Disney World has announced the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays! It will be held this year from November 24, 2023 to December 30, 2023, with additional holiday foods, activities, and merch.

Storytellers around the World Showcase will share the holiday traditions celebrated by diverse cultures around the world. The JOYFUL! ensemble will sing uplifting Gospel, R&B, and holiday songs of Christmas and Kwanzaa. Many food pavilions will feature holiday favorites. Of course, the park will also be decked out in its holiday finest.

One of the most popular events of the festival is the Candlelight Processional. You can see “a celebrity narrator tell the story of Christmas, recounting the biblical tale of a savior born in Bethlehem. Woven into the production are stirring songs of hope and joy performed by the orchestra and massed choir.” It is a very beautiful production!

Shows take place at 5:15 PM, 7:00 PM, or 8:30 PM at the America Gardens Theatre at EPCOT at no additional cost besides your park ticket. However, if you want to guarantee seats, you can also purchase a Candlelight Processional Dining Package that provides a meal and seating entry for that day. Tickets go on sale October 17, 2023.

The schedule of celebrity narrators is subject to change, but here are the ones that have been revealed so far. Certain ones can get very popular so plan to line up very early or book a dining package that includes tickets to the show.

Note: narrators can change. Check the official Disney festival page for the most recent updates on the schedule and additional details about the festival.

• EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays

This is another fun EPCOT festival that we love. Feel free to contact me if you want to chat more about this or if you want me to help plan your trip.

Happy Holidays!

©Disney

Disney World announced some policy changes due to the impending Hurricane Idalia approaching Florida.

As of August 28, 2023, change and cancellation fees imposed by Disney will be waived for check-in dates of August 28, 2023 through September 5, 2023. Guests already staying at Disney Resort hotels whose travel plans have been impacted by the storm may receive a discounted rate to extend their stay through the evening of August 31, if needed, by visiting the front desk. Fort Wilderness guests are asked to remove and stow all outside items, including décor, and take in camper awnings.

Florida residents evacuating from the storm and first responders assisting in storm-related recovery efforts may also receive 50% off Disney Resort hotel stays on the evenings of August 29-31, 2023. For evacuees, please call (407) W-DISNEY for details. For first responders, please call (407) 828-3200 (Option 3). This applies to new bookings only and is based on availability.

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on August 30.

Walt Disney World resorts and parks are currently operating under normal conditions with normal park hours.

Of course, any of this could change as they monitor the storm. For the latest updates, visit the Disney Weather Updates page.

If you’re in the path of the storm, I hope you stay safe. Crossing my fingers for you!

@Disney

Here’s a rare chance to spend the night inside the Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida.

Give Kids The World Village is offering the chance for one lucky winner and three guests to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime Magical Celebration Vacation Package featuring a one-night stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite.

You can’t even buy a night in the castle, so this is a rare chance to try to win a stay there while contributing to a great organization. The donations will make wishes possible for critically ill children and their families at Give Kids The World Village.

For more details on this contest and to participate, visit the GKTW Magical Celebration Vacation page. This runs from now until October 16, 2023.

Top pic © Give Kids the World

Castle pic taken during our last WDW trip.

Can you believe that Halloween is already starting at Disney World?!? The parks are all decorated and the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was last night, August 11, 2023! This is Disney’s after-hours family-friendly Halloween party.

Disney has revealed some of the new photo ops and PhotoPass Magic Shots available during the party. Ask any of the photographers if they have Magic Shots whenever you stop for a photo. Certain ones may only be at certain locations though. Check the party map for details or ask a cast member. They’ll add fun surprises to your pictures when they appear in your My Disney Experience app afterward.

For more details about the party, visit my Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party post. Videos from the party have already surfaced on YouTube if you want to see what it’s like. Party dates are already sold out thru mid-Sept so buy your tickets soon if you want to go.

We went to one a few years ago. It’s pretty fun and a good chance to dress up, see some rare characters and shows, and uniquely experience Magic Kingdom.

