When it comes to Disney World, one thing is always consistent: CHANGE.

Forky Cupcake

Things are always changing in Disney World. Rides close and new rides open. New restaurants are announced and new celebrations take over the parks. We’ve already seen a bit of change coming to Disney World restaurants and dining in 2023, but here are the three best changes so far.

Return of the Dining Plan Announced

Okay, we know a LOT of you will agree with us when we say one of the best things to happen to Disney World restaurants so far in 2023 regards the announcement about the return of the Disney Dining Plan. FINALLY! The dining plan has been absent since 2020, and although Disney had previously promised it would return, we had heard nothing but crickets about it until recently.

Cheese soup from Le Cellier

However, now we know the dining plan will return on January 9th, 2024, with guests being able to book a dining plan with their vacation packages as early as May 31st, 2023. Only two dining plans will return, though: the Quick-Service Dining Plan and the Standard Dining Plan. Disney has not yet released details on if the plans will change and what the prices will be, though.

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About The Disney Dining Plan

More Character Breakfasts Have Returned

If you’ve tried to book a character breakfast in Disney World recently, you might’ve had a bit of a hard time grabbing that advance dining reservation. However, we’ve got some good news on that front: more character breakfasts are returning, meaning you (as well as everyone else looking to book a breakfast) will have more choices and more chances to get a breakfast booked.

Chef Mickey’s

The breakfast dining experience at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT just recently reopened. That experience allows you to enjoy Norwegian pastries, waffles, eggs, sausage, and more breakfast fare. You’ll also get to meet some Disney princesses, including Aurora, Tiana, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle.

Belle at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

You’ll also soon be able to have a character breakfast at Garden Grill in EPCOT. Garden Grill will resume its character breakfast on June 14th, 2023. The menu will include some delicious breakfast fare like Cinnamon Breakfast Loaf, Smoked Bacon, Eggs, Cheesy Potato Casserole, and more. Although Disney has not yet confirmed which characters will be seen here, yet, we’ve previously seen Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Pluto at lunch and dinner. Reservations are now open for breakfast.

See the FULL Menu for Garden Grill’s Returning Breakfast

Roundup Rodeo BBQ Opened

It seems like we waited FOREVER for the new restaurant in Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to open. But Roundup Rodeo BBQ finally opened in March 2023. The restaurant serves up backyard BBQ fare right in Andy’s backyard (and beware — if Andy’s coming, you’ll have to freeze!).

Round Up Rodeo BBQ is open!

The restaurant features a lot of charming Toy Story theming, as well as some fun audio that plays for guests while they’re dining. If you eat here, you’ll want to take your time to take in all the unique details. Also, the food isn’t bad either!

Exposing the TRUTH about Disney World’s Newest Restaurant — Roundup Rodeo BBQ

Of course, there will be even more change coming up in 2023, including the opening of several new restaurants, including Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya at EPCOT, The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers at Disney’s BoardWalk, and Summer House on the Lake in Disney Springs.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for even MORE big dining changes, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

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What restaurant change are you most excited about in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

The post The Three BEST Restaurant Changes So Far in 2023 first appeared on the disney food blog.

Okay, this one is for you Finding Nemo fans.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends in Disney World

So if you’ve been on Disney World’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends in EPCOT A LOT or can’t pass by that pavilion in EPCOT without saying, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” or often quote lines from the movie (“fish are friends, not food”), this is for you. D23 Gold Members can get an EXCLUSIVE Finding Nemo 20th anniversary souvenir right now!

That’s right, it’s been 20 years since little Nemo first went missing and his dad and Dory went searching for him. To celebrate, a new EXCLUSIVE Finding Nemo Pin is available to D23 Gold members. The pin features Nemo, Bubbles, and the tank’s treasure chest. It flips open to display a big “20.”

©D23

You’ll be able to get your hands on this pin on May 30th on shopDisney. In the meantime, there are a lot of OTHER D23 Gold Member exclusive items you can get RIGHT NOW. In honor of the release of the live-action The Little Mermaid, you can also get a D23-Exclusive The Little Mermaid Pin.

©D23

This pin is limited to just 1,000, so when it’s gone, it’s gone. Grab it now!

Get The Little Mermaid Pin

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi with the D23-Exclusive Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Pin. 

©D23

This pin features the ICONIC lightsaber battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Buy The Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Pin

Speaking of anniversaries, Disney’s Three Little Pigs from Silly Symphonies turns 90 this year. D23 Gold Members can celebrate with a D23-Exclusive The Big Bad Wolf Pin.

©D23

This pin features the Big Bad Wolf against a wall of bricks.

Get the Big Bad Wolf Pin

You do have to be a D23 Gold Member to purchase these items. You can learn more about membership — as well as all the perks that come with a membership — on the D23 website. If you are a D23 Gold Member, you’ll need to log in to shopDisney with the same email address you use for your membership.

