A new Minnie Mouse merchandise collection featuring the Union Jack is available in the U.K. Pavilion of EPCOT.

U.K. Minnie Mouse Merchandise

We found most of the new collection in The Queen’s Table gift shop in the U.K. Pavilion. A matching pin is available in Creations Shop.

The merchandise includes a shirt, skirt, bottle, and stemless glass. The collection is displayed alongside the floral Minnie ear headband released two years ago.

Kitchenwares in the collection include a teapot, dish towel, and apron.

Youth Dress – $39.99

This dress has an A-line cut and a scoop neck. The ruffled, double-layered sleeves are short, and the dress is an overall pale pink color.

Minnie’s face is pictured winking on the chest. She wears a red pillbox hat with an orange flower sticking out of it. More orange and white flowers are around her.

Stemless Wine Glass – $14.99

The glass — which is made of actual glass — has the red and white stripes of the Union Jack on one side. Red teapots, teacups, and flowers are patterned in the white stripes. “Cheers!” is in blue lettering across the center. A pink building is along the bottom with a double-decker bus, pink flowers, and “United Kingdom” in red lettering.

A white pattern continues around the rest of the glass featuring buses, telephone booths, tea sets, and Spaceship Earth. A few images are in full color. This is hand wash only and not microwave-safe.

Bottle – $29.99

The bottle is gray on the outside. The same Union Jack stripes from the glass are on one side with Minnie’s face in the center and “Cheers!” across the top. “United Kingdom” and “EPCOT World Showcase” are printed below the image.

Minnie is pictured with a pink pillbox hat and a pink flower. More pink flowers are around the image. A blue and red tea set is at the bottom with a double-decker bus.

The rest of the bottle is plain gray. It has a twist-off lid. The inside is stainless steel.

Skirt – $59.99

The skirt is red. It’s patterned with the red, white, and blue Union Jack featuring flowers and tea accessories. Minnie’s face is also included in the pattern, sometimes in the center of the Union Jack.

The skirt is gathered at the waistband. It has a red button on the back.

The Union Jack is the unofficial national flag of the U.K., which includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. London is the capital of both the U.K. and England.

Tee – $39.99

The T-shirt is white with a wide scoop neck. “Fancy a cuppa?” is across the top of the design in red and blue lettering. Minnie’s full body is in the center, against golden images of a double-decker bus and building.

Minnie wears a blue dress patterned with red and white flowers. It matches the teacup in her hand. Red and pink flowers are on the ground around her.

Hoodie – $54.99

The hoodie is gray-blue — a similar color to the bottle. The Union Jack is on the back with Minnie’s face in the center and “Cheers!” along the top.

A red double-decker bus, a golden Spaceship Earth, and a pink building are at the bottom of the image. Pink flowers are across the flag.

The hoodie has a large front pocket and half a zipper on the front. “United Kingdom” and “EPCOT World Showcase” are printed on the left breast. Pink flowers are around it.

A bright pink teapot and teacup are below the words. They feature white flowers on them.

Dooney & Bourke Tote – $328

The Dooney & Bourke tote bag is mostly light pink. The Union Jack is on both sides in darker pink and white. Minnie’s face is in the center, wearing her pillbox hat. The Dooney & Bourke plaque covers Minnie’s hat flower on one side.

Her flower is more visible on the other side. The bag has light brown handles with silver hardware.

It has an open main pocket with snaps and a zipper pocket inside.

Saucer – $14.99

This small saucer could hold a teacup or tea bag. It’s blue and shaped like a teapot. The Union Jack design with Minnie’s face is in the center.

Dish Towel – $19.99

The dish towel is white with blue stripes at the edges. Minnie is pictured on one side, holding up a teacup in front of a London building. Flowers are around her.

“Fancy a cuppa?” is printed in red and white above Minnie. “Cuppa” is an informal term for “cup of tea” in Britain. The Union Jack is pictured on the other side of the dish towel. The flowers around Minnie are red, white, and blue — the colors of the Union Jack.

Teapot – $59.99

The teapot is tall and white with a lid, handle, and spout. Minnie is pictured holding a teacup on one side with large red, white, and blue flowers around her. A blue building is silhouetted behind her. “Cuppa” is spelled out in red outline above her cup of tea.

