Happy New Year, DFB Friends! It’s the end of the year and the beginning of a new one, and you know what that means… .

Le Petit Cafe

New Year treats at Disney World! And we’ve tried a few already, including a Raspberry Dole Whip, a New Year’s Eve Cupcake, and a New Year’s Eve Celebration Wine Package!

While we were perusing all the wonderful yummies at Le Petit Cafe at Disney’s Riviera Resort, we spotted such a treat, the New Year Hazelnut-Caramel Profiteroles. Oh, yes, we HAD to try it!

New Year Hazelnut-Caramel Profiteroles Menu

It’s four chocolate cream puffs stacked on top of each other, with a chocolate banner wishing us “Bonne Annee” — that’s French for “Happy New Year!”

New Year Hazelnut-Caramel Profiteroles

The top profiterole has a little design piped on top with chocolate frosting. There’s also a little white chocolate streamer wrapped around the entire pastry.

New Year Hazelnut-Caramel Profiteroles

After we dug into the top cream puff, we liked what we tasted — a dessert that isn’t overly sweet. But when we bit into it, we discovered its secret!

New Year Hazelnut-Caramel Profiteroles

The filling tastes mostly like coffee! But this is a hazelnut-caramel dessert (it’s RIGHT THERE in its name), but almost all we could taste was coffee, and maybe a little chocolate. We didn’t sign up for a coffee dessert, but here we are. And maybe a hint of coffee would have been okay, but this is A LOT.

New Year Hazelnut-Caramel Profiteroles

Now we get it, you might appreciate the STRONG coffee flavor of this dessert, and in that case, you should totally try it out for yourself. It’s available now for a limited time for $6.99. And we’ll let you know what other New Year treats we track down, too!

REVIEW: Count Down to 2021 With the Stroke of Midnight Dessert in Disney World!

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What snacks are you having for New Year’s Eve? Let us know in the comments!

The post Review! Coffee Lovers NEED to Try This Dessert in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.

Things are constantly changing at Disney World!

Cinderella Castle

Just this month, we saw some restaurants reopen, other spots get new menu items, and a change in Boarding Group distribution times announced for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. December is almost over, but January will bring some even BIGGER changes at Walt Disney World. If you’re planning a trip to Disney World for January 2021, here are the 5 things that will be different there next month.

1. Park Hopping Is Coming Back

Starting January 1st, 2021, Park Hopping will be returning to Disney World in a modified fashion. Want to start your day with breakfast at Magic Kingdom, and end it with dinner around the world at EPCOT? Well, you might just get the chance to do that, but there are a few things about the modified system that you should know.

New Epcot Fountain

Some key things are that you’ll still need a Park Pass reservation for the first park you want to visit, and you’ll HAVE to visit it before you can hop. Park Hopping hours will begin (for now) at 2PM, but be sure to check My Disney Experience for any changes there. Once Park Hopping hours begin, you can start visiting other parks based on whether they have availability.

Park Hopping Procedure

One really BIG thing to keep in mind. If you’re hoping to get a boarding group and ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Disney’s Hollywood Studios MUST be the first park you visit and you must have a Park Pass reservation for it.

Want to know more? Check out our page about Park Hopping at Walt Disney World!

2. No More Free MagicBands

Guests staying at a Disney World Resort hotel used to get a free, solid-colored MagicBand for their stay. Starting January 1st, 2021, however, guests will no longer receive a free MagicBand with their hotel stay.

MagicBands

Instead, guests can use a free Key to the World card (which can be obtained at the front desk of the resort) in place of a MagicBand. Guests can also use a MagicBand from a previous stay or pay for a MagicBand. Disney World Resort hotel guests typically have the ability to pay for some MagicBands at discounted rates.

Minnie Mouse: Main Attraction MagicBands

Keep in mind the My Disney Experience app was also upgraded and can now do some of the features a MagicBand can, like act as your room key.

Click here to see more about the discontinuation of FREE MagicBands for Disney World hotel guests.

3. EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts Is Coming Back

The Festival of the Holidays is wrapping up in EPCOT, and in January another festival will take its place — the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts! The Festival of the Arts will return to EPCOT on January 8th and will run all the way through February 22nd, 2021.

2020 EPCOT Festival of the Arts

We are SO ready to celebrate the Visual Arts (with some beautiful works of art throughout EPCOT), the Performing Arts (with some awesome entertainment), and (of course) the Culinary Arts (especially with the announcement of the NEW Festival food booth coming this year)!

EPCOT 2020 Festival of the Arts

From watching the Voices of Liberty perform to chowing down on some phenomenal treats, you better believe we’ll be experiencing it all and sharing it with you. So, stay tuned for ALL the updates on the Festival of the Arts.

Click here to see MORE on the 2021 Festival of the Arts!

4. Some Rides May Be Closing Temporarily for Refurbishment or Reopening After Being Refurbished

Looking to splash your way through the day over at Kali River Rapids in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Well, depending on when your next trip is scheduled, you might have to slightly change those plans. Kali River Rapids typically closes in the wintertime for routine maintenance, and 2021 appears to be no exception. Currently, Kali River Rapids is set to close temporarily for refurbishment starting on January 4th, 2021.

Kali River Rapids

The refurbishment is currently listed through April 1st, 2021, which would be about a 3-month closure (pretty typical for the winter closures of this ride).

Click here to read more about this refurbishment!

Over at Magic Kingdom, the refurbishment going on at the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover has been extended through January 9th, 2021.

