Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1289
October 7, 2013
Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurb Officially Extended Until 2014
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Image copyright Disney
File this piece under “the least surprising news in the wilderness”:
After months of officially insisting that Disneyland’s iconic Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride in California would return from its multi-month refurbishment in time for fall 2013 holiday season — despite rampant rumors that there was still extensive work to be done — Mickey has finally admitted that you won’t be taking any rides past the newly-rebuilt town of Rainbow Ridge until early next year.
The announcement only provides a vague reopening time period of “Winter [early] 2014,” but we’ve updated our attraction closures webpage with a tentative return date of February 15, 2014.
Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
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More MyMagic+ Observations
By Erin Foster
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In our continuing quest to keep you as updated as possible on MyMagic+ testing and roll-out at Walt Disney World, I’m here to give you a few additional observations based on my recent WDW trip, my second using MagicBands and FastPass+:
MyMagic+ resort check-in materials, front.
MagicBand readers are live at the Magical Express check-in station at Orlando International Airport. I was mailed the standard Magical Express vouchers and luggage tags to my home about a month before my trip. I approached the ME check-in stand with voucher in hand, but also wearing my MagicBand. The ME check-in cast member saw the band, told me that I could put away the vouchers, and instead asked me to tap the RFID reader with the band. This worked like a charm. However, on the way home, there was no mechanism for the pick-up driver to read my MagicBand. I needed to have either the mailed voucher or the slipped-under-my-door departure time notification voucher in order to board the bus home.
PhotoPass photographers are now equipped with MagicBand readers. However, they still seem to be a little “iffy” at this point. I stood for seven PhotoPass photographers during my trip. Only two of these were able to scan my MagicBand without some sort of a glitch. For the foreseeable future, ask them to link your pictures to a standard PhotoPass card, as well as adding them to your MagicBand.
My two MagicBands had completely duplicated functions. I received an orange MagicBand when I stayed at Bay Lake Tower in July. I received a pink MagicBand when I stayed at Beach Club Villas during the last week of September. Both are linked to my personal MyDisneyExperience account with an “active” status. To see what this meant, I put both bands through the paces.
They both opened my Beach Club room, as did the Key to the World Card I was given at BC check-in. According to MyDisneyExperience, my old Bay Lake KTTWC is also still linked to my account. I’m now wondering if that old KTTW would also have gotten me into my new room. I’ll try this during my next visit.
Both MagicBands let me into the parks, as did my annual pass. With all these duplicated admission media, that finger scan at the entrance has become particularly important for Disney.
I was able to use both MagicBands to ride with my FastPass+ reservations. In the interest of research, I tried to push the limits of the system by going through the FP+ line with MagicBand pink and then immediately attempting go through the same FP+ line with MagicBand orange (or vice versa). The reason I did this was because with the old paper FastPasses, cast members would collect and discard your paper FastPass to ensure that it was not used twice; I wanted to see what would happen with no paper ticket collection. At three of the four attractions I tried this at, my second attempted FP+ use was rejected, showing a message to the CM attendant that the FP+ had previously been used. At one attraction, I was able to ride twice using the two different MagicBands (I was still within my one-hour window). I’m sure this semi-loophole will be closed soon. If you’re curious, when you scan your MagicBand anywhere and things are working, the Mickey reader glows green. When there is a problem, the Mickey reader glows blue. I saw lots of blue when I attempted to double use a FP+. I’m glad to see this mechanism in place.
I was able to charge purchases with both MagicBands and my KTTWC.
If I had chosen to do so, I could have deactivated any of my linked bands/cards using the MyDisneyExperience website. If you’re a frequent visitor and you like having fewer things to keep track of, go ahead and deactivate your old media. I had fun playing around with they system, but in the future, I may decide just to keep my current media active on my account.
MyMagic+ resort check-in materials, back.
I had no trouble getting in to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with a my MagicBand. I had previously linked this to my account. I did see other guests complaining of issues related to this, but it didn’t happen to me.
Virtually all food and merchandise vendors are now equipped with MagicBand readers. Additionally, my MagicBand charging PIN was retained in my account from my previous visit. I chose to change it, but if I hadn’t done this my old PIN would have worked with my new MagicBand.
