With the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival only days away, the United Kingdom Pavilion’s English Tea Garden and Shakespeare Garden are being installed.

English Tea Garden

EPCOT’s World Showcase will be home to a number of Global Gardens for the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, which runs from February 28 to May 27. In the front garden of the United Kingdom Pavilion, guests can find the still-in-progress English Tea Garden. This Global Garden highlights plants that are used in some of Twinings’ teas.

This section of the U.K. Pavilion has just recently reopened, as the façades of the shops, include The Tea Caddy, which sells Twinings teas and hosts tours of the English Tea Garden during the festival, were just repainted.

The plants are sat in planters shaped like tea cups. They will all eventually have signs describing the plants and which teas they are used to produce.

The official Walt Disney World site describes this garden as:

English Tea Garden Presented by Twinings® – World Showcase – United Kingdom Pavilion
Unearth the history and art of tea-blending at this elegant English tea garden—featuring plants used in some of Twinings’ finest blends.

Shakespeare Garden

Outside of the newly-reopened United Kingdom Pavilion restrooms, the Shakespeare Garden has begun to take shape, with a bust of William Shakespeare installed at the center.

The returning Flower & Garden Festival Global Garden highlights different plants that Shakespeare referenced throughout his works. Eventually, different signs will be placed in the garden to give guests details about each of the plants and their related works. Disney describes the garden as follows:

Shakespeare Garden – World Showcase – United Kingdom Pavilion Explore the works of Shakespeare in this idyllic garden featuring excerpts from some of the bard’s most famous sonnets—and the dazzling flowers that influenced them.

The year’s Flower & Garden Festival will see two new Global Gardens in World Showcase. In the China Pavilion, guests can explore the China Penjing Gargen which encourage visitors to, “Discover ancient Chinese art that recreates miniature landscapes.” Over in the Germany Pavilion, guests will find the Gnome Garden, where they can, “Discover topiary versions of magical garden gnomes, originating from German folk tales.”

Which of the Global Gardens are you most excited to explore? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Pandora has released three new charms inspired by Sorcerer Mickey, Mickey lollipops, and Spider-Man at Walt Disney World this week.

New Pandora Charms

We found the charms at Uptown Jewelers in Magic Kingdom. Port of Entry in EPCOT is also a Pandora jewelry location and there is a Pandora store in Disney Springs.

Sorcerer Mickey Pandora Charm – $75

The Sorcerer Mickey charm is mostly silver with red and blue accents on Mickey’s cloak, hat, and water. Mickey appears to be diving into a large spellbook with waves beneath him, inspired by the famous “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence from “Fantasia.”

The charm has two holes in it so it can be slid onto a bracelet or necklace.

Mickey Lollipop Pandora Charm – $80

The Mickey-shaped lollipop charm dangles from a circular slider piece. The slider is silver with colorful gems embedded in it. The Mickey lollipop is rainbow with silvertone swirls.

The handle of the lollipop is also silver.

Spider-Man Pandora Charm – $80

The double-sided Spider-Man charm is also a slider like the Sorcerer Mickey charm. One side features Spidey’s spider logo in silver against webs and a blue background.

The other side of the charm features a red Spider-Man face mask with black webbing and gem-studded eyes. The sides of the charm also have web detailing.

Check out the Cinderella and Valentine’s Day Pandora charms released at Walt Disney World last month.

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

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Disney has a LOT of big plans for the next decade or so.

Disney Parks are getting bigger over the next decade

The company is planning on spending a WHOPPING $60 billion to expand the Parks, Experiences, and Products segment of the company. Although some of that money will go towards expanding Disney Cruise Line and other products, a LOT of that will also go to expanding its theme parks, with many projects already underway. So if you can’t keep track of all of Disney’s CURRENT list of upcoming theme park expansion projects (because it’s a LOT), we’ve got you covered.

Disney World

Magic Kingdom Expansion

Disney has confirmed that it’s planning a HUGE expansion for Magic Kingdom, the biggest it’s ever done for that particular park. For the expansion, Imagineers are looking to tell stories “beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” The scale of this expansion would be similar to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora, and would include new attractions, restaurants, shows, and more.

Possible Land Expansion in Magic Kingdom ©Disney

Although Disney has not yet revealed what these plans entail, it has mentioned Imagineers’ “what if” ideas that have been floated around, including Coco, Encanto, or Disney villain-themed land. (Disney, we just want to let you know that it is TIME for a villains-themed land).

What Should a Villainous Land Expansion Look Like in Magic Kingdom? Disney Experts Weigh In!

Re-theme of Dinoland, U.S.A.

