Disney World’s property spans 27,000 acres (20 square miles) making it the largest theme park in the world. And while it may seem that every hotel around the parks is either a Disney Hotel or a Good Neighbor hotel, there are nearby hotels that are not affiliated with Disney at all!

We don’t know about you, but when we think about how much one Disney hotel would cost to BUY as a whole, we get a little scared (especially looking at how much it costs to just rent a room for a few days — we’re looking at you Grand Floridian.) A few resorts around the area have sold for upwards of $100 million. And now another resort near the Disney World parks just sold for an LARGE amount of money!

The Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek is a luxury resort near the Disney World parks that has no affiliation with Disney World. However, the resort is within 2 miles of EPCOT, Disney Springs, and Hollywood Studios!

According to WFTV, the resort features 400 rooms, six pools, and 2 lazy rivers. This week, JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group announced that the resort was sold for $121 million to a joint venture between Tishman Realty and Cross Lake Partners. In a statement, JLL Senior Vice President Christopher Exler said, “With Disney World breaking all-time revenue records and the overall leisure thesis within hotel real estate, we expect the Orlando market to increasingly come into focus for investors.”

So WHOA. If that’s what a non-Disney affiliated hotel sells for, then what would a Disney hotel sell for… If we ever find out, DFB will be sure to let you know!

A new hotel in the Disney Springs area is accepting reservations NOW! Get all the details here. 

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Have you ever stayed at this hotel near Disney? Let us know below!

The post A Luxury Resort Near Disney Just Sold For 1 Million first appeared on the disney food blog.

A haunted treat has materialized in Disney World!

Disney’s Halfway to Halloween event has brought spooky treats to both Disney World and Disneyland! Of course, being Halloween fans ourselves, we had to join in on the fun. Now don’t close your eyes, and don’t try to hide…or you might miss out on this creepy treat! 

Is this treat actually stretching, or is it your imagination? The Lady on the Gravestone 50th Chilling Chamber Push Pop is available at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Magic Kingdom! Stop by from now until August 13th to grab this special treat.

We’ve tried this push pop with another portrait and vanilla buttercream, so of course, we felt obligated to try this new offering. (Just kidding, there was no need to twist our arm!) The Lady on the Gravestone Pop comes with citrus cake crumbs, raspberry buttercream, and blue crisp pearls! This is one snack that’s just LOADS of spooky fun!

Although this cake push pop is a little messy, we thought it was delicious! The cake is fluffy and light, and we loved how the raspberry adds just a little tart to keep it from being so sweet. Even the crunchy pearls add a little extra to make this something a little more than just cake.

However, it’s kind of small, given the price of $5.49, but you are basically paying for the presentation. We would also mention that there is a LOT of frosting in this thing, so if you love frosting, this will be your jam. The white chocolate painting is just pretty much for show unless you absolutely love white chocolate.

Be sure to head on over to Sleepy Hollow Refreshments ASAP while this one is still available if you’d like to try it out for yourself!

We’re #HalfwaytoHalloween and Disney World has a NEW Lady on the Gravestone 50th Chilling Chamber Pop at Sleepy Hollow!

It’s got citrus cake crumbs, raspberry buttercream, and blue crisp pearls pic.twitter.com/RIJgvG65Kg

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 28, 2022

So be sure to try this treat while it’s still being offered! And, as always, check back here for the latest Disney news!

What else is being offered for the Halfway to Halloween event?

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

Will you be trying this spooky treat? Let us know in the comments!

The post Wait. You Can EAT Part of the Haunted Mansion in Disney World?! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Erich Schwartzel with the Wall Street Journal has written a new piece about the clash between The Walt Disney Company and Florida, and the Cast Members meant to move to Florida who are caught in the middle.

After Disney finally spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education bill, a.k.a. the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis launched an attack against them, attempting to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This comes over a year after it was announced Walt Disney Imagineers and other Disney employees would be moved from California to Florida.

Approximately 2,000 Cast Members in the Disney Parks division were told in July of last year that they would need to move to Florida or risk losing their jobs. They were given 90 days to decide. A Disney spokeswoman said that more employees chose to relocate than initially expected. However, given the political climate of Florida, many are more hesitant to move than they were before and are hoping the decision is reversed.

California Governor Gavin Newsome tweeted, “Disney, the door is open to bring those jobs back to California—the state that actually represents the values of your workers.” Texas Governor Jared Polis joked that he would offer “full asylum” to Disney.

The Wall Street Journal cited a former Disney Parks employee who is gay and is hoping to have a child in the next few years. He had worked for Disney in California for years but said he wasn’t comfortable moving to Florida after the new law passed.

It’s not just the “Don’t Say Gay” bill causing hesitation. One Imagineer was worried about Florida’s more lax restrictions regarding COVID-19. The possible dissolution of Reedy Creek is also raising concerns.

The jobs being relocated to Florida would be lucrative for the state and Disney. They are expected to get an estimated $570 million in tax breaks over the next two decades. The move would start in 2023 and continue through the end of 2024. Employees who initially said they would move then later changed their minds may lose severance payouts — usually a week’s pay for every year of employment. A Disney spokeswoman said that they have been flexible with employees and their personal situations.

