Author: touringplans.com

Crowds were moderate throughout Walt Disney World today, halfway through the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr holiday weekend.  Cooler weather probably had something to do with that.  And actual wait times at most parks were 1/3rd less than posted waits.  We received 177 actual wait times today from families using our Lines app.  And we counted 491 of 500 guests (98%) in Animal Kingdom wearing masks according to Disney’s guidelines.   Let’s do the rest of the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Space Mountain had an average wait time today of 52 minutes. Its 7-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #20 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #92 for the past year. We received 10 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 66% of the posted wait time.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Kilimanjaro Safaris had an average wait time today of 34 minutes. Its 7-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 25 minutes, so today ranks #6 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #71 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 41% of the posted wait time.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Cure had an average wait time today of 46 minutes. Its 7-day average is 36 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 53 minutes, so today ranks #144 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 67% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance is having another great day of operations.  As I’m writing this, Rise of the Resistance had called over 145 boarding groups without interruption today, and should make it to around 160 boarding groups before the park closes.

EPCOT Wait Times

Test Track had an average wait time today of 74 minutes. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 65% of the posted wait time.

The post Moderate Holiday Crowds – Disney World Wait Times for Sunday, January 17, 2021 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Attractions, Observations, Walt Disney World (FL), disney crowds, disney world wait times

Poutine is a term that gets overused, especially at Walt Disney World. Much like the term concierge, just because you give it a fancy name does not make it so.  Such is the case with the new Lobster Poutine now available at EPCOT. Still, this new dish is worth a try if you’re looking to indulge in some lobster during your Walt Disney World vacation.

The Lobster Poutine became available at Refreshment Port right around the start of the International Festival of the Arts. The line up of toppings is impressive. Lobster, lobster bisque cheese sauce, pickled jalapeños, and citrus cream all top a bed of French fries.

The toppings are absolutely delectable. The lobster bisque cheese sauce is one of the best quick service culinary creations I’ve had at Walt Disney World in recent memory. It brings the heartiness and creaminess of lobster bisque into the indulgent form of cheese sauce. Then the citrus cream brightens up the dish, adding some zest. Another win! The pickled jalapeños are not that hot at all, and add a great zing, I wanted more.

Even the amount of lobster meat was fairly impressive. I set my bar low, and I was pleasantly surprised as the amount of meat.

My disappointment comes from the amount of the total toppings. Only the top few fries received the goods. All the fries on the bottom and to the side were completely dry. Even attempting to mix up the fries and toppings did not solve the issue.

I also prefer my poutine with thick cut fries. These tend to soak up the sauce or gravy. Their fluffier texture tends to pair with the toppings better. These fries were the standard quick service Disney fries, and did not do the toppings justice.

For $10.50 they are pricier than the poutine you can enjoy at The Daily Poutine at Disney Springs, which is better quality and truer to traditional poutine. In fact, later that same day I went to The Daily Poutine and ordered their seasonal Butter Chicken Poutine, and I ate every last bite.

If you are craving lobster then the Lobster Poutine here at EPCOT is a decent choice. It satisfied in that regard. It just didn’t do it for me in the poutine category, but I probably would have adored them if they were just called Lobster Fries. Diction can be a funny thing.

Are you a fan of poutine? Have you ever tried the poutine served at EPCOT?

The post REVIEW – Lobster Poutine at EPCOT Should Just Be Called Lobster Fries appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Epcot, Festival of the Arts, Festivals, Snacks, Epcot Festival of the Arts, epcot lobster, epcot snacks

Exactly one month ago The Crystal Palace restaurant reopened at Magic Kingdom. We were there at reopening day, with lots of our fellow Disney bloggers, and our experience wasn’t so great. We figured we’d give The Crystal Palace a chance to be reopened for a bit and then revisit. Well, we’ve done so, and things have not improved all that much.

You can read up about our reopening day experience and how things have changed at The Crystal Palace. Here we are going to do a quick review of our revisit to see how things have improved, or not, since the December 2020 reopening.

The good news is the starting course is still delicious, and is in fact the best of the three courses. A seasonal salad of tomato and watermelon with blue cheese, candied walnuts, and a hot pepper jelly vinaigrette is far from a winter season salad, but it is still delightful. The cheddar and bacon biscuits with honey butter, caramelized onion butter, and hot pepper jelly are scrumptious.

