Categories
Disney Food Disney Guides Disney Lists Disney Merch Disney Parks Other

10 Disney World Tips That AREN’T in the Guidebooks

Planning a Walt Disney World vacation can be both an extremely exciting AND daunting task.

Hello there Mickey and Minnie!

But with the proper planning and research, you can make the most out of your time and hard-earned money spent on a Walt Disney World Resort Vacation. Even still, you might not find everything you need to know about having the most EPIC time at Disney just by reading the guidebooks! Luckily, you’ve got us by your side!

We’re going to take you through a few tips that we think are SUPER important — although you’ll rarely see them discussed anywhere except here! Let’s go for ride!

Your Disney World Resort Is a BIG Part of Your Disney World Experience!

A lot of folks think a hotel is just a place to sleep, shower, and get dressed so you can spend all your time at the parks (and for some, it can be just that!), but don’t overlook how truly important your Disney World resort hotel can be! In fact, some of our favorite vacation things aren’t at the parks at all — they’re at the resorts!

Port Orleans Riverside

Disney does an excellent job of providing a slew of resort activities all day long at all properties, from their Value resorts to their Deluxe resorts. You never know what cool new thing your family will stumble upon!

Oasis Pool at Polynesian Village Resort

Each afternoon the pools at the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels offer guests a full slate of entertaining family activities including Bingo, karaoke, hula hoop contests, relay races, scavenger hunts, trivia challenges, chalk art, pin trading, and poolside challenges. No matter which Resort you call home, you can stop by the front desk and ask a cast member for the Resort Activities Schedule.

Sample Activities Board at Coronado Springs

And don’t be afraid to explore OTHER Disney World resorts either! Even if you aren’t a guest, you can still explore any hotel at Disney World! Take advantage of the Holiday season by touring the various resorts with Christmas Displays. Any guest can enjoy the annual Gingerbread house displays at Grand Floridian or sip on a specialty holiday cocktail at The Contemporary Resort!

Grand Floridian Gingerbread House

Lounge hopping is another great way to explore the properties. Many of these bartenders have been cast members for a long time and it’s always nice to relax and chat over cocktails and delicious bites. Some of our favorites are Crew’s Cup Lounge at the Yacht Club Resort and Territory Lounge at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (be sure to indulge in the sinfully delicious fondue). Oh and don’t forget Trader Sam’s at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort!

Chardonnay Cheese Fondue

Don’t Miss These Walt Disney World Bars and Lounges!

Some resorts also offer character meals like those you can find in the parks. Some of these dining experiences offer more time with your favorite characters as well as a unique selection of food. In fact, let’s talk about character dining next!

Learn More About Disney World Hotel Activities For The Whole Family!

Not All Character Meals Are Created Equal

If you’re looking to spend your FastPass+ on popular attractions instead of using them to meet characters, a character dining experience is a great opportunity for you to do just that! Note that Character Meals have been suspended for now, but we know they’ll be back in the future, so it never hurts to plan ahead.

While Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is crazy popular, some character dining options are a little more off-the-beaten-path. Storybook Dining at Artist Point in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is one of our favorite character meals with some really cool theatrical lighting, innovative food presentation, and even a private encounter with the Evil Queen herself!

Meet the Queen at Storybook Dining at Artist Point!

Snow White, Grumpy, and Dopey usually make the rounds as well!

Read our FULL REVIEW of Storybook Dining at Artist Point here!

At the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, you’ll find one of the most underrated character dining experiences, Garden Grove. The weekend breakfast buffet is affordable and offers plenty of interaction with characters. This is the perfect place for photo ops with the typical cast of characters that can include Goofy, Chip & Dale, Pluto, and more.

Garden Grove ©Disney

We went to EVERY character meal so you don’t have to!

And since some of these out-of-the way, lesser-known character meals aren’t as well attended as Chef Mickey’s or 1900 Park Fare (another popular character meal, which usually has characters from Cinderella in the evening, and Pooh, Tigger, the Mad Hatter, and others in the morning!) the characters aren’t as pressed for time and can sometimes spend a little longer with you at your table!

Cinderella and Prince Charming

It’s also important to keep in mind some character meals are served buffet style (like Chef Mickey’s and Crystal Palace), while others are plated and brought to your table.

Crystal Palace Buffet

For families with smaller children, we happen to prefer the latter since it means we don’t have to worry about rushing to the buffet before a character arrives while juggling our kids at the same time!

Winnie the Pooh, Tiger, Eeyore, and Piglet normally greet at Crystal Palace! Read our full review of dinner here!

And we might just love character meal BREAKFASTS most of ALL! ‘Ohana has an amazing character breakfast (where you’ll meet Stitch, Lilo, and more!) and Trattoria al Forno‘s Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast has some of the rarest Disney characters you’ll meet, including Rapunzel, Flynn Ryder, Ariel (with legs!) and Prince Eric! 

