Tag: disney world

Celebrate Mother’s Day at Disney Parks
If you’re looking for a special place to celebrate Mother’s Day with your mom this year then give her a little Disney magic with a special sweet or even a delicious brunch! Here are some sweet treats you can find at Walt Disney World Resort, as well as special Mother’s Day brunches at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

If you’re at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, there’s a beautiful Mother’s Day Dessert at Sunshine Seasons with raspberry mousse and lemon cake and topped with a delicate Swiss buttercream rose and fondant pearls, available on Mother’s Day only. Or if you’re looking for a cupcake, look no further than Fountain View. May 11-13, you’ll find a vanilla Mother’s Day Cupcake with raspberry white chocolate mousse and pink icing.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there’s a vanilla Mother’s Day Cupcake at Creature Comforts and Isle of Java that’s filled with white chocolate raspberry mousse and topped with buttercream flowers.

Send Mom a special message with a Mother’s Day Chocolate Letter from Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs. Topped with chocolate-covered strawberries and mini-macarons, this offering can be personalized with a short message written in icing and is the perfect delicious gift! You can also find a Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Petit Cake featuring Mrs. Potts from “Beauty and the Beast.” And nearby at The Ganachery, you’ll find a Mom Pop with dark chocolate-covered raspberry ganache.

At Disney’s All-Star Music and All-Star Movies Resorts, Intermission Food Court and World Premiere Food Court will be offering a Tropical Éclair on Mother’s Day only. This éclair is filled with mango and pineapple tropical cream and chocolate ganache and is topped with fondant rose buds.

May 11-12, there will be a Mother’s Day Cookie Flower Pot Activity Kit available for purchase at World Premier Food Court at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Landscape of Flavors at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and The Artist’s Palette at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. This kit will include a flower pot filled with chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and cookie crumbles, customizable flower cookies, and jelly candy worms. There will also be a special Mother’s Day Activity at each of the locations listed above where families can come together and decorate their flower pots with a pastry chef. See below for activity dates and times!
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, World Premier Food Court – May 11-12, 2-4 p.m.
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Landscape of Flavors – May 11-12, 1:00-1:30 p.m.
  (Activity kits will also be sold on May 10)
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, The Artist’s Palette – May 11-12, 1-2 p.m.
At Disneyland Resort, River Belle Terrace in Disneyland Park will offer a 3-course special to the menu. The first course is a Strawberry Pistachio Salad, and for the main course, Pan-Seared Scallops with grilled corn succotash and squash puree. And for dessert? A sweet Blueberry-Lemonade Shortcake.

Mother’s Day Dining Experiences

In addition to the delicious offerings throughout the parks, there’s also a few special Mother’s Day Brunches and Dining Experiences at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts, all offered on Mother’s Day only.

Make your Mother’s Day POP! with a Mother’s Day Brunch buffet served 10am-2pm at Everything POP Shopping and Dining at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Starters include fresh fruit, cereal, assorted pastries and muffins, and bagels with cured salmon, diced red onion, cream cheese, and capers. For the main event, you’ll enjoy options such as Made-to-Order Omelets, Buttermilk Pancakes with strawberry compote, Carved Ham with orange blossom honey, Carved Roast Turkey with traditional stuffing and cranberry relish, Bacon Vinaigrette Potatoes, House-Made Corn Bread and more. And for a decadent dessert, you can try the Peach Cobbler, Strawberry Shortcake, or other assorted mini-desserts.

Enjoy a “contemporary” Mother’s Day Brunch at Disney’s Contemporary Resort! The Wave… of American Flavors will be offering a special brunch buffet 7:30am-2pm. Start your meal off with options like a Harvest Salad, Asian Noodle Salad, Israeli Couscous Salad with grilled vegetables tossed in lemon vinaigrette, fresh fruit, Smoked Salmon with traditional accompaniments, Citrus-Poached Shrimp, assorted pastries, and cheese and charcuterie. Entrees from the kitchen include dishes such as Eggs Benedict, Sweet Potato Pancakes, Herb Roasted Chicken, Egg White Frittata. Kids can also enjoy Mickey Waffles, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage, and even Crispy Chicken Tenders with fries.

