We’re counting down the days — okay, hours — until the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival kicks off!

It’s almost time!

This year’s event runs from February 28th through May 27th and will bring all sorts of delicious eats and drinks, exclusive merchandise, exciting entertainment, and more to EPCOT. Some of our favorite parts about this festival are all the floral displays and topiaries you’ll find throughout the park, in fact, an iconic EPCOT ride has received a refresh for the festival and we’re checking it out.

Living with the Land has received a bit of a makeover in celebration of the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival! We stopped by this iconic attraction to check it out. The festival doesn’t officially begin until February 28th, but Disney has already started setting up the food booths, topiaries, and now — this ride overlay!

Living with the Land

There’s a Winnie the Pooh-themed picnic happening in one of the greenhouses! We spy a basket with reusable cutlery and dishes, some Corkcicles, veggies, and of course — honey. We just have one question: How do we get an invite to this picnic?! Seems like an event we don’t want to miss.

How do we get an invite to this picnic???

There are other displays set up throughout the ride that aren’t normally there, either, and from what we can tell Disney is still working on setting up the final touches of this overlay. It’s possible that the full makeover won’t be complete until the festival officially begins, so keep that in mind if you’re heading to EPCOT before then. And, if you’re heading to the park for the Flower & Garden Festival, make sure you check out all of our posts to help you prepare!

Another display

The FULL MENUS have been released and you can see all the new items (there are over 70!!!) here. There will also be six brand-new character topiaries, and we’ve already seen a few pop up!

This year, several all-new topiaries will be joining the more than 70 others! One in particular is a nod to a favorite superhero movie. Groot(!!) will be making an appearance as flora colossus from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies with a giant cassette tape high above his head. You’ll be able to find him near the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride.

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Stay tuned to DFB — we’ll be bringing you live coverage from the first day of the festival once it kicks off on February 28th!

See the FULL MENUS for the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival Here

MAKE THE MOST
OF YOUR FESTIVAL DAYS

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DFB’s Guide to the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival details everything you need to know to maximize your time, budget and stomach space! Know what’s worth it and what to skip with our full-photo menus of each booth, complete with DFB’s Best of the Fest.

It includes all the must-have information for navigating this one of the most BEAUTIFUL festivals at Disney World, including:

• Booth & food photos, maps, and crawls with DFB’s exclusive recommendations!
• The COMPLETE schedule of events (so you don’t have to go hunting for all the dates!)
• All the details on special events, topiaries, festival exclusive merchandise, and more!

GET YOUR GUIDE NOW

MORE Flower & Garden Festival INFO!

See the FULL LIST of Food Booths, Menus, and Photos from the Festival

Learn About the Garden Rocks Concert Series and Dining Packages

Secret Tips for the Flower & Garden Festival

CONFIRMED: These 6 Things Will RETURN to the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival

2 Things We ALWAYS Bring to the Festival

Click HERE for All of the Latest News and Details About the Festival!

Are you heading to the Flower & Garden Festival this year? Tell us in the comments.

The post See How a Popular Ride Has CHANGED for the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival first appeared on the disney food blog.

In 2025, guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel will receive admission to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach water parks included in their stay.

The water park ticket will be valid for their check-in day. Since 2020, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach have alternated operations. Blizzard Beach is open during the fall and winter, while Typhoon Lagoon is open during the spring and summer.

Walt Disney World Resort hotel packages for 2025 will be available to purchase beginning on February 27, 2024.

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

The post BREAKING: Free Water Park Tickets for Disney Resort Hotel Guests in 2025 appeared first on WDW News Today.

A man is suing Disney and Raglan Road over his wife’s death due to anaphylaxis after a meal at the Disney Springs restaurant.

Raglan Road Death

Kanokporn Tangsuan was a doctor at NYU Langone in New York City. She visited Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at about 8 p.m. on October 5, 2023, with her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, and his mother, Jackie.