In a recent meeting, Cast Members cited the fifth key of “Inclusion” added by Disney in late 2020. The keys provide a foundation for the culture and training of The Walt Disney Company. Employees feel that the move to Florida may go against what the “Inclusion” key is all about. A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on this criticism.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Cast Members and Imagineers Hope Disney Will Halt Their Relocation to Florida Due to Ongoing Political Rift appeared first on WDW News Today.

There’s a lot of news coming out of Disney World and some things are seriously surprising!

Spring is in full swing in Disney World and we’ve had a month of restaurant openings, new ears, and more. Some of the news this month seemingly came out of nowhere, so let’s take a look. Here are the 3 most unexpected bits of Disney news/events from April! 

1. Reedy Creek Dissolution Vote

Towards the end of April, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis commented on the possibility of dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement District — a portion of the law that allows Disney to act as its own county. This indicated that it was on the table, but the process moved quickly in April, ultimately leading to a decision that the district would be dissolved.

In mid-April, a legislative session was expanded last-minute to include a discussion on the elimination of the district and soon, the Florida Senate and House of Representatives passed the bill before it made it to DeSantis’ desk to be signed.

The bill says, “any independent special district established by a special act prior to the date of ratification of the Florida Constitution on November 5, 1968, and which was not reestablished, re-ratified, or otherwise reconstituted by a special act or general law after November 5, 1968, is dissolved effective June 1, 2023.”

Ultimately, the dissolution would place the control of Disney World into the two surrounding counties — Osceola and Orange. The counties would assume responsibility for county-level operations in the 40+ square miles owned by Disney World like roads and emergency services — without any more tax dollars to work with than they have now. Things are still very fluid with this situation and we’ll certainly be covering developments with the dissolution, so stay tuned.

Click here to learn more about the impacts of this bill.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Opening Date

In ride-based news, April also brought us the surprising update on when EPCOT’s new Marvel rollercoaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, will open! Early this month, Disney announced that it will open on May 27th!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be one of the longest indoor rollercoasters in the WORLD, featuring a reverse launch and 360-degree spinning ride vehicles.

Disney initially said this attraction would open in the summer so a late May date was certainly a surprise. Cast Member previews have already begun so you can imagine that we are VERY excited to try out this MASSIVE new attraction!

Want to see more about the new ride? Click here!

3. Connections Cafe and Eatery Opening

AND, in other EPCOT openings news, we were surprised by a soft opening and then FULL opening of EPCOT’s Connections Cafe and Eatery. This new restaurant is located in the former Future World and is a combination of the park’s Starbucks location and a quick-service offering with global-inspired eats.

Not long ago, the Cafe-side soft-opened, and then the Eatery followed suit! Not only did we get the surprise of stepping inside, but we also got an official opening date for later in April and the new spot had its GRAND OPENING on April 27th.

This is a solid restaurant with a wide variety of options — plus AC and LOTS of seating. For our full thoughts, you can check out our REVIEW!

To see more of Connections Cafe and Eatery, click here!

April certainly brought some Disney World surprises! Make sure to follow along with DFB so you don’t miss any news — no matter how SHOCKING!

Click here to see more updates from Disney World!

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

What surprised you in April? Tell us in the comments! 

The post The Most Unexpected Disney News From April first appeared on the disney food blog.

It’s an exciting time to be a Disneyland fan right now!

We’ve just seen the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Disneyland Forever Fireworks, and World of Color. Fantasmic! is returning soon, regular character meet and greets are back, and we just got the coolest popcorn bucket EVER. But, there is SO much to look forward to, because a TON of new things were just announced for Disneyland Resort, so let’s check everything out!

Paradise Pier Hotel Makeover

Paradise Pier Hotel at Disneyland is getting a whole new look! The hotel will be reimagined with a Pixar theme that will “weave the artistry of Pixar into its comfortable, contemporary setting.”

There will be whimsical character moments at the hotel, like the Pixar Lamp balancing on top of its ball in the lobby. We can’t wait to see what else is coming to the hotel!

Click here to see more about this Pixar re-theming!

Early Theme Park Entry

Later this summer, guests of Disneyland Resort hotels will be able to enter the theme parks EARLY!

It seem like this will work how Early Theme Park Entry does over at Disney World, with hotel guests being given a head-start on the day by being let into the parks early to ride select rides as well as enjoy other experiences.

Click here to learn more about this new perk!

New Hotel Walkway

There is currently a walkway being constructed between Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disney California Adventure Park!

This walkway will give hotel guests easy access into the park, like how the one at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa works right now.

Click here to learn more about this NEW hotel walkway!

Merchandise Delivery

Guests staying at Disneyland Resort hotels will soon be able to enjoy a perk that has been gone since the 2020 closures — Merchandise Pick-up and Delivery!