On the other side is Minnie’s face set against the Union Jack. More flowers are above her and pink flowers are across the flag.

“United Kingdom” and “EPCOT World Showcase” are printed above the Union Jack. There is a small teacup and teapot pictured next to the words.

Teacup & Saucer – $24.99

The teacup design mirrors the teapot, with the Union Jack on one side and Minnie holding a teacup on the other side. The teacup, however, is mainly dark blue with a white handle, white bottom, and white rim.

The inside is also white. The edge of the included saucer is white, while the rest of it is blue. The saucer is a simple circle with red flowers across it.

“Cuppa” is above the picture of a teapot on white steam.

Apron – $34.99

The chest of the apron is white while the skirt is blue. It has a red ribbon around the middle and red ruffles where the sleeves would be. Two big flowers are on the red ribbon.

“Fancy a cuppa?” Is on the chest, above an image of Minnie’s full body. As with the other merchandise items, a building, bus, and flowers are behind her. “United Kingdom” and “EPCOT World Showcase” are printed in red and blue respectively.

A red stripe is along the bottom of the skirt. Red, white, and pink flowers appear to bloom out of the stripe. Above the flowers is the floral Union Jack.

Ornament – $24.99

The ornament is a 3D figure of Minnie as seen on the merchandise. She has her blue flower-patterned dress and red pillbox hat with a blue flower. She stands on a pink flower-shaped base.

In her hand is a pink teacup with a Union Jack circle on the front. It sits on a red saucer.

“United Kingdom” and “EPCOT World Showcase” are printed on the bottom of the ornament.

Minnie also has a large blue bow on the back of her neck.

Pin – $14.99

The same full-body image of Minnie is on the pin with “Fancy a cuppa?” The pin is shaped like a five-petaled flower. The background has a slightly silvery shiny finish.

Will you take home any of the new Minnie Mouse merchandise from the U.K. Pavilion? Let us know in the comments.

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The post New Union Jack Minnie Mouse Merchandise Collection Arrives in U.K. Pavilion at EPCOT appeared first on WDW News Today.

The first layers of brown paint have been applied to the Monorail side of the new DVC tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

New DVC Tower Construction

In our last construction update, we noted painting progress on the side of the building facing Seven Seas Lagoon. Painting began in December.

A new wing-shaped awning piece was also installed on the roof of the building.

We also pointed out concrete had been poured in the future pool of the DVC tower. The pool is on the other side of the building from the Walt Disney World Monorail track.

We took these photos from the Monorail, getting a glimpse inside the building where walls are under construction.

Several crew members were working around a large opening at this end of the building. Yellow tarps are on the ground there, with wire framing on top of them.

Plywood still covers some of the windows in the center of the building. A wing-shaped frame was also installed on this side of the building.

The wing sticks out over the center of the building. It’s brown steel, sitting above four steel supports. The wing and supports will be covered in themed paneling.

During one of our passes this week, a crew member on the fourth floor was installing new steel beams for a wall between two balconies. The balconies below similarly have a new steel wall. One of those sliding glass doors is also covered in a blue tarp.

Another blue tarp covers a sliding glass door on this side of the elevator bank. There are wood planks on the inside of the sliding glass doors and temporary railings on some of the balconies. New white sheathing has been installed on several of the balcony walls.

Through the sliding glass doors, we can see the steel frames of the room walls. We could also see pink insulation ready to be installed inside.

The painting has begun on this end of the building. Light brown paint covers the walls beyond the last row of sliding glass doors.

Down one wall is a darker layer of paint. It wraps around a doorway on the first floor. The concept art shows the building as a light cream color with darker brown accents on the walls and columns.

These same shades of brown have been painted on the other side of the building. The end wall of the building has been painted too. The walls around the balconies are the darkest brown.

The new DVC tower is set to open later this year. The above concept art shows the side of the tower facing Seven Seas Lagoon, with the pool to the left. It will be part of the same condo association as the current Disney Vacation Club accommodations at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

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The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) filed a new document asking the judge in Disney’s federal lawsuit against them to ignore a recent appeals court decision that states Governor Ron DeSantis has retaliated against someone for using their First Amendment rights.

