This holiday season, Guests visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park will find festive new entertainment and holiday décor in every land.
At the heart of the park on Discovery Island, the Tree of Life awakens with a series of wintry tales, each told in a unique artistic style and complemented by a familiar and heartwarming holiday-inspired musical score. The Disney Parks Live Entertainment team has been working for months to bring this experience to life. Recently, they got their first glimpse of how these new moments will look on the iconic tree.
These winter “awakenings” are still very much a work in progress, as the team moves toward the Nov. 8 debut when the Tree of Life will come alive with the magic of nature and the spirit of the holidays.
Between the new nighttime spectacular, “Epcot® Forever,” the opening of Walt Disney Imagineering Presents the Epcot Experience, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and all of the new dining experiences and attractions coming to Epcot, it’s an exciting time to be eating your way around World Showcase! Here’s a quick overview of what’s new.
First up, there have been a couple new openings this month as part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Guests can head on over to Future World East near Test Track to try out The Donut Box and Cool Wash. At The Donut Box they’ll find Sweet Corn Fritters with Fresno and red pepper jelly as well as Strawberry-dusted Yeast Donut Holes. On the beverage menu here are several sweet sips including a Strawberry Smoothie (garnished with a donut hole) and, for Guests over the age of 21, a Black and White Coffee Cocktail garnished with a fresh yeast donut with chocolate espresso bean crumbles, plus a Central 28 Beer Company Boston Cream Donut Ale.
Right next door, Cool Wash has reopened with an array of fun slushies! Guests can now have an interactive experience by creating their own custom slushy blend from six frozen carbonated beverages. Choose from Coke, Fanta Cherry, Fanta Orange, Fanta Banana, Fanta Watermelon and Blue Raspberry – all frozen! In addition, Guests can even choose to top your slushy with candy pebbles, popping pearls, jelly drops, or popping candy. Those over 21 can also enjoy a Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla with gin in a souvenir cup.
Both The Donut Box and Cool Wash will be open through the remainder of the festival, which runs through Nov. 23, 2019.
Also located in Future World, Coral Reef Restaurant will be offering a commemorative menu to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney’s animated classic, “The Little Mermaid.” With menu items like the Dinglehopper Shrimp Cocktail, Chef Louis’ Lobster Seafood Boil, and King Triton’s Key Lime Tart, this is a menu guests will definitely want to dive right into! When they dine here, guests will also be able to take home a beautiful commemorative menu (only available while supplies last). This limited-time menu will be available starting Oct. 19, 2019.
Finally, a new kiosk is coming to the Italy pavilion in World Showcase. This new location will replace the current gelato cart and will be operated by Patina Restaurant Group. The kiosk will be scooping up 12 different varieties of gelato and sorbet, including gluten-friendly and plant-based flavors. Its seasonally updated menu will also use locally sourced fruits. Stay tuned for more details.
Here’s everything Marvel that’s happening at the Disney Parks and TBH, it’s all pretty incredible:
First, Avengers Campus will be the next big addition to Disneyland in California and the idea is to move Marvel “forward and create new adventures” for guests.
Guests can step into a tale as old as time when they enter the new Enchanted Rose lounge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. As of today, this beautiful addition to the resort is now open!
Inspired by the magic and romance of Disney’s popular live-action movie, “Beauty and the Beast,” the lounge features four unique gathering spaces inspired by Belle and the Beast with elegance around every corner. Above the main bar, Guests will take in the sights of a gorgeous chandelier inspired by Belle’s flowing golden ball gown, while the library showcases classical baroque designs and French furnishings. A garden room takes its inspiration from the enchanted forest surrounding the castle, and an outdoor patio evokes the romance of Beast’s garden terrace.
The menu features a variety of delectable, shareable bites like artisanal cheeses, a house-made flatbread, short rib sliders, and even white sturgeon caviar. The lounge’s focal point is its library of wines. You can sit back, relax and enjoy charming wines from around the world served by the ounce, glass, or bottle. Champagne, beer, and cider will also be available along with tableside cocktails.
While browsing the menu, you can read about a story of love that inspired the Amour cocktail. There’s also a story of envy to accompany the Envie cocktail. Brian Koziol, Master Sommelier, states “Our tales of tableside cocktails are a contrast of each other. The Amour is an elegant vodka cocktail featuring notes of citrus, pear, and flowers with a slightly sweet taste, while characteristics of the apple brandy Envie showcase apples, herbs, and bitters with a potent taste.”
Also on the menu are beverages without alcohol for Guests of all ages. These mocktails include the Garden Spritzer (with herbal distilled non-alcoholic spirit, lime, agave, and soda), the B&B (with iced tea, lemon, blueberry, and basil), and the Rosemary Cooler (with lemonade, vanilla, and rosemary).
Enchanted Rose is now open on the second floor of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
If you are looking for a great way to experience the flavors of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Tasting Sampler is a great option for them! With this digital value card, you will be able to enjoy a delectable day of flavorful food and beverage as they taste their way around the park’s carts, kiosks, and, after 4 p.m., at quick-service restaurants with a bonus digital value card.
The sampler goes on sale today and costs $50 USD. It includes two digital value cards: one $50 USD card that can be used at over 40 outdoor food and beverage locations throughout the park (and does not expire), and a bonus $10 USD card that can be used at the following quick-service restaurants after 4 p.m. from Dec. 22, 2019 through Jan. 4, 2020: Restaurantosaurus (DinoLand U.S.A), Pizzafari and Pizzafari Family-Style Dining (Discovery Island), Flame Tree Barbecue (Discovery Island), and Satu’li Canteen (Pandora – The World of Avatar). In addition, with each $50 USD card purchased, your Clients will receive two (2) reserved seats for the second showing of Rivers of Light: We are One (which must be redeemed between Dec. 22, 2019 and Jan. 4, 2020).
