The Disney100 celebration is off to a fantastic start around the world, with exciting new events popping up all over the world. Earlier in the week, we showed you the latest from Sydney, Australia; now it is time to hop back up to the northern hemisphere and see what is happening in London, UK!

An all-new multi-sensory experience is set to ‘pop up’ in European cities, including London and Paris. The event that Disney calls ‘Wonder of Friendship: The Experience’ will run in London, UK, from May 12th until May 21st, taking place at 180 The Strand.

The installation will feature 1,000 square meters (10764 feet) of exhibits that are based around Disney classic stories such as Alice in Wonderland, Mickey Mouse and Friends, Lilo & Stitch, and The Lion King.

“Throughout our one hundred years, Disney stories have shown the importance of friendship and appreciating the differences in others, so we couldn’t think of a better theme to celebrate our milestone anniversary.”

“From Alice in Wonderland’s flower walkway to Lilo and Stitch’s photo frame opportunity, there’ll be plenty of social media moments to share with your best friends and relive for years to come.”

Sarah Fox, VP Marketing & Comms, Disney Consumer Products, EMEA

Disney Wonder of Friendship, the Experience

For a century, Disney has shown us that nothing is impossible with friends by your side. To mark 100 years of dynamic duos, unlikely pals and inseparable friends, Disney are opening the doors to a stunning multi-sensory pop-up experience.

Enter a world of beautiful and enchanting installations with your friends. Venture through immersive spaces celebrating iconic Disney characters, stories and friendships. Take on adventures in the Alice in Wonderland Garden of Mystery. Find your balance on the shores of the Lilo & Stitch Ohana Bay. Say hello to a life with no worries in The Lion King Orchestral Oasis. Come light up the world together in the Mickey and Friends Wonderverse.

This experience will leave you wonderstruck with one-off photos, incredible memories and a bespoke Disney memento that celebrates your friendships.

This event is recommended for 18 years+, anyone under the age of 18, must attend with an adult. Parental guidance: The event is not suitable for children under the age of 8. Please note, children under the age of 8 will not be granted access to this event.

Disney UK

Early ticket access is available from January 25th to February 8, 2023, to H&M members, who will receive pre-sale access to an exclusive two-week window to buy tickets for London and Paris. General sales will begin on February 9, 2023, and tickets will cost £17.50 ($21.57 USD).

The post The Immersive ‘Disney Wonder of Friendship, the Experience’ Coming to London first appeared on DIS.

Valentine’s Day is one of our favorite holidays to celebrate at Disney World.

Disney World constantly has different events and specialty items to celebrate throughout the year. Disney will soon have lots of special treats for Black History Month in February and fun snacks for Valentine’s Day too. Now we found some new merchandise that has us feeling butterflies!

Today in Magic Kingdom, we found these new Valentine’s Day Minnie Ears!

This perfectly pink hardware features several mini roses on both ears with a large bow right in the middle adorned with mini white hearts.

The back of the ears is also covered in a thin layer of pink, glittery fabric.

While we can see why these romantic ears wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, we think they’re the perfect pair for the upcoming holiday. We found these ears at Fantasy Faire in Magic Kingdom for $34.99.

Don’t forget to keep following DFB for all of the latest Disney merchandise news and updates!

Check Out The Newest Dooney and Bourke Disney Valentine’s Day Collection Here! 

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Will you buy these ears? Tell us in the comments! 

The post On Wednesdays, We Wear Disney’s New Minnie Ears first appeared on the disney food blog.

The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary celebrations kicked off last week in Disneyland, and with all of the focus on the West Coast you might have missed what’s been happening in Disney World.

Chances are, most of the Disney World news you’ve probably heard of revolves around the closure of Splash Mountain and the opening of TRON Lightcycle / Run! But besides this Magic Kingdom news, there is also plenty going on in EPCOT too. Even Hollywood Studios is getting some attention! But what about Animal Kingdom? Don’t worry, we stay on top of the goings on in ALL of the parks, so keep reading for the latest!

Animal Kingdom Construction Updates

There have been a few changes around the Tree of Life walking trails.

These trails snake their way around the Tree of Life and provide viewing of a variety of animal habitats. We noticed some of the areas that were previously accessible have been blocked off while Disney refurbished the trails.

It appears some of the trails are under construction and getting some updates at the moment.

Despite these inaccessible areas, you can still enjoy other parts of the trails!

These drums in Pandora were also refreshed with some new paint!

You can see the difference between the repainted drum (left) and the not-yet-repainted drum (right).

Animal Kingdom Merchandise Updates

Riverside Depot

Over in Riverside Depot we found this cute Moana Dress for Pets for $29.99.

They also have a sweet red and white polka dot Minnie Mouse Dress for Infants for $34.99.

Another Minnie item we found was this Minnie Mouse Water Bottle Sipper. You can get one for $22.99.

Or, grab this Cars Water Bottle Sipper for $19.99!

Riverside Depot is your place to find FiGPiNs, special collectible pins that are individually serial numbered. All of these pins are $24.99 each and come in a collector’s case! You can grab one of these vintage-inspired pins, like this Mickey Mouse Pin …

… or this Pete Pin.