CFTOD Asks Judge to Ignore Recent DeSantis Ruling

Disney filed a Notice of Supplemental Authority earlier this month citing the Warren v. DeSantis case, in which state attorney Andrew H. Warren claimed DeSantis fired him after he expressed First Amendment-protected speech. The appeals court ruling stated DeSantis did retaliate against Warren and that they could offer a remedy for the violation.

In their new filing, CFTOD says that the appeals court decision questions “one official’s unilateral action” — i.e. DeSantis’ firing of Warren — but that Disney’s federal lawsuit concerns laws created by “a majority of lawmakers in both houses of the Florida Legislature.”

The District asks the judge to ignore the appeals ruling because it “has no effect on this case.”

Governor DeSantis filed a Motion to Dismiss the federal lawsuit in November and the judge has not yet made a decision regarding the Motion.

CFTOD also recently filed a response to Disney’s Motion to Compel Discovery in their state lawsuit against the entertainment giant. The District claims they do not need to produce more documents requested by Disney because they are privileged.

Governor DeSantis recently ended his campaign for President of the United States.

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

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Happy Year of the Dragon, everyone! We’re celebrating the Lunar New Year in Disneyland!

As you may know, every year, Disneyland has a special Lunar New Year Festival at Disney California Adventure, and that festival means that not only do we get to see some FUN Lunar New Year merchandise, but we also get to eat some AMAZING food at the festival’s food booths! We’re heading over to the Lucky 8 Lantern booth now to check things out!

Menu

Okay, so what’s so exciting about the menu at Lucky 8 Lantern this year? We have TWO returning favorite snacks and TWO NEW festival drinks! This booth offers a little bit of everything: a little bit of savory, a little bit of sweet, and drinks!

So let’s dive in and check out all this new food!

Eats

Okay, let’s start with the savory option here, the Quesabirria Eggroll with Guajillo pepper consommé for $9. Last year, we liked this, although the beef birria was a little dry. So, how does it hold up this year?

Unfortunately, we felt pretty much the same this year. It was incredibly soggy on the outside while somehow being just as dry as we remembered on the inside. The consommé had a good flavor and was nice and peppery which helped to elevate the snack a bit, but overall this one was a disappointment again.

Now for something a little sweet. We’re digging into the Mandarin Mousse Cake for $6.75. It’s made with layers of mandarin mousse with vanilla cake and clementine compote finished with white chocolate crunch balls and a tangerine glaze. For starters, this is a GORGEOUS cake. Last year, we thought it was okay — we were a little weirded out by that jelly texture on the outside. The flavors of the mousse also seemed artificial. So, how does it taste this year?

Once again, that jelly texture just didn’t wow us — though we did love the overall flavor of this dessert. It was a bit on the artificial side rather than tasting like fresh oranges, but if you can get past that it makes for a solid little treat. There are definitely better desserts available at this festival, but this one would probably be great for major orange fans.

Okay, on to beverages!

Drinks

Need a quick pick-me-up? You can grab the Hibiscus Apple Soju-rita for $17. It’s made with Blanco tequila, grapefruit liqueur, soju, green apple and hibiscus syrups, house-made hibiscus tea, and lemon juice garnished with a dried apple chip.

We enjoyed this — it was super bitter and sweet at the same time! We tasted more grapefruit than apple, but it was extremely refreshing. There wasn’t much of an alcohol flavor to this, so be warned!

Next up, the Mango Melon Cocktail for $17. It’s made with Overproof rum, baijiu, allspice liqueur, mango nectar, rock melon syrup, and lime juice topped with grapefruit soda and garnished with a lime wheel.

This was a winner in our book — tasted like a crisp mango soda. The melon added a bit of sweetness that added to the overall sugary vibes of the drink. Think something you’d want to sip on while lounging by the pool!

Note that you can also get the Lotus Flower Glow Cube here for $6.25.

Overall

So, should you stop by the Lucky 8 Lantern booth at this year’s Lunar New Year Festival? Well, it’s complicated. We enjoyed the drinks we had here but weren’t too impressed by either of the food offerings. The egg roll is such a great concept that it may still be worth trying, but we’re 0 for 2 over here.

We’re making our way around ALL the food booths at the Lunar New Year Festival, so keep checking back with us for more reviews!

Check Out The FULL MENUS for Disney’s Lunar New Year Festival

Will you be headed to the Lunar New Year Festival this year? Let us know in the comments!

