Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite Disney parks in the world, not just the Disney world! It has a unique point of difference to offer guests who aren’t looking for the same-samey feel of Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a completely different feel to it. Even though it does have a centerpiece, the Tree of Life, the layout of this park makes you feel like you are entering different areas of the world and exploring the animal life and culture they have to offer. However, there are a few mistakes you want to steer clear of making while you are planning your time in AK. Let’s run through five assumptions you shouldn’t make about your trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Don’t Assume the Park Will Be Shady and Cool

Even though every image of this beautifully manicured theme park is filled with colorful foliage and natural-looking decorations, don’t assume that this is the perfect destination on a hot day. All of that greenery can have a different effect, causing rainforest-like conditions that spike humidity and increase how hot the park feels. Actually, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of the hottest parks for this reason and can often leave people feeling overwhelmed if they aren’t adequately hydrated.

Don’t Attempt This Park for the First Time as a Half-Day Park

The youngest of the Walt Disney World theme parks often gets a bad wrap online, with many calling it a half-day park, meaning you don’t need to spend a full day there. However, if you’ve never visited before, don’t make the mistake of allocating too little time to enjoy it. There is plenty to see and do that will fill your entire day and hopefully have you sticking around in the evening to catch a glimpse of Pandora – The World of Avatar as it comes to life after dark.

Don’t Expect This Park To Be Less Crowded

The way some return guests talk about it, you would be forgiven if you assume that this park will attract a significantly lower share of attendance. Even so, our forgiveness won’t help you when you are standing in the hour-and-a-half Flight of Passage line, wishing you had come earlier. Disney’s Animal Kingdom attracts a lot of guests, and though they disperse well within the designated areas, don’t make the mistake of assuming this will be a quieter overall experience. Go into the park with the same expectations as the other three, expecting crowds and long wait times for more popular attractions.

Don’t Write Off Character Experiences

When you think of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you might be thinking of attractions like Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and DINOSAUR. Just because this park doesn’t integrate as many of the cinematic characters as Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some unique interactions. For a full list of characters you can find in AK, click here. Character Dining is also available; more details on that one are here.

Don’t Forget To Check Height Requirements

The animal-themed Disney park has some fantastic attractions for everyone to enjoy, though it arguably doesn’t have as much variety as some of the other parks. With the more popular rides attracting a higher-than-expected height requirement, make sure you know what to expect if you have younger thrill-seekers who are expecting to ride. Here are the height limitations to keep in mind:

• Avatar Flight of Passage – Guests must be 44 inches (112 centimeters) or taller
• DINOSAUR – Guests must be 40 inches (102 centimeters) or taller
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain – Guests must be 44 inches (113 centimeters) or taller
• Kali River Rapids – Guests must be 38 inches (97 centimeters) or taller

If you are in the planning stages of preparing for a day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, those are my top five mistakes to avoid. If you need any more advice, head on over to our DISboards community or get in touch with your Dreams Unlimited Travel Agent.

The post Five Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make Planning for Disney’s Animal Kingdom first appeared on DIS.

San Fransokyo Square is open now at Disney California Adventure, and the “Big Hero 6” themed land now features the San Fransokyo Maker’s Market gift shop.

San Fransokyo Maker’s Market

Outside the Maker’s Market are banners featuring different bots with red Xs across them.

The only bot without a red X is Hiro’s Megabot, the reigning champion. There are signs for the Maker’s Market in both English and Japanese, just like other signage throughout the land.

Inside, merchandise is displayed in large open toolboxes, each one representing a different bot and their maker.

This one says “Property of Mr. Yama.” In “Big Hero 6,” Megabot defeats Yama’s robot, Little Yama.

The next box is for “Snips House of Razors,” featuring splotches of pink paint and skulls. Snips is a bot defeated by Little Yama in “Big Hero 6.”

The bots themselves sit among wires atop the merchandise displays.

Worm Bot and its owner, Trina, appeared in “Big Hero 6: The Series.”

A box for Saw Bot — which also appeared in “Big Hero 6: The Series” — with several warnings on it is closed and next to the register. The register is housed in a crate stamped with the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology logo.

A box for Cerberus Bot features green lettering and radioactive symbols. “Beware of Dog” is on the side. Cerberus also appeared in “Big Hero 6: The Series.”

Rolling merchandise displays full of Baymax plush are also stamped with the Institute of Technology logo in yellow.

If you look up, you might spot a hidden Baymax between two of the overhead lights. Do you see him? Let us know in the comments.

Read more about San Fransokyo Square below:

• PHOTOS, VIDEO: Meet Hiro and TALKING Baymax in San Fransokyo Square at Disneyland Resort
• PHOTOS: Updated Baymax Sipper Debuts in San Fransokyo Square at Disneyland Resort
• PHOTOS: Baymax Bread Arrives at San Fransokyo Square in Disney California Adventure

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 FIRST LOOK at the ‘Big Hero 6’ San Fransokyo Maker’s Market Gift Shop in Disney California Adventure appeared first on WDW News Today.

Spooky season is in full swing in Disney World!

It’s time to decorate!

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has begun, the best Halloween decor has arrived on Main Street, and Pumpkin Spiced Lattes are BACK at Main Street Bakery! If you’re holding out for the real holiday to head to Disney World and you have big plans for when you get there, you’re probably going to want to make some reservations for your trip. If so, mark your calendars — an important planning date is coming up!