Sail on over the Disney’s Yacht Club Resort for a Mother’s Day Brunch that’s full of flavor. From 7:30am to 2pm at Ale & Compass Restaurant, enjoy endless assortments of savory flatbreads, fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, breads and spreads, smoked salmon, and house-baked pastries. Follow up with delicious entrees like Blueberry-Bacon Pancakes, Salted Caramel French Toast, Eggs Benedict, Steak and Eggs, Pasta Primavera, Lobster Roll, or Fish and Chips. On the kids menu, find Mickey Waffles, Pancakes, Ham and Egg Sandwiches, Grilled Chicken, Ravioli, and Cheeseburgers. Guests over the age of 21 can also enjoy specialty raspberry, strawberry, pineapple, or cranberry mimosas as well as a Bloody Mary Flight.

Just across the lake at Disney’s BoardWalk, Flying Fish will be offering a special Mother’s Day prix fixe menu with optional wine pairings 3:30pm-9:30pm. Start your meal with Ahi Tuna with caper, blue lavender, and black Cyprus salt paired with Kim Crawford Spitfire Sauvignon Blanc. And for your entrée, you’ll enjoy Filet Mignon with wild Floridian shrimp and crab, served with delta asparagus, Idaho potato, and hollandaise and paired with Penner-Ash Pinot Noir. For the finale, the Spring Garden Fruit Tart with brulee custard, bush berries, orange chiffon, and strawberry rhubarb sorbet will go down smooth paired with Veuve Clicquot Rose. In addition, this experience includes complimentary roses as well as a photographer who will provide photos at the end of the meal, free of charge.

Over at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Turf Club Bar and Grill will offer a Mother’s Day Brunch 10am-2pm. For the opening course, enjoy your choice of Steel Cut Oatmeal, Greek Yogurt Parfait, Peppered Smoked Salmon, or Berry Salad. For Entrees, choose from a selection of dishes such as Croque-Madame Black Forest Ham and Gruyére Cheese, Slow Roasted Ranchers Reserve Prime Rib, Gourmet Blend Burger with Crispy Pork Belly, Saratoga Springs Eggs Benedict with Manhattan Steak Medallion, or S’mores Style Buttermilk Waffles with marshmallow and chocolate, to name a few. For a sweet finale is a Mother’s Day Medley of Sweet Temptations. Specialty adult beverages available include an Island Grove Blueberry Moscato, Tropical Mimosas with Passion Orange Guava Juice, and the Turf Club Bloody Mary.

At Disneyland Resort, you can celebrate Mother’s Day with a memorable meal at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Storytellers Café will offer a bounteous breakfast buffet 7am-11:30am as well as a dinner buffet from 11:30am-9:45pm. In addition, as a special Mother’s Day treat, Chip and Dale and other Disney Pals will be around to greet guests throughout the entire day!

Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland Hotel will offer a special Mother’s Day Tasting Menu. For the starter course, enjoy an Heirloom Tomato and Melon Salad with marinated artichokes, petite mache, fresh mozzarella, and peppermint vinaigrette. For the entrée course, savor a Broiled 8-ounce Filet Mignon with brown butter mashed potatoes, broccolini, balsamic pearl onions, and maniari port demi. And for dessert – you’ll love the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee with a chocolate tart shell, poached peach, and raspberry mascarpone.

No matter where you’re celebrating, you’ll certainly have a magical Mother’s Day at Disney Parks. So give your mom something special – and tasty – this weekend, because she deserves it!
May 11, 2018
Toy Story Mania Closing For A Week To Prep For Toy Story Land
The Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is scheduled to be closed for an entire week this June in preparation for the opening of Toy Story Land. According to Disney the attraction will be unavailable June 11-18 and is expected to reopen on June 19.

