National Churro Day is heading our way on June 6th, and there are some tasty-looking Minnie Mouse Ears on offer to celebrate! Shaped in the form of churros for the ears, this cinnamon sugar-laden headband looks good enough to eat. The ears are available now for $34.99 in honor of National Churro Day on June 6th.
Of course, the perfect treat to enjoy while you are wearing these sweet eats is a Disney classic, a churro with the ideal combination of crispy and soft textures. Churros are a Disney snacking staple, introduced to Disneyland Park in the 1960s and proving to be a fan-favorite ever since.
New and exciting bites and beverages for adventurous astronauts abound at Space 220 Lounge in EPCOT. Take a trip to the stars with us as we try all the selections available at this unique interstellar bar.
Space 220 Lounge ‘Flight Bites’
Only one new food item debuted but we took the opportunity to try some we haven’t reviewed before as well.
*NEW* Shrimp Cocktail – $24
Jumbo Shrimp, Classic Horseradish Cocktail Sauce
Though the shrimp are pretty large, this is overpriced at $24. The shrimp was delicious for sure, but not remarkable enough to warrant the premium cost.
Astro Deviled Eggs – $12
Free-Range Eggs, Maple Glazed Bacon, Scallion, Pickled Shallots, Micro Greens
The Astro Deviled Eggs are pretty much what you’d expect; however, they do come with some onion and a piece of bacon between each.
These are basic deviled eggs that are unremarkable on their own, but the accompanying bacon is a real standout. Some of the better bacon you will find on property, though.
This was pretty solid overall, though the peppers put it over the top. The calamari is well prepared, if a bit bland. Two dipping sauces are provided — marinara and aioli. The marinara is thin but with decent flavor and a kick. The aioli is also good, and handy for providing an alternate flavor profile to the spicy marinara — though the highlight of this dish is the Italian cherry peppers, which are fantastic.
Tempura Fried Cauliflower, Housemade Hot Sauce, Blue Cheese Dust
Honestly, this one didn’t wow us. The sauce is reminiscent of Frank’s RedHot, and gives the otherwise bland cauliflower a decent kick, though you will need to dip the cauliflower into the center of the plate to get to it.
Space 220 Lounge Drinks
All of the cocktails below are new, with the lounge having fully revamped the offerings.
It’s definitely our kind of thing. Tart, but not too tart. Sweet, with a blend of tropical juices. The trend of boba in cocktails has even made it to outer space. This refreshing and delicious cocktail has a distinctive rum flavor, and if there are tiki bars in space, surely this is on the menu.
Shuttle Crew – $18.00
Ketel One Peach, Orange Blossom vodka, vanilla, tangerine, Red Bull, and Tang foam
This unexpected and fantastic combination includes the addition of tang foam on top, which briefly tricks you into thinking the drink will be orange-forward. However, the peach taste really shines through, with a slight Red Bull kick at the end. Falling asleep at the controls of your space shuttle shouldn’t be a problem.
Speaking of falling asleep, this espresso will keep you going, in what amounts to a standard espresso martini but an uncommon finish with a section of a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich.
The ice cream floats, but the bottom of it gets pretty soggy.
Black Hole Fashioned – $18.00
Knob Creek bourbon, Demerara, whiskey barrel-aged bitters
Don’t let the purple hue fool you, there is no grape taste here. The presentation includes a treatment from the “flavor blaster,” which infuses a bit of a citrus flavor.
It may look like smoke, which is a popular presentation these days, but it’s not, and it doesn’t leave a smoky taste.
Who are we to argue with astronauts? This is a great zero-gravity take on an old fashioned.
The presentation on this one will fool you. It almost looks like a cupcake, and your mouth might start expecting the sweet taste of frosting, but it’s actually a salt and lime foam. Instead of ringing the glass with lime juice and salt, it’s just in the foam. This is a creative, well-themed, and delicious take on a watermelon margarita.
The foam helps set up the final presentation touch, which is a small collection of shredded, dried raspberries.
It’s served in a long-stemmed, beautiful glass, and is crisp and refreshing.
Galaxy Spritz – $17
Lagoon Bay aperitif, lychee liqueur, fresh lemon juice, prosecco
A true spritz. This one also does not taste like it looks. You might be expecting to taste Blue Curacao just based on its appearance, but it is not present. The prosecco dominates, but the overall drink was tasty and refreshing.
The inclusion of carrot juice might scare some people off, but they could really be missing out. Those in the group that didn’t like the idea of carrot juice admitted that the drink was pretty good. While weird, it’s one of the best cocktails on Disney property.
Saturn 2.0 – $16
Bacardi 8, Falernum, Ogeat, passion fruit, lemon juice
This tastes like a tiki drink, but it is given an out-of-this-world presentation, complete with a little wooden star. We liked the way the flavors worked together, and it was a relaxing sipper.
