Put us in, coach! Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort has officially reopened today at Walt Disney World for the first time in two years, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This marks the last and final resort at Walt Disney World to reopen after the COVID-19 closures.

Come along with us as we take a tour around the resort.

Entrance

The main entrance is still studded with plenty of stars.

Lobby

Inside the lobby, Cast Members were waiting to welcome back guests, with a few small touches to note the reopening.

Colorful sports-themed balloons were tied to the check-in desks.

Over by the television area where younger guests can be entertained, a banner featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy dressed as football players note the reopening.

Otherwise, the lobby seems to look relatively the same as it did prior to its closure.

End Zone Food Court

The food court was also mostly up and running, with one display being covered.

Pool Area

Touchdown!

Over at the Touchdown! block of rooms, one of the football wraps that covers the staircase was missing.

The opposite wrap was in place, suggesting a minor refurbishment is being undertaken.

Another part of the building seems to be closed off to guests, as construction equipment is already on-site.

Surf’s Up!

The waves are radical over at Surf’s Up!, which looks as spiffy as ever.

The “Surf’s Up” Bath House houses the guest laundry.

Hoops Hotel

While things seem to be quiet right now, the gigantic whistles of the Hoops Hotel signal the fun has tipped off!

Center Court

Meanwhile, Huey, Dewey, and Louie serve up a nice photo opportunity at Center Court.

Homerun Hotel

The yard markers of Touchdown! lead guests on a long drive to the deep center field of the Grand Slam Pool at Homerun Hotel.

With baseball’s opening day just a few days away, guests can get in a little spring training of their own with some aquatic workouts!

Meanwhile, the room buildings look like they’re in good shape!

A lifeguard was present, which means the pool was open to guests!

A schedule of activities was posted, which included a campfire, crafts in the lobby, and an outdoor screening of “High School Musical.”

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is one of the three All-Star hotels at Walt Disney World. All-Star Sports salutes the world of competitive sports, including baseball, basketball, football, surfing and tennis.

Will you be staying at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort now that it’s reopened? Let us know in the comments.

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The post Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort Reopens, Marking First Time All Resorts Are Open at Walt Disney World Since 2020 appeared first on WDW News Today.

These days, EPCOT is where it’s AT, y’all!

What do we mean? Well, with the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival happening right now, as well as some big grand openings scheduled for the next few months, there’s so much exciting news coming from this park. And this week was no exception — here’s everything that’s new in EPCOT!

EPCOT Food Updates

La Isla Fresca

Over at La Isla Fresca in the World Showcase (which is a booth that’s here for the Flower & Garden Festival!), there’s a brand-new breakfast menu. We covered the other items on the menu earlier this week, but there’s a new addition — the Dulce de Leche Cocoa Coffee. 

This drink is $5 and is made of coffee with cocoa and dulce de leche with a cinnamon stick. If you want to hear our thoughts on the drink and all the other breakfast items, check out our full review!

Click Here for Our Breakfast Review at La Isla Fresca!

EPCOT Construction Updates

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

We continue to keep an eye on the construction over at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Not much has changed out in front of the building where the Nova Corps Starblaster Ship stands, and the entrance still generally looks the same.

Disney has yet to announce an opening date for the ride, but we know that the timeline is set for this summer. We can’t wait to finally step inside and take a spin!

Click Here to Check Out a Video from Inside the Queue!

Connections Cafe and Eatery

Opening before Guardians will be the new restaurant in World Celebration, Connections Cafe and Eatery. This week we got the full menu for this new spot, but we also spotted some construction updates!

We learned recently that Connections will be home to the Starbucks location in the park, and this week, the Starbucks logo was installed on some of the signs. We also got more details about what the inside of the restaurant looks like — we’re so excited to see it for ourselves!

Click Here to See the Connections Cafe and Eatery Menu!