Don’t substitute this for your only Magic Kingdom day, especially if this is one of your first few trips to Disney since there are still too many rides to do them all along with the unique party experiences. Plus, you’re paying a premium for the party so be sure to prioritize the unique party experiences that you won’t get during the day such as the Halloween-themed shows, rare characters and other favorites dressed in Halloween costumes, party-specific photo ops, unique foods, and merch, and of course, trick or treating!

However, if you’ve been there a few times already, then this is a good chance to still get several hours in Magic Kingdom with shorter ride times while experiencing new Halloween extras. You can get into the park with your party ticket starting at 4pm so make this your rest day in the morning instead of buying a park ticket for that day too.

Although, if you have an annual pass or daytime ticket already, the crowds are usually lower on party days since non-party guests have to leave by 6pm. Otherwise, you can also do a different park first, then go to Magic Kingdom when the party starts, if you can last til midnight that way. You don’t need to make park reservations with a party ticket and it’s not considered hopping if you go to a different park first so you don’t need hopper tickets either.

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about the party or anything else for your Disney trip.

Pics ©Disney

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will start today, July 27th, and run through November 18, 2023, this year. This is one of our favorite Disney World events!

Eat around the world at the many marketplaces featuring global cuisine and beverages. This is foodie heaven with delicious dishes, fine wine, craft beer, spirits, and other beverages sure to satisfy every palate.

For a full list of the numerous marketplace menus, check out the festival page below:

• EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Global Marketplaces

In addition to the food, there are also other fun activities. Participate in the Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak or Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit scavenger hunts. Commemorate your trip with special photo ops. And of course, there will be plenty of merch if you want to do some souvenir shopping.

You can also enjoy live concerts at the Eat to the Beat concert series with performances nightly starting at 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM, and 8:00 PM at the America Gardens Theatre.

For a full performance schedule, see below:

• Eat to the Beat Concert Schedule

This year, EPCOT will also be the focus for the Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary celebration activities in Orlando so expect additional fun related to that as well. Don’t skip EPCOT on your next Disney World trip.

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about this or any other Disney event. We love these festivals!

Disney has announced that the Trails End restaurant and adjacent Crockett’s Tavern at Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Campgrounds Resort will be reopening tomorrow, July 27, 2023!

They have been closed for refurbishment the last few months. We were sad at the closing of one of our favorite Disney buffets at Trails End, now reimagined as a quick-service takeaway food market. It used to be our tradition to take the ferry boat over to Fort Wilderness after a long hot day at the Magic Kingdom Park for their buffet dinner. Resting our feet with the cool breeze blowing as the ferry sailed across the lagoon was the best feeling ever at that point. Then, we sat for a while as a family, recapping our fun day, enjoying the delicious fried chicken, brisket, ribs, gigantic baked potatoes, and more. Yummm! At least, it sounds like some favorite foods are returning, along with some new selections.

Most importantly, YES, the fried chicken is back! The old Trails End had the best fried chicken at Disney, and I contend even the best I’ve ever had elsewhere too. Crossing fingers that it’s returning the same. Too bad it won’t be all-you-can-eat anymore, but I can’t wait to try it again.

Along with the fried chicken, there will also be pecan smoked chicken and brisket, bbq ribs, chicken nuggets, chicken wrap, cheeseburgers, and pizza, including new meat lovers or veggie versions of the latter two. Sides will include mac n cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, coleslaw, plant-based cowboy beans, french fries, and cornbread. Of course, they didn’t forget dessert! The famous strawberry shortcake from Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue next door is back, along with other favorites like banana pudding, lemon blueberry trifle, carrot cake, ice cream, and several cupcakes and cookies, including s’mores flavors.

The restaurant has been refreshed into a casual seating area with warm wood furnishings and rustic accents. You can sit there to eat your food from the marketplace or take them to go.

Crockett’s Tavern has also been reimagined into a lounge with expanded seating indoors and out. The outdoor window will also reopen for you to grab a quick drink to-go.

