As invited media, Disney provided WDWNT with a gift card for food and beverages, so some of the following coverage was hosted. As always, WDWNT will still provide our honest thoughts on all below.
Visit Cars Land at Disney California Adventure this Halloween season to pick up the returning Mango-Habanero Chicken Strips from Flo’s V8 Cafe.
The spicy chicken strips first debuted in 2021. For the season, Flo’s V8 Cafe also has the new Seaborn Chili Mango Margarita ($15) and Hamilton Family Brewery Cross Street Cherry Seltzer ($12), plus the returning Seaborn Prickly Pear ($15) and Hamilton Family Brewery Blinker Fluid West Coast IPA ($15). The Halloween menu is available through November 14 and Flo’s offers mobile order.
Mango-Habanero Chicken Strips – $13.49
Tossed in mango-habanero sauce, topped with green onions, and served with steak fries drizzled with ranch dressing
This is an excellent dish. The glaze is thick with lots of cornstarch. The flavor is pleasant and sticks to the chicken. The chicken strips are your standard tenders and the fries are your standard steak fries.
The heat isn’t too intense but the ranch on the fries nicely cools the dish down. We would get this again.
For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.
Sideshow Collectibles have revealed their latest Star Wars figure, featuring the fan-favorite character Grand Admiral Thrawn. What’s Happening: A new unboxing video from Sideshow Collectibles gives Star Wars fans their first look at a new Grand Admiral Thrawn collectible figure. Thrawn, long a popular character in the Legends expanded universe of the 1990s, made his cannon debut in the […]
As invited media, Disney provided WDWNT with a gift card for food and beverages, so some of the following coverage was hosted. As always, WDWNT will still provide our honest thoughts on all below.
Disneyland Resort’s new Halloween food items this year include Asian-Inspired Spicy Pork Tacos and Cucumber-Mint Lemonade.
These menu items are available at Studio Catering Co. and Hollywood Lounge in Disney California Adventure through November 14. Both venues offer mobile ordering.
Hollywood Lounge is also serving up the following new drinks this fall:
Kimchi, cucumber, carrots, and pickled onions with sriracha aïoli in a flour tortilla
For the last year or so, Studio Catering Co. has had some of the best festival and seasonal food items at Disneyland Resort and the pork tacos are no exception. Between the perfectly cooked tender and flavorful pork, the tangy slaw, and the aïoli, this is one of the best food items Disneyland Resort has ever had. We would rate it 8/7 if we could.
Rating out of 7: 7
Cucumber-Mint Lemonade – $6.99
Locals know that August through October are often the hottest months of the year in Anaheim. As such, you need a fair share of refreshing beverages, and this one fits the bill perfectly. It’s much more cucumber-heavy than mint but not an overpowering beverage. It’s flavorful and perfect for this time of year.
Rating out of 7: 7
For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.
Celebrate 60 years of Mary Poppins with this limited edition D23-Exclusive Pin available at Disney Store. What’s Available: Mary Poppins fans will want to pick up this D23 Gold Member premium pin celebrating 60 years of the iconic film. This pin is limited to only 1,000 and created exclusively for D23 Gold Members, costing $24.99. To […]
If you like saving money and you know it clap your hands!
Halloween merchandise
Here at DFB we’re always on the lookout for a good deal, whether that be in the Disney theme parks or for Disney merchandise and essentials. So we’re back again with a roundup of some amazing, unbeatable discounts on Amazon. They won’t last forever, so let’s get going!
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
Want a free trial of Amazon Prime? Snag it by clicking the button below!
When we saw the Fantasia Retro Poster Shirton sale, we stopped in our tracks. This is an absolute must-have, especially for fans of Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disneyland! Retro is very in and this classic poster-inspired tee is a staple for any Disney fan’s closet.
Then, as we were scrolling for more deals, we happened upon another discounted vintage-style shirt! Check out the Peter Pan Never Land Map Shirt! Tink is showing us around Never Land as we prepare for a trip. This isn’t your ordinary basic Peter Pan shirt!
It’s time to get SPOOKY. If you’re still obsessing over the announcement of a Villains-themed land coming to Magic Kingdom or you always prefer villains over heroes, the Wicked Things Teeis for you! The baddest of the bad make up a scary skull, but we have to admit — it’s pretty epic!
Okay, this next one is for all of you who enjoy drinking around the world at EPCOT. Now you can do it in style with the EPCOT Around the World Tour Shirt!It’s all in the details with this shirt. The “P” in EPCOT is replaced by a drink, you have “1982” representing the year the park opened, and each country is listed on the back just like a concert tee! Plus, at 57% off, it’s a MUST.
Beyonce started something when she released the Cowboy Carter album. This t-shirt on Amazon features Cowboy Mickey! We love how the lasso spells out Mickey and we’ll be contemplating HOW he did that for the next 7-10 business days. The scene is set behind our favorite mouse with cacti and the sun. What’s not to love?
