At Main Street Emporium at Magic Kingdom, we spotted some new art and back-to-school supplies. There are Disney Princess selections – with modern, upbeat messages like “Live Your Story” and “Make Waves”. Then there are Spider-Man and Toy Story 4 options.
30 Piece Art and Supplies Set $24.99
Pencil Case $14.99
10 Piece Art and Supplies Set $19.99
Disney Art Supplies and StationeryBelle Pencil CaseToy Story 4 Art Supplies and StationeryToy Story 4 Art Supplies and StationerySpider-Man Art Supplies CaseSequin Minnie Pencil CaseMermaid Pencil CaseMarvel Spider-Man Art Supplies KitMarvel Spider-Man 10 Piece Supplies KitDisney Princess Art Supplies CaseDisney Princess 10 Piece Supplies KitDisney Princess Art Supplies and StationeryBuzz Lightyear Art Supplies Case
You can find many of these items, and more art supplies at shopDisney, and some of them are on sale!
These art supply kits are a great gift even if you’re not heading back to school. Any child will appreciate having tools to bring out their creativity. Will you pick up any of these items for your little artist?
From our friends at touringplans.com Filed Under: Magic Kingdom, Merchandise, disney art supplies, disney princess, marvel merchandise, pixar merchandise
I’m loathe to say anything positive about a world health crisis, so let’s stipulate that almost every aspect of the Coronavirus pandemic is horrifying and heartbreaking. There is nothing good and everything awful about illness, loss of life, job loss, and forced isolation.
On a much more prosaic level, while theme parks are certainly not essential (unless, of course, they’re your employer), for fans of the parks, Disney World’s four-month shutdown has been a time of melancholy and worry. Would our beloved happy place be unrecognizable when it returned?
Now that the parks have reopened to all guests, there are a host of changes in place. Some are sad or frustrating, but not all the news is negative. There are some aspects of the COVID-era parks that, dare I say, make things better than “Before.” Here’s the silver lining in the new Walt Disney World.
Princess Anna takes a drive through newly reopened Epcot.
The parks are clean. Like really, really clean.
Though Disney has always had a reputation for cleanliness, any frequent park-goer has seen more than their fair share of overflowing trash cans and sticky toddlers licking handrails. Now that extra sanitation teams have been dispatched throughout the parks, the facade of clean has been replaced with actual clean. The goo is gone!
Standby lines are shorter.
With park capacity now limited to an estimated 1/4 to 1/3 of previous limits, the crowds of yesteryear have vanished. Since the parks have reopened, the longest posted wait we’ve seen for any attraction is about an hour (with most at far, far less than that). The days of four-hour attraction waits have vanished.
Smaller crowds means less overall congestion.
In addition to reduced attraction wait times, the crush of crowds in walkways is now gone as well. You can get from point A to point B without bobbing and weaving. We’ve also seen fewer strollers, wheelchairs, ECVs, and other conveyances in the parks recently, so you’re less likely to get your toes crushed by wayward steering.
Pooh explores the natural elements of Future World.
You can sleep later.
Gone are the days of the 5:00 a.m. wake-up call to get you up for morning Extra Magic Hours. Some parks are opening as late as mid-morning, with no early entry for resort guests. You could wake up at something approaching a normal hour, eat a leisurely breakfast, and still make it to the parks at opening time.
There’s more opportunity for spontaneity.
FastPasses are gone for the time being. This means that there’s no pressure to run across the park in a mad quest to get to the ride you made a reservation two months ago that you maybe aren’t really in the mood for right now. You can do what you want, when you want, without pressure to guess in advance where you’ll be. That said, a good touring plan can still help you make the best use of your time.
The characters are having more fun.
With standard wait-in-line character meet & greets now paused, Disney has sent some characters into the parks for lighthearted adventures. We’ve seen Winnie the Pooh trying to catch butterflies, Merida on horseback, Anna riding in a carriage, Donald & Daisy on a boat ride, small cavalcades of characters on single floats, and a host of other appearances. These are charming, unpredictable, and just plain fun.
Ducks on the river at Animal Kingdom.
There’s less waiting for food.
Mobile order is the order of the day now. Rather than standing in a line to request food, guests now primarily request food via the My Disney Experience app. You’ll get pinged when it’s ready!
The food might be better.
Touring Plans’ fearless leader Len Testa has been raving about the quality of Disney’s food since the resort has reopened. The chefs are now able to give each meal more attention rather than just working to dish out volume.
There are incredible photo opportunities.