Former Guest Relations Building

Right around the corner from Connections Cafe and Eatery is the former home of Guest Relations in EPCOT. This building was covered up not too long ago for some construction, and we’ve been watching the progress. This week, new scaffolding and scrim went up outside.

The large structure is visible above the construction wall, and guests walk past it on their way to Creations Shop and Club Cool. We’ll keep watching to see if we get any hints about what’s going on here.

Moana — Journey of Water

And finally, we have to mention the progress that’s happening in the middle of World Celebration. This area is set to be the future home of Moana — Journey of Water, a new walk-through attraction coming to the park.

Things are changing constantly over here, with new equipment being dropped off and workers moving around all day. Not much has taken shape yet, but we’ll keep watching.

Want to Learn More About the EPCOT Transformation? Click Here!

EPCOT Attractions Updates

EggStravaganza

Each spring around Easter, EPCOT hosts a special egg-themed scavenger hunt where large eggs with Disney characters on them are hidden around the World Showcase. This week, the eggs arrived in their locations around the park, and some of them are VERY cute!

The offering kicks off in the park today, March 31st. You can purchase a map for the hunt at various gift shops in EPCOT for $9.99. (And your discounts apply!)

The Seas With Nemo and Friends

We spotted a little while back that inside the SeaBase, the nursery was under construction. Those refurbishments have continued, and in the meantime, the species that were in the nursery have moved tanks.

If you’re looking for a specific sea creature from the nursery, you can now check inside the Ocean tanks or over at Turtle Talk with Crush. Who knows what you might see!

EPCOT Merchandise Updates

Gateway Gifts

Are you obsessed with a quirky blue alien named Stitch? Well, if so, you need to check out the new earrings that landed in Gateway Gifts at EPCOT. Aren’t they fun?!

You can grab a pair for $20 in the park right now. (Along with a plethora of other Stitch merchandise in Disney World!)

Creations Shop

And if you’re looking for all the hottest Disney merchandise, your best bet in EPCOT is to head over to Creations Shop. Here, we found a bunch of new items! First up, there’s the Pretzel Loungefly Backpack that’s part of the larger Mickey pretzel collection. You can get it for $85.

And speaking of backpacks, Frozen fans are sure to love this new Olaf design! It’s $75 and has a print of snowflakes, Olaf, and the adorable little fire spirit, Bruni. This one is perfect to parade around the Norway pavilion.

Need some rockin’ new outfits for the summer? Well, EPCOT has you covered! First up, there’s a matching Mickey Mouse tank top and shorts set with a fun cartoon print. You can get each item for $36.99.

Or if Mickey’s not your speed, then try the Donald Duck version. These pieces are also $36.99 each and they’ll keep you cool in that hot Florida weather!

And finally, there’s a new Star Wars youth shirt for $19.99. It says “Adventure Awaits” and has cartoon versions of C-3PO and R2-D2 on the front.

That’s everything new we spotted in EPCOT in the past few days! Stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney World news and updates — there are some exciting things coming soon!

Click Here to See What’s New in Magic Kingdom!

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When is your next trip to EPCOT? Tell us in the comments! 

The post What’s New in EPCOT: Moana Attraction Construction and a Popular Activity Returns first appeared on the disney food blog.

Going to Disneyland soon? Well, a BIG update could be on the way that could make a huge impact on your trip.

Today, Disney announced that traditional character meet-and-greets (meaning you get to hug Mickey and get autographs from your favorite characters) will be returning (in phases) to Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani. But what about character dining? Well, Disney has sort-of teased an announcement about that too.

A quick recap: earlier today, Disney announced that traditional meet-and-greets will be coming back to Disneyland (and other spots) in phases. While not all locations will be open in this traditional fashion immediately, “regular” meet-and-greets will start reopening in phases throughout the spring and early summer. They will start becoming available in some spots as early as April 18th.

But what about character dining? Well, the return of traditional character meet-and-greets could (and should) mark the return of traditional character dining. After all, it would make sense that character dining would return to “normal” soon, given that meet-and-greets are returning to normal.