Premier Pass Holders be cautious. A good friend of mine spent hours, and I do mean HOURS, at Guest Relations this weekend trying to get her Premier annual pass (the kind that lets you in to both Disney World and Disneyland) linked to her MyDisneyExperience account so that she could make FastPass+ reservations for an upcoming trip. They eventually forced a workaround, but it wasn’t pretty.
They’re starting to add charging stations. Constant use of the MyDisneyExperience app can take a real toll on your phone battery. There is now a power strip at a table at the back of the Space Mountain exit store with 20+ outlets. (No USB ports.) It seemed pretty dead there, so it’s a good place to hang out if you need a power boost.
I was not offered Fireworks/Parade FP+ options, despite my weekend visit. Many other guests have been offered FP+ for parades and shows, I’m not sure what the criteria are for this.
I could use my MagicBand for pool access. I was staying at the Beach Club, one of the Disney resorts that restricts pool access to registered guests. The cast members at the pool gates were equipped with portable MagicBand readers.
I was able to “regenerate” an expired FP+. Again, in the spirit of pushing the boundaries of the system … I let a FP+ reservation for Haunted Mansion expire without using it. About half an hour after the expire time, I tried to make a new HM FP+ reservation via the MDX app on my iPhone (using the “Change FP+ selection feature). No luck. However, I was able to change my expired, but unused, Haunted Mansion FP+ reservation to a Peter Pan FP+ reservation at a time later in the day. I then changed the Peter Pan FP+ back into a Haunted Mansion FP+ using “Change FP+ selection” feature on the app.
The MagicBand really does make navigating Walt Disney World super easy. Now that more park elements are connected to the MyMagic+, it’s more clear exactly how easy they system is. I hadn’t realized before how often I was searching through my bag, looking for my Key to the World Card or a paper FastPass. The ease of the MagicBand was made more obvious during the few instances where I had to use a card of some sort. For example, to use my annual pass discount on merchandise, I still had to show my pass card and a photo ID. In the past, I didn’t think this was much of big deal. Now it seemed like a unnecessary chore. I’m hoping that they’re able to link discount opportunities to MagicBands in the near future.
For those of you playing along at home, here’s a roundup of Touring Plans coverage of MyMagic+:
Scarlett on MagicBand roll-out dates.
Kristina’s favorite things about the MyDisneyExperience app.
Kristina describes the MyDisneyExperience website.
FastPass+ FAQ.
MagicBand FAQ.
Brian’s advice on optimizing your use of MyMagic+ with Touring Plans.
Brian’s MyMagic+ testing experience.
Erin’s first MyMagic+ testing experience.
Erin’s preliminary MyMagic+ observations.
Please remember that MyMagic+ is a moving target, with frequent updates and changes. We’ll do our best to keep you as well informed as possible. As always, let us know what you want to know and we’ll keep our ear to the ground for you.
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October 6, 2013
Walt Disney World Resort Monorail Hours Limited Starting October 6
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As a result of construction at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, the Walt Disney World Resort Monorail will be operating on a limited schedule beginning October 6, 2013. On that day and for what is projected to be two weeks after, the resort monorail will stop running at 11 a.m. daily and will remain down until 6 p.m. each day. Guests will be re-routed to resort buses and boats in order to get to Magic Kingdom, the Transportation and Ticket Center, and the other monorail resorts.
For those of you traveling on these alternate methods of transportation, be sure to remember that Disney bus and boat rules require that you fold and store strollers, walkers, and other rolling devices.
The Express Monorail will continue to run normally between the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and Magic Kingdom during this period.
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Video Tour of Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort
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A stay in one of Walt Disney World’s hotels can transport you to a Polynesian isle, the Big Easy, or even a “cutting edge” cinderblock circa 1970. But if you want to be whisked off to the Italian seaside without leaving Central Florida, you’ll have to head up I-4 to the Mouse’s major competitor.
Today we’re kicking off an ongoing series of Universal Orlando video tours with a look at the resort’s flagship hotel. The Portofino Bay Hotel is a AAA 4 Diamond-awarded luxury property managed by Loews Hotels that is a picture-perfect replica of the famed European original, down to the painted-on “trompe l’oeil” architectural details.
Enjoy this exploration of the Portofino Bay, and come back for more Universal Orlando video features in the future.
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October 5, 2013
Walt Disney World Guide for Guests with Cognitive Disabilities
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Cover of Disney’s guide – copyright Disney.
