food IS a theme park
Hey, friends! We’re back with another DFB Video covering all the latest Disney news!
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom
The Disney Dining Plan is BACK, and you can park hop all day long! EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts has started, and Disney has announced the closing date for a show that opened back in 1971 with Magic Kingdom.
We’re going to ask you a question, but we already know what your answer will be. Do you like FREE prizes for eating food in EPCOT? Who wouldn’t?! Well, throughout EPCOT’s seasonal festivals, Disney introduces new scavenger hunts and experiences designed to get more food in our bellies and more prizes in our suitcases. Now that the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is HERE, we’re back for a NEW stroll around the park. Let’s eat!
2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts
The 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts has officially started! The event will run through February 19th, 2024, so make sure to stop by before it ends. There are TONS of food booths to explore and new snacks to try, but there’s also a way to win a PRIZE just for snacking around the world!
We see it happen every year. Disney releases some snazzy new merchandise (perhaps a popcorn bucket? maybe a tote bag?), and Disney fans FLOCK to stores to check it out. Speaking of new merchandise, January 12th marks the first official day of the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, and each new festival brings TONS of popular new souvenirs to Disney World.
2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts Passport
We’re just getting started at this year’s festival, but there already seems to be one HOT ticket item. And no — it isn’t a Loungefly bag or a pair of Minnie ears. Wait until you see the new item that is literally flying off the shelves.
Disney After Hours events are BACK! This time, we’re visiting Magic Kingdom AFTER dark and experiencing low wait times, complimentary snacks, and TWO TIMES the normally scheduled fireworks. Talk about an eventful night!
After Hours
During Magic Kingdom’s three-hour long After Hours event, we’re visiting TONS of attractions and meeting some characters along the way. But one of the things we’re SUPER excited about is Disney’s BIG change. During the After Hours event, you can ride TRON Lightcycle / Run WITHOUT a virtual queue or Lightning Lane (paid FastPass to skip the line). That’s right — we’re using the standby line at TRON for the FIRST TIME!
OK, we’re gonna be honest. It’s a little strange rolling up to the Magic Kingdom park entrance AFTER sunset. It’s not every day that you get to drive through the Magic Kingdom gates in the DARK. So, what brings us out to Disney World at this late hour? We’re here to PARTY at a Disney After Hours event at Magic Kingdom!
Let’s PARTY!
As you can probably guess from the name, Magic Kingdom’s After Hours event is a specially ticketed event where guests can enjoy Magic Kingdom attractions WITHOUT the typical lines and crowds! The event is currently offered on select nights from January 11th through April 8th, 2024. Of course, one of the biggest questions people ask is, “What are the crowds REALLY like during an After Hours event?” Well, we’re here to show you!
You’ve been counting down to this day ever since you bought your ticket and now, it’s finally here! In all of your excitement getting ready for Disney World’s After Hours events there’s one thing that we want to caution you on.
Mickey
We’ve figured out that Disney After Hours events are a hidden gem that not many people actually take advantage of on their vacations. If the heat, sweat, exhaustion, and general crowds just really aren’t your idea of the perfect way to spend your day in the Disney World parks, these events were MADE for you. But watch out — there could be just one last sneaky thing that will try to ruin your experience. [Read more…]
Whew! If you were one of the hopeful Disneyland fans trying to get a Magic Key Pass over the past few days, we hope you’re doing okay — the situation has been quite a rollercoaster ride for many customers.
Disneyland Resort
But before we get ahead of ourselves, we should probably do a little explaining. Disneyland Resort’s Annual Pass program is called Magic Key. Similar to the system in Disney World, there are four levels of Passes with varying perks and blackout dates. For a good portion of 2023, Disneyland Resort paused new sales of its Magic Key Passes but then reopened the virtual queue and started offering all four Magic Key Passes on January 10th, 2024. Now, we have an update to share.
We’re in the dead of winter. The sun sets early. It’s cold outside (in some parts of the U.S., anyway). January isn’t really a stellar month in terms of joy and festivities. Luckily, EPCOT is here to bring a little bright spot to this long, dark winter! The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is starting SOON (like, VERY soon), and we can’t WAIT to show off our artistic side.
Happy Festival of the Arts season!
This year, the Festival runs from January 12th – February 19th, 2024. If you’re interested in snacking around the world — and maybe even participating in the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine — you might want to listen up. We’ve got some NEW details to share ahead of the Festival of the Arts celebration!
Get READY — one of the BIGGEST Disney events of the year is happening this summer. No, we’re not talking about the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. We’re not talking about any big anniversaries or celebrations. We’re talking about D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
Destination D23
Disney’s D23 events are known to attract Disney fans from all over the place! Wanna know the best part? Disney often drops some MAJOR news bombs at these events. Last year, we found out that a Magic Kingdom expansion is in the works! If that got your attention, buckle up. Disney just announced NEW details on the 2024 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
Isn’t it nice to hear the phrase, “You’re good to go!“? Know what that means? It means you don’t have to think, plan, or STRESS. That’s music to our ears — especially when we’re talking about planning a trip to Disney World.
Oswald Magnet for Passholders
Speaking of Disney trip planning, we have a LOT of big changes to discuss. Disney just REMOVED the Park Pass Reservation requirements for most visitors. That means most guests don’t need to plan ahead and reserve a theme park before their trip! But remember how we said “most”? Well, Annual Passholders will still need park reservations if they want to visit a park before 2PM (and all day long on Saturdays and Sundays for Magic Kingdom). Disney is also introducing a new system called good-to-go days, which appear on your calendar in the Disney World app. Now we have an important update on the new system — let’s talk about it!
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