Why does it matter what time of year you travel to this park? Should you plan to eat and drink around the World Showcase? Which brand new EPCOT-ian things do you need to factor into your trip? Find out the answers to all of these questions (and more) in just 15 minutes…. OR LESS!
Check out our video below: Everything You Need to Know About EPCOT in 15 Minutes
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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What are your biggest Disney World REGRETS? Let us know in the comments.
Perhaps the BEST thing about going to Disney World is the little surprise moments that Disney Cast Members make!
We love Cast Members!
Over the decades that we’ve been visiting the parks, we’ve seen many of these. From the elusive clap box to random pop-up trivia games to limbo and hula hooping in the streets. Cast Members are constantly finding ways to plus up our day just a little bit at a time! And one of our favorite examples of this is the incredible water art from the custodial staff.
If you don’t know what we’re talking about, then allow us to introduce you to a fun hidden detail! Select custodial Cast Members have trained in the magic of water art, where they can draw Disney characters on the ground around the parks using nothing but some water and a special mop. We most often see characters like Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, or even Oswald.
Mickey Mouse water art
But on a visit to Magic Kingdom recently, we spotted a RARE character — the Hatbox Ghost! We just HAD to stop and talk to the wonderful Cast Member who created him.
It’s the Hatbox Ghost!
Joel from custodial is the one who drew this incredible picture, and he shared a little bit of the backstory with us! He personally designed this water art, and it premiered as a drawing last year, but was exclusive to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. At the time, management approved the design for ONLY during the Halloween party because the Hatbox Ghost hadn’t yet premiered in the Disney World version of the ride.
The incredible Joel!
Joel says that the Hatbox Ghost art took him about a day or two to design, and then once it was approved he practiced it for a week. It’s one of the more advanced designs out there, so you probably won’t see it in Magic Kingdom as often. If any custodial Cast Members want to learn it, Joel will need to train them personally.
It’s so cool!
Now that we know the backstory, we feel even more honored to have caught it during the few minutes before it dried. We tip our hats (and our hatboxes!) to all the talented artists and the incredible custodial team!
Did we just find the BEST water art in Disney World?? Last year the hat box ghost premiered as a water art option during the Halloween party and CM Joel was the one that designed it. Now because the Hatbox Ghost is in WDW CM’s are allowed to paint it any time! pic.twitter.com/k5oBI14GWQ
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Which character would you love to see in water art form? Tell us in the comments!
At the beginning of 2023, Splash Mountain was closed to bring us an all-new movie-themed ride. You are all probably familiar by now with the new ride — Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The outside of the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is quite beautiful. There’s tons of greenery and flowers, and if you look close enough, you can spot Mama Odie’s glass bottles.
Mama Odie’s bottles dangle from the opening of the ride
But Mama Odie’s glass bottles aren’t the only thing we noticed when looking at the opening where we’ll soon be dropping from. A big part of the rock formation seems to have been removed which surprisingly causes a huge change.
If you remember riding Splash Mountain, you would climb up the giant hill to eventually fall down the big drop. But just before barreling over the crest of the hill, you could spot a very large and discreet Hidden Mickey.
The Hidden Mickey on the left side was the profile of the iconic mouse.
You had to be looking closely and quickly to spot this Hidden Mickey, but the profile of Mickey seemed to be there, just over the castle.
Hidden Mickey
This Hidden Mickey was formed by a large rock that jutted out into the opening on the outside of the ride. You can see it on the right side of the facade, just below the large tree trunk (which has also been removed).
The rock on the right side created the Hidden Mickey when looking from the inside, out.
If we compare the front of Splash Mountain to the front of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’ll notice that this large rock has been removed!
Comparison of the fronts of the two rides.
Since this large rock has been removed, we’re anticipating that this once-fun Hidden Mickey will no longer be there when we get to ride the new attraction. However, we may have an even better view of Cinderella Castle!
Front of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Hidden Mickey’s can be found all around Disney World. They are objects, lighting, fireworks, or pretty much anything that could resemble Mickey (or one of his friends like Donald Duck). We love going around the parks to spot as many as we can, and they are often added to new attractions. So we’ll be eager to find out if Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has any new Hidden Mickeys!
Until then, keep following DFB for all your Disney news!
Is there ever a BAD time to eat a half-pound cookie in Disney World?!
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookie
Hmmm. Well, maybe that introduction didn’t work as well as I thought because it’s definitely not a great idea to eat a full half-pound cookie right before you ride TRON Lightcycle / Run or after a delicious (but very filling) meal at Liberty Tree Tavern. What I really mean is “Is there ever a bad time to visit Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney World?”, and the answer to that question is a LOT more complicated.
Gideon’s Bakehouse is a fan-favorite bakery located in Disney Springs. The Springs is a shopping and dining district in Disney World, and it’s great because you don’t need to buy a ticket to get inside! You can head straight in to find some of the best food and shopping in Orlando.