Following Disney’s recent announcement of the Disney Accessibility System/Disability Access Service (DAS) program, the company recently released the guide Planning a Trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort – A Resource for Guests with Cognitive Disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The 40-page guide is a comprehensive look at theme park attractions, transportation, and other areas of concern for guests with cognitive or sensory disabilities. Particularly helpful is the list of potential concerns for attractions including noise, wetness, scariness, and elements of surprise, among several others. The guide is on the Disney company web site at https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/media/wdpro-assets/help/guest-services/cognitive-disabilities-services/wdw_cognitive_guide.pdf
Additionally, Disney has released a brief guide to the DAS program, which can be found here.
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SATURDAY SIX: Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 Epcot Food & Wine Festival
By Derek Burgan
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The Saturday Six is a weekly look at the most interesting, most fun, and sometimes even the most outrageous things within the theme park world that we all love so much. Whether it’s checking out the World’s Largest Hard Rock Cafe in CityWalk, a look at Marvel Superhero Island in Islands of Adventure, or even going to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the Saturday Six is your personal guide to experiencing the very best Orlando has to offer.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Crutchfield
This week’s Saturday Six looks at the Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. An annual event that originally started in 1995, Food & wine has grown each year and has become one of Orlando’s signature events of the fall. Over 25 marketplaces are placed around World Showcase and each bring their own unique food and drink offerings that offer guests the amazing opportunity to challenge their culinary palate and experience dining opportunities that just don’t exist in the theme park world during the rest of the year. But that’s not all, Food & Wine has a whole bunch of other stuff going on at the same time including seminars, concerts, and even the chance to meet celebrities from the world of food and wine. We loved this year’s festival but what are our favorite parts? For that we need to start the list~!
(Remember, you can click on any picture to see the full size version)
The Cranberry Bog (presented by Ocean Spray)
#6 – The Cranberry Bog
I don’t know what it is about it, but I am completely mesmerized by the cranberry bog. At night, it actually looks like it could fit in well over at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. During the day Ocean Spray has representatives who will guide guests through the process or harvesting cranberries. Here you’ll find out that cranberries grow on lung running vines and Ocean Spray (along with other cranberry farmers) use rake-like tools to brush them into water. Because the cranberries have air pockets in them, they float, so the berries are then collected en masse. I love watching people wade through the cranberry bog and continue to try to wrap my mind around the fact that something like this exists in the real world. It also will allow me to drop some knowledge bombs during my next Thanksgiving dinner when I explain where the cranberry sauce comes from and – as a bonus – there are free packs of Craisins nearby the bog at the Ocean Spray booth.
The GoGos!
# 5 – Eat to the Beat Concert Series
Throughout the Food and Wine festival there are bands playing live for the Eat to the Beat concert series. While some of the names may not be recognizable at first, you’ve more than likely heard the bigger hits from almost every group playing. Whether it’s Hanson’s “Mmmbop,” Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On,” or – one of my secret shame favorites – the GoGo’s “Our Lips Are Sealed,” you’ll be finding yourself singing along to many pop hits. Each band plays three shows per night (5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM) at the America Gardens Theatre.
The Eat to the Beat concert series this year includes: 9/27 – 9/29 - Starship (featuring Mickey Thomas), 9/30 – 10/01 - Go-Go’s, 10/02 – 10/04 - Air Supply, 10/05 – 10/06 - Sister Hazel, 10/07 – 10/09 - Sugar Ray, 10/10 – 10/11 - Edwin McCain, 10/12 – 10/13 - Manhattan Transfer, 10/14 - 10/15 - Wilson Phillips, 10/16 – 10/17 - The Pointer Sisters, 10/18 – 10/20 - Night Ranger, 10/21 – 10/23 - Boyz II Men, 10/24 – 10/25 - Survivor, 10/26 – 10/27 - 38 Special, 10/28 – 10/30 - Smash Mouth, 10/31 – 11/01 - Spin Doctors, 11/02 – 11/03 - Christopher Cross, 11/04 – 11/05 - Hanson, 11/06 – 11/08 - Dennis DeYoung (of STYX fame) and 11/09 – 11/11 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
2013 Food & Wine merchandise
# 4 – The Merch!
The staff of the Saturday Six also write The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! columns for the TouringPlans blog, so we’re always looking forward to exclusive merchandise from Disney and Universal. We were pretty disappointed with the offerings at Disney’s Night of Joy and to be honest, the selections available at this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party were nothing to write home about either (including the creepy looking Mickey-as-Hatbox-Ghost popcorn bucket.) So you can imagine our surprise when discovering the Food & Wine festival is loaded with good merchandise.
