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We have never wanted to take a cruise SO BAD in our lives after Disney Cruise Line revealed its newest ship, the Disney Treasure. Disney Treasure The Disney Treasure has a very cool adventure theme, but even more importantly, it will have a Haunted Mansion lounge, a Coco-themed dining experience, a Moana show, and more! It sounds AH-mazing! So we’ve been keeping an eye on ALL things Disney Treasure, including the latest construction updates, and we’ve got a new update to share with you. So something ICONIC has been added to the Disney Treasure. The ship, which is being built at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Germany, just got its forward and aft FUNNELS added to their places on top of the ship. Those funnels also got a coat of primer paint. So, the Disney Treasure is a step closer to completion. ©Disney It’s coming right along, isn’t it? Those who ride the AquaMouse attraction onboard the ship will actually get to go THROUGH the forward funnel. ©Disney If you’ve got the $$$, though, you can book an EPCOT-themed Tomorrow Tower Suite inside the funnel. Tomorrow Tower Suite ©Disney The Disney Treasure sets sail on its inaugural cruise on December 21st, 2024. Bookings are available NOW. We can’t wait to see the ship for ourselves, but there’s still a year to go (we’re trying to be patient, but it’s SO HARD). Stay tuned to DFB for more! 13 Disney Loungefly Bags You Need for the NEW Treasure Cruise Ship Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Will you be booking a cruise on the Disney Treasure? Let us know in the comments! The post Construction on Disney Cruise Line’s NEW Treasure Ship Reaches MAJOR Milestone first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We have to admit that after taking the Brightline train from Miami to Orlando International Airport, we now think the train is a GAME changer. Brightline Orlando Train Station For those who live in Florida, it makes getting to Disney World more convenient than driving (and potentially cheaper, too). Well, it seems the train to Orlando is about to get even better because Brightline just expanded its service there…again. According to The Orlando Business Journal, Brightline has added even more trains along its Miami to Orlando route. There are now 32 total trains making 16 round trips each day from Miami to Orlando International Airport (there were 30 in October, although Brightline only started with 12 when it first launched). Brightline train One of the new routes is a 5:50PM departure from Orlando that arrives in Miami at 9:15PM, as well as a Miami departure at 1:45PM that arrives in Orlando at 5:15PM. You can also score some special holiday deals right now on fares, including a $39 smart fare and a $79 premium fare on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You can also currently book a $39 smart fare and a $99 premium fare for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Onboard a Brightline train Since service began to Orlando International Airport in September, Brightline has welcomed over 97,000 passengers through October 31st in its first 40 days of operation. Now that the route has been expanded, that number could go way up. Brightline station in Miami We’ll keep an eye out for more Brightline news, as well as any Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more. If you want to do some planning before your trip, check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining. We’ve compiled all of our BEST tips and tricks from years of Disney World travel into one eBook that you can download to your tablet or smartphone and take with you! We’re offering our readers 25% off with code WDW2023. Only Pro Travelers Know These 9 Secrets About the Brightline Train at the Orlando Airport 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 taken the Brightline train yet? Let us know what your experience was like in the comments! The post NEWS: New Brightline Train Adds Additional Service to the Orlando Airport first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The holiday season in Disney World is VERY special, but everyone seems to know that because it’s also one of the busiest times of the year, especially the closer we get to Christmas. Things are getting busy in Disney World We’ve already seen park passes disappearing for Magic Kingdom on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, but we also recently noticed that park passes have disappeared for select Disney World visitors the week before that. So here’s the deal. When we check park pass availability for the month of December, you’ll still see that most of the next two weeks are still open for visitors with theme park tickets and resort guests, save for the 25th and 31st. ©Disney However, when we looked at park pass availability for Annual Passholders, you’ll notice that park pass reservations are completely gone for Magic Kingdom for December 9th. Then four days in a row are completely out of park passes for Magic Kingdom: December 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th. December 25th is also full. That’s a total of six days Annual Passholders can no longer visit Magic Kingdom in December. ©Disney If you plan on visiting Magic Kingdom this month, we recommend you make your park pass reservations as soon as possible, as they are going fast, particularly for Annual Passholders. Note that the park pass reservation system will change on January 9th, 2024, although Annual Passholders will still have to make reservations unless visiting a park after 2PM. We’ll keep an eye on the situation and let you know if it changes, so stay tuned to DFB for more. When are you headed to Disney World next? Have you checked out our line of fun graphic tees to wear on your trip? We’ve designed some for the whole family – from infants to adults! Click here to check them out! Annual Passholders — Don’t Forget To Grab This FREE SOUVENIR in Disney World! DON'T MISS A MOMENT OF HOLIDAY MAGIC Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including: The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!) ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM. And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat! Save 20% on the Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide with code PEPPERMINT. GET YOUR GUIDE NOW MORE Disney World Holiday INFO! Learn About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Get the Latest Information About the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays We’ll Take This Little Golden Disney Book in Our Stocking, Santa! Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Holiday Dining and Events What We Wish We’d Known Before Going to Disney World During the Holidays Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Will you be visiting Disney World in December? Let us know in the comments! The post 6 Dates Are SOLD OUT for Annual Passholders in Magic Kingdom first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There’s a reason refillable mugs are popular in Disney World. Resort Refillable Mugs For the flat price of $21.99, you can get a mug that you can endlessly fill with soft drinks, tea, soda, and more — and if you drink a lot of any of those beverages, you can end up saving money. They also make a useful souvenir that you can take home with you. Their designs also change, making them perfect for collectors. Well, get ready because refillable mugs just got a NEW makeover. Most recently, resort refillable mugs had a 100th Anniversary design, as well as a Pixar design, but a new mug has appeared. These new mugs have a design on them featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy going on a road trip to Disney World. You’ll also see Disney hotels in the background, like the Grand Floridian and Contemporary. We found the new mugs at the Beach Club Marketplace, but we expect them to arrive property-wide any day now! New design! Of course, the new mugs also have Spaceship Earth, along with other hotels, including Pop Century, Yacht Club, All-Star Movies, and more. So fun! More hotels You can also get these with four different lid colors: green, blue, orange, and pink. This comes in handy if you have a family of four and need to keep track of what mug belongs to which person. CLEVER. Your choices So, if you’re visiting Disney World soon and have plans to use the refillable mugs, you’ll be able to grab the new design at your hotel. We’ll keep an eye out for other changes in Disney World, so stay tuned to DFB for more. Everything you ever wanted to know about refillable mugs 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 Do you use refillable mugs in Disney World? Let us know in the comments! The post NEWS: Refillable Mugs Have CHANGED at Disney World Hotels! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

If you love visiting the Disney Parks, then there’s a good chance that you love going on the RIDES. We love the rides! When you enter the rides, you’ll be presented with a big, long list of rules pertaining to the safety of yourself and others throughout the experience. While a lot of them don’t require a whole lot of thinking to figure out WHY the rules are in place, there are other rules that might seem nit-picky or a bit strange. Other, more technical rules might not even be listed at all, but Cast Members are looking out at all times to ensure that folks are being safe. This post is dedicated to some of those! Here are three BIG rules that Cast Members are sticklers on, and why they exist in the first place. Let’s go! Children Must Be In FRONT Of You So, let us explain. If your 5-year-old is walking behind you as you’re walking around the parks, that’s fine. This rule pertains to those who are on an attraction that allows you to carry or wear your baby. Examples of rides like these are the Haunted Mansion, “it’s a small world,” and Frozen Ever After. “it’s a small world” A lot of folks will try to put their kid on their back, shoulders, or wear their baby-wearing device in a way that secures the child to their back. This isn’t allowed. You can carry your child on your hip or your front, and wear your child on the front only. The reason is simple. If they’re on your shoulders, there’s a greater chance of them being injured or hitting their head while you’re walking into an attraction. As for the baby-wearing, do you really want to squish your infant when the Haunted Mansion tilts you backwards to head into the graveyard scene? (Hey, more people try to baby-wear on their back than you’d think.) You won’t always get photos back. Ride photos go through a bit of a screening process. There are folks (yes, really) who flip the ride cameras off, do profane hand movements or signs, present political propaganda (like, think harmful/disrespectful messaging) for the sake of the photos, and even folks who show body parts that not everyone wants to see. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train You probably won’t get these photos back, even if they’re the more mild cases. The reason is that Disney doesn’t allow Cast Members or company branding to be associated with anything that isn’t family-friendly. “But it’s MY photo.” No, you’re in a photo taken by Disney on a Disney ride themed to a Disney story in a Disney Park. No selfie sticks or tripods. Some folks apparently weren’t traumatized by that one Final Destination movie in middle school. Just kidding. That probably wouldn’t happen due to today’s technology for track systems, but you’re still risking a derailing probably a little bit by choosing to bring selfie sticks or larger tripods onto a ride. The worst place in the world to drop a selfie stick The most likely scenario, though, is that the stick will fly back and hit a poor, unsuspecting rider in the face. Imagine being on Expedition Everest and getting a face full of selfie stick. That’s a hospital visit, no doubt! These aren’t even allowed in the parks, so don’t worry, this probably won’t happen to you. This does happen with phones, though, and it HURTS, so that’s why you have to put your phone away on rides, too. And there you have it! We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news as we have it, so make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing. Looking for more Disney World rules? 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 Have you ever witnessed a situation where one of these rules were broken? Let us know in the comments! The post We Bet You Didn't Know Why These Disney World Ride Rules Exist first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