Meeting Rapunzel is part of the fun!

You won’t find these princes meeting anywhere else at Disney World!

Read our FULL REVIEW of the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast here!

And don’t forget — Disney’s Riviera Resort, which just opened last winter, has a fancy new plated character breakfast too!

Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast a la Art Characters

You’ll find this at the resort’s signature dining location, Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera, and have a chance to meet Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, and Donald!

Click here to see our review of breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace!

And finally, our all-time FAVORITE character meal can be found over at Garden Grill in the Land Pavilion at Epcot. This restaurant serves up all-you-care-to-eat platters of breakfast favorites in the morning (including plates of their incredible Chip’s Sticky Bun Bake!), and meats and veggies (grown IN the Land Pavilion!) for lunch and dinner.

Breakfast Skillet at Garden Grill

This spot is usually pretty easy to snag a last-minute table, and due to the small size of the restaurant, you often get a TON of interaction with characters like Farmer Mickey, Chip, Dale, and Pluto! Oh yeah — and the restaurant slowly rotates while you eat, letting you look down on the Living with the Land attraction below! We seriously can not understate what a fantastic character meal AND quality food Garden Grill offers all day long.

Click here for our latest breakfast review of Garden Grill!

Disable Charging Privileges on Your Child’s MagicBand

He’s a little tip you’ll want to keep in mind as soon as you arrive at Disney World IF you’ll be staying on property with kiddos!

All of the MagicBands you’ll receive in the mail prior to your trip will already be linked to your Disney World account, including any credit card you have on file. That means you might want to deactivate this feature if you have children who might be tempted to make an unauthorized purchase! ?

Mulan MagicBand

Your kids would still need to know the 4 digit pin code to make purchases, but if you have older kids in your crew you don’t want running around Disney World with unlimited access to your money, consider disabling charging privileges for their bands. ? You can deactivate the purchase settings on your kids’ MagicBands yourself using the My Disney Experience app or just ask a friendly Cast Member at Guest Relations to deactivate it for you when you check-in!

A great solution to older kids who want the freedom to buy their own goodies? Buy a Disney Gift Card!

Flower and Garden Festival Themed Gift Card

Disney often sells themed gift cards on wristbands, making them super convenient to tote around with you. You can load more money on the card if you choose, but for your kid — when it’s gone it’s gone!

Click here for even more tips for your Disney trip with kids!

Loyalty Programs and Third Party Offers

If you’re a Disney Vacation Club member or Annual Passholder, you’re probably already used to purchasing merch with your 20% discount at select locations throughout the parks, but did you know there are even greater ways to save??

Walt Disney World Annual Passholder

Tables in Wonderland is a dining discount program for eligible Florida Residents, Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders (21 and older), good for 20% off food and beverage (including booze) at a wide selection of Walt Disney World Resort hotel and theme park restaurants and lounges.

Tables in Wonderland Card

Many Disney Springs restaurants have loyalty programs where you’ll be rewarded simply for enjoying your meal! The Levy Loyalty Program gets you special deals at Paddlefish, Terralina Crafted Italian, and Wolfgang Puck branded restaurants.

Paddlefish

The Landry’s Loyalty Program comes with lots of extra perks too! At Yak & Yeti Restaurant, T-Rex and Rainforest Cafe, you’ll be treated to priority seating, rewards points, $25 for signing up, and an extra $25 during your birthday month. There is a one-time membership fee, but that sign-up reward cancels it out!

T-Rex at Disney Springs

Patina Group offers a free Subscription List where they’ll send you offers and deals –  plus $30-$50 offers for your birthday — they run several restaurants at Disney Springs and a few over in Epcot. Here’s a list of spots they offer discounts for:

How to Build the Fastest Car on Test Track

We might be known for our competitive eating practices at Epcot’s many annual food festivals (where we literally order everything on EVERY menu!). Epcot’s two largest festivals, the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and the O.G. Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, are some of our favorites to eat our way around!

Epcot Flower and Garden

Check out our Best of the Fest list from this year’s Flower and Garden Festival here!

But there’s ANOTHER competition we take VERY seriously at Epcot and it has a little sumptin’ to do with an attraction called Test Track. To provide a little backstory if you’re unfamiliar with this ride at Epcot, you’re responsible for building a “sim car” on a touchscreen before entering the attraction. Once inside, you’ll take the prototype for a test drive — at speeds of up to 64 miles per hour!

Test Track

To have the highest score (note: none of this will actually alter your experience in any form, but you WILL receive bragging rights, which is reward enough for us), you’ll need to build the perfect performance MACHINE!

Stations Where Guests Design Their Cars

When designing your car, you’ll want to move quickly through the basics like shape and width — but pay attention to the category point values as you make changes (you want to keep them all as high as possible). Once you get to the accessories section at the end you can pick up lots of extra points by adding hood elements and wheel upgrades. It’s tempting to focus on flash when building your car, but stick to those numbers — they’ll literally pave the way to your victory every time you ride!