Light bites include a charcuterie board, chicken bites, crispy cauliflower, and a trio of sliders (pulled pork/brisket/buffalo chicken or plant-based fried green tomatoes). There’s also a dessert trio with s’mores chocolate pudding, strawberry shortcake, and banana pudding.

Of course, the adult beverages are the stars of the lounge, with a moonshine cocktail flight and several new cocktails featuring Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, Laird’s Applejack Brandy, Angel’s Envy Bourbon, Hendrick’s Gin, Teremana Blanco Tequila, Ole Smoky White Lightnin’ Moonshine, and more.

Were these places some of your favorites too? It’s sad to see the old favorites go, but I’m glad they’ve reopened back in some form. We’ll have to check them out on our next trip!

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat more about a Disney trip.

Pics ©Disney

For travelers to Disney World in Orlando Florida, the Sunshine Flyer and Mears Connect bus services have announced their merger this week. The new service will be called Mears Connect Driven By Sunshine and officially begin service on August 1, 2023.

These services provide bus and van transportation to and from the Orlando International Airport and the Disney World area resorts. With the merger, they can now provide 24/7 service and additional features. Unfortunately, the buses will no longer have the cool old-fashioned steam train look though.

If you have a current Mears Connect reservation, you will not be impacted. If you have a Sunshine Flyer reservation before August 1st, you should have gotten an email with new instructions.

Future reservations can be made on the Mears Connect site. You can also visit the site for additional information about the merger.

This is just one of several options for transportation to the Disney Parks. You can always rent a car and drive yourself, book private car services, or take Uber/Lyft. Feel free to ping me if you want to chat about your options for a Disney trip.

Pic ©Mears

Heads Up! You can now book Disney World tickets, rooms, and dining plans for 2024! Yes, dining plans are back!

As you can imagine, their systems got bogged down with the high volume this morning, but it looks like bookings are open again. If you’re interested in booking a 2024 trip, now’s the time.

Unfortunately, there is no one nice list of the prices for next year though. You just have to plug in your possible trip dates with the options you’re considering and see what the total is…or have a travel agent like me help you do the legwork.

In general, 2024 will cost more than 2023 though, but there are many factors that go into the total. Disney uses dynamic pricing, so the prices will vary depending on popularity and availability. Days that tend to be busier, such as weekends and holidays, will generally cost more than other days. The length of your stay and which resort you stay at will also affect the overall cost.

Finally, many people have been waiting for the dining plans to return. These are basically prepaid meal plans that folks like for the convenience. You should evaluate which restaurants you plan to really dine in, including what you might order there, to see if the plans are worthwhile to you though. Everyone in your booking will have to get the same plan if you opt-in for it, even the kids.

There are two types of dining plans that you can add to your resort packages. These are the prices and allocations per person per day of your resort stay. Both plans also include 1 Resort Refillable Drink Mug per person per stay.

Quick Service Dining Plan:

$57.01 per adult (ages 10+), $23.83 per child (ages 3 – 9)

• 2 Quick Service Meals
• 1 Alcoholic/non-Alcoholic Beverage per Meal
• 1 Snack

Disney Dining Plan:

$94.28 per adult (ages 10+), $29.69 per child (ages 3-9)

• 1 Table Service Meal
  
• 1 Quick Service Meal
  
• 1 Alcoholic/non-Alcoholic Beverage per Meal
  
• 1 Snack

If you’re thinking about a 2024 trip, you can now begin to crunch the numbers. Resorts can fill up for popular times of the year, and prices will just go up the closer you get.

Packages (which means booking a resort room and tickets together) just need a $200 deposit and that’s fully refundable if you cancel at least 30 days before your check-in date.

Room-only bookings need to pay the first day’s amount and are refundable if you cancel at least 5 days before your check-in date.

Ticket-only bookings are not refundable but the tickets can stay in your account for future use. You’ll just have to pay the additional difference if ticket prices increase for the days you eventually use them.

If a special offer comes along in the future, you can get that applied if your booking qualifies for it too.

As always, feel free to contact me if you want to chat about booking a Disney World trip! See ya real soon!