Disney World rides will sometimes close temporarily due to technical difficulties or bad weather. Other times, the rides close for scheduled maintenance.

Disney usually announces those scheduled closures ahead of time so that you can be prepared for your next vacation. To help you get ready, check out this list of everything that’ll be CLOSED in Disney World next week!

Magic Kingdom

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Splash Mountain closed on January 23rd for a long refurbishment. The ride is being re-themed to become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with a Princess and the Frog theme.

The new ride will reopen sometime in late 2024. We’ll be watching for more updates on the reopening timeline. The tree at the top of this ride has been removed as Disney continues construction, and several new rock structures have been built at the bottom of the drop.

If you miss Splash Mountain or want to celebrate the new ride, you should check out our DFB t-shirts! We have a Splash Mountain Farwell Tour shirt…

…and a Tiana tee as well!

You can shop both tees (and lots of other Disney merch) at our online store.

Click here to shop our DFB merchandise store.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

This Little Mermaid-themed stage show has been closed in Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a long time now.

Disney hasn’t announced when or if the Voyage of the Little Mermaid will reopen.

Check out the NEW meet-and-greet at Hollywood Studios here.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The Boneyard

The Boneyard play area in DinoLand U.S.A. is going to be closed for all of next week in Animal Kingdom.

This spot will be closed for over a month as Disney refurbished it. It should reopen on June 13th. Part of the attraction — the Dino Dig Site — has reopened, however.

Check out recent updates from Animal Kingdom here.

Disney World Water Parks

Blizzard Beach

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park has officially reopened, but now the other water park, Blizzard Beach, has closed for refurbishment.

Be sure to check the My Disney Experience app for updates!

The BEST Rides at Blizzard Beach, Ranked

Looking for more resources to help you get ready for your upcoming trip? Check out these posts to learn all about Disney World’s rides:

• 10 Rides to AVOID in Disney World if You Struggle with Motion Sickness
• What It Takes to CHANGE a Disney World Ride
• 9 of the SCARIEST Rides in Disney World, According to YOU!
• A FULL LIST of the Thrill Rides in Disney World!
• The Ultimate Guide to the BEST and WORST Seats On EVERY Magic Kingdom Ride

We’ll keep you updated with all the latest news, so stay tuned to DFB.

Check out more closures, refurbishments, and projects happening at Disney World right now!

Planning a Trip to Disney World? We’ve Got Everything You Need to Know

• The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Disney World Vacation

• A Month-by-Month Guide to Planning Your Disney World Trip

• Tips, Hints, Lists, and Videos for Planning the BEST Disney World Trip

• Learn About the Disney Park Pass System

• The Ultimate Disney World Packing List

• Everything You Need to Know About Genie+

• Insider SECRETS for Your First Trip to Disney World

• A Complete Look at the Current Disney Discounts and Deals

• The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!

Join the DFB Newsletter to Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click Here to Subscribe

 

Are you visiting Disney World this week? Let us know in the comments!

The post Be Prepared for 4 Temporary CLOSURES in Disney World Next Week first appeared on the disney food blog.

Okay, dear readers, we asked you over on Instagram to pick your FAVORITE Disney World quick-service spot and you continue to surprise us!

In round 1, you voted for Connections Cafe & Eatery over Sunshine Seasons. In round 2, you voted EVERY SINGLE EPCOT fast food spot out of the running. In round 3, you got it down to just FOUR restaurants. Round 4 gave us our top TWO fast food spots going into the finals, so which one will reign supreme? Let’s find out!

Okay, so we have to say that the past few rounds have really surprised us, but we see you, DFB Readers. We know what you like. So when it came down to our final two quick service spots, you had opinions. So who did you choose? Well, let’s look at the final two contenders. First, we’ve got Woody’s Lunch Box at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which serves up those delicious Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Totchos.

In the other corner, over at Magic Kingdom, we have Casey’s Corner, which is an ICONIC dining spot that offers hot dogs and those AMAZING Corn Dog Nuggets (with plastic CHEESE).

So when it came time to choose between the two, the voting was close. But ultimately, only one could win, and that winner is…

…Casey’s Corner, which got 53% of the vote (we told you it was close)! Alright, DFB Readers, now we know where you definitively like to eat. Hot dogs for everyone!

If you’d like to participate in future DFB Brackets, be sure to follow us on Instagram! In the meantime, thank you to ALL our readers for voting and interacting with us on social media.

Climb aboard, explorers! A new “Finding Nemo” Spirit Jersey has splashed into Disneyland, specifically at the World of Disney Store in the Downtown Disney District.

Finding Nemo Spirit Jersey – $79.99

It has a white and blue tie-dye pattern reminiscent of the ocean against the sky.

Three “Finding Nemo” seagulls are pictured squawking on the front of the jersey.

