A Blog About Disney Stuff

The magic of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has rolled into McDonald’s! Just in time for their birthday celebration, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse have inspired a brand-new line of Happy Meal® toys at McDonald’s, bringing Mouse Rules to the iconic Golden Arches. This means there’s only one rule you need to remember: Anything can happen! 

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This new collection features Mickey and Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy experiencing some of the iconic attractions from across Walt Disney World Resort. Anchored by Engineer Goofy and Mickey and Minnie celebrating Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, these toys connect together to form a 10-car train. Each one also has a unique function to make the character move as it rolls, so as the attraction’s soundtrack says, nothing can stop us now from having fun!  

Now through Dec. 14, while supplies last, when you purchase a Happy Meal at participating McDonald’s locations, you can enter for a chance to win a vacation for four to Walt Disney World Resort and experience the attraction that inspired it all: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Families can also enjoy fun and engaging games at home as part of this Happy Meal program through the McDonald’s Happy Meal App. 

Click here for more information on how to enter this fun-filled family getaway!  

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER/WIN A PRIZE. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING. 
Hop Aboard to Win Sweepstakes at McDonald’s entry period ends 1/18/21, at 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”). To participate, go to the McDonald’s App or www.MagicAtMcD.com and scan/enter the code found with the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway toy in themed Happy Meal^® boxes available while supplies last at participating McDonald’s restaurants. Enter without making a purchase as described in the Official Rules avail. at participating McDonald’s, in the McDonald’s App or at www.MagicAtMcD.com. See Official Rules for complete no purchase entry/prizes/ARVs/odds/prize claim deadlines and other details. Open only to residents of the 50 U.S./DC who are 18+. Void where prohibited. Each Code or mail-in entry is valid for one entry into the Sweepstakes. Codes are not reusable. 15 prizes, each a trip for 4 to Walt Disney World_®Resort, ARV: $10,985 ea. The odds of winning a prize will be determined by the number of entries received. Limit 5 entries per day and limit one prize per household. Trip must be completed by 12/15/22. Sponsor: McDonald’s USA, LLC, 110 N. Carpenter St., Chicago, IL 60607-2101.  

 ©2020 McDonald’s The Happy Meal Box design is the trademark of the McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates. ©Disney   

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Time for another installment of Pictures from the Parks, where we share some random sights from our recent trips in the Walt Disney World theme parks.

Without a doubt, the holidays are coming to every corner of Walt Disney World. If there’s a place to put up a tree or hang some evergreen swag, Disney will toss some holly jolly on it. This includes the theme parks, the resorts, and even having characters get into the act.

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And, of course, you can’t have holidays without all sorts of treats, right? Here’s some of the ones that we’ve tried recently. and reviewed here on the blog.

We love holiday overlays on attractions, and so we’re thrilled that The Land is doing their holiday decorating… plus we got surprised by a very special friend wearing a new holiday sweater!

But it is not all holiday lights that had us oohing and aahing. Mother Nature has provided some amazing sunsets recently.

And, one more photo from EPCOT that had us in awe — watching the SpaceX flight of the Resilience with its crew of four headed to the International Space Station.

We love the opportunity to share our experiences in the parks with you on our social media channels every day. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and we thank you for considering becoming a TouringPlans subscriber for access to our full crowd calendars, wait times tools, touring plans, and more. 

The post Pictures from the Parks, November 18, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), Holidays, spacex

EPCOT certainly takes a while to get into the holiday spirit, compared to its siblings. The Festival of the Holidays kicks off the day after Thanksgiving. But, the towering, glittering tree is now installed at EPCOT. And more resorts around Walt Disney World are decorated too. Let’s take a look.

EPCOT’s Christmas Tree is globally themed, of course. It evokes the spirit of the park’s emphasis on how each part of the world has its own way of celebrating the winter holidays. Visually its ornaments are not as popular as Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studio’s Christmas trees, but the message they convey is lovely. The different holiday greetings of the countries represented in EPCOT adorn this sky-high tree. An angel is perched at the top, holding the world in its hands. At night it’s as if the tree is made of glittering gold. It’s a serene symbol of the beauty of this season.

Not too far down the road from EPCOT is Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. This upgraded Moderate resort is popular with conventioneers, groups, and families with older kids. Christmas decorations adorn El Centro, the resort’s hub where the front desk, merchandise, and some dining options are located. The decorations have warm bronze and earth tones and white poinsettias. They’re inspired by the Central American culture.

