food IS a theme park
Celebrities are just like us…well, sometimes, at least.
Magic Kingdom
That’s because there are a LOT of celebrities who love Disney as much as we do. John Stamos has a MASSIVE collection of vintage Disney memorabilia. Neil Patrick Harris has visited a bar in EPCOT so much that the bar finally gave him his own personal table. Well, huge sports celebrities like to visit Disney World, too!
Not everything in Disney World goes according to plan.
Magic Kingdom
Sometimes, you’re hit with bad weather. Sometimes, a bear invades Magic Kingdom (okay, well, it only happened ONCE…so far). Sometimes, your favorite ride is closed. That’s exactly what happened with TRON Lightcycle / Run. It was closed literally all day long, and sadly this does happen. So we thought we’d share tips on what to do if it happens to you.
Some Disney World hotel restaurants are pretty spectacular, and others…well, they leave a bit to be desired.
Primo Piatto at Disney’s Riviera Resort
If you’re staying at one of Disney’s Value Resorts, your dining options will be limited to quick service cafeteria-style food. But if you shell out the extra dough to stay at a Deluxe Resort, we’ve often found that the quick service food quality improves. Riviera Resort’s quick service restaurant was one of our favorites when the hotel first opened in 2019, but how does it stack up now?
It’s been a few years since Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Individual Lightning Lanes debuted in Disney World, but you know what? It’s STILL very confusing to a lot of people!
TRON Lighting Lane
We get it — sometimes we get confused, too, especially when Disney changes something about the service. Basically, Disney Genie is just a free planning tool to help you navigate your day in the parks, while Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are ways to pay to skip standby lines at many rides and access the Lightning Lane. However, the Individual Lightning Lane option is separate from Genie+ (we told you it was confusing). So, we’re going to try to clear up the rules you need to know about the Individual Lightning Lane option.
This is a year of HUGE changes for Disney World!
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
Park pass reservations are gone for most Disney World visitors. All-day park hopping is back. The Disney Dining Plan has returned. Even more changes are coming later in the year: Country Bear Jamboree in Magic Kingdom will reopen with a brand NEW show this summer, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open this summer, too. Things are also changing with EPCOT’s festivals, and we think this year’s Food & Wine Festival is going to be a LOT different.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! No, really, we do!
Salt & Straw
Okay, so every month, we get excited about the new flavors Salt & Straw announces — some of them are WAY out there, too. We’ve had ice cream that tasted like Deviled Eggs. We’ve had ice cream with bugs. Granted, those masterminds at Salt & Straw know how to create some DELICIOUS ice cream, so when we learned about the seven new flavors for February, we knew we had to try a few.
Sometimes Disney has to close down certain rides, restaurants, and attractions in order to update and refurbish them. Usually, those closures only last a few weeks or maybe a few months at most. But there are a couple of things that have been MISSING from Magic Kingdom for a LONG time now, and we’re starting to wonder if they’ll ever return at all!
Don’t Worry — Cinderella Castle Is Still There!
Let’s check out these mysteriously missing things and take a look at ALL the temporary closures and refurbishments that will affect Disney World from February 4th through the 10th.
Disney has a LOT of lofty goals for the future, including plans to spend a whopping $60 billion to expand its parks and cruise line.
Disney World entrance sign
In Disney World, we’re already seeing the addition of at least one new attraction — Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, an update for a classic attraction — The Country Bear Jamboree, a re-theming of an entire land — Dinoland USA is going away, plus an expansion at Magic Kingdom. But one thing Disney World fans have been craving for a LONG time is a fifth park. Well, that very well could be a possibility for Disney World.
In case you missed it, Country Bear Jamboree is now closed in Magic Kingdom. But don’t worry — it’s coming back!
Those Country Bears are POPULAR!
It won’t look the same as the opening day Disney World attraction with changes to the songs, costumes, characters, and more, but it will return this summer in its new form. We were in Magic Kingdom on the last day of operation witnessing lengthy lines for the show just to see the final run get canceled 😢. However, we noticed something in the wait times that kinda shocked us!
The 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts is underway, and there is SO much to see and do. There are TONS of artists showcasing their work. We’ve got chalk art to admire. We’ve got the Disney on Broadway concert series. We’ve even got a massive paint-by-numbers mural.
2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts
More importantly, though, we’ve got a LOT of food and drinks. We’ve already given you a full rundown of all the food booths, but we recently learned about a SECRET menu at one of those booths. So we’re headed there to see what’s up!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