The closure will allow work to progress on the reconfiguration of the main entrance of the attraction. Currently Toy Story Mania’s entrance and exit are located in the park’s Pixar Place area, but after Toy Story Land opens they will both be located in the new land. When it reopens, the entrance will remain in Pixar Place until it permanently moves to Toy Story Land for the grand opening of the new land.

Toy Story Mania will also return to full capacity on May 20 2018, with all three tracks becoming available following queue reconfiguration work. FastPass+ reservations should already be available for rides beginning May 20, if there not already booked up.

When Toy Story Land debuts on June 30, guests will “shrink” to the size of a toy and join in on the fun Woody, Jessie, Buzz, and Andy’s other beloved toys are having in Andy’s backyard. Here, guests can ride Slinky Dog Dash, a roller coaster Andy has assembled from his Mega Coaster Play Kit, take a spin on Alien Swirling Saucers, walk through a new carnival game box to experience Toy Story Mania!, grab a tasty snack at Woody’s Lunchbox – and meet some of the characters from “Toy Story” films!

Check out the list below for more stories on the new Pixar experiences coming to Hollywood Studios.
May 10, 2018
Disney Files Permit For Another Magic Kingdom-Area Project

Disney filed another permit on Monday with the South Florida Water Management District seeking to use a 30-acre site south of the theme park for temporarily stockpiling fill. The project which is named in the documents as “Stolport Stockpile” plans to use the area for “temporary stockpiling of earthwork”.

The project is most likely named “Stolport Stockpile” because it sits just east of the old STOLport. The Lake Buena Vista STOLport, or “Short Takeoff and Landing” port was built in 1971 to serve as a private airfield for Walt Disney World guests and employees.

This immediately brought up speculation about if the project might have something to do with a revamp of the airport, but documents included in the filing show it appears to be related to Disney’s “Project 89”. Disney filed permits for “geotechnical work” at the site of Disney’s former River Country water park back in March.

According to those permits, Disney is going to “Conduct geotechnical investigation to assess the suitability of subsurface soils”. In layman’s terms, they will be drilling to evaluate the soil conditions at the River Country site.

No one knows for sure what Disney’s plans for the area are, but many have speculated that a new Magic Kingdom resort could be in the works and it’s likely another DVC resort. At this point Disney hasn’t released any information about what either project is for.

May 10, 2018
Disney Springs Is The Perfect Spot For Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is less than a week away! Whether you want to treat your mom to a memorable experience that you can enjoy together or a keepsake item that will show her how much you care all year long, there’s a good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for at Disney Springs.

Below are a few of-the-moment offerings she’s sure to treasure:

Brunch with Her Brood: If you’re a mom who’d rather not spend her Mother’s Day in the kitchen, a meal where she’s the pampered patron is always a good idea! While there are many awesome options, the newest brunch option from Maria & Enzo’s where endless mimosas and bellinis are just $15 extra.

Something that Sparkles and Shines:
- Pretty Pieces from PANDORA Jewelry: PANDORA Jewelry is currently offering some incredible Mother’s Day promotions. From stand-alone charms to pre-packaged gift sets, there seemed to be something to suit every mom at a variety of price points.
- A Little Love from Alex and Ani: Another guest favorite with so many jewelry options to choose from. Necklaces, rings, and of course, bangle bracelets are available in an array of styles.
- A Tiny Treasure from Rebecca Hook Jewelry: Representatives from this popular brand will be at Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories on May 11 and 12, 2018 to showcase core jewelry and additional items available for a limited-time, while supplies last. Rebecca Hook herself will appear on May 11, giving you a chance to meet the designer; if you’re stuck, perhaps she can help you decide which piece is best for your mom?
- Hands-on Macramé with Mom: Sugarboo & Co. Here, you’ll enjoy the art of macramé, complete with extra time for shopping and coffee. The class is $60 for two guests; $35 for each additional person.
- Something Sweet: With a floral motif in punchy pastels, the perfectly packaged chocolates from Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop are almost too pretty to unwrap.
With less than a week before Mother’s Day, you’ve still got time to pick up the perfect something. Of course, if you really have no idea what she’ll love most, a Disney gift card lets your mom treat herself to whatever she desires at Disney Springs.
May 9, 2018
Celebrate National Share A Coke Day Today At Disney Parks

Today is National Share a Coke Day, and what better way to celebrate than with these new 20oz “Share a Coke” Disney bottles! At both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, you will soon find brand new bottles featuring three iconic Disney attractions.

