A Walt Disney World Monorail is stuck between EPCOT and the Transportation and Ticket Center, and guests are currently being evacuated.

Walt Disney World Monorail Stuck

A Disney World monorail came to a complete stop this morning while on its way to Epcot. A passenger on board told me they heard a loud explosion sound & then a flash of light. His cart was evacuated about 15 mins ago. Working to confirm what caused it to break down. @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/BhyMVQ6GSQ

— Pattrik Perez (@PattrikPerez) October 31, 2023

FOX 35 Orlando reporter Pattrik Perez shared photos of the scene on X at 10:56 a.m. on October 31, 2023, over an hour after FOX 35 first reported on the news. Photos and videos from inside the Monorail are by Kris Lenk, who was stuck on the Monorail but has since been evacuated.

NEW: Reedy Creek confirms that a Disney monorail was stuck and that Reedy Creek Fire Department and Orange County Fire Department responded. People being evacuated. #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/fIuuQQnfeK

— Landon McReynolds (@LandonProducer) October 31, 2023

News 6 WKMG Producer Landon McReynolds said that the Reedy Creek Fire Department and Orange County Fire Department responded to the scene. As of 10:58 a.m., guests were still being evacuated.

Lenk told FOX 35 Orlando, “There was a loud bang explosion, and then we kind of saw a big flash of light. After that, the monorail slowed down.” He also said he smelled burning rubber and a little bit of smoke.

Monorail Yellow is the train that’s stuck on the track leading from the Transportation and Ticket Center to EPCOT. This Monorail had a major refurbishment in late 2021.

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The post BREAKING: Guests Evacuated From Stuck Walt Disney World Monorail After Hearing ‘Explosion Sound’ appeared first on WDW News Today.

Not all dining experiences are created equal, even in Disney World.

With so many places to eat at Disney World, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of your choices. And if you’ve never visited or dined at any of these restaurants, it’s hard to be sure you’ve picked the right place. While we’re constantly giving you our thoughts on Disney restaurants, this time we’ve turned the mic over to you to tell us which is the worst Disney restaurant, and we have thoughts!

Finding the right place in Disney World can be an ever-evolving decision. What you liked on your last trip might not quite measure up to a similar experience for you the second time around, and vice versa.

While we have reviewed every restaurant in Disney World, we like hearing from other visitors who post reviews of the restaurants — and they’ve got a lot to say about why they’re rating one Disney World restaurant the worst!

So which restaurant are we warning you about today? Lotus Blossom Cafe in EPCOT.

This restaurant can be found around EPCOT’s World Showcase in the China Pavilion. Therefore, they serve Chinese-inspired dishes in a quick-service meal style of things like egg rolls, pot stickers, orange chicken, and beef noodle soup.

Why it’s the worst-rated

According to the ratings left on Yelp, Lotus Blossom Cafe stands at a 3.3 out of 5 stars rating.

As to how the food tastes, several reviewers were very vocal about their rating. One reviewer wrote…

…They also left a 1-star rating.

Another review wrote,

This reviewer also gave their experience 1 stars out of 5.

Cons

Based on several of the reviews we read it seems like several folks were displeased with the food quality.

Our understanding is they were displeased with the way things were cooked (or overcooked), veggies were found to be soggy, and just generally didn’t match their expectations based on previous experiences at other Chinese restaurants elsewhere.

Pros

One reviewer didn’t have a bad experience with the food but did leave props in their review for the onsite bathrooms and a nice spot for getting out of the sun for a bit.

This reviewer left 3 stars out of 5 on Yelp.

Another reviewer had mostly positive things to say about their dining experience here noting…

This review gave their experience 4 stars.

What we thought

Our last visit here wasn’t so bad. We also noted that the menu had a local “take-out” vibe and the menu offerings are made of staple offerings you’d find for Chinese food but it didn’t have an exotic feel or taste to it.

We received fairly decent portions of the food in the Mongolian Beef Combo, but overall didn’t feel the whole dish was worth $14.50. Our favorite part of the dish was the beef but admittedly it was cut very thin, which led to it becoming cold faster and found that to spruce up the flavor, we needed the help of sauce packets to enhance the flavor of the sides.