“Finding Nemo” is across the back in orange lettering. Dory and Marlin are swimming across the bottom.

A few bubbles float up from Dory and Marlin.

Finding Nemo

Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” was released in 2003 and celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It stars Albert Brooks as Marlin, a clownfish who goes on a journey across the ocean to find his lost son, Nemo, voiced by Alexander Gould. Marlin is joined by Ellen DeGeneres’ Dory, a regal blue tang with short-term memory loss. Willem Dafoe voices Gill, a moorish idol who mentors Nemo when the little fish is brought to a dentist’s fish tank.

The critically-acclaimed film won the Academy Award and Saturn Award for Best Animated Film. It’s certified fresh with a 99% critic score and an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The 2016 sequel, “Finding Dory,” is about Dory’s search for her parents. Both films were directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton. Hayden Rolence voices Nemo in the sequel, with Gould making a cameo appearance as a delivery truck driver.

Though not as praised as its predecessor, “Finding Dory” still reached a 94% critic score and 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It won Best Animated Film at the Saturn Awards.

At Disney Parks, “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory” are represented with Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland, Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Nemo & Friends SeaRider at Tokyo DisneySea, and Crush’s Coaster at Disneyland Paris. “Finding Nemo” characters will be featured at Pixar Place Hotel at Disneyland Resort. A section of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World is dedicated to “Finding Nemo.”

For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.

The post New Finding Nemo Spirit Jersey Arrives at Disneyland Resort appeared first on WDW News Today.

It’s always a little depressing when a beloved ride closes in Disney World — even if it’s just temporary!

Sometimes the closure is permanent, like Splash Mountain, which is getting re-themed to become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Other times, ride closures are temporary due to technical issues. And sometimes, rides need to close to get some well-needed maintenance. That’s the case with a ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which just reopened after a months-long closure.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster closed in February for a loooong refurbishment. During that time, Disney did some maintenance on the ride and even gave it a few updates. The ride reopened just recently (surprising everyone in the process), so we had to hop on it to see exactly what has changed.

The premise of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is that you’re stepping into a super-stretch limo thanks to rock band Aerosmith (and the pre-show even shows the iconic band in a recording studio) to go on a thrilling ride through the dark highways of Los Angeles to the tune of Aerosmith’s music.

So for those of you who are fans of the roller coaster’s soundtrack, we’ve got some great news. The songs are still the same. Note that each coaster train may hear a different song from the playlist, but the songs haven’t changed from those that were played BEFORE the refurbishment. All of you Aerosmith fans can do a collective sigh of relief — the songs are safe!

The signs on the ride, though, have had a REFRESH: they’re freshly painted and visibly a lot brighter. Now, as you zoom past the highway signs and curvy palm trees, you can get a clear, bright look at the Imagineering details. Otherwise, though, the ride remains exactly the same.

The ride was notorious for breaking down a lot before its lengthy refurbishment, so let’s hope that whatever issues it was previously having have also been fixed. Be sure to check it out the next time you’re in Hollywood Studios — it’s a fan favorite for a reason!

We’ll keep you updated on ALL Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

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

Are you a fan of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster? Let us know in the comments!

The post What CHANGED at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster After Lengthy Refurbishment in Hollywood Studios first appeared on the disney food blog.

The worst part about Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration being over is that many of the AMAZING 50th Anniversary snacks went away with the celebration. (Looking at you:  Pressed Penny Silk Pie, and you, too, Mr. Monte Cristo)

But some of our favorites still held on under new names, like the Shimmer and Glimmer Blondie in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (we were SO relieved when we saw it on the menu). Another favorite of ours also stayed on the menu after the celebration ended, so we THOUGHT it might stick around for good, but sadly, as of May 27th, that treat is GONE.

Wendell’s Bear Claw at Westward Ho in Magic Kingdom is a traditional bear claw pastry dipped in and filled with chocolate and sprinkled with Hazelnuts. We absolutely LOVED this treat the first time we tried it — it’s simple, but it WORKS. We’ve ordered it many times since then. You know what they say: keep it simple, silly!

We were overjoyed when this treat stayed on the menu at Westward Ho even after the 50th Anniversary Celebration ended earlier this year. We even checked the menu recently in May, just to be sure!

But later in May, we noticed that it was no longer listed on the online menu, which made us nervous.

So we went to check again, and although it WAS just available at Westward Ho, a Cast Member told us that it would be going away soon. NOOOOO!!!! Well, we have to report that, as of NOW, Wendell’s Bear Claw is completely gone and off the menu. It’s no longer on the online menu for Westward Ho OR the physical menu AT Westward Ho.