One merchandise stand that’s been closed for three years FINALLY reopened in EPCOT, but there’s another stand that’s still closed in this park! EPCOT Disney has to close restaurants, attractions, snack stands, and other locations occasionally in order to complete refurbishments and update the spaces. For some of these smaller stands, it’s possible that there simply aren’t enough Cast Members to keep them all open. Whatever the resason, this EPCOT snack stand is closed with no reopening date in sight! The Land Cart in EPCOT The Land Cart is a snack cart in the Land pavilion of EPCOT, and it’s currently closed. The Land Cart This snack spot usually sells soft pretzels, drinks, and fruit or veggies, but it’s been closed for a few weeks now. Mickey Pretzel Disney’s website shows that this cart will be closed through early February at least, but that’s just as far as the calendar extends — the closure could last longer, or Disney could announce a reopening soon. We’ll be on the lookout for news! This isn’t the only closure in Disney World right now — let’s check out all the temporary closures throughout the parks and hotels from December 10th through the 16th. Magic Kingdom Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Splash Mountain closed on January 23rd for a long refurbishment. The ride is being re-themed to become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with a Princess and the Frog theme. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Concept Art ©Disney The new ride will reopen sometime in late 2024. We’ll be watching for more updates on the reopening timeline. The tree at the top of this ride has been removed as Disney continues construction, and several new rock structures have been built at the bottom of the drop. The queue area is being redone, and we recently saw some concrete added to this space. Construction There’s a new water tower as well, which says “Tiana’s Foods” on the front and “Never, ever lose sight of what’s really important” on the back. It’s topped with Tiana’s crown, which has two stars on it to represent Ray and Evangeline. In addition, Cast Members are currently working on a large mural that’s painted on the side of the queue building. Mural 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. Barrel Bridge on Tom Sawyer’s Island The Barrel Bridge on Tom Sawyer’s Island is not only closed — it’s missing completely! Barrel Bridge is Missing A Cast Member told us a few months ago that it was removed for repairs, and we haven’t seen it back since. We’ll be keeping an eye out for its return. Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant Tomorrowland Terrace is a quick service restaurant that’s remained closed since the 2020 pandemic-related closures, but even before that, this spot was only occasionally open. Tomorrowland Terrace during the day It’s been a LONG time since we’ve seen this restaurant open for visitors. Pretty much the only thing it’s used for now is the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties. We saw it open in late 2020, when it was serving some favorites from Columbia Harbour House‘s menu while that restaurant was temporarily closed. It’s completely closed in here. Once in a while, you’ll see the dining area open as a rest area, but usually it’s all roped off and empty. Disney hasn’t announced when this spot could finally reopen, but we’ll be watching for updates! Disnsey World Permits Hint at CHANGES Coming to an Iconic Magic Kingdom Ride Disney’s Hollywood Studios Voyage of the Little Mermaid Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a stage show located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It closed with the rest of the parks in 2020 for the pandemic-related shut-down, but even after the parks reopened and the rest of the entertainment slowly returned as well, this attraction remained closed. Voyage of the Little Mermaid Disney hasn’t announced when or if the Voyage of the Little Mermaid will reopen. We’ll be sure to let you know about any updates No One’s Talking About This Super Weird Thing That Happens in Hollywood Studios EPCOT Restaurant Marrakesh Almost all of the restaurants that were closed in EPCOT during the 2020 park closure have reopened, but Restaurant Marrakesh in the Morocco Pavilion is still closed with no word on when it will reopen. Restaurant Marrakesh Since closing, the empty restaurant has been used as a relaxation station, a lounge…pretty much everything but dining. Recently, we saw that the hedges that were previously in front of the entrance have been removed and the space is once again open as a lounge. We’re hoping the restaurant returns soon! Disney Imagineers Reveal 4 Cool Facts About the New Land in EPCOT Disney World Hotels 1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort At Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, 1900 Park Fare is a table service restaurant where you could meet characters like Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland at their Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and Cinderella and her Prince Charming during the Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner. Cinderella They also had a special event for younger children called the Wonderland Tea Party. It’s sad to see a spot closed that had so much character interaction! Disney hasn’t announced a permanent closure, so there is hope for 1900 Park Fare. With 1900 Park Fare closed…you’ll need this SECRET spot to get afternoon tea in Disney World! Disney World Water Parks Typhoon Lagoon Typhoon Lagoon is currently closed in Disney World, and the website does not yet list a reopening date. Typhoon Lagoon Disney World’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, however, is open! Click here to see the best rides at Blizzard Beach. 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. Click here to check out more upcoming closures and current construction projects at Disney World. 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 One EPCOT Snack Spot Is CLOSED With No Reopening Date in Sight first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

It’s almost that time! We’re talking about the EPCOT Festival of the Arts. It’s almost here! Y’all, we seriously LOVE this festival SO much! EPCOT Festival of the Arts The 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts runs from January 12th through February 19th and showcases all sorts of artistic endeavors, from performing arts to food art and more! We’ve already got a sneak peek of the confirmed food booths, the full lineup of the Disney on Broadway concert series, details on dining packages, and everything that’s been confirmed for the festival. Well, now we want to help you navigate the festival like a pro with a FREE DFB EPCOT Festival of the Arts map. Our FREE map of the EPCOT Festival of the Arts will show you where to find EVERY food booth around the festival. All you have to do is click on the image below to sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll send you the free map! This map will show you exactly where to look for the festival food booths so you can plan out all the delicious foods you want to eat. World Celebration Gardens The festival kicks off on January 12th, and we’ll be there covering EVERYTHING there is to eat, see, and do. We’ll be posting full reviews of EVERY booth so you can decide what you want to eat when you visit the festival. So be sure to follow along with us on that day! We’ve got another great resource for you when you plan your trip for EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts Disney World trip – our DFB Guide to the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts. It’s got everything you need to know about the festival! SNEAK PEEK at the NEW EPCOT Festival of the Arts Merchandise Get the Ultimate GUIDE to the Festival of the Arts! The DFB Guide to the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your Festival trip to EPCOT. Order The DFB Guide to the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts now! It includes over 150 pages of must-have information, including the very best tips to make sure you enjoy every minute of your time at the 2024 Festival! Click HERE to preorder your 2024 Guide now! As always, our e-Books are 100% guaranteed! If you don't love it, you get your money back! MORE Festival of the Arts INFO! See the FULL LIST of Food Booths, Menus, and Photos from the 2023 Festival of the Arts Read ALL of Our Food Booth Reviews for the 2023 Festival See Our Review of the 2023 Food Challenge at the Festival Get a Full Look at the FIGMENT Merchandise That Was Available at the 2023 Festival Learn More About the Disney on Broadway Concert Series and Dining Packages Click HERE for All of the Latest News and Details About the Festival of the Arts! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest Festival of the Arts news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Will you be attending the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts? Let us know in the comments! The post The DFB-Exclusive 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts Map Is HERE! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Let’s do a little Disney Cruise daydreaming, shall we? The Disney Fantasy Or perhaps you’re doing a little more than daydreaming… maybe you’re in the process of choosing and planning your first or next Disney Cruise! Either way, we’re going to chat today about the fourth ship to join the Disney Cruise Line fleet: the Disney Fantasy. Specifically, we’re looking at this ship’s capacity, and how it differs from Disney Cruise Line’s classic ships (the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder) and the Wish Class ships (the Disney Wish and the upcoming Disney Treasure). Knowing the guest capacity of the ship may be one factor that helps you determine which ship is the best option for you and your traveling crew. The Disney Fantasy is the sister ship to the Disney Dream, and joined the fleet in 2012. For a “just the facts” look at the size, the Fantasy is 1,115 feet long and 216 feet high. (For comparison, the classic ships, which are the smallest in the fleet, are 984 feet long and 171.5 feet tall. The Disney Wish — the newest ship in the fleet — comes in at 1,119 feet long and 221 feet high.) The Disney Fantasy So how does this impact carrying capacity? Well, the Disney Fantasy offers 1,250 staterooms and can carry 4,000 passengers! (Again, for comparison, the classic ships can accommodate 2,713 passengers. Meanwhile, the Disney Wish can also carry 4,000 passengers.) 1,458 terrific Crew Members maintain the ship and serve and entertain her guests. So, in total, the Disney Fantasy can carry 5,458 people. ©Disney Cruise Line Those 1,250 Staterooms are broken down into the following broad categories and percentages: 150 Inside Staterooms (12% of the total staterooms) 1,100 Outside Staterooms (88% of the total staterooms) Of those Outside Staterooms, 199 are Ocean View (featuring porthole windows), and 901 are Verandah rooms (including 21 suites). Sooo, what I’m saying is… I think there’s plenty of room for me on an upcoming sailing. How about you? Before we go…. here’s a DFB Video that might also help you know which Disney Cruise ship is ideal for you!  Learn about the capacity of the Disney Magic HERE! What You Need to Know About Disney Cruise Line Learn All About Disney Cruise Line and Its Various Ships Explore Disney’s Mega Cruise Ship – The Wish A Full List of What You CAN’T Bring on a Disney Cruise These Are the BEST Times to Book Your Disney Cruise The Best Ways to SAVE SPACE in Your Tiny Cruise Cabin 10 Things You NEED on Your Next Cruise (That You Won’t Think to Pack!) What It’s Like to Live on a Cruise Ship for 6 Months Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox! Click here to Subscribe Are you hoping to set sail on a Disney Cruise? Please let us know with a comment! The post What Is the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship Capacity? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

