Author: touringplans.com

We’re big fans of the seasonal chocolate piñatas at The Ganachery at Disney Springs. The current holiday specialty is the Santa Mickey piñata, and like all others before it, it is a real show-stopper of a treat.

A dark chocolate hollow sphere is decorated with a Santa hat, Mickey ears, and embellishments to look like Santa’s coat and belt. Like all good piñatas, there’s more fun to be had inside. When you crack it open, the inside is filled with chocolate-covered marshmallow treats. The price for the piñata is $28.

Are you a fan of the chocolate piñatas or other treats at The Ganachery? Think it is worth the $28? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

 

The post The Santa Piñata at The Ganachery Is a Holiday Treat! appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney Springs, Walt Disney World (FL), The Ganachery

While there is no shortage of tasty treats available in EPCOT’s World Showcase area, for many folks the winner in this area is a combination found along the walkway in the France pavilion.

Take a look along the waterway in EPCOT near France and you’ll see a pair of green booths. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to pass these by in favor of the ubiquitous Festival kiosks or more substantial restaurants, but if you’re in the mood for a classic, reliable, and delicious snack, look no further.

As you face the water, the booth on the left features wines and French-inspired cocktails and the booth on the right features warm crepes.

The crepes booth, Crepes de Chefs de France, offers cold drinks, coffee, and Kronenbourg beer and, you guessed it, crepes. The crepes are available in a plain butter and sugar version, as well as embellished varieties with chocolate sauce, homemade hazelnut/chocolate spread (like Nutella), strawberry preserves, premium ice cream, or soft serve ice cream. I know from personal experience that they’ll be happy to hook you up with a combo if you ask nicely. Um, chocolate AND strawberry, yes please.

The drinks booth, Les Vins des Chefs de France, offers several French wines (priced from $7.00 to $15.00 per glass), champagne, and Kronenbourg. But the most popular selections here are the three frozen slush options: orange (Grand Marnier, Grey Goose Orange, and orange juice), citron (Grey Goose Citron and lemonade), and Le Geant Slush (either of the above topped with a Grand Marnier or Gray Goose Citron shot). The basic slushes are $11.50 each, the plussed-up variation is $18.25.

Either booth is a worthy stop during a World Showcase stroll, but if you’re feeling tres Français, you should visit both. The slushes refresh and the crepes are the perfect size for a snack, light enough not to weigh you down in the Florida heat, but substantial enough to stave off hunger pangs while taking a lap around the countries. Bon appetit!

Do you have a favorite snack in the France pavilion? What’s your favorite drink and crepe combo? Let us know in the comments.

The post Crepes & Drinks, an Iconic Snack in EPCOT’s France Pavilion appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Epcot, Walt Disney World (FL), France Pavilion

Arguably, one of the best additions in recent memory to Liberty Square was the Great Moments in History show by the Muppets. At different points throughout the day, a show that covered one of America’s defining moments–told with the signature Muppet style and humor–would take place in the windows above Liberty Square near the Hall of Presidents. Sadly, the show was retired in 2019 (although briefly brought back for the holiday season and re-retired before WDW’s closure). Over the weekend, the Muppets have returned to Liberty Square — somewhat.

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There’s no show (possibly to keep people from congregating close together for a period of time), and the Muppets don’t do much of anything except wave from their windows and ring jingle bells, but in a time when so much has been cut at WDW, we’ll take any addition as a good thing. Think of this as a fixed-location Character Cavalcade. There’s no published schedule of appearance times, but it is a great way to get some socially distanced selfies.

During our visit, we spotted Kermit, Ms. Piggy, Gonzo and his chicken friends, Fozzie, and Sam Eagle (although Sam is at the same windows as the other Muppets and not in his original location atop the Hall of Presidents). Gone are the patriotic banners, replaced by holiday-inspired ones.

I’m hopeful that this will be the start of a great Muppet return to Liberty Square, but if it is just a temporary appearance, it is still a delight.

 

Are you happy to see the Muppets back in Liberty Square? Do you think what the world needs now is more Muppets? Let us know in the comments.

The post Great Moments in History–The Muppets Return to Magic Kingdom (Sort Of) appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), Muppets

EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom had some of their largest wait times of the past month on Sunday, while Magic Kingdom was average, and crowds were low at Hollywood Studios. We received more than 120 actual wait times in Walt Disney World today. Let’s do the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 45 minutes. Its 7-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 44 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. We received 10 actual wait times today at BTMRR, and the actual wait averaged 42% of the posted wait time.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin had an average wait time today of 30 minutes. Its 7-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 63% of the posted wait time.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had an average wait time today of 60 minutes. Its 7-day average is 55 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 85% of the posted wait time.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh had an average wait time today of 24 minutes. Its 7-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 24 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month.

