There’s no denying it — Disney World can get HOT. We’re talking sweating, dehydrating, feels-like-you’re-melting HOT.

Don’t Let the Heat Get to You

We’ve got plenty of tips on how to beat the heat during the summer at Disney World and advice to make sure you don’t get caught off guard by any unexpected Florida weather. With the Florida heat, you can easily get dehydrated — especially if you’re not used to the warm weather and being on your feet all day. Staying hydrated is key to making the most of your Disney trip, and luckily most quick-service locations throughout the parks offer free cups of water to guests. But, one spot has changed just how you get it.

For many guests, no visit to the parks is complete without first stopping for a Starbucks drink and snapping a photo of their beverage of choice by the castle (or other park icon).

Photo Time!

Each Disney World park has a Starbucks location within it, and those locations have been known to give out FREE venti cups of ice water to guests upon request.

We checked at the Starbucks locations in Hollywood Studios (The Trolley Car Cafe) and Animal Kingdom (Creature Comforts), and EPCOT (Connections Cafe), and were told that venti waters are still free at these locations. At Hollywood Studios specifically we found that we could still get the venti cup of water for free, but you have to ask for it when you order, not at the pickup counter.

Starbucks in Animal Kingdom

BUT things are different at Magic Kingdom’s Starbucks spot (Main Street Bakery)! When we visited Magic Kingdom’s Starbucks one day and asked for a free water in a venti cup, the Cast Member said we couldn’t get the free water in a venti cup. A second Cast Member we spoke to at the time said that they did have complimentary red cups that they could use to still give guests FREE water (it just wouldn’t be the big venti ones).

Upon a return trip to Magic Kingdom, we were told again that the smaller red cups were available to give to guests with free water, but that the Cast Members had been told to charge for the venti cups.

Starbucks Water

We went back to Magic Kingdom again and tried to buy a venti cup of water, but the Cast Member wouldn’t let us buy it. During that trip, we were told that we couldn’t get the venti cup (even if we paid for it) and instead were provided with the red cup of free water. The Cast Member did, however, say that we could get as many of the little red cups as we wanted.

Our Water Cup

A Cast Member we spoke to in Animal Kingdom’s Starbucks location stated that Magic Kingdom is currently the only park not giving out free venti waters due to the greater number of guests in the park that request water.

According to the Cast Member, the venti cups are more expensive and they have a large quantity of the little red ones, which is why they’ve swapped to using the smaller red cups at Magic Kingdom specifically. The Cast Member also noted that, at this time, they have no plans to stop giving out venti cups of water for free in the other parks.

Of course, keep in mind that things can change.

FREE water in Magic Kingdom!

So what do you need to know if you’re heading to the parks and looking for free water? If you’re heading to Starbucks, be aware that you can (for now) get a venti cup of water for FREE in all of the parks except for Magic Kingdom. At Magic Kingdom you can still get free water from Starbucks, but it’ll come in a small red cup.

What if you want free water but aren’t heading to Starbucks? No problem! As we noted above, many quick service locations can also provide you with a free cup of water throughout all 4 parks. Note that due to certain mobile order changes that started when the parks first reopened, free water might not be as easily accessible from certain locations. So while you can still find free water, you might have to walk a little bit further than you’re normally used to or head to a different spot than you might have in previous trips.

You May Have to Do a Bit More Looking Around

Remember you’ll also find many water fountains throughout Disney World that you can use to fill up your water bottles. The most important thing here is to stay hydrated. We’ve seen guests really impacted by the heat and our own reporters have felt the intensity of that heat during a long day in the parks.

If you think you’ll forget to reach for that water bottle, it might be a good idea to set an alarm to remind yourself to take a sip every hour. It’s also a good idea to come prepared with a bottle of your own so you can keep that water with you at all times.

It’s important to stay hydrated.

We’ve seen supply shortages impacting things around Disney World, including some that could help you keep cool this summer — like those spray bottles. Our advice is to go into Disney World prepared for the heat. Don’t wait to get there to buy your misters, etc. as you might find that they’re unavailable or more expensive.

To read more about how NOT to be miserable in Disney World during the summer, click here. Or to see our list of 25 items you wouldn’t think you’d need in Disney World (but you do) (including a few water bottles), click here.

Click here to see some of the factors that could impact your travel this summer

The media industry (including streaming services like Disney+) is almost constantly changing.

©Disney

For example, Netflix is introducing measures to crack down on password sharing, as well as looking into advertisement-based subscriptions after losing hundreds of thousands of subscribers with the expectation that they will continue to lose more. Disney also recently announced that an ad-based subscription plan will be coming to their streaming service, Disney+, later this year, as well.

With advertisements becoming more crucial for many media companies, more importance is placed on something called upfront ad sales. Upfront ad sales are when media and television executives and advertising companies meet so advertisements can be purchased on television networks and streaming services.

