This time, we’re sipping, savoring and strolling around this year’s Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival! Whether it’s enjoying the 20 festival marketplaces or family activities, limited-edition merchandise, entertainment and more, guests vacationing in the park have much to share – and here are some favorites:
To learn more about this year’s Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, check our digital Festival Guidebook now available on the My Disney Experience mobile app.
And be sure to check the Disney Parks Blog in upcoming weeks for more #DisneyCreators virtual pixie dust from park guests and visiting friends as we continue our “Stories from the Parks” series.
From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com Filed Under: Epcot, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, WDW
It continues to be a thrilling sea turtle nesting season at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, a Disney Vacation Club Resort! We are so fortunate to be working on this beach, which represents one of the most important areas for sea turtle nesting in the country. Disney Conservation Team Wildlife has recorded more than 18,000 sea turtle nests since we began our field conservation program in 2003. This year, all three species are having an excellent nesting season on our nesting beach.
Two of those nests belong to Miss Piggy and Kermit, our superstar turtles who are participating in this year’s Tour de Turtles migration marathon. Named in honor of the release of “Muppets Now” on Disney+, these turtles are celebrating the completion of a successful nesting season and the start of an oceanic journey to their foraging grounds. Disney has collaborated with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, creator of the Tour de Turtles program, to release satellite-tagged turtles together for the last 13 years. While we have had some amazing turtle contenders over the years, we’re looking forward to watching the journeys of Miss Piggy and Kermit.
Miss Piggy, a loggerhead sea turtle sponsored by our friends at Disney Cruise Line, is swimming to raise awareness about harmful plastic debris in our world’s oceans, and to encourage fans to help clean up waterways and reduce plastic waste. The reduction of plastic waste is a cause that’s very important to Disney Cruise Line. In support of The Walt Disney Company’s overall efforts to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in use, Disney Cruise Line has eliminated plastic straws, cutlery, stirrers, shopping bags and condiment packets onboard and on Disney Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in The Bahamas.
Kermit, Disney’s very first green sea turtle in the Tour de Turtles, is sponsored by Disney Conservation and is swimming to raise awareness about artificial light pollution on nesting beaches to improve conditions for mother sea turtles to lay successful nests, and for their hatchlings to find their way to the ocean.
The migration race between Miss Piggy, Kermit, and the 13 other turtle competitors began on August 1 and our swimmers are off to a great start! Of course, the Tour de Turtles isn’t really about winning (although winning sure is fun). By wearing a satellite transmitter on their journey, these turtles are sharing important information that will help us to better protect their habitats, identifying exactly where they spend their time when they are not visiting Florida’s beaches to lay their eggs. They are also raising awareness about the different threats that sea turtles face in the wild, and inspiring sea turtle fans to work together to protect them and their habitats in Florida and beyond.
What can you do to protect sea turtles?
In honor of Miss Piggy, minimize your use of single-use plastic, and dispose properly of all trash. All waterways lead to the ocean, and plastic floating in city canals eventually ends up in the sea.
To help turtles like Kermit, turn off your lights at night. Even if you don’t live near the beach, many other species like birds and bats rely on dark skies to navigate safely.
Support a conservation organization with time or contributions. Thanks to contributions from our guests, Disney has been supporting the Sea Turtle Conservancy for 20 years, helping to ensure the protection of sea turtles from Florida to Costa Rica to Panama.
Learn more about sea turtles by visiting DisneyAnimals.com, checking out @DrMarkAtDisney on Instagram for all things animals, science and environment, and following Disney Conservation on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about the conservation work we do to support healthy oceans around the world.
So, catch a wave, and watch our racers go with the flow in the big ol’ blue! Follow along at TourdeTurtles.org.
From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com Filed Under: Disney Vacation Club, Hotels & Resorts, Conservation, Video
Good morning, or as we say in Hawai’i “aloha kakahiaka!”
Watching the sun climb above the mountainous landscape at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, at daybreak is an awe-inspiring, magical moment. Today we’re sharing a bit of that magic with a breathtaking time-lapse video you can enjoy in your home.
Stay tuned for more #DisneyMagicMoments like this. And from our sunrise to yours, good morningand have a magical Monday!
What’s better than a sweet treat that is a balance of chocolate and peanut butter with hints of crispy bits? Make that a NO-BAKE treat and I am completely on board! This easy peasy recipe from the pastry chefs at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is a fun recipe to make (and eat!) as a family.
If you have been following our #DisneyMagicMoments recipes, you know that Ava, a 13-year-old junior chef and daughter of Disney photographer Matt Stroshane, has been making “how-to” videos for some of these recipes in her home kitchen with the help of her personal sous chefs (mom and dad) and official taste tester (her 11-year-old brother, Adam). Check out the recipe and Ava’s video below.
No-Bake Granola Treats from Disney’s Contemporary Resort Bakery
Makes 12 (2×2-inch) treats
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups granola
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Melt marshmallows and butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add peanut butter, stirring to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in granola.
Spoon mixture into 8×8-inch baking dish. Lightly press mixture into pan.
Sprinkle top of mixture with chocolate chips, lightly pressing the chocolate chips into mixture.
Set aside at room temperature to cool for 30 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces.
Store treats in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cook’s Note: This recipe can easily be doubled if you like thicker treats!
Note: This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version. As a reminder while preparing this recipe, please supervise children who are helping or nearby.
Stay connected with Disney Parks Blog for more delicious Disney recipes and be sure to share the magic with other Disney fans using the hashtag #DisneyMagicMoments. Happy cooking!
From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com Filed Under: Disney Dining, Walt Disney World Resort, WDW
A few months ago Disney Parks Blog took you to the ‘Top of the World’ on Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with our ‘Ride and Learn’ video and now thanks to National Geographic’s newest augmented-reality experience you can suit up as a climber and ascend Everest in the Himalayas! You will be climbing the mountain with a team of scientists and explorers on expedition as they conduct groundbreaking science to collect information about climate change in the Himalayas. This experience brings National Geographic’s July issue on Mount Everest to life.
Disney Style Darling (@itsdarlingnikki)
