The 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival kicked off back on March 1st, but the EPCOT Farmers Feast booth has been keeping things fresh all festival long!

One of our favorite things about EPCOT festivals is exploring ALL of the limited-time food and drink options available at the food booths around the park. And while most of the food booths stick with the same menu for the duration of the festival, EPCOT Farmers Market has been switching things up with not one, not two, but THREE separate menus! Today, EPCOT Farmers Market debuted its third and final menu of this year’s festival. So, of course, we had to stop by and try out all of the latest offerings!

Menu

From May 21st through July 5th, Farmers Feast will be serving up the Summer Solstice Menu, with different options than the booth’s previous Early Bloom Menu and Springtime Menu.

Today kicks off a brand NEW menu at the Farmers Feast booth at EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival! Here’s a look at the updated menu! pic.twitter.com/YufbWZjOvr

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) May 21, 2023

The Summer Solstice Menu features a few returning eats, as well as the NEW Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée with Corn Biscotti.

Now, who’s ready to dive in and try the latest Flower & Garden menu additions??

Eats

Let’s dig in!

We’re trying the new menu at the Farmers Feast booth in EPCOT! We got the Tomato and Red Onion Panzanella for $5.25, Barbecue-seared Pork Tenderloin for $6.50, and Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée for $4.75! pic.twitter.com/MZJAkZXmap

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) May 21, 2023

First up for food, have the returning Tomato and Red Onion Panzanella with avocado, burrata cheese, and fresh basil. We can’t fault the presentation — it’s beautiful. You can even watch them make it in front of you if you want. The croutons aren’t especially crunchy but are more like a soft bread that crumbles in your mouth.

The herbs on the salad offer up some salty flavor, but at times, it was almost TOO salty. We did a lot of mixing up the food a bit to cut down on all that saltiness.

Next, there’s another dish that we’ve enjoyed at the festival in previous years, the Barbecued Seared Pork Tenderloin with summer succotash, herb butter, and grapefruit vinaigrette. The pork tenderloin is perfectly cooked and packed full of flavor. The grapefruit vinaigrette really helped bring those flavors to life, too.

The summer succotash, though, tasted like a cold salad — we found it a little weird when combined with the hot tenderloin.

And finally, we tried the brand new addition to the Summer Solstice Menu, the Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée with corn biscotti! Yep, it’s a REAL crème brûlée with the taste of cream corn. The problem, though, is that the corn and sugar are so busy battling it out for flavor that by the time we ate more, all we could taste was corn. If you love corn, that might not be a problem, though.

The biscotti, though, was delicious and wasn’t too hard or crunchy to bite into.

You’ll probably have to love both corn AND crème brûlée to appreciate this treat.

Drinks

There aren’t any new beverages on the Summer Solstice Menu, but throughout the whole festival, the Farmers Feast booth has offered a few unique drinks, like the Collective Arts Brewing Blueberry & Elderberry Sparkling Hard Tea priced at $5.50 for 6 oz. and $9.50 for 12 oz.

Plus, there’s the Ghost Mary, a Translucent Bloody Mary with Boyd & Blair Cucumber Vodka, tomato water, horseradish, celery salt, and a hint of pepper, priced at $11.50.

You can check out our full review of the Ghost Mary here!

Overall

Overall, we tried some salty, savory dishes that we would consider ordering again. Admittedly, nothing blew our socks OFF, but we also didn’t spit out any food in total disgust. The Summer Solstice Menu will be available at Farmers Feast from now through the final day of the Flower & Garden Festival on July 5th.

Are you gearing up for a trip to the 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival? If so, we’ve got you covered! Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Garden Rocks Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2023 Flower and Garden Booth Menus
• See what eats you’ll need to try to get a PRIZE at the Festival!

And don’t forget to snag our 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival e-book as your one-stop guide to help you get the most out of your festival experience!

Master the 2023 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival With Our FREE DFB Printable!

A curtain has gone up in the back of the Comics Shop on Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, with its placement indicating a possible expansion of the space.

Marvel Super Hero Island Comics Shop

The Comics Shop is located immediately beyond The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, headed in the direction of Toon Lagoon, with a wide selection of comic books, action figures, collectibles, autographed materials, art, apparel, and accessories.

