Here at TouringPlans, we love our readers — and a lot of you love hearing all about us, too. This year, due to pandemic life, we had the rare opportunity to write up some posts to give glimpses into some of the unique people here at TouringPlans. We had a blast running the “What I Love…” series, with posts about some of our unique experiences at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond. Derek and others got to share some of their purchases from the Outlet stores over the years. But there were three glimpses into the minds of some of our TouringPlans writers that really stuck out.

Erin’s Home Office

Erin mentioned once that she had a pretty sizable Vinylmation collection. I didn’t have any idea how sizable until she took some photos to share of her workspace. If that doesn’t shout Disney spirit, I don’t know what does! It was a lot of fun to get a tour of her home office — even virtually.

Guy’s Home Office

Not to be outdone, Guy provided the west coast experience with a tour of all the Disney memorabilia in his home office. It is so interesting to me to see what unique things people collect, and many other readers enjoyed this glimpse into the collection of a major Disney fan.

Erin’s Signature Dish

From where I sit at my desk, I can see no less than a dozen Disney cookbooks. Anyone who loves Disney and loves to cook probably has the same sort of ever-growing collection. Sometimes a recipe just “clicks” and that becomes the one that everyone wants you to make. This year, Erin shared her story about how she became the ultimate candy sushi-preparing mom in her area. Such a fun story about a very fun treat!

We were so grateful to be able to share a variety of personal stories this year as we all came together to work our way through what may be the most challenging year for so many people. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and we’re happy to keep sharing stories into 2021 and beyond!

 

The post Our 3 Favorite “Life in TouringPlans” Stories of 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

Taking over for Josh D’Amaro in May as President of Walt Disney World during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff Vahle was tasked with navigating one of the few Disney Parks worldwide that have reopened in a time of much uncertainty for the tourism industry. Now, he’s taking time to reflect and set some key benchmark tasks as we head into 2021. Vahle, a 30-year Cast Member who most recently served as President of Disney Signature Experiences, is responsible […]

The post Jeff Vahle States Cast Members Will Be “At The Heart” of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary appeared first on WDW News Today.

We have been eating and drinking throughout all of the Disney Parks and Resorts this holiday season!

With all of the new things that we’ve found, like the Raspberry Fizz at Animal Kingdom and Hot Chocolate Sea Salt Bread Pudding at the Polynesian, it’s hard to believe that there are still MORE snacks that we haven’t tried! And, today, we found cinnamon-y, apple-y, and cranberry-y dessert at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

The Artist’s Palette is the quick-service restaurant located at Saratoga Springs. While we were visiting there today, we spotted a new to us Apple Tart and we have a thing or two to say about it!

The dessert is found in the refrigerated area of the restaurant and is described as an apple tart with spiced cranberry apple filling topped with toasted streusel and whipped cream for $6.00.

The whipped cream tops the dessert and surrounds a pile of the toasted streusel in the middle, basically begging us to take a bite.

And, when you cut into the dessert, you’re greeted with a colorful mixture spiced cranberries and apples. We think that the fruity filling pairs quite nicely with the cinnamon from the streusel!

Just look at that colorful filling! Our only criticism is that, though it was labeled as a tart, it definitely felt more like an apple pie-type dessert. But, we aren’t complaining!

Even if this dessert is a pie imposter, we were happy with the combination of cinnamon, apple and cranberry flavors. The crumbly streusel had a nice sweetness to it, which balanced out the rest of the ingredients.

This certainly makes the top list of desserts that we’ve tried this season and the only way we could imagine it tasting better is warmed up (since it is served cold from the refrigerator)! We think the Apple Tart would make a great snack for both kids and adults who love apple pie and is on the larger side for a Disney dessert. But, if you’re looking for a super sweet treat like a cupcake, this likely won’t satisfy that craving.

Want something sweeter? Check out the new 2021 Champagne Cupcake at the Boardwalk!

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What do you think of this new tart at Saratoga Springs? Let us know in the comments!

The post REVIEW: This Apple Tart REALLY Impressed Us in Disney World Today first appeared on the disney food blog.

Around the holidays, there are TONS of new snacks and treats throughout Walt Disney World. And this year, Disney Springs has been serving up quite a few special offerings.

We’ve found desserts like the Red Velvet Yule Log and even an Eggnog Crepe, and now there’s a holiday dessert coming out just in time for Three Kings Day (on January 6th)!

Jaleo is serving up Roscón de Reyes, which is a Spanish king’s cake, and is traditionally made to celebrate the holiday. We’re pretty excited to see a holiday dessert post-Christmas!

