Are you visiting Disney World in November? There’s a lot to do in the parks this month, with the start of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. We’re also looking forward to new eats and treats, holiday decorations, and some festive ride overlays.

Holiday decorations are up!

As you’re getting ready for your trip, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got all the essentials packed, you’ve decided on your must-try snacks, and you know which rides you want to prioritize. To help you out with that last one, we have a list of all the rides, attractions, and other things that will be temporarily CLOSED in November. Take a look so that you’re not met with any unpleasant surprises in the parks.

Before we dive into the closures, are you all packed for your trip? You can download our FREE list of 15 Disney World essentials that you’re sure to forget to make sure you’ve got everything you need. Just enter your email, and the list will be sent straight to your inbox.

A top bucket list item for many Disney fans is a trip to Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo Disneyland has its own version of many iconic Disney rides (including Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion) as well as some attractions unique to this park.

Beauty and the Beast Attraction at Tokyo Disneyland ©Tokyo Disneyland

Another reason to head to this Disney park is for the FOOD! We’re taking you with us to a restaurant located at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel — come along to check out the Sherwood Garden Restaurant and find out if this spot will make the cut for your dream Tokyo Disneyland trip.

To find the Sherwood Garden Restaurant, you’ll head to the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, which is the closest hotel to the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland. This hotel has a Victorian-style atmosphere with a grand entrance and luxurious features throughout.

Tokyo Disneyland Hotel

The rooms inside are themed to Disney movies, like Alice in Wonderland.

©Disney

The Sherwood Garden Restaurant serves food in a buffet style, with different menus for different times of the year. Currently, they’re serving a Disney Halloween buffet for lunch and dinner (breakfast stays the same year-round), but soon that will change to the Disney Christmas lunch and dinner buffet (from November 1st through December 25th). Later on, it’ll be the Year End & New Year lunch and dinner buffet (from December 26th through January 9th, 2023).

Entrance

Here’s a look at the pricing for this spot:

Lunch Buffet

• Adults (13 years and older): weekdays — $32 / Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays — $35.50
• Children ages 7 to 12 years old: weekdays — $23 / Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays — $32
• Children ages 4 to 6 years old: weekdays — $16.40 / Saturdays and Sundays Holiday — $16.40

Dinner Buffet

• Adults (13 years and older): weekdays — $41 / Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays — $44.40
• Children ages 7 to 12 years old: weekdays — $27/  Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays — $27
• Children ages 4 to 6 years old: weekdays — $20 / Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays — $20

Pricing

To book your reservations, head to the Tokyo Disneyland page and choose the date and time for your reservation. Here’s a quick look at when you can book Priority Seating dining reservations at Tokyo Disneyland:

• If you booked a Disney Hotel through the Tokyo Disney Resort Online Reservations & Tickets website: Until 60 minutes before your day of visit (or until 8:59 p.m. the day before if booked with Online Reservation Privileges).
• If you booked through a travel agent or if you’re not staying at a Disney hotel: Up to three months in advance on the same day of your visit. (From 10:00 a.m. three months before the day of your visit until 60 minutes before your visit; Chef Mickey reservations are accepted from 10:00 a.m. one month before your day of visit.)
• If you booked through DVC: Available once booking has been confirmed.

Now that you’ve got a handle on the logistics, let’s head into the restaurant!

Atmosphere

The restaurant is named after the Victorian-style garden that you can see from the restaurant’s windows. Inside, you’ll find a color scheme of green and gold, with ornate bird cages decorating one part of the dining room.

Inside the restaurant

There are options for both tables with chairs and booths, with some booths having luxurious, high-backed benches.

Seating

Here’s a closer look at one of the booths.

Our booth

The buffet was located through a large entrance, just off the main dining room. Once you are seated, you can head to the buffet to start your meal!

Dining room

There is the main buffet as well as a kids’ buffet, which is set at a lower height so that kids can access the food. During lunch and dinner, the kids’ buffet table has Mickey Mouse plates!

Menu

The menu at this buffet is a mix of familiar eats and more unique options. For the Halloween buffet, many of the items have spooky touches, like little ghost decals or spider web designs.

Buffet

There are both cold and hot dishes available, like the chilled sweet potato soup and the grilled salmon.

Buffet line

Other options on the buffet line include a tuna and cottage cheese salad, duck breast and lentil terrine (dinner only), lamb cacciatore style (lunch only), salmon grilled in black bread crumbs Duxelles sauce, pear and dry-cured ham pizza, pumpkin bread, pear and chestnut danishes, caramel pudding, and Gateau Marjolaine.

Eats

To start, we ordered the Halloween drink, which you can purchase at an extra cost. It came with a little pipette to insert more flavoring into the drink! Each of the seasonal buffets has its own special drink.