Click here for more tips to maximize your scores on Disney rides!

Familiarize Yourself with the My Disney Experience App BEFORE You Go

The My Disney Experience App on your device is a key element to planning your Walt Disney World vacation. Besides providing the vitals like FastPass+ bookings, showtimes, and park hours, this is now the preferred method for booking and modifying your Advance Dining Reservations.

Access My Disney Experience on Your Computer or Your Mobile App

But don’t wait until you’re at the parks to open it up for the first time. Trust us — you’ll be using it A LOT, so play around with it before you go! Believe it or not, a lot of people don’t even realize the My Disney Experience app is completely free to use and it’s not only exclusive to resort guests. Anyone can use it!

Haunted Mansion

Make sure your whole family has tickets and is linked up on the My Disney Experience app, too! Otherwise, you won’t be able to reserve FastPasses for your entire party. It’s also super important to keep in mind when your FastPass window opens up so you can reserve your three FastPass selections for your whole group each day!

These are usually available to resort guests 60 days out from their arrival and 30 days out for everyone else. Once you use all of your FastPasses during a day in the parks, you can open the My Disney Experience app and make another FastPass selection on the fly!

Rock N Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios

Another thing to keep in mind about FastPasses — all of the parks except Magic Kingdom have FastPass tiers, meaning you can only reserve a one Tier 1 FastPass at a time. For instance, Hollywood Studios has three Tier 1 FastPasses, so you’ll have to choose between Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon, and Slinky Dog Dash!  

Remember though, right now the FastPass system has been suspended temporarily. But once it’s back up and running you should be ready!

Which Tier 1 FastPass should you choose in Hollywood Studios?

Happy Hour at Disney Springs

You’ll be hard-pressed to find Happy Hours at Walt Disney World resort hotels or in the theme parks. BUT, there is good news — Disney Springs offers a SLEW of amazing happy hours throughout the day. One of our absolute FAVORITES is the Happy Hour at The Edison. Offered from 3-6PM, this deal includes $7 Craft Cocktails and select Wines.

Happy Hour At The Edison

End the night off at the swanky STK Steakhouse, which offers an incredible deal on Sunday-Wednesday from 3-6PM and Thursdays-Saturdays 10PM-close with $2 oysters, $5-8 small bites, and half off specialty cocktails.

Discover More Happy Hour and Late Night Menus In Disney Springs!

Bring Refillable Water Bottles and Water Flavor Enhancers

We are ALL doing our part to support the environment, one (paper) straw at a time. Bringing a refillable water bottle with you to the parks is a smart way to help the Earth while saving some money by not having to buy bottled water all the time. (We love this SUPER CUTE New Skyliner Water Bottle!)

Skyliner Water Bottle

New filtered water refilling stations are now popping up in a few locations around the parks, making it easy and convenient to stay hydrated while on the go. Or, you can always ask a Cast Member at a fast food location for a cup of ice water for free.

Free Water in Disney

And if you don’t like the taste of tap water (it can be especially swampy flavored in Florida!), we recommend bringing some packets of water flavoring along! Most of these enhancers come in a powder form or small squirt bottles. You simply add some to your water bottle, give it a good shake, and you’re ready to go with a tastier beverage without having to spend extra money!

Click here for even more helpful tips for your Disney World trip!

Managing Your Expectations When Things Go Wrong

Things inevitably have a way of going wrong sometimes, and even the best of trips usually has a few disappointments.

Maleficent at Villains After Hours

But as long as you keep a cool head and an even keel, we think you’ll still walk away with a good experience, and maybe even a funny story to share later on down the road.

We’ve been stuck on Spaceship Earth for 30 minutes, gotten drenched in more torrential downpours than we can remember, and encountered all kinds of torment due to poor footwear decisions, but that hasn’t stopped us from having a ball each and every time we go to Disney World!

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom

And just remember — Cast Members are there to make sure you have a magical day. If you need any assistance to help achieve that, whether you need something like a bandaid or directions, just ask. Cast Members will help you solve whatever problem you’re having. Well, almost. They can’t really help you if your family is driving you bonkers (which probably will occur at some time during your trip!). Even Disney World Cast Members aren’t miracle workers. ?

Nicest Bathrooms in Parks!

Choose your restrooms wisely. While this may sound a little off-kilter, Walt Disney World is ALL about planning and that includes choosing your restrooms wisely. You never know when your little one or even YOU are going to have an emergency!

At Epcot, the American Dream is alive and well at perhaps one of the LARGEST bathrooms in all of the parks, located at the American Adventure. There are plenty of stalls and the air conditioning is always blasting. This is an especially great location if you’re drinking and eating around World Showcase or enjoying a show at the America Gardens Theatre.