A black curtain is situated in the back of the store, around the wall shared between this space and the Photos Shop, where guests can meet and take pictures with an assortment of Marvel supers.

The Photos Shop was once a boutique that sold merchandise, such as Loungefly bags. It subsequently closed and became a character meet and greet in 2021, though this may be coming to an end.

Previously, guests could meet superheroes (occasionally villains) who appeared on a rotation, and have the option of purchasing photos from the experience at a separate counter after. The character signs are gone now, and a similar black curtain is up here as well.

The Complicated Marvel Entanglement Between Universal and Disney

In a 1994 agreement, Universal secured the theme park rights to the Marvel brand east of the Mississippi River, and eventually opened Marvel Super Hero Island along with Universal’s Islands of Adventure in 1999. All of this happened before the Hollywood superhero box office boom we know today. Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” was released in 2000 with great success, soon followed by Sam Raimi’s revolutionary 2002 iteration of “Spider-Man.” The latter became the highest-grossing film based on a comic book of all time upon release, and prompted major investment in a vast array of DC and Marvel film forays.

In 2008, Marvel Studios produced “Iron Man,” initially distributed by Paramount Pictures and foundational in the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel the following year, and this is where the theme park complications arise.

Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ballooned to unparalleled popularity, some guests may be confused to see Captain America or Wolverine at a Universal park, while nearby Walt Disney World seems to be missing these characters entirely. While Disney does technically own Marvel, the older agreement regarding the intellectual property holds firm.

Disney officially owns Marvel, and is now involved with all of Marvel’s films; however, the 1994 agreement stands in full legality and respect. Universal is under no obligation to forfeit their rights to the various characters and franchises. That being said, the interwoven nature of Marvel’s various partnerships from the past, including Sony’s previous involvement, causes issues for both parties.

At a recent Disney shareholders’ meeting, CEO Bob Iger was asked about these restrictions, and he responded:

We certainly would love to be able to do more with Marvel in our parks, but I’ll leave it at that.

Because of the nature of the various agreements, sometimes MCU-related merchandise is available at Universal Orlando Resort, even though the MCU is Disney’s domain.

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 PHOTOS: Curtain Blocks Off Part of Marvel Super Hero Island Comics Shop at Universal’s Islands of Adventure appeared first on WDW News Today.

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Can you ever REALLY have too much Disney merchandise?

That’s a trick question because we all know the answer is “no,” right? But here’s the thing, there’s just SO much Disney stuff to collect, Loungeflys to wear, and plushes we want that it’s hard to make a decision just on WHAT to buy (unless you have an unlimited budget). So we’re going to help you make those decisions by telling you about all the latest Disney sales, including one going on RIGHT NOW.

The Spring Sale is ON over at shopDisney with up to 40% off select clothing, toys, and more, but there’s a catch — it ends TONIGHT (May 21st). So if you’ve been holding out on grabbing these deals, don’t wait a second longer.

If you’ve had your eyes on this adorable Tinker Bell Loungefly Mini Backpack, now’s the time to do it while it’s 30% off. The backpack has Tinker Bell front and center, with a cute little hidden Tinker Bell graphic on the back.

But wait, there’s more. Because this backpack ALSO lights up! The front panel has an LED light and a night light. How cool, right?

Get the Tinker Bell Loungefly Mini Backpack

For you Munchlings fans, we know how popular that Baymax S’mores Munchlings Plush is, but right now, IT’S ON SALE. So if you haven’t grabbed it yet, now would be a very good time.

This cute little guy has detailed plush sculpting and embroidered features, and it even SMELLS like a S’mores.

Buy the Baymax S’mores Munchlings Plush

Did you know you can even get Disney Crocs on sale? The Mickey & Co. Crocs for Adults are ON SALE! These Crocs have adorable Mickey Jibbitz all over them. What a BONUS!

We know how many of you love Crocs as your Disney park shoes, so now’s the time to get them while they’re on sale.

Get the Mickey & Co. Crocs

Be sure to head on over to shopDisney NOW to get these deals before they’re gone. Remember, if you spend $75 or more, you can also get free shipping by using the code SHIPMAGIC when you check out.