Our favorites include the Food & Wine logo which has Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as three chefs, a pin that included Figment from Journey into Imagination, and various items including a cookbook and print that featured a whimsical chef. There are a lot of items to buy, many of which are high quality and worth checking out. While there is merchandise throughout the festival, the best bet to see everything is to go to the Festival Welcome Center (the former Wonders of Life pavilion.)
This is actually made of chocolate.
# 3 – The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar
Hosted by the Ghiradelli chocolate company, this exhibit made its debut during last year’s festival and makes a triumphant return this year. Just an awesome experience. One of the highlights is seeing several almost unbelievable sculptures created by Disney chefs that are made completely out of chocolate. These dioramas were straight out of a high end dessert show on the Food Network. My favorites included a western scene from Grand Floridan chefs, a bungalo-on-the-beach piece by chefs of the Boardwalk resort, and a Lion King themed one from Hollywood Studios chefs. Was completely blown away by the overall artistry.
Any menu promising a “liquid candy bar” gets a thumbs up from me.
The Chocolate Experience also has their own version of a Food & Wine booth offering two choices of wines and Ghiradelli drinking chocolate. The drinking chocolate is advertised as being “like a liquid Candy Bar.” Now if someone can just invent a liquid peanut butter I’ll be all set. The ball is in your court Reese’s…
The Chocolate Experience itself is included with your Epcot admission and is located in the Welcome Center. While in the Welcome Center you’ll also have the opportunity to check out the other offerings including The Art of Food & Wine area (where you can look at – and purchase – prints and original art), book and wine signings from celebrity chefs and winemakers, and check out if any of the various demonstrations or seminars catch your interest. Keep in mind that most of these seminars have a separate charge including a Mixology one for $15 that piqued my interest after watching the show Bar Rescue on Spike.
BraufactuM Darkon from the Brewer’s Collection booth
# 2 – The “Wine”
I’m using “wine” in quotation marks because I’m more of a beer man myself, but regardless if you happen to be a person who partakes in alcohol you are going to be quite happy with this year’s festival. Not only does every booth offer their own alcohol selections, but there are a couple booths dedicated completely to alcohol including Brewer’s Collection and Craft Beers. I’m a huge fan of beer flights (I like to think of them as “alcohol sliders”) and greatly enjoyed the beer flight at Craft Beers that included Dogfish Head Brewery Namaste, Abita Brewing Company Fall Fest, Leinenkugel’s Seasonal Shandy, and Florida Beer Company Devil’s Triangle. After their work on brewing Hog’s Head Ale for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Duff Beer for Springfield USA over at Universal, I will always support anything made by Florida Brewing Company.
Craft beer selections from Block and Hans at the American Adventure pavilion. USA! USA! USA!
At the Brewer’s Collection we tried BraufactuM Darkon. This was a dark, malty beer with hints of chocolate or coffee. Great taste, and but it’s generally geared towards people who prefer darker and stronger beers and actually reminded of the Duff Dry I had in Moe’s Tavern. At the Desserts & Champagne booth we tried a glass of Chandon Nectar Imperial. I would describe this glass of champagne as having a touch of sweetness with an overall fruity taste and crisp finish. We finished up in Scotland and tried a cup of Innis & Gunn Original. This was a reddish brown color beer, medium strength with hints of oak and what we assumed to be scotch or whiskey. All things considered, we’re going to give our Best In Show award to Innis & Gunn Original as the oaky flavor and the whisky/scotch finish was something we’ve never experienced in a beer before.
# 1 – THE FOOD!
Youki Tofu (Japan)
This is what we all came for, right? The marvelous food selections that arrive every year courtesy of Food & Wine. It’s a foodie’s dream and a Weight Watchers nightmare, but we love eating Around the World. Many of our favorites are back, including the Kalua pork sliders in Hawaii, Ireland’s Kerrygold cheese sampler, and our one Must Do every year, Germany’s roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll. However, this year we were on a mission. We set out to see how many food selections were available to vegetarians and found out there were actually quite a bit this year. We even wrote a blog about it: Eating Vegetarian at the 2013 Food and Wine Festival.