You’ll be able to share a Coke at Haunted Mansion, a Diet Coke in Tomorrowland, and a Coke Zero Sugar at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom Park in Florida.

They’re all picture perfect, and can be found at many of the outdoor vending and merchandise locations throughout the parks, in addition to a variety of Coca-Cola fountain beverages available at all of our restaurants and quick-service locations.

So grab a friend and share a Disney experience together with these fun – and refreshing! – new “Share a Coke” bottles.

May 8, 2018
Ticket With Pre-Selected Fastpasses Now Offered At Disney World
Disney is now offering a new option for tickets. The resort now offers a one-day, one-park ticket that include pre-selected FastPass+ experiences linked to the tickets.

Fastpasses for three attractions will be linked to the tickets at the time of purchase. The fastpasses linked to your ticket depend on which theme park you plan to visit. This new ticket option costs the same as a regular 1-day tickets with no preselected Fastpasses. The only limitation is that the FastPass+ selections linked to the ticket but must be used the next day and at the scheduled time.

Guests can choose from several preselected options, here’s the rundown:

MAGIC KINGDOM
- Fantasyland Classics: It’s a Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Mad Tea Party
- Futuristic and Frightful Fun: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion and Tomorrowland Speedway
- Pint-Size Adventures: The Barnstormer, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Pirates of the Caribbean
- Whimisical Escapades: Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor
EPCOT
- Immersive Explorations: Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Delightful Encounters: The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush and Journey into Imagination with Figment
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
- Sensational Stage Shows: Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid
- Movie-Inspired Excitement: Muppet Vision 3D, Star Tours-The Adventures Continue and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM
- Prehistoric and Whitewater Thrills: Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids and Primeval Whirl
- Wild Performances: Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo-The Musical and It’s Tough to be a Bug!
May 7, 2018
First Ever Donald Duck Annual Passholder Magnet Coming Soon To Disney World

Annual Passholders love their Annual Passholder magnets and guests are going to be really excited about the first ever magnet to feature Donald Duck.

Annual Passholders will be able to pick up their complimentary magnet at Hollywood Studios starting May 18th and will be offered though June 29th.

This is the first time Donald Duck has appeared on the AP magnet. Back in April Disney introduced the first ever Minnie Mouse AP magnet at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Typically Mickey Mouse has been on the Annual Passholder magnet for the past few years. Prior to that the magnet used to be a simple black and white magnet with plain text that said AP with a little Mickey head in the middle.

We love the new magnets and the fact that they keep adding new characters. One more thing to collect!

As always, with a sure to be popular item like this, get yours while supplies last.

May 5, 2018
2019 Star Wars Race Weekend at Disney World Will Celebrate Epic Star Wars Rivalries

Disney recently hosted more than 43,500 runners for the Star Wars Half Marathon at Walt Disney World Resort and we’re already exploring ways to channel the Force for next year’s race.

In honor of Star Wars Day, Disney announced today that the Star Wars race weekend at Walt Disney World Resort will celebrate epic Star Wars rivalries in 2019. With this new theme comes a new name – Star Wars Rival Run Weekend presented by OtterBox. Starting next year, runners will be able to choose which side of the Force they will run for during the race weekend April 4-7, 2019.

This race event will feature some favorite Star Wars rivalries from across the saga, with distances geared for all skill levels. In addition to the 5K, 10K, half marathon and the runDisney Kids Races, there will again be two challenges for runners to tackle. There’s the Star Wars Rival Run Challenge, which involves running the 10K and the half marathon during the race weekend, and the runDisney Kessel Run Challenge – completing the Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon at Walt Disney World Resort and running the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon at home.