While you’re in the shopping mood…have you checked our DFB exclusive graphic tees and merch? It’s super fun stuff to wear to the parks, or to rep your happy place at the grocery store! Click here to visit the DFB Merch Store!

Here Are 5 Amazon Disney Deals You Simply CANNOT Miss

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

Did you grab something from this sale? Let us know what you got in the comments!

The post HURRY! Disney’s Major Sale on Hundreds (!!!) of Disney Items Ends SOON first appeared on the disney food blog.

If you’ve been wondering where things stand with the Mary Poppins attraction in EPCOT, we have been too!

Lots of projects were announced during the D23 Expo that teased this attraction including Journey of Water inspired by Moana which is set to open to park guests later this year. Since then, we’ve had very confusing updates on this project and it seems that its mention has been wiped from the parks for a while now. Here’s what we do know!

It’s been a little while since we last talked about this project, so let’s rewind a bit. We first learned of the Mary Poppins attraction back in August 2019 during the D23 Expo. Among other projects, the then-CEO of Disney Parks Bob Chapek announced the upcoming attraction in a massive overhaul of EPCOT. This project was slated along with Journey of Water Inspired by Moana (that’s currently set to debut in the fall of 2023), a reimagining of Spaceship Earth, a brand new circle-vision movie for China named Wondrous China in the World Showcase, and more. These projects were announced as part of a multi-year reimagining of EPCOT and its attractions.

In case you’re not familiar with it, EPCOT’s Odyssey building was home to the EPCOT Experience, which overtook its seating area to show off the expansive projects that were to come. Initially, the Mary Poppins attraction was included in a brief section of the film that accompanied the UK Pavilion as the project spanned each affected section of the park including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and introduced us to the icons and new names given to each “neighborhood” of EPCOT in World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature and World Showcase.

Then, in March 2022, Disney released a statement saying the project had become “postponed” along with a few others like the retheming of Spaceship Earth. While we were bummed, we held out hope that we would get further updates down the line about the attraction, since Disney didn’t use words like “canceled” in their statement.

But something must have changed since that announcement because in July 2022 we noticed that the section of the EPCOT Experience that teased the upcoming attraction was quietly removed from the rolling script. We’ve tried checking on this for a while, but since our last update on this project in October 2022 we haven’t heard anything more on it. 

So that leaves us to question if Disney has quietly scrapped this project for good, or if this is truly just an extended postponement that we’ll hear an announcement on further in the future. For now, it seems we will have to wait and see what more Disney will have to say on this and other projects that were announced within that same timeline. We promise to keep you updated on this as we hear more, so for the latest in Disney parks news stay tuned to Disney Food Blog!

Construction on EPCOT’s Brand NEW Restaurant is Underway!

Do you think we will still see a Mary Poppins attraction at EPCOT? Tell us your thoughts below!

The post Has Disney World Canceled its EPCOT Mary Poppins Project? first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disneyland Resort is SO busy right now — a LOT is going on! Not only did Disneyland just get its own version of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (with an AMAZING queue), but the land it resides in, ToonTown, also got a big makeover.

Disneyland is also retheming Tarzan’s Treehouse, as well as building an all-new Tiana’s Palace restaurant. On top of that, DisneylandForward is moving forward to work with the city of Anaheim to expand the resort. PLUS, a new Disney Vacation Club (DVC) tower called The Villas at Disneyland Hotel is being built at the Disneyland Hotel — and now that tower has been officially given a name.

If you’ve ever been to the Disneyland Hotel, you’ll know that each tower at the hotel has a unique name. The three existing towers are Fantasy, Adventure, and Frontier. Thanks to @just_ask_danny, we now know the name of the DVC Tower: Discovery Tower. That’s a name that’s VERY on-brand for Disney, right?

NEW: Disneyland Hotel officially debuts the name of its newest tower…the Discovery Tower. They will now have Fantasy, Adventure, Frontier and Discovery. pic.twitter.com/4abozAEWYH

— Just Ask Danny (@just_ask_danny) May 20, 2023

The Discovery Tower at the Disneyland Hotel officially opens on September 28th, 2023. The L-shaped tower will feature 12 stories and 350 DVC villas, plus a new pool, outdoor bar, interactive play area, community hall, and fitness center.