The resort’s new Gran Destino Tower is also decorated. Here vibrant jewel tone colors are showcased, especially festive red and green. A modern influence is woven into the décor here as opposed to the traditional influence at El Centro. A glittering Christmas tree stands proud in the lobby and can be seen from outside thanks to the panoramic windows near where the tree is displayed.

Are you excited about the holiday season being in full swing at Walt Disney World? What do you think of the holiday decorations at Coronado Springs?

The post PHOTOS – EPCOT’s Christmas Tree Arrives and Coronado Springs Resort’s Holiday Decorations Shine appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Resorts, coronado springs resort, disney christmas, disney on site hotels, epcot christmas

To commemorate Mickey Mouse’s birthday, we are excited to reveal a special surprise at the Disneyland Resort. Following a refurbishment, the iconic Partners statue in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland park has been restored to its original grandeur!

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The beloved Partners statue, created by famed Disney sculptor Blaine Gibson, features Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. The photo above left was taken at its original unveiling on Nov. 18, 1993, at the hub in Disneyland park to commemorate Mickey’s 65^th birthday. 

Over time, the bronze had oxidized, and because of the applied patina, acrylic polymer and wax, it required a more intensive process than just a simple cleaning or polishing. Over four days, an artisan utilized a process using crushed walnut shells to gently strip the figure down to the bare bronze. After cleaning, various chemicals were applied and heated with a blowtorch to create a reaction and fuse with the bronze. The figure was coated in a polymer to protect the patina, then coated with a very thin layer of wax. 

Guests visiting the Downtown Disney District’s extension into Buena Vista Street will have an opportunity to see the Storytellers statue, which has also been restored. This statue features a 1920s-era Walt in a fedora and traveling attire­ — just off the train from Missouri and ready to realize his dreams with his pal, Mickey.

Happy birthday to the duo who started it all 92 years ago today — Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse!

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort, Downtown Disney District, DLR

Flame Tree BBQ is one of the few quick service restaurants with a full menu at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Located near the center of the park, across from Discovery Trading Company, the menu is, not surprisingly, heavily focused on barbecued meats.

During the COVID era, food ordering is done almost exclusively via mobile order. You can initiate this directly through the My Disney Experience app on your mobile device or by scanning a QR code that’s posted on signage near the restaurant.

The current menu has seven main dishes: St. Louis rib dinner, 1/2 BBQ chicken, ribs and chicken combo platter, smokehouse chicken salad, pulled pork sandwich, pulled pork atop mac & cheese, and a plant-based hot link smokehouse sandwich.

I recently tried the two dishes based on pulled pork. The pork itself is slightly drier than I might like, though if I had to choose between too dry and and too fatty, I’d definitely opt for the former. The dishes work to moisten the meat with the addition of a nicely tangy BBQ sauce and either the creamy coleslaw topping or the creamy mac & cheese base. While the pork was good enough, the mac & cheese was a true standout. There’s no hint of pre-made boxed mac here; it’s a real hearty homemade recipe with a balanced mixed of cheddar and parmesan flavors and an al dente bite. While plain mac & cheese is not officially on the menu, vegetarians would do well by asking to have this served without the meat topping.

My first beverage choice here was the mandarin orange lemonade, which tastes like standard lemonade and, in my opinion was not worth the $0.50 premium pricing over the standard fountain drinks.

I also tried the Halloween holiday special drink – Spooky apple punch. Now that they’re in Christmas mode, there’s a winter holiday version of a similar drink, but with a Mickey-shaped glow cube rather than a skeleton glow cube. It tasted like sweet, with no real discernible flavor other than sweet. I’m sure my impression was exacerbated by the accompanying sugar-coated straw and sugared cup rim, which tasted like, you guessed it, sweet. Not that any of this is necessarily a bad thing.

A word to the wise if you’re in the mood for a sugar rush to power you through your Animal Kingdom touring, place the straw into the drink with candied side down into the liquid.

Overall, Flame Tree is a reliable spot, particularly for meat eaters. There is outdoor seating scattered in several areas around the pickup counter. The best spots are behind the restaurant, close to the water where there are lovely places to catch the character cavalcade boats that power through the park waterways during the middle part of the day.

For more information on dining at Walt Disney World, check out our full menu listings and restaurant overviews.

The post REVIEW: Flame Tree BBQ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Walt Disney World (FL), Flame Tree Barbecue, Flame Tree Barbeque