If you like taking atmospheric photos of the parks, there has rarely been a better time to do so. Fewer guests means more chances to capture wide exterior shots with no pesky people in the background.
This is also one of the few times you’ll easily get on-ride photos with just your party. For example, Disney is only loading one party in each Test Track vehicle.
And if you’re into cosplay or Disney-bounding, the mask mandate means you can now work characters with face coverings into your repertoire. I wanna see those Vader masks in Batuu!
There are fewer points of sensory overload.
We’ve heard many guests complain about the pause on evening fireworks, but for travelers with sensory overload issues, the ceased fireworks are a boon. There’s less noise and vibration to unsettle nerves before bedtime. The slower pace overall makes meltdowns less likely.
You might save money.
Many of the Disney World “extras” such as backstage tours, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and the Halloween parties now on hold, there are simply fewer things to spend your money on. Additionally, with the parks less crowded, it’s likely you’ll be able to experience all the park attractions in a shorter amount of time, meaning that you might not need as many park days or hotel nights.
Though we certainly miss many aspects of pre-pandemic Disney World, in this brave new World, there might be an actual vacation within your vacation.
I’m loathe to say anything positive about a world health crisis, so let’s stipulate that almost every aspect of the Coronavirus pandemic is horrifying and heartbreaking. There is nothing good and everything awful about illness, loss of life, job loss, and forced isolation.
On a much more prosaic level, while theme parks are certainly not essential (unless, of course, they’re your employer), for fans of the parks, Disney World’s four-month shutdown has been a time of melancholy and worry. Would our beloved happy place be unrecognizable when it returned?
Now that the parks have reopened to all guests, there are a host of changes in place. Some are sad or frustrating, but not all the news is negative. There are some aspects of the COVID-era parks that, dare I say, make things better than “Before.” Here’s the silver lining in the new Walt Disney World.
Princess Anna takes a drive through newly reopened Epcot.
The parks are clean. Like really, really clean.
Though Disney has always had a reputation for cleanliness, any frequent park-goer has seen more than their fair share of overflowing trash cans and sticky toddlers licking handrails. Now that extra sanitation teams have been dispatched throughout the parks, the facade of clean has been replaced with actual clean. The goo is gone!
Standby lines are shorter.
With park capacity now limited to an estimated 1/4 to 1/3 of previous limits, the crowds of yesteryear have vanished. Since the parks have reopened, the longest posted wait we’ve seen for any attraction is about an hour (with most at far, far less than that). The days of four-hour attraction waits have vanished.
Smaller crowds means less overall congestion.
In addition to reduced attraction wait times, the crush of crowds in walkways is now gone as well. You can get from point A to point B without bobbing and weaving. We’ve also seen fewer strollers, wheelchairs, ECVs, and other conveyances in the parks recently, so you’re less likely to get your toes crushed by wayward steering.
Pooh explores the natural elements of Future World.
You can sleep later.
Gone are the days of the 5:00 a.m. wake-up call to get you up for morning Extra Magic Hours. Some parks are opening as late as mid-morning, with no early entry for resort guests. You could wake up at something approaching a normal hour, eat a leisurely breakfast, and still make it to the parks at opening time.
There’s more opportunity for spontaneity.
FastPasses are gone for the time being. This means that there’s no pressure to run across the park in a mad quest to get to the ride you made a reservation two months ago that you maybe aren’t really in the mood for right now. You can do what you want, when you want, without pressure to guess in advance where you’ll be. That said, a good touring plan can still help you make the best use of your time.
The characters are having more fun.
With standard wait-in-line character meet & greets now paused, Disney has sent some characters into the parks for lighthearted adventures. We’ve seen Winnie the Pooh trying to catch butterflies, Merida on horseback, Anna riding in a carriage, Donald & Daisy on a boat ride, small cavalcades of characters on single floats, and a host of other appearances. These are charming, unpredictable, and just plain fun.
Ducks on the river at Animal Kingdom.
There’s less waiting for food.
Mobile order is the order of the day now. Rather than standing in a line to request food, guests now primarily request food via the My Disney Experience app. You’ll get pinged when it’s ready!
The food might be better.
Touring Plans’ fearless leader Len Testa has been raving about the quality of Disney’s food since the resort has reopened. The chefs are now able to give each meal more attention rather than just working to dish out volume.
There are incredible photo opportunities.
If you like taking atmospheric photos of the parks, there has rarely been a better time to do so. Fewer guests means more chances to capture wide exterior shots with no pesky people in the background.
