EPCOT Food & Wine Festival dates announced

Epcot Food and Wine Festival

The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival at Disney World will take place from July 14 – Nov 19, 2022.

There will be food from the countries of the World Showcase and many other booths around the park. Specific booths and menus haven’t been released yet, but it seems they add more every year.

The Eat to the Beat Concert Series will return with performances on select nights. The star-studded lineup has something for every taste—from pop to country to R&B and more. These shows are held in the America Gardens Theater and are included in your EPCOT ticket. No need to buy a separate ticket, but seats can fill up fast, so line up early!

There will also be plenty of additional activities and merchandise if past festivals are any indication. We love these EPCOT festivals. It’s always fun to try new foods and activities there.

Concerts

More details will be released as it gets closer, but I wanted to let you know about the new dates ASAP in case it affects your trip planning.

Here is the official Disney site for this festival if you want to follow along. They will add more details here.

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about these festivals or need help planning your trips.

Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios Orlando has confirmed that their super popular Halloween Horror Nights event will be back better than ever this year! It will take place on select nights between Sept 2 – Oct 31, 2022. Tickets are on sale now!

If you don’t know, this is an after hours, separate ticketed event that takes place at the Universal Studios park. It is a haunted house, frights and gore type event, so not for the feint of heart. There will be 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, 2 live shows, and of course, themed foods and merchandise.

If you want to get an idea of what the frights are like, search for some videos from prior years on YouTube. Definitely make sure you know what it entails.

For more details, check the official Universal site for this event:

This is a very popular event, and certain days, such as Halloween, will likely sell out quickly. Buy your tickets soon on the Universal site above if you’re planning to go.

Royal Caribbean Kids Sail Free Promotion

Royal Caribbean ship

Royal Caribbean is running a kids sail free promotion now thru the end of the month! Fine print – kids up to age 12 at time of sailing, still have to pay taxes and fees, and must stay in the same cabin as two paying adults. Still a good deal though if you qualify.

There are also additional discounts and onboard credits up to $550 depending on the specific cruise.

The deal is for any new bookings made between March 24 – 31, 2022, so jump on it quickly if you’re interested.

For details on this or any other offer, refer to the Royal Caribbean offer page. Click the Book Now button on the offer, then click the Exclusions Apply link in the bottom right corner of the offer image:

Feel free to contact me if you want me to help with your booking.

©Royal Caribbean

CLEAR thru airport security

©CLEAR

Did you know that you can bypass the long security line at some airports?

Yes, TSA PreCheck is awesome and I totally recommend it if you travel often. Best travel item we ever bought! You get thru so much faster than the regular security line and don’t have to take out liquids, electronics, and shoes.

However, if you don’t have TSA PreCheck, some airports now have Reserve, powered by CLEAR, which is free! This lets you schedule a time for your security check and bypasses the much longer security line. It is currently available at several huge airports in Orlando, Los Angeles, Newark, Phoenix, Seattle, and Calgary.

For more details and to reserve your arrival window, proceed to the CLEAR Reserve site here:

Note: this is different from the regular CLEAR service.

GMA Disney Wish Cruise Giveaway

GMA Cruise Giveaway
©GMA

Good Morning America and Disney Cruise Line are partnering to make your family vacation wish come true, aboard the enchanting all-new Disney Wish. 

5 Grand Prize Winners will each receive a 3-night Bahamian Disney Cruise Line vacation for 4 people aboard the Disney Wish, including a 1-night stay at a Walt Disney WorldⓇ Resort hotel prior to cruise.
Vacation to be taken between June 28-July 2, 2022.

Enter for a chance to win a cruise on one of the first sailings! Read all the details and enter here:

For an exclusive first look at this gorgeous ship, check this out:

Washington DC cherry blossoms are peaking!

Jefferson Memorial cherry blossoms
Jefferson Memorial – Tidal Basin
©NPS

It looks like the famous Washington DC cherry blossoms are about to start blooming this weekend! Peak bloom is forecasted to be from March 22 – 25, 2022. These beautiful trees around the Tidal Basin area are an iconic symbol of spring. This is the 110th anniversary of the gifting of these trees from Japan.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is back in person this year, running from March 20 – April 17, 2022. There will be performances, foods, and activities for all ages. Key events include the Cherry Blossom Parade on April 9th and Petalpalooza on April 16th, a family friendly day of performances and activities culminating in fireworks over the Capital Riverfront.