Tangsuan had severe allergies to dairy and nuts. She and Piccolo told the waiter about the allergies and questioned them about menu items. The waiter left to ask the chef if certain items could be made allergen-free, then returned to the table to confirm they could. Tangsuan and Piccolo questioned the waiter several more times to be sure the food would be safe and the waiter “unequivocally assured” them the food would be allergen-free.

Tangsuan ordered and ate the “Sure I’m Frittered” vegetarian broccoli and corn fritters, “Scallop Forest” sea scallops appetizer, “This Shepherd Went Vegan” entree, and a side of onion rings.

After the meal, Jeffrey Piccolo returned to their hotel room, while Jackie Piccolo and Tangsuan continued shopping at Disney Springs. Jackie and Tangsuan separated. At approximately 8:45 p.m., Tangsuan entered Planet Hollywood suffering from an acute allergic reaction. She had difficulty breathing and collapsed on the floor. She self-administered an EpiPen. 911 was called at approximately 8:46 p.m. Tangsuan was transported to a local hospital.

Jackie Piccolo attempted to call Tangsuan multiple times. She returned to the hotel room, meeting back up with Jeffrey Piccolo, and called Tangsuan’s phone again. This time, someone answered and advised them to get to the hospital right away.

The Piccolos rushed to the hospital and, after waiting there for some time, learned Tangsuan had died. The medical examiner’s investigation determined her cause of death was anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system.

Jeffrey Piccolo filed a lawsuit against Great Irish Pubs Florida Inc., the owners of Raglan Road, and Disney Parks and Resorts in Orange County last week.

The lawsuit states that Raglan Road and Disney “owed a duty of care to its invitees/guests to ensure that food that was designated as allergen free and/or food that was requested to be prepared allergen free, was in fact free from allergens that would cause death or serious physical harm to guests with food allergies,” such as Tangsuan. It alleges Raglan Road failed to educate, train, or instruct its employees on how to prepare food in response to allergy requests.

Disney does not own or operate Raglan Road but the lawsuit does note that they “had control and/or right of control over the menu of food offered, the hiring and/or training of the wait staff, and the policies and procedures as it pertains to food allergies at DISNEY SPRINGS restaurants, such as RAGLAN ROAD.”

The lawsuit states that Disney “advertises and represents to the public that food allergies and/or the accommodation of persons with food allergies is a top priority at its parks and resorts, including DISNEY SPRINGS and that patrons/guests may consult with a chef or special diets trained Cast Member before placing an order, and at all times material, Plaintiff relied upon these representations in selecting DISNEY SPRINGS/RAGLAN ROAD for dinner.”

The Walt Disney World website includes this disclaimer on the bottom of menu pages, including the Raglan Road dinner menu:

Guests must speak to a cast member about their allergy-friendly request. While we take steps to help mitigate cross-contact, we cannot guarantee that any item is completely free of allergens. Our allergy-friendly recipes may use highly refined oils, such as soybean oil, and/or ingredients that are processed in facilities that also process allergens. It is ultimately our Guests’ discretion to make an informed choice based upon their individual dietary needs. For more information about allergy-friendly requests, ask to speak with a Special Diets Trained Cast Member upon arrival at the location.

Piccolo is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 under the Florida Wrongful Death Act. The lawsuit lists mental pain and suffering, funeral expenses, medical expenses, and loss of income, among other damages.

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

The post Doctor Dies From Allergic Reaction After Raglan Road Meal at Disney Springs appeared first on WDW News Today.

You can really learn A LOT about a person by what’s in their bag (and how well they know Disney World)!

©Amazon

Overpacking can be a scary idea for a day at Disney. Think about it — having to lug around all the things you THINK you need versus what you’ll actually end up using. But we recently asked our Disney World reporters what strange and weird things they’ve grown to pack in their bags — and you won’t believe half the things we came up with!

You can bet we’re probably toting around a few Fuel Rods!