Vegetarian or not, you can’t go wrong with the spinach and paneer cheese pocket in Africa, the griddled Greek cheese with pistachios and honey over in Greece, and Terra’s chili Colorado with house-made chips and cashew cheese. Scotland’s vegetarian haggis is certainly a novelty item, but to us came across as little more than a glorified veggie burger (however the “neeps and tatties” sides are rather good.)
Discovery Passport
We couldn’t leave without trying a couple meat dishes, and can give big thumbs up to the Florida Local booth’s grass-fed beef slider, Belgium’s potato and leek waffle with braised beef, and the spicy Kimchi dog from South Korea. So many great choices throughout the Marketplace this year that it has us already looking forward to our next trip.
This article barely scratches the surface of everything you’ll experience at this year’s Food & Wine. Be sure to pick up a Discovery Passport before you begin your journey, as it lists all the countries, has all the menus (along with a convenient checklist to mark off all the items you have tried), and has a spot where you can receive a stamp from each country you visit! Stop by the Festival Information Center after you enter the park to pick one up.
See you next weekend for the latest edition of the Saturday Six. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories and Merch! articles or head on over to the TouringPlans.com Podcast Network and check out Universal NOW! and Pardon the Pixie Dust.
The Epcot International Food & Wine takes place daily from September 27 through November 11, 2013.
Special thanks to Brandon Glover and Morgan Crutchfield for their assistance with this week’s Saturday Six.
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SATURDAY SIX: Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 Epcot Food & Wine Festival is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
SATURDAY SIX: Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival
By Derek Burgan
• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest
The Saturday Six is a weekly look at the most interesting, most fun, and sometimes even the most outrageous things within the theme park world that we all love so much. Whether it’s checking out the World’s Largest Hard Rock Cafe in CityWalk, a look at Marvel Superhero Island in Islands of Adventure, or even going to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the Saturday Six is your personal guide to experiencing the very best Orlando has to offer.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Crutchfield
This week’s Saturday Six looks at the Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. An annual event that originally started in 1995, Food & wine has grown each year and has become one of Orlando’s signature events of the fall. Over 25 marketplaces are placed around World Showcase and each bring their own unique food and drink offerings that offer guests the amazing opportunity to challenge their culinary palate and experience dining opportunities that just don’t exist in the theme park world during the rest of the year. But that’s not all, Food & Wine has a whole bunch of other stuff going on at the same time including seminars, concerts, and even the chance to meet celebrities from the world of food and wine. We loved this year’s festival but what are our favorite parts? For that we need to start the list~!
(Remember, you can click on any picture to see the full size version)
The Cranberry Bog (presented by Ocean Spray)
#6 – The Cranberry Bog
I don’t know what it is about it, but I am completely mesmerized by the cranberry bog. At night, it actually looks like it could fit in well over at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. During the day Ocean Spray has representatives who will guide guests through the process or harvesting cranberries. Here you’ll find out that cranberries grow on lung running vines and Ocean Spray (along with other cranberry farmers) use rake-like tools to brush them into water. Because the cranberries have air pockets in them, they float, so the berries are then collected en masse. I love watching people wade through the cranberry bog and continue to try to wrap my mind around the fact that something like this exists in the real world. It also will allow me to drop some knowledge bombs during my next Thanksgiving dinner when I explain where the cranberry sauce comes from and – as a bonus – there are free packs of Craisins nearby the bog at the Ocean Spray booth.
The GoGos!
# 5 – Eat to the Beat Concert Series
Throughout the Food and Wine festival there are bands playing live for the Eat to the Beat concert series. While some of the names may not be recognizable at first, you’ve more than likely heard the bigger hits from almost every group playing. Whether it’s Hanson’s Mmmbop, Wilson Phillips’ Hold On, or – one of my secret shame favorites – the GoGo’s Our Lips Are Sealed, you’ll be finding yourself singing along to many pop hits. Each band plays three shows per night (5:30 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:00 PM) at the American Gardens Theater.