Last but certainly not least, we spotted this Meet Me at Midnight Shirton sale inspired by none other than Cinderella herself! This design includes so many Easter eggs from the movie including the clock, Cinderella’s iconic dress, and a pumpkin, just to name a few. We could see you wearing this to Magic Kingdom — imagine the photos with Cinderella Castle!
Every year, a massive change ripples through EPCOT that fundamentally alters how to approach a day at the park: The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. The litany of special events and offerings offered by the crowds they draw – – along with the crowds they draw – – makes the park a very different place than it is normally. Whether you’re a festival veteran or have never been, it’s best to bone up on all the ways EPCOT is about to change.
When the 2024 EPCOT International Food begins on August 29th, there are three major things to be aware of:
International Marketplaces
The core element of the Food and Wine Festival are the food booths spread throughout the park. There are booths and marketplaces from a ton of different cultures. You can find all sorts of different dishes and desserts along with fine wine, craft beer, and so much more!
Another major part of the Food and Wine Festival is the Eat to the Beat concert series. Offered as part of the standard EPCOT admission ticket, this series features world-renowned musical artists performing several times a day during the festival at the America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase. New and returning artists this year include The Fray, Sugar Ray, Yellowcard, Tiffany, Sheila E., Joey Fatone, Hanson, Boys II Men, and Smash Mouth. The full schedule of performers can be found here.
Eat to the Beat Sign
Crowds
While the food and drink offerings are fantastic, they also tend to draw in LARGE crowds. The festival will usually be especially crowded during its first week (August 19th-September 8th in 2024) as well as holiday weekends and the festival’s closing days. In addition, some of the larger concerts (we’re looking at you Hanson) have a tendency to draw even larger crowds on the days they’re performing.
Food + Wine + Disney = Heaven!
Whether you’ve been to the Food and Wine Festival before or this is your first time hearing about it, keep in mind that EPCOT is going to be drastically different than usual over the next few months.
If you are going the first week of the festival, be prepared for larger crowds than usual. You could find yourself waiting in long lines for booths. So just be prepared for that. Weekends tends to be pretty crowded during festivals as well. It has also been a few months since the last festival, so we think locals and out of town guests alike a really itching for EPCOT to be back in festival mode.
We will be LIVE from the festival reporting on all of the booths and new food. Be sure to stay tuned for our annual best of the fest so you know exactly what you need to try when you visit the festival!
IT’S WINE & DINE TIME!
Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it’s a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.
If you’re planning a day or a week at the festival, we’ve got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it’s a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!
Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!
If you do your best theme parking late at night, there are plenty of ways to accomplish your goals long after dark. From holiday parties to Extended Evening Hours, we’ve spent plenty of late nights in the parks. And if that’s your plan, you’ll be happy to know that a popular event is returning for 2025!
It was announced that Disney After Hours events are returning to Disney World in 2025! These limited-ticket events are great for enjoying low crowds and low wait times at popular attractions.
After Hours at EPCOT
For 2025, you’ll be able to purchase tickets to attend this event at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios once again. You can enter the parks as early as 7PM and stay until 3 hours after park close — that’s plenty of hours of park time to accomplish your to-do list!
Mickey in Hollywood Studios!
The events will kick off on January 6th at Magic Kingdom, January 22nd at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and February 27th at EPCOT. Magic Kingdom and EPCOT will have After Hours from 10PM-1AM, while Hollywood Studios will offer the event from 9:30PM-12:30AM (except for March 26th and April 1st, where Hollywood Studios will have the same hours as the other two).
Fewer crowds at After Hours events!
If you’re hoping to attend, we’ve got the full list of dates for you! Here are the event dates for Hollywood Studios:
January 22nd and 29th
February 12th and 19th
March 5th and 26th
April 1st and 30th
May 14th and 28th
June 4th,11th, and 25th
July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th
August 6th, 20th, and 27th
September 3rd
Popcorn
At Magic Kingdom, you’ll be able to experience many of your favorite attractions, including TRON Lightcycle / Run and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, both available with a standby queue. Here’s the list of dates for that park:
January 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th
February 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th
March 3rd, 17th, 24th, and 31st
April 7th and 28th
May 5th, 12th, and 19th
An empty Magic Kingdom during After Hours
And at EPCOT, you can attend Disney After Hours on the following dates:
February 27th
May 8th and 29th
June 19th and 26th
July 10th, 24th, and 31st
August 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th
September 11th and 25th
EPCOT After Hours are BACK for 2024!
Ticket prices for this event range from $175 to $185 (plus tax) for Magic Kingdom, $155 to $175 (plus tax) for EPCOT, and $155 to $185 (plus tax) for Hollywood Studios. Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members can get specially priced tickets for EPCOT After Hours and Hollywood Studios After Hours. If you’re staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green, you can purchase tickets on September 4th. Everyone else can buy tickets on September 10th.
After Hours at EPCOT
Besides the short lines and low crowds, those attending Disney After Hours can also enjoy complimentary popcorn, ice cream novelties, and bottled beverages with their price of admission. Gotta stay fueled late at night!