©Disney

During the upfront process, television networks in the U.S. try to sell the majority of their commercial space ahead of the next cycle of programming, according to Variety. The Walt Disney Co. is reportedly having success during this process and is said to be in talks with at least one major media buying agency, per several media buyers privy to the situation.

‘Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers’ Disney+ Ad in Hollywood Studios

Disney’s ad space is highly coveted, with ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” ABC, and the limited ad inventory available for future Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ series that will run on an ad-supported version of Disney+ sometime in the future. The company is, of course, also having to strike a balance between their streaming service and their networks, as the advent of streaming technology means that many people have switched to streaming their shows on-demand.

©Disney

The upfront ad sales process is moving faster than it has in past years, with it usually not starting in earnest until after Memorial Day. Also different than in 2021 is networks are no longer pushing for increased rates from potential advertisers.

In 2021, “the networks pressed for increases of 16% to 22% in the cost of reaching 1,000 viewers,” according to the article in Variety. This is called CPM, or cost per mille (or cost per thousand), and is essentially the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 views on their product.

Marvel Series on Disney+ ©Disney

Some buyers suspect that the networks aren’t pushing for high CPM rates because the hope is that they will be able to achieve more upfront ad sales. With Disney+ continuing to release highly anticipated shows and content like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ms. Marvel, it will be interesting to see how the streaming service landscape continues to change.

We have covered a lot on what ads can and will look like on Disney+. From suspected pricing to what kinds of ads Disney+ will and will not run, we have you covered on the details. We’ll keep bringing you all the relevant news regarding Disney+ and other streaming services, so make sure to stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates!

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The post Disney+ Ramping Up Its Move to Ad-Based Subscriptions first appeared on the disney food blog.

A child waited alone at a Disney Springs restaurant bar last month after his mother got drunk and abandoned her child. Restaurant employees became concerned about the child and contacted law enforcement, who tracked down his missing mother. She was so intoxicated that she had been taken to a nearby hospital, according to a new sheriff’s report.

The mother, Rosanna Nancy Mezarina Meza, 42, of Clearwater, was arrested for child neglect.
The report doesn’t state the age of the child.

Mezarina and her son sat down together at the bar at the T-Rex Cafe around 8:45 p.m. on April 16. She ordered two Gray Goose vodka drinks that evening, her arrest report said.

Within 30 minutes of arriving at T-Rex, Mezarina asked the bar’s staff if she could leave her son there so she could go back to her car and get her credit card. She came back 10 minutes later. Then, she told the staff she was going back to her car a second time to get her credit card again. Only this time, she didn’t return. It took about an hour to figure out where Mezarina was.

Mezarina left behind her fanny pack, which contained receipts showing she bought five double Gray Goose vodka drinks earlier in the day.

Eventually, authorities pieced together Mezarina’s whereabouts. After leaving T-Rex Cafe the second time, she was “severely intoxicated” at the Lime parking garage. Reedy Creek first responders took her to the hospital in Celebration.

Mezarina was mostly asleep and didn’t ask for her child at the hospital, the report said, adding she had briefly mentioned she lost her son before she was transported to the hospital.

We reached out to Mezarina’s attorney for comment to tell her side of the story, but we did not immediately hear back.

The child said he and his mother spent the day at the Hilton Orlando before going to the restaurant.

The child had been left on his own before, the little boy told authorities. When the child stayed with his mom on Wednesdays and weekends, she sometimes left him home alone to work driving taxis, he said, according to the report.

Last week, Mezarina pleaded not guilty to child neglect, a third-degree felony. According to Orange Circuit Court records, her trial is scheduled for August 15. She is currently being held in jail, Orange County Corrections Department’s online inmate database showed.

“It should also be noted that (Mezarina) is currently on Felony Probation in Clearwater for Child Neglect until 2024. Special conditions of (her) probation include no bars as well as no alcohol,” the sheriff’s report said.

For her previous offense, Mezarina was celebrating her son’s birthday at T-Rex Cafe on January 14, 2021.

“It’s an amazing place,” Mezarina said in a nearly 30-minute Facebook Live video. “My son makes me drive two hours every time he wants to come here. He adores this place.”

Later that night, Mezarina was arrested for DUI and child neglect in Polk County after authorities said she drove her Ford-150 pickup 34 miles an hour on Interstate 4 without her headlights on, according to a partially redacted Florida Highway Patrol arrest report that added she failed her sobriety test.

It’s the second time WDWNT has recently reported on a disturbing incident involving children.
A Brazilian tourist was arrested last month and charged with child abuse after he beat his five-year-old adopted son at Hollywood Studios, according to an arrest report. The child, who has autism, had wanted the man to buy a lightsaber for him and bit the man when he refused, so the man started hitting the child, the report said.

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The post Florida Mother Gets Too Drunk at T-Rex Cafe in Disney Springs, Gets Hospitalized, and Abandons Child appeared first on WDW News Today.