It was the busiest day of the past month at the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom today.  Seven Dwarfs Mine Train’s average posted wait time was 104 minutes. The good news is that actual wait times in line were about a third lower than the posted waits we measured.  We received 156 actual wait times from Liners today. Let’s do the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 68 minutes. Its 7-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. But we received 12 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 45% of the posted wait time, so actual waits were less than half of the posted wait.

Astro Orbiter

Average Posted Wait

44

minutes

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=42 min

30-Day Rank

#4

avg=38 min

365-Day Rank

#12

avg=30 min rank 1=highest

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Average Posted Wait

68

minutes

Actual Waits Were

45%

of posted wait (n=12)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=58 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=55 min

365-Day Rank

#42

avg=50 min rank 1=highest

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Average Posted Wait

47

minutes

Actual Waits Were

52%

of posted wait (n=8)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=43 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=40 min

365-Day Rank

#56

avg=34 min rank 1=highest

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Average Posted Wait

26

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=20 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=17 min

365-Day Rank

#65

avg=20 min rank 1=highest

“it’s a small world”

Average Posted Wait

54

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=49 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=45 min

365-Day Rank

#7

avg=35 min rank 1=highest

Jungle Cruise

Average Posted Wait

60

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=51 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=47 min

365-Day Rank

#70

avg=49 min rank 1=highest

Mad Tea Party

Average Posted Wait

26

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=19 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=16 min

365-Day Rank

#22

avg=15 min rank 1=highest

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Average Posted Wait

35

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=32 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=29 min

365-Day Rank

#1

avg=16 min rank 1=highest

Peter Pan’s Flight

Average Posted Wait

55

minutes

Actual Waits Were

72%

of posted wait (n=4)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=46 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=40 min

365-Day Rank

#75

avg=46 min rank 1=highest

Pirates of the Caribbean

Average Posted Wait

65

minutes

Actual Waits Were

71%

of posted wait (n=10)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=55 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=51 min

365-Day Rank

#6

avg=43 min rank 1=highest

Space Mountain

Average Posted Wait

77

minutes

Actual Waits Were

89%

of posted wait (n=8)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=60 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=50 min

365-Day Rank

#58

avg=53 min rank 1=highest

Splash Mountain

Average Posted Wait

84

minutes

Actual Waits Were

54%

of posted wait (n=8)

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=60 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=47 min

365-Day Rank

#13

avg=52 min rank 1=highest

The Barnstormer

Average Posted Wait

38

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=32 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=28 min

365-Day Rank

#36

avg=22 min rank 1=highest

The Hall of Presidents

Average Posted Wait

35

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=10 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=10 min

365-Day Rank

#1

avg=10 min rank 1=highest

The Haunted Mansion

Average Posted Wait

37

minutes

Actual Waits Were

53%

of posted wait (n=6)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=27 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=28 min

365-Day Rank

#118

avg=39 min rank 1=highest

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Average Posted Wait

25

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=16 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=14 min

365-Day Rank

#68

avg=19 min rank 1=highest

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Average Posted Wait

33

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=31 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=29 min

365-Day Rank

#81

avg=28 min rank 1=highest

Tomorrowland Speedway

Average Posted Wait

29

minutes

Actual Waits Were

45%

of posted wait (n=4)

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=24 min

30-Day Rank

#5

avg=21 min

365-Day Rank

#66

avg=21 min rank 1=highest

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Average Posted Wait

104

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=83 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=75 min

365-Day Rank

#69

avg=75 min rank 1=highest

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

Average Posted Wait

32

minutes

Actual Waits Were

32%

of posted wait (n=5)

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=29 min

30-Day Rank

#5

avg=26 min

365-Day Rank

#52

avg=23 min rank 1=highest

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Expedition Everest had an average wait time today of 47 minutes. Its 7-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 42% of the posted wait time.

DINOSAUR

Average Posted Wait

75

minutes

Actual Waits Were

75%

of posted wait (n=4)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=41 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=41 min

365-Day Rank

#2

avg=33 min rank 1=highest

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Average Posted Wait

47

minutes

Actual Waits Were

42%

of posted wait (n=5)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=30 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=32 min

365-Day Rank

#77

avg=41 min rank 1=highest

Kali River Rapids

Average Posted Wait

29

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=17 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=15 min

365-Day Rank

#26

avg=19 min rank 1=highest

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Average Posted Wait

47

minutes

Actual Waits Were

45%

of posted wait (n=4)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=27 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=26 min

365-Day Rank

#74

avg=40 min rank 1=highest

It’s Tough to Be a Bug!

