It’s super rare, but it happens….

Magic Kingdom

Free samples at Disney World! We know that free samples aren’t usually the first thing you think of when visiting the parks because — after all — Disney is known for dollar signs more so than freebies.

Sometimes, though, you can catch Cast Members handing out free samples of new and upcoming treats or extra treats they had on hand for the day. We found some free samples in Magic Kingdom at Disney World today!

Cast Members outside of Big Top Souvenirs in the Storybook Circus section of this park were handing out free caramel apple samples!

We love free samples!

We recognize those sprinkles to be the ones used for the 50th Anniversary Celebration desserts, so it’s likely that the Cast Members just had extra caramel apples that they decided to share with guests.

Yum!

Like we said, this doesn’t happen super often in the parks but it’s always a nice surprise when it does. Be on the lookout for this during your next trip! Here at DFB we’re always watching for news and updates in the parks, so make sure to follow along for more!

Click here to see 23 snacks you cannot miss in Disney World this year!

Have you ever received a free sample at Disney World? Tell us about it in the comments!

The post We Found FREE SAMPLES in Disney World Today! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Flying to Disney World this year? If you’re going in March (or just planning ahead) and are wondering just how BAD (or good!) flight costs are, we’ve got the information you need right here.

Where will you fly?

Each month we take a look at the cost of some upcoming flights to Disney World. We analyze how flight costs are changing compared to previous months and years so you can know just how much to budget for your transportation to the Most Magical Place on Earth. And now we’re back with an update focusing on March 2023. Just how expensive are flight costs for this month? We’re about to find out.

Our Method

Each month, we look at upcoming flight costs from select airports within the U.S. to Disney World. Here’s how we reach our numbers:

• We only search flights from a select number of airports within the U.S. to Orlando International Airport (MCO)
• We only search for flights on a limited number of airlines
• Not all airlines, airports, flight schedules, etc. are included in our analysis so please keep that in mind
• We try to look for trips that depart on Thursday and return on Monday

Will You Be Traveling Soon?

For our March 2023 trip, we picked a trip that departed on March 16th and returned on March 20th.

We chose these dates because when we looked at the prices for the March dates from Thursday to Monday on Google Flights (for flights from JFK/LGA to MCO — which we typically use as our starting point) the starting prices were:

• March 2nd-6th: from $142 round trip
• March 9th-13th: from $123 round trip
• March 16th-20th: from $141 round trip
• March 23rd-27th: $148 round trip

©Google Flights

We picked the 16th-20th because it was neither the cheapest nor the most expensive set of dates. Note that a trip on March 9th-13th might be about $20 cheaper (at least in terms of a starting price, so keep that in mind).

March could be an EXTREMELY busy time in Disney World, with some schools on spring break, the Flower & Garden Festival beginning at EPCOT on March 1st, and Roundup Rodeo BBQ opening in Hollywood Studios on March 23rd. So, you’ll want to come prepared for some crowds.

Magic Kingdom Spring Break Crowds (March 2021)

Here are a few other things to keep in mind:

• Flight costs can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors including travel dates, airlines, airports, etc.
• We used Google Flights to obtain our flight costs for all airlines except Southwest
• Prices may be different when you go to book
• To calculate our “low” averages we searched for the least expensive departing and returning flight for each airline/airport
• We did the same for the “high” averages, except we looked for the most expensive returning and departing flights

Flying to Orlando?

• The flight times, layovers, etc. of the flights we’ve chosen may not work for you
• We selected “Wanna Get Away” tickets from Southwest Airlines when possible
• We looked for flights that arrived on the same day as their departure
• Other fees and taxes might be due when you go to book
• All prices are for roundtrip flights for 1 person

Okay, now let’s look at those March flight costs!

New York (JFK or LaGuardia)

Southwest:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $377.96 from LGA
• Most expensive combination of flights: $601.96 from LGA

Delta:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $298 from JFK
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,845 from JFK

United: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $396 from LGA
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,226 from LGA

American Airlines:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $229 from LGA
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,038 from JFK

Spirit:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $150 from LGA
• Most expensive combination of flights: $439 from LGA

Airplanes

Los Angeles (LAX)

Southwest: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $797.45
• Most expensive combination of flights: $848.95

Delta:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $483 
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,312

United:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $550
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,140

American Airlines: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $415
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,229

Spirit:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $407
• Most expensive combination of flights: $623

Don’t lean those seats back too far!

Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

Southwest:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $335.96
• Most expensive combination of flights: $549.75

Delta:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $398
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,583

United:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $326
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,053

American Airlines:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $366
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,077

Spirit: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $172
• Most expensive combination of flights: $570

Boarding

Dallas (Love Field – DAL, or Fort Worth – DFW)

Southwest:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $423.46 from DAL
• Most expensive combination of flights: $591.96 from DAL

Delta:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $631 from DFW
• Most expensive combination of flights: $2,444 from DFW

United: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $588 from DFW
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,101 from DFW

American Airlines:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $418 from DFW
• Most expensive combination of flights: $914 from DFW

Spirit:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $229 from DFW
• Most expensive combination of flights: $566 from DFW

American Airlines Information Packet

Atlanta (ATL)

Southwest: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $228.97
• Most expensive combination of flights: $445.96

Delta: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $218
• Most expensive combination of flights: $463

United:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $565
• Most expensive combination of flights: $926

American Airlines:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $259
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,068

Spirit:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $111
• Most expensive combination of flights: $414

Airplane seats

Denver (DEN)

Southwest:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $630.96
• Most expensive combination of flights: $895.95

Delta:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $448
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,902

United: 

• Cheapest combination of flights: $538
• Most expensive combination of flights: $1,095

American Airlines:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $440
• Most expensive combination of flights: $966

Spirit:

• Cheapest combination of flights: $362
• Most expensive combination of flights: $362

The Average Cost

When we average the low costs and the high costs, it looks like the average cost to fly to Orlando in March 2023 is around $393.06 on the low end and $976.35 on the high end. Averaging those together it’s around $684.70.

So, how has that changed from what we’ve seen in recent months? The lower-end cost is about $134 more expensive than the prices we saw for February 2023, which is a pretty dramatic difference. It’s more on par, however, with what we saw in August of 2022, and cheaper than the costs from July 2022. Compared to March of 2022, it’s also significantly more expensive — about $120 more than prices then.

LaGuardia Airport

When looking at the higher-end average, the average cost for March 2023 is actually only about $18 more expensive than the prices from February 2023. Compared to March of 2022, the cost is about $170 MORE expensive.

Overall, it seems flight costs have gone up for March 2023 (compared to both the previous month — February 2023 — and March 2022). But remember that the dates we chose were sort of in the middle/high range, while there was another weekend that showed a cheaper starting price. So it can greatly depend on exactly when you choose to fly!

What Now?

We hope that this post has given you a better idea of what to expect in terms of flight costs for March 2023. Now, it could be time to make some decisions.

Is the cost of these flights within your budget and ideal cost range? If so, you may want to book right away!

Still waiting to see if flight costs will decrease? Consider using Google Flights or flight tracking apps/websites to track the estimated costs for your trip and see when costs could decrease or increase.

LaGuardia Airport

Need flight tips and tricks? Check out our posts below:

• Our complete guide to booking the CHEAPEST flight to Disney World
• How to find the best flight deals on Skyscanner
• How to find the best airfare DEALS on Google Flights
• The secret app that can help you save big on flights
• Never travel for full price with these 6 hacks

If you want to do some planning before your flight (or even on the plane!), check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining.

Check out our DFB Guidebooks to plan your next trip!

We’ve compiled all of our BEST tips and tricks from years of Disney World travel into one eBook that you can download to your tablet or smartphone and take with you!

We’re offering our readers 25% off with code WDW2023!

Travel Updates, Tips, and Tricks

• Complete Guide to Booking the CHEAPEST Flight to Disney World

• What to Do if Your Flight to Disney World Is Canceled

• Our Best Tips For Flying Through the Orlando International Airport

• Step-by-Step Guide: How to Get to Disney World From the Orlando Airport

• The Ultimate Disney World Packing List for 2022

• You’re SLEEPING on These Packing Hacks

• Air Travel Tips That’ll Change Your Life

• 8 Catastrophic Travel Mistakes and How to Solve Them

• The BEST and WORST Airlines in the US, Ranked by Customer Complaints

• The MOST and LEAST Reliable Airlines in the U.S.

• This Small Change Will Save You From Lost Luggage

• The Best Disney Luggage for 2023

• 21 Things a Former Flight Attendant Needs You To Know

• 7 Highest-Rated Travel Items on Amazon

Join the DFB Newsletter to Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click Here to Subscribe

Are you flying to Disney World in March of 2023? Tell us in the comments!

The post How Flight Costs to Disney World Are CHANGING in March 2023 first appeared on the disney food blog.

Bello! We’re taking a look at progress on Minion Cafe, which will be part of the renamed Illumination Avenue at Universal Studios Florida. The cafe and Villain-Con Minion Blast are both scheduled to open this summer.

Crews have been seemingly expanding what was once the Monsters Cafe building with new steel supports around the edge. Monsters Cafe closed for good back in May 2022.

Some scaffolding and blue scrims have been erected at one end of the cafe. The construction walls on this end were shifted further into the alley a week ago.

At the other end of the building, two tiers of steel jut out from the building’s entrance.

A grid of steel is along the side facing the main sidewalk.

Minion Cafe isn’t unique to Universal Studios Florida — a Minion Cafe opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in March 2021. It serves various treats and meals with bananas, a favorite snack of Minions.

What do you think of Minion Cafe and Illumination Avenue becoming part of Universal Studios Florida? Let us know in the comments1

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

The post Scaffolding and Scrim Covers One End of Future Minion Cafe at Universal Studios Florida appeared first on WDW News Today.