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Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Disney World could be one of the most unique theme parks in the world. Zebra on Kilimanjaro Safaris Sure, it has some fun rides and a very cool land themed after Pandora from the Avatar movies. But it’s also got so many ANIMALS to see, too. Not only can you see animals doing their thing on the savanna on a safari ride, but you can also take one of Animal Kingdom’s many walking trails to see many different species. Even better, Disney is doing its part to bring more animals into the world, especially those that are endangered, so baby animals are often born at the park. Now, two NEW baby animals have come into the world to call Animal Kingdom home. First up, it’s a girl! On June 13th, a baby precious Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal was welcomed into the world at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Both mom and the baby are doing well, and Disney promises that the two will soon be out on the savanna. ©Disney Look at her! Isn’t she so sweet? ©Disney But this precious little zebra isn’t the only baby animal to come into the world recently. A new baby eland was also recently born at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Animal Kingdom Lodge has serious baby fever right now!). This is the first birth for her mother, Cleo — they’re both doing great, too, and they’re getting in some mother-daughter bonding time at a backstage barn. Sweet baby face An eland is a kind of antelope found in East and Southern Africa, by the way, in case you were wondering. It’s the second largest antelope in the world, so this little baby is going to grow up to be big and strong. Adorable! Want to see these animals? Get yourself a dining reservation at one of the hotel’s AMAZING dining spots (Jiko, Boma, or Sanaa) and spend some time viewing the animals from the hotel — you’ll even find experts willing to answer any questions you might have about the animals you see. Animal Kingdom Lodge Of course, you can also book a room at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and if you have a savanna view or partial savanna view room, you could wake up each morning, walk out onto your balcony, and see all the wildlife that lives there. Savanna view from room Of course, no trip to Disney World is complete without also visiting Animal Kingdom and seeing all the animals there, too! Stay tuned to DFB for more! When Will Disney’s Animal Kingdom Expansion Open? 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 animal to see in Disney World? Let us know in the comments! The post Disney’s New Animal Kingdom Lodge Announcement Is 99.99% Guaranteed To Make You Happy first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Your packing list for Disney World might be very long, with all the different outfits, Minnie ears, travel toiletries, and shoes that you’ll want to pack for your trip. With all the items you want to bring, there’s sure to be something that gets left behind. But please — we’re begging you — DON’T let it be one of these three things! ©Getty Images Whenever we send someone a packing list for Disney World, there are three very important — we’d even say absolutely ESSENTIAL — items that top the list every time. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. All of these items are available on Amazon, which means Prime members can get faster, FREE shipping! Not a Prime member? No worries. Just click the link below to start your free trial. Now, let’s check out these items! Don’t Even Think About Leaving Your Raincoat at Home! ©Amazon This advice is true for Orlando year-round, but it’s especially important during the summer months, when rainstorms pop up seemingly out of nowhere on an almost daily basis. It can be bright and sunny one minute and then those storm clouds roll in within seconds and you’re caught in a veritable downpour while you’re standing in line for Slinky Dog Dash. Storm clouds If you’re prepared, though, the rain doesn’t have to ruin your day! In fact, it might even help you. Lots of people who are unprepared for the rain will jump out of outdoor queues and dash into the nearest gift shop or restaurant to wait out the storm. But if you have your poncho or raincoat, you can just put it on quickly and go about your day! Many rides have shorter lines during the rain because so many people don’t want to be outside in it. Rain on Main Street Note that this is different if a full-on storm pops up, complete with lightning. Rides that are at least partially outside will temporarily shut down if there’s lightning in the area for safety reasons. Storm If you’re looking for a good raincoat, we recommend this adult rain poncho! It’s lightweight and can be folded up to carry in your park bag. They have drawstring hoods, and there are buttons all down the front. Shop for ponchos on Amazon here! You’ll Definitely Miss Your FuelRod if You Forget It FuelRods An essential tool for your day in the Disney World theme parks is your phone. We know that not everyone wants to rely on their phone and the My Disney Experience app while they’re on vacation, but love it or hate it, that app has some super useful (and sometimes non-avoidable) features. Using Genie+ on our phone Want to use Genie+ to skip the lines? That’s where it lives. Looking to skip even MORE lines by using Mobile Order to get your food? Gotta open the app again. Got lost looking for the bathrooms in Tomorrowland? The app can show you where the bathrooms are AND help you navigate back to somewhere you’re familiar with. ©Disney || It will even show you where the bathrooms are! Because you might be using your phone a LOT, there’s a decent chance that it will run out of battery before the day is over. That’s why we NEVER leave our house for Disney World without a FuelRod. FuelRods can be found all around the parks! The FuelRod is our go-to portable charger for a few reasons: First, it’s pretty compact, so it’s easy to toss into our park bag or even a small belt bag. Second, after you use it, you can swap out your empty FuelRod for a fully charged one at any FuelRod kiosk in the parks! These kiosks not only exist throughout Disney World — they’re located at airports, malls, and theme parks nationwide. Fuelrod Station Make sure to pick one up before your vacation! Shop FuelRods on Amazon here! Moleskin Could SAVE Your Entire Vacation — Trust Us Moleskin Adhesive Pads © Amazon If there’s one thing that can totally ruin a Disney World trip, it’s a painful blister on your foot. Maybe you ignored our advice and wore brand-new shoes in the park, or maybe your socks got wet in one of those pop-up summer rainstorms and you didn’t have time to dry them out before you started walking around again. Whatever happened, you don’t want to just keep walking around and making it worse. To save the day, make sure you have some moleskin in your park bag. You can stick it onto your foot, and it will prevent friction between the shoe or sock and your foot, thus alleviating your pain. These moleskin pads come in a variety of shapes to fit your needs. Shop for moleskin on Amazon here! Keep following DFB for more updates on the newest Disney merch! Check out our DFB Amazon storefront to see some of our favorite Disney essentials!The post You've Been Warned – DO NOT Go to Disney World Without This Item. You'll Regret It. first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Who wants to go to the Four Seasons Orlando? Who wants to go to Disney California Adventure? Who wants to see a CELEBRITY during your visit? Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure OK, our bucket list is pretty packed, as you can see. But someday, maybe we’ll spot the celebrity of our dreams AT Disney California and knock out two birds with one stone (side note — what a weird expression, right? why the hostility towards birds?!). And if you think the idea of seeing a celebrity at Disney World or Disneyland is totally impossible, think again! Turns out celebrities visit the Disney parks a LOT. They’re just like us, except for the millions of dollars sitting in their bank account. Anyway, wanna know why we’re so confident that our Disney celebrity dreams can come true? We’ve got proof it happens! So recently, we shared a fun little video of Auliʻi Cravalho (the voice of Moana) visiting not one but TWO new Disney World attractions. Via @disneyparks on TikTok If you haven’t checked out our post, we highly recommend watching the video of her on the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride. Her reactions are priceless! See Moana’s HILARIOUS Reaction to Magic Kingdom’s New Ride But that’s not all! Disney also just shared an ADORABLE family photo at Disney California Adventure. This family might look familiar; it’s singer Meghan Trainor and actor Daryl Sabara, along with their son! Via @disneyparks on Instagram Oh, and Mike and Sully made an appearance, too. Good news — Mike’s face is fully visible! We don’t want a repeat of THIS incident… ©Disney Oh, and while we’re busy fangirling over this fun celebrity appearance, we need to point out Meghan Trainor’s theme park style. From the comfy leggings to the chunky platform sneakers, she clearly knows how to dress for a busy day in Disneyland. See? Even celebrities know that t-shirts and baseball hats are a theme park staple! Blue Happiest Place On Earth Shirt You never know who you might see in the Disney parks — that’s part of the fun! We’ll be sure to keep you updated with any more fun celebrity appearances we see, so stick around for more. In the meantime, we’ve got TONS of helpful Disney planning tips and stories to share; check out our post below! Heads Up! We Are WEEKS Away From Disney’s Biggest. News. Ever. 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 Have you ever spotted a celebrity in Disney World or Disneyland? Let us know in the comments! The post Made You Look! A Celebrity Couple Just Had the BEST Time Meeting Disney’s ‘Monsters, Inc’ Characters first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We’re mildly obsessed with bathrooms, and yeah, maybe that’s a little weird, but we know where ALL the bathrooms in Disney World are located. Animal Kingdom We, obviously, have our favorites. For example, we will walk ACROSS Magic Kingdom to visit the Tangled-themed restrooms in Fantasyland. We think the Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana bathrooms in EPCOT are highly underrated. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, though, there are some bathrooms you may not even be aware of — you can’t get to them unless you take a train. So let’s take the train known as the Wildlife Express –– you’ll find the train’s station in Africa near Kilimanjaro Safaris (if you’re facing the Safaris entrance, go right to find the train station). Once you board the train, you’ll take a chill 7-minute, 1.2-mile journey to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Wildlife Express Once you reach Rafiki’s Planet Watch, you’ll be greeted with this gorgeous entrance. Rafiki’s Planet Watch entrance So let’s check out the bathrooms here! Once you find the bathrooms, you’ll find yourself in a quiet relaxing space with some beautiful tiles on the walls, with animals, like this tiger… Tiger tile …this gorilla… Gorilla tile …this giraffe, and more! Giraffe tile However, this is a bathroom experience with the added bonus of LEARNING. You’ll also find animal trivia questions on the walls. Whiz Quiz! Want the answers? Head on over to the sink to wash your hands and the answers will be revealed! This is only one of the reasons we love this part of Animal Kingdom — and it’s almost a secret because it’s rarely busy here! Wash your hands for the answer! But there’s way more to Rafiki’s Planet Watch because you can also see Rafiki here, like this statue. Rafiki is here… But you can MEET Rafiki here, too, and get some photos with him. And here! Oh, did we mention you can meet Walt here, too? Well, it’s really Walt the goat (on the left), but you can pet him and get to meet him and his friends, like Gus (on the right). This is a petting location, so you can meet quite a few animals here and give them a scratch behind the ears: we’re talking pigs, goats, and more. You can also learn more about them from Cast Members. Walt and Gus Head back into the Conservation Station building, and you may get a chance to see Animal Kingdom’s veterinary team doing surgery or a medical procedure on one of the animals. A Cast Member told us the best chance of seeing a surgery in progress was first thing in the morning. How fun! There’s also an abandoned attraction here. Grandmother Willow used to narrate a Song of the Rainforest sound show here. A Cast Member once told us that the show stopped operating after the building was struck by lightning (around 2011) and it fried the computer system, and the data was never backed up and was running on Windows 98, so there was no way to salvage it. It sits there, covered by ferns… Abandoned attraction …and the original signage is still on the doors of the sound booths. Sound booth Have you ever wanted to take a drawing lesson from a Disney animator? You can do that, too, at the Animation Experience. Take a 25-minute class where you can learn to draw one of Disney’s animal characters. Right now, you can learn to draw Rafiki. Animation Experience You’ll also find some of the best vending machines here, PLUS they have diapers and wipes! Vending machines Finally, be sure to check out the mural here…it has TONS of Hidden Mickeys. Mural Do you see it? The most terrifying hidden Mickey of all If you’ve never taken the Wildlife Express to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, you’ve been missing out on some unique things to do in Animal Kingdom. Be sure to add it to your list for your next trip. Stay tuned to DFB for more. If Disney’s Animal Kingdom Expansion Doesn’t Include this Epic Ride, We’re Not Going. 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 Have you ever been to Rafiki’s Planet Watch? What’s your favorite thing to do there? Let us know in the comments! The post You Have To Take a Secret Train To the BEST Bathrooms in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

I have a HOT TAKE about Disney World snacks. Animal Kingdom I personally don’t believe that EPCOT or Magic Kingdom have the best snacks…I think it’s Animal Kingdom that takes home this trophy! I know it’s controversial, but with lots of little snack stands spread throughout the park that serve some really interesting and unique treats, I believe the youngest of the Disney World theme parks comes out on top. And recently, I went to a snack stand in Animal Kingdom to do a full review and test this theory! Atmosphere For this review, we’re heading to Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery in the Africa section of the park! Let’s go to Kusafiri! This little spot is kind of tucked away in a corner, hiding behind Tusker House Restaurant and the Dawa Bar. There’s a little walk-up stand where you order your food, followed by a window where you pick up your order. Order kiosk and pick-up window There are a few high-top tables spread throughout the area, some of which are in the shade. Tables And then in the back, there’s a stand with condiments, napkins, and utensils. They also have a selection of sugars and creamer for your coffee. (Ya know, since this is a coffee shop.) Condiment Station And that’s the grand tour! Let’s dive into the menu. Menu For my visit to Kusafiri, I stopped by during lunch. During that time, you can snag a few different entrees — the Impossible Gatsby, the Harissa Chicken Wrap, the Marinated Pork Flatbread, or the Marinated Chicken Flatbread. They also have a selection of pastries and snacks to pair with your coffee. Kusafiri Menu For coffee, you can get a basic Joffrey’s option or try the signature Coconut-flavored Iced Coffee beverage. Eats For my review, I grabbed two of the lunch entrees, as well as one of the pastries. Let’s dig in! Full spread Starting out, I tried the Colossal Cinnamon Roll for $7.49. This treat is Mickey-shaped, which automatically makes it more delicious, right?! Colossal Cinnamon Roll It was soft in the middle but fairly tough on the edges. Kusafiri tops it with both icing and caramel sauce, which makes it nice and sweet. It’s incredibly messy, but it has a good cinnamon flavor and there’s a lot of icing. I would recommend sharing this with someone else, but it’s a great breakfast option! Inside the cinnamon roll After that, it was time to dig into the entrees! The Marinated Pork Flatbread is $10.99 and made with marinated pork topped with cucumber-tomato salad, harissa aïoli, and greens, and served with seasoned house-made chips. Marinated Pork Flatbread This is served hot and fresh and topped with a sauce and veggie blend. The pork was tender and moist, but a little bit on the greasy side. The sauce melts quickly and makes a mess, but there’s a great mix of flavors here. It’s fresh, meaty, and a smidge spicy. The lettuce was kind of wilted, but otherwise, this was very tasty. The chips are the traditional house-made chips you find around Disney World. I’m personally not a huge fan of them because I find them to be overcooked sometimes, but other people really like them. It’s really a personal preference thing. Inside the flatbread And finally, let’s round out the review with the Harissa Chicken Wrap. This is $10.49 and made with harissa chicken salad with vegetables and an avocado spread in a spinach tortilla served with seasoned house-made chips. Harissa Chicken Wrap This was incredibly refreshing and served cold. There’s a good chew from the chicken and the tortilla with a nice crunch from the carrots and cucumber. The chicken flavor is fairly mild with a hint of spices afterward, but not much overall. The spinach wrap has a very light flavor, and it doesn’t taste like tortilla. Inside the chicken wrap So how does Kusafiri fare? Let’s talk about it! Overall In the end, I was pretty impressed by this spot! Everything I ate had pretty good quality ingredients and the cinnamon roll was better than others I’ve had elsewhere in this park. My favorite item was probably the Harissa Chicken Wrap, and I think it would make a great lunch on a hot summer day. Kusafiri This is a great place to stop if you’re looking for a quick pastry or snack, or you want an entree you can order and eat quickly. Nosh or Not? Pause for a snack break in Africa if… You want to eat fast. There’s not usually too long of a line here, so it’s easy to order quickly, get your food, and get on your merry way. Much quicker than a Mobile Order process or a sit-down meal. You’re on a budget. The entrees and items here aren’t too expensive and are still good quality. You want to try some unique flavors. Not interested in hot dogs and cheeseburgers? Those with more varied flavor palettes will probably like it here! Skip this snack spot if… You’re a group of picky eaters. The flavors in these food items are a bit more exotic so this isn’t exactly a spot for chicken tender fanatics. You want to sit down while you eat. All the tables here are standing tables, so there’s nowhere to sit, and there’s no air conditioning. You want the absolute best Animal Kingdom has to offer. While the food here was good, I’m not going to tell you it’s the best quick service in the park, because it’s not. If you want the absolute top-notch eats, I would recommend somewhere like Satu’li Canteen. Eats at Kusafiri That’s a wrap on my visit to Kusafiri! Thanks for coming along. And of course, stay tuned to DFB for more food reviews from Disney World. Best Snacks in Animal Kingdom for 2024 — Click Here! 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 go-to Animal Kingdom snack? Tell us in the comments! The post REVIEW: You've Probably Walked Right Past This Obscure Disney's Animal Kingdom Snack Spot a Dozen Times first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney history may change forever in a few weeks. D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event The 2024 edition of the D23 Ultimate Fan Event — Disney has dropped the word “Expo” from the title — is scheduled for August 9 through the 11th. The event will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center for shopping, exhibits, and smaller panels and presentations during the day, and move over to the Honda Center (the arena home of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks) for larger, marquee presentations at night. While we don’t know exactly what to expect at the 2024 D23 Ultimate Fan Event, there are definitely some educated guesses that we can make based on upcoming projects. An Opening Day for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disneyland While Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World is currently in the midst of a…problematic preview period, we know the highly anticipated attraction is scheduled to open to the general public on June 28th. However, as of press time, its West Coast counterpart in Disneyland still has no opening date listed other than “2024.” Unless an opening date is announced between now and the event, we imagine that the massive gathering in Disneyland’s hometown would be the perfect opportunity to confirm one. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — Mid-May 2024 DisneylandForward While it might be too early for Disney to drop too many specific details, we would imagine that the DisneylandForward project — Disney’s $1.9 billion expansion project for the California resort, which was given final approval by the Anaheim City Council in May — will likely be discussed. The approval changed zoning regulations, allowing Disney to develop land that’s mostly dedicated to parking at this time. This would would allow theme park attractions to be constructed alongside hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive, as well as attractions, shopping, dining and entertainment by the the Toy Story Parking Area at Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard. DisneylandForward concept art ©Disney Avatar Potentially tied to DisneyLand Forward, we also think’s a possibility we might hear about the Avatar attraction that’s been teased several times for Disneyland. Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger offered a sneak peak of a “possible” Avatar land/attraction in Anaheim, saying it was the company’s “intention” to build it at the Disneyland Resort, and that the company was “thrilled about many potential new stories that our guests could experience in Walt’s original theme park, including the opportunity to embark on all-new Avatar adventures with a visit to the world of Pandora.” Concept art for an Avatar area in Anaheim ©Disney The Avengers (?) Back in 2019, Disney showed concept art and spoke about an Avengers E-Ticket attraction based around a battle in the nation of Wakanda that would be coming to California Adventure’s Avengers Campus. Word on the attraction went quiet during and after the pandemic, with rumors of it being canceled. At the 2022 D23 Expo, Disney announced that the ride would now feature Marvel heroes from various multiverses teaming up to battle King Thanos. We’re hoping that the 2024 event may have further details, and (fingers crossed) include an official name and at least partial construction timeline. Moving from Disneyland across the country to Florida, we’re expecting to hear more about Disney World’s two massive projects. With Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District coming to an agreement on a 15-year, $17 billion development plan — and effectively ending the company’s long-running feud with Ron DeSantis — it seems logical that Disney would want to put on the full court press for upcoming Walt Disney World projects. Beyond Big Thunder First up, there’s the massive expansion to the Magic Kingdom that the company has previously dubbed “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” The project was first discussed by Josh D’Amaro at the 2022 D23 Expo, with blue sky concept art seemingly displaying potential attractions based on Coco, Encanto, and Disney’s stable of villains. RCID Comprehensive Plan map and map of Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland Earlier this year, during an Imagineering media event, Michael Hundgen – Walt Disney World Site Portfolio Expert – confirmed this expansion was “probably the largest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom” and said the amount of land being used was on par with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. We’re hoping for some more specifics on the expansion, including which intellectual properties will be included, since one of them seems unavailable for the Magic Kingdom now… Concept art Tropical Americas In addition to the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is about to see some love as well. Whether you consider it an expansion or a a rethemeing, massive change is coming to the park either way as Dinoland U.S.A. is turning into a Tropical America’s themed area. Josh D’Amaro and Imagineering’s Bruce Vaughn spoke about the project at the 2023 D23 Expo, with the latter saying “Imagineering has been talking about stories from this part of the world; Encanto with Indiana Jones just rose to the top. They give us so much to play with. We have a long way to go now and a lot more to discover. But our team here in Florida is all over it.” @Disney In April of this year, Disney Imagineering posted a video to Instagram with a caption where they officially announced the project. It read, “Travel with us to the Yucatán Peninsula, one of the many locales where we’ll draw inspiration for Tropical Americas, the exciting update coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom!“ Encanto Mural in Animal Kingdom! Inside the clip, Neal Emery, Principal Landscape Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering explained that the team had recently taken “a trip down to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to study culture, art, and the archeology of the Mayans. Imagineers build 3D models to help visualize the stories that we’re trying to tell, to bring the fantastical and magical to life.” We’d be THRILLED! The clip also contained further concept art that seemed to once indicate that a full size Casita from Encanto was coming, as was an Indiana Jones retheme of Dinosaur. We’re hoping that Disney confirms these details at the upcoming Fan Event, as well as some potential construction timelines. We’ll miss Dinosaur, but we’re not opposed to this These are just some of the projects we’re hoping to get updates on at D23 Ultimate Fan Event, but of course Disney could always throw us a curveball and announce some projects we haven’t even imagined yet. Stay tuned to DFB for full D23 coverage! Is It Time to Talk About a FIFTH PARK in Disney World Again? 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 Which project are you most interested in hearing about at the 2024 D23 Ultimate Fan Even. Let us know in the comments below. The post Heads Up! We Are WEEKS Away From Disney's Biggest. News. Ever. first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

When you travel to Disney World, how do you get there? Southwest at Orlando International Airport If you’re like most Disney World visitors, you probably choose between either driving and flying. However, we bet the majority of you fly into Orlando International Airport. We also believe a lot of you probably fly into Orlando on Southwest Airlines (and we get it — we fly Southwest a lot, too). If you’re planning a Disney World trip (or any other kind of trip that requires air travel), we’ve got a deal to share with you. Costco members can often save on Disney gift cards, but did you know they can also save money on Southwest gift cards? In turn, those Southwest gift cards can be used to book flights to Disney World (or anywhere else you might like to go). Right now, Costco has an AMAZING deal where you can get a $500 Southwest gift card for just $429.99. Yep, that’s a savings of $70! ©Costco You’ll need to act fast, though — this offer ends TONIGHT, June 23rd, 2024. So grab it while it’s hot! You can redeem the gift card online, at a Southwest ticket counter, or by calling 1-800-I-Fly-SWA. You’re only allowed five gift cards and only ONE transaction per membership, and it is non-refundable. Southwest Airplane Of course, if you are traveling to Disney World, you might want to read up on our best tips for navigating Orlando International Airport. You’ll also need to take care of transportation to and from the airport and Disney World. You’ll have a few options to consider: you can rent a car and drive to Disney World, take a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, or use a shared shuttle service like Mears Connect driven by Sunshine. Mears Connect You’ll also want to know more about Orlando International Airport for your return trip home. You’ll want to arrive at the Orlando Airport at least three hours before your flight’s departure time (trust us, you’ll need all that extra time). Security lines are often very long at the airport, so if you don’t have TSA PreCheck, consider using the MCO Reserve service that allows you to reserve a time to go through a shorter security line. Don’t worry; it’s FREE. ©Orlando International Airport Of course, flying also comes with its challenges, including delays and cancellations. Be sure you have a way to get notified of any changes by your airline by turning notifications on in the airline app and/or signing up for text updates, if available. Stay tuned to DFB for more. The Ultimate Disney World Packing List for 2024 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 Do you fly Southwest? Are you going to grab this deal? Let us know in the comments! The post The Exclusive Discount Available On Southwest Airlines Gift Cards Right Now first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Shockingly, the concept of a small, enclosed box hanging on a thin wire above a highly trafficked highway became SUPER popular in Disney World. If you really think about it, the Disney Skyliner is pretty incredible! It’s fast, efficient, and fun (unless you’re afraid of heights, anyway). Disney World’s Skyliner The DFB team LOVES the Skyliner — don’t get me wrong. But after a recent trip to Disney World, where I was limited to just one main form of transportation, it got me thinking. Are people too hard on Disney World bus transportation? Whoa. Let’s pump the brakes. Sure, a Disney bus is a solid option, but am I really about to compare it to the Monorail, the Skyliner, and the FREE watercraft all available for Disney guests? Yes, yes I am. Hear me out. Skyliner at Caribbean Beach Resort Recently, I stayed at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. It’s one of Disney’s Value Resorts, meaning it’s one of the least expensive rooms a person can get while still staying on Disney property. If you’re on a budget but want access to that free Disney transportation, this is the way to go. But, if you’re looking for a hotel that offers more than one way to get to the parks (without your own car, that is), you might want to avoid the All-Star Resorts. Disney’s All-Star Music Resort But before you go counting this place out, I need to share my experience with the bus system at All-Star Music. Now, I’ve stayed at Moderate Resorts, Deluxe Resorts, and Value Resorts, so I’m familiar with all kinds of bus stops, Monorail lines, and Skyliner stations. But let me tell you, no form of Disney transportation is perfect. The Skyliner shuts down when there is lightning in the area. And, being Florida, there’s often lightning in the area. The Monorail breaks down a LOT. Even boat transportation is rather unreliable, and some boats have a small capacity. Yacht Club Lighthouse Know what DOESN’T shut down in the rain? Know what has a shocking amount of space for a LOT of people? A Disney bus. In fact, I had better luck with Disney bus transportation at my All-Star Hotel than I’ve had with some Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. Out of the ten days I stayed at the resort, I only waited 20+ minutes for a bus one time. And I took a LOT of buses around Disney World! That’s a GREAT track record! Disney Bus Now, I did have a bit of an advantage. I was staying in a building that was right across the parking lot from the All-Star Sports Resort, so if I saw the All-Star Sports bus first, I’d often jump on that instead. I had double the options! But even if I had only taken the All-Star Music bus, I found that buses showed up at the bus stops frequently, and there were only a small handful of times when the bus was completely full. I got a seat every single time I boarded the bus. It was shockingly…nice! Disney bus Plus, the air conditioning on those buses is FROSTY cold. And in the middle of summer, it feels like stepping into paradise. So, yes, the Monorail or Skyliner might seem more interesting and fun, but when you get right down to it, the Disney bus is a WORKHORSE. It’s a trusty, reliable, simple way to get back and forth from your hotel, and it deserves a little recognition. I see you, Disney buses! Bus pickup in front of All-Star Music Resort Keep in mind that your experience may vary depending on the hotel you’re staying at and the time of year. Some hotels may have a less reliable bus schedule, but in my experience, the hotels that rely solely on bus transportation tend to be pretty on top of it. But enough about me! Is your experience similar? Let us know in the comments! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more. CONFIRMED: Disney World Price Increases DRAMATICALLY Outpace Inflation 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 Is your Disney bus experience similar? Let us know in the comments! The post I Have Something Controversial To Say About Disney World Hotel Transportation, and You Might Be Surprised About It first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Sustainability is always something that Disney World has strived for in the parks and resorts. Regal Eagle Smokehouse Most recently, Disney has partnered with Seafood Watch, a conservation group that rates seafood sustainability and is working with its chefs to create dishes using seafood recommended by that group. Disney World also plans on having at least half of its property powered by solar energy by the year 2030. The company is also looking to reduce its landfill waste to ZERO in the next eight years. As a result of the company’s sustainability goals, a new program is currently being tested at one Disney World restaurant. We were visiting EPCOT recently and stopped into one of our favorite quick-service dining spots, Regal Eagle Smokehouse, which is in the American Adventure Pavilion. There, we learned about a new sustainability program that is currently being tested. First, we noticed that one of the tray return areas was closed…there’s a reason for this. Tray return is closed The sustainability study works like this: instead of allowing diners to throw away their own trash and trust that they’ll separate it appropriately, there’s a dedicated station with Cast Members where you can turn your trays directly over to them. Those stations are clearly marked. The Cast Members will then separate the contents of what’s on the tray between food, beverages, recycling, and trash. Tray return According to the Cast Members we spoke with, not every drain in Disney World is set up to drain to the correct place, so they are collecting excess beverages and making sure they get disposed of in the right drain. If the study proves a success, we were told the program would be rolled out for other restaurants in Disney World. We were also told, though, that the one at Regal Eagle would likely go away; it is only temporary before the full program officially launches. If you see this sign, look for the tray drop-off station So, if you’re visiting a Disney World restaurant and notice that the self-return tray area is marked as closed, be sure to look for a station with Cast Members that should have a sign indicating that’s where you’ll drop off your trays once you’re done with your meal. Cast Members sorting Disney has also recently been pushing guests to opt for reusable silverware and has announced a plan to ban the use of single-use straws in its parks. Pre-packaged plastic cups (like the kind plastic cheese comes in) are also being phased out. You’ll even