Average Posted Wait

41

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=22 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=22 min

365-Day Rank

#1

avg=13 min rank 1=highest

TriceraTop Spin

Average Posted Wait

11

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=7 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=7 min

365-Day Rank

#39

avg=7 min rank 1=highest

Na’vi River Journey

Average Posted Wait

84

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=60 min

30-Day Rank

#2

avg=57 min

365-Day Rank

#47

avg=54 min rank 1=highest

Avatar Flight of Passage

Average Posted Wait

89

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=59 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=63 min

365-Day Rank

#84

avg=81 min rank 1=highest

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 68 minutes. Its 7-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 65 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 70 minutes, so today ranks #125 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 77% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance boarding groups started at 8:30 a.m. this morning, and ran steady through 12:30 p.m., when it encountered a delay of about 50 minutes in calling boarding groups.  Once Rise resumed calling boarding groups, things ran smoothly until just before 3 p.m.  That’s the usual time for a pause in boarding groups anyway, and things started up again at 3:30 p.m.  As I write this, Rise is up to boarding group 130.

Muppet*Vision 3D

Average Posted Wait

32

minutes

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=31 min

30-Day Rank

#5

avg=27 min

365-Day Rank

#5

avg=14 min rank 1=highest

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Average Posted Wait

47

minutes

7-Day Rank

#3

avg=46 min

30-Day Rank

#15

avg=46 min

365-Day Rank

#149

avg=57 min rank 1=highest

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Average Posted Wait

35

minutes

Actual Waits Were

67%

of posted wait (n=5)

7-Day Rank

#4

avg=37 min

30-Day Rank

#10

avg=33 min

365-Day Rank

#46

avg=27 min rank 1=highest

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Average Posted Wait

65

minutes

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=62 min

30-Day Rank

#6

avg=60 min

365-Day Rank

#62

avg=58 min rank 1=highest

Toy Story Mania!

Average Posted Wait

36

minutes

Actual Waits Were

70%

of posted wait (n=6)

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=35 min

30-Day Rank

#5

avg=30 min

365-Day Rank

#86

avg=37 min rank 1=highest

Slinky Dog Dash

Average Posted Wait

68

minutes

Actual Waits Were

77%

of posted wait (n=6)

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=64 min

30-Day Rank

#14

avg=65 min

365-Day Rank

#125

avg=70 min rank 1=highest

Alien Swirling Saucers

Average Posted Wait

29

minutes

Actual Waits Were

48%

of posted wait (n=5)

7-Day Rank

#6

avg=33 min

30-Day Rank

#15

avg=29 min

365-Day Rank

#97

avg=27 min rank 1=highest

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Average Posted Wait

44

minutes

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=41 min

30-Day Rank

#20

avg=47 min

365-Day Rank

#158

avg=66 min rank 1=highest

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Average Posted Wait

65

minutes

7-Day Rank

#3

avg=66 min

30-Day Rank

#10

avg=63 min

365-Day Rank

#76

avg=60 min rank 1=highest

EPCOT Wait Times

EPCOT’s actual wait times continue to be about half of the posted wait time.  Soarin’ had an average wait time today of 82 minutes. Its 7-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #5 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 53% of the posted wait time.

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

Average Posted Wait

15

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=9 min

30-Day Rank

#4

avg=10 min

365-Day Rank

#32

avg=10 min rank 1=highest

Journey Into Imagination With Figment

Average Posted Wait

42

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=18 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=17 min

365-Day Rank

#1

avg=15 min rank 1=highest

Living with the Land

Average Posted Wait

15

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=11 min

30-Day Rank

#8

avg=12 min

365-Day Rank

#84

avg=14 min rank 1=highest

Mission: SPACE Orange

Average Posted Wait

76

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=53 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=35 min

365-Day Rank

#1

avg=28 min rank 1=highest

Soarin’

Average Posted Wait

82

minutes

Actual Waits Were

53%

of posted wait (n=4)

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=45 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=43 min

365-Day Rank

#5

avg=37 min rank 1=highest

Spaceship Earth

Average Posted Wait

49

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=23 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=22 min

365-Day Rank

#3

avg=20 min rank 1=highest

Test Track

Average Posted Wait

119

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=67 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=65 min

365-Day Rank

#2

avg=56 min rank 1=highest

The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Average Posted Wait

29

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=11 min

30-Day Rank

#1

avg=11 min

365-Day Rank

#15

avg=15 min rank 1=highest

Mission: SPACE Green

Average Posted Wait

30

minutes

7-Day Rank

#2

avg=23 min

30-Day Rank

#3

avg=19 min

365-Day Rank

#14

avg=15 min rank 1=highest

Frozen Ever After

Average Posted Wait

61

minutes

7-Day Rank

#1

avg=31 min

30-Day Rank

#17

avg=61 min

365-Day Rank

#121

avg=57 min rank 1=highest

The post 7DMT Has 100-Minute Lines! Disney World Wait Times for Tuesday, December 29, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

We’re just days away from 2021, and if you’re planning on spending any part of New Year’s Eve in a Disney World theme park, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got a valid Park Pass reservation for the park you want to visit.