The tower will include a variety of rooms: studios, duo studios, deluxe studios, one- and two-bedroom villas, and multi-level grand villas. Every room will feature modern decor with nods to classic Disney movies. Duo studios will have a Jungle Book theme, while the deluxe studios will have Sleeping Beauty or Princess and the Frog themes. The one- and two-bedroom villas are themed to Princess and the Frog and Fantasia. The multi-level grand suites will feature the themes of Bambi, Frozen, and Moana.

Bookings for the new rooms in the Discovery Tower are already open to DVC members and open to the general public on May 30th, 2023. DVC members can book reservations by contacting Member Services at (800) 800-9800. Disneyland Resort Magic Key holders can make reservations by calling (714) 956-6425. The general public can book by calling (714) 956-6425.

We can’t wait for this new addition to open! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more!

Here’s an UPDATE on Disney’s “Bold” Avatar Experience

Will you be booking a room at The Villas at Disneyland? Let us know in the comments!

The post Disney REVEALS Name for New DVC Hotel Tower first appeared on the disney food blog.

If you’re thinking about heading to Disney World soon, there’s a lot you’ve got to consider. Did you buy your tickets? Have you made park pass reservations? What about a hotel, and figuring out which of the many, many restaurants you’re going to dig into?

And, what might be the most important of all — how are you going to tackle those rides?! You could be a staunch standby supporter and wait in lines the old-fashioned way, or you could pay more to skip the lines with Genie+. But, do you still even need Genie+ in Disney World?

Things have been a bit…chaotic around Disney World, to say the least. We’ve seen construction changes and new restaurants open, and we’ve also just learned that a ton of updates are on the horizon for the parks — including changes to Genie+.

Disney has acknowledged that they’ve heard guests saying they wish they could “plan with Disney Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of their park visit” and Disney has now shared that they’re “working on ways guests may do this for visits in 2024.”

You might remember that Genie+’s predecessor, FastPass+, allowed guests to plan which rides they wanted to skip the line on well in advance of their trip — and Disney is possibly working on a way to make that happen next year. They haven’t revealed just what those changes will be yet, but more details are set to be released at a future date. It seems the overall goal will be to “simplify” your Genie+ experience.

But, since those potential changes aren’t rolling out anytime soon, we’ve still got to work with the Genie+ we’ve got. And if you’re wondering whether or not you might need the skip-the-line service on your upcoming trip — here’s what we know.

Now that Genie+ is subject to surge pricing, we can usually get a good idea of the demand for the service based on how much the cost fluctuates from day to day. This week, the price of Genie+ has steadily gone down, but we’ve still got the weekend ahead of us. On Monday, May 15th, Genie+ was $22 per person, per day. The Individual Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was $11, Cosmic Rewind was $15, Rise of the Resistance was $22 (!!!), Flight of Passage was $14, and TRON was $20.

The next day, demand for Genie+ didn’t seem quite as high based on pricing. The base price was $20 per person, per day. That pattern continued for the following day, and the cost of Genie+ dropped again — to $18 per person, per day. But, as the weekend crept up — so did the price to skip the lines. By Thursday, Genie+ was back to $22 for the standard service.

We haven’t seen multi-hour waits in the parks recently, with recent Magic Kingdom waits barely breaking 90 minutes for Seven Dwarfs. In EPCOT, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was the longest wait with 95 minutes. It’s no surprise that Flight of Passage had the highest wait in Animal Kingdom recently, reaching 105 minutes at its peak. Similarly, Rise of the Resistance has seen sub-100-minute waits recently.

So, do you need Genie+ in Disney World right now? It’s complicated. But, it’s probably a good idea to budget a little extra on your trip in case the wait times aren’t what you’re expecting. Either way, we’ll keep up with the latest Genie+ pricing and Disney World news, so stick with DFB for more.

We know that planning a Disney World trip is A LOT. And this Genie+ thing (especially when combined with everything else) can be so confusing – which is why we bring you posts like this. 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!

Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney Genie+ news and more!

Learn Everything You Need To Know About Genie+ Here

Are you still using Genie+ in the parks? Tell us in the comments.

The post Genie+ Changes Are Planned for Disney World — But Do You Still Need It NOW? first appeared on the disney food blog.