Chrissy decided to revisit one of the entrees she tried on our initial reopening visit. The Crispy Fried Chicken served with Honey Pot Drizzle, Macaroni and Cheese and Collard Greens, is decidedly Southern. The chicken was less greasy than our first visit, and the Honey Pot Drizzle is a delicious touch. It has improved a little, but it is still not that great. The Macaroni and Cheese’s quality has declined a little, not as flavorful and less creamy.

Nothing has changed with the final course, the Dessert Platter. This sampler has four individual-sized desserts which are fine for a single diner. But this platter is served to the table, even if that table has multiple occupants. The sampler has Hummingbird Cake (another Southern classic), a Vanilla Honey Cupcake, Seasonal Fritters, and Banana Cream Pastry. Another option is Plant-Based Strawberry Shortcake which is family-sized.

The service was wonderful on both visits. We have to hand it to the amazing Disney Cast Members for continuing the legacy of Disney service even in such hard times. For the price of $39 per adult and $23 per child we recommend Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary or Garden Grill at EPCOT instead, however.

Have you dined at Crystal Palace? How was your experience?

The post REVIEW – We Went Back to The Crystal Palace to See if Things Improved. They Haven’t. appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Magic Kingdom, crystal palace magic kingdom, magic kingdom dining, Magic Kingdom Restaurants

Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. Walt Disney World has lots of picturesque spots, and EPCOT is full of them. Let’s take a look at some of the most romantic spots at EPCOT.

Whether you’re heading to EPCOT with your better half or your crush, these beautiful spots are great for romantic moment or two.

The Japan Pavilion has a tranquil winding garden that begs to be strolled. Day or night this multi-level garden is off the beaten path and wonderful to take in some quiet moments. You can find it to the left when you face toward the pavilion from World Showcase promenade.

The Morocco Pavilion is one that is often overlooked, but it has a meandering marketplace to take a leisurely stroll. Once you wind yourself into the center of the marketplace you’ll be wholly immersed, and may even forget you’re at Walt Disney World for a moment.

The garden at the United Kingdom Pavilion is lovely during the day. But as dusk arrives and night takes over, the twinkling lights at the entrance of the garden fill the air with magic.

And then of course, there’s sunset. When you’re visiting EPCOT be sure to check the time of sunset. There’s many wonderful vantage points to catch the Florida sunset inside EPCOT, and usually it never disappoints.

EPCOT is known for its wonderful international cuisine. Practically all the restaurants at EPCOT have lovely settings. One of the most romantic settings can be found at San Angel Inn at the Mexico Pavilion. It’s night time there anytime of day, and the views of the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride are charming and unique.

What’s your favorite romantic spot at EPCOT? Let us know in the comments!

The post PHOTOS – The Most Romantic Spots at EPCOT appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Epcot, Photos and Video, Trip Planning, disney for couples, epcot photos, romantic disney

Crowds were moderate across Walt Disney World today, with a noticeable bump in wait times at EPCOT after 2 p.m.  That might be guests hopping parks from Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, which opened much earlier in the day.  And although the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT had posted wait times that put today in the top 10 busiest of the past month, I don’t think crowds were as large as those times indicate.  The actual waits in line were just 58% or less of the posted wait times at those parks.  That means your actual waits in line were closer to half of the posted wait, than the posted wait itself.

We received 189 actual wait times today from fabulous users of our Lines app.  And we counted 488 of 500 guests (98%) wearing masks according to Disney’s guidelines.  Let’s do the rest of the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 61 minutes. Its 7-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #10 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #53 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 46% of the posted wait time.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain had an average wait time today of 34 minutes. Its 7-day average is 14 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #11 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 38 minutes, so today ranks #109 for the past year. We received 12 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 56% of the posted wait time.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 61 minutes. Its 7-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #18 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #146 for the past year. We received 12 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 67% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance is having a great day of operations. As of 5 p.m., Rise had called over 140 boarding groups without even one significant delay today.  They have a really good chance of getting in 160 boarding groups before the day is done. This is very good news for the ride and the park.

EPCOT Wait Times

Test Track had an average wait time today of 72 minutes. Its 7-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 70 minutes, so today ranks #8 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 55 minutes, so today ranks #35 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 58% of the posted wait time.

The post Let’s Hop to EPCOT – Disney World Wait Times for Saturday, January 16, 2021 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), wait times