the supernatural. The characters originated in the Sandman comics and were created by Neil Gaiman, Matt Wagner, and Malcolm Jones III and went on to star in their own comic book series before being adapted to live-action for the Netflix show. ©Netflix In the live-action adaptation, the characters were initially introduced in an episode of the Max series Doom Patrol. Interestingly enough, the Dead Boy Detectives series was originally slated for Max, but then moved over to Netflix for its first season. On Netflix, it spent three weeks on its top 10 for English-language series with about 9.6 million views at the time. It was also among Nielsen’s top 10 original streaming shows twice shortly after its premiere. So, needless to say, this cancelation is a big surprising. ©Netflix Dead Boy Detectives was set in the same universe as another Netflix show (also based on a comic book series), Sandman. The Sandman series, however, is receiving a second season. It’s unclear why Netflix made its decision to cancel Dead Boy Detectives, given its popularity, but many of these cancelations often leave us scratching our heads, leaving viewers less likely to start other new shows if they haven’t yet been renewed for additional seasons. Stay tuned to DFB for more. Everything NEW Coming to Disney+ This September Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What do you think? Why do so many shows get canceled just after their first seasons? Let us know in the comments! The post NEWS: A New Netflix Show Has Been CANCELED After Only One Season first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

As you’re enjoying the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival this year, you can stop by the UK Beer Cart for a festival-only drink! UK Beer Cart The UK Beer Cart, located at Rose & Crown, is one of the of the permanent EPCOT locations that also join in on the festival fun with exclusive, limited-time drinks and snacks. Come with us to check out this year’s special item! Menu Over at UK Beer Cart, you’ll find a special festival-edition drink — a Strawberry Basil Cocktail for $17 made with Beefeater Pink Strawberry Gin, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Seagram’s Ginger Ale, with strawberry and basil syrups. We have seen something similar at the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival, but this is new for the Food & Wine Festival! Drinks We stopped by the Rose & Crown beer cart for the Strawberry Basil Cocktail, and WOW, we were surprised when we got it. Not in a good way, though — according to the photo, the drink is supposed to be frozen, like a slushy. However, ours was not frozen at all when we got it. When we spoke to a Cast Member, we were told that it was too hot outside for the drink to freeze, so it was served as just liquid without any ice. Strawberry Basil Cocktail sign The drink, therefore, wasn’t very cold at all, and we thought this story we were given was very interesting because there are many other places you can go in EPCOT where the drinks are frozen just fine, no matter the temperature. We were wondering if a new batch had just been put in and hadn’t had a chance to freeze yet, but regardless, we do think this drink would be made better by being frozen (or at least cold). Juuuust liquid The taste itself was very sweet and strawberry-forward, although we didn’t taste the ginger in the ginger ale. We do warn you, too — we didn’t taste the alcohol at all, which means it could very easily sneak up on you! OVERALL For right now, we wouldn’t recommend this drink until Disney can work out the issues with having it frozen like it’s pictured to be. If you happen to walk by, though, and you see that it is successfully frozen and you’re a fan of strawberries, we highly recommend grabbing it! If you see it frozen, grab it! That’s it for this booth, but there’s a LOT more where that came from! Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know: Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival! Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival! And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below. IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Would you try this festival treat? Tell us in the comments! The post We Can’t Recommend This EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Item Until Disney Fixes a BIG Problem first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

¡Bienvenidas #Disneyland! #DisneyParks #Encanto #ShortsView the full article

The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival has kicked off, and we’ve been trying ALL the food, and checking out the entertainment, and just enjoying the whole vibe of festival time. EPCOT However, this year’s festival is drastically different from previous years in one way. Over the past several years, the EPCOT Food & Wine festival has started earlier, generally in July, but this year, the festival was pushed back to begin in August (like it was before 2020). You might not think that would have a huge impact on the festival itself, but we’ve noticed a HUGE difference that this one month has made. Okay, let’s take a look at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival in 2023. This festival began on July 27th and ran through November 18th, 2023. One of the things that you’ll notice is that EPCOT was SUPER crowded on opening day. Food and Wine Festival Crowds (2023) By comparison, this year’s EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, which started a month later this year, was shockingly devoid of crowds. In fact, it was probably one of the easiest festival experiences we’ve had in YEARS. Look at the difference! It’s WILD. Relatively not crowded In previous years, we also had to deal with some seriously long lines at the food booths on opening day. LONG food booth line in 2023 But this year, walking up to the food booths and ordering our food was a breeze compared to last year. We could get used to this! The lines were relatively short. Shorter food booth lines in 2024 We will also say that in previous years, shops were SO crowded with everyone trying to get their hands on exclusive festival merchandise. That also meant long lines at shops, too. This year, the shops were pretty relaxed and chill. We also didn’t see merchandise selling out so quickly. Merchandise in CommuniCore Hall It seems like opening the festival later in the year means fewer people attending on opening day. It makes sense, though. When the festival opened in July, it was during prime vacation season, when kids were generally out of school. With the festival being pushed back to late August, kids are back in school, and far fewer people are taking vacations. One of our favorite festival eats! All we can say is we think we prefer the festival being later in the year. We think this will probably be the new normal again in EPCOT, but we’ll have to see what Disney plans for next year. The Alps Booth Don’t want to go through all of the stress of booking your Disney World trip alone? Reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations! Their experienced agents monitor your reservation for possible future savings, compare discounts and figure out which one works best for your travel party, dates, resort, and touring plans. And, they share expert tips and first-hand advice with you about your magical vacation. Small World Vacations Stay tuned to DFB for more. EVERYTHING You Need to Eat and Drink at the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Will you be attending the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments! The post WOW. One Month Makes a HUGE Difference in EPCOT. first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

