Watch as Walt Disney World Resort teams seek to find the balance of keeping EPCOT relevant for guests today while also looking towards the future of the Park. The magical journey will take you behind the scenes to see Walt Disney World cast members creating an innovative new coaster, exploring the wonder of water and culminating with the debut of the next legacy in nighttime spectaculars, “Luminous The Symphony of Us.”
This documentary about the EPCOT reimagining will air on Monday, April 29, at 10 p.m. ET / PT. It will be available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu beginning July 19.
The National Geographic YouTube channel will share more behind-the-scenes stories about the park’s transformation for five weeks beginning on Friday, June 14.
Summertime celebrations, long weekends and festivities focusing on all things red, white, and blue are on the calendar for the next several months, so Disney Store is here to help you look your best at every event you attend. Today, the Mickey Mouse Americana Collection dropped online commemorating not only the USA, but our favorite […]
Viva La Música is returning to SeaWorld San Diego every weekend from May 3rd to May 19th. What’s Happening: Viva La Música, SeaWorld’s celebration of Latin culture, is returning to the park next month with live music, delicious food, and incredible entertainment. As part of SeaWorld’s 60th anniversary, this year’s celebration is set to be bigger […]
Pixar Fest has returned to the Disneyland Resort, and one of the new entertainment offerings this year can be found in the Hollywood Backlot of Disney California Adventure. The new Club Pixar takes over the Hollywood Backlot at Disney California Adventure Park. Each evening during Pixar Fest, Club Pixar comes alive with an energetic DJ-led […]
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will pick up its story after the main storyline from the film, The Princess and the Frog. Tiana has been working in her restaurant, Tiana’s Palace, and is getting ready to throw a Mardi Gras party! She’s cooking while others are getting set up or practicing music. The story begins before you even get onto the ride — in the queue. And recently a banner had gone up inviting us all to come celebrate!
This banner over at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is now MUCH more clear! It serves as a welcome to all guests at the home of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen for a celebration of family and friends of New Orleans! pic.twitter.com/LTQI4sEdud
Now, this sign had gone up a little while ago, but it has been covered up with scaffolding making it really hard to get a good look at it. But the scaffolding has all been removed, so we can see it clear as day welcoming us to a celebration of New Orleans!
“Tonight Only: A Celebration of Family and Friends of New Orleans at the Proud Home of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen! Everyone Is Welcome!”
We also recently saw that this cute little white building has been completed! Previously, the building had exposed insulation on it, but it is looking very complete now. There are also some very pretty light fixtures that have gone up around the ride and queue.
A cute little white building
Every day, we’re getting closer and closer to summer and the opening of this new princess ride. It will be a fun adventure to finally ride it for the first time! We’re keeping our eyes peeled for new updates from Disney, but in the meantime, keep following DFB!
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Are you excited to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Let us know in the comments!
Or, perhaps all the dates of your planned visit are available except for ONE. It’s rare, but it DOES happen. We’re here to give you all of our best tips from avoiding this scenario to options that you have if you’re visiting Disney World or live nearby and one of your desired dates is sold out. Let’s go!
First, we’re going to start with how to hopefully avoid this situation entirely.
How to avoid sold-out dates.
First and foremost, the earlier you can start planning your vacation, the BETTER. Especially if you’re hoping to visit around a busier time of the year like the fall and winter holidays or Spring Break. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and May 4th (hello, Star Wars fans!) have been known to sell out entirely for Annual Passholders and reach capacity for general ticket holders.
Christmas Day at Disney World in 2023
We recommend booking a vacation package that includes a hotel stay and park tickets if you know you want to stay on property, and like we said, the sooner the better. Folks generally have better luck finding their desired dates this way. Vacation booking through October 2025 is now open, so we’d recommend snagging those packages now if you want to visit on busier dates for the first 3/4 of the year.
Annual Passholders still need park pass reservations.
If a park is going to sell out for a group of folks, it’s likely going to be for Annual Passholders first. Annual Passholders still need to make park pass reservations before 2PM at most parks on most days, and all day long for Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays. The exception to this are Good-to-Go days, which are listed in the reservation calendar on Passholders’ Disney World app.
Annual Pass
A few other people need Park Pass reservations — mainly if you are with a convention group or otherwise have “undated” Disney World tickets — you will be told this when you get them! MOST people who have bought date-based tickets no longer need reservations, but be aware that parks can reach capacity on the busiest days of the year, and you can absolutely be turned away.
Which parks sell out first?