Overall if you’re craving familiarity, an open atmosphere, and have a picky eater appetite, stopping by this restaurant would be worth a try — at least once. However, if you’re really craving a more exciting and flavorful experience that’s “worth it” for the price, you probably won’t find that here based on our (and it sounds like several others) experiences.

Recommendations for other restaurants that are better in EPCOT or other similar cuisine restaurants

Don’t fret though, good Chinese cuisine can be found in Disney World! We’d recommend checking out the Nine Dragons Restaurant that’s right next door. Although it’s a table service location, the food we’ve had here hits the flavors you’re craving from Lotus Blossom Cafe in its most basic form, and they’re pretty speedy about their service.

However, if you’re really needing something more “on-the-go” try stopping by Joy of Tea. While you’re not going to get a full meal here, you’ll have an opportunity for egg rolls and boba teas that won’t let you down.

If you’re really finding yourself searching for something completely different, we’ve got you! Check out our full list of reviews linked below and be sure to follow along at Disney Food Blog for the latest in Disney food news and reviews!

The Worst Thing About Your Next Disney World Trip Is Totally Avoidable

Which Disney restaurant would you say is the WORST? Give us your top answer in the comments below!

The post I Went to the Worst-Reviewed Disney World Restaurant on Yelp first appeared on the disney food blog.

Cast Members have a special place in our hearts.

Cast Members at all Disney parks work their tails off. They are there no matter what, rain or shine (and in Florida, the shine can be just as bad as the rain). So we asked a few previous Cast Members currently on our team what saved them when they worked in Disney World – here’s what they told us.

As you can imagine, Cast Members are on their feet for most of the day, in the hot sun or pouring rain. They come to the parks ready and prepared to work at making your trip the best experience they can. So these five items can be CRUCIAL to making their days easier.

Comfy Shoes

While being a Cast Member is lots of fun, it’s always very tiring. So those we talked to said having shoes they can stand in all day is incredibly important. Some great ones that our Cast Member friend recommended were these Hokas!

If you’ve ever owned a pair of Hokas, you know just how comfortable they are. They are great for walking and running making them great park shoes!

VIEW ON AMAZON

Sunscreen

As we said, the Florida sun can be dangerous! That’s why the Cast Members we talked to said they ALWAYS use sunscreen.

This one is great because it’s so lightweight and sheer, that you can hardly tell you have it on! Plus with 70 SPF, you can actually beat the Florida sun.

VIEW ON AMAZON

Hair Clips

Cast Members with long hair will know what we mean when we say our hair needs to be tied back while working at Disney World! It gets hot in a hurry and having hair in our faces is not great. That’s why we love these Minnie hair clips!

These are so cute and they’re perfect for the parks with their Minnie Mouse design. Cast Members and parkgoers alike loved these clips.

VIEW ON AMAZON

Shoe Covers

Remember how it rains every day in the afternoon in Florida? Yeah, that’s why Cast Members said they kept a pair of these silicone shoe covers.

These might not be the cutest things you can find, but they are certainly useful during a mid-afternoon torrential downpour in Disney World. We don’t know many people who like walking around in wet socks and shoes, and that’s why our Cast Member friend swore by them.

VIEW ON AMAZON

Compact Umbrella

The last things Cast Members told us were extremely useful were compact umbrellas. No matter when your shift is over and it starts raining, you can be prepared with one of these compact umbrellas.

These collapsible, compact umbrellas can be useful for working and visiting the parks. They are the perfect size to fit into a park bag!

VIEW ON AMAZON

So there you have the five things that our resident friend, and past Cast Member, swears will help your day in the parks go a lot smoother!

For more Disney tips, keep following Disney Food Blog!

If you want Disney souvenirs, be sure to check out our Amazon storefront!

Which of these seems most useful to you? Let us know in the comments!

The post This SAVED Me When I Worked as a Disney World Cast Member first appeared on the disney food blog.

We have recently learned some sad news from Disney World.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is home to many beautiful sights and sounds. From birds chirping to monkeys howling, you can hear all the sounds of nature as they come together into the heartbeat of the park. All around the park, the sounds of animals and the crowds can be mixed in with the delightful music of street performers from across the lands. Sadly, we have recently heard that one sound may never be the same.