The Eat to the Beat concert series this year includes: 9/27 – 9/29 - Starship (featuring Mickey Thomas), 9/30 – 10/01 - Go-Go’s, 10/02 – 10/04 - Air Supply, 10/05 – 10/06 - Sister Hazel, 10/07 – 10/09 - Sugar Ray, 10/10 – 10/11 - Edwin McCain, 10/12 – 10/13 - Manhattan Transfer, 10/14 - 10/15 - Wilson Phillips, 10/16 – 10/17 - The Pointer Sisters, 10/18 – 10/20 - Night Ranger, 10/21 – 10/23 - Boyz II Men, 10/24 – 10/25 - Survivor, 10/26 – 10/27 - 38 Special, 10/28 – 10/30 - Smash Mouth, 10/31 – 11/01 - Spin Doctors, 11/02 – 11/03 - Christopher Cross, 11/04 – 11/05 - Hanson, 11/06 – 11/08 - Dennis DeYoung (of STYX fame) and 11/09 – 11/11 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
2013 Food & Wine merchandise
# 4 – The Merch!
The staff of the Saturday Six also write The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! columns for the TouringPlans blog, so we’re always looking forward to exclusive merchandise from Disney and Universal. We were pretty disappointed with the offerings at Disney’s Night of Joy and to be honest, the selections available at this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party were nothing to write home about either (including the creepy looking Mickey-as-Hatbox-Ghost popcorn bucket.) So you can imagine our surprise when discovering the Food & Wine festival is loaded with good merchandise.
Our favorites include the Food & Wine logo which has Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as three chefs, a pin that included Figment from Journey into Imagination, and various items including a cookbook and print that featured a whimsical chef. There are a lot of items to buy, many of which are high quality and worth checking out. While there is merchandise throughout the festival, the best bet to see everything is to go to the Festival Welcome Center (the former Wonders of Life pavilion.)
This is actually made of chocolate.
# 3 – The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar
Hosted by the Ghiradelli chocolate company, this exhibit made its debut during last year’s festival and makes a triumphant return this year. Just an awesome experience. One of the highlights is seeing several almost unbelievable sculptures created by Disney chefs that are made completely out of chocolate. These dioramas were straight out of a high end dessert show on the Food Network. My favorites included a western scene from Grand Floridan chefs, a bungalo-on-the-beach piece by chefs of the Boardwalk resort, and a Lion King themed one from Disney Hollywood Studio chefs. Was completely blown away by the overall artistry.
Any menu promising a “liquid candy bar” gets a thumbs up from me.
The Chocolate Experience also has their own version of a Food & Wine booth offering two choices of wines and Ghiradelli drinking chocolate. The drinking chocolate is advertised as being “like a liquid Candy Bar.” Now if someone can just invent a liquid peanut butter I’ll be all set. The ball is in your court Reece’s…
The Chocolate Experience itself is included with your EPCOT admission and is located in the Welcome Center. While in the Welcome Center you’ll also have the opportunity to check out the other offerings including The Art of Food & Wine area (where you can look at – and purchase – prints and original art), book and wine signings from celebrity chefs and winemakers, and check out if any of the various demonstrations or seminars catch your interest. Keep in mind that most of these seminars have a separate charge including a Mixology one for $15 that piqued my interest after watching the show Bar Rescue on Spike.
BraufactuM Darkon from the Brewer’s Collection booth
# 2 – The “Wine”
I’m using “wine” in quotation marks because I’m more of a beer man myself, but regardless if you happen to be a person who partakes in alcohol you are going to be quite happy with this year’s festival. Not only does every booth offer their own alcohol selections, but there are a couple booths dedicated completely to alcohol including Brewer’s Collection and Craft Beers. I’m a huge fan of beer flights (I like to think of them as “alcohol sliders”) and greatly enjoyed the beer flight at Craft Beers that included Dogfish Head Brewery Namaste, Abita Brewing Company Fall Fest, Leinenkugel’s Seasonal Shandy, and Florida Beer Company Devil’s Triangle. After their work on brewing Hog’s Head Ale for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Duff Beer for Springfield USA over at Universal, I will always support anything made by Florida Brewing Company.
Craft beer selections from Block and Hans at the American Adventure pavilion. USA! USA! USA!