spot special trash cans in the parks for compost waste. We’ll likely be seeing more studies like this in the upcoming years due to Disney’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. Stay tuned to DFB for more. 10 WEIRD Things That Are BANNED in Disney World 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 of these sustainability efforts? Let us know in the comments! The post NEWS: Disney Is Currently Testing a New Restaurant Change first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney has been catching some heat for recent changes they’ve made, so is there ANYTHING they’ve done right lately?! Magic Kingdom Lofty, “blue sky” plans have been replaced with cheaper, more generic ones, and don’t even get us started on the free FastPass and FastPass+ being replaced with Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes — a new, paid, skip-the-line service. With so much discontent sowing among Disney fans, we have to wonder: Has Disney done anything right these past few years?! We asked our readers over on Facebook if they thought Disney World had done anything right over the past few years, and here’s what they said! Ditching Park Pass Reservations When Disney World reopened after the pandemic, they implemented a Park Pass Reservation system to help control crowds. Essentially, everyone had to make a reservation for a specific park in order to be able to visit that day — in addition to having valid admission. Cinderella Castle But, as of January 9th, 2024, Disney World no longer requires a Park Pass Reservation for most guests. Anyone who buys a regular date-based ticket from Disney (either on its own or as part of a vacation package) no longer has to reserve their park visit in advance. Animal Kingdom However, select guests including Disney World Annual Passholders and Cast Members STILL REQUIRE Park Pass Reservations (with some exceptions). Group tickets, Florida Resident tickets, Military tickets, and more still need park pass reservations in order to visit Disney World. We’ll let you know if this changes! Click Here for More Info on Who Still Needs Park Pass Reservations Disney Dining Plan Return The Disney Dining Plan failed to return after the post-pandemic reopening of the parks as well — much to the chagrin of hardcore fans everywhere. Folks were begging Disney to bring it back and constantly asking us for updates on it. Full spread Essentially, Disney Dining Plans are an optional add-on to a Disney World vacation package (which includes hotel and tickets). This means that the Disney Dining Plan is exclusive to guests staying in a Disney World Resort hotel. Disney Dining Plans are pre-purchased, so all you have to do when you get to Disney World is head to a restaurant that accepts the Disney Dining Plan and you’re good to use it! Spread from B.B. Wolfe’s It was a big hit with people, as it took the stress out of having to pay out of pocket for meals, snacks, and drinks on vacation — and instead paying for everything in advance so that you didn’t have to worry about how much things would cost while on vacation. Eventually, Disney brought the Dining Plan back on January 9th, 2024. Learn More About the Disney Dining Plan! Disney Springs Drone Show Disney World is known for incredible nighttime fireworks shows, but recently the first drone show premiered at Disney Springs! Disney Dreams That Soar is a new nighttime drone show that celebrates “the joy of flight with state-of-the-art drones choreographed to create designs in the sky” all paired with a “soaring” musical score interspersed with movie quotes.” New Drone show And, it’s a pretty big hit! It’s so popular, in fact, that Disney is having to do some serious crowd control to put up with demand. It’s an incredible feat of technology, so it’s no wonder that the show has become pretty popular and garnering some chaotic crowds. SO cool The stories are shared with state-of-the-art drones (800 of them!) choreographed to form 400-foot tall designs in the sky, featuring some of your favorite Disney characters and icons. (Look for friends from Toy Story, Coco, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Up, Star Wars, and more!) See More of Disney Dreams That Soar Here Park Hopping Changes Another relic from the post-COVID Disney World era — park hopping restrictions. When the parks first reopened, you weren’t allowed to hop from park to park at all so Disney could try and control the crowds. Eventually, park hopping returned but with a caveat that you had to wait until after 2PM to do it — and had to scan into the park you had a reservation for first. Hollywood Studios It made it difficult for folks to freely move about the parks, and caused some disgruntled fans to make it known they wanted it back. But, as of January 9th, 2024, anyone who has a park ticket with Park Hopper capabilities or an Annual Pass can visit another theme park at any time of day during park hours. Happy hopping! Free Parking at Hotels Disney giveth, and Disney taketh away. Except in this case, former CEO Bob Chapek took it away and current (but also former) CEO Bob Iger brought it back. We’re talking about free parking at Disney World-owned and operated hotels, of course! Art of Animation Years ago, overnight self-parking at Disney World’s hotels was FREE for hotel guests. But Disney later changed things and introduced overnight parking fees for those staying at Disney World’s hotels, which varied in cost depending on what level of hotel you’ll be staying at. We’re happy to say that overnight self-parking is FREE once again for guests staying at Disney World’s Resort Hotels as of January 10th, 2024. Riviera Resort No matter what you think of Disney’s latest changes, one thing is for sure — you can count on Disney Food Blog to bring you the latest updates! Stay tuned for all your Disney news needs. ALERT: 3 MAJOR Genie+ Changes Are Coming to Disney World This Year 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 Genie+ 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 When are you heading to Disney World next? Tell us in the comments. The post 'Everything Is Ruined' -- Has Disney Done Anything Right These Past Few Years?! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

After two weeks of falling wait times, Disney World saw times JUMP up this week as summer is starting getting into full-swing. Slinky Dog Dash Average wait times at the resort jumped up across the board, with rides like Avatar: Flight of Passage, Slinky Dog Dash, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure seeing big double digit increases in average wait time. Take a look at this week’s average wait times — going from highest to lowest! Magic Kingdom Wait Times The Magic Kingdom’s wait times all trended upwards this week. There were no MAJOR, double digit jumps, but nearly every attraction in the park across the board increased by a few minutes. (NOTE: Tron Lightcycle/Run does not currently use a standby queue, it’s not included here.) Mine Train Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — 63 minutes Peter Pan’s Flight — 49 minutes Jungle Cruise — 44 minutes Space Mountain — 44 minutes Haunted Mansion — 37 minutes Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — 35 minutes Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh — 31 minutes The Barnstormer Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin — 28 minutes Enchanted Tales with Belle — 27 minutes Astro Orbiter — 26 minutes Pirates of the Caribbean — 24 minutes “it’s a small world” — 18 minutes Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini — 17 minutes Tomorrowland Speedway Tomorrowland Speedway — 17 minutes Dumbo the Flying Elephant — 17 minutes Mickey’s PhilharMagic — 16 minutes Magic Carpets of Aladdin — 15 minutes Mad Tea Party — 12 minutes Enchanted Tiki Room — 11 minutes Liberty Square Riverboat — 11 minutes Carousel of Progress Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover — 13 minutes Prince Charming Regal Carrousel — 12 minutes Tom Sawyer Island — 7 minutes Carousel of Progress — 5 minutes Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse — 4 minutes Hall of Presidents — 0 minutes Country Bear Jamboree — (This attraction has now closed for refurbishment — read all about the changes here) Say It Ain’t So! Did You Miss This CELEBRITY SIGHTING in Magic Kingdom? EPCOT Wait Times EPCOT’s wait time increases were more noticble than Magic Kingdom’s. Remy’s led with the way, jumping double digits, while the rest of the park’s attractions followed. (NOTE: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind does not currently use a standby queue, so it’s not included here.) Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure — 64 minutes Test Track — 56 minutes Frozen Ever After — 55 minutes Mission: SPACE — 47 minutes Soarin’ — 37 minutes The Seas Turtle Talk with Crush — 17 minutes Spaceship Earth — 14 minutes Journey into Imagination — 13 minutes The Seas with Nemo and Friends — 12 minutes Living with the Land — 11 minutes Gran Fiesta Tour — 10 minutes 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. People Online Are Absolutely ROASTING EPCOT’s New Attraction and Honestly, We Can See Why Animal Kingdom Wait Times As one would expect given the other parks, Walt Disney World’s busiest overall ride – – Animal Kingdom’s Flight of Passage – – saw a big jump, as did most of Animal Kingdom’s other attractions. Na’vi River Journey boats Avatar Flight of Passage — 79 minutes Na’vi River Journey — 56 minutes Kali River Rapids — 43 minutes Expedition Everest — 37 minutes Giraffe during Kilimanjaro Safaris Kilimanjaro Safaris — 33 minutes Dinosaur — 21 minutes It’s Tough to Be a Bug — 10 minutes TriceraTop Spin — 8 minutes The Boneyard — 0 minutes Not To Be Dramatic, But This is The BEST Part of Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Expansion Hollywood Studios Wait Times Slinky Dog Dash followed the lead of EPCOT’s busiest attraction, jumping up double digits and remaining Hollywood Studios’ busiest attraction. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Slinky Dog Dash — 80 minutes Rise of the Resistance — 67 minutes Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — 54 minutes Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway — 51 minutes Toy Story Mania Toy Story Mania — 50 minutes Tower of Terror — 48 minutes Alien Swirling Saucers — 34 minutes AT-AT at Star Tours — Disney’s Hollywood Studios Star Tours — 15 minutes Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy — 13 minutes Muppet Vision 3D — 10 minutes Walt Disney Presents — 4 minutes Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is currently closed for refurbishment and is set to reopen this summer. ALERT! A Hollywood Studios Ride Has Changed (Again!) Stay tuned to DFB for more updates from Disney World! 4 Jaw-Droppingly Good Disney World Ride Transformations 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 Summer Is Officially HERE... And So Are HIGHER WAIT TIMES at Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Y’all. It has been a WEEK in Disney World. Columbia Harbour House In EPCOT, people are absolutely roasting the new CommuniCore Hall, while something iconic has gone missing. In Hollywood Studios, Disney announced price increases for its Fantasmic! Dining Packages. In Magic Kingdom, Tiana literally shut down at her own Mardi Gras party on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The worst thing there, though, is that Columbia Harbour House took hushpuppies off the menu (no, we are not okay). However, we still went to Columbia Harbour House to see if one of its new meals could make us feel a little better. So, let’s dig into the Plant-based Crispy Mushroom Roll. It’s made with cornmeal-fried mushrooms, plant-based spicy tartar sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and a pickle served with French fries for $13.49. Okay, we’re just going to have to say that this sandwich knocked it out of the park and might be our new favorite lunch in Disney World (even though we still would’ve preferred hushpuppies over fries, and yes, we’re still a little bitter about that). Plant-based Mushroom Roll The fried mushrooms have a similar texture to fried oysters, although we have to warn you that some of the fried mushrooms were a little on the hard side, so be warned if you have sensitive teeth. However, we won’t hold that against it. The fresh tomatoes pair so well with the mushrooms, as well as the crisp shredded lettuce. That sauce, too, just takes it up a notch. Honestly, we’re getting some Louisiana-style Po’ Boy vibes here. Y’all. This was GOOD The bread is AH-mazing, although it is a sturdier roll, which allows it to hold a lot of fillings and absorb the moisture inside. It’s good bread, y’all. Disney World has been turning up its plant-based game lately, and this is another great option you can add to your list. However, even if you’re not on a plant-based diet, we think you just might appreciate this tasty roll. The bread is good, too! We can’t say we 100% forgive Columbia Harbour House for getting rid of their hushpuppies, but this certainly softens the blow a bit. The plant-based Crispy Mushroom Roll is a good addition to the menu, and we’ll probably still tell folks that Columbia Harbour House is one of the most underrated quick-service dining spots in Magic Kingdom. We’ll be trying out even more new food in Disney World soon, so stay tuned to DFB for more. With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. REVIEW: We Don’t Know How They Did It, But a Favorite Disney World Spot Just Made Us Feel Like We Visited For The First Time 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 plant-based food option in Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments! The post Surprising Sandwich News: Is Disney’s NEW Menu Change at Columbia Harbour House ACTUALLY Good? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