It’s December, which means we’re in the middle of the holiday season at Disney World. Hollywood Studios The holiday decorations are up, the snoap is falling, and we’re eating ALL the snacks with eggnog, peppermint, and chocolate flavors. However, if you visit a certain gelato cart in Disney World, you can literally GO BACK IN TIME (just like in Doctor Who) and revisit Halloween if you want. It’s no secret we LOOOOVVEEE the Gelato Cart in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’ve had some AMAZING flavors here, including Mango, POG (yes, as in POG juice), and Cookies and Cream. Some of thespecialty flavors change out, usually every month. But really, it seems to be whenever they feel like it; there’s no strict schedule when it comes to menu changes. Gelato Cart in Hollywood Studios So, here’s the thing — we check the cart often for new flavors, and we don’t think we’ve seen a new one since…well, in a while. Now, back in September, we mixed mango and POG for a delicious experiment, and we highly recommend that dessert. But we decided to check to see what the cart was offering NOW, in December, expecting some kind of delicious Christmas-y flavor. Instead…we got…well, the Flavor of the Month is PUMPKIN. Menu So, if you miss Halloween and want to celebrate, be sure to grab some pumpkin gelato to get your Halloween feels on in the middle of December. Why not, right? The Flavor of the Month has previously been Pumpkin Cheesecake, so this is a slight change to a familiar flavor from this snack spot. Pumpkin Cheesecake Gelato So…um…Happy Halloween, we guess? We’ll keep an eye out for more new snacks in Disney World (including late spooky ones), so stay tuned to DFB for more. WE KNOW – there are SO many great snacks at Disney World! How do you choose (we don’t want to choose but will blow our budget on Day 1 otherwise)? We’ve got you covered! We have reviewed nearly EVERY snack available at Disney World, and we’ve written a series of DFB Guides about them! Check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining + Snacks Bundle for all the details you need to plan your snackin’ and spending. You can even download them to your smartphone – it’ll be like we’re right there with you in the parks! 24 Snacks You Need in Disney World in 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 Have you ever grabbed gelato at this cart? Let us know your favorite flavors in the comments! The post Are We Living in a Time Warp? Disney World Just Debuted a LATE Seasonal Treat! (But We’re Not Mad About It…) first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Y’all we’re not gonna lie. It’s BUSY at Disney World. Crowds But just how bad are the crowds? Well, compared to the wild week we experienced surrounding Thanksgiving, wait times and crowd levels actually feel kind of…tame? That’s also reflected in the recent Genie+ prices and park pass reservation availability. So how have wait times changed at Disney World over the past week? It’s time to find out! Here’s an overview of how wait times have changed in each park. Starting at Magic Kingdom, we reported that wait times decreased at most attractions last week. This trend continued into this week with many popular rides seeing a dip in averages! The only notable increase was over at Jingle Cruise which is a fan-favorite holiday overlay. Getting his POINT across in the JINGLE CRUISE! In EPCOT, the opposite happened. Wait times are on the rise! Average wait times went up at many popular rides, but especially at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After. After reporting that wait times at Hollywood Studios saw a dramatic decrease last week, the wait times are on their way back up. This is true for almost every attraction in the park! Star Tours Finally, over at Animal Kingdom, wait times stayed about the same as last week, but there were a few notable increases at Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, and Kilimanjaro Safaris. Now it’s time to see the specifics. Take a look at the average wait times at each Disney World attraction below! Magic Kingdom Starting in Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had the longest average wait time of 64 minutes. Last week, the average wait time was 67 minutes so the average has decreased since then. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Next, Jingle Cruise averaged 62 minutes (which is an increase from last week), Peter Pan’s Flight averaged 54 minutes, Haunted Mansion averaged 42 minutes, and Space Mountain averaged 39 minutes. Average wait times held Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 33 minutes, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at 32 minutes, Enchanted Tales with Belle at 29 minutes, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at 28 minutes, Pirates of the Caribbean at 25 minutes, followed by Astro Orbiter at 23 minutes. Pirates of the Caribbean After that, “it’s a small world” averaged 18 minutes, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Mickey’s PhilharMagic at 16 minutes, Magic Carpets of Aladdin averaged 15 minutes, Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini averaged 14 minutes, Tomorrowland Speedway and Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover averaged 13 minutes, Mad Tea Party averaged 11 minutes, and Enchanted Tiki Room averaged 10 minutes. Enchanted Tiki Room Prince Charming Regal Carrousel also averaged 9 minutes and other attractions like Hall of Presidents, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Carousel of Progress, and Liberty Square Riverboat all tied at 5-minute average wait times. “it’s a small world” The Country Bear Jamboree and Tom Sawyer Island were walk-ons this week. NEW Disney World Permits Hint at CHANGES Coming To an Iconic Magic Kingdom Ride EPCOT Heading over to EPCOT, Frozen Ever After held the top spot for the highest average wait time with 68 minutes. This is an increase from last week’s 59-minute average. Then, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure had an average wait time of 67 minutes, which has also increased. Frozen Ever After Next up is Test Track at 47 minutes, Soarin’ at 31 minutes, Living with the Land at 23 minutes, Mission: SPACE and Turtle Talk with Crush at 15 minutes, Spaceship Earth at 14 minutes, The Seas with Nemo and Friends at 12 minutes, Journey into Imagination at 10 minutes, and Gran Fiesta Tour at 9 minutes. Reindeer Mickey in Living with the Land 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 Have STRONG Opinions About the NEW Fireworks Show in EPCOT Hollywood Studios Slinky Dog Dash increased this week from a 64-minute average to a 78-minute average. Rise of the Resistance is next in this park with 77 minutes which is up quite a bit from 52 minutes last week. Rise of the Resistance Other wait times in the park increased this week including Toy Story Mania at 56 minutes, Tower of Terror and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at 48 minutes, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at 45 minutes, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at 40 minutes. Tower of Terror After that, Alien Swirling Saucers averaged 28 minutes, Walt Disney Presents averaged 17 minutes, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy averaged 13 minutes, Muppet*Vision 3D averaged 10 minutes, and Star Tours — The Adventure Continues averaged 8 minutes. No One’s Talking About This Super WEIRD Thing That Happens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Animal Kingdom Now, let’s head over to Animal Kingdom! After decreasing to a 61-minute average last week, Avatar Flight of Passage is up to a 71-minute average this week. Expedition Everest Following that, Na’vi River Journey at 52 minutes, Kilimanjaro Safaris at 37 minutes, Expedition Everest at 20 minutes, DINOSAUR at 15 minutes, and Kali River Rapids at 8 minutes. Festival of the Lion King It’s Tough to Be a Bug averaged 9 minutes and TriceraTop Spin averaged 8 minutes. Both The Boneyard and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail were walk-ons. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Has 33 Restaurants, But You Only Need To Know About 5 Stay tuned to DFB for more updates from Disney World! If You Hate Waiting in Long Lines, You’ll LOVE These 46 Disney World Attractions 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 visited Disney World around the holidays? Let us know in the comments below! The post I'm Here to Show You the TRUTH About Disney World Wait Times Around the Holidays first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There are so many underrated activities in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We’re not sure everyone takes full advantage of everything at this park. Yes, you can go on a safari and visit Pandora, but you can also check out the park’s many walking trails and see even MORE animals. Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom PLUS, you can head to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and visit Conservation Station, where you can actually PET animals and see the Disney World veterinarians at work. Conservation Station is also home to the Animation Experience, where you can learn to draw Disney characters — and now, a NEW drawing lesson is available. Dr. Mark Penning, one of the experts who works with the animals at Animal Kingdom, shared the new Animation Experience on Instagram. Now, you can learn to draw one of Disney’s NEWEST characters: Valentino from Wish. Credit: @drmarkatdisney So, how can you find the Animation Experience? Take the Wildlife Express Train in Africa. You’ll take a peaceful 7-minute ride through Animal Kingdom, including backstage areas you can’t see when you’re in the park. Besides booking a tour, this is the ONLY way to get a behind-the-scenes look at the park. The Wildlife Express The train will take you to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, where you’ll find Conservation Station. The Animation Experience is in the main building. You’ll be taught to draw Valentino by a real Disney animator and learn how Disney animators use REAL animals as inspiration for characters. When you’re done, you’ll have a unique souvenir that YOU MADE to take home with you. The Animation Experience So be sure to add that to your list of “must-dos” the next time you visit Animal Kingdom. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news! Disney World Is WASTING the Best Part of Animal Kingdom 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 visited The Animation Experience? Let us know what you drew in the comments! The post Disney Just Announced a NEW Drawing Experience Is Available NOW! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