NOT your average shopping mall
Gideon’s opened in Disney Springs in early 2021, and it’s been incredibly popular ever since. With HUGE cake slices and half-pound cookies (yep, we weren’t kidding about those gigantic cookies, y’all), it’s no wonder why people love this bakery! Add spooky vibes and quirky illustrated character portraits to the mix, and we’re completely sold.
mmmmm cookies
This bakehouse is SO popular, in fact, that you usually have to join a virtual queue just to go inside (it probably doesn’t help that it’s tiny inside, so only a few people can go in at a time). To go in, you head to the bakery and talk to an employee standing outside, who will add you to the virtual queue. You can walk around the Springs for a while until you’re called back when it’s your turn to go in.
Gideon’s virtual queue
HOWEVER, I recently went to Disney Springs pretty late at night, and that’s where the GOOD NEWS about Gideon’s Bakehouse at night comes in!
The Good News
When I visited Disney Springs at around 9:30PM recently, there was NO virtual queue for Gideon’s!
I walked right up to the physical line outside the bakery and hopped in. The line only took about 20 minutes before I was next to go inside.
Gideon’s at night
Waiting only 20 minutes to get into Gideon’s Bakehouse is usually unheard of, so could it be the ultimate HACK for getting all those amazing treats with no multi-hour wait?!
Gideon’s Cookie
Well…here comes the bad news.
The Bad News
When I got inside Gideon’s Bakehouse, I saw that the cake slices were almost completely SOLD OUT for the day. In fact, there was only one cake slice left!
Visiting at the end of the day might mean much lower wait times, but you’ll run the risk of missing out if any of the treats have sold out for the day.
Some cookies were sold out, too
Luckily, Gideon’s still had some cookies left, so I wasn’t completely out of luck! But if you know me, you know how much I love that cake, so it was still pretty sad.
Here’s what the cake display USUALLY looks like…but not this time!
In conclusion, it’s a risk to visit Gideon’s Bakehouse late at night instead of earlier in the day. You probably won’t wait nearly as long, but you might not get as many options for treats, either!
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What’s your favorite snack in Disney Springs? Let us know in the comments!
Crews continue to paint the new DVC tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, which is scheduled to open this year.
Polynesian DVC Tower Construction
On the lagoon side of the tower, crews have painted more of the walls on the north wing and begun to paint the south wing. The north wing is surrounded by scaffolding. It’s been several weeks since it was painted with white primer.
The north end facing Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is now dark brown. A tall section on the other side of the tower has been painted a lighter tan color.
Many of the balcony walls have been painted light brown or tan. Some are still white while other areas haven’t received primer or paint.
Some light tan paint has been added to a structure on the top of the center of the building. Some of the balcony walls have been painted a yellow-ish color.
The south wing, facing the Grand Ceremonial House, now has a shade of light tan paint across most of it. Crew members in a cherry picker were working near a column on the top floor. The balcony doors are covered in plastic tarps to protect them from paint.
There was also some light tan paint on the side of the building facing away from the lagoon. Painting moved to that side just a few weeks ago.
The tower is located on the edge of Seven Seas Lagoon, where Luau Cove and the Spirit of Aloha dinner show used to be. It’s next to the Fiji and Tuvalu buildings of the resort.
We saw some crew members working in the empty pool during our recent visit.
Through an opening in the building, we saw a row of ducts staged for installation behind scaffolding.
Another area of dirt has been carved near the pool. Wood walls create a circle in the ground.
Crew members were also working in this excavated area. This could be a hot tub or other water feature.
Crew members in two cherry pickers were installing new metal pieces on the top center of the building, a floor lower than the wing-shaped piece previously installed. A matching wing-shaped awning is on the other side of the building, with sheeting across it.
Over a dozen triangular pieces have been installed in a row. Two more are further down the wall, lined up with two of the columns sticking up from the floor below.
There are supports in place for more of these triangular pieces. A cord of some kind hung down from the piece on the left.
It looks like this will be a decorative overhang roof for the top floor balconies.
A completed row of these steel triangles is on the other side of the center of the building. Some steel sheathing has been placed on the edge of these triangles.
Steel sheathing also covers part of the framework of this structure attached to the first floor. This looks like it will be a restaurant looking out at the lagoon. The sheathing is over a circular roof at the corner and a long awning to the right.
Several white poles stick out of the ground inside the potential restaurant. Concrete has not been poured into the space yet.
Are you excited about the new DVC tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort? Let us know in the comments.
Changes occur all the time in theme parks. It is what keeps fresh and exciting for guests. However, some changes occur that guests may not be too happy about. One thrill ride at Universal just underwent a big change. Do you like this change or wish it stayed the same? Skull Island: Reign of Kong […]
Seven new Disney characters shoulder plush, Disney says the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District is “plagued by chaos and upheaval,” new Pandora charms at Walt Disney World — all this and more in today’s daily recap for Sunday, February 25, 2024.