American Adventure Pavilion ©Disney

Quite possibly the most hidden bathroom in all of Walt Disney World can be found on the side of Journey Into Imagination with Figment. This is just to the right of the attraction’s main entrance and there’s rarely more than few guests ever in there at one time.

Journey Into Imagination Sign

There are a few gems at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests in route to Toy Story Land should avoid the ones located inside the land and opt for the bathrooms located just outside and across from Joffrey’s.

Toy Story Land

The bathrooms just behind the Cheshire Café at Magic Kingdom tend to never have a wait. Another solid choice are the Tangled Restrooms on the border of Fantasyland and Liberty Square. While this area tends to be a little chaotic and packed with strollers, there are plenty of stalls and rarely a wait.

Cheshire Cafe Sign

Animal Kingdom does perhaps the best job at providing strategically placed restrooms with plenty of stalls. The theming is also something to note at many of these locations as well.

Asia Bridge in Animal Kingdom

Our personal favorites are the ones at Restaurantosaurus. Speaking of bathrooms, we have a WHOLE VIDEO on some of the best bathrooms in Disney World!

Of course, there are plenty more tips and tricks to share with you! We hope we’ve helped you think of a few things you hadn’t considered for your trip and how to approach them differently. With proper planning and research, you can have a totally MAGICAL and STRESS-FREE Walt Disney World vacation (well, within reason, of course!).

6 Walt Disney World Planning Tips Everyone Always Forgets!

What are your top tips for visiting the Walt Disney World Resort?

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney dining tips, Disney Discounts, Disney Springs, Drinking Around the World, Featured, General, Hard to Get Reservations, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom, Annual Passholder, bathrooms, bottle filling stations, disney springs, Disney World, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, DVC, Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Fastpass, gift cards, happy hour, Landry’s Select Club, levy loyalty program, Loyalty Program, magic kingdom, MagicBands, My Disney Experience, Patina Restaurant Group, restrooms, Tables in Wonderland, Test Track, water bottle

Categories
Disney Cruises Disney Lists Disney Parks Other

10 Ways Disney Cruises May Look Different When They Resume

Is anyone else missing cruising?  I am!  When cruising returns, we know there will be changes.  How many changes?  That remains to be seen!  I think everyone can guess that we’ll probably see masks required at times, but what else? Here are some of my guesses for what Disney cruises could look like.  While I hope most of these changes will be temporary, some of these changes may actually be for the better!

1. Occupancy – I think the biggest change we are going to see, at least for a while, is occupancy levels. I suspect Disney will start cruising again with greatly reduced occupancy levels. Possibly close to 50%.  While it’s rare that a ship feels overly crowded to me, many cruisers are just not going to be comfortable in crowds.  Also, when you start with a lot less people onboard, this will help with several of the points below as well!  So how are they going to reduce the number of guests onboard?  I’m guessing it won’t be a problem on several fall sailings, because many cruisers have opted to push their current reservations out to 2021.  For sailings that are still fairly full, Disney would probably offer incentives to booked guests to delay their vacation.  I’d also expect them to pull staterooms, maybe even entire sailings, from inventory to keep the occupancy where they want it.  I’ve heard rumors that some cruises lines want to restart with everyone in verandahs.  If Disney agrees, they would move guests around to ensure that most (if not all) are in verandahs.

2. Embarkation – The embarkation process will change slightly I’m sure, and I don’t just mean temperature checks. In the past, that 30 minutes before boarding begins can feel like the Haunted Mansion stretching room in Disneyland Paris, where personal space is but a distant memory. These days, packed terminals are not going to fly.  The way to fix this is two-fold.  Royal Caribbean has an excellent embarkation process, partly because so much is done before you arrive, including uploading your own photo, and partly because they don’t have to print your room keys.  The room keys are waiting for you at your room.  The amount of time you spend in the terminal is minimal!  Disney would greatly benefit from adopting a similar process.  The second way, and perhaps the most obvious, is to enforce port arrival times.  By speeding people through the terminal, and spreading out when guests arrive, they can keep the crowds down.

3. Muster Drill – The muster drills will have to change. I think Disney can keep the same basic muster process, but they’ll obviously have to spread the guests out more. When they are sailing with lower occupancy, that shouldn’t be a problem!  As occupancy levels increase over time, perhaps they’ll have to add some more muster stations to thin the crowds.

4. Ports – Disney has to work with countries they are visiting to both ensure that the guests will be allowed to visit, and be allowed back to the U.S. afterwards of course! While I know that many islands will be anxious for tourists to return, I think there’s a decent chance that for a while at least, cruise lines will concentrate on visiting their private islands. I think for the first few cruises at least, Disney will be visiting Castaway Cay, and Castaway Cay only.  It’s still the Bahamas, of course, so it fulfills the foreign port requirement required by the Jones Act, but it has the added advantage of being a somewhat controlled environment.  That may mean no more Europe cruises this year.  A few successful visits and returns are a good way to get nervous cruisers comfortable with sailing again.