If you’re going to Disney World soon, you’ll want to make note of these nine CLOSURES that might affect your upcoming trip. Cinderella Castle Disney needs to shut down rides and attractions occasionally in order to update and refurbish them to keep everything working well and looking nice. There are a couple of rides getting a major makeover right now, and a few other attractions and shows that are being revamped. Let’s take a look at all the closures that will impact Disney World from June 23rd through the 29th! Magic Kingdom Tiana’s Bayou Adventure It’s almost time for the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The new ride will be themed to The Princess and the Frog, and it opens THIS WEEK on June 28th! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Previews for Annual Passholders, DVC Members, Cast Members, and D23 Gold Members have been going on for a while now. The walls finally came down on May 30th, and we got to ride it on June 7th after several shutdowns and evacuations. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The number of times that this ride has been forced to shut down during the previews has us a little concerned for its opening date this week. If you’re planning to be there on the first day that it opens, just be warned that it’s very possible the ride will break down at least a couple of times throughout the day — it seems to have been experiencing a lot of trouble the last couple of weeks. Tiana’s Critter Co-Op and Tiana’s General Store will also be opening in Magic Kingdom near Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, though Disney has announced that they will have delayed openings and you’ll be able to find Tiana’s merch in the Emporium until those ride gift shops open a few days later. We recently got a sneak peek of the new souvenirs, and y’all, they’re adorable! Inside Critter Co-Op There are so many details on the new ride, and we did a comparison of it to its predecessor, Splash Mountain. It’s a fun ride that still takes you over the huge drop! We FINALLY Rode Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and We Have SO MUCH to Tell You! If you miss Splash Mountain or want to celebrate the new ride, you should check out our DFB t-shirts! We have a Splash Mountain Farwell Tour shirt… DFB Exclusive! …and a Tiana tee as well! Check out our new Tiana-inspired merch! You can shop both tees (and lots of other Disney merch) at our online store. Click here to shop our DFB merchandise store. Country Bear Jamboree Country Bear Jamboree closed on January 27th, 2024, for a pretty big refurbishment. Disney announced that a NEW show is coming to Country Bear Jamboree, with the bears learning an all-new act. The new show is set to open on July 17th! NEW costumes! New costumes and details have been shared recently that are getting us excited to see the new act! A new show is coming! With Country Bear Jamboree and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure closed, that leaves just Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Walt Disney World Railroad open in Frontierland, so it’s sometimes a little bit of a ghost town over there, especially if Big Thunder happens to be down. Learn more about the changes coming to Country Bear Jamboree here! 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. It’s completely closed in here. 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! What Will Disney Do With This Deserted Restaurant in Magic Kingdom? EPCOT Test Track Test Track closed on June 17th. Disney is giving this ride a BIG makeover! Reimagining concept art ©Disney 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. Other than that, Disney hasn’t shared many other details about the project. We don’t even have a reopening date yet, but we’ll be watching for more updates. What Will Disney World Change at Test Track? Here Are the 5 Biggest Theories Disney Vacation Club Lounge The DVC lounge at the Imagination Pavilion in EPCOT is closed for a short refurbishment. The lounge is currently closed The lounge closed on June 2nd and will remain closed until July 13th, 2024. While the lounge is closed, a temporary DVC lounge has been set up in the Odyssey pavilion. You will still find snacks, drinks, and places to sit here, though only half the pavilion has been blocked off to be used as the lounge. Temporary DVC Lounge It’s still a great place for DVC members to take advantage of the air conditioning spot to relax. Check out the temporary DVC lounge here! Restaurant Marrakesh Restaurant Marrakesh is currently closed in the Morocco pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase, and there’s no word yet on when the restaurant could fully reopen. The restaurant kind of opened on May 1st. It had been functioning as an Annual Passholder lounge, but that experience is now closed. Restaurant Marrakesh We’re watching for updates on when the full restaurant could reopen! I Have a Controversial Opinion About EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival Disney’s Hollywood Studios Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster closed on January 8th, and it looks like this roller coaster will be reopening on July 27th, according to the ride’s times on Disney’s website. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Last year, when the ride closed around this time (on February 20th, to be exact), it reopened on May 26th. This year’s closure has been significantly longer, but Disney hasn’t announced any kind of major re-theming or changes coming to the ride, so we’re assuming that the closure is just for routine maintenance. A restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios has CHANGED! Voyage of the Little Mermaid Voyage of the Little Mermaid is currently closed in Disney World. 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.” NEW LOOK at ‘The Little Mermaid’ Show Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Blizzard Beach Blizzard Beach closed for refurbishment on March 17th. Blizzard Beach Water Park While Blizzard Beach is closed, Typhoon Lagoon is currently open. The two water parks often rotate off and on for being open. Disney has not announced when Blizzard Beach might reopen. We’ll be watching for any updates, though! Click here to learn all about Typhoon Lagoon. 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 Genie+ 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 WATCH OUT: 9 CLOSURES Could Affect Your Next Disney World Vacation first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Packing for Disney World is sometimes the hardest part of the whole vacation planning process. Do you have all the different clothes options you might need? Great walking shoes? A rain poncho or jacket? While you’re making your list of what you’re going to pack, you should also be thinking about what kind of bag you’re going to put it all in. Suitcases at Disney World If we’re flying to Disney World instead of driving, we try to just bring a carry-on bag rather than a suitcase that we’d need to check. That way, we don’t have to wait for our suitcases after disembarking the plane, and there’s no worrying about lost luggage. One of our favorite carry-on bags is this $34 backpack from Amazon! DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. This backpack is eligible for Amazon Prime, which means Prime members get faster, FREE shipping! Not a Prime member? No worries. Just click the link below to start your free trial. Now, let’s check it out! Get the Carry-On Weekender Backpack Snoffic Carry On Backpack Meet the Snoffic Carry-on Weekender Backpack! One of our favorite things about this bag is its versatility. You can wear it like a backpack or carry it by the handle on the side like a duffel bag. View from the side The bag measures 16.53″ (L) x 11.41″ (W) x 7.87″ (D), so it meets airplane carry-on requirements. In fact, it’s small enough to be considered a personal item, so you could bring this bag to put under the seat in front of you and also bring along a small suitcase to put in the overhead compartment. (Just don’t forget to put your purse or belt bag inside one of these two bags while you’re boarding so you don’t exceed the limit of the number of bags you can bring on board.) Carry-on Backpack The bag itself is waterproof, so your items will be protected if it’s raining. It comes with two waterproof, clear toiletry bags, which help you keep your items organized inside. One of these toiletry bags measures 8″ x 6″ x 3″, and the other measures 6.5″ x 4.7″ x 2.3″. The pockets inside the bag can also help you organize all your belongings, plus there’s a mesh pocket on the side of the bag for your water bottle. Here’s the back If you need to bring along your laptop, you can keep it safe in the padded laptop compartment! There’s also a charging hole, which you can pass cords through in order to charge your phone while you’re walking. Don’t miss the anti-theft pocket on the back, which is great for valuables like your phone, passport, or wallet. Another way to hold it The bag has padded, breathable mesh on the back to help keep you cool while you’re wearing it. The shoulder straps are adjustable, and there’s a chest strap as well. Snoffic Carry-On Backpack We aren’t the only ones who love this bag: On Amazon, it has 4.6 stars out of 5 with over 850 reviews! Shop this backpack on Amazon here! Keep following DFB for more updates on the newest Disney merch! Check out our DFB Amazon storefront to see some of our favorite Disney essentials!The post Why Everyone Is Buying This Backpack for Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We’ve been so excited about getting the opportunity to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World, which officially opens to the public on June 28th. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Although we finally got a chance to ride the new attraction, it seems like the ride is closed a LOT, and many of those who managed to get early previews are getting turned away when it closes. We’ve seen the ride evacuated and at one point a virtual queue was canceled (although we don’t know if it was due to downtime or something else). We recently just noticed another problem, though, and we’re kinda worried about Tiana. Like, same…we get like that at parties, too (we have to joke, or we might end up crying). But, seriously, Tiana, are you okay? Do you need a hug? At least Naveen is all smiles… Tiana is not okay This is on top of all the other issues we’ve seen with the ride. As we previously mentioned, we’ve seen the ride closed often and have seen it evacuated several times, too. Of course, this is kind of the point of having early previews — they’re more for Imagineers than those people who get to ride it early. Early previews are a sort of stress test to see what kind of things will go wrong when the ride continuously has people riding it all day. We’ve seen the ride closed a lot So, is the ride okay? Well, it doesn’t SEEM to be okay right now, but we’re hoping that Disney will be taking a look at all these issues and figuring them out — again, that’s what early previews can help with. We’re hoping that the ride will be working more consistently before its big opening date in a few weeks, but if you do have plans to ride it after its official opening date, we’d say you might want to plan for it to have some downtime, just so you’re prepared. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure We’ll be keeping an eye out for any other issues the ride might have and keep you updated, so stay tuned to DFB for more. Everyone Wants To Know If the Drop on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Is BETTER than Splash Mountain! 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 Have you had any issues trying to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with early previews? Let us know in the comments! The post Girl, You Okay? A New Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Animatronic Is STRUGGLING in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney World isn’t just for kids. It’s a place for adults to find some amazing food at intimate restaurants. It’s a place for Disney fans to escape the stress of work. It’s even a place for fashion ICONS to debut their best Disney looks. Who knew a theme park could do so much?! Hi, Minnie! Well, speaking of fashion, we need to talk about a versatile NEW designer Disney collection that just dropped online. This new line of clothing and accessories is PERFECT for a trip to Disney World — or to wear at home! No matter where you show off your new outfit, it is sure to catch people’s eye. Let’s take a look! DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Disney just debuted a NEW Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck Lilly Pulitzer collection! Shop the Weekender Bag NOW! ©Disney Looking for a carryon bag that is just the right size to hold your Disney vacation essentials? Check out this new bag! It’s got a zip top closure with two zipper pulls, and exterior zip compartment, and even a detachable, adjustable shoulder strap! The bag is carry-on compliant, so you can walk right onto the plane. You can pre-order this bag now, and it is expected to ship by July 5th, 2024, View on Disney Store We LOVE this new Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck Sophiletta Dress by Lilly Pulitzer! ©Disney The new Lilly Pulitzer also has some super chic clothing, like this new dress! It’s made in that fun, colorful Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck floral print, and if you look closely, you’ll even spot the Fantasyland Castle! If you pre-order the dress now, it should ship by July 5th, 2024. View on Disney Store Get a matching Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck Backpack by Lilly Pulitzer! ©Disney Looking for a new hands-free Disney park bag? Look no further! This bright, cheerful backpack has a large exterior zip compartment, two side mesh slip pockets, a zip top closure with two zipper pulls, and a big interior zip pocket. It can hold a LOT! The backpack is expected to be available by July 5th, 2024. View on Disney Store This versatile Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck Beach Comber Pullover by Lilly Pulitzer is going to be popular! ©Disney This item is already starting to sell out! We love these kinds of shirts for an evening on the beach or to wear around our hotel when we’re feeling a little chilly. The top is expected to be available by July 5th, 2024, and you can pre-order it now. View on Disney Store Preotect your head with this new Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck Baseball Cap by Lilly Pulitzer! ©Disney Finally, we have to show off the matching baseball hat, too! The hat was created specially for Disney World and Disneyland Resort, and with so many fun colors, it will match TONS of outfits. Pre-order a hat online now! View on Disney Store In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney merchandise, so stay tuned for more. Did you know we have a Disney-themed Amazon Storefront? Check it out! The post A NEW Collection by Lilly Pulitzer Has Some PERFECT Disney World Park Bags! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

You’ve bought your park tickets, booked your hotel, made your dining reservations, and even decided which rides you’re going to rope drop once you officially get to Disney World. Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! But have you considered what you’ll need to bring with you TO Disney World?! Don’t worry, we have — and we’ve got some of the best Disney World essentials from Amazon you need to add to your packing list before your next trip! DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Get this Disney insulated tumbler on SALE ©Amazon Ready or not, here comes summer — and along with it, some serious heat depending on where you live! No matter what, though, it’s important to stay hydrated, and you can do just that with this Simple Modern tumbler. Right now, you can get it on sale and it keeps cold drinks cold all day long! Shop on Amazon You can snag this Loungefly backpack for 30% off ©Amazon What do you bring with you in your park bag when you go to Disney World? If you’re looking for something roomy without being too bulky, consider getting a Loungefly backpack! This Princess Portrait version is 30% off right now, so grab it while it’s still on sale! Shop on Amazon Get 70% (!!!) off this Minnie Mouse pendant ©Amazon Looking for a gift for someone — or maybe even yourself?! You can get a serious deal right now on this beautiful Minnie Mouse pendant necklace! It’s made of cubic zirconia and is silver-plated — get it now for 70% off! Shop on Amazon Get this Owala tumbler while it’s on sale ©Amazon We don’t need to remind you that staying hydrated is important again, do we?! We will if we have to — but luckily it’s easy with so many fancy tumblers to choose from. We love the Owala water bottles, but this tumbler comes with a straw and is cup holder-friendly! Not only that, but it features triple-layer insulation to keep your drinks cold all day long. Shop on Amazon Is there anything more classic than a Disney autograph book? ©Amazon Whether it’s your first trip to Disney World or your fiftieth, meeting characters can be such an exciting experience — and what better way to commemorate those memories than with character autographs in this autograph book?! Shop on Amazon Finally, this shirt is perfect for the Stitch fans out there ©Amazon Stitch is a whole mood, especially with this “Can’t Even” shirt. Perfect for your next trip to the parks or even just lounging about the house! Shop on Amazon We know — there are SO many great deals hiding if you know where to look! But if you don’t feel like looking, well, that’s what we’re here for. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney must-haves, news, and more. Looking for More Disney Park Essentials? Click Here for Our Amazon Storefront!The post Score Up to 70% Off Disney Essentials on Amazon Right Now! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Um…hey, Disney? Psst. We’re here to give you a gentle nudge. What for? Well, there’s this one resort that has some snazzy new rooms. But there’s another (similar) hotel that you FORGOT to update. (OK, Disney probably didn’t forget, but either way, we feel like it’s time for a reminder.) The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort just got a total makeover, and while some people miss the old cozy cabin vibes, others seem to love the changes. Is it time to take a swing at another Disney resort? NEW Fort Wilderness Cabins! So, what brings us here? Well, after getting a full tour of the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, it got us thinking. Tucked away in the back of Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort are some quiet, woodsy hotel rooms known as Treehouse Villas. They’re nice, spacious, and reminiscent of the old Cabins at Fort Wilderness. But these days, they’re also starting to look a little…dated. Here’s a peek at the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort. If you’ve ever taken a boat ride to Disney Springs, you’ve likely passed by some of these rooms. It’s an interesting concept. The room is elevated, giving you a unique, woodsy view. Treehouse Villa But here’s what it looks like inside. As you can see, the decorations aren’t bad at all! In fact, they’re cozy and rustic. But if you’ve been paying attention lately, it seems like Disney decorators favor light, bright, and modern amenities these days. And, well, this is not exactly modern. ©Disney || Treehouse Villa For reference, here’s a look at the OLD Fort Wilderness Cabins. OLD Fort Wilderness Cabin And here’s a look at the NEW design. Disney completely changed the exterior! ©Disney Inside, the Fort Wilderness Cabins were upgraded with new decorations, new beds, and a bigger TV. As we said, the changes were colorful, bright, and modern. Bunk beds Now, we haven’t forgotten what everyone said about the Fort Wilderness Cabins. A LOT of people told us that they liked the nostalgic vibes of the old cabins. So, while we do think that the Treehouse Villas could use a refurbishment, we’re not calling for a total aesthetic makeover. Disney, if you’re listening, let’s keep the cozy cabin vibes, but just add a few small updates! Who’s with us? ©Disney While we’re all for change, it is worth mentioning that “updated” doesn’t have to mean “more modern.” There are TONS of design styles out there to work with — Disney could even pull from the archives or get inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright! The possibilities are ENDLESS — and they don’t have to be that cookie-cutter modern look that seems to be dividing Disney fans right now. ©Disney So, what would YOU like to see? Are you ready for the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa to get a makeover, or should Disney let it be? Let us know your thoughts! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more. The Polynesian Village Hotel PROBLEM that Everyone’s Talking About in Disney World 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 ready for the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa to get a makeover? Let us know in the comments! The post This Forgotten Hotel SERIOUSLY Needs an Upgrade in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