Halloween Special Drink

Now on to the food! There were a few starter options on the buffet, like this tuna and cottage cheese salad…

Tuna and Cottage Cheese Salad

…sliced vegetables in a dipping sauce…

Veggies

…and little cups of fruit.

Fruit

You could also get white bread rolls, which may look unassuming at first, but these were actually one of our favorite parts of the whole buffet. Why? Just wait until you see them individually plated.

White Bread Rolls

They looked like Donald Duck diving through an inner tube! How cute is that?

So cute!

For the entrées, there was chicken and pumpkin cream pasta…

Chicken and Pumpkin Cream Pasta

…fried chicken (one of the more plain options available, but good for kids or picky eaters!)…

Fried Chicken

…and a meat and rice gratin…

Meat and Rice Gratin

There was also a carving station where you could order meat to be carved at the buffet table.

Carving station

More entrées include this mushroom pasta…

Mushroom Pasta

…mushroom rice…

Mushroom Rice

…and pepper steak pasta.

Pepper Steak Pasta

The Salmon Escabeche was individually plated in these cute containers, with garnishes on top.

Salmon Escabeche

We also saw soy-simmered chicken and radishes…

Soy-Simmered Chicken and Radish

…and a steamed chicken dish with green onion sauce.

Steamed Chicken

There were a few soups in the buffet, including turnip and bacon cream soup…

Turnip and Bacon Cream Soup

…fish ball soup…

Fish Ball Soup

…and the chilled purple sweet potato soup, which had Halloween decorations swirled on top!

Chilled Purple Sweet Potato Soup

Rounding out the savory options, there were various steamed vegetables for the side dishes.

Steamed Vegetables

Now on to dessert! There was a strawberry cake that said “Tokyo Disney Resort” on the top…

Tokyo Disney Resort cake

…pumpkin bread…

Pumpkin Bread

…and a muscat jellied dessert.

Muscat Jellied Dessert

Some of the Halloween treats were highly decorated, like this Halloween bundt cake.

Halloween Bundt Cake

We loved the little Mickey and Minnie decorations on this Halloween dessert!

Halloween Dessert

The baked cheesecake had a spooky castle on it with the words “Disney Halloween 2022” on top.

Halloween Cake

We also spotted pumpkin cream puffs…

Pumpkin Cream Puff

…a ghost-topped caramel pudding…

Caramel Pudding

…pear mousse…

Pear Mousse

…custard pudding, and orange mousse.

Custard Pudding and Orange Mousse

Each time you visited the buffet, there was a station where you could put on plastic gloves. We thought the little glove-dispensing machine was pretty cool! There were also instructions to wear a face mask and disinfect your hands before going down the buffet line.

Glove machine

Overall, the food at this restaurant was very high quality for a buffet. There was a good variety, from comfortable favorites like fried chicken and creamy pumpkin soup to more adventurous options like fish ball soup and muscat jelly.

All the eats

If you’re visiting Tokyo Disneyland soon, be sure to check out this spot! And stay tuned to DFB for more reviews of all the food at every Disney park.

Click here to see a french toast grilled cheese you CAN’T miss at Tokyo Disneyland.

Have you been to Tokyo Disneyland? What was your favorite thing to eat there? Let us know in the comments!

Heather Sievers is DisneyFoodBlog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist! Check out more of her adventures at @DininginDisney on Instagram!

The post See Why the STAR of This Disney Buffet Is a Plain White Bread Roll first appeared on the disney food blog.

Do you love dining in Disney Springs?!

Disney Springs

With so many restaurants to choose from, it can be hard to decide where to go. That’s why we like to tell you when new dishes are announced at the Disney Springs restaurants.

Now, The Polite Pig has announced another new side dish!

The new dish is an Heirloom Apple Salad with chicory, red watercress, spiced pecans, golden raisins, currant, and spiced cider syrup.

©The Polite Pig

We’re not sure how long this dish will be around, so keep an eye on the menu to make sure it’s there if you are planning to head that way soon!

Looking for more new dishes in Disney Springs? Wine Bar George and City Works have announced new menu additions as well.

Wondering how to spend your money in Disney Springs? We’ve got you covered!

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

Are you planning to try this side dish? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Polite Pig Has Announced a NEW Side Dish in Disney Springs first appeared on the disney food blog.

Do you ever wonder how our reporters can go to Disney World every day and not get bored?

An empty walkway in Animal Kingdom

It’s because Disney is constantly changing things in the parks, with new eats and drinks, updated rides, and lots of new merchandise and souvenirs. We keep track of all of those changes so that you know what’s different when you go back! Come along with us to see what’s new over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 

This time around, we found a lot of new souvenirs in this park, so let’s go shopping!

Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates

Discovery Trading Company

At Discovery Trading Company, we saw that all of the single-use plastic bags have been removed from the registers. A Cast Member told us that only reusable bags were available here, and those bags recently got a price discount that should be park-wide. Now, reusable bags cost $1 for a small, $1.50 for a medium, and $3 for a large.