Returning later this summer, this allows guests of Disneyland hotels to buy something in the theme parks and send it directly back to their hotel so they don’t have to carry it around all day. This could totally change how you shop during your Disneyland trip!

Click here to learn more about this returning perk!

Toontown Renovations

Mickey’s Toontown is currently closed in Disneyland for renovations, with Cast Members working to create new interactive experiences for families to have more opportunities to play together in the park. Today, Disney shared a NEW photo of the work happening inside the park with a bunch of Cast Members breaking ground on the land!

We can expect to see new open grassy areas like CenTOONial Park, a new fountain, a new “dreaming tree,” and the opening of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction (yep, the same one in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios!).

Click here to learn more about this renovation project!

New Downtown Disney Restaurants

There are some BIG changes coming to Downtown Disney! There will be new restaurants, innovative spaces, and more. These changes will be coming to the west side of the Downtown Disney District, with renovations starting in the area allll the way back in 2018.

Disney says they’re drawn inspiration for the space from “Southern California mid-century modern architecture.” There will be “an open lawn for relaxation and future events, and an even broader and diverse collection of dining and shopping.”

One of the NEW restaurants coming is Din Tai Fung! This is a super popular spot known for their hand-crafted soup dumplings.

Also coming to Downtown Disney is a a menu of Mexican cuisine for Paseo and Centrico, which will take over the building currently occupied by Catal & Uva Bar. The restaurant will have a “courtyard bar and dining area.”

And, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen is working on some major changes that will bring “a fresh approach to the menu, while staying true to the heart of New Orleans.” There should be new menu items and renovations to both the inside and outside of the restaurant!

Finally, some sandwich news! Earl of Sandwich closed earlier this year in Downtown Disney, but it’s coming back! Disney announced that this restaurant will have “a special sandwich walk-up location,” but, it will only be available for a limited time!

That’s ALL of the major news about changes coming to Disneyland soon! Stay tuned to DFB for more Disneyland news and updates.

Click here to learn more about these big changes coming to Downtown Disney!

Which change are you the most excited about? Tell us in the comments!

The post 6 Groundbreaking Changes Coming to Disneyland Resort! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disneyland announced today that a new restaurant is coming to Downtown Disney soon: Din Tai Fung. If you live on the West Coast, you might already know about this award-winning restaurant’s reputation for mind-blowing dumplings and lines way out the front door. 

We’re taking a look at the restaurant’s history, accolades, and menu here! Find out what you can expect when Din Tai Fung opens in the Downtown Disney District and why it might become one of the most popular restaurants in all of Disneyland.

Din Tai Fung originally opened in Taipei, Taiwan. According to the restaurant’s website, Mr. Bing-Yi Yang immigrated to Taiwan and opened a shop selling cooking oil. He named the shop Din Tai Fung. He and his wife sold dumplings in their shop as well, called Xiao Long Bao (steamed pork soup dumplings). These dumplings became so popular that Mr. Yang “phased out his oil business” and Din Tai Fung became a full-blown restaurant.

Now, the restaurant has expanded immensely, with locations in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Europe, and Thailand.

Many of the restaurants have won awards for outstanding food, and the Hong Kong and London locations have received Michelin Stars. A Michelin Star is a coveted culinary award, which takes into account “the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed in their cuisine and, just as importantly, consistency both over time and across the entire menu,” according to the Michelin Star website.

Other accolades that this restaurant can claim include being named the world’s “second-best chain restaurant” by CNN and one of the world’s top 10 gourmet restaurants by the New York Times.

Of course, the menu has now expanded to offer much more than Xiao Long Bao. Now, you can find various soups, many different flavors of dumplings and buns…

…wontons, noodles, fried rice, and more.

There are even dessert dumplings, filled with chocolate, red bean paste, or sweet taro.

But if you’re looking to try the dumpling that started it all, critics still rave about the Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao, which is “hand-folded and stuffed with top-quality, carefully seasoned pork.”

The menu has us convinced that this is going to be a must-try spot when it opens in Downtown Disney. But the tasty food doesn’t come without a price — and no, we’re not talking about money here. Some of Din Tai Fung’s existing locations operate with a no-reservations policy. And that has meant that lines to get in stretch for HOURS.

According to several reviews on Trip Advisor, people reported waiting anywhere from 1 to 4 hours in order to get a table in Din Tai Fung. Could we see a similar situation in Disneyland? Right now, we don’t think so (although Disneyland has not yet announced whether advanced dining reservations will be accepted with Din Tai Fung opens). Some Din Tai Fung locations do accept reservations, and we’re expecting the Disneyland location to do so as well due to expected high demand. If reservations are available, you’ll want to be sure to grab those ASAP. 

We can’t wait to try out everything on the menu when this restaurant opens in Disneyland! Keep following DFB for more of the latest Disney food news.

Click here to learn more about the changes coming to Downtown Disney.

Have you been to another Din Tai Fung location before? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

The post Mind-Blowing Dumplings and Multi-Hour Waits: Learn About Disneyland’s NEW Restaurant first appeared on the disney food blog.