PeopleMover

We’ve seen this refurbishment extended SEVERAL times in the past before though — first listed for refurbishment through October 31st, then pushed to late November, then December, and then January. So, the fact that the refurbishment calendar only shows this ride as under refurbishment until that date isn’t a guarantee that it will reopen then. We did see Cast Members working on the PeopleMover lately, so we’re definitely crossing our fingers this attraction will be back up and running soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

Click here to read more about the PeopleMover refurbishment saga!

5. You Could Get FREE Park Days

Also coming in January is a special Disney World ticket deal that you might want to take advantage of! Guests can start booking this special deal starting January 5th, 2021. What is this deal you ask? Well, according to Disney, guests who book a 4-night/3-day room and ticket package at select Disney resorts on most nights between January 8th, 2021, through September 25th, 2021 will receive an additional 2 days of theme park tickets! 

Tower of Terror

That could add up to some serious savings! Looking to save on your room instead of tickets? Then, you may want to consider the 35% off room offer. If you’re planning a trip for 2021, you’ll definitely want to check out all of the available offers to make sure you get what works best for you.

Which is better — the free tickets or discounted rooms deal? Check out our thoughts here!

Those are some of the biggest changes coming to Disney World in January 2021, but there are also some other exciting things, like special food and wine events at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, coming that month as well. Also, while these are not specifically related to Walt Disney World Resort, keep in mind that big changes are coming to the Disney Gift Card website in January of 2021, and changes are coming to some D23 Memberships in January too.

Remy’s Disney Gift Card

We’re sure 2021 will be full of more changes all around Disney World and Disney’s other theme parks, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest updates!

Click here for 10 DFB videos that can help you plan your 2021 Disney World vacation!

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 Are you planning to visit Disney World in January of 2021? Let us know in the comments!

The post 5 Things That Will Be Different in Disney World in January first appeared on the disney food blog.

Welcome, foolish mortals… .

Haunted Mansion

We’re your ghost hosts, and although we’ve already told you about new Haunted Mansion clothing, a Haunted Mansion pillowcase set, and a Haunted Mansion fan, we just found another AWESOME piece of Haunted Mansion merch that just materialized at Disney World!

And this piece of merch could guard your own Haunted Mansion against ghosts that might have followed you home from Disney World!

Stretching Room

It’s the Haunted Mansion Gargoyle!

Haunted Mansion Gargoyle

Just imagine him sitting on your fireplace mantle or a shelf, looming over all he sees! But he’s got a secret — his candles LIGHT UP, just like they do in the stretching room. They’re not REAL candles, of course, but there’s a switch on the bottom that turns them on and off.

Haunted Mansion Gargoyle

Just look at his sweet face… .

Haunted Mansion Gargoyle

If you want to grab up this gargoyle, he’s now available at Memento Mori at Magic Kingdom for $80. And we’ll let you know if we find any other ghoulish delights at Disney World!

VIDEO: The Missing Happy Haunt Has RETURNED to the Haunted Mansion in Disney World!

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What’s your favorite Haunted Mansion detail? Let us know in the comments!

The post You Can Now Take Home Your Own Haunted Mansion Gargoyle from Disney World! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Are you counting down the minutes until 2020 ends?

New Years Ears

We’ve been celebrating today at Disney World by eating all the delicious New Year’s treats and checking out the 2021 merchandise. There are special offerings at the resorts, but one thing is missing — the fireworks! Disney announced a few weeks ago that they wouldn’t be shooting off fireworks in their parks for the holiday, but that doesn’t mean we have to go without Disney World fireworks completely. 

Tonight for New Year’s Eve, Disney Parks Blog will be hosting a virtual viewing of the ‘Fantasy in the Sky’ fireworks show from 2017! 

New Year’s Eve Fireworks in 2019

The pre-recorded show will begin at 11:48PM ET, perfectly timed to count down to 2021. The show is set to music from classic and fan-favorite Disney films with a spectacular finale. To watch the show, tune in to the front page of Disney Parks Blog this evening. 

New Year’s Eve Fireworks in 2019

Stay tuned as we continue to share ways for Disney fans to celebrate the new year! We’re in Disney World today getting all the news, so we’ll make sure to keep our readers updated!

8 Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve the Disney Way at Home!

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What will you be watching to count down to 2021? Let us know in the comments!

The post Watch Disney World New Year’s Eve Fireworks From Home TONIGHT! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s the end of 2020!

New Year’s Eve in Magic Kingdom

We’re celebrating by trying ALL the New Year’s treats in Disney World. Cupcakes, Dole Whip floats, chocolate mousse, we’re reviewing it all, and man has today been delicious! However, during our expedition to find all the special snacks, we found one that we can’t eat, even though we really want to!

We stopped by Disney’s Riviera Resort to see what New Year’s treats they had in store, and naturally, we had to make a trip to Le Petit Café.

Le Petit Cafe

As we were taking a look at all the delicious offerings here, we noticed something rather remarkable — this top hat made of chocolate! It was on display next to the register, wishing all the guests a “Happy New Year.”

Happy New Year from the Riviera!

The chocolate hat is sitting on top of a stack of spheres that resemble planets or ornaments. Ooo or bubbles!! Whoever made this creation is seriously talented!

Happy New Year from the Riviera!

Are edible accessories going to become the next trend? What’s next, wearable chocolate Minnie ears? We’d totally be down for that!

Happy New Year from the Riviera!

This delicious and beautiful creation isn’t for sale, but you can stop by Disney’s Riviera and admire it if you’d like. We’ll be on the lookout for more New Year’s Eve celebrations and treats today, so stay tuned!

Check Out A Delicious New Year’s Eve Dessert in EPCOT Here!

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What chocolate decoration would you like to see from Disney? Let us know in the comments!

The post Disney World Is Saying “Hats Off” to the New Year With a Stunning Chocolate Creation! first appeared on the disney food blog.