  • Opening Ceremony: Sunday, March 20, 2022
  • Kite Festival: Saturday, March 26, 2022
  • Parade: Saturday, April 9, 2022
  • Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival: Saturday, April 9 – Sunday, April 10, 2022
  • PetalPalooza: Saturday, April 16, 2022

The entire festival season season has been known to draw millions of people to the city in past years, and peak bloom week and the parade weekend are especially busy, so plan your trip accordingly if you plan to go.

Here are some resources to help plan your trip:

If you can’t travel to Washington DC, there are several virtual ways for you to join in the fun.

If you would like to chat about planning a trip to Washington DC for the festival or any other time, feel free to contact me. We’ve been to DC area and the Smithsonian museums many times.

Mask mandates lifted on many cruise lines

Mask

As a follow-up to my post the other day about Disney Cruise Line lifting their mass mandate, it looks like most other cruise lines have also lifted their mask mandates.

Of course, this could also change anytime so make sure to check the policy for your particular cruise line at the time when you’re cruising.

I found this article from Cruise Critic that has a good summary of the requirements for most of the cruise lines out there. Credit goes to them.

Nighttime Spectaculars Returning to Disneyland

Exciting News!!

On April 22, 2022, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular will return to Disneyland park, and “World of Color” will return to Disney California Adventure park. “Fantasmic!” is preparing for its return to Disneyland park on May 28, 2022.

Fireworks

Upon its return, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, there will be exciting new elements, including a new finale with scenes from stories such as “Encanto,” “The Jungle Book,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Aladdin,” “Coco,” “Mulan,” “Brave,” “The Princess and the Frog” and more.

Parade

“Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” will be available for a limited time at Disneyland park. When “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular comes back on April 22, it will run weekends only (Friday through Sunday). “Mickey’s Mix Magic” will present its high-energy, projections-only show during the week (Monday through Thursday) until late spring. At that time, “Disneyland Forever” fireworks will then run nightly in the summer. “World of Color” and “Fantasmic!” will return to their regular schedule upon reopening. Check your Disneyland app for showtimes.

World of Color

Hopefully, you can catch these nighttime shows when they return!

©Disney

Some indoor masks optional for Disney cruise guests

Disney Cruise Line has changed their masking policy. Effective March 11, 2022, guests will no longer have to wear masks in all indoor locations. Below is the exact text from DCL’s Health and Wellness page.

For sailings originating from the US beginning March 11, 2022, face coverings will be optional in most indoor locations throughout our ships. Guests ages 2 and up, including those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, will still be required to wear face coverings in the Walt Disney Theatre. Guests under 5 years of age who are currently ineligible to be vaccinated will be required to wear face coverings in Youth Activity spaces and in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique; and, while not required, we continue to strongly recommend these Guests wear a face covering in all other indoor locations.

As always, read the full Know Before You Go pages for DCL before you book and as you lead up to your cruise. Things can change anytime.

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about cruising or if you’d like me to help book your next cruise. My recaps from our recent cruise in Dec 2021 are in the Trip Recap section.

Disneyland California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Starts March 4th

The California Adventure Food & Wine Festival at Disneyland’s California Adventure Park is starting on March 4, 2022 and will go through April 26, 2022. This will be a celebration of California’s incredible bounty with vibrant cuisine, entertainment and more.

Festival foods

There will be outdoor food and drink kiosks, cooking demonstrations, mixology classes, live entertainment, activities for the little ones, and of course, plenty of merchandise.

During this festival, the Soarin’ ride will have a limited time return to Soarin’ Over California! Be sure to catch that!

Soarin

For details on this festival, view this Food & Wine Festival page:

This festival may be shorter than the one at EPCOT, but there are still many unique things to explore. Let me know if you want me to help you with your Disneyland trip.

Pics ©Disney