A LOT is going to change with Disney World dining in 2024. EPCOT Not only will we be getting some new restaurants in 2024, including The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, but the Disney Dining Plan is making its return on January 9th — and well, let’s just say that might complicate things. Why? Well, some of the more expensive table service restaurants are only going to be one credit on the plan, meaning it’s going to be a LOT harder to get those reservations. Basically, the dining plan works like this: depending on the dining plan you purchase, you’ll get a set number of credits for specific meals. If you get the Standard Dining Plan, you’ll get one table service meal per day (which equals one table service credit per day). However, some of Disney World’s more expensive restaurants require two credits (meaning you’ll have to use two days’ worth of table service credits). But we’ve actually discovered some expensive Disney World table service restaurants that will only require one credit, meaning you’re getting way more bang for your buck. A meal at Citricos will cost two table service credits on the dining plan So what does that mean? Well, folks who purchase the dining plan will probably be booking those more expensive meals that are only worth the one credit. That means the following three restaurants are going to be HARD to get dining reservations for in 2024. Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya Over in the Japan Pavilion at EPCOT, you’ll find the relatively new Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya. Now, this restaurant can be pricey, and even features a $300 sushi boat! Well, believe it or not (and yes, this surprised us a LOT), you’ll only need one table service credit to dine here. Granted, you will probably not be able to order that Sushi Boat, but you’ll be able to get a pricey meal for the price of one Disney Dining Plan credit. Tokyo Negi Roll from Shiki-Sai Of course, EVERYONE is going to know this, and being that Shiki-Sai is still new, we’re guessing that reservations for this restaurant are going to fill up fast in 2024. 2 Lessons We Wish EVERY Disney World Restaurant Could Learn from Shiki-Sai Breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Breakfast with the princesses at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at EPCOT’s Norway Pavilion is one of the priciest character breakfast in Disney World at $55 per adult and $35 per child. However, breakfast here (and breakfast only) requires only one table service credit, meaning you’ll get a VERY good value out of the Dining Plan if you book a reservation here. Breakfast at Akershus This is the only other character breakfast in Disney World with princesses (the other is Cinderella’s Royal Table, which requires two table service credits on the dining plan). That means that getting a reservation is about to get a LOT harder in 2024. This EPCOT Princess Breakfast Is CHEAPER and EASIER Than Cinderella’s Royal Table (And It Has Cheesy Potatoes) Chefs de France Chefs de France in EPCOT’s France Pavilion is another pricey restaurant in Disney World that offers a signature dining experience. However, when it comes to the Disney Dining Plan, it’s only going to cost one table service credit. Again, this means you’re getting very good value with the dining plan if you book a reservation here. The pre-fixe meal alone is $65.95 per person. Chefs de France But, yes, that’s what everyone else will be thinking, too, and this might be one of the harder reservations to get in Disney World in 2024. Honestly, we’re a little surprised it’s only one table service credit, but use that to your advantage — if you can. So if you want to get reservations for any of these restaurants, be sure to get up EARLY at exactly 60 days from the first day of your Disney World trip to try to nab them. Stay tuned to DFB for more. REVIEW: Have Lunch With Us (and the BEST Dessert!) at Chefs de France in EPCOT 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 already had problems getting reservations for some restaurants in 2024? Let us know in the comments! The post 3 Restaurants That Will Be HARDER to Book in 2024 first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Have you ever spent the holidays in Disney World? Raglan Road We’re not talking about the holiday season, although it’s certainly magical. We’re talking about the ACTUAL holidays, like Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Now, there are plenty of places to get a good meal on Christmas and some fun New Year’s Eve activities, too, but if you’ll be in Disney Springs on either of those days, you might want to head to Raglan Road. That’s because Raglan Road Irish Pub is the place to be for both occasions. There’s a special Christmas menu available on Christmas Day that’s sure to please (and definitely beats cooking for everyone). Live music in Raglan Road You’ll be able to enjoy a Butter and Herb Roast Turkey, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Duck Fat Roasties, Honey-Glazed Carrots, Bacon-Braised Brussels Sprouts, Sausage Meat and Walnut Stuffing, and Red Wine Jus with Cranberry Sauce. Yep, that is a FEAST. The cost is $39.99 for adults and $19.99 for children. ©Raglan Road You may want to stick around for New Year’s Eve, too, because Raglan Road celebrates it TWICE in one night. First, you can celebrate midnight in Ireland, which is 7PM Orlando time. OR you can celebrate at midnight Orlando time — totally up to you. Or you could celebrate both! Either way, you’ll get a flute of complimentary bubbly for each celebration while you watch Raglan Road’s live entertainment. ©Raglan Road So, if you’ll be in Disney World for either of those days, be sure to check it out. We’ll also be keeping an eye out for more things to do on Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Disney World, 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. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off! The Magic Kingdom Christmas Overlay We JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT! DON'T MISS A MOMENT OF HOLIDAY MAGIC Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including: The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!) ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM. And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat! Save 20% on the Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide with code PEPPERMINT. GET YOUR GUIDE NOW MORE Disney World Holiday INFO! Learn About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Get the Latest Information About the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays We’ll Take This Little Golden Disney Book in Our Stocking, Santa! Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Holiday Dining and Events What We Wish We’d Known Before Going to Disney World During the Holidays Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Will you be celebrating Christmas and/or New Year’s in Disney World? What are your plans? Tell us all about it in the comments! The post A POPULAR Disney World Restaurant Announces EXCLUSIVE New Holiday Menu first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

So…um…who needs a new Loungefly? Need a NEW Loungefly? Okay, we know, we know, there are a lot of Loungefly bags out there, and if you’re like us, you’re tempted to buy every single one (hey, we’re only human). Well, that’s why we have to share this with you because we just found even MORE new Loungeflys on Amazon. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Before you spend that money on a Loungefly, though, do you have Amazon Prime to score free shipping (along with some other great perks)? If not, you can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime below. Buy the Peter Pan Shadow Loungefly Backpack ©Amazon Okay, this is one of the more unique Peter Pan bags we’ve seen. It’s got Peter’s shadow on it (that pesky thing he can never catch). He’s joined by Tinker Bell and the Darling children. Nan is on the back of the bag. ©Amazon The inside lining features a pattern with Peter’s shadow and Tinker Bell. View on Amazon Get the Lilo and Stitch Cosplay Loungefly Backpack ©Amazon This backpack features Lilo, as well as Scrump, and it’s covered with the pattern from Lilo’s red dress. The back has Lilo playing her ukelele for Scrump and says “Ohana means family.” ©Amazon The inside lining features a pattern with tons of little Lilos. View on Amazon Buy the Gingerbread Mickey and Minnie Ice Skating Loungefly Backpack ©Amazon First, how charming is this Loungefly that features Mickey and Minnie ice skating together? SO sweet. But there’s a gingerbread theme here, which even affects how this bag smells — yes, it’s scented like gingerbread! ©Amazon This bag has so many adorable details on it and is perfect for the holidays. View on Amazon Get the Mickey Musician Loungefly Mini Backpack ©Amazon Celebrate Disney’s 100th Anniversary with this bag that features classic Mickey as a musician. He’s leading the band on the front of the bag while the back says “100 Years of Music and Wonder.” ©Amazon Oh, and Tinker Bell puts in an appearance there, too. View on Amazon Buy the Encanto Luisa Mini Backpack ©Amazon Luisa Madrigal is the star of this mini backpack, along with her donkeys as unicorns (although we spot Mirabel, too). The back features a lyric from her song “Under The Surface,” which says “I’m totally not nervous.” Poor Luisa! ©Amazon The zipper pull on the bag is a dumbbell. View on Amazon So head on over to Amazon now to grab your new favorite Loungefly. Remember, these make great gifts, too, for the Disney fans in your life! Click here to see our Amazon shop!The post 5 NEW Disney Loungefly Bags Are on Amazon NOW first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

How is Christmas just around the corner?! It’s the holiday season! This year has flown by, and it feels WILD that we’re already nearing the prime of the holiday season. Now that the weather at Disney World has dropped slightly (Yay for temps below 80!), all the holiday decorations are up in the parks, and we’ve experienced the holiday parties, we’ve decided to do some more exploring regarding the fun things you can do WITHOUT a park ticket. One of our favorite holiday activities to do without a Disney World ticket? EAT! There are all sorts of adorably Christmassy treats located in Disney Springs. This week, we had three different holiday treat options that we think you’d LOVE if you’re looking for a chill evening to snack outside of the parks. Let’s go! Holiday Doughnuts at Everglazed Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew is located on the West Side of Disney Springs, and is currently serving up six different holiday doughnuts available this year — Melty the Snowman, Bowl Full of Jelly, Red-Nosed Reindeer, Peppermint Bark, Holly Jolly, and Winter Mix. SO CUTE We went with the snowman, the reindeer, and Santa Claus, and they did NOT disappoint! However, we did feel a little mean for eating them, because they’re just so darn cute. These are great to share or have all to yourself. Holiday Peppermint Chocolate Milk Boba Tea at YeSake If you love boba, you better listen up! This sweet drink is what holiday dreams are made of. It’s $8, and is a great option if you love mint chocolate and boba. Holiday Boba At first, it tastes like a sweet chocolate milk, and then the peppermint comes in as a gentle aftertaste. It’s delicious, and the boba adds a nice texture! Hot Chocolate Flight at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar Here, you can get the Hot Chocolate Grail Flight for $26, which includes Spiced Caramel with Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Cookies ‘n Cream with White Chocolate and Stoli Vanil Vodka, Peppermint with Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur and Bols Crème de Menthe White Liqueur. Hot Chocolate Grail Flight Each year, there’s some version of this, and each year, we keep crawling back for it. If you’re looking for a boozy hot chocolate flight, then trust us when we say that you need to stop at Jock Lindsey’s. And there you have it! Of course, plenty more NEW things pop up in the parks each and every day. Take a look through the links below and see for yourself! WHAT'S NEW AT DISNEY? Check out our daily updates on all the happenings around Disney World and Disneyland! Magic Kingdom EPCOT Hollywood Studios Animal Kingdom Disney Hotels Disney Springs Disneyland We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing and are always in the loop. Looking for more BIG Disney news? 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 do you think? Will you be trying these treats? Let us know in the comments! The post 3 Holiday Treats We Tried At Disney World This Week That DON'T Require A Park Ticket first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

If you catch yourself greeting your friends often with “Welcome, Foolish Mortals,” this post is for you. ©Tokyo Disneyland Okay, so yes, we’re super excited that Hat Box Ghost finally made his way to Disney World’s Haunted Mansion. We’re also VERY stoked about the Haunted Mansion lounge that will be on the Disney Treasure ship. But there’s a Haunted Mansion experience somewhere else that we’re just jealous of (because we can’t easily go visit it). Okay, so we have to give you a little background information first. There is a VERY cool thing at Tokyo Disneyland called Disney Story Beyond. This is a series of events held at the park where guests can explore more of different attractions’ stories, as well as get access to NEW stories and characters related to that ride. It includes augmented reality photo ops and something called “nazotoki,” which is a popular Japanese mystery-solving program. Sounds SO cool, right? ©Disney Disney previously held the first episode of Disney Story Beyond in 2023, which also included all of this plus merchandise exclusive to the event. Well, the second episode is happening in 2024 from February 7th through April 30th, 2024. This episode is called “A Hidden Fate” and will include rides and a puzzle-solving program inside the park, as well as special drinks and snacks. The story of “A Hidden Fate” will feature characters from the first episode, but will also include NEW characters and new stories. Before the special in-park event begins on February 7th, the website will post episodes, as well as offer more information about some of the ghosts. So it’s basically a NEW way to interact with the Haunted Mansion and learn more about its 999 Happy Haunts. There also seems to be a virtual component for those who want to “play,” but can’t make it to the park. ©Disney This sounds AMAZING, and we’d love to do that here in the U.S. parks, but as always, Tokyo gets ALL the cool stuff, and so we’ll just sit here and pout and be jealous…AGAIN. EVERYTHING Coming to Disney’s New Peter Pan Land Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Would you like to do something like this in U.S. parks? Let us know in the comments! The post We’re SUPER Jealous of This Cool Haunted Mansion Experience first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