Stephan Mikes passed away on October 22nd, 2023, according to his wife’s Facebook post. He was 69.

Who was Stephan Mikes? He was commonly known as Chakranadi inside Animal Kingdom and could frequently be seen playing his sitar at Anandapur in Asia.

The beautiful sounds filled the area and could be mesmerizing to listen to. Sadly, it just won’t be the same walking through this part of the park. 

His wife left an endearing tribute post to Stephan with beautiful images– just as she wants to remember him.

We’re deeply saddened to know the heartbeat of sounds through Animal Kingdom will never be the same again without Chakranadi’s (Stephan’s) sitar music. As you walk through Asia in Animal Kingdom, be sure to take an extra moment to remember Stephan.

Keep following DFB for more Disney news.

Do you remember hearing the sounds of Chakranadi’s sitar? Let us know in the comments.

The post NEWS: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Performer Stephen Mikes Has Passed Away first appeared on the disney food blog.

The Partners statue has been removed from Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris during ongoing construction outside Studio 1. Construction walls went up in early October, blocking the view of the Partners statue.

Partners Statue Gone from Disneyland Paris

Walls are moving around as part of the ongoing remodelling project in Walt Disney Studios Park, with the space previously occupied by the Partners Statue now accessible and walls up around Animagique Theater: pic.twitter.com/2tdfilMGDz

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) October 31, 2023

Crews have moved construction walls away from the Studio 1 exit and DLP Report shared photos of the place where the statue used to be.

There is now just a large patch of black concrete where the statue and a surrounding planter used to be.

We previously shared the below concept rendering, which shows the future new position of Partners facing the park instead of Studio 1.

Compare the photo and rendering to the below photo of the Partners statue from 2014.

Construction walls are now up around Animagique Theater.

Studio 1 is a building that acts as the park’s “Main Street.” Disneyland Paris filed a permit in March for construction at the enclosed indoor space. Exterior work will reportedly last until April 2024, at which point Studio 1 will close for interior construction. It will reopen on April 25, 2025.

Inside Studio 1 is Restaurant en Coulisse, which is currently themed to a backstage catered meal area on a movie set. With the reimagining, the restaurant will be updated to instead take guests to a movie premiere garden party. The Studio 1 entrance will also get a new awning that makes it resemble a cinema.

Work on this entire area — the Theater District — is scheduled to be completed in May 2025, alongside the rest of the park’s currently announced updates and expansions, which includes the “Frozen”-inspired Kingdom of Arendelle.

How do you feel about the updates to Walt Disney Studios Park? Let us know in the comments.

Walt Disney Statues at Disney Parks

The original Partners statue was created by Blaine Gibson and unveiled at Disneyland on Mickey’s birthday, November 18, 1993. It stands in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, with Walt and Mickey looking down Main Street, U.S.A. A plaque below it has the following Walt Disney quote: “I think most of all what I want Disneyland to be is a happy place…where parents and children can have fun…together.”

The statue also exists at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, with a plaque reading, “We believe in our idea: a family park where parents and children could have fun – together.”

Gibson also sculpted Sharing the Magic. This statue of Roy O. Disney and Minnie Mouse on a bench was installed at Magic Kingdom in 1999. It can be found in Town Square, though sometimes moves around for different holiday decorations.

The Storytellers statue, designed by Rick Terry and Ray Spencer, was installed in Disney California Adventure in 2012. Storytellers depicts a younger Walt as he would have looked when arriving in Los Angeles in 1923, and an earlier design of Mickey. Versions of Storytellers were later added to Tokyo DisneySea (2013) and Shanghai Disneyland (2016).

On October 15, Hong Kong Disneyland unveiled their new Walt and Mickey statue, “Dream Makers,” inspired by the moment Walt dreamed up Disneyland.

The finished Walt the Dreamer statue was unveiled at D23 Expo 2022. It will be installed at Dreamers Point in EPCOT this year. It has actually seemingly arrived but is still in a crate.

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

The post PHOTOS: Partners Statue Removed During Construction at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris appeared first on WDW News Today.