©Amazon

Fuel rods are sold in kiosks in the parks and hotels at Disney World, and when you’ve depleted the battery on yours, you can exchange it for a fully charged one at any of those kiosks! These are super handy to carry around with us in the parks because we’re able to keep charged constantly. We don’t have to worry about losing power because they can always be swapped out for a fully charged one at any of the kiosks installed in the parks and hotels across Disney World.

But here’s the real secret — you don’t have to buy them from the kiosk when you’re ready to start using them. Grab them on Amazon before your trip for MUCH cheaper!

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We’ll probably throw in another Portable Charger for good measure, too.

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Yeah, we’re not ashamed to admit that we’re super paranoid about being without power for our devices, and having multiple chargers gives us extra peace of mind. We take dozens of videos and photos on our phones every day to share with you! As you can tell already, getting through security to the parks is a bit of an adventure for us.

We do find Anker-brand portable chargers to be reliable and FAST. And this magnetic charger eliminates the need to manage a cord while we’re walking and charging.

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Stickers… yes, we’re serious!

Mickey Sticker

You know the ones! The white ones with the little Mickey on them that you’ve probably been awarded after answering a trivia question (or the whole game) correctly! You’ll probably best recognize them in the hands of a child but we love these little tokens too! Side note: We’ve probably collected these after multiple trips to the park and don’t judge us if you see them spilling out as we unzip our bags, they’re too cute to throw away!

We’re also probably running around with multiple Memory Cards.

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Along with staying connected, we’ve GOT to make sure we’ve got all the storage for the awesome DFB videos! If we’re worried about staying charged, you know we’re worried about storage and toting around a few extra SD cards for added memory is a must.

On your trips to Disney World, you probably take more photos and videos than you do in other situations, too! So be sure you don’t run out of memory!

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We’ve also got our Allergy Eye Drops.

©Amazon

Do you have seasonal allergies? If you live in a different climate than Florida, you are probably accustomed to having seasonal allergy issues a few months a year. But here’s the thing about the warmer weather in Florida: Pollen is a thing all year. The worst months are usually April, May, and June, but seasonal allergy sufferers might have issues any time of the year. And you’re spending tons of time outside in Disney World.

So, you’ll probably find some eye drops in our bag too. Don’t worry, we’re not looking to bury our faces in those flowers and colorful topiaries at the Flower and Garden Festival, but we like to be prepared when the pollen starts stirring up!

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Cough Drops can literally be the one thing that holds our day together.

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Chances are we’re stopping to talk to lots of people. Between other folks in line, meeting characters, and asking questions of Cast Members to bring you the latest Disney World info, it can take a toll on our voices. Having a few cough drops on hand will help keep us talking through the rest of the day!

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A seemingly random pair of *checks notes*…Socks?

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Being in Florida definitely has its weather perks, but sometimes we have to deal with a little bit of liquid sunshine (A.K.A. rain) in the parks. Completing our day in soaked shoes and socks is no fun for anyone, so we’ll probably have a spare pair of socks on hand just in case we run into a random rain shower!

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We’d be lost without our Resealable Bags!

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We use these for so many things! We’re carrying empty ones to use for those sopping wet socks we just mentioned, and leftover snacks or food. We’re also probably carrying a cooling towel in one, and maybe a snack or two we brought to the parks with us.

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Above all, we can’t forget our Lens Wipes!

©Amazon

Random, we know, but WORTH IT! All those fabulous photos and messy treats aren’t always kind to our cameras. If we don’t carry something to wipe them clean well, you won’t have a whole lot to look at. We’re very thankful we carry around our small lens wipes for instances just like this (especially on festival days!). You may want to grab some to clean sunglasses you’ve had in your bag, or your phone screen you just dripped Dole Whip on.

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This is just a small sampling of what you’ll find in our bags. If you’d like to see even more Disney essentials, check out our Amazon storefront!

Click HERE to visit our Disney deals at our Amazon Storefront!

The post Weird Things Our Disney World Reporters Carry in Their Park Bags first appeared on the disney food blog.