As guests enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, they’ll be greeted by a newly reimagined Mickey’s of Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard!
Guests can travel back in time and experience the transformative art deco décor within the store. A stylish scheme of squares and gold accents on the celing create a glamorous atmosphere.
It seems as if there is excitement on every corner at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With plenty of new attractions and merchandise locations now opened, guests can enjoy an array of exciting experiences. Stay tuned for more information on new happenings at the park!
Across the canvas of a darkened sky, the new “Epcot Forever” nighttime spectacular debuting today at Walt Disney World Resort celebrates the past, present and future of Epcot. The new show is a showcase of soaring fireworks, inspiring music, lasers and colorful glowing kites flying above and around the park’s World Showcase Lagoon.
As the dramatic curtain-closer to each theme park day, the show takes guests on an emotional journey set to stirring renditions of Epcot music that guests will know and love. It will stoke fond memories from the park’s history and spur excitement for the bright future of Epcot – a future filled with new attractions and experiences as part of a multiyear transformation already underway.
“Epcot Forever” exemplifies the park’s founding principles – innovation, exploration, imagination and celebration. Children sing of “one little spark of inspiration” as guests marvel at fireworks that pinwheel, corkscrew and explode in giant aerial starbursts. As colorful pyrotechnics dance across the heavens, the Epcot story plays out to a grand orchestral soundtrack. Noted conductor and composer Don Harper produced new arrangements of classic Epcot tunes to thread through the show.
Future World pavilions past and present inspire familiar themes, building to Epcot’s grandest moments. In one sequence, uplifting music from Soarin’ Around the World cues dazzling LED kites to crisscross the sky in a kaleidoscopic effect. Guests also will recognize cherished music from Epcot spectacles of the past, including the “Tapestry of Nations” parade.
Approaching its dramatic conclusion, the show pivots from the park’s familiar music to a new verse of “One Little Spark” celebrating the future of Epcot yet to come. As the music and fireworks build, “One Little Spark” transitions to a spectacular finale that brightens the sky one last time with fireworks and special effects.
“Epcot Forever” is set to perform into 2020, leading to the park’s next nighttime spectacular, “HarmonioUS.”
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When it comes to fun on the high seas, Condé Nast Traveler readers chose Disney Cruise Line as the #1 Top Large Cruise Line in the World for the eighth consecutive year. Readers rated our fleet of four the highest from more than 400 cruise ships across multiple brands. Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards is one of the longest-running and most prestigious recognitions of excellence in the travel industry. This year, more than 600,000 Condé Nast Travelerreaders from across the globe rated their travel experiences.
We couldn’t say it any better than our Disney Cruise Line President Jeff Vahle: “Being recognized once again by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler is a source of great pride for our team, whether they make their magic on our ships, at our private island Castaway Cay or behind the scenes. This award speaks to their commitment to always going above and beyond – and making every guest’s experience truly special.”
Disney Cruise Line blends the magic of Disney entertainment with the excitement of ocean cruising, offering incredible onboard experiences and itineraries to the sun-drenched destinations of the Caribbean year-around and awe-inspiring seasonal sailings throughout Alaska and Europe. Most Caribbean itineraries also include a stop at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s award-winning private island in The Bahamas.
Disney Cruise Line is always looking to give guests more exciting opportunities, and this year we decided to “dig a little deeper” for inspiration. In 2020, the Disney Wonder will set sail from New Orleans for the first time, celebrating the magic of NOLA with Tiana and friends. The world of “The Princess and the Frog” is brought to life like never before onboard the Disney Wonder, with new features like a New Orleans-themed lounge that transports guests into the heart of the city’s iconic French Quarter.
As we expand our horizons, we look forward to the delivery of three new ships in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The recently announced Disney Wish will be the first to make her debut as the fifth ship in our fleet. Rapunzel and her feisty sidekick Pascal will be featured on the stern, and, at approximately 144,000 gross tons and 1,250 guest staterooms, the Disney Wish will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Our Disney Cruise Line team is proud to be No. 1 in the hearts of Condé Nast Traveler readers, and we couldn’t be happier knowing our guests’ experiences are truly special year after year.
Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort is in the midst of a historic transformation, developing groundbreaking attractions and other unforgettable experiences. For a glimpse into the park’s bright future, visit Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience, which just opened inside the Odyssey Events Pavilion (between Test Track and the Mexico pavilion). This is the first in-depth look at what’s happening all across the park.
Epcot Experience is just part of the excitement happening at the park right now. A new nighttime spectacular, “Epcot Forever,” made its grand debut last week, full of fireworks, special effects and music that celebrate the past, present and future of Epcot every night above World Showcase Lagoon. Fall is also the time for foodies, as we’re right in the middle of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, offering tastes and sips from around the world along with the popular Eat to the Beat Concert Series each evening.
With so many industry worrywarts and Star Wars purists taking a dim view of Disney’s (NYSE:DIS) bicoastal Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge expansion, I figured I’d check out Florida’s version on Saturday afternoon. Would I get pelted by drifting tumbleweed while slurping down some blue milk? Would my voice echo in a barren Droid Depot? Would I leave accepting that the first phase of what initially seemed like a slam-dunk expansion has turned into a colossal flop for ages?
