Tune your guitar and get on your dancin’ shoes! House of Blues Orlando is offering another limited-time discount!
House of Blues Orlando
House of Blues Orlando in Disney Springsopened with a 20% discount for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Cast Members. Now, Florida Residents can join in and get their own discounted dishes!
House of Blues is offering a 20% discount to Florida Residents from now until August 31st!
Wanna see the kinda food you can get when you use your discount? We recently visited the House of Blues to discover what it’s like to eat at the newly reopened restaurant.We loaded up on mac n’ cheese, downed a delish Rock Me Hurricane, and enjoyed the live music.
House of Blues Meals and Drinks
You can also stop by and use your discount to pick up a family bundle for your whole group. This a great way to enjoy a family-size portion ribs if you’re not feeling like a sit-down meal.
House of Blues Loaded Mac n’ Cheese
House of Blues is just one of the many Disney Springs restaurants we recently checked out since the reopening. We also stopped by Frontera Cocina for flautas, had a drink at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, and dined under the stars at Planet Hollywood. We will continue to keep you informed on new updates while Disney World slowly reopens!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com Filed Under: Disney Discounts, Disney News, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, disney closure, disney dining, disney discounts, disney re-opening, disney restaurants, disney springs, Disney World, house of blues, House of Blues Orlando
With the recent opening of Magic Kingdom, it is fair to make comparisons to other theme parks to see how things are the same or different. Shortly after its reopening last month, my family and I visited the LEGOLAND resort. This park in Winter Haven, Florida, opened on June 1, several days before SeaWorld and Universal Orlando. As you read this, you will find out what cleaning, social distancing, dining, and changes to attractions LEGOLAND came up with. This post was drafted by my 9-year-old son and revised by my considerably older self. We arrived at the LEGOLAND Florida Resort on June 14, less than a two weeks after the resort opened to the public after its multi-month closure.
LEGOLAND Florida Entrance
Stand Here
The first thing LEGOLAND has done is to put red brick stickers that say STAND HERE in every line. The red bricks are spaced out to keep people social-distanced. Each party should stand on a red brick. When the red brick in front of the party is open, the party should move up. In queues with switchbacks, the red bricks were staggered so that one group would not stand right next to another. Sadly, when we were at LEGOLAND not many people were standing on their red bricks. There was no enforcement to make them stand on a red brick. On the bright side, the red bricks helped a bit.
Security Line from LEGOLAND Hotel at Park Opening
Mask Recommendation
The next thing LEGOLAND has done is recommend masks. Cute signs conveyed this message and that groups should distance from each other, but in this case “recommend” meant that very few guests wore masks. All the workers, however, were required to wear masks – even microphoned performers at the hotel. (On a related note, all guests had to pass a temperature screening before entering the park or hotel; hotel guests received a wristband and were thereafter not subject to subsequent checks at the hotel or park.)
Pirate Performers at LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel
Unmasked Crowds in The Big Shop at Park Closing
Crowds
In the past we have been fortunate to visit LEGOLAND Florida on slow days; my general impression is that the park’s location in Winter Haven (a 30-minute drive after you leave Interstate 4) is a deterrent to most tourists. The crowds were similar to other times we had been to LEGOLAND – very low. Even though ride throughput was adjusted to keep parties apart, there was no wait for most rides. In the park’s many outdoor sections, it was easy to avoid other guests. The only places we felt near other people were in certain walled-in queues and at The Big Shop just after park closing.
Parking Lot at 3:00 PM4:00 PM in MinilandEvery Other Car Used on DUPLO TrainExtra Seats Between Groups on Masters of Flight (a Soarin’-style ride)
Food and Drink
Most of the dining at LEGOLAND was closed. This has been true during other slow times we have visited the park, but this time it was even more restricted, with only a three or so venues where you could get an actual meal. (Rest assured that Granny’s Apple Fries and Firehouse Ice Cream were open, so we got our non-meal fix just fine.) There were lines at some venues, and guests made an effort to separate themselves from other groups. Counter-service venues in the park had plexiglass separating guests from employees, and only plastic payments were accepted (the plastic payment still had to be handed around the plexiglas). In addition, only The Big Shop near the park entrance and shops integrated into attraction exits were operational. The other major shopping venues in the center of the park were shuttered.