One of the worst things that can happen once you get into a TV show is that it gets canceled. ©ABC However, TV cancelations are pretty common. We saw Disney cancel several ABC shows earlier this year, like Home Economics, The Wonder Years, and more. Well, ANOTHER show on ABC is also getting the boot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC’s Station 19 will be ending with season seven. The show is one of two spin-offs of Grey’s Anatomy, focusing on the lives of firefighters. ©ABC “For seven seasons, Station 19 has been a highlight of the ABC lineup thanks to Shonda [Rhimes] and Betsy [Beers’] incredible vision, beloved characters and compelling storytelling,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group. “With Zoanne [Clack] and Peter [Paige] at the helm of the upcoming farewell season, we have so much to look forward to, most notably the celebration of the show’s milestone 100th episode.” ©ABC So yes, Station 19 will, at least, get a final season, during which it will mark its 100th episode. This final season will debut on March 14th at 10PM on ABC. This is just one of MANY shows Disney has canceled in 2023, including several Disney+ series like The Muppets Mayhem. ©Disney We’ll keep an eye out for more Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more. “I Am a Huge Believer in the Need to Constantly Innovate” — Disney CEO Bob Iger Comments on Upcoming CHANGES 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 this cancelation? Let us know in the comments! The post NEWS: Disney CANCELS Another ABC Series After 7 Seasons first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Are you planning a trip to Disney World? Well, as you may know, it can get expensive. Disney gift card However, it IS possible to visit Disney World on a budget if you know how to take advantage of certain deals. You can score deals on everything from airfare to your hotel stay, after all. But did you know you can also score deals on Disney gift cards that you can use LIKE CASH at the parks? Well, you can — and you can get those discounted cards right now! So, there is a catch to getting these discounted gift cards. You’ll need to be a Costco member (or, hey, if you know a Costco member who will help you out, that works, too). That’s because Costco is now running a special deal where you can buy a $250 Disney gift card for $225 — that’s a savings of 10%. ©Costco You can buy up to two gift cards per member, and as we mentioned, these cards can be used for everything from booking your Disney trip to spending it in the parks on merchandise, food, and more. Digital cards purchased online will be delivered via email. So, if you’re looking for a way to save a bit on your next Disney trip, this could help! Note there is a limit of two per membership. ©Costco We’ll keep an eye out for other Disney gift card discounts, so stay tuned to DFB for more. When are you headed to Disney World next? Have you checked out our line of fun graphic tees to wear on your trip? We’ve designed some for the whole family – from infants to adults! Click here to check them out! STOP Paying Full Price for Disney Gift Cards 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 buy discounted Disney gift cards before trips? Let us know in the comments! The post Costco Is Offering a MAJOR Deal on Disney Gift Cards Right Now first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

One Disney attraction is permanently closing tomorrow, December 10th. Disney California Adventure The Beast’s Library in Disney California Adventure will be closing its doors for good, and the space is going to be used for something NEW! Disney announced about a month ago that the Beast’s Library will be closing on December 10th, 2023. It’ll still be open on the 10th, but that is the last day when guests can experience the attraction. Beast’s Library The attraction is located inside of Sorcerer’s Workshop and puts guests inside the library from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast movie. Sorcerer’s Workshop There are a couple of cool things to check out inside, like a portrait that changes from the Beast to Prince Adam and a magical book that tells you which Disney character fits your personality. Portrait We’ve noticed some pretty long lines at the Beast’s Library the last few times we’ve visited, as many people try to get in one last trip before the closure. We’re expecting the line tomorrow to be even longer since it’ll be the last day! Magical Book According to KTLA5, the space will be transformed to become part of Disney’s Imagination Campus. The campus is a “student enrichment provider” that helps build imagination and creativity in students. Their website states, “It is our vision to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and doers.” ©Disney The Imagination Campus holds workshops about performing arts and other subjects, so the Beast’s Library space might become the site of one of these workshops. ©Disney Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on all the latest Disney news. Click here to see everything that’ll be CLOSED in Disneyland in 2024. Want to Learn More About Disneyland? Check Out the Links Below! DFB Disneyland Restaurants Guide Disney Genie and How to Use it in Disneyland What You Need to Know About the Theme Park Reservation System for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Closures and Construction at Disneyland Learn All About Disneyland Park See What Marvelous Stuff You’ll Find at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Learn About Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure Get All the Details About the Disneyland Mobile App Everything You Need to Know About Mobile Order in Disneyland Learn More About Disneyland’s Magic Key Program Full Details About the Holiday Season in Disneyland Full Details About Halloween Time at Disneyland Get Some STRANGE Tips for Disneyland Click HERE to Check Out Lots of Other DFB Posts About Disneyland Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox! Click here to Subscribe Are you going to miss the Beast’s Library? Let us know in the comments. The post A Disney Attraction Will Close FOREVER Tomorrow first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Earlier this year, we told you about a NEW kind of McDonald’s restaurant on the way, CosMc’s. ©McDonald’s CosMc’s is a “small format concept with all the DNA of McDonald’s but its own unique personality.” Well, the first CosMc’s has arrived in Illinois (with more locations on the way soon), and we recently got a sneak peek at the menu. The drinks-heavy menu certainly fulfills the “unique personality” concept, so let’s take a look at the unique items you’ll be able to order there. As we mentioned, the menu features a LOT of interesting drinks, but one that got our eye under “Signature Galactic Boosts” is the Sour Cherry Energy Boost. This is a Tart cherry slush blended over fruity popping boba with a boost of energy. Yep, McDonald’s has jumped into the energy drink game and added boba. ©McDonald’s Looking for a different kind of coffee? Well, there’s the Turmeric Spice Latte, made with fresh espresso and milk and topped with turmeric-flavored syrup with foam and black pepper sprinkles. So it’s basically a savory coffee, and we’re not quite sure how we feel about that. ©McDonald’s Okay, it’s no secret that we LOVE churros, so the Churro Frappe certainly has our attention. This one actually sounds delicious: it’s a sweetened blended cold brew finished with whipped cream and topped with cinnamon sprinkles. So maybe not so weird as unique — and potentially tasty. ©McDonald’s You can also get a Popping Pear Slush, which is a prickly pear-flavored slush finished with whipped cream and topped with popping candy. Popping candy…okay, that’s certainly different. The idea of the pear flavor does sound good, though. We also love the pink color of it — it’s giving us Barbie vibes. ©McDonald’s You can also get food at CosMc’s, including some standard McDonald’s items (but NOT french fries), as well as Pretzel Bites and Hash Brown Bites. But we’re intrigued by the Blueberry Lemon Cookie Sundae, made with Vanilla Soft-Serve, Mixed Berry Sauce, and a Lemon-Blueberry Cookie. These are two flavors that go together but are certainly different from McDonald’s typical sundaes (some of which are also available). ©McDonald’s Finally, CosMc’s is introducing something called McPops. There’s no real description of these, but they look like pastries with fillings. A total of three flavors are available: Cookie Butter, Apple Cinnamon, and Hazelnut. You can order just one flavor or get a mixed bag of all three. They LOOK good, though! ©McDonald’s We’re very interested in trying out some of these items for ourselves, and if we do manage to get to a CosMc’s, we’ll be sure to bring you along for the ride and review EVERYTHING. In the meantime, stay tuned to DFB for more. FIRST LOOK at the MENU for the NEW McDonald’s Spin-Off Restaurant Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What do you think? What would you like to try from the CosMc’s menu? Let us know in the comments! The post 6 Super WEIRD Menu Items at McDonald’s NEW Spin-Off Restaurant first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

It’s safe to say that over the years we’ve accumulated A TON of Disney World knowledge and, with that, quite a few secrets! Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Here at DFB, we LITERALLY have someone in the Disney Parks every day trying the latest snacks, gauging the crowd levels, and reporting on all the latest secrets and tips that they’ve uncovered. If you want the inside scoop, we’re here to spill the beans on some of the best Disney World secrets that YOU can apply to your next Disney World vacation! This one is a biggie, so let’s jump right into it — here are 50 secrets you should know about Disney World before your next trip! You Might Need To Wait For The Second Checkpoint Tower of Terror Lightning Lane sign Let’s start off with a Genie+ point. Genie+ allows you to select one Lightning Lane at a time. You can choose your next one when you’ve used the last one you selected and are ready to book another, your first return time window has ended (because you missed it), or 120 minutes have passed since you booked your last one. Sometimes though you aren’t immediately able to make a new Lightning Lane selection after you scan your previous one. DON’T PANIC! Some rides such as Tower of Terror make you go through TWO Lightning Lane checkpoints before you can make a new reservation. There Are TWO Monorail Sides Magic Kingdom Monorail Even though the monorail line can be intimidating at the end of the day at Magic Kingdom, it’s important to remember there are TWO monorails you can use. On the left, you’ll find the resort monorail — which takes you to Disney’s Contemporary Resort — and on the right is the express monorail — which takes you to the TTC. If the resort monorail is shorter, it is a viable option to get back to your car as it loops back around to the TTC. You Can Skip Over The MCO Lines Orlando Airport Looking to skip the frenzy over at Orlando International Airport? MCO Reserve is a FREE reservation system (separate from TSA Precheck) that allows you to scan in and go