A Blog About Disney Stuff

With reduced hours, and long daylight hours in the summer, it has been a long while since we’ve seen Magic Kingdom it all its glory at night. Even though the park hours are shorter right now, Magic Kingdom does stay open until 8:00 p.m. on select weekends. With fall being in full swing, and reduced hours, this combination made it possible for Chrissy on our team to capture some of the beauty that only Magic Kingdom at night brings.

We miss the nighttime spectaculars. We miss the cool evening weather and a stroll around the park as brilliant, colorful lights fill the skies. So while we wait for those magical times to return to Walt Disney World, let’s take a glimpse at some of the night time enchantment that still lingers at Magic Kingdom.

The last hour or so of park operation is one of the best times to enjoy the Disney theme parks. Not only is it visually a beautiful time, there are also reduced crowds with shorter wait times. Make the most of this magical time by becoming a TouringPlans Subscriber and using our Lines app to see optimize your visit and spend less time waiting in line.

When was the last time you got to enjoy night time at Magic Kingdom?

The post PHOTOS: Enjoy Magic Kingdom’s Evening Glow appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Dos and Don’ts, In the Parks, Magic Kingdom, Photos and Video, best time to visit magic kingdom, Cinderella Castle, Disney photos, magic kingdom at night, magic kingdom photos

Perhaps the title for this post should be: What’s the right time to ride Disney World attractions for your body clock?

TouringPlans parks reporter Chrissy and I recently did a head to head comparison of touring plan use vs. non-use at the Magic Kingdom. Chrissy used a tested touring plan and I experienced attractions in physical order, counterclockwise around the park, starting in Tomorrowland.

From a time management standpoint, Chrissy’s use of a tested touring plan is absolutely the way to go. She was able to experience more attractions in a shorter amount of time, with more rest breaks. On the other hand, I did a lot less walking as I went on the attractions as I encountered them.

While we had different overall experiences, in an ideal world I would not have done either version, because neither of these methods was right for my body clock and circadian rhythm.

For example, we each started off with a roller coaster style attraction; Chrissy with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and me with Space Mountain. Mine Train and Space Mountain are both fun rides, but neither are the sort that I personally prefer to do first thing in the morning. I like to ease into my day more gently, without lots of jostling right after breakfast.

A few minutes after my test-day turn on Space Mountain, I ended up at the nearby Carousel of Progress. This attraction is a favorite of mine. But here too, the emotional timing seemed off. For me, the perfect time to experience Carousel of Progress is mid-afternoon – a relaxing amusement to get you off your feet and out of the sun. Experiencing CoP before 10:00 a.m. seemed like a loss of momentum when I should have been ramping up for a busy day.

Both Chrissy and I visited Haunted Mansion in the middle part of the day, but in my perfect world, that would be my last attraction, particularly if the sun was down as I left. The darkness would extend the mood of the attraction as I left the park.

Obviously this is all subjective. If you asked my daughter Josie what she likes to start her Disney day with, she would happily volunteer Space Mountain as a great place to start. She likes some action to wake her up first thing in the morning. She prefers to end her day with Splash Mountain because she doesn’t like walking around the park after having gotten, well, splashed.

So my question to you is, if this were a perfect world and all the rides were walk-ons, what would be your personal ideal order of attractions? How would you order your Magic Kingdom “mix tape”?

Would you start with the ride equivalent of hard rock, or would you open with a gentle ballad? Do you want the middle to be a soothing break, or do you want that to be the high energy time? What attraction is your version of a goodnight lullaby?

Let us know in the comments!

 

The post What’s Your Right Time to Ride Disney World Attractions? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Just For Fun, Walt Disney World (FL), touring plan

The season of cozy comfort food is upon us. The 2020 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is different than any previous year. It has been running since EPCOT reopened in July, and only offers booths–no concerts, no seminars–and, not all the booths opened in July. The two latest booths to open this year are the Donut Shop booth and the Waffles booth. Let’s check them out.

The Donut Shop booth debuted last year, but with a completely different menu. This year the menu is simplified and less inspired. Despite the lack of creativity with the menu, this booth will satisfy your craving for donuts. If you’re a chocolate fan, go for the Double Chocolate Donut Holes with Chocolate Drizzle.

Want something colorful and a little creative? Go for the Sprinkle Burst Donut Holes with Purple Drizzle. The colorful sprinkles and purple drizzle do not add any flavor, other than additional sugary sweetness. The donut holes themselves are classic plain cake.

If you want some fall flavors then the Apple Fritter Donut Holes with Salted Maple Drizzle are an absolute must. Personally this would be my favorite.

Each serving is $4.00 and comes with five donut holes, which is a very satisfying serving for one person, or easily shared between two people. The Donut Shop is located near Test Track.

Over toward World Showcase, at the festival courtyard near Future World West, is the simply named Waffles Booth. Here you can choose between two waffles. Both a fairly simple and easy for Cast Members to put together. The Belgian Waffle served with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream is rich and sure to satisfy any chocolate fan. The Belgian Waffle served with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream is very sweet, but a great option if you want lots of fruit flavor.

Each waffle is $4.25, and is a mini size that can be cut into about 5-6 bites. Between the two booths, we prefer the Donut Shop for its variety and easy to share portions.

If you want to get the most out of your visit to EPCOT then become a TouringPlans Subscriber. You’ll gain access to our Lines app which let’s you reduce your time waiting in line and gives you ratings of all Walt Disney World restaurants.

Have you been to EPCOT for the 2020 Food and Wine Festival? Which booth sounds better to you?

 

The post REVIEW: New Donut Shop and Waffles Booths Now Open at EPCOT 2020 Food and Wine Festival appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Epcot, Festivals, In the Parks, epcot 2020, epcot desserts, epcot food and wine festival, epcot snacks

Crowd levels are up at Walt Disney World. On October 12, 2020, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek said in a CNBC interview that the parks remain capped at 25% of their capacity. While those two statements might sound like they’re at odds with each other, both can be true, because Chapek is referring to 25% of maximum capacity.

In normal years, the parks rarely if ever hit their maximum capacity. In a normal fall, for example, park attendance is closer to 50% of maximum capacity. And when Walt Disney World re-opened in July, attendance was closer to 5-15% of its capacity.

One thing that makes the parks feel crowded is that there is less space for people. Many restaurants and stores are either closed or have reduced capacity, and some attractions – such as stage shows – are closed. The attractions that are open are running with 50-60% of their normal capacity. And because of social distancing, their queues are often extended into walkways. Finally, shorter park hours are causing people to arrive at park opening and stay until the closing, without a mid-day break that would reduce crowds.

In mid-September we counted people in the parks and extrapolated that attendance for the month to date was around 12-15% of their maximum capacity. Based on our September estimates, Disney has room to increase attendance and still stay within Chapeks’s cap of 25%.

	Estimated September Average Daily Attendance	Maximum Capacity	Percent Capacity
Magic Kingdom	12,000	90,000	13%
EPCOT	18,000	110,000	16%
Hollywood Studios	6,500	60,000	11%
Animal Kingdom	8,000	60,000	13%

With increased attendance, we don’t expect to see any 1’s at the Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With more locals going to Walt Disney World, the weekends will be busier than weekdays. Thanksgiving will have the highest crowds since the parks re-opened.

The post October Mid-Month Crowd Calendar Update appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), Crowd Calendar