Reusable bags

We’ll be watching at the other Disney World parks to see if this change is happening at all the gift shops.

We spotted a few new items, like an Aristocats-themed cat toy for $17.99…

Aristocats toy

…a Nightmare Before Christmas dog toy, featuring the ghostly Zero, for $24.99…

Zero dog toy

…and an Oogie Boogie Christmas tree ornament for $24.99.

Oogie Boogie ornament

There were some new apparel items, like a Mickey and friends sweatshirt for kids, which costs $32.99…

Mickey and Friends sweatshirt

…an Aristocats t-shirt for $36.99…

‘Aristocats’ tee

…and an Aristocats sweatshirt for $49.99.

‘Aristocats’ Sweatshirt

We also saw a new Loungefly backpack! This bag is themed to Zootopia, with decals of characters from the movie all over. It’s also FUZZY and larger than most Loungefly bags we see in the parks.

A Fuzzy Loungefly Backpack

You can get it for $85.

Island Mercantile

Over at Island Mercantile, we spotted the new 50th anniversary Minnie ears for $34.99.

How fun!

This shop also had a new 50th anniversary bucket hat that was covered in a vintage map of Disney World!

50th bucket hat

You can get this hat for $34.99.

Serka Zong Bazaar

The Serka Zong Bazaar is the gift shop you’ll walk through after riding Expedition Everest. This spot had a new Walt Disney World logo sweatshirt for kids!

WDW Logo Sweatshirt

The sweatshirt was $32.99.

Mombasa Marketplace

Our last stop is Mombasa Marketplace. Here, you can find a lot of National Geographic merchandise. We found a new t-shirt that’s all about coral!

Coral tee

The shirt was $30.

Click here to see new Disney merchandise online!

Heading to Animal Kingdom soon? Hold up for a sec! Before you plan your next trip to Disney World, you’re going to need this discount code – WDW2022. Use it to save 25% when you buy our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here.

You can become a Disney expert!

You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place. 

Keep following DFB for more updates on all the latest Disney news.

Click here to see what’s new at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

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

What’s your favorite thing to do in Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.

The post What’s New at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: A FUZZY Loungefly Backpack and 50th Anniversary Ears first appeared on the disney food blog.

It’s not unusual to see a ride or 2 shut down for a little while in Disney World. Whether the delay is due to weather, technical difficulties, or other reasons, we usually see the rides open back up shortly after closing. But today it seems like the Disney World rides are having a harder time staying open than usual!

Tomorrowland

We’re in the Disney World parks every day, and we pay attention to which rides are closed at any given time. Today, we’ve already seen THREE popular rides shut down, just in the last few hours.

We first noticed that Frozen Ever After is closed in EPCOT. This popular ride takes visitors through the story of Frozen, and it’s not unusual to see wait times over an hour for the attraction.

Frozen Ever After

The ride shut down pretty early in the day and was still closed about an hour later. Cast Members outside were playing a Frozen-themed picture match game with guests.

Anna and Kristoff

Over in Magic Kingdom, the PeopleMover shut down as well. When we were there, we spotted Cast Members giving guests who had been in line for the ride a Lightning Lane pass to return later on today when the ride reopened. Note that this doesn’t always happen — if you’re in line when a ride shuts down, you can ask about Lightning Lane passes, but they’re not guaranteed.

Space Mountain

Those were all of the rides that we saw closed for now, and we’ll update this post when the rides reopen. We recommend keeping an eye on the My Disney Experience app throughout the day to avoid running into closed rides during your vacation. You can click on the map feature to see which rides are down and what wait times are like for the rides that are open.

©Disney

If your favorite ride is closed, keep watching the app to find out when it reopens. Cast Members may have an idea about a reopening time, so ask around as well. As soon as the ride is open again, head straight there in order to get shorter wait times!

We’ll keep watching for more updates from Disney World, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest news.

Find out which rides might close EARLY in Disney World and what you can do about it.

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

Have you ever run into a closed ride in Disney World? Let us know in the comments.

The post Several Rides Are Having a ROUGH Time in Disney World Today first appeared on the disney food blog.

Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort officially reopens tomorrow, and the restaurant has received a new sign. We got a first look last week before guests were allowed inside, and a more in-depth look at the interior and upgraded menus yesterday.

Now the restaurant’s signage is in place at the renovated entrance.

The Cast Members were out admiring the new sign when we stopped by.

New torch-like structures have been added on either side of the entrance. Cast Members told us these will be “fire lights” in the future (though they are unlikely to use real fire, given their proximity to the wood structures).

The sign is ovular with a faded multicolor design.

The Kona Café logo is in shades of blue on the small sign. For comparison, see the previous sign below.

What do you think of the changes to Kona Café? Let us know in the comments.

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

The post New Sign Added to Kona Café Ahead of Reopening at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort appeared first on WDW News Today.