The post REVIEW: Lucky 8 Lantern at the 2024 Lunar New Year Festival in Disneyland first appeared on the disney food blog.

You’ve probably heard about the tunnels beneath Magic Kingdom in Disney World. You’ve maybe even heard of the tunnels in EPCOT.

But we just learned about a SECRET tunnel in Disneyland that leads to absolutely nowhere, and we had to share!

Former Imagineer Bob Gurr recently shared a video on Instagram that shows off a hidden tunnel in Frontierland. You can find it when you’re in Fantasyland heading over towards Galaxy’s Edge. Now, most will not spot it since it is quite hidden and the area doesn’t have anything that would draw your eyes towards it. But those of you who have noticed it might have wondered what that tunnel does and where it leads!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bob Gurr (@bobgurrofficial)

Now, as Bob describes, this tunnel didn’t always lead to nowhere. For years, a train ran through it that went around Big Thunder Mountain (before it was Big Thunder). That attraction was called the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland. It featured all sorts of lifelike animals like bears and wildcats. It was later removed to make way for Big Thunder Mountain.

So, it has been years since anything has run through the tunnel and now it just sits empty. There isn’t really a use for it, but it doesn’t make sense to get rid of it either. Therefore, there is just a small tunnel that leads to nowhere hidden in Disneyland. Keep your eyes peeled for it the next time you’re there and let us know if you can spot it!

Want to know about the hidden tunnel that runs beneath the Magic Kingdom? We have all the details for you here!

Here’s a little sneak peek at what those Magic Kingdom tunnels look like.

What’s your favorite Disney secret? Share it with us in the comments below! 

The post Disney Has a SECRET Frontierland Tunnel That Leads to NOWHERE! (And Even Cast Members Don’t Use It) first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disney has brought the movies straight to our homes to enjoy from the comfort of our own living rooms.

Several movies have been released direct to Disney+, skipping the theater debut altogether. A few of those are being re-released in the theater, giving us a chance to see it on the big screen. But many movies are still getting their chance to become box office hits before landing on the streaming platform. The most recent of these has been Disney’s Wish. Now that Wish has been in theaters for some time now, we’re all starting to wonder when it’s coming to Disney+.

Currently, Disney has not made any announcements letting us in on the Disney+ release date of the movie Wish. The movie that follows young Asha on her journey to make wishes come true didn’t initially do too well in the theaters, according to Forbes, and did not receive any Oscar nominations.

Yet, many Disney fans truly loved the movie and are eagerly awaiting its arrival on Disney+. So let’s take a look at a similar movie’s timeline for going from theaters to Disney+ to get an idea of when we might expect Wish to make its streaming premiere.

Disney Pixar’s Elemental was first released to theaters on June 16th, 2023, and was soon found on Disney+ on September 13th of the same year. Within the first seven days on the streaming platform, it reached high success and broke records.

So Elemental went from theaters to Disney+ in about 3 months. If we use this logic, we can look at the theater release date for Wish, which was November 22nd, 2023, and count three months from then, which would put us in February 2024. There was speculation that this could be the case, but the February list of shows and movies coming to Disney+ has been released and Wish was not on it. That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t still happen, though!

Wish was just recently released on digital platforms such as Video on Demand, Blu-ray, and DVD on January 23rd. So Disney may decide to hold it from Disney+ for a little longer so it can earn profits here. This is similar to how movies used to be released before the pandemic.

So when can we expect to see Wish on Disney+? It could be very soon or just another few months. You can be sure that we’ll be keeping our eyes open for any announcements!

Until then, keep following DFB for more Disney news!

Disney Just Released a Deleted Song from ‘Wish’ — Please Excuse Us While We Grab a Tissue.

When do you think we’ll see Wish on Disney+? Let us know in the comments!

The post Everything We Know About When Disney’s ‘Wish’ Movie Will Be on Disney+ first appeared on the disney food blog.

If you’re looking for some seriously iconic limited-time eats, you’re in the right place!

The 2024 Lunar New Year celebration has started in Disney California Adventure Park in Disneyland Resort, and it has a lot to offer! There’s special merchandise, entertainment, and (of course) PLENTY of food to try. For now, we’re making our way over to the Bamboo Blessings food booth. Is it a place you absolutely MUST visit? Let’s find out!