Typically, Magic Kingdom goes first. That’s why on weekends, Annual Passholders need to make reservations all day long. Next, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT will probably go. The good news is that if you have a park hopper ticket, Animal Kingdom reservations are almost always still open when those other parks are sold out.
Tree of Life
Now, there are exceptions to this “rule” — especially when there is some sort of special event of holiday happening in one park. For example, all the other parks are open May the 4th, but Hollywood Studios reservations are hard to come by because of all the Star Wars activities in that park. All-day park hopping is back, though, so you can go scan in at Animal Kingdom and then visit your desired park as long as it hasn’t reached capacity. That’s one option that you can take if all the other parks are sold out, but there are other things you can try as well!
Ask for help!
Disney is all about ensuring their guests’ needs are met. If all else fails, you can visit Guest Relations and see what they can do. Sometimes, people will transfer their tickets to a future date so that an opening becomes available that you might not see online.
Animal Kingdom Ticket Windows
Stop by Guest Relations at the ticket window outside the parks and see what they can do for you. There are no guarantees here, but we know that small parties have had luck with this. The worst case scenario is that you get a free day roaming Disney property at the hotels and Disney Springs. Oh, and that leads us to our last point!
Roll with the punches and take in Disney World BEYOND the theme parks!
If all else fails, you can absolutely treat yourself to a resort hopping day or a shopping and dining day in Disney Springs. You might not be free-falling on Tower of Terror or saving the galaxy with Star Lord, but you can absolutely have a DOLE Whip at the Polynesian and ride the Skyliner a few times.
Disney Springs
You can also visit all the shops that Disney Springs has to offer as well as have access to tons of the souvenir collections that you have in the parks! As Hannah Montana once said, “Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock.” She was also talking about sold-out Disney days, trust us.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all our best Disney tips and tricks, so make sure to follow along so that you’re always in the loop and never missing out.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Have you ever been at Disney World for a sold-out day? Let us know in the comments!
These costumes were designed to reflect Main Street’s turn-of-the-century theme. Disney also shared that these costumes are made with lightweight, breathable fabrics AND made from recyclable materials.
Love the new look!
This is just one of the new costumes coming to Main Street, U.S.A. Disney previously shared a first look, and we’re excited to see more of these costumes roll out in the coming months. The costumes are mostly made up of interchangeable pieces, so each Cast Member can put together their own look of new combinations, allowing for a bit more expression.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
When are you heading to Magic Kingdom next? Tell us in the comments.
Disney announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom will be opening sometime this summer! A specific opening date has yet to be shared, but work on the ride seems to be moving right along. We won’t be surprised if we learn a date soon. But until then, we keep learning more and more about what’s to come. All of the elements we know so far have been shared rather sporadically over many months, so we wanted to share them all in one place for you. Let’s take a look at EVERYTHING coming to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom!
Now, the characters are getting ready for Mardi Gras!As Tiana is preparing for the Mardi Gras party at her restaurant, she realizes she’s “missing a key ingredient” and needs help finding it. You get to join in on the adventure to the bayou where you’ll meet some cool new critters practicing their music.
Also making appearances will be Eudora (Tiana’s mom) and “Big Daddy!” It’s going to be a bunch of familiar faces, while new ones are mixed in!
New Characters
While we saw glimpses of Prince Naveen’s parents in the movie, they will be part of the ride! The King and Queen of Maldonia and their son (Naveen’s brother) Prince Ralphie will join in on the fun.
There will also be new critters in a few new bands playing music as we cruise down the bayou! The first group of critters we were introduced to will play some Zydeco music for us.
Speaking of all new bands, there will be all-new music throughout the ride which will be “inspired by songs from the film.” Mama Odie will be featured with music, we’ll hear Zydeco music, Afro-Cubin music, and Rara music as we float down the bayou. Plus, Disney has revealed that PJ Morton — a Grammy Award-Winning musician and someone you might recognize as the keyboardist for Maroon 5 — will be creating a NEW original song for the ride.
Grammy-Award Winning Artist Terence Blanchard is also helping to make the music of the attraction come to life. Fun fact: Blanchard played all of the trumpet parts for Louis the Alligator in “The Princess and the Frog!” Blanchard will be creating the new music that we’ll hear in the queue.
The Queue
Speaking of the queue, there are lots of fun details being added to the line of this ride!