5. Kids’ Clubs Probably the biggest change in the kids’ clubs will be a need for constant cleaning. Children are notorious touchers! They touch everything.  While the clubs were certainly clean before, this will require a whole ‘nother level of cleaning.  Lower occupancy will keep the numbers down.  It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen an age group reach capacity, making a cruise unavailable for new bookings in that age group, but it could happen again.  Pick-up and drop-off lines will have to be spread out as well!

6. Touchless System – There are a lot of points on a cruise where crew members touch a guest’s belongings. I suspect that will change. It’s possible guests will have to keep their luggage with them until they can drop it off in their stateroom.  Those times when servers take your Key to the World Card to charge drinks, or pay for Palo?  I’d guess they are over.  This seems like the time for Disney to roll out MagicBands for everyone onboard, not just the kids’ clubs.

7. Character Meets – I firmly believe character meets will still happen. It’s possible guests won’t be able to get up close and personal with unmasked face characters, but Mickey and Minnie should be okay! If I’m correct on the touchless system I mentioned in number 6, the crew will probably be working with a touchless system, so taking your camera or phone to take a picture won’t happen–in fact, on the final cruise before the shutdown, this was the case. Universal has their cast members using a cast phone and airdropping pictures to guests.  That’s pretty brilliant, I think!

8. Pools – I predict the pools will be open, but they will certainly be limiting the number of guests. No more people soup in the hot tubs. Reduced occupancy will help in general, and lifeguards standing nearby counting guests will enforce it.  I’d also expect to see a lot fewer deck chairs in general, spaced out accordingly.  It’s possible we may even see a reservation system applied to pools and deck chairs…

9. Dining Rooms – Dining rooms will remain I think; table service restaurants are making a comeback in many states now! I’m sure there will be very strict touchless procedures in the kitchens, and servers will probably be wearing gloves. Reduced occupancy onboard will make it easy to space tables out around the dining rooms.  I would also expect menus to be converted to disposable versions and condiments will likely come in single use, disposable packets.

10. Self-Serve Food – Self-serve food buffets and drink stations, may be a thing of the past! But don’t despair buffet lovers, it may not! As Heather mentioned in her weekly cruise update recently, anytime germ alerts were high during previous sailings (perhaps because of reports of Norovirus on other ships, or right before sailings were halted due to coronavirus), Disney would station servers at the food and drink stations.  I’ve seen it a few times.  You just told them what you wanted, and they would grab it for you.  It takes a lot of extra crew members, but I suspect it may be less work than changing all restaurants to table service.  The time and manpower that it would require to take orders, make, and serve custom plates of food for every single meal, for every single guest, seems unrealistic.  I think buffets in a modified format will stick around.  The drink stations could remain relatively unmanned if Disney switched over to freestyle soda machines with appropriate spacing between them.

*Bonus* Shows If occupancy is reduced, they’ll rope off every row or so, and I suspect they will continue as normal.  As occupancy increases, they could add a third afternoon show to make sure everyone has an opportunity to see each show.  That was common on the Dream when it first began sailing, until Disney realized they didn’t need a third show, so it’s not unprecedented!

What changes do you see coming in the world of Disney cruises?  Did I miss any?

Tammy Whiting is the owner of Storybook Destinations. Did you know Storybook Destinations offers a complimentary subscription to TouringPlans with qualified Disney and Universal bookings? Click here for a no-obligation quote on your next vacation!

The post 10 Ways Disney Cruises May Look Different When They Resume appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disney Cruise Line, disney cruise line

Categories
Disney Food Disney Lists Disney Merch Disney Parks Other

Seven Strange Things You May See Happen When Disney World Reopens

When Disney World announced their plan to reopen July 11th, they emphasized an increase in the amount of “contactless experiences” for their guests.

Contactless Payment Sign

One of the major areas that will be impacted by this are character meet and greets, which will be temporarily suspended. But what other things could be gone for the time being?

Paper Park Map Use Could Decline

While we may not see those paper park maps vanish completely, we will most likely see them drastically reduced as guests are encouraged instead to use digital park maps on their mobile devices via My Disney Experience.

Animal Kingdom Park Map

We’re already seeing map alternatives emerge at other theme parks. Universal Orlando has installed temporary sandwich board signs that include park maps for Guests to reference.

Signage with a park map included at Universal

At Universal, traditional paper park maps are still available but in limited quantities and at limited locations. Guests can visit Guest Services, or they can pick up maps near the front of the parks. But again, we learned from Universal that theme parks will probably strongly direct guests to use digital maps.

Check out everything we noticed at Universal Orlando, which may offer us hints for what we can expect at Disney World!

Reusable Menus Can Be Hard To Find

Disney has already been promoting contactless menus via QR code at some of their dining locations, including Wine Bar George and Frontera Cocina.