Apple Fries!Beach-n-Brick Grill was popularPepper & Roni’s Roped-OffPlexiglas and Plastic at Counters
At the LEGOLAND hotels, breakfast is included in the room rate, so breakfast was served at both Bricks Family Restaurant and Shipwreck Restaurant. Bricks changed its self-serve buffet into sort of a school cafeteria-type of restaurant. There, guests walked the food line in socially distanced groups, pointing and food and requesting that a worker put the desired items on a tray. The tray was given to the guests at the end of the line. We were sad that no LEGO waffles were available, but the food was good. Getting beverages could be a bit chaotic; basically guests had to tell workers what they wanted from machines designed for self-service. Shipwreck Restaurant took a different approach, serving its food “family-style,” with the server bringing a large plate with everything (you can request more of any item), along with drinks.
Buffet Replacement at Bricks Family Restaurant, LEGOLAND Hotel
Just like grocery stores that I’ve visited, LEGOLAND shut down its water fountains. Any location with a soda fountain (including staffed Coca-Cola Freestyle refill stations) would provide a small cup of water free of charge, but this was time consuming if you wanted to collect water for your whole family or to fill an entire personal water bottle.
Closed Water FountainsWater Fountain Replacement?
Cleaning
LEGOLAND has implemented new cleaning processes, and that increased our waits in line on a few occasions. While one of the workers was cleaning a ride, we asked about the process. He said that rides are shut down every 30 minutes, when touchable surfaces are cleaned with a disinfectant that must be sprayed-on, allowed to work for 5 minutes, and then wiped off. At the LEGOLAND water park, rafts were cleaned after every use. In places with big bins of play bricks, some sort of spray-based sanitization happened at regular intervals.
Bins of Bricks at Hotel were disinfected regularlyBathrooms have no monsters!Disinfecting the Rides
At the LEGOLAND Hotel (which is expensive, even with a Passholder rate), the room was clean on check-in, but there was no housekeeping, so bathrooms were not cleaned, beds were not made, etc. (This is common in other hotels right now, too.) A bag of towels and other items was dropped off just inside our hotel room door each day, and other items could be requested by calling housekeeping. In the lobby, huge bins of bricks were available for play, and they were sanitized regularly. Children’s resort activities continued, but performers wore masks and did their activities (LEGO building classes, building competitions, stories, etc.) in more spread-out areas than usual.
Master Building Class at LEGOLAND Hotel
Other Operational Notes
LEGOLAND did not have any major changes to attractions, but there were several noticeable differences to operations:
LEGO bricks meant to keep kids entertained while in line were removed from queues, although the Indoor Imagination Zone and the LEGOLAND Hotel had plenty of bricks to play with.
Hand sanitizer stations were at each attraction at at hotel elevators. Detailed hand-washing instructions were on restroom windows.
All toddler play areas and playgrounds were closed, as was the baby care center.
The 4D movie theater had areas blocked of for social distancing, with every third row in use and all aisle seats blocked off.
Some rides naturally provided safe spacing, while others left a row or two between groups.
The Great LEGO Race’s virtual reality goggles were removed.
Hand SanitizerTheater SeatingNothing to Play With!Closed Play AreaOpen Indoor Play Area in Imagination Zone
Final Thoughts
Overall, things at LEGOLAND were mostly “normal”, and that was jarring for us. This was especially true walking around the hotel, where almost no one wore masks. While in the park, most of our time was spent in open-air environments, and waits were short enough that we were seldom around other groups for long. There were some situations (like exiting rides) where we got close to other groups, but that did not last long. Entering the attractions, the red squares remind people to stay in their groups, but we saw kids run right past these on a few occasions (people get excited when rushing toward a ride), plus it’s not like a family of six can fit on a single square. Workers were not proactively enforcing the use of the red squares, but I felt like groups were generally mindful of the personal space of others.