In their recent announcement about meet-and-greets, Disney hinted at this by saying, “During the past two years, we’ve taken a very gradual, intentional approach to health and safety protocols. Recent trends and guidance have provided opportunities for [them] to bring back some of [their] most beloved magic, like character greetings and dining experiences.”

The inclusion of “dining experiences” in that statement seems to indicate that character dining could be going back to normal at Disneyland Resort soon as part of these changes.

Disney’s announcement video surrounding character meet-and-greets going back to “normal” also seems to indicate this change. In the video, you can see Goofy walking around some tables at a character dining location, and you can also see Tiana and Rapunzel interacting guests guests at what appear to be the dining locations on Disney Cruise Line. Again, hinting that character dining will be returning to “normal” at these various spots.

So, if you’ve got a character dining reservation coming up, be on the lookout for some changes to potentially roll out over the next few months. If these changes take place, characters should once again greet you at your table as you dine, sign autograph books, give out hugs, and take photos!

We will share our character dining experiences with YOU as we see any changes take place, so please let us know if you have any questions. We are here to help YOU and want to make sure we can do just that!

Read more about the return of standard character meet and greets at Disneyland here!

Are you planning to book a character dining meal during your next Disneyland Resort trip? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Disneyland Hints at the Return of “Normal” Character Dining first appeared on the disney food blog.

Today we shared the big news that traditional meet and greets are coming back to Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani.

But you may have missed an important detail within all of that news…

Not only are character meet and greets returning to normal in the parks but Disney has hinted that character DINING is returning as well. Disney says that “recent trends and guidance have provided opportunities for us to bring back some of our most beloved magic, like character greetings and dining experiences.”

Now, Disney was very vague in the language when mentioning character returns. They stated, “Very soon, you will once again be able to hug Mickey Mouse, get an autograph from Mulan, and share a laugh with Goofy.” While dining is not specifically mentioned, in the video released by Disney, they do show traditional character interactions inside the restaurants where character dining happens! And distanced character dining has been happening at the parks for sometime, so this should impact those locations. You can check out that video right here:

These traditional meet and greets should begin returning around the parks starting April 18th. That means that you will be able to hug characters, take photos with them, get autographs, and have your own private interactions once again. 

Not all locations will be available immediately, Disney says they will be reopening in phases throughout the spring and early summer. A few restaurants currently offering character dining include Chef Mickey’s, Tusker House, and Cinderella’s Royal Table. Other restaurants, like The Crystal Palace, have not reintroduced characters. So we’ll be on the lookout if any of that changes!

We WILL be at a restaurant on the first-day traditional meet and greets return to the parks to see if they’re back to normal at restaurants too! So, stay tuned to DFB for all of the details and let us know if you have any questions!

Read MORE about the return of traditional character meet and greets in Disney World HERE!

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

Are you excited to hug Mickey again? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Disney World Hints at Return of Traditional Character Dining first appeared on the disney food blog.

There’s nothing quite like hugging your favorite Disney character, right?!

Well, do we have BIG news for you. Yesterday, Disney teased the return of traditional character meet and greets and now we have an official announcement.

Today, Disney announced that traditional meet and greets are returning to both Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani!

Meeting characters has looked a bit different since the COVID-19 closures. They have been distances, impersonal, and honestly, a bit rushed. But now, guests visiting the Disney parks will be able to receive one on one interactions again.

Traditional character meet and greets will return to Disneyland Resort “as early as April 18th!” Disney has indicated that guests will once again be able to “hug Mickey Mouse, get an autograph from Mulan, and share a laugh with Goofy.”

We will be in the parks sharing our experience with the return of traditional meet and greets so stay tuned to DFB for all the need to know info!

Read about the return of character meet and greets in Disney World here!

How do you feel about the return of traditional meet and greets? Let us know in the comments below.

The post DATE Announced for the Return of Traditional Character Meet-and-Greets at Disneyland Resort first appeared on the disney food blog.