through security at a select time. This is a fast and exclusive line that beats the regular security checkpoint and spots can be reserved up to 72 hours prior to your flight at reserve.clearme.com. Make sure you have your boarding ticket, identification, and MCO Reserve receipt ready to go. The MCO Reserve line is located “between the TSA PreCheck and standard security screening lanes at the checkpoint to Gates 1-59.” Avoid Disney Springs On The Weekend Disney Springs crowds Weekend crowds at Disney Springs are ROUGH. Locals are off work, tourists are just arriving, and parking is free. Shoot for the middle of the week if you want to avoid feeling smushed. If you must go on the weekends, we recommend making dining reservations well in advance. Gideon’s Cookies Aren’t Just A Disney Springs Thing Gideon’s Bakehouse and her big ol’ line Sure, Gideon’s Bakehouse has rare occasions when the wait times aren’t terrible. But that is a rarity. If you’ve got extra time in your itinerary and want to venture outside of the Disney World bubble, there is another Gideon’s Bakehouse storefront over at the East End Market. This location is actually the original Gideon’s shop and has much shorter waits. This shop also has a mobile pickup so you can order in advance. With that said, be aware that the Disney Springs Gideon’s Bakehouse has exclusive items that you can’t find elsewhere. Bell Services Makes Vacation Life So Much Easier No need to tip the bell services cast members at the Tower of Terror! Bell Services at the Disney Resorts are incredibly useful to hotel guests and visiting guests alike. Bell services will hold onto your luggage while you kill time and can help you in specific situations like grabbing one last nice breakfast at a resort before heading over to the airport. It never hurts to ask and use the bell services that are offered to you! You Can Visit Trader Sam’s When It’s EMPTY Trader Sam’s has a unique atmosphere, especially at night! Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village is usually hard to get into because it doesn’t take any advance dining reservations or a virtual waitlist even though it is VERY popular. Wait times could be over an hour depending on the day, and the physical queue doesn’t open until 3 p.m. (patrons start lining up as early as 90 minutes before opening). Despite all of that, the quietest Trader Sam’s gets during the year can actually be during some of Disney World’s peak season. How? The nights before runDisney races usually have racers asleep in their beds early, leaving Trader Sam’s empty. So if you find yourself in Disney World during a runDisney weekend but aren’t racing, feel free to enjoy a drink and take in the chill atmosphere. Quick Services Can Have Super Limited Seating Tomorrowland Terrace While some Magic Kingdom quick services locations have ample amounts of tables and seating, there are plenty that don’t. However, this issue has caused us to be creative and find solutions. Tomorrowland Terrace is closed but has plenty of tables and chairs (as well as shade), Sleepy Hollow Refreshments has picnic tables nearby behind Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe, and the second floors of Columbia Harbour House and Pinocchio’s Village Haus usually have a fair amount of tables. “Vulture” The Broken Down Rides ©Disney Death, taxes, and Disney rides breaking down — these things are certain. What do you do if you’re in line and a ride breaks down? If a ride is really busted, a cast member will usually come through after a 10-15 minute wait and let you know that you’re more than welcome to stick around in line, but to be aware there is no time frame to fixing the attraction. If you dip out, “vulture” the area for a bit while sticking with the rides and attractions that are close by. If the broken-down ride is back up while you’re in the area, you can jump back into the queue before the line gets too long. You Can Visit Oga’s Cantina When It’s EMPTY, Too! DJ R-3X Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is always crowded, but if you get a late-night reservation at Oga’s Cantina after Hollywood Studios closes you can wait out the end-of-the-night rush. With that said, if you decide to attempt this strategy, please be mindful of the cast members’ time. Weed Out The Lightning Lanes Kali River Rapids Lightning Lane The My Disney Experience app has a feature that allows you to turn on a filter that will ONLY show you rides included in the Disney Genie+ service. This may seem like a small change, but it will help you save time when scrolling through the attractions list and deciding where to make your next Genie+ selection. Know How To Use The 120-Minute Rule The RIGHT Way Lightning Lane for Smugglers Run You can hold multiple Lightning Lane reservations at a time if you use the 120-minute rule. Let’s say your first Lightning Lane entry of the day isn’t valid until the evening. You don’t have to wait until the evening to book your next Lightning Lane pass. Instead, wait 120 minutes from your first reservation and then simply book your second reservation. Keep in mind that if you’re stacking Lightning Lanes, then you’ll only be able to immediately select another one after you have used the LAST Lightning Lane reservation you obtained. For example, if you’ve lined up Haunted Mansion first, Peter Pan’s Flight second, and Space Mountain third then the only Lightning Lane out of the three that would allow you to immediately book another Lightning Lane after use would be Space Mountain. Fantasmic! Showtimes Change. A LOT. ©Disney Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios is a thrilling nighttime spectacular that features pyrotechnics, water features, live characters, and animatronics. It’s also got an ever-changing showtime schedule. Sometimes Fantasmic! will play twice each evening and sometimes only once. Sometimes it will play right when the park’s about to close and sometimes it’ll happen an hour before closing. The moral of the story? Check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit to see showtimes, especially if you can’t stand to miss the show. This is a good idea for all shows you want to hit up. It Doesn’t Matter If You Rope Drop THIS Ride… Flight of Passage in Pandora Rope dropping the parks usually leads to shorter wait times for popular rides but that’s not always the case. At Animal Kingdom, rope drop crowds typically head to one ride only — Avatar: Flight of Passage. You might be able to bypass most of the line with Early Theme Park Entry (which allows Disney World resort guests to enter the parks 30 minutes before everyone else), but even then you’re still going to have a wait. We’ve seen Flight of Passage wait times dip around 2 p.m. (the time people start park hopping OUT of Animal Kingdom) so it’s worth keeping an eye on the My Disney Experience app during that time. If you have to get on the ride, you can always purchase an individual Lightning Lane. … But It DOES Matter If You Rope Drop THIS Restaurant Nomad Lounge Nomad Lounge at Animal Kingdom features chill vibes, refreshing hand-crafted cocktails, and tasty lounge bites in a travel-themed bar. This place does get rather busy and doesn’t take advance dining reservations, so rope-dropping is a good idea. Nomad Lounge opens daily at 11 a.m., and you can get your foot in the door by joining the walk-up list either in person or on the My Disney Experience app. The Multi-Park Lightning Lanes Can Be Your GREATEST Weapon Lightning Lane sign at Ariel’s Grotto In June of 2023, Genie+ switched to park-specific pricing. However, if you’re using a park hopper during your trip you should consider the multi-park Lightning Lane option. While the multi-park Genie + is always gonna be the higher-priced option of the bunch, this can be a fantastic way for those who have shorter vacations planned to experience as many of the rides as possible. You Can Participate In “Wellness Activities” Check the Recreation Activities Board! Activities vary between the resorts, but some resorts have specific Wellness Activities to help you get some extra steps in each day. You can learn about these extra activities from the recreation boards posted near the main pools and lobbies. These activities are great ways to let the kiddos spend some pent-up energy while keeping them entertained. Some activities include things like a Skyliner Rally Scavenger Hunt or morning family dance classes. The Airport Shuttle Isn’t JUST A Disney Thing Mears Connect Mears Connect: Driven By Sunshine Shuttles can take you from the MCO to your hotel and vice versa, but it also drops off at several of the Good Neighbor Hotels, including the B Resort and Spa, Hilton Orlando Buena Vista, Holiday Inn Orlando, and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. For a full list of hotels that Mears Connect partners with, click here. Hotel Room Coffee Is “Blah” Coffee maker Sure, it’s complimentary in Disney World hotel rooms and saves time, but the cream and sugar you’re given to go along with it is lackluster, to say the least. We recommend bringing your own creamers from home, buying some nearby, or having some delivered via something like Kroger Grocery Delivery. Smaller bottles of flavored creamer are also available for purchase in the refrigerated sections of resort gift shops. Liege Waffles Can Be Both Disappointing… And Extremely Useful Orange Bird Liege Waffle Liege waffles that are found at Connections Café and Eatery inside EPCOT are served fresh regularly, but some limited-edition ones come pre-packaged. While these specialty liege waffles might not be as fresh as the standard ones, their plastic bag does allow them to saved for a cheaper breakfast alternative. PhotoPass Cast Members Are AWESOME PhotoPass Cast Members This one is a given, but what makes PhotoPass Cast Members EXTRA awesome is the fact that you can ask any of them to take a picture of your group using your own phone and they TOTALLY will! They take fantastic photos and you don’t have to worry about being charged for photos. You can also use them for professional pictures that you can purchase during or after your trip. Lightning Lanes Can Be Misleading Spaceship Earth Lightning Lane Lightning Lanes don’t provide a total absence of a wait. They eventually merge into the main queue and, depending on the attraction, this might mean you’ve still got an extra 15-20 minutes to wait before you actually board the ride. The wait also gets worse if the ride experiences any kind of stoppage or technical difficulties. Still, Lightning Lanes are easily the quickest way to experience attractions. You Can Use Disney Gift Cards Virtually, Too! ©Disney Disney Gift Cards can be used both physically at Disney retail destinations and through the My Disney Experience app, as well. They’re great to use on features like Genie+ and mobile checkout and can be selected through the “select different payment method” option. Gift Cards COULD Leave You In A Sticky Situation Disney Gift Card Speaking of gift cards, if you’re using a gift card to pay for a sit-down meal on Disney property, make sure you’ve got enough saved for gratuity. If you don’t have enough left on the card you could end up accidentally short-changing your server. We recommend bringing some extra cash to avoid this problem. There Are TWO Sides Of The Riviera Skyliner Station Skyliner at Riviera The Magic Kingdom monorail isn’t the only station with two sides — the Skyliner station over at Disney’s Riviera Resort also has two sides that you can board. The left side goes to Hollywood Studios while the right goes to EPCOT. Double-check to make sure you’re on the correct side to avoid any mixups! ALWAYS Listen To The Cast Members Cast Members This isn’t a secret but it must be reiterated — ALWAYS LISTEN TO CAST MEMBERS! Cast Members have been trained for all sorts of scenarios and are equipped to help you out and even reimburse you with complimentary Lightning Lanes if you’re on a ride when it breaks down. If you had to be evacuated from an outdoor ride, then cast members might be at the exit handing out free water bottles too. Whatever the case may be, remember that your safety and your family’s safety is the most important thing. The best way to keep them safe is to take a deep breath and listen to Cast Members. Typhoon Lagoon Is… Strangely Painful? Typhoon Lagoon All the Typhoon