No matter when you go to Disney World, we can predict at least one of three things will happen: 1.) You will sweat. 2.) You will get rained on. 3.) You will hunt down some water (preferably a FREE cup of it) during your day in the theme parks. It’s inevitable! Partner’s Statue But what if we told you that there is ONE handy product available on Amazon that takes care of ALL THREE problems? In fact, it solves a TON of theme park-related struggles we face on a daily basis, and it’s only $60! Prepare to be amazed. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. This Maxie & Nova Theme Park Essentials Fanny Pack is a Disney World GAME CHANGER! It comes with so many items! OK, seriously, this thing has it ALL! The fanny pack comes in multiple colors and includes everything you see in the photo! In total, this is a 10-piece set with tons of handy accessories! Items include a personal fan equipped with a USB charger, a cooling towel, a collapsible silicone water bottle, a silicone reusable straw with a case keychain and cleaner, an emergency poncho, two refill ponchos, AND a sphere keychain to hold them. WOW! Theme park essentials fanny pack We tested this out in Disney World and can confirm it is 100% worth the money. It’s so convenient, and the accessories are thoughtful and easy to pack. Fan From the reusable straw to the cooling towel, we have recommended each of these items for YEARS, so it’s amazing to see it all included in one product. Straw Whether you’re planning a trip to the Magic Kingdom or taking a Disney Cruise, these items should come with you wherever you go. Cooling towel The fanny pack holds a LOT, so you’ve got plenty of room for your phone and other travel essentials. Collapsible water bottle Oh, and this poncho case is GENIUS! It’s a great way to keep your poncho safe before (or after) a rainstorm. Just pack it away Make sure to check it out on Amazon now! There’s even a coupon — make sure to apply it before you check out. View on Amazon In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney deals, so stay tuned for more. Check out our Amazon Storefront for more Disney items!! The post The Item That Will Make Your Disney Trip 10x Easier first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Can you believe it’s already September? The first week of September will continue bringing us closures around Disney World, but now we know when a popular spot will reopen! Blizzard Beach Water Park Disney recently announced that Blizzard Beach will once again be reopening this winter! It does seem appropriate that a water park named “Blizzard Beach” will be open in the coolest months of the year but don’t worry, you can still have a fun time in the warm water. Find out when Blizzard Beach will officially open along with what other closures will affect Disney World this week below! Blizzard Beach Blizzard Beach closed for refurbishment on March 17th. Blizzard Beach While Blizzard Beach is closed, Typhoon Lagoon is currently open. The two water parks often rotate off and on for being open. And recently Disney announced that Blizzard Beach will be reopening on November 4th when Typhoon Lagoon will close! Click here to learn all about Blizzard Beach While we’re looking forward to the reopening of Blizzard Beach, we have a few months to wait yet. This week, there are still a few other closures affecting Disney World. Keep reading to find out what will be closed the week of August 31st through September 7th. Magic Kingdom Jungle Cruise The wild river ride closed on August 26th, and no this is not some joke the Skippers just came up with! Walls are up at Jungle Cruise The punny ride will be closed for refurbishment, but will luckily reopen on October 18th, if everything goes to plan. If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom over the next month and a half, we’re sorry to report that you will not get to see the eighth wonder of the world — the backside of water. Hopefully, the next time you visit you’ll get to “ooo” and “ahhh” and this marvel! Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade We had to say goodbye to an opening day attraction on June 23rd. Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade with construction walls around it The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade was around for generations and provided simple fun to all who played. Now, the attraction has closed to make room for a new Disney Vacation Club lounge. This lounge will be the third in Disney World, joining one in EPCOT and one at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Disney has not yet announced when the new lounge will open. Magic Kingdom Just Announced HUGE Fireworks NEWS! Tomorrowland Terrace Tomorrowland Terrace is a quick-service restaurant that has been closed since the 2020 pandemic-related closures, but even before that, this spot was only occasionally open. Tomorrowland Terrace Once in a while, you’ll see the dining room open as a rest area (and it’s still being used for the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties), but it’s usually all roped off and empty. Tomorrowland Terrace Disney hasn’t announced when this spot could finally reopen, but we’ll be watching for updates. If you’re looking for a nice spot to hang out in Disney World and sit down for a rest, this could be it! EPCOT Test Track Test Track closed on June 17th, and Disney is giving this ride a BIG makeover! Test Track Disney has shared that the new version of Test Track will take inspiration from the old ride, World of Motion, that was originally there when the park opened in 1982. Disney recently shared more details at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Experience including an opening timeline! We’ll be able to ride Test Trace once again in 2025. Restaurant Marrakesh Restaurant Marrakesh is currently closed as a dining location in the Morocco pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase, and there’s no word yet on when the restaurant could fully reopen. Florida Blue Lounge However, it is currently open as the Florida Blue Lounge during the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. So if you’re in the Morocco Pavilion, check it out to see if it’s open. We’re watching for updates on when the full restaurant could reopen! Check Out Spaceship Earth’s LIMITED-TIME Look for the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Disney’s Hollywood Studios Voyage of the Little Mermaid Voyage of the Little Mermaid is currently closed in Disney World. We recently spotted some construction walls up at the show! Construction walls are up at Voyage of the Little Mermaid Disney is going to introduce a new, updated show in this spot, though it will still be themed to the animated movie The Little Mermaid! The new show will be called “The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure” and is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Fall 2024. ©Disney It will be a “fully reimagined theatrical production inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic.” Lies About Disney’s Hollywood Studios You Thought Were True Disney World Hotels World Premiere Food Court — Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort The World Premiere Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort has been undergoing refurbishment since July. World Premiere Food Court This food court closed for refurbishment on July 1st and was set to reopen on July 31st. However, a change on the Disney World website and speaking with Cast Members has indicated that did not happen. Disney has recently updated the website to say it won’t open until mid-October. While it has been getting a face-lift, guests have been able to mobile order from a limited menu on the Disney World app, and seating in the food court is still available. Everything POP Shopping & Dining — Disney’s Pop Century Resort Everything Pop is amid its own refurbishment. Everything Pop Food Court Since July 29th Everything Pop has been getting some work done. The refurbishment is set to last until September 29th. However, while the work is being done, guests can still use the Disney World app to mobile order food. You may need to use alternate entrances to access the food court and seating may be limited. Barbados Leisure Pool The Barbados leisure pool will be closed at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort from July 29th through the end of September 2024. Barbados Pool This resort is organized into villages and each area has its own leisure pool. While the Barbados leisure pool is closed, check out one of the other several options around the resort! Something NEW Is Coming to Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel, and You’re Gonna LOVE It! Looking for more resources to help you get ready for your upcoming trip? Check out these posts to learn all about Disney World’s rides: 10 Rides to AVOID in Disney World if You Struggle with Motion Sickness What It Takes to CHANGE a Disney World Ride 9 of the SCARIEST Rides in Disney World, According to YOU! A FULL LIST of the Thrill Rides in Disney World! The Ultimate Guide to the BEST and WORST Seats On EVERY Magic Kingdom Ride We’ll keep you updated with all the latest news, so stay tuned to DFB. Check out more upcoming closures and current construction projects at Disney World here. Planning a Trip to Disney World? We’ve Got Everything You Need to Know The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Disney World Vacation A Month-by-Month Guide to Planning Your Disney World Trip Tips, Hints, Lists, and Videos for Planning the BEST Disney World Trip Learn About the Disney Park Pass System The Ultimate Disney World Packing List Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lanes Insider SECRETS for Your First Trip to Disney World A Complete Look at the Current Disney Discounts and Deals The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! Join the DFB Newsletter to Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox! Click Here to Subscribe Are you visiting Disney World this week? Let us know in the comments! The post CONFIRMED: Disney World’s Blizzard Beach Has Reopening Date first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