One of the most FUN parts of visiting Disney World is meeting the characters — Disney World character interactions are the BEST! American Adventure Pavilion We’ve had some amazing interactions with many of the Disney princesses, Mickey and his friends, Pixar characters, and more. We’ve visited almost all the character meet and greet locations in Disney World, plus we’ve eaten at all of the character dining experiences. However, these special meet-and-greets become even more special when you get to experience a rare one, and we’ve got a SUPER rare meet-and-greet experience to tell you about that is coming up soon. So there’s a HUGE holiday coming up in the U.S. soon, and yes, you know what we’re talking about. It’s the 4th of July, which means there are some special rare celebratory things happening all over Disney World. First, you’ll get to see the 4th of July fireworks in Magic Kingdom that only happen once a year. There’s also usually a special fireworks show that happens right after the nighttime show in EPCOT, Luminous The Symphony of Us. 4th of July fireworks in Magic Kingdom You’ll also occasionally find some 4th of July decorations up in Magic Kingdom; some buildings get a 4th of July makeover. The banners are already up on the Main Street Railroad Station near the entrance to the park. Main Street Railroad Station is ready for the 4th Then, of course, you’ll find a share of 4th of July snacks, most of which will be done up in red, white, and blue. These snacks are only available for a limited time. 4th of July Liege Waffle However, the BEST limited-time event that comes to Disney World for the 4th of July happens in EPCOT. If you visit the American Adventure Pavilion in World Showcase on the 4th of July, you’ll get to meet Mickey and his friends — and they’re wearing their special patriotic outfits. This is the ONLY time you’ll see them in these outfits, so this meet and greet is a must! All dressed up for the occasion So, if you’ll be in Disney World for the 4th of July, keep an eye out for that meet and greet. We will warn you that lines can be long for it, but it’s totally worth it. Of course, if you want to just meet these characters elsewhere, you can meet most of them in all four parks — check the My Disney Experience app for locations and times. Stay tuned to DFB for more! REVIEW: Breakfast at Hollywood Studios with RARE Characters? Say No More! 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 Have you ever met these versions of Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto? Let us know in the comments! The post Heads Up! This Rare Meet-and-Greet Will Be in EPCOT for ONE DAY ONLY in 2024! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Not all Disney rumors are created equal. Magic Kingdom Rumors and Disney theme parks go hand-in-hand. Pretty much since the moment Disneyland opened in 1955, there have been rumors about what attractions and rides may be coming next, and the “truth” behind urban legends about the park. As long as these rumors have existed, there have been some that are realistic, and some that are completely off the rails. These are some of the newest, wildest, and most easily disprovable modern Disney World rumors. The Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster is NOT Being Rethemed to Powerline, Queen, or Anything Else at This Moment Rumors of a retheme of the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster have long plagued the attraction, with everything from High School Musical to Hannah Montana to Mickey Mouse to Descendants having been baselessly rumored to replace Aerosmith on the ride over the years. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Things have heated up again recently, as the ride’s months-long closure in the first half of 2024 led to several TikToks and other social media posts claiming that the ride would be rethemed to rock band Queen or Powerline from A Goofy Movie during the refurbishment. However, none of this is true. While there is a chance, whether due to cultural relevancy or the legal allegations against Steven Tyler, that Disney will remove Aerosmith one day, it’s not happening now. When the coaster reopens in late July, the experience will be the same as always from a thematic standpoint. You Cannot Get Medical Testing Like Colonoscopies at Disney World This might be the weirdest of weird modern Disney rumors. In late May 2024, a TikTok went viral claiming that Disney World was offering colonoscopies. The clip claimed that, “You can now have your colonoscopy inside Disney World. This is a way to encourage adults to go in for routine colon cancer checks. Essentially, you can book an appointment with an approved doctor through the My Disney Experience App. Then, when it is your day, you will visit a new building coming to the Magic Kingdom called the “Mickey Mouse Colon House. This will be a Disney-themed doctor’s office on Main Street USA. The doctors will even be dressed in Disney costumes to add to the experience. Patients will scan in using their fingerprint and MagicBand. After the procedure, they will be given a button that says “I Was Screened at Disney.” MouseTrapNews TikTok It should probably go without saying that for a litany of reasons, Disney would NEVER offer medical services like this at their theme parks. In addition, the account and related website that originated the TikTok and accompanying article – – Mouse Trap News – – clearly states it’s “Real Disney News That is 100% FAKE” and that its content is”satire and parody.” Disney World is Not Opening a Maternity Ward Speaking of Mouse Trap News, the colonoscopy story wasn’t the first time one of their satirical pieces went viral and was treated as real rumor this year. In January, a piece they published claimed that Disney was opening a maternity ward where women could give birth in Disneyland for $5,000. Despite the article being clearly marked satire, it was picked up by enough mainstream outlets that didn’t immediately present it as such and many online actually believed it. Let the White Rabbit show you where to go Galaxy’s Edge is Not Being Rethemed to the Original Trilogy Pretty much since the day the sequel trilogy-set Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opened at Walt Disney World and Disneyland in 2019, there has been a rumor floating around that Disney was going to retheme the “failing” land to feature characters and settings from the original Star Wars trilogy. To be clear, while we do have some creative qualms with Galaxy’s Edge, the lands are FAR from a failure from a creative or financial standpoint and there is ZERO evidence that any retheme is on the horizon. Could Disney integrate original trilogy characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo into the land one day? Sure. But any rumor about it happening now is fabricated, likely as part of the overall seemingly always-simmering controversy in Star Wars fandom. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Galactic Starcruiser is NOT Reopening as a Regular Hotel Speaking of Star Wars, another rumor that’s floating around is that Disney is planning to reopen the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser as a normal hotel. While this isn’t “impossible” – – and we do think Disney will do something with the building eventually – – it’s highly unlikely that anything that opened wouldn’t be significantly altered. On a basic level, the hotel was constructed to be part of a larger story and lacked many of the amenities associated with the company’s hotels including large rooms and a pool. There would likely need to be huge renovation to the building. Furthermore, the performance aspect of the hotel’s voyage would have to be heavily modified, with much of the live entertainment likely being removed. To put it bluntly, Disney may or may not use the Galactic Starcruiser building to house a new hotel one day, but it’s almost definitely NOT going to be the previous experience “reopened.” Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser These are just some of the wild Disney rumors that proliferate around the internet. Stay tuned to DFB for more debunking of the most both there rumors. 4 Things That Went VERY Wrong During My Disney World Vacation This Week 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 the wildest Disney rumor you’ve ever heard? Let us know in the comment below. The post 5 NEW Disney World RUMORS We're Shutting Down Right Now first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

OK, admit it. When you see a group of Cast Members dressed in plaid (the V.I.P. team) pass by in Disney World, are you looking for a celebrity in tow? It’s no secret that celebrities love Disney World just as much as the rest of us — in fact, we’ve been seeing a TON of famous people in the parks lately. You just never know who you might see! But recently, Disney has been hosting Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride previews for some familiar celebrities. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure As you may have heard, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is Magic Kingdom’s newest attraction, and it’s set to open on June 28th. Ahead of the big opening date, though, select Disney fans have been able to attend special ride previews! But wait until you see who just rode Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Their reaction to the new ride is PRICELESS. Phew! Who’s next? Can we see Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith from Inside Out ride it next? In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more. NEWS: Construction Walls Are UP Near a Popular Hollywood Studios Attraction 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 Have you gotten the chance to ride this new attraction yet? Let us know in the comments! The post 🚨Celebrity Sighting Alert🚨 See Moana's HILARIOUS Reaction to Magic Kingdom’s New Ride first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Are you confused about using Disney Genie+ in Disney World? ©Disney Trust me, you are not alone. At DFB, we get questions every day about Disney’s paid service that helps you “skip the line” on some attractions. LOTS and LOTS of you (and maybe some of the team here, too) really miss its predecessor FastPass+, which seemed simpler (not to mention FREE). But we’ve used Genie+ a whole lot now, and I’m here today to reassure you that it works, and using it is simpler than reading about HOW to use it. For real! We’ve got Disney Genie+ videos on the DFB YouTube channel. We’ve got detailed Disney Genie+ posts right here on our website. We’ve even got FREE Disney Genie+ cheat sheets (which you can have sent to your email RIGHT NOW by clicking below). Basically, we’ve covered Genie+ over. And over. And OVER again. And the reason we DO that is because when you first hear about Disney Genie +… it can be REALLY confusing and overwhelming and, dare I say, downright frustrating. And I’m not saying that NO parts of Genie+ are convoluted whatsoever. But what I AM saying is IF you do your research beforehand, Genie+ really isn’t as complicated to use in the parks as you might initially be led to think. Think of it like… building a swing set. Kali River Rapids LIghtning Lane When you first look at the instructions as a whole, things get overwhelming really fast. There are so many screws, and metal parts, and tools that you’ll need to use, and what on EARTH is THAT thing?? But when you finally dive into the swing set-building process and take things one step at a time, the process becomes smoother and a whole lot less overwhelming. So don’t let all the Disney Genie+ hacks and tricks and step-by-step procedures end up doing the OPPOSITE for ya and make you so overwhelmed that you don’t even want to attempt using Lightning Lanes at all. Because once you GET to the park after studying up on Genie+, the process is actually a lot more smooth-sailing than you might realize and really WILL help you bypass those super-lengthy ride lines. Lightning Lane Entrance So if there are THREE easy Genie+ words of advice that I can give to ya right now that aren’t overwhelming and will STILL help you understand the service better before you use it for the first time, here’s what I’ve got for ya: ONE: Buy Genie+ Early Disney Genie + goes on sale via the MDE app right at midnight on each day of your park visits. After you purchase the service, you won’t be able to make your first Lightning Lane selection until 7AM. Lightning Lane sign at Beauty and the Beast show TWO: Select One Lightning Lane at a time The MDE app will keep you updated about when you’ll be able to make your next Lightning Lane selections, but BASICALLY, you can make a new selection after… A.) You’ve just used your last one Or B.) Two hours since your last Lightning Lane was selected. Don’t let this “two hour rule” trip you up! It’s literally here to help you get your money’s worth out of this service, since Lightning Lane return times through Genie+ will always be assigned to you. So if you select a ride with a return time that doesn’t happen until later in the evening, that two hour cooldown period lets you choose another Lightning Lane to add to your collection… basically as a reward for your patience. Disney World Lightning Lane THREE: Keep in mind that some Lightning Lanes require a separate purchase. I’m a visual gal, so think of Disney Genie+ like… a bag of fun-sized candies. For one candy bag purchase, you’ll have access to MULTIPLE candies. However, if you want that PREMIUM, full-sized candy bar, you’re not gonna be able to get that in the fun-sized bags. You’ll have to pay a separate price for those. And in this case, the “full-sized” candies include: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios Tron Lightcycle / Run AND Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom Expedition Everest Lightning Lane Now let’s talk for a second about the NEW ride in Magic Kingdom — Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I think A LOT of people are going to expect that Tiana’s is an Individual Lightning Lane purchase, but it’s not. It’s going to be available on regular ol’ Genie+! Now mind you — I’m guessing the Lightning Lane times for it will sell out quickly, so if you have your heart set on riding it, you’re probably gonna want to make that your first Genie+ selection at 7AM. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure You can also try to get a FREE Virtual Queue for Tiana’s through the My Disney Experience app. You’ll want to be all set to try for that RIGHT at 7AM on the day you’re headed to Magic Kingdom. If you don’t get in, you can try again at 1PM. But here’s the big warning I have for you: Don’t think you can just head to Magic Kingdom and get in line for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. At least for the forseeable future, there will not be a standby queue. You will have to book the ride through either the free virtual queue or through Genie+. Got it? We don’t want you (or your kids!) to be disappointed! I know. This can feel like a LOT of information all at once. But, like I said, if you take the time to study up on this service before your trip, you’ll start to catch on REAL quick once you’re actually inside the parks. And keep following us here on DFB — we’re always watching for Genie+ updates, and we’ll bring ’em right to ya! Genie+ Tips for the Most Crowded Days in Disney World 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 confuses you most about Genie+? Let me know in the comments below!The post REAL TALK: Genie+ Does Work, and It's (Usually) Worth It first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Something is ALWAYS changing in Disney World. Hollywood Studios However, it seems like we’ve seen a LOT more change than usual over the past few years. EPCOT got a complete transformation, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening to the public soon, Country Bear Jamboree will reopen soon with a new show, Magic Kingdom is getting an expansion, Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland is getting re-themed, and more! Another big change is that The Voyage of The Little Mermaid show is closed to make way for a new show — and we’re starting to see signs of progress on that show. “The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure” is the name of the new show, and it’s expected to open in Hollywood Studios in the Animation Courtyard Theatre, the same space that was previously occupied by “The Voyage of the Little Mermaid.” The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure The new show will be inspired by the 1989 animated film, The Little Mermaid, and will bring Ariel’s journey from mermaid to human in a new way. The new show will include music from the film, including “Part of Your World” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” as well as “Kiss the Girl,” which will be a new addition. The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure We visited the building today where “The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure” will be shown, and we noticed something new: construction walls are now up around it! Construction walls are up This could mean Disney Imagineers are hard at work bringing this new show to life behind those walls. We already know the team at Disney Live Entertainment has been working on the new show for over a year. Something’s happening behind those walls! We recently saw Disney post casting notices for the show’s cast, including Ariel, “a spirited, fun-loving, yet curious mermaid princess who longs to be a part of the human world” and Prince Eric, “a true romantic who never gives up on his heart’s desire.” ©Disney In the meantime, if you still need more Little Mermaid in your life, you can meet Ariel at her grotto in Fantasyland and ride Under The Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom. You can also meet the live-action Ariel at Walt Disney Presents in Hollywood Studios. Stay tuned to DFB for more. NEW LOOK at ‘The Little Mermaid’ Show Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! 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 would you like to see in the new Little Mermaid show? Let us know in the comments! The post NEWS: Construction Walls Are UP Near a Popular Hollywood Studios Attraction 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! Test Track Universal gave us ALL the details on the highly anticipated Dark Universe land coming to Epic Universe next year, Test Track is officially closed for another refurbishment, a new character has debuted in the parks, and… we’ve got some very tragic Disney snack news… 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: Dark Universe Rides Revealed, TRAGIC Snack News & More! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Hooray! It’s time to talk about July in Disney World! Spaceship Earth welcomes you to EPCOT… and to World Celebration! A lot is going on in the Disney World parks in July 2024 besides sweat, dehydration, and swamp crotch (it’s a thing, don’t look at us like that). Popular attractions are reopening, restaurants are closing, exclusive firework shows are returning for a (very) limited time, and more. Let’s get into five of the biggest changes happening at Disney World in July! If you’re heading to Disney World soon, be sure to check out our planning worksheets. You can click the image below to get our list and make sure you don’t forget a thing! Here’s a peek at what you can look forward to in July at Disney World! NEW Hotel Rooms Open Starting the month off strong, The Cabins at Fort Wilderness are set to debut on July 1st! These are the newest Disney Vacation Club rooms available in Disney World and they replaced the older cabins you could once stay in at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Room inside The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort The cabins have been fully redesigned (no more log-style cabins around here) and were met with some mixed feelings from fans now that they have a sleeker look. There are over 350 refreshed cabins and each one can sleep up to six adults and features one bedroom, one bathroom, a living room, a full kitchen, and a private patio. Some cabins are also dog-friendly. So many cute touches! We were lucky enough to get an exclusive tour of the new cabins back in April — you can see all of our photos at the link below. Be sure to let us know what you think! FULL TOUR: We Got an Exclusive Look at the NEW Fort Wilderness Cabins in Disney World! Exclusive Fireworks Show Returns Celebrating the Fourth of July in Disney World? Get ready to experience something special — Disney World’s Fourth of July fireworks have been confirmed to return in 2024! Magic Kingdom fireworks On July 3rd and 4th, Happily Ever After will take a quick hiatus while “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” returns. That’s not all though — a simultaneous fireworks display over nearby Seven Seas Lagoon also takes place on July 3rd and 4th at 9:20PM. Is It Time To Say Goodbye to the Magic Kingdom Fireworks? 1,000 Disney Fans Had STRONG Opinions Country Bear Jamboree Is Back! Between the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the return of Country Bear Jamboree in July, Frontierland is coming back to life! The latter will officially reopen to Magic Kingdom visitors on July 17th, 2024. And we can’t wait! New look at Country Bear Jamboree Disney has completely revamped the show while keeping the same bears you know and love. They will all sport some new outfits and sing several fan-favorite Disney songs in different styles of country music! So if you’ll be in the park in the second half of July, be sure to stop by and check out the all-new show. SONGS, ARTISTS Revealed for Revamped Country Bear Jamboree Show in Disney World Food Court Construction/Closure Staying at a Disney World hotel certainly has its perks including free transportation and Early Theme Park Entry, but restaurant closures are NOT one of them. If you are staying at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort in July, be warned — the food court is going to be under construction for the entire month. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort That’s right — from July 1st to 31st, the World Premiere Food Court will be undergoing a refurbishment. Don’t worry about it too much though, because you’ll still be able to grab food from this spot (which is good because this is the resort’s only restaurant). However, all of the seating will be closed off, so you’ll have to actually eat somewhere else at the hotel. You can take it back to the room or grab a spot by the pool! You can use the My Disney Experience app to order food and drinks with your mobile device. The mobile order menu will only offer select items during the refurbishment, though, so keep that in mind for your stay. World Premiere Food Court There’s more where that came from because starting on July 29th, Everything POP will close for refurbishment at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. This closure will last until September 29th making it a pretty lengthy one! It’s the same deal as the World Premiere Food Court — guests will be able to order from a limited menu via mobile order on the My Disney Experience app. Everything POP at Disney’s Pop Century But wait, there’s more! At Disney World’s most exclusive hotel, Shades of Green, Garden Gallery Marketplace is partially closing in July. This resort is reserved for active or retired military members and their families. Garden Gallery Restaurant in Shades of Green Hotel Luckily there are several dining options here and it is close to the other Magic Kingdom hotels, but heads up if you’re planning a stay there! You can learn more about this closure right here. Mark My Words: These 7 Hotel Trends Will Be HUGE in Disney World in 2025 Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Reopens FINALLY. After months and months of waiting, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is expected to reopen in July! Specifically, the thrill ride starring Aerosmith will reopen on Saturday, July 27th. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Its hours are listed as the standard 8:30AM to 9AM for those with early theme park entry, and Hollywood Studios’ normal operating hours of 9AM to 9PM. This closure was for a “routine refurbishment”, so it should look the same as usual when it reopens. We’ll report back if we notice anything different, though! It closed in January 2024, so it’s been a whileeeee. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster The closures for this ride have been…well…a roller coaster! It’s known to have many technical issues and last year, the coaster also had a long refurbishment period. Here’s to hoping Disney fixed some of those issues and the ride will be up and running without too many problems soon! REVIEW: Breakfast at Hollywood Studios with RARE Characters? Say No More! Want to book a trip to Disney World? We’ve got a hack for you! Check out our friends over at Small World Vacations to help you plan the perfect trip — you won’t regret it! 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 Those are some of the major changes coming to Disney World in June! Disney World will continue to change and update and DFB will be here to keep you in the loop! 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 visiting Disney World in July? What are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments! The post 5 Major Changes Coming to Disney World in July first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article