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Are you a D23 Gold Member? Let us know your favorite perk of membership in the comments!

The post D23 Members: Set Your Alarms for May 30th! first appeared on the disney food blog.

The Mattel Legacy Sweepstakes is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of ‘Jurassic Park’ by giving you the chance to win a Universal Theme Park Vacation.

Mattel Legacy Sweepstakes

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of ‘Jurassic Park,’ Mattel Legacy Sweepstakes is giving the chance to win a Universal Theme Park Vacation.

The winner of the sweepstakes will take the Grand Prize of their choice between a vacation to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort for four.

Five additional winners will receive a Mattel prize pack and a $100 Target gift card.

To enter the sweepstakes, click here.

There is no purchase necessary to be entered to win. Simply fill in your name and email address and you’ll be entered to win.

According to the website, “the sweepstakes is open to 48 U.S. & D.C. citizens, 18+ (or who have reached the age of majority in state of primary residence) at time of entry. Begins 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on 5/17/23 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on 7/4/23.”

Are you a Jurassic Park fan? Check out our full tour of the Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Tribute Store at Universal Studios Florida.

Will you be entering to win a Universal Vacation? Would you choose to go to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort? Let us know in the comments.

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

The post Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Sweepstakes Features Chance to Win Universal Theme Park Vacation appeared first on WDW News Today.

It’s always exciting when a new Disney food spot opens…

Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Paris

SO MANY new restaurants and bakeries are making their way to Disney Parks. Disney World is getting The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers. Porto’s Bakery & Cafe is coming to Downtown Disney in Disneyland. Now, a bake shop has just reopened in Disneyland Paris with new food items — and we’re about ready to jump on a plane to go visit it!

The shop can be found on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland Paris. It’s called the Cable Car Bake Shop and it’s themed around a San Francisco bakery. The shop was opened as part of a 10-year partnership between Bel and Disneyland Paris (you may know the company for its Babybel and Laughing Cow Cheese, or Kiri brand).

©Disneyland Paris

The shop reopened on May 25th and will offer some new delicious Kiri sweet treats, like a Cable Car Carrot Cake, Lombards St. Cupcake, Golden Gate Cheesecake, Presidio Muffin, and Tartelette Éclair. SOUNDS SO TASTY! The bakery will also feature cheese made in France in Sablé-sur-Sarthe,” from 100% French milk and cream.”

Just take a look at some of these mouth-watering treats:

©Disneyland Paris

There will be savory options available, as well, including Mickey-shaped sandwiches! LOVE IT!

©Disneyland Paris

The theming of the shop “takes guests to the heart of old San Francisco, while telling them a new story created by the Bel Group and Walt Disney Imagineering Paris.”

So if you DO happen to have a trip planned to Disneyland Paris (or you’re thinking of one), be sure to add the Cable Car Bake Shop to your “must-eat” list!

Have you checked out the latest Disney-themed t-shirts in our store? They’re perfect for visiting the parks, whether you’re visiting Disney World OR Disneyland Paris! Click here – you’ll want to pick some up before your next Disney trip!

Check Out the NEW Pixar Show Coming to Disneyland Paris!

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Have you ever been to Disneyland Paris? What was your favorite food there? Let us know in the comments!

The post Mickey-Shaped Sandwiches?! We NEED This Restaurant to Come to Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.

By now, you’ve probably heard all the rules and everything else you need to know about Genie+ — but have you truly become one with the service yet?

Lightning Lane

It seems as though Genie+ is here to stay whether you like it or not, but if you ask us, it’s a great way to see and do everything on your Disney World bucket list if you know what we’re doing. And since we know what we’re doing — we’re sharing our genius with you!

Pay LESS for Genie+

Disney Genie+ is a paid service that allows you to bypass standby lines and make reservations for the Lightning Lane at over 50 attractions across Disney World for one base price starting at $15 per day, per ticket at Disney World — but that price changes based on demand.

Genie+

Depending on the circumstances, that price could skyrocket — over spring break and the Easter holiday earlier this year, Genie+ reached its highest price yet at $35 per ticket. The same is true for Individual Lightning Lanes, which are priced per ride. You could pay just $10 to hop on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train one day and $15 the next.

Expedition Everest Lightning Lane

But, you can avoid paying more for Genie+ by planning carefully! Almost every time Genie+ has skyrocketed to its peak prices, it’s been on a Saturday. The cheapest days tend to be Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is when we sometimes see fewer crowds altogether.

If you truly want a better chance at buying Genie+ in Disney World (or Disneyland) for the cheapest possible price, try planning your trip so that you’re there during the middle of the week instead of the weekend.

Lightning Lane sign for Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

It’s also a good idea to look at pricing for tickets and hotels on the Disney World website around the time you’re thinking of visiting — since prices for both of those expenses also range depending on the time of year. If you notice ticket and hotel prices are at their peak costs during certain times of the year, assume Genie+ prices will also be high around then. And if prices drop, assume Genie+ prices will also be more reasonable around those same times, too.