Lagoon walkways have tiny, crater-like holes in them that, more than likely, help keep guests from slipping and falling. HOWEVER, stepping on those buggers with your bare feet hurts and the pavement can get scalding hot. We recommend wearing sandals or flip-flops, but you may have to take them off and hold them when going down slides. Water shoes are also a great alternative as is travel down the lazy river Castaway Creek, which has many exit points throughout the park. Pack a Chafe Stick ©Amazon Anti-chafers like deodorant are absolutely necessary to keep you from feeling sore and miserable by the end of a park day. Thigh rescue sticks like Megababe are relatively inexpensive and apply silky smooth protection onto your thighs to keep away that raw, burning chafe after a hot and sweaty day around the parks. Other things you’ll wanna pack include blister Band-Aids, Moleskin for your shoes, and other anti-rub remedies. Caribbean Beach Is Bigger Than You Think Caribbean Beach Resort Caribbean Beach Resort is so expansive that it takes forever and a day to walk ANYWHERE. Even the main area of this resort is still a good distance away from Caribbean Beach’s Skyliner station. In fact, that main area winds up being closer to the Riviera Resort Skyliner hub than the actual Caribbean Beach one. Keep in mind amenity and restaurant locations when booking rooms here and deciding where to stay on property. Order Goodies To Spruce Up Your Room ©Disney Celebrating something special or want to surprise one of your group members with a little extra “congrats” before they get up to their room? You can reach out to Magical Floral & Gifts, a NEW third-party retailer that partners with Disney to deliver a variety of gift baskets, balloon bouquets, and floral arrangements to your resort. According to the website, “You must be present for your gift to be delivered to your room or you can pick it up at your resort front desk.” To place an order before your trip, visit the Magical Floral and Gifts website, or call 888-814-8718. Drastic Times Calls For… Spending Extra $$$ Treasure Chest of Gold Coins This one should be obvious — your pair of shoes matters at Disney World. Your flimsy little flip-flops aren’t doing you any favors and old worn-out shoes could fail you at any second. The pain isn’t worth it. Bite the bullet and purchase a better pair of shoes at a nearby shoe outlet outside the Disney bubble rather than keep on wearing the ones that are making you miserable. We don’t recommend breaking in new shoes at Disney World, but the alternative could have really painful and damaging results. It’s better to try a new shoe rather than deal with the current shoes you’ve got that are absolutely destroying the arch of your foot. Don’t Forget About THIS Underrated Night Show Chinese Theater Fantasmic! may be the main show at Hollywood Studios, but don’t forget about the projection shows at Grauman’s Chinese Theater! Each evening, the theater features TWO different projection shows — Disney Movie Magic featuring highlights of classic live-action films — like Mary Poppins, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones — and Wonderful World of Animation, which highlights classic animated Disney and Pixar films like Zootopia, The Incredibles, and Moana. Each show lasts about 10 minutes and showtimes can be found on the My Disney Experience app. There Are MORE Lockers Hiding In Disney World Kali River Rapids Lockers We’re not talking about the $10-15 lockers in front of the parks — for this one, we’re talking about the lockers right outside the Kali River Rapids ride over in the Asia section of Animal Kingdom. While many guests who choose to pay for lockers here are just trying to keep their belongings dry, anyone can pay for a Kali River locker and have access to it all day long without having to backtrack to the front of the park each time you need something. Good Neighbor Hotels Have Some MAJOR Downfalls Delta Hotels Good Neighbor Hotels partner with Disney to give guests a potentially more affordable hotel stay while still keeping them close to the parks. Many of these hotels also have similar perks to Disney-owned hotels, but you should also read the fine print, as these perks sometimes come with a catch. For example, some complimentary shuttle services at Good Neighbor Hotels operate in very limited timeframes in a limited capacity. You may end up spending more money on rideshare services. Your Phone Might Call 911 Without You Knowing Judy Hopps Every day people call 911 while they are in Disney World without meaning to. How? Many smartphone apps have a built-in “crash detection” feature that will automatically dial 911 if the phone senses a collision. Roller coasters have enough force to mimic the force of a collision, and so the best prevention against this is turning your phone off, switching to airplane mode before getting on an intense ride, or simply turning off emergency or crash detection features while on vacation. THESE Rides Have The Most Evacuations Rise of the Resistance Ride breakdowns happen more frequently for some Disney World rides than others — that’s just the honest truth. Unsurprisingly, Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios breaks down the most at 580 times across 302 days (per AllEars). The runner-up is Test Track at EPCOT, which closed 560 times over 303 days, and in third is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom, which broke down 532 times over 264 days. For rides that break down frequently, we suggest hitting them up earlier as this gives you time to return later and try your luck again. You DON’T Have To Miss “Baby Yoda” It’s the Mandalorian and Grogu! If you would “like to see the baby” at Hollywood Studios, you’re in luck! The Mandalorian and Grogu wander around Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge looking for bounties to collect. While initially finding these two used to be based on luck, the My Disney Experience app now lists available times to find the pair. The Mandalorian character experience is marked by a Mickey head on the map and once you select it you’ll see details of meet-and-greet times. Gideon’s Will Cut You Off Gideon’s Bakehouse Back at Gideon’s in Disney Springs, be aware that there’s a limit on how much dessert you’re allowed to buy. Gideon’s imposes a limit of six cookies per person for the “everyday options.” This limit gets even smaller for limited-time cookies, which is two cookies per person. Cake slices are generally the same. You Might Turn Into An Avatar… But Not By Choice Flight of Passage Disney World is trying to phase out plastic bags in favor of reusable bags, but chances are you’ll still be able to get a plastic bag with each purchase. These bags have blue coloring and on a hot Orlando afternoon can TURN YOUR HANDS BLUE. If you notice your sweaty hands turning blue, the bag is probably why. Amorette’s Patisserie Cakes Can Lead To Heartbreak Amorette’s In Disney Springs, Amorette’s Patisserie cakes are wonderful and come with exciting perit cake designs. However, they are expensive ($20+ per cake) and can melt in the Orlando heat. If you decide to purchase an Amorette’s cake, plan on eating it right then and there or grab it closer to the end of the day so you can quickly get back to your hotel room and store it in the mini-fridge. Download Your Ticket From The My Disney Experience App Link Your Tickets or Pass on My Disney Experience These days, you don’t need to buy a MagicBand to access your park tickets. In fact, you don’t even need the physical tickets themselves. All you need is your phone and the My Disney Experience app. The app has a feature that will store your Disney World park tickets for you. To use your Magic Mobile Tickets, you’ll need to download them from the app into your Apple Wallet or Google Pay. To do this, use the menu button in the lower right-hand corner of the Home Screen, select the “Disney MagicMobile” option, and follow the steps to create and save your pass. A Skyliner Bar Crawl Can Compete With A Monorail Bar Crawl Bar Riva It’s tough to beat taking a break day from the parks by hopping onto the monorail and grabbing a quick drink from a deluxe resort. However, have you tried bar crawling along the Skyliner route? Resorts like Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Century, the Riviera, Caribbean Beach, BoardWalk Inn, and Yacht and Beach Club can make for a very fun bar crawl day and offer unique alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Some of our favorite bars on the route include Bar Riva at the Riviera, Banana Cabana Lounge at Caribbean Beach, Belle Vue Lounge at BoardWalk Inn, and the Beaches and Cream To-Go Window. Also, be sure to check out our Skyliner Bar Crawl post for our tips and reviews! Bring A Sewing Kit ©Amazon Several Disney resorts used to provide rooms with little sewing kits back in the day and while you can still sometimes request one at the front desk, the safest bet is to bring your own. Mini sewing kits usually come equipped with a small pair of scissors, a needle, thread, safety pins, and sometimes a spare button or two. These kits can really save the day if you have a sudden wardrobe catastrophe and can be found on Amazon for as little as $5. Know Where To Go For That 1PM Virtual Queue Drop Virtual Queue Prompt on My Disney Experience Home Screen TRON: Lightcycle/Run in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT both currently require virtual queues and you should know how to access those queues. Each day, these virtual queues open up twice for all park guests — once at 7 a.m. and then again at 1 p.m. The 7 a.m. window doesn’t require you to be in the park to access the queue and grab a boarding group number, but the 1 p.m. window DOES. While Disney does have free wifi, it isn’t the most reliable so we suggest switching over to your phone’s data for a better chance at getting into the virtual queue, as they fill up very quickly. We also advise against being inside a show or restaurant at 1 p.m. and instead, go somewhere out in the open to avoid a signal drop. Free The Gift Shop Toys BEFORE You Leave The Store Let’s go shopping! You just bought a playset/toy car/figurine from the Disney gift shops for your excited kiddo. However, that excitement can quickly turn into a meltdown if those toys come in a box restricted with zip ties. You can try as hard as you can to open them and eventually, you’ll join your kid in having a meltdown. The solution is to ask a Cast Member behind the register to help get the tightly-packaged toys out of their cardboard confinements before you leave. Cast Members can also cut the tags off of Minnie Ears and NuiMo plushies. Ditch The Shoulder Pets Ahsoka nuiMO Speaking of NuiMo plushies, we get they’re all the rage. We really do. BUT these shoulder pets tend to fall off with the slightest friction or movement due to their weak magnets. If you use a backpack strap or hair tie to have them stay with you all day long — great. Otherwise, expect to be picking them up all day or worry about losing them. Late Discounts Are Better Than NO Discounts SALE DON’T PAY FULL PRICE FOR A DISNEY WORLD HOTEL. Disney regularly releases hotel and ticket discounts throughout the year but sometimes you don’t time planning your trip perfectly. THAT’S OK! If you booked a room early and then a discount releases, you might still be able to apply that discount through the My Disney Experience app. Go to the “My Plans, Reservation and Tickets” section and look for the option “Change/Modify Reservation”. From there, find the exact date and times of your vacation, select your room, and check the top options listed. One will be for “Room-only,” but if there’s a discount that you can still apply to your room, there should be another option listed as “Special Offers.” Select that, follow the prompts, and get your trip rebooked with the special offer. When in doubt, you can always talk to a Disney representative by calling 407-939-1936 or work with a travel agent like our friends over at Small World Vacations. Two Words: DRINK FLIGHTS All the drinks Indecisive? Get a drink flight! Flights allow you to sample small-sized drinks without committing to a full glass. Some of the BEST places to pick up a drink flight include the Moonshine Flights at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ at Disney