The queue construction
The story begins in the queue where you’ll discover that Tiana wants to further bring the community together as she continues to grow her business. As a result, she’s bought and transformed an old large salt dome (that’s the “mountain!”) with the help of her mother, Naveen, Louis, and fellow owners of the cooperative where she and her employees work together to make food products (like Louisiana Tabasco Sauce!) and help members of the community become business people.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The land around the salt mine has also been renewed and now grows veggies, herbs, and spices for her famous recipes, and the familiar structures from the Splash Mountain queue will be transformed into the main offices for Tiana’s Foods. You’ll also notice New Orleans soundscapeand decor to make you feel like you’re actually there. There’s even a surprise of the smell of freshly fried beignets to make you hungry as you wait.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
5-Story Drop
Since Disney created this new ride from a pre-existing ride, we’ll see a lot of the same ride elements. That will include the 5-story drop from the top of the mountain!
Construction Cast Members ride testing!
The ride will last about 11 or 12 minutes and will feature a combination of practical lighting, digital lighting, and scenic paint. We can’t wait to see how they were able to transform this new ride! Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer to ride it!
To check out more Tiana’s Bayou Adventure news, click the links below!
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Just how much will a trip to Food & Wine REALLY cost?
Spaceship Earth
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival has become a must-do event for thousands of EPCOT guests each year, with many organizing whole trips around the festival’s run. The question faced by many of these travelers: “Just how much money do I need to set aside for this?”
While pricing and menu information for the 2024 Food & Wine Festival (scheduled to run from August 29th through November 23rd) has yet to be revealed, working with last year’s prices and taking inflation into account, we can come up with a pretty solid estimate how of much a trip to this year’s festival will cost.
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival 2023
Park Tickets
The first major expense for anyone attending Food & Wine will be tickets to EPCOT for their desired day.
Hello from the Food and Wine Festival!
A single day ticket to EPCOT starts at $109, and increases dynamically based on the days of the week and time of the year. Currently, most September weekdays sits within the $109 range, while weekends climb between $140 and $150.
In October and November, weekdays jump to between $149 and $159, while weekends sit between $159 and $166 for a single day EPCOT ticket.
Food & Drinks
The Food & Wine in the title is obvious the major draw for the festival, and also likely the area where most visitors will want to budget toward.
Roasted Porchetta
In 2023, food items at festival booths tended to cost between $4.50 and $12 and drinks ranged from $5 to $9 (with some outlier items on both sides). Taking into account the roughly 4% inflation on food and drink products over the last year, we can roughly assume 2024 prices to be between $5.00 and $12.50 for food items and roughly $5.25 and $9.40 for drinks.
Now, it’s important to remember that the food items at the Festival are small portions, so no single one will likely serve as full meal. Therefore, we would say it’s best to budget for between 4-8 food items (including desserts) and 4-5 drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) per person (though of course those numbers can be skewed by parties sharing items with each other). Still, we’d estimate a food and drink budget of somewhere in the neighborhood of $125 per person.Here’s your secret weapon for budgeting for food and drink: Pick up our DFB Guide to the Food & Wine Festival! This ebook has descriptions, reviews and photos of every item available, so you can decide what you want to try (and how much it will cost) in advance!
As with any Disney trip, there’s also likely to be a merchandise budget involved. Disney’s general merchandise prices ($30 to $40 for a tee shirt, $70-$80 for a sport jersey, etc.) will be higher for special edition or limited Festival merchandise. In addition, there are often special cooking-related items, glassware, and etc. on sale each year at Food & Wine.
Food & Wine ears!
While the merchandise budget may vary wildly between visitors, especially those who collect limited merchandise and/or cook themselves, we’d go out on a limb and say that most general Food & Wine guests would be able to set a merchandise budget of about $75 and still come away with a couple of really nice souvenirs.
Food & Wine spirit jersey from 2023
So , a general day at Food & Wine, including theme park ticket, food, drinks, and merchandise, should be budgeted for roughly $350: $140 for an EPCOT ticket) and $200 for food and merchandise. Obviously however, these numbers are very general, as some guests may go light on food and drink and skip merchandise while others may splurge on food, drinks, merchandise, or all three.
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is one of the most beloved events on the Disney calendar, but it can quickly become one of the most expensive. One tip we’d advise: Set whatever food/drink/merchandise budget you’re comfortable with, and then purchase a Disney gift card in that amount to ensure you don’t go over budget. Stay tuned to DFB for more 2024 Food & Wine news!
Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it’s a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.
If you’re planning a day or a week at the festival, we’ve got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it’s a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!
Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!
We now have the opening date for DreamWorks Land plus information on new entertainment – all coming this summer! Check out all the details here so you don’t miss a …
It serves as a welcome to all guests at the home of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen for a celebration of family and friends of New Orleans! 