They also have some characters from Aladdin like Jafar …

… as well as Princess Jasmine!

Fans of The Haunted Mansion can purchase this Hatbox Ghost Pin.

Now let’s check out the next store!

Discovery Trading Co.

Hop on the bucket hat trend with this Walt Disney World Bucket Hat.

You can get it for $29.99.

Mombasa Marketplace

To go with the rest of the collection, Disney released this Wakanda Forever Shirt. You can find it at Mombasa Marketplace for $36.99.

Represent Animal Kingdom and The Lion King with this Lion King Phone Case for $34.99.

You can also grab a matching AirPod case for $19.99.

They come in different sizes for AirPods and AirPod Pros.

Serka Zong Bazaar

Stop by this shop near Expedition Everest to purchase this adorable Yeti Plush for $29.99!

Serka Zong Bazaar also has some cute Winnie the Pooh pins! We found this Eeyore and Piglet Pin for $14.99 …

… as well as this Tigger and Roo Pin for $14.99.

Lastly, you can also purchase this sweet Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin Pin for $14.99.

Stay tuned to our site for more park updates, and if you missed our last Animal Kingdom update you can read it here.

Make sure you watch our video where we rank every single restaurant in Animal Kingdom!

Check out our free checklist for Animal Kingdom! It includes all of the attractions, dining options, shopping, and more.

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Where does Animal Kingdom fall on your ranking of parks at Disney World? Comment below!

The post What’s New at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Tree of Life Trails Are CLOSED first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disney just turned its most iconic character into a MILKSHAKE and honestly, we’re here for it.

2023 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, and Disneyland is celebrating in a BIG way with new nighttime shows, all kinds of collectibles, and (of course) LOTS of food! You can take a FULL look at all of the 100th Anniversary treats in Disneyland here, but for today we’re focusing on one specific snack from Schmoozies! Is this new treat worth celebrating or a total skip? Let’s find out!

Ready to snack? Alrighty then! Today’s snack brings us to Schmoozies! within Disney California Adventure Park, in Hollywood Land.

This is where you’ll find the Steamboat Willie Shake, which is a Cookies & Cream Shake with Whipped Topping and Chocolate Creme-filled Cookie Ears. You can get it now for $12.99.

So what does it taste like? Well, we enjoyed it! While it was tasty, in our opinion, it was just a normal cookies and cream milkshake. It wasn’t too chocolatey and it had a nice vanilla cream flavor too. This shake wasn’t very thick, and we honestly wished it were a bit thicker.

Overall, we thought this was a good shake but nothing over the top or special. If you like normal cookies and cream flavors, we think you’ll enjoy this treat! And it’s just a bonus that it’s themed to one of the most iconic Disney characters of all time.

Schmoozies! also has the Disney100 Travel Tumbler with Lanyard, which includes coffee at the time of purchase (there’s an upcharge if you want a specialty coffee). You can pick up one of these souvenirs for $13.49.

For more news about the 100th Anniversary, see our posts below:

• See ALL of the 100th Anniversary merchandise you can get online
• H&M Launches Disney 100th Anniversary Collection
• See How MagicBand+ Will Interact With NEW 100th Anniversary Statues in Disneyland
• Disney Reveals NEW 100th Anniversary Popcorn Buckets and Sippers!
• FULL LIST of New 100th Anniversary Treats Coming to Disneyland
• Disney 100th Anniversary Merch Is Now Available at Target!

We’re staying updated on ALL of the latest information about the 100th Anniversary (including the latest merchandise and eats) so stay tuned for more news from DFB.

Click here for our FULL page about the 100th Anniversary!

Would you want to try this 100th Anniversary snack? Tell us in the comments!

The post Disney’s Most Iconic Character Inspired This NEW Treat first appeared on the disney food blog.

TRON Lightcycle / Run will be opening soon in Magic Kingdom (April 4th!) but there’s a way for you to get a better glance at the ride right NOW.

Sure, you could stare at it from Tomorrowland, hop on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover for a view from the sky, or even get on the Walt Disney World Railroad to see the coaster from the train’s unique view. But there’s another way to get a closer look at the vehicles for this upcoming ride.

For this adventure, you’ll want to go to…EPCOT. Wait…isn’t TRON opening in Magic Kingdom? It is! But there’s something in EPCOT that’ll actually help you get a better feel for the TRON attraction as a whole.

Once inside EPCOT, make your way to the China pavilion.

Then you’ll head to the left of the central building where Reflections of China is held. That’s where you’ll find an entire exhibit dedicated to Shanghai Disney Resort. It’s a hidden spot many people don’t even realize is there!

Why is this important? Well, the very first iteration of the TRON coaster was actually built (and is currently operating) in Shanghai Disneyland.

The exhibit gives guests a unique view of Shanghai Disney Resort, its lands, how elements of Chinese culture were woven into the design of the park as a whole, and more.

But, perhaps most important to the upcoming TRON attraction — the exhibit also features a small model of a TRON Lighycycle vehicle. As the Disney description explains, the Lightcycle is designed to make guests feel like they are “synching” to their vehicle.