If you’re looking for a Halloween experience that’s a bit different from Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Disney World, you may be considering Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. It’s time! Halloween Horror Nights runs on Wednesday through Sunday nights from now through November 3rd, 2024. The event is quite different from Disney’s event in that you’re not encouraged to wear costumes, there’s no parade or special fireworks, and there’s no trick-or-treating. However, you get a lot more scary stuff, including ten haunted houses and five scare zones that are sure to get your blood pumping. However, if you just have one night to visit Halloween Horror Nights, you might have to pay extra to walk through all those haunted houses with little to no wait. If you plan on visiting Halloween Horror Nights, a regular ticket starts at $83 and goes up to $123, depending on the night (Saturdays in October are the most expensive). That’s significantly cheaper than Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which can run up to $200. However, Halloween Horror Nights brings serious crowds and long lines to each haunted house, so if you’re lucky, you MAY get to visit about half of the houses in one night, and that’s without doing anything else, skipping things like entertainment, shopping, and food. Halloweed Horror Nights line However, you can purchase additional add-ons (on top of the ticket price) to give yourself more of an opportunity to visit more houses. The Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass allows you to skip the line at every haunted house once during the night. It starts at $149.99 per person (the price can be even more, depending on the date). You can also purchase a Scream Early ticket (in addition to the ticket for the event) that lets you get into Halloween Horror Nights early and then allows you to wait in the “Stay & Scream” area until the event begins, which will give you a headstart to get to the haunted houses. That one starts at $55 per person. However, you’ll still have to wait in the long lines that will form later on for the houses. Signs for the houses So if you’re serious about getting to visit all ten houses in one night, the pricier option at almost $150 (or more) for the Express Pass may be your best bet (and that puts the price of Halloween Horror Nights slightly higher the price of a Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party ticket). But is it worth it? Scare Zone We attended the first night of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, and we think that, yes, it is worth it to pay extra to skip the long lines at the houses. This also frees you up to spend time in the scare zones, check out the tribute store, do some shopping, eat some fun spooky snacks, and check out the live entertainment. Inside this year’s Tribute Store We know it’s pricey, but if you seriously want to do everything at Halloween Horror Nights in one evening, the additional cost of the Express Pass is well worth it. We managed to get through all ten houses and still had time to check out the Tribute store, see some entertainment, and eat some fun snacks. Considering how much there is to see and do, we felt like we got our money’s worth. Gotta make time to eat In the end, though, you’ll have to determine if the additional cost of the Express Pass is worth it for you and your group. But if you’re wanting to get the most out of your evening, you’ll get even more by paying more (if that makes sense). We recommend giving Halloween Horror Nights a go if you’re looking for something a little scarier than Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or you just want a different kind of Halloween experience. Stay tuned to DFB for more. EVERYTHING You Need to Know About Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando in 2024! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What do you think? Will you be going to Halloween Horror Nights this year? The post Would You Pay an Additional 0+ to WALK Onto 10 Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights Attractions? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Every week, we report the average Disney World wait times in every park so that you can be prepared for your next trip to Orlando! Magic Kingdom Disney World saw an unprecedented week of wait time decreases in the final full week of August. Every ride in the resort – – including Flight of Passage – – saw times decrease. Was this due to summer vacation ending, the new Lighting Lane Multi Pass system, or something else? Take a look at this week’s average wait times! Magic Kingdom Wait Times The Magic Kingdom saw dips in wait time across the board this week. Pretty much every ride at the park saw a drop of at least several minutes this week. (REMINDER: TRON Lightcycle / Run does not currently use a standby queue; it’s not included here, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure does not have a standby queue yet.) Mine Train Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — 49 minutes Peter Pan’s Flight — 41 minutes Space Mountain — 31 minutes Jungle Cruise — 31 minutes Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — 26 minutes Haunted Mansion — 26 minutes Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh — 24 minutes Pirates of the Caribbean Astro Orbiter — 20 minutes Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin — 19 minutes Enchanted Tales with Belle — 19 minutes Tomorrowland Speedway — 13 minutes Pirates of the Caribbean — 12 minutes “it’s a small world” — 11 minutes Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini — 11 minutes Tiki Room Mickey’s PhilharMagic — 15 minutes Liberty Square Riverboat — 15 minutes Country Bear Musical Jamboree — 14 minutes Enchanted Tiki Room — 12 minutes Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover — 9 minutes Dumbo the Flying Elephant — 8 minutes Magic Carpets of Aladdin — 8 minutes Carousel of Progress Prince Charming Regal Carrousel — 6 minutes Mad Tea Party — 6 minutes Carousel of Progress — 5 minutes Tom Sawyer Island — 5 minutes Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse — 5 minutes Hall of Presidents — 4 minutes Magic Kingdom Just Announced HUGE Fireworks NEWS! EPCOT Wait Times EPCOT’s also saw some dips this week, with both Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen ever after dipping below 46 minutes. (NOTE: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind does not currently use a standby queue, so it’s not included here.) Soarin’ Around the World Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure — 45 minutes Frozen Ever After — 42 minutes Soarin’ — 20 minutes Turtle Talk with Crush — 15 minutes Mission: SPACE — 13 minutes The Seas with Nemo and Friends Spaceship Earth — 10 minutes The Seas with Nemo and Friends — 8 minutes Journey into Imagination — 7 minutes Living with the Land — 7 minutes Gran Fiesta Tour — 6 minutes Test Track, Awesome Planet, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, Impressions de France, and Reflections of China had no wait times this week. EVERYTHING You Need to Eat and Drink at the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Animal Kingdom Wait Times Even Animal Kingdom’s Flight of Passage, Disney’s near undisputed champion of average weekly wait times in recent years, saw a huge drop this week, falling to just 61 minutes. Animal Kingdom Avatar Flight of Passage — 61 minutes Na’vi River Journey — 43 minutes Kali River Rapids — 32 minutes Expedition Everest — 22 minutes Kilimanjaro Safaris Kilimanjaro Safaris — 22 minutes Dinosaur — 17 minutes It’s Tough to Be a Bug — 10 minutes TriceraTop Spin — 6 minutes The Boneyard — 0 minutes 50 AMAZING Things You Never Knew Were in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hollywood Studios Wait Times Hollywood Studios joined its fellow parks in seeing wait times dip this week, though to a slightly lesser extent than Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Slinky Dog Dash — 54 minutes Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster — 46 minutes Rise of the Resistance — 39 minutes Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway — 36 minutes Toy Story Mania Toy Story Mania — 33 minutes Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — 31 minutes Tower of Terror — 30 minutes Alien Swirling Saucers — 18 minutes Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy — 14 minutes Star Tours — 8 minutes Muppet Vision 3D — 10 minutes Walt Disney Presents — 5 minutes 50 AMAZING Things You Never Knew Were in Disney’s Hollywood Studios Stay tuned to DFB for more updates from Disney World! The Disney World SECRET We Shouldn’t Be Telling You Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW How long would you wait for your favorite ride? Let us know in the comments below! The post We Found SHORTER LINES All Over Disney World this Week! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Getting Disney merch in Florida is about to get even easier! Primark is here! We’re always keeping an eye out for the latest Disney souvenir news — both at the Disney Parks and online. If you’re in the Orlando area and looking for Disney essentials outside of the parks, then you’re in luck — a new store with many Disney offerings is HERE at The Florida Mall! We were invited to check out the brand-new Primark store located at The Florida Mall — including its special Disney merchandise offerings! Now, if you’re not familiar with Primark, you should know that the best thing about this store is that everything is generally VERY inexpensive. The location at The Florida Mall is the first Primark Orlando location EVER. The Ireland-based fashion, home, and body store even features an entire floor dedicated to Disney merch! If you’re not familiar with Primark, let’s just say it’s sort of like Target, but the prices are even lower! See that shirt? See the price tag on it? Just $7! You can also find accessories like backpacks, purses, totes, and more. Yes, you can even get Minnie ears here, too! ALL the Disney stuff We absolutely loved this Bambi bag collection we discovered. Lug Bag, what? Loungefly, who? We’ll take one of each of these bags! Bambi bag collection We even spotted a super fun Stitch collection. If you love Stitch, you’ll definitely have to stop by for a visit. Stitch collection Marvel fans will probably want to visit the store, too — we spotted an entire section dedicated to Marvel. Marvle merchandise Check out these super fun Mickey shoes. Mickey shoes The Disney part of the store alone is MASSIVE. SO much stuff How cute is this Mickey and Friends luggage? Luggage The store officially opened on August 29th, and the two-story Primark store can be found at the mall across from the American Girl store. The Florida Mall’s location will mark Primark’s second Florida location and 26th in the United States. The Disney collection is on the top floor, while the bottom floor has travel, beauty, accessories, kids, and adults collections. The fitting rooms are also downstairs. There’s a set of elevators, as well as multiple entrances into the store from the parking lot. The Orlando location is truly unique in that it plays to the Disney World vibes of the city. The entire floor stocked with Disney merchandise is Primark’s first of its kind. Disney x Primark Accompanying the store’s opening will be some weekend events including food trucks, illustrators, and performances between August 31st and September 1st. Primark For all the latest Disney news, stay tuned right here at DFB! Shh! A SECRET Disney Halloween Store Just Opened on Amazon Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Are you planning on visiting Primark for its grand opening? Let us know in the comments! Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Primark to attend their media preview of The Florida Mall location. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ The post The Florida Mall Just Opened a NEW Primark Store, and It’s Got a WHOLE FLOOR of Disney Souvenirs! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney Loungefly bags are SUPER popular — and for good reason! These bags are the perfect size to take to Disney World, and they hold a LOT. Plus, with literally thousands of unique designs, there’s something for everyone. Loungefly bags But here at Disney Food Blog, we don’t like to pay full price for our park bags. That’s why we track the latest deals on Amazon! Come with us to see what’s on SALE right now. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Save 14% on this Loungefly Fab 5 Bag! ©Amazon GREAT news! This adorable Loungefly bag (with tons of great reviews) is on sale right now. It features some of our FAVORITE Disney characters, yet has a simple color palette that will complement any outfit. View on Amazon This Loungefly Jessie Bag is 13% off NOW! ©Amazon Yeehaw! We rounded up a GREAT deal for you! This bag is perfect for a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom. Make sure to stop by and say hello to Jessie if you wear this bag to Disney World! It will TOTALLY get you some compliments. View on Amazon Loungefly’s Snow White Evil Queen Bag is 40% off! ©Amazon Attention, Disney villain fans! This bag is available for a GREAT deal right now, and it’s perfect for the upcoming Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom. For under $50, this is a no-brainer. Add it to your cart now! View on Amazon We found a Loungefly Spider-Man Mini-Backpack on sale for 25% off! ©Amazon DEAL ALERT! This bag is an Amazon-exclusive, so it’s a little rarer than your average backpack. Plus, it’s got a fun checkered print that perfectly complements the Spider-Man design. View on Amazon Loungefly’s Yzma Mini Backpack is 44% off! ©Amazon This backpack was inspired by a SERIOUSLY underrated Disney movie: The Emperor’s New Groove. Not only does it depict one of our FAVORITE scenes, but it’s also got the iconic villain of the film — Yzma! View on Amazon In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney deals, so stay tuned for more. Check out our Amazon Storefront for more Disney items!! The post 5 Disney Loungefly Bags Are on SALE up to 44% Off on Amazon Now first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Are you ready for your trip to Disney World? Magic Kingdom Now we love Disney World, all the parks, and the resorts, but let’s be honest, not everything there is all sunshine and rainbows. Talking about that, there’s this trend we’ve been noticing that’s really been curling all our collective stomachs and we wanted to pick your brains to find out how you felt about it! Well, we asked and you delivered! We reached out to our followers on Facebook to ask: “Do you feel like Disney World is DIRTIER now than it was before?” We had quite a few people leave their opinions in the comments! What do you think? Now, let’s dive into some of your top responses! The “Yes” Team First up, we’ve got a solid group of you who think that Disney World is definitely dirtier now than it was before. EPCOT To this point, DFB reader Liann started off the conversation by sharing, “Unfortunately yes. I remember 2016,2017 and 2019, you wouldn’t even see a full garbage can. This trip I saw garbage on the ground, in the bushes in Epcot etc.” And he’s not alone. Tyler chimed with, “I remember they’d touch up paint after closing. Fresh and clean! Not so much anymore.” Animal Kingdom Then we’ve got Nicole, who added, “It’s because people are disrespectful and expect cast members to be their maids. The amount of trash I see people just leave everywhere is astonishing. The last time I was at Fantasmic I was in shock at the trash everywhere because people can’t just take it and throw it away.” The “No” Crew Next up, there’s a sizeable group of you who think Disney World is doing just fine when it comes to the overall cleanliness. Canada Pavilion at EPCOT First up, DFB reader Brooklyn shared, “Was there last September it was fine… I don’t ever remember it being dirty or not kept… I noticed in all the years it’s very rare people leave a mess… I think for the most part people are respectful.” Lisa added, “No, I was there today and it was perfectly clean.” Then Racer shared, “No, I don’t think so although I keep hearing about cockroaches. I’ve never seen them there and I hope I never do. They need to stop letting people bring in so much food from outside and keep groceries in the rooms.” Morocco Pavilion We have Jacquie wrapping this one up with, “I guess I’m lucky. I have visited so many times and it has always been clean. If anything, the restrooms are cleaner now. As far as trash on the grounds, perhaps some people are more careless.” The “Hmm… It’s Complicated” Squad Lastly, we have a bit more complicated feelings surrounding the cleanliness of Disney World. Hollywood Studios For example, we had DFB reader Kim share, “bit less clean but still cleaner than other parks I’ve been to. I saw it mostly in the restrooms during my last visit.” Then Carolyn added, “Maybe. But it’s not the fault of the cast members. It’s the fault of rude guests.” Angela continued the conversation with, “It’s definitely different… also many of the customers don’t show a level of respect for the parks, resorts and restaurants. Sad.” Magic Kingdom Those were just some of your thoughts on whether Disney World has become dirtier than it was before, and we want to hear more from you! Until then, keep it right here for all the latest Disney news! Also, follow us on Facebook to join in on the next discussion. I’m Sorry, Are We Just Gonna IGNORE This ABANDONED Disney World Hotel Restaurant? Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What are your thoughts on Disney World cleanliness? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! The post Disney Fans Reveal the One DISGUSTING Change That’s Hit Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There is another festival that starts at Disney World this weekend, but it is not at EPCOT. Raglan Road While the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival just started, another festival will be happening this weekend at Disney Springs! The Great Irish Hooley will be returning for Labor Day weekend at Ragland Road from August 30th to September 2nd. Of course, we have to talk about this FUN event, so let’s go! This festival celebrates Irish song, dance, food, and drink. This boutique music festival offers both Irish and world music, all at Raglan Road! A Hooley is a Gaelic term for a lively party with music, entertainment, and fun! Raglan Road The best part? There is no charge to attend the festival! All the fun officially began Friday afternoon on August 30th and will end late on Monday, which is Labor Day. The event is popular, so reservations are recommended. You can make advance dining reservations through the My Disney Experience app as well as OpenTable. Raglan Road in Disney Springs If you are interested in live music, this year’s line-up includes Bandits on the Run, Cassie and Maggie, The Byrne Brothers, Men of Aran, Northern Crossing, and The Connemara Ramblers. ©Raglan Road A specialty Hooley cocktail is debuting this year, too, and you can get it as both an alcoholic drink or mocktail: The Wild Rosy is made with Glendalough Wild Rose Gin, Rockeys Botanical Liqueur, homemade rosemary syrup, lemon Pellegrino, and Fever Tree premium tonic, while the Not So Wild Rosy is made with Seedlip Garden 108 (non-alcoholic) spirit, homemade rosemary syrup, lemon Pelligrino, and Fever Tree premium tonic. ©Raglan Road You can’t have a celebration without food. The Raglan Road all-day menu will be available during the event, featuring some of your Raglan Road favorites, like Braised Be Beef, Fish & Chips, OMG Burger, and more. OMG Burger Some new food will also be debuting as of September 9th, including new brunch items, When Ireland Dates America (bacon and cabbage mac ‘n cheese bites, maple glazed Bakers bacon, carrot and cabbage slaw, and pickled red cabbage puree) and Steak Agus Eggs (steak and fried egg on a cheddar and buttermilk biscuit waffle, caramelized onion, sauteed wild mushrooms, chimichurri butter, and maple glaze). The Shepherd Went Vegan will have a new recipe: three bean and lentil mild chili casserole with bulgur wheat, root vegetables, topped with olive oil mashed potatoes with a fire roasted pepper and cherry tomato gravy. Butternut Squash Gnocchi will make its menu debut later in September. It’s made with butternut squash gnocchi, white wine butter sauce, sauteed leeks, confit tomatoes, mushroom tempura, brown bread, and pumpkin seed granola. ©Raglan Road There is even complimentary Celtic face painting! If you are looking to catch an Irish dancing performance, the Raglan Road Irish Dancers will be performing throughout the event! However, the Hooley isn’t the ONLY celebration happening at Raglan Road. Ireland will be meeting Germany for the new Oktoberfeis. This is Raglan Road’s Irish Oktoberfest event, which happens from September 9th through October 6th. Raglan Road is releasing a new Bavarian Irish-style pumpkin ale named “Octoberfeis” in collaboration with Crooked Can Brewing Co. just for the event! ©Raglan Road A special new menu of Oktoberfeis foods will also be offered as an a la carte or three-course dining experience. That menu includes a Potato Pretzel with beer-braised caramelized onion and cheese sauce… ©Raglan Road …and Pork Chop Schnitzel with crispy skin on fried potato wedges, mustard cream sauce, pear, and shallot relish with fine-grated Parmesan. ©Raglan Road For a sweet ending, you’ll be able to order the Apple Strudel with vanilla custard and vanilla mascarpone with oat crumble. ©Raglan Road Next door, at Cookes of Dublin will also be participating in Oktoberfeis, serving the Bavarian Irish Pumpkin Ale in a can and offering a Pork Schnitzel Sandwich with pickled slaw, pear chutney, wholegrain mustard mayonnaise, and crispy fried onions. ©Raglan Road For a full schedule of all the fun going on at Raglan Road, you can check out the Raglan Road website here! A NEW Bar Is Opening Soon in Disney Springs! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Will you be checking out The Great Irish Hooley Festival this weekend? Let us know in the comments! Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were sent press materials by Raglan Road from a media preview of The Great Irish Hooley. Note that when we attend events as media or are sent press materials, we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ The post It’s BACK! Disney World Is Hosting a POPULAR Festival You Can Attend WITHOUT a Park Ticket first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There’s a NEW place to get sweet treats in Disney World! Swan & Dolphin What better way to cap off an amazing day in Disney World than with a sweet treat?? We love having snack options available around the Disney World hotels so we don’t have to worry about traveling too far after walking around the parks all day. And now, a NEW dessert spot has popped up at one of our favorite places to stay! The snack truck will offer a section of treats and beverages on Friday and Saturday evenings, weather permitting. We’re all for having as many snacking options nearby as possible, so we love the idea of a bonus treat truck! ©Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin According to the post, the sweets truck only serves on Friday and Saturday evenings and the hours are subject to change. But if you happen to stop by when the snack truck isn’t serving, don’t worry — there are some other places to get sweets nearby! You could check out The Fountain for a decadent milkshake, or Fuel for a grab-and-go option. Coco Loco Shake from The Fountain We’ll continue to be on the lookout for more food news from around the Disney parks and resorts, so stay tuned to DFB for all of the latest updates! 12 Tricky NEW Disney World Hotel Hacks Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What’s your favorite dessert spot in Disney World? Share with us in the comments! The post Something NEW Is Coming to Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Hotel, and You’re Gonna LOVE It! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Planning a trip to Disney World can be quite the challenge when it comes to where you’re going to stay. Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Let’s just say that you have plenty of options to choose from (there are more than 25 hotels). For sake of argument, let’s pretend that you’ve already booked your Disney World hotel. Now what? So glad you asked. We want to try and help you out by bringing you a whole list of Disney World hotel hacks for your viewing (and planning) pleasure! DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Let’s get right into our 12 Disney World hotel hacks! Find The BEST Hotel Rooms, Resort-Wide Booking a Disney World hotel is a no-brainer especially if you’re after those perks like convenient transportation and being super close to the parks. But even at resorts that promise these perks, you might end up in a room that’s quite a hike away from actually being able to use them. Art of Animation But don’t worry because we’ve got your back. We’ve done the legwork (literally) to find the most convenient rooms across all the Disney World resorts. We hit the ground running to locate the best rooms that maximize those perks, and I mean we counted the steps to these rooms so you don’t have to. Skyliner Resorts Art of Animation: Nemo Buildings are where it’s at. Rooms 5514, 5513, 4540, and 4539 are about 127 steps from the Skyliner. Pop Century: The 60s buildings are prime. Specifically, rooms 5111, 5112, 4161, and 4162 are just 130 steps away. Caribbean Beach: Rooms 4104 and 4102 (Jamaica buildings) are 194 steps via the pathway, but cut through the grass, and rooms 4130 and 4131 are only 130 steps away. Aruba’s rooms 5509 and 5510 are 164 steps from the Riviera Skyliner. Riviera Resort: Rooms 5509 and 5510 are a quick 94 steps from the entrance to the Hollywood Studios side of the Skyliner. If EPCOT is your main destination, Disney’s Beach Club Resort is practically on top of it (no Skyliner needed). The closest room, 1501, is just 245 steps from the International Gateway. Disney’s Beach Club Resort The Monorail Resorts If you’re all about Magic Kingdom, the closest rooms are at Bay Lake Tower (part of the Contemporary Resort). Rooms 7111, 7109, 7132, and 7134 are about 1,006 steps from the gates, with 7132 and 7134 also being close to the main building and elevators. Also, they have an exterior exit door nearby that can give you access to the bus station walking path. Get Party Tickets EARLY As you know, Disney’s got a number of parties throughout the year. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is happening right now (on select nights from August 9th to October 31st, 2024) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be coming on select nights from November 8th to December 20th, 2024. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Disney loves rewarding their resort guests with early access to party tickets. So, if you want first dibs, especially at lower prices, you’re going to want to book your Disney hotel stay before those early ticket release dates. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party In addition to those staying a Disney Resort, those staying at the Swan, Dolphin, or Shades of Green also get early ticket access. Find the CHEAPEST Food Options for Your Family All of the Disney World resorts have a ton of dining options, but if you’re hunting for the cheapest eats on the property that still taste great and feed the whole crew, we’ve got you covered. The best bang for your buck at most Disney resort over the quick services are going to be the family-sized pizzas. They run about $20+ and can easily feed a family of four. Trail’s End Restaurant If you’re looking for something other than pizza, at Fort Wilderness, Trail’s End offers family meal deals like a full slab of BBQ ribs with sides for $32, or an 8-piece fried chicken meal for $29. These meals can stretch to feed 3-4 people, especially if you’ve got kiddos who zero in on the mac and cheese. Also, Sebastian’s Bistro at Caribbean Beach has stepped up its game and now offers the cheapest all-you-can-eat meal on property for $38 per adult and $20 per child. Sebastian’s Bistro If you’re really looking to save, you might want to consider ordering food via delivery apps like Grubhub, Uber Eats, or DoorDash. They’ll bring your food straight to your resort, but remember to factor in delivery fees, service fees, and tips to see if it’s really a better deal. Kroger Delivery If you need groceries, try Kroger Delivery through their app. They’ve got a distribution center near Disney, which means that you can stock up without leaving your hotel. Just be sure to stay around the hotel when your order’s expected, or you can have it dropped off at the front desk (though Disney charges $6 for this service). Stay at a Cheaper Resort but Take Advantage of the Deluxe Offers For starters, you don’t need to drop $500+ a night to get a taste of the deluxe Disney experience. Even if you book a stay at a value or moderate resort, you can still hop over to one of the deluxe resorts during your trip. Disney’s got you covered with free transportation from their parks or Disney Springs, so you can easily check out the shops, restaurants, and activities at a deluxe resort. You won’t have access to their pools, gyms, or the extended evening hours in the parks, but that’s a small trade-off. Coronado Springs Want to channel your inner Hannah Montana and get the best of both worlds? You can totally experience that Disney deluxe life without the premium price tag by trying one of these three options: Option 1: Book a room at Gran Destino at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (a moderate resort). Gran Destino brings all the deluxe vibes with its luxurious setup, including awesome pools, two gyms, and table-service dining galore. (Plus, there’s a rooftop fireworks-view lounge, Dahlia Lounge!) It’s also the only moderate resort on Disney property that offers Club-Level stays. What’s so great about Club-Level rooms? Along with personalized concierge service, you’ll also get complimentary food and drinks! Many guests even plan a meal or two in the lounge, which can help offset the cost of the upgrade. At Gran Destino’s Chronos Lounge, you’ll find continental breakfast in the morning, snacks and beverages in the afternoon, and tapas (aka small bites), wine, beer, and cocktails in the evenings. And the best part is that Gran Destino’s Club-Level rooms are often cheaper than a standard room at a deluxe resort. The only downside is that since Coronado Springs is still considered a moderate resort, you won’t get those Extended Evening Hours perks. Option 2: Try a “split stay.” A split stay means that you book one Disney resort for the start of your trip and then transfer to another resort during the same vacation. This way, you can enjoy a deluxe resort room (and all the perks like Extended Evening Hours) for a day or two, then save money by staying at a more affordable value resort for the rest of your trip. The great thing about this is that you don’t have to worry about lugging your stuff around either as Disney will transfer your luggage to your next resort for you! (Just let Bell Services know you’re switching hotels, fill out a quick form, and they’ll handle the rest.) Swan & Dolphin Option 3: Snag a room at the Swan and Dolphin. The Swan and Dolphin hotels are owned by Marriott but partnered with Disney, so you’ll get similar perks to a Disney deluxe resort at a typically lower price. If you’re in the Marriott Bonvoy program, you’ll also earn rewards for your stay and can use points to book future stays, saving even more cash. Even though it’s not Disney-owned, you’ll still get Early Theme Park Entry (30 minutes before the park opens) and Extended Evening Hours. You’ll be staying in the heart of the EPCOT resort area, so you can easily walk to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and other nearby resorts, or take a Friendship Boat if you’re not feeling the walk. Plus, you’ve got access to some fantastic dining spots that a lot of Disney guests don’t even know about, like Rosa Mexicano, Todd English’s Bluezoo, The Fountain, and self-serve Dole Whip at Fuel. Book a Hotel With Free Food Just a heads up, this hack is going to take you outside the Disney bubble because, unfortunately, Disney World resorts don’t offer free breakfast. Whether you’re staying at a value, moderate, or deluxe hotel, you’ll have to shell out for your morning bacon and eggs. The only exception is staying Club Level, where breakfast is included with your private lounge access. But if you’re not about that Club Level price tag and still want a complimentary breakfast, you can score one at some non-Disney hotels nearby. It might take a bit of research, but it’s worth it. Drury Plaza Hotel near Disney Springs One of our absolute faves is the Drury Plaza Lake Buena Vista, located in the Disney Springs area. Not only do they serve up a free continental breakfast every morning (Mickey waffle station, anyone?), but there’s also more where that came from. Our Mickey Waffle Drury Plaza also offers a complimentary 5:30 PM “kickback” meal with snacks, cold drinks, beer, wine, mixed drinks, and more every night. While the menu changes daily, you can expect options like salad, soup, chili, pasta, baked potatoes, nachos, and sliders. It’s enough to count as a full dinner, meaning you’re saving serious cash on not just one meal, but two! Find the 24 Hour Refill Stations If you’re planning on getting a resort refill mug for your Disney World stay? Here’s a hack to make sure you get your money’s worth. First, let’s break down the deal with Disney’s refillable mugs. These 16 oz. insulated mugs are sold at Disney hotels’ main counter service spots and come free if you add the Disney Dining Plan to your vacation package. Once you’ve got one, you can enjoy unlimited free refills on fountain drinks, coffee, and tea at participating beverage locations across Disney hotels for up to 14 days. Refillable Mug Keep in mind that this only applies to Disney hotels, not the parks. But feel free to bring your mug along as you explore different resorts because refill stations are scattered across all Disney hotels, so you can grab a drink wherever you are. Here’s the real kicker, while many drink stations close early with the restaurants, some resort pool bars have refill stations that stay open 24/7. That means you can get your soda fix any time, day or night. A few 24-hour refill stations we’ve found recently include: Petals Pool Bar at Pop Century Resort Banana Cabana at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Drop Off Pool Bar at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Use one of these SECRET Hotel Discounts And we’re back at the Swan and Dolphin because there are even more ways to save on your stay here. Let’s dive into these discounts! AAA/CAA Members can save up to 25% on the best available rate at booking. The same discount applies to Law Enforcement, Military Personnel, Government Employees, Teachers, School Support Staff, and senior citizens (62+). Healthcare Heroes like Nurses, Doctors, Firefighters, Paramedics, and Medical Personnel get a special appreciation rate, which changes depending on the time of year. Florida Residents and Disney World Annual Passholders can save up to 30% off regular rates. Anyone can save up to 20% by booking a pre-paid, non-refundable