Halloween is a popular time in Disney World! If you have plans to visit on October 31st, 2023, and have your heart set on a particular restaurant — get ready. Advanced Dining Reservations for that date open up soon!

Skipper Canteen

Starting on September 1st, 2023, you’ll be able to make those dining reservations on the My Disney Experience App, on Disney World’s website, or by phone. If you’re making them online, reservations open online at 6AM EST, but we recommend trying to book as early as 5:45AM, as some open a little bit early.

Magic Kingdom Halloween Decorations

You can make reservations on the My Disney Experience app within the same time frame, but the phone lines for reservations open up at 7AM EST.

Mickey Waffle!

Make sure you stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news!

The WORST Things People Are Doing at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Are you planning on visiting Disney World on Halloween this year? Let us know in the comments below!

The post DON’T FORGET: Dining Reservations Open SOON for an Important Disney World Date first appeared on the disney food blog.

It’s here! Halloween season is upon us!

Halloween Time

We’ve already been to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We’re gearing up for Oogie Boogie Bash. We’re buying SO MUCH Disney Halloween merchandise. But we know Halloween is really here when we get the line-up for Freeform’s 31 nights of Halloween. That’s right, 31 nights of nothing but spooky movies. Now we know which movies we’ll be watching this year.

So grab that pumpkin spice latte (yep, it’s time for that, too) and settle in for all 31 nights in October to watch ALL the Halloween movies and TV episodes. This year’s lineup includes some classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Maleficent, and more. Check it out below:

©Freeform

If you don’t want to wait until October, though (and we don’t blame you), you can get your spooky season on right now: a lot of great Halloween content is available on Disney+, including Hocus Pocus, Hocus Pocus 2, Halloweentown, Nightmare Before Christmas, Marvel’s Werewolf By Night, and more!

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news!

Looking for some fun spooky gear to wear? Have you checked our DFB exclusive graphic tees and merch?

DisneyFoodBlog Halloween Merchandise

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!

The WORST Things People Are Doing at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

What’s your favorite spooky movie or Halloween TV episode? Let us know in the comments!

The post FULL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED for Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween first appeared on the disney food blog.

You can certainly find some cute Disney merchandise in the parks and online.

Inside Island Mercantile

Between new Minnie ears, new bags, and new clothes, you can find lots of cute Disney items. But these NEW Disney items are some of the CUTEST things we’ve seen in a while!

shopDisney (Disney’s online store) is full of fun merchandise. They have recently added some new earrings that just might take the cake! These earrings feature lots of classic Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. They didn’t just drop ONE set of earrings though — there are EIGHT different sets of earrings!

Mickey and Minnie at Cinderella Castle

Get the Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Daisy Earrings

The earrings are by Girls Crew and the first set features Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Daisy!

©shopDisney

They’re so sparkly! The earrings are 18k gold plated over brass and cubic zirconia stones to accent each character’s signature accessory.

©shopDisney

These would be perfect for a park day!

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Pluto Earrings

The next set is a set of two matching earrings of Pluto carrying a shiny, pink ball!

©shopDisney

These are also dazzling with 18k gold-plated brass and cubic zirconia stones. He has a beautiful jeweled collar and a jeweled ball! These are so fun for the Pluto lovers!

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Donald and Daisy Duck Earrings

Then we have the love birds, Donald and Daisy Duck. This is a set of 4 earrings featuring Donald and Daisy and two hearts, one pink and one blue.

©shopDisney

You get lots of glimmer with these beautiful earrings. Donald and Daisy are opalescent icon studs while they’re accented with pink and blue cubic zirconia jewels. We can’t help but be in love with these!

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Goofy Earrings

The next set might be the “goofiest.” It’s Goofy with his two front teeth and hat as jewels!

©shopDisney

We cannot get over his two cubic zirconia front teeth! Of course, his iconic hat is made from a green stone that fits just perfectly.

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Mickey & Minnie “Love” Earrings

The next four sets of earrings by Girls Crew feature our favorite Disney couple, Mickey and Minnie Mouse! The first of these is a set of 4 earrings with Mickey and Minnie going in for a kiss along with a pink heart and the word “love.”

©shopDisney

They really show off the love between Mickey and Minnie, making these earrings that much more special.

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Mickey and Minnie Earrings

Then as if embarrassed by their kissing, Mickey and Minnie look adorable and bashful in the next pair which comes as a set of two with just the couple accented with jewels on their bow, tie, and Mickey’s ears.

©shopDisney

Mickey and Minnie are sure to love these if you visit them in the park!

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Mickey & Minnie Blue Earrings

©shopDisney

Last, we have two matching sets of Mickey and Minnie. One set comes in blue.

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

Get the Mickey and Minnie Pink Earrings

And the other set comes in pink jewels.

©shopDisney

Both are timeless sets with a whimsical feel featuring the icon couple.

SHOP ON SHOPDISNEY

We really can’t get over how cute these new earrings are. So simple, yet iconic with shimmer and character! They would all make great park-day earrings.

Be sure to check back to DFB for more shopDisney items!

Check out our DFB Amazon storefront for more new Disney merchandise!

The post This NEW Online Collection Will Make Your Disney World Outfit 10x BETTER! first appeared on the disney food blog.