Category: Other

Last week, we reported New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut wanted travelers to complete a 14-day quarantine after returning from one of several states which had been identified as having a high rate of infection.

The list included Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Texas. And this week, New Jersey has just added seven more states including California.

According to the New Jersey’s Department of Health, the 14-day quarantine travel advisory also includes Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Lousiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and Tennessee. Local officials are stating travelers and New Jersey residents who are returning from these 16 impacted states should self-quarantine at their home, or a hotel, or other temporary lodging.

And at this time, Florida’s tri-state travel advisory is still active. This means New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut travelers are required to complete a 14-day self-quarantine upon entering the state. We’ll continue to bring you more updates.

Disneyland’s grand reopening has been postponed! Learn more details here!

Do you live in a state that falls under one of these travel advisories? Let us know in the comments below.

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, News, 14-day quarantine, 16 states, california, new jersey, quarantine, self quarantine, travel advisory, tri-state

It’s pretty common knowledge that Disney knows what they’re doing when it comes to tech.

Still, sometimes their inventions are pretty shocking (Don’t worry, we’ll explain that scary pic in a second.). From watching our every move while we’re in the parks to cranking out ride systems, Disney is ALWAYS innovating. Well, today we spotted one of the weirdest inventions we’ve EVER seen from Disney. Take a look — if you dare!

We were checking up on the latest from Disney Research today when a pretty crazy new study caught our eye. The Machine Learning team has developed a new method of High-Resolution Neural Face Swapping for Visual Effects. Yep, you read that right. Disney can now give people different faces on video.

This process actually works similarly to some Snapchat filters or DeepFake videos you might see online. However, it is much more advanced. You’ll be surprised to see the swaps are almost indistinguishable from a real image! Watch the below video to get a glimpse of this tech in action.

We’re not sure what this tech could be used for as there are a lot of possibilities. One option is as a way to feature actors who have passed away during their movies. We saw them do something similar with a CGI Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This tech could hypothetically be used to place Carrie Fisher’s face on a look-alike actress.

We’re not sure tech like this could ever have an application in the parks. Still, we wanted to show it to you because of just how WEIRD it is! We’re always on the lookout for the newest Disney innovations on DFB so keep an eye out for the latest!

Click here to learn more about Disney’s recent innovations!

What do you think of this crazy new tech? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, News, Disney innovation, Disney Invention, Disney Research, Disney Tech

In recent news, there’s talk indicating both the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) are planning to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the courts when the league resumes the 2019-2020 season at Walt Disney World Resort. The inscription would be painted inside both sidelines for all three basketball arenas the NBA league will use at the ESPN Wide World of Sports when it resumes the 2019-20 season late in Orlando. The information comes from league members speaking to ESPN representatives.

On a conference call with reporters Friday, leaders of the sports league and union were discussing several ways to use the NBA’s platform in Orlando to call attention to racial equality, social justice and police brutality. Over the weekend, Chris Paul, president of the players’ union, told ESPN that the league and union were collaborating to allow players to wear uniforms with personalized messages linked to social justice on the backs of their jerseys in place of players’ last names. We’re awaiting an official league determination to see if it will go into effect.

Basketball fans are happy to see the NBA return since the season was abruptly halted due to COVID-19. Seeing the NBA playing at Walt Disney World Resort is certainly uncharted territory for both sports and the Disney company.

Source: ESPN

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Events, News, Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World, Wide World of Sports, Basketball, Black Lives Matter, ESPN, nba

As you may know, our Disney Springs days are about to get a lot SWEETER!

Earlier this month, we found out that Gideon’s Bakehouse would be getting its own location in Disney Springs. You know, THE Gideon’s Bakehouse? With the super-limited, super-tasty chocolate chip cookies? Well, now we know WHERE we’ll be able to find the new spot!

Gideon’s Bakehouse shared the announcement of their new space this morning with some pictures from the newly constructed construction barriers. Gideon’s will be located in the corner space that most recently held the Rustic Cuff pop-up spot. We had a sneaking suspicion that this would be the place!

This spot in The Landing is conveniently located just across from Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and Wine Bar George. What a way to cap off an evening of drinking Reggie’s Revenge or chowing down on some flaming cheese! Gideon’s we’re coming to you!

You can bet that we’ll be keeping a close eye on progress at Gideon’s, so stay tuned to DFB for all the updates. We should be snacking on some MONSTER cookies later this year!

Click here to learn more about the NEW Gideon’s Bakehouse location!

Are you excited to chow down on these monster treats? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney springs, gideon’s bakehouse, gideon’s bakehouse cookie, Gideon’s Bakehouse Disney Springs, RUSTIC cuff

House of Blues was rockin’ and rollin’ again in Disney Springs!

House of Blues officially reopened June 3rd, so we trekked over to the West Side of Disney Springs to grab a bite!