You can see the larger wheel in the front, the smaller wheel in the back, the backrest (which will come down to help “lock” guests in place, and other features of the vehicle.

While this exhibit is focused on the Shanghai version of the ride, and the vehicle displayed is only a model, it can still give you a fairly good idea of what to generally expect.

Here’s another look at those vehicles in action in Disney World.

As you may notice, there is an adaptive seating choice available for those who may not fit within the standard ride seats or have a disability that prevents them from riding in the bicycle-style seats.

If you’re wondering just how you’ll sit in those bicycle-style seats, here’s an image that can give you a better idea. It looks like you’ll want to lean forward a bit to grab onto those handlebars.

And here’s a look at the vehicles during some testing where you can see the backrest down in place to hold the guest in their seat.

And here’s a view from the side to give you a better look.

We got a view of the vehicles during the D23 Expo as well.

What do you think of them? Tell us in the comments.

Again, remember that the TRON coaster will open on April 4th (though there will be some previews for Cast Members, Annual Passholders, and Disney Vacation Club members). It’ll feature a virtual queue (no “regular” standby line) and an Individual Lightning Lane. You will be required to put larger items in a locker, though small items like a phone can be placed within a small compartment on the vehicle itself.

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more TRON updates and let you know what we find!

Click here to see a CRUCIAL detail you can’t forget about the TRON coaster

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What do you think of the TRON ride vehicle? Tell us in the comments. 

The post The HIDDEN Place to See a TRON Vehicle Up-Close in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.

No, you’re not having déjà vu — thousands of flights have been canceled across the United States (again.)

After a chaotic holiday travel season, the airline industry appeared to have bounced back somewhat. But wicked winter storms have wreaked havoc on flights yet again — with more than 1,300 having been canceled on Tuesday. Here’s what we know.

Much of the southern United States is currently dealing with an intense winter storm that brought ice and snow on Tuesday — causing flight delays and more than 1,300 cancelations nationwide, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Texas has seen the worst of it, with more than 700 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and more than 200 at Dallas Love Field had been canceled or delayed. That’s over 40% of flights at Dallas-Fort Worth, which is a major hub for US airlines.

Southwest Airlines is no stranger to canceled flights, with the airline bearing most of the brunt of holiday travel woes this past season. And, being based in Dallas has not helped this time around. Southwest has canceled more than 300 flights and delayed almost 100 more due to the storm.

Not only that, but the weather caused a total traffic standstill on Interstate 40 in Arkansas. The road was coated in ice and “extremely hazardous” in one area, but it has since been cleared and traffic started to flow again.

A winter weather advisory is in place for much of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and southern parts of Indiana and Ohio. More flight cancelations could be on the way as the storm continues, so keep an eye on DFB for more updates.

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for things that could impact your travel to Disney World and beyond. If you lost your luggage while traveling during a recent trip, click here to see what to do next. You can also click here to learn about how to get compensated for flight delays or click here for a full look at the hotel, ticket, and dining cancelation policies for Disney World.

The post NEWS: Thousands of Flights Canceled Due to Severe Winter Storm first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disney has shared a video update about Cotino, the first Storyliving community in Rancho Mirage, California. Ground was broken on the site in April 2022 and construction is getting underway this year.

The Storyliving by Disney communities, designed by Walt Disney Imagineers, are intended to “inspire residents to foster new friendships, pursue their interests and write the next exciting chapter in their lives.” There will be a club membership, with access to wellness programming, entertainment, philanthropic endeavors, seminars, and more. Some neighborhoods will be reserved for residents 55 and over.

The video shows Imagineers working on paintings that will be displayed in the community, as well as a few aerial views of current site development.

Sales for Cotino will open this year. Check out concept art of some of the houses.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post VIDEO: Update About Disney’s Cotino Storyliving Community appeared first on WDW News Today.

Class of 2023, rejoice! Graduation Mickey Ears have arrived in the Magic Kingdom, ensuring that scholarly guests can celebrate their achievements on trips to Walt Disney World throughout the rest of the year.

Class of 2023 Graduation Mickey Ears – $34.99

Whether you’re planning a celebratory trip to Walt Disney World or have a Mickey-loving grad to honor back home, a new Class of 2023 ear headband has arrived to help with the celebration. A quick stop at the Emporium at Disney’s Magic Kingdom led to our discovery of the new gear for alums.

Similar to last year’s graduation ears, the Class of 2023 is set to sport a blue graduation cap and headband with black trim and ears. A gold tassel is ready to move from right to left in celebration of the milestone graduation moment.

Class of 2023 is embroidered in gold along the side of the blue headband. Though graduation merchandise typically appears between April and June, the January release of this graduation ear headband can ensure the Class of 2023 can celebrate their graduation when visiting Walt Disney World any time this year.

Do you have a Class of 2023 graduate that might like to celebrate with the latest Graduation Ear Headband? Let us know in the comments below!

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Class of 2023 Can Celebrate With Graduation Mickey Ears at Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW News Today.