The holidays aren’t over yet! We’re getting ready for #ThreeKingsDay with Roscón de Reyes. Pre-order 48 hours in advance to pick up from #JaleoCC, #JaleoDC, #JaleoDisneySprings: https://t.co/hcCIPJuqM7 pic.twitter.com/1iZOaUFjRH

— Jaleo by José Andrés (@jaleo) December 30, 2020

Roscón de Reyes is a customary wreath-shaped sweet cake decorated with crystallized fruits to symbolize a crown covered in jewels that can be served filled with cream or without. This cake is available now for pre-order for $40 (or $45 with cream).

Jaleo Reopening

We’ll continue to keep you updated as we find new desserts around Disney World!

See our full Jaleo review here! 

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Will you be trying this new dessert? Let us know in the comments!

The post Celebrate Three Kings Day with a Limited Time Dessert in Disney Springs first appeared on the disney food blog.

Park hopping returns to Disney World this week and that’s a pretty big step back towards normal.

With guests being able to go between parks again starting January 1st, Disney also announced that park-to-park transportation will return as well. BUT, one very big staple of park transportation is not set to return at the start of 2021.

We reached out to a Disney World Cast Member today who noted that the EPCOT monorail loop will continue to be unavailable until further notice.

We weren’t sure whether the EPCOT routes would return with park-to-park transportation, but according to the Cast Member,  we will not be taking the highway in the sky to EPCOT on January 1st. At this time, there is no set date for the return.

As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates! We’ll be covering the return of park hopping this week so keep an eye on the site.

Click here to learn more about the return of park hopping!

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Will you be park hopping in Disney World soon? Tell us in the comments! 

The post NEWS: The EPCOT Monorail Will NOT Return With Park Hopping on January 1 first appeared on the disney food blog.

Gideon’s Bakehouse has entered their soft opening stage in Disney Springs and let’s just say we’ve had a LOT of cookies (and we’re not mad about it).

But, there’s so much more than just cookies at this spot. There’s also cold brew coffee and giant slices of cake. You can even buy CUPS of FROSTING from Gideon’s! But, aside from their food, their Disney Springs location also has a mysterious backstory that we’ve been following for quite some time, and today we got a bit more of the story behind some of the portraits that are featured inside their store!

Stepping into Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs is a bit like stepping into a Tim Burton film. Things are a bit eerie, but in a way that makes you want to know more. Inside of Gideon’s, you’ll find some strange but adorable portraits on the walls of some characters whose names and stores we didn’t really know much about…until now!

We had heard that Gideon’s would be revealing more about these characters later, and recently we got some updates from the Art Director of Gideon’s Bakehouse and artist behind these amazing character creations — Mr. Eyes — via Instagram (@mreyes.art), so now we’re sharing more about these characters with you!

Doctor Kenneth Agny

In the bottom left-hand corner of our picture above, you’ll see a character whose name we now know is Doctor Kenneth Agny.

What type of doctor is he exactly? We’re not sure, but he’s not the only one from the medical profession who is featured on the wall.

Nurse Stillwater

Above Dr. Agny is Nurse Stillwater. Nurse Stillwater has reportedly been at Dr. Agny’s side for well over 100 years! That’s quite a long time to be working with the same person. They must have a lot of interesting stories they’ve acquired over the years.

Gideon’s Bakehouse shared via their instagram that you can meet Nurse Stillwater “and many other good spirits” at their Disney Springs location. So, it seems these spirits are in fact good. They are surrounded by delicious cookies, so we’re assuming some of the sweetness has made its way into their personalities.

Valentine Carmichael

Valentine Carmichael is another one of the characters you’ll meet as you walk around the store. According to Gideon’s, Carmichael “wasn’t all there even when he was all there.”

Stop by Gideon’s and you can “feel the lunacy in his wild-eyed leering.”

Bertrand LaScie

Gideon’s shares that Bertrand LaScie, pictured in the image below, was, according to many, “the most handsome, debonair, man in town.” But, many also said he may have been a monster!

Would you share a bite of your cookie with Bertrand at Gideon’s Bakehouse?

We hope to learn more about these characters and the many others at Gideon’s soon. We’ll keep an eye out for more information and update this post as we spot them!

Aside from the character portraits on the walls, you’ll also see the image of one Mr. Jonathan Lindwurm. Lindwurm was a “purveyor of rare books and antiquities” and sold such items in the space Gideon’s now occupies.

You can actually see Lindwurm’s name on the side of the building where it says “Lindwurm Bookseller Curious Books & Antiques.”

There’s also a mysterious gargoyle perched on top of Gideon’s Bakehouse, which you can see as you approach the store.

We have a feeling we’ll be discovering new and exciting things about Gideon’s backstory for a while, so stick around for all the latest updates. And if you’re curious to know what we think of the Gideon’s cookies we’ve tried, check out our full review here!

Click here to see more about Gideon’s selling cups of frosting!!

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Have you been to Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs yet? Let us know in the comments!

The post Meet Some of the Mysterious Characters From Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs! first appeared on the disney food blog.