At the Brewer’s Collection we tried BraufactuM Darkon. This was a dark, malty beer with hints of chocolate or coffee. Great taste, and but it’s generally geared towards people who prefer darker and stronger beers and actually reminded of the Duff Dry I had in Moe’s Tavern. At the Desserts & Champagne booth we tried a glass of Chandon Nectar Imperial. I would describe this glass of champagne as having a touch of sweetness with an overall fruity taste and crisp finish. We finished up in Scotland and tried a cup of Innis & Gunn Original. This was a reddish brown color beer, medium strength with hints of oak and what we assumed to be scotch or whiskey. All things considered, we’re going to give our Best In Show award to Innis & Gunn Original as the oaky flavor and the whisky/scotch finish was something we’ve never experienced in a beer before.
# 1 – THE FOOD!
Youki Tofu (Japan)
This is what we all came for, right? The marvelous food selections that arrive every year courtesy of Food & Wine. It’s a foodie’s dream and a Weight Watchers nightmare, but we love eating Around the World. Many of our favorites are back, including the Kalua pork sliders in Hawaii, Ireland’s Kerrygold cheese sampler, and our one Must Do every year, Germany’s roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll. However, this year we were on a mission. We set out to see how many food selections were available to vegetarians and found out there were actually quite a bit this year. We even wrote a blog about it: Eating Vegetarian at the 2013 Food and Wine Festival.
Vegetarian or not, you can’t go wrong with the spinach and paneer cheese pocket in Africa, the griddled Greek cheese with pistachios and honey over in Greece, and Terra’s chili Colorado with house-made chips and cashew cheese. Scotland’s vegetarian haggis is certainly a novelty item, but to us came across as little more than a glorified veggie burger (however the “neeps and tatties” sides are rather good.)
Discovery Passport
We couldn’t leave without trying a couple meat dishes, and can give big thumbs up to the Florida Local booth’s grass-fed beef slider, Belgium’s potato and leek waffle with braised beef, and the spicy Kimchi dog from South Korea. So many great choices throughout the Marketplace this year that it has us already looking forward to our next trip.
This article barely scratches the surface of everything you’ll experience at this year’s Food & Wine. Be sure to pick up a Discovery Passport before you begin your journey, as it lists all the countries, has all the menus (along with a convenient checklist to mark off all the items you have tried), and has a spot where you can receive a stamp from each country you visit! Stop by the Festival Information Center after you enter the park to pick one up.
See you next weekend for the latest edition of the Saturday Six. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories and Merch! articles or head on over to the TouringPlans.com Podcast Network and check out Universal NOW! and Pardon the Pixie Dust.
EPCOT Food & Wine takes place daily from September 27th through November 11th, 2013.
Special thanks to Brandon Glover and Morgan Crutchfield for their assistance with this week’s Saturday SIx.
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SATURDAY SIX: Top Six Reasons We Loved the 2013 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
October 4, 2013
Limited Time Magic for October 7 – 11
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For next week’s Limited Time Magic, guests at Walt Disney World will have the opportunity to sign up for a select tour that will offer a behind-the-scenes looks at some of the Disney magic at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, each morning select guests will get to go on an Imagineer-led tour of Expedition Everest before the park opens. Tours will begin at 8 am, and only 10 participants will be chosen for each day. Guests will venture inside at the foot of the towering Everest, explore a museum dedicated to the study of the Yeti, and visit other areas of the attraction. During each walking tour, participants will hear inside stories from the Imagineers who brought Expedition Everest to life.
Guests will only have until 2:59 pm EDT today (October 4) to enter. (Very limited!) Those chosen to participate will be able to select which tour they attend. Park admission is included if you are chosen.
For more information or to sign up for either tour, please visit the Disney Parks Blog.
At Disneyland, guests are invited to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday and check out the unique details that are added to this attraction that is themed after The Nightmare Before Christmas. For the 13th anniversary, Disney has placed 13 surprise objects inside each area, from the foyer and the attic to the ghostly graveyard below.
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This Week On TouringPlans YouTube Channel: Be Our Guest Restaurant Tour, Portofino Bay Hotel, Fish Sandwiches, and More!
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Every Friday on the TouringPlans Blog we bring you the week’s newest videos from our YouTube channel. Let’s get started!
Judging by the long lunch lines and the nearly impossible to obtain dinner reservations it appears that Be Our Guest Restaurant has taken the throne as the most desirable dining establishment in Walt Disney World. While I personally don’t think the food is that great it’s undeniable that the place is beautiful. In this video we take you on a tour of all three interior rooms of the restaurant.