Use the 120-Minute Rule To Score MORE Lightning Lanes

According to the Disney World website, you can book your next Lightning Lane when one of three things happens:

1. You have used the first one you booked;
2. Your first return time window has ended (if you miss it); or
3. 120 minutes have passed since you booked your last one* (or 120 minutes after park opening, depending on the situation).

Peter Pan’s Flight Lightning Lane

That last rule — #3, is what we’re talking about now. Essentially, you can book another Lightning Lane 2 hours (120 minutes) after reserving a previous one if the return time for the first Lightning Lane is more than 2 hours away. This was sort of an unofficial rule when Genie+ first debuted, but Disney has since set it in stone.

You can find Lightning Lanes at many attractions within the parks!

Let’s say that at 9AM you booked a Haunted Mansion Lightning Lane with a return time of 2PM. You don’t have to wait until 2PM to make another Lightning Lane reservation. Instead, 2 hours after you made that reservation, you can make another one. So at 11AM, you can choose another attraction AND you’ll still have the 2PM Haunted Mansion reservation.

Switch Up Your Selections (To Get on BETTER Rides)

What happens if you find a Lightning Lane selection you want more than one you already have booked? In the past, Genie+ users couldn’t modify Lightning Lane selections in the My Disney Experience app without canceling their reservation first — and that meant their 120-minute countdown would start over.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Lightning Lane

But, that all changed back in December 2022. Disney updated Genie+ so that you can modify your Lightning Lane reservations WITHOUT having to cancel them completely!

So, even if you modify your Lightning Lane for a different return time or a different ride entirely, you still won’t lose your 120-minute countdown! Modifications are super easy to make. Just tap on your current Lightning Lane selection to pull up a box of options. You’ll find one of the listed options to be “Modify Plans.” (See? Told ya it was easy.)

Frozen Ever After Lightning Lane sign in EPCOT

There you go — you’re a Genie+ PRO now. You’re welcome. But seriously, we know that planning a Disney World trip is A LOT. And this Genie+ thing can be so confusing – which is why we bring you posts like this so often But we’ve also put together a complete guide in ebook format that gives you all of the info you need, all in one place! Use code WDW2023 for 25% off our DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World.

Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World planning tips and tricks!

Check Out Our FULL Genie+ Guide Here

Do you like Genie+? Tell us in the comments.

The post 3 Tips to OUTSMART Genie+ in Disney World Right Now first appeared on the disney food blog.

Well, it’s Memorial Day weekend, and with that, we expect to see quite a few more people in Disney World.

Disney World might be busier this weekend

That’s usually the case with a three-day weekend, although we don’t think we’ll see the kind of crowds we saw during Spring Break. However, there’s already one sign that on May 28th, at least, will be a bit busier in the parks: the price for Genie+ has gone up to its highest than we’ve seen in over a month.

The pricing for Genie+ is flexible and is based on demand. When Disney expects more demand for the paid feature that allows visitors to skip long standby lines, Disney charges more for the service. So when the price of Genie+ goes up, we expect to see more people in the parks.

Genie+

Today, Genie+ is $25 per day per person. This is the highest price we’ve seen since April 15th.

That’s not the only price that’s gone up, though. The Individual Lightning Lane options for some rides are also higher today. Individual Lightning Lane is a SEPARATE feature for more popular Disney World rides that aren’t a part of Genie+. So if you want to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom, it will cost an additional $12 per person — this is also the highest we’ve seen since April 15th.

©Disney

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT can only be accessed by obtaining a spot in its virtual queue or through the Individual Lightning Lane option. Today, the price for the Individual Lightning Lane is $17 per person, which is also the highest we’ve seen since April 15th.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

The same goes for Flight of Passage in Disney’s Animal Kingdom: the Individual Lightning Lane cost for that ride is $16 per person, which is…again…the highest we’ve seen since April 15th.

Flight of Passage

TRON Lightcycle / Run also has a virtual queue, but the Individual Lightning Lane is $20 per person today. Likewise, Rise of the Resistance is $22 per person.

TRON Lightcycle / Run

We expect to see these high prices for Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane throughout Memorial Day weekend, but we’ll let you know if anything changes. So stay tuned to DFB for more.

Whew. We know that planning a Disney World trip is A LOT. And this Genie+ thing can be so confusing – which is why we bring you posts like this so often But we’ve also put together a complete guide in ebook format that gives you all of the info you need, all in one place! Use code WDW2023 for 25% off our DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World.

Can You DITCH Your Phone and Still Use Genie+ in Disney World?

How much are you willing to pay for Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane attractions? Let us know in the comments!

The post Genie+ Sees HIGHEST Price in Over A Month at Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.