Wine Bar George QR Code for Digital Menus

Many restaurants nationwide are temporarily adopting a paper disposable menu system per CDC recommendations. Seeing how widespread this trend is, it makes total sense that the theme parks would follow suit! We don’t expect to see those viewfinder menus at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort’s World Premiere Food Court any time soon!

Read more about Disney Springs’ contactless menus here!

Free Buttons and Stickers Could Be Less Prevalent

Those free celebration buttons Cast Members hand out are a great complimentary way to let everyone know about your birthday, honeymoon, or any other special occasion you may be celebrating in Disney World! There’s a chance, however, that we could see this lessen temporarily to promote that contactless experience between Cast Members and guests.

Grab your Celebration Button!

There could be some possible workarounds. Buttons and stickers could probably work if a Cast Member hands them out in some sort of sanitized manner. However, these are one of those low hanging fruit that could easily be suspended for the time being to mitigate contact between Cast Members and guests.

Shanghai Disneyland is already making progress in the few weeks since they reopened. Read more here!

Refillable Mug Process Could Change

One of the things that took us by surprise when Disney Springs reopened was the drink fill and refill policies. At counter service locations, guests could not approach drink stations to fill their cups. Instead, an employee was present to fill their cup for them.

Earl of Sandwich

It’s possible we could see the refillable drink stations at the theme parks and resorts mimic the drink stations in Disney Springs. Since Disney seems to be clamping down on refillable drinks, that could mean a temporary suspension of the refillable mugs.

Disney World Refillable Mug

With Disney Dining Plans being canceled from guests’ reservations, it further increases the likelihood that the refillable mugs may also disappear for a while since all Disney Dining Plans include a refillable mug per guest.

Refillable Resort Mugs

Already we’re seeing Starbucks temporarily refuse to refill reusable mugs (though they will still offer you the discounted refill price if you present your reusable cup!). If a guest has a refillable mug at some locations like Wine Bar George, the drink will be served in a disposable cup and the guest can fill their mug themselves.

Read more about how Starbucks is handling refillable mugs in Disney Springs here!

Condiments and Toppings Bars Could Change

The condiments and toppings bars at counter service locations are typically high-touch areas that are often unsupervised by Cast Members until it’s time to replenish a particular food item.

Toppings and Condiments at Cosmic Ray’s

What we may see instead are pre-packaged condiments being distributed that you would need to get from a Cast Member. We’ve seen this in action at multiple quick-service locations in Disney Springs.

Take a look at how dining is different at Disney Springs here!

Old Utensil Dispensers Will Be Replaced With New Models

We’ve already seen a new, more sanitary way of dispensing plastic utensils at The Daily Poutine.

New sanitary utensil dispenser at Daily Poutine

These have slowly started to make an appearance nationwide over the last few months, so we could definitely see these being widely adopted at Disney World’s other counter service locations (we just spotted them last week at reopened Amorette’s Patisserie!).

Fork from the new utensil dispensers

In addition to counter service locations, we could also see this being adopted at the Food & Wine Festival this fall.

Check out these new utensil dispensers here!

Refillable Shampoo & Conditioner Bottles May Change

The final item we may see go away, at least temporarily, are those refillable toiletries at the resorts. These were heavily rolled out at many of the Disney World Resort hotels last year to generally mixed reviews.

Refillable Toiletries

They came about in an effort to go “green” throughout the resort, but these efforts may have been short-lived. It might be too difficult to sanitize the reused bottles between guests, and Cast Members will have to handle them often to refill.

Only time will tell how many of these we actually see return to Disney World when the theme parks reopen in July. Some of these changes we have already spotted in Disney Springs, while we might gain more insight on others when some of the Disney Vacation Club resorts reopen June 22nd. It is almost certain, however, that the theme parks and resorts will look very different than what we remember from before the closures!

Learn more about Disney World’s plans to reopen their theme parks on July 11 and 15 here!

What other items do you think may go away temporarily when the parks reopen? Do you think any of these things will go away forever? Share your thoughts in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, Walt Disney World, buttons, celebration buttons, counter service dining, dining, Disney World, Disney World reopening, refillable mugs, refillable toiletries, utensils

Categories
Disney Food Disney Lists Disney Parks Other

List of Disney World Restaurants reopening on June 22nd

Disney World Dining

There will be lots of changes coming to Disney World when they reopen, especially with Disney Dining… Additional changes to Walt Disney World dining experiences include:

  • Menu items may vary. For specific menu information, check the restaurant’s online menu when the restaurant reopens.
  • Character Dining will not be offered during the initial reopening, with the exception of a modified Character Dining experience at Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera.
  • Dinner shows will not be offered during the initial reopening.
  • Dining locations will be limited in capacity. Some locations will remain temporarily closed.
  • Private dining and in-room delivery will not be offered during the initial reopening window.
  • Mobile order service will be offered at select quick-service dining locations throughout the Walt Disney World theme parks (when open), Disney Springs and select Disney Resort hotels.