Over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Dinoland, U.S.A. will be going away to be replaced by something else. At first, Disney mentioned that the new land could be themed around Moana or Zootopia (maybe something similar to the new Zootopia land at Shanghai Disney Resort). However, more recently, we learned that Disney is leaning more towards theming the area to Encanto and Indiana Jones.

©Disney

This makes it likely that the Dinosaur ride (which is basically the same ride as Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure) will get an Indy update. Disney has not yet confirmed these ideas yet, though.

Disney Dropped a MAJOR Hint About the Animal Kingdom & ‘Encanto’ Expansion

DisneylandForward

In 2021, Disney announced its DisneylandForward initiative, which is a project where Disneyland will work with the City of Anaheim to re-zone specific parts of Disneyland property to be used for new lands. There are still a lot of hoops that Disneyland has to jump through to make this happen, but some ideas for those new lands have already been suggested.

©Disney

The following have been mentioned as ideas for new lands in Disneyland: Tangled, Peter Pan, Frozen, Zootopia, and more. These concepts are already being used in some of Disney’s international theme parks.

MAP Shows Layout of Disneyland’s $1.9 Billion Resort Expansion

Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea is getting a new port and it will include THREE new lands. This massive expansion will include lands based on Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan. There will also be a brand new hotel INSIDE the expansion. There will be new rides and restaurants in each of these lands, too.

©Disney

Fantasy Springs is set to open on June 6th, 2024. This will be the biggest expansion at Tokyo DisneySea since it first opened in 2001.

10 MAJOR Announcements from Tokyo Disney That Will Have You INSTANTLY Booking a Trip

Frozen in Disneyland Paris

Disney is ALL about bringing Frozen to theme parks around the world. That includes Disneyland Paris Resort, which is also getting its own Frozen-themed land. We imagine this version of Frozen could be similar to the one in Hong Kong Disneyland.

©Disney

Disney has announced that this new land will have a new attraction, food and beverage locations, a merchandise shop, and a meet and greet with Elsa and Anna.

You HAVE to See the EASTER EGGS Hidden Within This Disney Hotel

Just a note, but these are the lands and expansions that Disney has already announced. Who knows what else the company has planned for its theme parks around the world? We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more updates, though, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

Disney’s $60B Expansion Plan Isn’t Quite What You Think It Is

What new lands would you like to see in the theme parks? Let us know in the comments!

The post A Full List of New Theme Park Land Expansions Disney Is Planning first appeared on the disney food blog.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong has gotten a major update and is no longer in 3D. The attraction, located at Universal Islands of Adventure, has been a 3D attraction since it opened back in 2016. Now, the film portions of the attraction have become 2D and no longer require 3D glasses, like the version used on the Tram Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong No Longer in 3D

Pictured above is the previous listing for the attraction, which categorized it under “3-D / 4-D Experience.” Pictured below is the updated listing, which places it in the “Thrill” category instead.

The 3D glasses have been removed from the attraction, and guests will no longer need to wear the themed “goggles” while riding. This is most likely a cost-saving measure and will eliminate several positions that involve washing and racking up the 3D glasses between uses. There are no “in your face” moments, and there really isn’t a significant difference in the film’s appearance without 3D glasses. The Kong animatronic is quite impressive and actually looks better without the glasses.

Previously, guests would pick up a pair of “goggles” just before boarding the ride vehicle. Several bins of 3D glasses were available on both sides of the queue, just before a Team Member assigned you your row. In each spiel, the “driver” would tell guests to put on the goggles before entering the caves.

If you have experienced this attraction in full, the ride vehicles take guests through an outdoor portion where 3D glasses aren’t necessary. As you entered through the doors, the driver would instruct you to put on the goggles (3D glasses). The attraction has been operating in B mode for a while due to technical issues, which completely eliminates the outdoor section of the ride. Originally, B mode was designed to keep the attraction operational during inclement weather. If you’ve been to Islands of Adventure during bad weather, you quickly realize how many attractions are outdoors and close temporarily when lightning is in the area. Skull Island: Reign of Kong having a B mode option allows the ride to stay open by skipping the outdoor portion.

“Goggle drop off” bins are placed around the exit of the ride and Team Members are there to make sure guests drop off the glasses. There are even alarms that notify Team Members if someone forgets to return them to the bins. There are a few Team Members involved in collecting, cleaning, and racking up glasses between each guest, so removing 3D glasses helps cut costs.

The goggle distribution signage has been removed.

Last year, the attraction started operating strictly in B mode, which is an alternate path that skips the outdoor portion of the ride. You watch our video below to experience the attraction in B mode and 3D.

How do you feel about Skull Island: Reign of Kong removing 3D glasses at the Universal Orlando Resort? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned for more updates!

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