2024 is the Year of the Dragon; the park will mark its arrival with the annual Lunar New Year celebration, which takes place from January 23rd through February 18th this year.

Menu

The menu at Bamboo Blessings is pretty big, but that’s mostly because of all of the tasty beverages you can find here! In terms of food items, two iconic snacks are returning to the Festival — the Mickey Mouse-shaped Hot Dog Bun and the Mickey Mouse-shaped Strawberry Milk Tea Macaron Macaron.

There are a few returning drinks, too, but 2024 has changed up the drink menu here, and this year, offers Taro Vietnamese-style Iced Coffee, Lunar New Year Punch, and a Lunar Punch Cocktail.

Let’s take a better look at just what you can enjoy here!

Eats

First up, we have the Mickey Mouse-shaped Hot Dog Bun. This is made of Brioche-style Mickey Mouse-shaped buns stuffed with hot dog and finished with sesame seeds and scallions. It’s priced at $7.50. This has made our best of the fest list in the past for good reason — it’s fun, tasty, and a unique spin on a classic theme park hot dog.

In the past, when we’ve had this, the bun has been REALLY good, much flakier and lighter than a normal hot dog bun. The hot dogs typically taste just like ones you’d get at a grocery store, but they’re still pretty good. This year, we thought the hot dog bun tasted even BETTER! It was soft and warm, yet thick and flaky all at once. Our hot dog was juicy and flavorful, too. In terms of flavor, we’re not saying this is groundbreaking, but it’s a simple, warm, savory dish we keep coming back to every year. It’s a win!

Next up, we have the Mickey Mouse-shaped Purple Strawberry Milk Tea Macaron. This is a Red macaron filled with Strawberry buttercream with a milk tea center. It’s priced at $7. OK, honestly, this is just a standard Disney macaron. It’s got a very sweet strawberry flavor that’s not overly artificial, which is nice. The crunch on the outside was satisfying, and that soft inside filling complemented the crunchy shell perfectly.

Just be warned that it can be messy to eat, and because there are a lot of textures filling your mouth at once, you might want to have a drink nearby to sip on. This is a great pick for those who LOVE buttercream and like treats that aren’t overly sweet. Be warned, your lips may turn red from all that food dye! 

Now, let’s talk about those drinks!

Drinks

On the menu are a LOT of drinks! There are THREE new drinks here, and all look so tempting!

First up the Vietnamese-style Iced Coffee. This drink is Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. Vietnamese-style Coffee, cocoa powder, and condensed milk garnished with a taro chocolate sweet cream for $7. This one is a GREAT coffee option! The taro cold foam is sweet, so when you take a sip with the coffee, it cuts through that bitter coffee flavor. This drink had a rich chocolate taste to it (from the cocoa powder), which we quite enjoyed as well. We highly recommend this drink — it may not look like a regular cup of coffee, but the flavors are worth exploring.

Next, let’s try the Lunar New Year Punch. This drink is Mango nectar, tangerine and grapefruit juices, and banana and coconut syrups garnished with mango jellies for $7. This one is pretty sweet, and it’s definitely designed for theme park guests who like sugary drinks over strong alcoholic beverages. That said, it’s fruity and tropical and has a strong coconut flavor profile. If you don’t like the taste of strong alcohol, you’ll probably enjoy this drink.

Or you can opt for the alcoholic version of this drink, which comes with coconut rum and is garnished with a purple orchid for $17.

If you want to top off your drink with something fun, grab the Lotus Flower Glow Cube. It’s available at this booth for $6 and there is a limit 10 per guest, per transaction.

And that’s it for the eats and drinks!

Overall

Overall, the eats at this booth are relatively simple but include the iconic Mickey-shaped hot dog (a great one for pickier eaters) and the Macaron (a good pick for your Instagram and buttercream lovers). Plus, if you’re looking to try a whole bunch of beers, you’ll find PLENTY to pick from here and convenient flights to help you sample a few of them at once.

While the food isn’t the most unique, it’s a good booth to stop by for a quick snack and Mickey-shaped food (which is a popular pick for many Disney fans). We’ll be sharing full reviews of ALL of the food booths, so stay tuned for more details.

Click here for FULL menu details and links to all of our reviews of the booths at Lunar New Year

What would you want to eat at this booth? Tell us in the comments! 

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