Before you dine at Walt Disney World Resort, please be aware that you’ll need:

  • Face coverings for each Guest age 2 and up, which must be worn in all public areas—including while entering and exiting dining locations—and can be removed while eating or drinking
  • Planning to dine at a table-service restaurant in a Disney Resort hotel? A confirmed dining reservation is required for day Guests (those not staying overnight) and is highly recommended for Guests staying overnight at a Disney Resort hotel

Also, it’s highly recommended to have:

  • The latest version of the My Disney Experience app on your mobile device, with location services enabled
  • Cashless or contactless forms of payment

Below, you find the list of the restaurants that plan to reopen June 22nd.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

  • Sanaa
  • Kidani Breakfast at Sanaa
  • Sanaa Lounge
  • Maji Pool Bar

Disney’s BoardWalk

  • Trattoria al Forno
  • Pizza Window
  • BoardWalk Bakery
  • Leaping Horse Libations
  • AbracadaBar
  • Screen Door General Store

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

  • The Wave…of American Flavors
  • The Wave Lounge
  • Contempo Cafe
  • Cave Bar

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

  • P&J’s Southern Takeout
  • Meadow Snack Bar
  • Crockett’s Tavern

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

  • Grand Floridian Cafe
  • Gasparilla Island Grill
  • Enchanted Rose
  • Beaches Pool Bar & Grill

Disney’s Old Key West Resort

  • Olivia’s Cafe
  • Good’s Food to Go
  • Gurgling Suitcase

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

  • Kona Cafe
  • Capt. Cook’s
  • Pineapple Lanai
  • Barefoot Pool Bar

Disney’s Riviera Resort

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

  • The Artist’s Palette
  • The Paddock Grill
  • On the Rocks Pool Bar

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

  • Whispering Canyon Cafe
  • Roaring Fork

Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort

  • Beaches and Cream Soda Shop
  • Beach Club Marketplace
  • Martha’s Vineyard

Hours of operation will be provided during your stay.

Please note the list of Disney World Restaurants is subject to change…

For more information visit the Disney World website.

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Disney Food, Walt Disney World, Disney Dining, Disney World, disney world dining, Disney World Restaurants reopening, List of restaurants

Categories
Disney Lists Disney Parks Other

The Top 10 Most Evacuated Rides in Disney World!

Disney World can seem like the perfect place in theory, but that’s not always the case.

Frozen Ever After

Sometimes things just happen to go wrong — yes, even in Disney World! It’s happened to most of us. We’re pumped for our favorite ride only to find that it’s inexplicably closed. Or perhaps we’re halfway THROUGH our favorite ride when it randomly STOPS! Whatever the case, we know big breakdowns happen. Let’s check out the top ten most evacuated rides in Disney World!

This data is pulled from an Orlando Sentinel report on the Reedy Creek Fire Department (Disney’s own!) reported evacuations from July 27th, 2016, through July 18th, 2018. Keep in mind that these dates WOULDN’T catch newer rides like the popular (and often reported to break down) Rise of the Resistance!

10. Spaceship Earth

Coming in at tenth place for most evacuations we have the most iconic and recognizable ride in Epcot — it’s Spaceship Earth! In the measured period, this ride had 15 evacuations. Not too bad, but there are a whole lot of rides that had fewer!

Spaceship Earth

Though the report does not include the causes for breakdowns, Spaceship Earth is an original 1982 attraction with some significantly complex ride pathways through the sphere. Its age and complexity could be part of the issue.

Is Spaceship Earth NOT closing for refurb now?? Click here!

9. Toy Story Mania!

Just BARELY beating out Spaceship Earth is the relatively new Toy Story Mania! in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This attraction racked up 16 evacuations in the two-year period.

Toy Story Mania

Toy Story Mania! is a super technologically advanced ride so a failure of the software could potentially be a reason for evacuation. Still, Disney doesn’t report the reason for evacuations (unless there’s an injury) so it’s hard to say.

Want to get the highest score in Toy Story Mania? Click here!

8. Splash Mountain

Next up on our list is Splash Mountain! This beloved attraction (one of the favorites among our readers) had 21 evacuations in the period reported. We’ve definitely been on this one more than a few times when it’s broken down for a while!

Does Everyone Want To Ride Splash Mountain??

Splash Mountain might be prone to big breakdowns simply thanks to the fact that it is a water ride. Log flume rides are notorious for being difficult to maintain. Maybe when things go wrong at Splash Mountain, the fixes aren’t so easy.

To learn how Splash Mountain stacks up with other attractions, click here!