The only time that I felt uncomfortable from a health perspective was at The Big Shop (the main LEGOLAND Florida store) at park closing, which is undoubtedly its most popular time of day. The park limits the number of patrons in the store, but it’s literally an indoor big shop where folks can roam freely, and – as you’d expect in a theme park – lots of children were excitedly milling about. In contrast, I also visited Disney Springs during this trip, and nearly everyone was wearing a mask, both indoors and out. Although some folks will always disregard rules, requirement vs. recommendation makes a big difference in guest behavior.
LEGOLAND Florida is a fun park for families with pre-teen children. That has not changed, and my family’s trip was enjoyable. Although the experience has changed a bit, slightly lower wait times and less physical crowding made touring a bit better. This may not, however, be a sustainable way to operate: LEGOLAND Florida laid off workers last week, so its recent business did not justify the staffing levels the resort had when I visited. We like the park, and I am glad to have supported it in 2020.
He must have gotten his paw stuck in a honey pot or something — but he did eventually show up later in the day! And check out where else we spotted Winnie Pooh and his pals recently — in corduroy PLUSH form!
In fact, the entire Hundred Acre Wood gang has arrived at World of Disney in Disney Springs including Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet too! We love how adorable and soft they are! Seriously, could these guys get any cuter?
Pooh and Friends Plush
Each one of these adorable goofs costs $29.99, no matter which one you get! We’re a sucker for Winnie the Pooh, but the Piglet Plush is calling our names, too! Besides, Pooh Bear will need a friend or two if he’s coming home with us.
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com Filed Under: disney merchandise, Featured, Walt Disney World, corduroy, disney springs, Disney World, Eeyore, Piglet, pooh bear, pooh plush, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, World of Disney
Today, a few individuals on Disney World property witnessed a huge surprise at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort. A construction crane located at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin hotels caught on fire earlier today after suddenly being struck by lightning.
One witness took photos of the construction crane on fire and shared them to Twitter. You can see their images below.
I just watched lightning hit this crane at the construction site at the Swan and Dolphin. Smoke and flames active. Scariest thing I’ve ever seen, loudest noise I’ve ever heard. I’m shaking. pic.twitter.com/zsZnmKGipM
Due to the impending thunderstorm, it seems there were no crews working on the construction site at the time. However, the lightning strike did spark a fire on the crane. The construction site it occurred at is where “The Cove” hotel is being built on property. They’ve been continuing the construction work during the months Walt Disney World has been temporarily closed to the public. It seems the damage is limited to just the crane, but we’ll find out later if there’s an update to the situation.
Also, no guests are currently staying at the Swan and Dolphin since the hotels are closed through July 29, 2020.
In the meantime, this story is still developing. Walt Disney World Resort has not yet released a comment on this matter. We’ll provide an update later if and when Disney releases a statement.
From our friends at chipandco.com Filed Under: News, Parks & Resorts, Places to Stay, Resorts, Walt Disney World, Disney Construction, Disney Fire, Disney Resorts, Disney Swan and Dolphin, Swan and Dolphin Resorts
And earlier today, Loungefly just launched a new collection of Star Wars-themed backpacks and pouches on their website. Let’s go check ’em out!
Each of the new Star Wars Loungefly styles is made of durable nylon material making them perfect for back-to-school! Check out the new Tatooine Loungefly Backpack for $50 featuring Luke Skywalker’s home planet on the outer rim!
You can also pick up the matching Tatooine Loungefly Pouch for $10 which would make a perfect pencil case! Kids still use pencils, right? Well, we guess you could keep your power cables and Airpods in it too!
We also spotted this new Endor Loungefly Backpack for $50! Although there are no ewoks to be found, we spy the Death Star off in the distance and speeder-riding Stormtrooper zipping through trees.
Our favorite new Star Wars style, however, is this Hoth Loungefly Backpack for $50. We love how all the different shades of blue make this bag look like a block of ice from the frozen planet. Plus it’s got an AT-AT stomping along on its front pocket!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com Filed Under: disney merchandise, Featured, News, accessory, back to school, backpack, endor, hoth, Loungefly, new merchandise, nylon backpack, pouch, star wars, tatooine