So if you were hoping to grab it again, we’re sorry, but as far as we know, it’s no longer available anywhere. We’ll keep an eye out, though, to see if something similar pops up, and we’ll be sure to let you know if it does. So stay tuned to DFB for more!

We’re all about Disney FOOD here at DFB. We even wrote the book on it! Check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining in an ebook format you can easily download to your tablet or smartphone. Use code WDW2023 to save 25% on the cover price!

Read our Review of Wendell’s Bear Claw Here

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

 

Are you sad to see this snack go? Let us know if you got a chance to try it in the comments!

The post The DEVASTATING Menu Change in Disney World That Has Us in Tears first appeared on the disney food blog.

Construction crews have been working on guest room balconies of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn as part of an ongoing refurbishment of the resort. We also noticed crews working on the exterior of the BoardWalk Deli and the new Cake Bake Shop. Take a look with us.

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Balcony Refurbishment

A cherry picker is parked on the sidewalk behind green temporary fencing. 

Some crew members were on the ground, but others were on some of the balconies.

The Village Green area of the resort is covered in artificial turf and is centrally located between Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, the Disney Vacation Club wing of the resort.

There are rooms with a “BoardWalk View” that are located over the shops that line the BoardWalk. These rooms are also getting a fresh coat of paint.

We spotted two workers in a cherry picker painting the trim around these rooms.

Boardwalk Deli

In addition to the work happening to balconies of guest rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, we spotted a crew giving a fresh coat of white paint to the trim around the windows and entry to BoardWalk Deli.

The deli remained open while this work went on.

Some workers stood on ladders to get high, others lay on the ground to get low.

The Cake Bake Shop

At the far edge of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, reconstruction has begun on the building for The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers. The building was once home to ESPN Club, and while the basic shape will remain the same, many of the walls and the tower were demolished for the re-theming.

Crews have recently added new steel beams to the top of the building, creating a new tower.

The new tower has an updated shape and will have windows, according to concept art. It’s shorter, with a second smaller tower at its center.

Guests will enter the quick-service bakery through the right-hand entrance, which was previously the main entrance to ESPN Club at Disney’s BoardWalk.

The entrance to the Cake Bake Shop table-service restaurant will be at the front and center of the hexagonal structure.

The rooftop has rough edges where the original tower was torn away. Over the construction walls, we can also see that most of the exterior walls were knocked down, leaving just the supports.

The construction walls feature images of some of the desserts we may be able to try at the Cake Bake Shop once it opens.

The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers

The concept art above shows how the refurbished building will be covered in windows and lights. Planters will line an outdoor seating area. The color scheme seems to be white, pink, and gold.

A permit for the “buildout of the Cake Bake Shop” was filed in March and contracts Johnson-Lancaster and Associates, Inc. The Clearwater-based company provides and installs food service equipment.

The Cake Bake Shop is set to open at Disney’s BoardWalk later this year, but two locations already exist at Broad Ripple Village in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Carmel City Center in Carmel, Indiana. The combination restaurants and bakeries are known for their lavish decor, artfully composed dishes, and afternoon tea experiences. Online ordering is also available.

Gwendolyn Rogers established the first Cake Bake Shop with a $300,000 loan and a dilapidated house. After two years of construction, the Cake Bake Shop opened with only two employees, including Rogers. She decorated the quaint house for the holidays and her baking was a huge success. She opened the second, larger location a few years later. A description of the Cake Bake Shop on its website reads:

When you arrive you walk through French doors, sparkling chandeliers over head, antiqued mirrors, French inspired furniture, beautiful seasonal decorations, gorgeous cakes on French porcelain platters topped with glass domes. Gwendolyn’s shops offer the most incredible experience from ‘The Best Quiche You Will Ever Have’ to homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, even a true French Croque Monsieur. Behind the kitchen window you can see the master bakers gently sieving non-bromated flours from Vermont, there are large pots of French & Belgian Chocolate melting on the stove, cakes baking in the ovens and decorators frosting the most exquisite cakes.

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

The post PHOTOS: New Cake Bake Shop Taking Shape, Painting Continues on Balconies and Deli at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn appeared first on WDW News Today.

We’ve all been there — you’re in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and you are just VERY overwhelmed.

Hot, sweaty, and stressed while trying to navigate the park? We experience that almost every day. Been waiting in line for hours at Rise of the Resistance? We bet those feet hurt. That’s why we’re here to share some good (and some not so good) news about Hollywood Studios!

We’ll start with the good news — even though it is Memorial Day weekend, Rise of the Resistance has stayed at a pretty manageable average wait time. This is not guaranteed, but hopefully the popular Star Wars ride will not have multi-hour waits if you are visiting soon. On the other hand, Tower of Terror saw a pretty big increase in wait times over the last week increasing by 31%.

Take a look at that drop and the rest of the average Disney World wait times below.