Get ready! The way you meet your favorite Disney characters in the parks is CHANGING…again!

Prior to the pandemic, meeting Mickey, the Disney princesses, and other iconic characters was full of hugs, autographs, and regular face-to-face contact. Of course, the situation with COVID-19 changed all of that. After the parks reopened, fans got the chance to see Mickey and friends…but only from a distance. Then, more traditional meet-and-greets returned, but they were still riddled with changes including (importantly) distancing requirements, no hugs, and no autographs. We later heard that the face-to-face meet-and-greets we’re all used to would soon be returning to Disney World, and now we’ve got BIG news!

Disney recently announced that traditional face-to-face character meet-and-greets will be returning to Disney World (as well as Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani) soon!

The traditional meet-and-greets will come back in phases throughout spring and early summer, so not all locations will be available immediately. But, the phased return of traditional meet-and-greets at some spots will start as soon as April 18th.

Here’s what you need to know about the meet-and-greets themselves. Guests will be able to go up to the characters and give them hugs, and characters will be able to sign autographs!

Basically, it will largely be a return to “normal” in terms of what many guests were used to prior to the pandemic.

In their announcement, Disney shared that guests will soon be able to “hug Mickey Mouse, get an autograph from Mulan, and share a laugh with Goofy.”

Considering the fact that traditional face-to-face up-close encounters were allowed on the Star Wars Hotel, the comments from the Disney executive that these traditional meet-and-greets would return to the parks soon, other changes we’ve seen at the parks taking things back to “normal,” and the teaser video Disney recently shared, this announcement comes as no big surprise, but it’ll still likely be an exciting change for many fans who have been waiting for this moment.

Check out Disney’s announcement video below.

Of course, keep in mind that rules and regulations are subject to change at any time, particularly as the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change and develop. We’ll be in the parks to provide you with all the updates you need to know, so be sure to check back with us for more news!

Click here to see about another COVID-19 change that is quietly going back to “normal” in Disney World

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

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Are you excited for traditional face-to-face meet-and-greets to return! Tell us in the comments!

The post BREAKING: DATE Announced for When You Can HUG Disney Characters Again in Disney World! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Things have changed a lot on Disney Cruise Line over the past few months…and they’re about to change AGAIN!

We’ve already seen mask requirements adjusted on Disney’s cruises, as well as  COVID-19 requirements updated for sailings from Canada, and more changes. But soon a key thing many fans have likely missed from Disney’s sailings will be coming back!

Though characters have been available to see on Disney’s sailings, character interactions have been physically distanced. Close-up encounters and autographs have been temporarily suspended due to the situation with COVID-19. But now that’s going to change!

Today, Disney announced that traditional face-to-face character meet-and-greets will be returning to a number of places including Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani, and Disney Cruise Line!

Starting as soon as April 18th, guests will once again be able to hug, have up-close meet-and-greets, get autographs from, and take up-close photos with their favorite Disney characters aboard Disney’s cruises.

This should also mean character appearances at certain character dining experiences should return to “normal” — meaning characters will be able to have up-close interactions with guests, take up-close photos, and more. We will note that character dining has not been specifically noted though. Disney did include that not all locations will be available at once, and there will be a phased reopening over the next several months.

Of course, keep in mind that this is all subject to change again as the situation with COVID-19 continues to change and develop. Be sure to check the Disney Cruise Line “know before you sail” website ahead of your trip. But, for now, guests with upcoming Disney Cruise Line sailings planned can get ready to snap some up-close selfies and hug their favorite characters once again!

Check back with us for all the latest Disney news!

Click here to get a FIRST LOOK at the new merchandise coming to the Disney Wish cruise ship.

Are you excited to have traditional character meet-and-greets return to Disney Cruise Line? Tell us in the comments!

The post BREAKING: Traditional Character Meet-and-Greets Are RETURNING to Disney Cruise Line first appeared on the disney food blog.