YUM
We’ll keep you in the loop with any more updates about this event, so stay tuned to DFB.
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!
Have you been to an After Hours event before? Tell us in the comments!
There is so much to enjoy that you are probably asking yourself, “How can I do it all?” Well, we have some tips to help you make the most out of your visit to EPCOT during the Food and Wine Festival.
Did you know that EPCOT has two different entrances? The front entrance is right by Spaceship Earth, and the back entrance is located between the France and the United Kingdom Pavilions.
International Gateway
The International Gateway, or in our official terms, “the back entrance,” is a great way to beat the crowds, especially during festival season. This entrance serves as an entrance to those using the Friendship Boats, taking the Skyliner, or staying at the EPCOT area hotels, but anyone can enter this way!
International Gateway
If you are looking to save time and get into the park quicker, we suggest entering through the back!
You don’t want to spend the majority of your Food and Wine day waiting in line; you want to spend it trying all the delicious food and drinks! If your trip allows for it, we highly suggest planning your EPCOT day to fall on a weekday, as crowds tend to be lower.
Skip Opening and Closing Weekend
So many people will be flocking to EPCOT this Thursday and through the weekend to be some of the first to visit EPCOT for the Food and Wine Festival. This means that we can expect EPCOT to be very crowded this first weekend and for food booth lines to be very long.
Food and Wine Festival
The same goes for the last weekend of the festival, as the festival ends on November 23rd. There will be people who are trying to get their favorite dishes and drinks one last time before EPCOT transitions into the International Festival of the Holidays on November 29th.
Lines can get long on weekends
Heed our warning, and avoid visiting EPCOT the first and last weekend of the Food and Wine Festival, if possible.
Make a Game Plan Ahead of Time
If you are like us, you may have already made your “Must Have” list for the Food and Wine Festival. If you have not, you may want to start creating yours.
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
Having a game plan ahead of time can make your Food and Wine Festival visit go smoother. This is because you are able to map out what booths you should visit and map out your day. It is also a great way to ensure everyone gets their pick of booths to try.
A pro tip is that the My Disney Experience app actually has a digital copy of the festival passport, meaning that you can get your hands on a passport before you are even in the park!
Go the Same Week as the Food and Wine Classic for TWO Festivals
There is another festival that goes on at the same time as EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival, and it is located just behind EPCOT!
That means if you choose to visit Disney World on November 15th and 16th, you can have the opportunity to visit two festivals!
Visit Booths as Soon as They Open
While EPCOT usually opens at 9 AM each day, the food booths do not open until a little later. Typically, booths will open around 11 AM, but sometimes they can open a little bit before that time.
2023 Hawaii Booth
To take full advantage of all of the food booths, we suggest starting early and hitting up the food booths as soon as they open. This way, you will have more time to try more booths and hopefully beat some of the mid-day crowds.
Purchase the DFB Food and Wine Festival Guide
Along with the resources on our blog and YouTube channel, AJ and the team have specialty guides to help you during your visit to Disney World. There is even one precisely for the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival.
DFB Guide
The Food and Wine Festival is EPCOT’s largest festival and our guide has the best tips, information, and advice so you can enjoy all your time at the festival. This guide has over 250 pages of information to help you tackle the Food and Wine Festival!
Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it’s a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.
If you’re planning a day or a week at the festival, we’ve got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it’s a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!
Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!
We go to Disney World every single day, so that means we’re eating quite a few meals in the parks.
Magic Kingdom
We’re often there for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes even dinner, and throughout those many meals, we’ve tried all KINDS of snacks. Some spots have risen to the top of our list for must-try eats in the parks, but others leave some things to be desired. And today, we’re here to tell you about a major breakfast problem!
When it comes to eating breakfast in the Disney World parks, your options can be a bit limited. The Disney World hotels all offer various breakfast foods, but after you tap your ticket and walk into the theme parks, you’re fending for yourself.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Banana Mickey Waffle
There are plenty of delicious breakfast options to be found (like our beloved Gaston’s Tavern cinnamon roll), but the majority of them tend to trend on the sweet side. Pastries abound, but breakfast sandwiches are few and far between — and where they exist, they’re often rather disappointing.
Gaston’s Tavern — Warm Cinnamon Roll
But you know who we REALLY want to get in on that savory breakfast treat game? Joffrey’s! Starbucks is one of our go-to spots for a good breakfast sammie, but they get so busy in the mornings that it can be a pain to wait in line. Joffrey’s stands abound in the parks and they’re home to some yummy doughnuts and pastries…just think what they could create if they put their minds to savory treats!
Joffrey’s at EPCOT
We’d love Joffrey’s to offer a savory pastry (something with bacon and cheese?) or a croissant sandwich. Maybe even a bagel? (We’re not quite sure if that counts as savory but it’s less sweet.) There are so many possibilities!
Their cookies are sooo good — can we get something savory?
So when you’re in the parks for breakfast during your next visit, make sure to share your favorite way to start the day with us! We’ll be on the lookout for more eats in Disney World so stay tuned.
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 go-to breakfast in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!