Regardless of which side you choose, you won’t want to miss your chance to be a part of this unique adventure where you’ll encounter Star Wars characters along the course as you journey to the finish line to earn one-of-a-kind medals.

May 4, 2018
Two Baby Zebra Born at Walt Disney World Resort
The folks over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are seeing stripes today! The park has just announced the births of two female Grevy’s zebra foals. Originating from Africa, Grevy’s zebras are the most endangered species of zebra, with approximately 2,500 in the world.

The first foal was born April 26 to Laylee, and the second was born May 1 to Zuri. Currently, the foals are nursing and bonding with their moms backstage. All will join the herd on Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail overlook soon.

These zebra births mark another success for Disney’s animal care experts and the Species Survival Plan, a program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that helps ensure a diverse, healthy population of threatened and endangered species. These zebra foals are making an important contribution toward the worldwide conservation and understanding of the Grevy’s species, which will help ensure a future generation for these endangered animals.

Our commitment to the care and conservation of Grevy’s zebras goes beyond our park. Through the Imperiled Species Conservation Project (ISCP), which gives our cast the opportunity to personally support the species they love through existing conservation programs, Disney has made contributions toward the care and protection of Grevy’s zebras in the wild. Recently, two of our zebra keepers traveled to Kenya through the ISCP to participate in the Great Grevy’s Rally, a population survey used to document the total number of Grevy’s zebras in the wild.

The conservation work our cast has contributed with Grevy’s zebras is just the beginning. Later this year, several other cast members will travel across the world to support endangered animals such as painted dogs, dolphins, gorillas, Guam rails and kingfishers, rhinos, sharks and vultures.

Our cast is the most valuable resource we have in delivering on world-class animal care and conservation. It makes us proud to see our cast making a difference, developing stronger interaction and partnering skills, and sharing their experiences with our Guests.

Take a look back on some of the recent births and conservation efforts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
You can learn more about zebras and Disney’s efforts to reverse the decline of at-risk animals in the wild by visiting DisneyAnimals.com.
May 3, 2018
First Look: Alien Swirling Saucers at Toy Story Land at Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney Imagineering released new images Wednesday of the highly-anticipated Alien Swirling Saucers attraction, which is part of the Toy Story Land expansion of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Toy Story Land will “shrink” guests to the size of a toy and allow them to explore Andy’s backyard – and all the fun he’s set up for his toys to have. At Alien Swirling Saucers, which is an attraction that’s been designed to look like a toy from Pizza Planet and placed in his backyard next to his Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command playset, Aliens fly around in their toy flying saucers while “The Claw” appears overhead. As you whirl around the toy planets and space stations as part of the game, you’ll swirl to the beat of a fun electronic space music soundtrack that includes eight songs that may sound familiar, but will be heard in a quirky way you’ve never experienced before. Guests will also see pizza details throughout the attraction, including pizza columns, a pizza space station and the Planet Pepperonia.

Alien Swirling Saucers is one of two new attractions planned to debut at Toy Story Land on opening day. The other is Slinky Dog Dash, where guests can take a ride on a roller coaster Andy has assembled from his Mega Coaster Play Kit – and placed Slinky and Jessie on top. Guests can also walk through a new carnival game box to experience Toy Story Mania!, a current guest-favorite attraction at the park.

In addition to experiencing attractions in Toy Story Land, guests can also be entertained by the Sarge and the Green Army Man Drum Corps, who will march through the land several times a day and stop to play “Sarge Says” with guests, and other games with a larger-than-life Pixar ball and crayons. Guests also have the option to join in on their interactive boot camp to see if they have what it takes to become an official recruit in Andy’s Backyard.

For more on what to expect when Toy Story Land opens on June 30, check out the list of related blog posts below.
May 3, 2018