Are you a fan of Dooney and Bourke handbags? You might feel lost without the newest collection that just dropped. See if you want to grab one before it swims away. Disney Dooney & Bourke Collections Obsessions with bags and purses are a real thing. Throw in some luxury handbags and add fun Disney characters […]
We noticed some really oddly-timed closures for this one Magic Kingdom ride. But, why? Attraction Closures It is not uncommon for an attraction to experience a lot of downtime throughout the course of the day. Sometimes it’s a technical issue that needs resolved or the weather is forcing rides to close. We frequently see bad […]
Well, we can’t say we did not see that one coming. Roundup Rodeo BBQ Roundup Rodeo BBQ is a table-service restaurant located in Toy Story Land. This marks the first table-service restaurant and the second dining location in the land. Woody’s LunchBox opened with the land in 2018. As you may suspect by the name, […]
We’ve reached the end of another season of The Simpsons, one that was a mixed bag with some very memorable highs and a few instantly forgettable lows, but that’s not half bad for the longest-running scripted series in television history. And the episode that the powers that be at the show have chosen to close […]
We bring you a lot of stories every single day. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. So in case you missed anything from our feed, we have rounded up all our stories in one place to get the news at a glance. Here is your Daily Recap for Sunday, May 21, 2023.
Guests at the Spooky Empire convention this month who are Halloween Horror Nights fans were treated to a special panel featuring some of the women who design the iconic annual fright event.
Women Behind the Horror: A Halloween Horror Nights Panel
Five women who help design Halloween Horror Nights every year at Universal Parks around the world were welcomed to Spooky Empire 2023 in Orlando to talk about their annual roles and their place as women in the industry.
You can watch the full panel above, which took place on May 19, appropriately located at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando.
Speaking were Keirsten Kupiec – Director of Art and Design and Moderator of the panel, Kelly Malik – Show Director Creative Development, Kerstin Mais – Art Manager, Emily Blumenhour – Character Designer, and Stephanie Masco – Makeup Designer. During the panel, they discuss the women that impact Halloween Horror Nights, from Creative to Production to Technical, as well as what they love about their jobs and how it feels to be a woman in the Horror genre, and much more.
Halloween Horror Nights 32 Speculation Map
Horror Night Nightmares has shared a speculation map last month for Halloween Horror Nights 32 at Universal Studios Florida, featuring several differences from the first speculation map released by Horror Night Nightmares.
The only speculated show is Nightmare Fuel, which will likely be changed to differentiate it from the last two versions. Three scare zones are still unknown but one is labeled “The Last of Us” and another is “Holidayz.” Holidayz in Hell was a scare zone at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights 2018 and then a maze at Halloween Horror Nights 2019.
Here are the houses listed on this speculation map:
Chucky
The Exorcist: Believer
Demon Slayer
Pentagram (original)
Dragon (original)
Mystery
Carnival (original)
Universal Studios Monsters: Paris
“The Last of Us”
Devil (original)
There’s not much known about the original houses or the “top secret” IP, but here are the houses we do know a bit about:
“The Exorcist” haunted mazes appeared at Universal Studios Hollywood in Halloween Horror Nights 2016 and 2021. A haunted house was part of Halloween Horror Nights 26 at Universal Studios Florida.
Demon Slayer
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is a Japanese manga that ran from February 2016 to May 2020 and was adapted into an anime beginning in 2019. The anime’s third season premiered this month. The franchise has never had a presence at Halloween Horror Nights, but it’s not a bad contender for a potential house. It did have a special VR ride overlay in Japan a couple of years ago when the smash box office hit movie came out.
Universal Studios Monsters: Paris
There have been many houses featuring the Universal Studios Monsters throughout the past 31 years, and given their place in the hallows-eve halls of horror, their inclusion is not a surprise. This also follows the trend of the past few years. We had Universal Monsters in 2019, Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein in 2020 & 2021, and Universal Monsters: Legends Collide in 2022. A Parisian Monsters house could feature the Phantom of the Opera.
“The Last of Us”
“The Last of Us” is an HBO TV series (based on a video game) that is currently garnering viral popularity. While not a confirmation, Pedro Pascal (who plays Joel Miller, one of the series’ leads) likened the filming experience to “an extreme version of Halloween Horror Nights.” However, it’s worth noting that “The Last of Us” was also on last year’s first Universal Studios Florida speculation map but didn’t come to be — a good reminder to take the speculation map with a side of skepticism. The listed houses are rumors, and the plans can (and do) change at the last minute.
No longer speculated to be part of Halloween Horror Nights 32 are these houses:
As always, these speculation maps should be taken with a grain of salt as they are just speculation and plans are always liable to change.
Are you excited to hear about the women who impact Halloween Horror Nights? Let us know in the comments below!
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.