room in 2024. Also if you’re traveling with a crew and need more than one room, you can book a second guest room for up to 25% off a regular rate. Swan and Dolphin Remember that Disney’s resorts also regularly promote special offers and discounts on their website, so always check the site for deals before booking at full price! See a Hotel Parade! A parade at a Disney World resort? Say what? There are actually TWO resort parades you might be able to catch during your Disney stay, depending on when you visit. It’s starting! The first is at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter during their Mardi Gras celebrations. During Mardi Gras, these New Orleans-inspired resorts go all out with special events, including the Port Orleans Mardi Gras Pargo Parade. This year, the parade started at 10 AM EST near Building 80 at Port Orleans Riverside and wound through the resort, ending in the French Quarter courtyard. The parade is a blast, featuring jazz bands, character appearances (like Princess Tiana in a horse-drawn carriage), and golf carts decked out as parade floats (made by resort guests!). You can even vote for your favorite float after the parade. And yes, there are plenty of Mardi Gras beads to collect in a family-friendly way. Halloween Golf Cart Parade Extravaganza The second option is at Fort Wilderness, where you could see one of THREE seasonal golf cart parades: Fourth of July, Halloween, or Christmas. These parades are guest-led, meaning campground guests started them as a fun vacation tradition, and now they’re a Fort Wilderness staple. The parades usually kick off at the hitching area near the front entrance and follow the road through the Meadow section, passing by the judge’s tent where floats are scored based on creativity and theme. The top six floats are chosen by the judges, and campground guests vote for the overall winner. Want in on the fun? To participate, you have to be staying at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. A week before the parade, sign up at the Bike Barn to get your lineup spot and order number. After that, just follow Disney’s rules to ensure everyone’s safety. As for spectating, that’s trickier. This parade is super popular, so only guests staying at the campground can watch. No reservation, no parade-viewing for you. Pack for SUCCESS Listen, I get it. Keeping your hotel room organized might not be your top priority on a Disney World trip, but there are some super handy items that have made our stays way more convenient and organized by default. Take compression packing cubes, for example. These things are game-changers! They work like vacuum sealers for your clothes. If you’ve got bulky items or just a ton of stuff to pack, these cubes help you squeeze everything into your suitcase without sacrificing your favorite outfits. ©Amazon Plus, at the end of your trip (when your stuff somehow magically expands), you can cram everything back into those cubes, avoiding the dreaded vacation Tetris as you try to repack. View on Amazon Another pro tip? Bring a foldable hamper. It keeps all your dirty laundry in one spot, making packing to go home easier. ©Amazon Also, you can use it to carry your clothes down to the laundry facilities available at every Disney World resort. View on Amazon Speaking of laundry, one of the best parts about Disney’s laundry facilities is that you don’t have to babysit your clothes! Download the LaundryView app, which notifies you when your laundry is done. So, while your clothes are getting clean, you can go for a swim or grab a Dole Whip instead of watching your laundry spin. Okay, let’s talk about your nightstand. One of the best ways we’ve found to avoid clutter is by investing in a 3-in-1 charging station, like the one we found on Amazon for Apple users. ©Amazon This nifty gadget charges your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at once, so no more tangled wires. View on Amazon Also, you’ll want to consider packing a small, flat power strip with USB ports to plug in your charging station and your MagicBand+ if you’re using one. ©Amazon This way, all your devices will be fully charged and ready for a day at the parks. View on Amazon Prioritize Reservations for NEW Resort Restaurants If you didn’t know, there are some fresh new restaurants popping up at Disney resorts, and even more on the way! In the “new and now open” category, we’ve got the reimagined character dining buffet at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Resort. 1900 Park Fare Coming soon, there’s The Cake Bake Shop, expected to open at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn later this year. (Fingers crossed—it’s been delayed a few times, but we’re hopeful!) So, here’s the deal, “New” in Disney World terms means “popular,” and that means reservations are going to fill up fast. So, make sure you’re on top of booking those advance dining reservations as soon as you can. Cake Bake Shop Construction Typically, you can start booking Disney dining reservations 60 days before your meal, but if you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, you get a little extra magic. You can book reservations up to 60 days in advance plus the length of your stay (up to 10 days). This means you could snag a table at 1900 Park Fare up to 70 days ahead of time if you’re staying at a Disney resort (again depending on how long your trip is). This gives you a better shot at grabbing those high-demand tables before they’re all gone. Take a Fireworks Cruise Some of the Disney World hotels offer a way to make the nighttime fireworks even more magical and private! Now, Fireworks cruises might not be brand new, but they’re a fresh way to see the show from a whole new perspective. Fireworks Cruise Here’s what you’re in for: You’ll board a 25-foot pontoon that comfortably fits up to 10 guests. Each cruise comes with a captain, snacks, drinks, piped-in music, and if you’re celebrating something special, you can request banners and balloons at no extra cost. Why not, right? Ferrytale Fireworks The fireworks you’ll see depend on where your cruise departs from. If your boat leaves from the Contemporary, Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian, Fort Wilderness, or Wilderness Lodge, you’ll catch the Happily Ever After show over Magic Kingdom. If you set sail from the Yacht and Beach Club marina, you’ll get to see EPCOT’s latest fireworks spectacular, Luminous: The Symphony of Us, which just debuted this past December as part of Disney’s 100th Anniversary celebration. Expect a mix of fireworks, fountains, lasers, and classic Disney tunes. Prices for these cruises start at $449 plus tax and vary depending on the day. To book, call (407) 939-7529 before your trip. Self-Serve Dole Whip Did you know that the power to control how much Dole Whip you swirl into your bowl is now in your hands?! Can you handle that kind of responsibility? Over at the Swan and Dolphin’s grab-and-go spot called Fuel (located on the Dolphin side), you’ll find sandwiches, specialty coffees, and other elevated snacks, and they’ve got a DIY froyo bar too. Fuel There are tons of flavors to choose from like dulce de leche, New York Cheesecake, Strawberry and Mango Sunrise. But the real gem is that you can score that classic Pineapple Dole Whip straight from the self-serve machines. You can even mix it up with a Pineapple Dole Whip and Sweet Coconut swirl and then pile on whatever toppings your heart desires! All the toppings! Dole Whip freedom never tasted so sweet, right? Just keep in mind that Fuel charges by the ounce (68 cents per ounce, to be exact), so if you get a little too swirl-happy, you might end up with quite a pricey treat! Fuel Froyo If you want to learn all about the different Disney World hotels and their unique offerings, check out the link below! Which Disney World Resort Hotel is Best for YOU? Keep it right here at DFB for all things Disney World! DON'T DO IT ALONE! Our favorite people over at Small World Vacations are ready to help you save time, headaches, and best of all, money, when you book your Disney trip or cruise. Their agents compare current offers to find the best deal for you -- they've literally saved their guests millions of dollars since 1996. Plus, their services are 100% FREE FOR YOU! (They're DFB's recommended travel agency, and you can see why here!) So book that trip now, then sit back and enjoy planning your Disney World Trip with a DFB-approved expert! Click here for a no obligation price quote today, and let them know DFB sent you GET MORE INFO What are some of your favorite Disney World hotel hacks? Let us know in the comments! The post 12 Tricky NEW Disney World Hotel Hacks first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Hey, friends! We’re back with another DFB Video covering all the latest Disney news! The Alps Full Spread The 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival has officially kicked off, we know when construction will begin on the Avengers Campus EXPANSION in Disney California Adventure, a beloved missing Disney snack is BACK and so much more. All the latest Disney Parks news is coming up right now on DFB Guide. 