This is also one of the few times you’ll easily get on-ride photos with just your party. For example, Disney is only loading one party in each Test Track vehicle.
And if you’re into cosplay or Disney-bounding, the mask mandate means you can now work characters with face coverings into your repertoire. I wanna see those Vader masks in Batuu!
There are fewer points of sensory overload.
We’ve heard many guests complain about the pause on evening fireworks, but for travelers with sensory overload issues, the ceased fireworks are a boon. There’s less noise and vibration to unsettle nerves before bedtime. The slower pace overall makes meltdowns less likely.
You might save money.
Many of the Disney World “extras” such as backstage tours, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and the Halloween parties now on hold, there are simply fewer things to spend your money on. Additionally, with the parks less crowded, it’s likely you’ll be able to experience all the park attractions in a shorter amount of time, meaning that you might not need as many park days or hotel nights.
Though we certainly miss many aspects of pre-pandemic Disney World, in this brave new World, there might be an actual vacation within your vacation.
If you enjoy the exotic and vibrant look of the animated classic The Jungle Book then check out the new set of Dooney and Bourke bags available on shopDisney online. Each bag is full of bright colors and perfect depictions of beloved Jungle Book characters.
The Jungle Book Dooney and Bourke CollectionThe Jungle Book Dooney and Bourke Tote BagThe Jungle Book Dooney and Bourke WalletThe Jungle Book Dooney and Bourke Zip Satchel
Are you going to make everyone want to be like you with one of these bags?
Off and on rain, sunny in-between: it’s been a sultry return to business at Walt Disney World. So far this weekend, some drying factors have stepped in to drop our rain chances, and while we got caught in some heavy storms on Saturday, Sunday so far hasn’t been so wet. Instead, the Atlantic beaches and the areas just to our south, including the Treasure Coast (home to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort) are getting most of the rain at the moment.
What’s causing this extra dry air? Saturday’s rain was amplified by an inverted trough, and we’re caught in a dry patch as it departs the area. The flow for the rest of the week will be influenced by a high pressure ridge north of Florida, which will bring a fresh east southeast breeze, but a drier atmosphere. For our corner of Central Florida, days are going to be hot and afternoon storms are going to be scattered. The highest rain chances each day will stay just to our south, with afternoon storms pushing through the area east to west.
One benefit of east-to-west storms is that we can get a decent amount of shade from leftover clouds in the evening. In Florida, in July, you really take what you can get.
Choose your parks wisely – for shade. Photo: Julia Mascardo
Highs will be in the mid 90s all week, with nighttime lows a little above average as well. And even though the upper levels of the atmosphere might be a bit starved for moisture, humidity at the surface will continue to ramp up heat index levels.
Plan for pool time this week to break up your theme park days.
This week’s weather at Walt Disney World
For the rest of Sunday, hot and fairly dry will sum things up. There is a slight chance of another shower or thunderstorm, then a low of 75 with a breeze from the east-southeast.
On Monday, the slight chance of morning showers gives way to a 30% shot at afternoon storms, with a high of 95 degrees. The heat index in the afternoon will be around 101. We’ll keep that east-southeast breeze, and it could be a bit gusty, although it will die down overnight. The low will be a sultry 78 degrees.
Tuesday the rain chances creep up, with a 50% chance of afternoon storms. Still quite hot, though, with a forecast high of 94 and mostly sunny skies. Tuesday night stays warm and humid, with a low of 77.
Wednesday through Saturday, you can generally look for a high of 93 and a 50% chance of thunderstorms each afternoon. Some days will have more coverage, some days will have less. It’s just a good idea to plan for it, keep weather alerts turned on for the area where you are that day, and head for cover when you hear thunder. Washout afternoons seem pretty unlikely, as there’s enough upper-level flow to keep storms moving, rather than meandering or stalling in one place.
Central Florida Tropical Weather Outlook
One area of interest has been highlighted by the National Hurricane Center. Right now it’s just a tropical wave over Hispaniola, with an expected track taking it into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by Thursday. Once it’s in the warm Gulf by the end of the week, we’ll have a better idea of whether the atmosphere will let it develop into anything more than a cluster of showers and thunderstorms.
Courtesy NOAA/National Hurricane Center
Right now, the disturbance has a 20% chance of development into a tropical system in the next five days.
As noted in last week’s update, a newly developing La Niña is expected to produce an enhanced environment for tropical weather development in the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. That, along with the coming height of the hurricane season in August and September, could make for a busier storm forecast in future weeks.