House of Blues is a table-service restaurant known for blasting tunes and serving Southern eats. We’d be remiss not to mention they also boast some pretty killer desserts…hellooo Toffee Bread Pudding!

While we’ve visited in the past with mixed feelings, we were pleasantly surprised this time around!

Atmosphere

Social distancing was in full effect with many tables closed off to allow for space between guests.

These spacing guidelines carried over into the bathroom with some sinks unavailable for hand washing.

We also spotted some sanitation stations that were readily available for quick disinfecting.

Once we were nice and spaced out (and sanitized!) we were treated to some live music! House of Blues is known for hosting some great artists, and tonight was no different.

It was great to hear live music again — even if we were all at a safe distance and wearing masks! But what’s really interesting about this is that Disney has not brought back from furlough any of their live singing acts besides Mariachi Cobre in Epcot. Not even the Dapper Dans are scheduled to return at park opening. So this may be one of the few places you’ll see live music in Disney world.

Menu

In an effort to keep things contact-free, we had access to a digital menu. The only thing we needed was our handy dandy phone and we were good to go!

The layout of the menu was pretty easy to navigate.

The drinks are nicely categorized in another tab.

Pricing was pretty standard for Disney Springs, with cocktails ranging from $12 to $15, and entrees mostly in the $20 range.

Drink

We ordered two drinks during our visit. The presentation on both were SUPER pretty with fresh fruit that added a nice dash of color.

The Rock Me Hurricane kinda lived up to the name. This drink was SUPER strong with Cruzan white and spiced rums AND Myers’s dark rum. The fresh orange and orange, lime, passion fruit, and pomegranate juices helped balance out the booze, but this drink is nothing to sneeze at strength-wise and a good size at $14.

We also really had to try the Strawberry Fields cocktail. Made with Captain Morgan spiced rum and amaretto, it was incredibly strong. The fruity undertones did help to make it the sweeter of the two drinks with strawberry, passion fruit, mint, and lime to help balance out the liquor.

With summer right around the corner, this $12 cocktail had us longing for sunshine!

Food

This time around, we stuck to the apps. Excuse us while we drool remembering the BBQ Brisket Nachos… .

The meat was sooo delicious, and the smokiness really came through.

With BBQ Brisket, aged cheddar, red onion, roasted corn salsa, avocado, and a sprinkling of cotija cheese, we were super pleased with this dish. The pricing was reasonable for a decent plate of nachos. This dish was $15.

Next up we had the Loaded Mac & Cheese for $12. Just take a minute to look at this ooey, gooey goodness.

Served in a hefty skillet, this cheesy pasta was topped with chicken tenders, Buffalo sauce, and blue cheese.

This is a simple app — it’s basically standard mac topped with chicken strips. We usually love buffalo sauce so we could have used a bit more than the small squirt we got on top, but let us tell you they did NOT skimp out on the blue cheese crumble! Definitely a highlight for us! And if you’re a fan of blue cheese, this dish will make you ANYTHING but blue.

Not into the taste of blue cheese or buffalo? Maybe consider a different app.

Nosh or Not?

Check out House of Blues if:

• You’re looking for live music! Whether you’re in the mood for some local musicians or headlining artists, House of Blues typically has it all.
• You like your drinks strong. If you’re someone who makes a funny face when you take a sip of potent cocktails, you might want to rethink ordering off this menu.
• You’re a fan of super cheesy mac & cheese! Seriously a highlight!

Avoid if:

• You like a quiet atmosphere. This place is usually hopping with tunes and crowds so if you’re looking for a more toned down dining experience you might want to try one of the other restaurants in Disney Springs.
• You want a stellar well-rounded meal. The entrees here are hit or miss but we really enjoyed our appetizers this time around.

Overall

While there are other restaurants in Disney Springs that we tend to gravitate towards, House of Blues is a nice spot to stop by, grab a drink, chow down on some apps, and groove out to some music. If the toffee bread pudding is on the menu when you’re here, it’s a definite must get as well.

The Southern cuisine can sometimes leave us longing for more, but it’s a good time to hang out with friends and family while taking in some entertainment.

While dining in the newly reopened restaurants might be a liiiitle different, it’s nice to revisit familiar places once again. Our stomachs have missed chowing down on tasty treats but we are quickly making up for lost time!

Check out what it’s like eating in the newly reopened Disney Springs!

What’s your favorite dish from the House of Blues? Let us know!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney restaurant review, Disney Springs, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, Appetizers, bbq brisket nachos, cocktails, dining at disney springs, dining disney springs, dining experiences, dining in disney springs, dining review, Dining Reviews, disney dining review, disney springs, Disney Springs 2020, house of blues, House of Blues Orlando, Live Music, live music at walt disney world, loaded mac & cheese, review, Rock Me Hurricane, Strawberry Fields