2021 Minnie Ears

We checked on Park Pass availability recently and shared that with you, but when we checked again today we noticed that things have changed!

Theme Park Tickets Guests

For Theme Park Tickets Guests, there was no Park Pass availability for any of the parks on December 31st when we checked previously. But, today, things are looking slightly different. Theme Park Tickets Guests can (at least for now) make a Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Animal Kingdom on New Year’s Eve!

Screenshot of Disney Park Pass Availability Calendar

So, if you’re a Theme Park Tickets Guest and looking to make your New Year’s Eve reservation, be sure to grab one before availability changes again!

Disney Resort Guests

When we checked recently, Park Pass Reservations for Disney Resort guests were available at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT on December 31st. But when we checked today (as of this afternoon at least), Park Passes are now listed as available for Disney Resort guests on the 31st for Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Screenshot of Disney Park Pass Availability Calendar

Annual Passholders

When we checked previously, Park Pass Reservations were still available for Annual Passholders at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on New Year’s Eve. Today, however, the availability calendar shows NO AVAILABILITY at any of the 4 parks for Annual Passholders on December 31st.

Screenshot of Disney Park Pass Availability Calendar

All of this availability, however, is subject to change. So, if you’re still looking to grab a Park Pass reservation for New Year’s Eve, stay tuned to DFB for more updates and be sure to keep checking Disney’s Park Pass availability calendar.

Click here to see how you can celebrate New Year’s Eve from your Disney hotel!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Are you heading to Disney World for New Year’s Eve? Let us know in the comments!

The post Disney World Park Pass Availability for New Year’s Eve Has Changed! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Christmas may be over, but NOW is the very best time to stock up on tons of Disney holiday merchandise!

Holiday Merchandise

Earlier, we saw select Disney holiday merchandise on sale for 30% off. But now, the discounts have been kicked up a notch. You can now get select Disney holiday merchandise on sale for a whopping 70% OFF!

We spotted this sale going on in both Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, and we expect it will be available in the other Disney World parks and resorts as well, but be sure to check if the sale is still available when you’re there.

70% Off!

Keep in mind the sale is also only on select holiday items, so double check if the items you’re hoping to grab are part of the sale.

70% Off

But, if you were hoping to grab some adorable holiday clothing and accessories…

70% Off

…or other awesome items, NOW is your chance to get some of them and save BIG! Santa may be done bringing presents this season, but you can treat yourself to tons of gifts with this great sale.

BIG Holiday Sale

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more great discounts all over Disney World, and let you know what we find!

You can also save up to 40% on Disney merchandise with this limited time sale online! Check out the details here.

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

What is your favorite piece of Disney holiday merchandise you own? Let us know in the comments!

The post Get 70% OFF(!!) Select Holiday Merchandise in Disney World! 🎄 first appeared on the disney food blog.

Just because a treat looks good doesn’t mean it necessarily tastes good, right? We’ve learned this time and again with Walt Disney World treats; some of them may look fantastic on the outside, but the taste might fail to live up to its looks. Prime example number one of this, in my opinion, is Mickey’s Holiday Cookie. Click here to catch up on my thoughts regarding that cookie. Spoiler alert: it was bad. Very, very bad.

When Disney announced that one of the treats coming to the Taste of EPCOT International Festival the Holidays would be a Salted Caramel Spaceship Earth Cookie, my interest was piqued. A cookie that looked just like our beloved (I’m assuming that you love it as much as I do) Spaceship Earth? A cookie that was so glittery and gorgeous had to taste amazing, right? Needless to say, this cookie went on my must-eat list immediately. I definitely had high hopes for it.

Midway through the festival, I made my way to the Holiday Hearth Holiday Kitchen (located inside World Showplace) to try this delicious-looking treat. Of course, before I took one bite of this cookie, I had to make my way to the Rosewalk to have a little photo shoot (pictured at top) with Spaceship Earth in the background. Forgive me, but I just had to.

The Salted Caramel Spaceship Earth Cookie was certainly lovely to look at. The top cookie was covered in gloriously chunky silver-colored sugar. The cookie itself was actually made of two types of sugar cookie: regular and chocolate. The attention to detail kept my high hopes aloft.

Upon tasting the cookie, I found the salted caramel chocolate ganache filling to be good. The ganache had a rich and sugary flavor, however, the layer of filling wasn’t very thick, and I found myself wanting more of it. While it wasn’t the smallest amount, it also wasn’t the biggest, and when you have a lot going on on the outside of a treat, it’s nice to have just as much going on in the inside.