Walt Disney World isn’t the only destination in Orlando to offer beautiful resort hotels. Here is a overview and room tour of Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando.
More videos after the jump.
Take a tour of a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom aboard the Disney Wonder. We promise you won’t get seasick.
Have you stayed at Disneyland Hotel since it got its big refurbishment last year? If not you must see the new rooms. Each one has dozens of classic Disneyland details and nods to Walt Disney. Take a look at our tour of one of the rooms in the Adventure Tower.
Halloween Time is here at Disneyland and with it comes some limited time dining options. Here is a review of the Fish Sandwich from Hungry Bear Restaurant.
On this week’s episode of Ask Jim Hill, Jim and Len are back to discuss SpectroMagic. The guys also answer a question about the current status of Guillermo del Toro’s Haunted Mansion film.
That’s all for this week. We add new videos to the channel several times a week. Be sure to head to http://youtube.com/touringplans and subscribe!
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This Week On TouringPlans YouTube Channel: Be Our Guest Restaurant Tour, Portofino Bay Hotel, Fish Sandwiches, and More! is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
Observations at the Magic Kingdom: October 1
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As October rolls into Central Florida, the Halloween season (because after all, it is a season here) is in full swing. And while there’s never a bad time to visit the Magic Kingdom, the changes taking place lately have made it particularly exciting. I started my evening at the Polynesian to take a few pictures and get a look at the new runDisney running path markers that are now in place at the Poly, Grand Floridian, Art of Animation, and Epcot Resorts. The signs give you route maps and distances, most helpful if you’re training for, say, the Tower of Terror 10-miler?
With construction slated to begin soon on the newly announced Disney Vacation Club villas at the Poly, I wanted to get some photos around the resort just in case there were changes to my favorite sights. Depth testing has already begun out in the lagoon and construction walls are up near the beach at Sunset Pointe.
The highly photogenic Polynesian Resort
Depth Testing at the Poly
From the Polynesian I made my way into the Kingdom by monorail. As an aside, I’ve noticed that guests of the resorts are fairly surprised when, at 1 hour after the Magic Kingdom closes, they are no longer allowed to board the monorails from the resorts. Some have found themselves having to take buses when they did not expect to have to. You may want to keep this in mind if you have a late dinner reservation at one of the resort restaurants or are parking at a resort and heading to the park, etc. The Magic Kingdom railroad station is lovely as usual with its Autumn decorations.
Crowds were, as predicted by TP, very light, with popular rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Haunted Mansion posting wait times of less than 20 minutes. Main Street, U.S.A., was uncrowded. Concrete work is taking place up and down Main Street, U.S.A., with construction walls up and down intermittently as walkways are replaced.
Good news for all you picture takers – the Dream Lights (commonly called icicle lights) are up on Cinderella Castle and the unsightly crane is gone. How do they get those lights up so quickly? The Dream Lights are attached to specially dyed fishing nets that are draped on the castle during an approximately two-week period at the end of September.
Lots of improvements in Adventureland as well, with the Jungle Cruise reopening to guests and the courtyard just past Aloha Isle reopened after a refresher.
Liberty Square was beautiful as always and the line for Haunted Mansion took only 12 minutes to get through despite the 20 minute posted wait time.
After my ride through the Haunted Mansion, I did a quick check into Fantasyland where a couple of highly popular venues are undergoing refurbishment. Peter Pan’s Flight is closed through November 13 and Pinocchio Village Haus is also behind refurbishment walls.
I think the sign they’ve created for Peter Pan’s flight is really cool.
I made the circle into Tomorrowland and caught a shot at the nightly dance party. I’m not a huge fan of things like this, but I have to say that Chip and Dale and Pluto in space costumes is pretty cute. There’s also the opportunity to see and dance with Stitch, a fairly popular character that isn’t around much otherwise. The kids that were participating were having a lot of fun and there’s much to be said for that at 8 p.m. in the Magic Kingdom
Ride times in Tomorrowland were equally low with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at 5 minutes, Space Mountain at 20, and Astro Orbiter at walk-on. I made my way to the Partners Statue, a favorite Wishes viewing spot of mine when crowds are down, to catch Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. I’ll leave you with a few fireworks shots so you can close down the Kingdom with me. Until next time, keep it magical.
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