Springs, the sangria flight at Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Coronado Springs, and the margarita flights at Geyser Point Bar and Grill at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Beware Of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster (And Its Rough-Housing Tendencies) Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Sure, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios is a popular attraction. But even after its most recent renovations, it’s still ROUGH. After the initial 0-59 mph launch, your head feels like a ping-pong ball against the shoulder restraints. This ride requires painkillers after riding. For a better chance at a smoother ride, try to request a seat in the first three rows of the coaster. With that said, if you’re already prone to headaches, give this ride a pass. Use Snack Credits In The BEST Way Grab our DFB Guide to the Disney Dining Plan! Finally, If you’re going to be using the Disney Dining Plan when it returns to Disney World starting on January 9th, 2024, then you should know how you want to spend your snack credits. We recommend using them around EPCOT’s festival booths! The snacks and sweets options are diverse and unique, and even though you only get one snack credit per day, you can stack them and use the credits at any time during your trip. It’s totally possible to use MULTIPLE snack credits on your EPCOT day to try out many festival treats in one go. Magic Kingdom WHEW! We know that was a lot but we think these secrets will SERIOUSLY help you out on your next Disney World vacation. In the meantime, be sure to follow us here at DFB for all the latest Disney World news, tips, and reviews! Disney’s Animal Kingdom Has 33 Restaurants, But You Only Need To Know About 5 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 Disney World secrets and tips do you usually use on your Disney World vacations? Let us know! The post 50 Secret Things You NEED To Know About Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The weekend is here! Gideon’s Bakehouse If you have plans to spend some time in Disney World soon, you may want to head to Disney Springs. Not only can you check out the Christmas Tree Stroll (which is interactive this year), but you’ll also want to pop over to Gideon’s Bakehouse for a special treat. This weekend, you can grab the Kris Kringle Snack Cakes. These are covered in premium Dark Chocolate, with two layers of Vanilla Cake inside with specs of ground coffee around a layer of Marshmallow Buttercream blended with Coconut and Vanilla Bean flavors. Okay, we just drooled typing all that out. Also, just look at it. ©Gideon’s Bakehouse This snack is ONLY available December 9th and 10th, and we’ll warn you right now — when Gideon’s releases a special treat, they go FAST, so you’ll need to make a beeline to Disney Springs first thing. They’re only available while supplies last, and you can only order two per person. You can also pick up this cute Baby Gargoyle Santa Pin in the store. ©Gideon’s Bakehouse So head to Disney Springs ASAP. While you’re there, you might as well do some shopping and other eating, too, right? There are plenty of places to do BOTH, so enjoy the day! Stay tuned to DFB for more. WE KNOW – there are SO many great snacks at Disney World! How do you choose (we don’t want to choose but will blow our budget on Day 1 otherwise)? We’ve got you covered! We have reviewed nearly EVERY snack available at Disney World, and we’ve written a series of DFB Guides about them! Check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining + Snacks Bundle for all the details you need to plan your snackin’ and spending. You can even download them to your smartphone – it’ll be like we’re right there with you in the parks! How to Get a FREE Prize for Eating Cookies at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays DON'T MISS A MOMENT OF HOLIDAY MAGIC Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including: The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!) ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM. And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat! Save 20% on the Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide with code PEPPERMINT. GET YOUR GUIDE NOW MORE Disney World Holiday INFO! Learn About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Get the Latest Information About the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays We’ll Take This Little Golden Disney Book in Our Stocking, Santa! Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Holiday Dining and Events What We Wish We’d Known Before Going to Disney World During the Holidays Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! What’s your favorite Gideon’s Bakehouse treat? Let us know in the comments! The post DESSERT ALERT! Gideon's Bakehouse Announced a NEW Limited-Time Treat in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Bluey has literally taken the world by storm. ©Bluey It’s been one of the most popular shows since it hit Disney+. Bluey even got her own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloon this year. A special extended episode of Bluey will arrive next year. Now, an entire Bluey experience is coming in 2024, and we’ve got some of the first details! This new experience is called Bluey’s World, and it will let you step into Bluey’s ACTUAL world in an immersive life-sized experience featuring Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli. You’ll get to visit episode locations, play interactive games, and run into some “delightful surprises.” ©Bluey But there’s a catch…this experience will only be available in Brisbane, Australia (Bluey’s hometown!) — but hey, if you’ve been wanting to visit Australia, this could be a great excuse to finally book that trip, right? The experience will use “authentic sets and captivating storytelling” to bring Blue’s world to life. ©Bluey So when will Bluey’s World open? Well, the opening timeline is in August 2024, so it’s still a little while away. You can sign up for presale tickets to the experience on the official Bluey.tv website. Of course, if you can’t go, you can still watch plenty of episodes of Bluey on Disney+. We’ll keep an eye out for more Bluey news, but in the meantime, you can shop Bluey merchandise right now at Target and Amazon. Stay tuned to DFB for more. We’re So Sorry to Bring You This Sad News About the Bluey Scavenger Hunt 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 and your family Bluey fans? Let us know in the comments! The post OPENING Timeline Revealed for Brand-New ‘Bluey’ Experience first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Do you have all your holiday shopping done? LEGO Store at DIsney Springs If you said “no,” we totally get it because, um…we’re not done either! Fortunately, there’s still time to do some online shopping and get everything in time. So, if you’ve still got some LEGO fans to buy for (or just want to gift yourself something fun), you might want to head on over to Amazon to check out the LEGO sets available there. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Don’t have Amazon Prime yet? Don’t panic! You can sign up for a free trial below! Buy the LEGO Little Mermaid Clamshell LEGO Set NOW to get it in time for Christmas! ©Amazon Okay, this LEGO set is for those fans of the live-action The Little Mermaid movie. It includes over 1,800 pieces to create three areas inside the shell: King Triton’s throne rock, Ariel’s grotto, and Ursula’s lair. FUN! View on Amazon Get the wildly popular Walt Disney Tribute Camera LEGO Set ASAP ©Amazon Pay tribute to the legend himself by building this 811-piece movie camera. It even comes with some extra minifigures: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Walt Disney, plus Bambi and Dumbo animal figures. View on Amazon Buy The LEGO Captain America’s Shield Set for Christmas! ©Amazon Celebrate all things Captain America by building Captain America’s famous vibranium shield out of LEGOs. The set features over 3,000 pieces, and the final product measures over 18 inches tall. It also comes with a descriptive panel and base for display. View on Amazon Buy the Star Wars TIE Bomber LEGO Set now so it will be ready for Christmas! ©Amazon Pew pew! Relive your favorite scenes from The Empire Strikes Back with this LEGO set that comes with 625 pieces and three Star Wars minifigures, including Darth Vader. Cue “The Imperial March” now. View on Amazon Buy the Disney100 Train LEGO Set — it makes a great gift! ©Amazon Got some young ‘uns just getting into LEGO? This set, with 200 pieces, is perfect for kids aged 4 and up. You also get six minifigures: Moana, Woody, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Mickey, and Minnie. View on Amazon Get the Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage LEGO Set ©Amazon Get ready to run amuck, amuck, amuck with this LEGO set that’s sure to please any Hocus Pocus fan. It has over 2,300 pieces, along with minifigures of Winifred Sanderson, Sarah Sanderson, Mary Sanderson, Max Dennison, Dani Dennison, Allison Watts, and Binx! View on Amazon Buy the Encanto Madrigal House LEGO Set NOW! ©Amazon Welcome to the Family Madrigal! Build your own Casita with this set that includes 587 pieces and comes with minifigures of Abuela and Mirabel, as well as an Antonio micro-figure plus capybara and butterfly figures. View on Amazon Happy shopping! Want more? Be sure to check out our Amazon store! Shop our Amazon store!The post 7 Disney LEGO Sets From Amazon That Will Get to You Before Christmas first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

You still have time to get those last-minute Disney gifts for the holidays! Holidays in Disney World But there’s no time to wait. It’s a little over TWO WEEKS until Christmas! DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Now, let’s take a look at some of the biggest Disney deals happening on Amazon right now! Shop this Loungefly Disney Mickey Minnie Donald Daisy Mini Backpack for 13% Off ©Amazon Here’s a closeup look at the pattern: ©Amazon Check out this mini backpack! It’s got an all-over print of some of our OG Disney characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck). It’s also got the space you need to carry your essentials to the parks. View on Amazon Shop this Mickey Mini Waffle Maker for 23% Off ©Amazon If you’re in the mood to make one waffle for breakfast or just a snack, this is the option for you! View on Amazon Shop these Bicycle Disney Princess Inspired Playing Cards for 25% Off ©Amazon Whether you’re a casual card player or a serious card collector these Bicycle Disney Princess Playing Cards are a great choice. Bring the magic of Disney princesses like Cinderella, Ariel, and Belle into your card games and add a touch of charm to your collection. They feature 12 of your favorite princesses in the set. View on Amazon Shop this Disney Chronology Game for 20% Off ©Amazon Here’s a fun option for your next game night. You’ll be testing your Disney knowledge with this game of time that celebrates key moments of Disney’s 100-year history. View on Amazon Shop this Squishmallows Original Disney100 5-Inch 5-Pack Plush Box Set for 13% Off ©Amazon This ultra-squeezable, 5-inch Exclusive Disney100 5-pack is perfect for your kiddos to snuggle with while relaxing at home, watching a movie, or taking a long car or plane ride. View on Amazon Shop this Minnie Mouse Red Bow Luggage American Tourister for 58% Off ©Amazon Now if you need a new piece of luggage, take a look at this Minnie Mouse Red Bow Luggage from American Tourister! It’s got the iconic Minnie Mouse red bow and handles for easy gripping and lifting. It might just be perfect for a quick weekend trip to Disney World! View on Amazon Shop this Corkcicle Disney Princess Belle Tumbler ©Amazon There’s no way to stay hydrated more fashionable Princess Belle Tumbler from Corkcicle! It holds 24 ounces and will keep your drinks cool for up to 12 hours and hot drinks for 5 hours! View on Amazon We’ll continue to keep you updated with any and all Disney news and updates, so make sure to follow along for more. Click here to view our Amazon Storefront Will you be checking out any of these deals? Let us know in the comments! The post 7 of the Best Disney Gifts You Can Find on Amazon first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article