The Haunted Mansion had an average wait time today of 30 minutes. Its 7-day average is 36 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #25 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #181 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 51% of the posted wait time.

Peter Pan’s Flight had an average wait time today of 36 minutes. Its 7-day average is 31 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #12 for the past month.

Pirates of the Caribbean had an average wait time today of 46 minutes. Its 7-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month.

Space Mountain had an average wait time today of 39 minutes. Its 7-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 40 minutes, so today ranks #18 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 56% of the posted wait time.

Jungle Cruise had an average wait time today of 50 minutes. Its 7-day average is 42 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #3 for the past month.  We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 73% of the posted wait time.

Splash Mountain had an average wait time today of 48 minutes. Its 7-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #21 for the past month. We received 9 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 56% of the posted wait time.

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EPCOT Wait Times

Soarin‘ had an average wait time today of 45 minutes. Its 7-day average is 32 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #8 for the past month.

Spaceship Earth had an average wait time today of 25 minutes. Its 7-day average is 16 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 19 minutes, so today ranks #8 for the past month.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends had an average wait time today of 10 minutes. Its 7-day average is 11 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 13 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month.

Frozen Ever After had an average wait time today of 80 minutes. Its 7-day average is 84 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 66 minutes, so today ranks #4 for the past month.

Test Track had an average wait time today of 67 minutes. Its 7-day average is 53 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 62 minutes, so today ranks #10 for the past month.

Living with the Land had an average wait time today of 17 minutes. Its 7-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 13 minutes, so today ranks #3 for the past month.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had an average wait time today of 72 minutes. Its 7-day average is 81 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 80 minutes, so today ranks #24 for the past month.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith had an average wait time today of 57 minutes. Its 7-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #4 for the past month.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue had an average wait time today of 23 minutes. Its 7-day average is 27 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #26 for the past month.

The Tower of Terror had an average wait time today of 47 minutes. Its 7-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 69% of the posted wait time.

Toy Story Mania! had an average wait time today of 26 minutes. Its 7-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #24 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #172 for the past year.

Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 65 minutes. Its 7-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #20 for the past month.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 51 minutes. Its 7-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #23 for the past month.

Rise of the Resistance had a pretty good day of operations on Sunday, with many boarding groups being called earlier than they’ve been called all week:

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

DINOSAUR had an average wait time today of 50 minutes. Its 7-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #2 for the past month. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 87% of the posted wait time.

Expedition Everest had an average wait time today of 56 minutes. Its 7-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.  We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 58% of the posted wait time.

Kali River Rapids had an average wait time today of 18 minutes. Its 7-day average is 21 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 24 minutes, so today ranks #19 for the past month.

Kilimanjaro Safaris had an average wait time today of 38 minutes. Its 7-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month. We received 11 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 48% of the posted wait time.

Na’vi River Journey had an average wait time today of 57 minutes. Its 7-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #5 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #129 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 74% of the posted wait time.

Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 78 minutes. Its 7-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 63 minutes, so today ranks #6 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 99 minutes, so today ranks #136 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 72% of the posted wait time.

The post Crowds at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom – Walt Disney World Wait Times for Sunday, November 11, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

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

There’s a lot to love in Disney Parks–so much so that narrowing it down to what we love most is pretty impossible. Here then, the challenge of picking the Top 3 Reasons We Love Adventureland. It would have been easy to double this list, so see if your favorites made the list.

The Food

To be honest, there are times when it is difficult to really feel inspired by food at Magic Kingdom, but there are some top-notch choices in Adventureland. For fans of sweet, you can’t go wrong with either a Dole Whip or Citrus Swirl. Looking for a savory snack? The Spring Roll Cart has the fan favorite Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. If sit-down dining is more your thing, Skipper Canteen offers unique options that go beyond typical Magic Kingdom fare.

The Attractions

Adventureland really qualifies as home to classic Disney when it comes to attractions. Whether it’s the corny jokes on the Jungle Cruise that you’ve heard dozens of times but still love to laugh at or those fabulous Tiki Room birds with songs that you can’t forget, Adventureland has something for everyone. And who can forget one of the best all-time attractions at Walt Disney World: Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

The Atmosphere

Just crossing into Adventureland is such a change from the area around the Hub and Main Street that it does feel like you’re entering another world. There’s so many details all around you, and music that truly helps set the mood. Even something as simple as the sidewalks having bits of broken tile and gems in it near the merchant’s area adds to that feeling that you’ve traveled to some sort of exotic locale.

There’s so much to love about Adventureland — what makes your top three list? Let us know in the comments. 

 

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From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), Adventureland, top 3