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! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/subscribe.png So check out the video and then let us know: Which Disney news of the week are you the most excited about? The post DFB Video: Latest Disney News: 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival & MORE! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Sunshine Seasons in EPCOT‘s The Land Pavilion has joined in the Food & Wine Festival fun this year with a special drink! Sunshine Seasons Sunshine Seasons is one of the of the permanent EPCOT locations that also join in on the festival fun with exclusive, limited-time snacks. Come with us to check out this year’s Food & Wine Festival addition! Menu Over at Sunshine Seasons, you’ll find a special festival-edition shake — the Caramel Apple Milk Shake for $10.99 made with Artisanal gelato, pâte brisée, whipped cream, candy apple cake, and caramel drizzle. Drinks It was a very nice reprieve to step inside the beautiful air conditioning of The Land Pavilion to grab this milkshake, which, right off the bat, LOOKED amazing! Caramel Apple Milk Shake The cake pop on top genuinely looked like a caramel apple, which we thought was so cute! Adorable! We will admit though that it fell off the stick before we could cut it to get a photo, so beware! Whoops! And the pastry ring underneath the cake pop was impressive, too! It really brought the whole treat together. The pastry ring! So it looked great, but how did it taste? Well, we’re sorry to say that our reporter’s exact words called this treat “sad,” and they recommend skipping it and getting an Apple Chai drink from Starbucks instead. OVERALL Ouch! That’s not what we wanted to hear. In this case, we didn’t get a ton of apple or caramel flavor, so it was a pretty bland shake. Even the cool design of the cake pop and pastry ring couldn’t save it because we weren’t impressed with those either. Yeah, we recommend skipping That’s it for the festival offerings at Sunshine Seasons, but there’s a LOT more where that came from! Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know: Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus One HUGE Change Is Coming to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival! Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival! And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below. IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Would you try this festival treat? Tell us in the comments! The post REVIEW: This EPCOT Restaurant’s Food and Wine Dessert Just Broke Our Hearts a Little first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

If you’ve ever been strolling around World Showcase during the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival and came across a very, very, VERY long line surrounding one of the Festival Marketplace Food Booths… 2024 Booth … then it’s quite possible that you’re already familiar with the Canada Booth! This fan-favorite booth celebrating the cuisine of our neighbors to the North is a popular destination for just about every guest at the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. And since we are reviewing every single Food Booth at the Festival, we’re just as excited as you probably are to see if this beloved Booth lives up to the hype (as evidenced by those long lines) once again this year. Menu For all the excitement surrounding the Canada Booth, there are only two food items on the menu again this year, and both are returning favorites: the Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup and the Filet Mignon. 2024 Canada Food Booth Menu To accompany the dishes are a beer and a wine option: Collective Arts Brewing Audio/Visual Lager and Château des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon. The question, of course, is whether these items stand up once again to their already stellar reputation… Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know: Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages Check out ALL of the 2024 Food & Wine Booth Menus Find ALL of our EPCOT Food and Wine Festival REVIEWS right here! And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below. IT'S WINE & DINE TIME! Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience. If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! Food and Wine Festival 101 Eat to the Beat Concert Updates EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What items from this booth would you most want to try? Tell us in the comments! The post REVIEW: If You Have To Spend in EPCOT, Don’t Spend It On THIS. first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We just got news that Disney World will be getting eight new rides! D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event These new attractions are spread across the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. While EPCOT is not getting any new attractions, Test Track 3.0 will open in 2025, and there will be a brand new Spaceship Earth Lounge! As for the new rides, we are a little worried that two of them will fall victim to the theme park ride screen epidemic. Some new Disney attractions have been using screens more and more instead of physical sets. Sometimes, the screens are necessary, like at Toy Story Mania or when rides like Na’vi River Journey or Rise of the Resistance go into B Mode. Other times, people feel that the screens are not enough. Toy Story Mania One of the most recent examples of this is when Tiana’a Bayou Adventure opened in Magic Kingdom at the end of June. Many people were disappointed to see that this attraction used screens and had animated versions of Tiana, Louis, and Mama Odie. While there is no doubt the animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are super impressive, fans were hoping that this ride would not have screens as its predecessor, Splash Mountain, did not utilize screens. Mama Odie Two of the eight newly announced attractions concern us. A highly rumored attraction, the Monsters Inc. Door Coaster, will finally be built in Hollywood Studios. It will be Disney World’s first suspended roller coaster. At D23, we got a look at some concept art as well as a physical model. Those doors look like they’re on a screen, not real doors. ©Disney Trust us: We have started to learn not to trust concept art, as sometimes the final product is far off from what the concept art shows. While the concept art does not give too many details, we wonder if the door effect on this coaster will be done using screens. The doors to the left seem to be physical doors ©Disney Currently, at Disney California Adventure, the slow-moving dark ride Monsters Inc.: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue uses mirrors and physical doors to give the effect that there are more doors than there actually are. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! We have our fingers crossed that this attraction will use more physical props rather than screens. Monsters Inc. coaster Animal Kingdom is receiving a huge overhaul as the Tree of Life will be home to a new show called Zootopia: Better Zoogether. DinoLand U.S.A. will be re-themed into a Tropical Americas-themed land named Pueblo Esperanza. Pueblo Esperanza Model Within this new land, there will be three brand-new attractions. Indiana Jones will take over DINOSAUR, and there will be a brand-new Encanto ride and a brand-new carousel. Here’s a look at the carousel on the Tropical Americas model! Out of these three attractions, we are concerned that the Encanto ride will use more screens rather than animatronics. Once again, we do not have much to go off of besides the few pieces of concept art. The one piece of concept art inside the ride shows the whole Family Madrigal, plus some animals. Encanto Concept Art While we are not saying it can’t happen, it seems very unlikely for Disney to make all these characters into animatronics and to have them all in one place close together. We are thinking that if this concept art remains true to the final product, it is likely that this scene will use a screen. Model of the Casita ride We will have to wait and see as more details about these projects are announced. Regardless of whether they have screens or not, we are still super excited that there will be new offerings at Disney World in the coming years. EVERY MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT for the Disney Parks from D23 Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What new attraction are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!The post Why We're Worried About 2 NEW Disney World Attractions first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article