7. Peter Pan’s Flight

A little bit of a jump here as this next attraction had about ten more full evacuations than Splash Mountain. Peter Pan’s Flight came in at 31 evacuations in the two years.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Surprisingly, this is the ONLY opening day attraction to make this list (guess those other OG rides really hold up)! Not only is Peter Pan’s Flight an older ride, but it also uses a unique suspended system. That’s why people love it so much, but it’s also what makes it a little more challenging to run.

Click here to check out some SWEET upcoming merch inspired by Peter Pan’s Flight!

6. The Barnstormer

The Barnstormer starring the Great Goofini (previously The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm) is a favorite for many little ones thanks to it being an easily conquerable rollercoaster.

Barnstormer

Still, despite not being as impressive as the other coasters of Disney, this one has some of the most evacuations with 32 in the period. Why? We’re stumped!

Want to see how our readers feel about The Barnstormer? Click here!

5. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Alright! We made it to the top five! Just barely edging out Barnstormer and Peter Pan’s Flight is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with 33 evacuations in the period.

Winnie the Pooh at The Crystal Palace

There are few incidents reported for this ride and it is a traditional dark ride. Maybe it’s just the wily Heffalumps up to no good!

To find out which Tiger King person we matched up with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, click here!

4. Kali River Rapids

We’ve got a pretty big jump for this next one again — and get used to it, because the evacuation counts on the final three are gonna climb quick! Not quite in the final three is Kali River Rapids with 44 evacuations in two years.

Kali River Rapids

Kali could suffer from the water ride maintenance woes as part of the reasoning behind the frequent evacuations. There have also been reports of monitoring sensors being triggered on this ride. These are triggered when the ride system thinks someone isn’t where they should be or something is wrong and it automatically stops the ride, per WESH.

Click here to read about our Kali River Rapids MISTAKES!

3. Space Mountain

Okay folks, we’ve made it. Let’s talk about our top three. We’re talking about our BIGGEST breakdown offenders. Taking the third spot is Space Mountain with a leap up to 64 evacuations in a two year period!

Space Mountain

Though the ride had no reported injuries in the measured period, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t medical reasons for stopping the ride. Space Mountain can be intense and it has had some incidents reported in the past. Plus, Space has been around since 1975! That’s an old coaster! Sometimes, things just might need some extra attention for the ride to get up and running again.

PRO TIP: If this ride DOES break down for a prolonged period, hop on the PeopleMover. It travels through Space Mountain even if it’s closed and you can possibly get a really cool look at the ride with the lights on!

Want to see come collectible Space Mountain merch? Click here!

2. Pirates of the Caribbean

Our runner up for most breakdowns is Pirates of the Caribbean. Well, wouldn’t you know it! Another water ride — and an old one too. Pirates of the Caribbean has been around since 1973. That’s a lot of time, a LOT of animatronics, and a lot of water making some room for things to go a little sideways.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Maybe those are the reasons that Pirates of the Caribbean is dealing with a HIGH record of evacuations. We’re talking really high — like 72 evacuations in two years high. Maybe it’s that tricky ghost George that’s to blame! ? Shockingly though, there is one ride that has MANY more evacuations than even this number.

To learn how Pirates of the Caribbean makes us feel things, click here!

1. Frozen Ever After

Coming in first place, the NUMBER ONE MOST EVACUATED RIDE is Frozen Ever After! On paper, that might sound surprising since it’s so new, but most of us have witnessed Frozen Ever After closed for downtime at some point or another. Just how many evacs did it have, you ask? 113 evacuations in two years! Phew!

Frozen Ever After Ride

Again, Disney doesn’t release the reasoning behind these evacs but we have some theories. The ride ticks a LOT of the boxes that we’ve mentioned as breakdown potential.

Water ride? Check. Older ride? Frozen is new but it’s predecessor Maelstrom opened in 1988 so…check! Complex technology? Definitely check! This was the first ride to use the new animatronics (ever ridden the ride mid-breakdown and see Anna and Elsa with their faces TURNED OFF? We have!). That sounds like a pretty decent recipe for high evacuations to us!

Click here to learn how you can ride Frozen Ever After — after hours!

So now you know the top ten most evacuated rides at Disney! To quote a Disney statement, “Our rides operate at a high degree of reliability, and while occasional downtimes and full-ride exits are a part of normal operations, they represent a very small part of the total operating day and overall guest experience.”

Despite some of these trickier ride systems, Disney actually had a pretty great track record with keeping rides running smoothly. Still, it makes for a unique story if you’ve ever been evacuated from a ride! Maybe we’ll go hop on Frozen Ever After…

Love in-ride photos? Click here to see what rides we think NEED one!

Have you ever been caught on a broken-down ride? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, disney parks, disney’s hollywood studios, Epcot, Featured, magic kingdom, Walt Disney World, Frozen Ever After, kali river rapids, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ride Evacuations, space mountain, Spaceship Earth, splash mountain, the barnstormer, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story Mania