The cookie also crumbles very easily, which made things a bit frustrating. If you pay $5.25 for a treat, you definitely don’t want it falling apart.

So, do I hope this cookie makes a return to next year’s Festival of the Holidays? Yes. I enjoyed all of the effort that the bakery team put into coming up with an inventive treat that pays homage to EPCOT‘s icon (the recipe that Disney released for the cookie is TWO PAGES LONG), but if the cookie does make a return in 2021, I’m hoping that the amount of filling used is increased. As far as I’m concerned, when salted caramel is being used, more is always better. Pretty please.

It’s worth noting that the cookie got a little revamp as the holidays neared. Each cookie started sporting a different Christmas-themed sugared piece front and center, rather than the holly sprig that adorned them in the beginning and middle of the festival.

Did you try the Salted Caramel Spaceship Earth Cookie at the Festival of the Holidays this year? If it returns, will it make your must-eat list?

We’re big fans of helpful mobile apps. After all, we have our Lines app. Disney added lots of new functions in the MyDisneyExperience app this year. Let’s look at our three favorite functions that rolled out in 2020.

• Mobile Dine Walk-Up Waitlist
• Mobile Ordering at Select Table Service Restaurants for To Go Orders
• Merchandise Mobile Checkout

These three functions are in order of when they made their debut. Looking at them in this way you can get an idea of how things evolved to create more options for guests looking to minimize there exposure to other guests and Cast Members. Back in August Disney began rolling out the ability for guests to check on dining availability on a walk-up basis. You can now go to “Check Dining Availability” then select today’s date, and “Now” to see if any table service restaurants have walk-up availability. This is great for any guests who enjoy spontaneity.

Then in September Disney fans rejoiced as Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge became available to order for takeout via the MyDisneyExperience app. A few weeks later the ability to order takeout from Kona Café rolled out, and soon many other resort hotel restaurants followed. We think this feature is great for locals and vacationers alike, especially those looking to avoid the traditional dine-in experience right now.

Finally, earlier this month Disney began testing the ability to shop at select merchandise stores without having to go to a physical register to check out. At select Walt Disney World merchandise locations, Guests can scan items while shopping and check out simply by using the My Disney Experience app.

Have you used any of these new functions yet? Which one do you find to be the most helpful?

The post The Top 3 New Functions in MyDisneyExperience App in 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has implemented a system where “Stay-at-Home” orders are put in place in regions within the state once that particular area falls below 15% ICU capacity.

Buena Vista Street

Earlier this month, some regions, including Southern California — where Disneyland Resort is located — fell below this capacity level, triggering the stay-at-home order to be implemented in that region. The stay-at-home order is then set in place for a minimum of three weeks, at which point the situation can then be reevaluated. The order was set to expire in Southern California on December 28th, but as California’s ICU capacity continues to fall, Governor Newsom has announced that the stay-at-home order will remain in place in Southern California.

Just a few days ago, California’s ICU capacity fell to 0% and many were anticipating that the stay-at-home order would be extended in Southern California. Today, during a press conference held by Governor Newsom, we got an update in terms of ICU capacity numbers. In Southern California, the region where Disneyland is located, ICU capacity is currently 0%. This 0% capacity does not mean that there are zero beds available. Instead, it means that region is in “surge” capacity on average.

©State of California

Projections have been made of the future potential ICU capacity for Southern California, which are based on a number of factors including ICU capacity, certain case rates, transmission rates, and more. These projections are made on a daily basis. As the slide below indicates, if the projection is equal or greater than 15%, the region is released from the stay-at-home order.

©State of California

At the moment, the projections for Southern California have not reached the level required to release the region from the order. So, it was confirmed today that the stay-at-home order will remain in place in Southern California. 

©State of California

Simply because the order is set to remain in place in Southern California doesn’t necessarily mean it will be in place for another 3 weeks, however. It appears the order could be done away with in the region earlier depending on the factors that go into calculating projections for that region.

Disney California Adventure

At the moment, due to the stay-at-home order, a number of activities in Southern California, including some in Disneyland, are limited. Capacity levels at retail locations must be kept to 20% and dining in-person at restaurants is not allowed, although restaurants may remain open for delivery or take-out. You can see a full list of all the restaurants that are open at Disneyland, and which ones are closed, by clicking here.

Disneyland Sign

Because the stay-at-home order will remain in place in Southern California, the restrictions at Disneyland Resort should continue. A few weeks ago, some health officials have even noted that the order could last at least another month in Southern California. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates on the mandate and how it affects Disneyland Resort. Stay tuned for all the latest news.

Read more about California’s Stay at Home order here.

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Have you ever visited Disneyland Resort? Let us know in the comments below.

The post News: Stay-at-Home Order Will Remain in Place in Southern California first appeared on the disney food blog.