Thursday, August 8, 2019

Walt Disney World Resort Best Bites: August 2019



With new eats at both Epcot and Disney Springs, as well as a yummy new plant-based treat at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, you will definitely want to come and snack with us!
First up, though, is some exciting news direct from the Japan pavilion at Epcot. All sorts of dignitaries gathered to celebrate the official grand opening of Takumi-Tei. In attendance were, of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse! Takumi-Tei is the newest signature table-service restaurant at Epcot. It is truly an upscale, immersive, Japanese dining experience offering a premium multi-course tasting menu featuring traditional tea service and wagyu beef, as well as an á la carte menu and more. Inside, the restaurant’s tranquil interior features five dining rooms, each inspired by one of five natural elements: water, wood, earth, stone, and washi paper. 
While we’re on the topic of Epcot, you should definitely check out Coral Reef Restaurant. They recently added a few new items to the menu. On the appetizer list – you can try the new Seared Sea Scallops with saffron butter broth, tomato bruschetta, and crostini. New entrées include the Lobster Seafood Boil (with lobster, Jonah Crab claw, shrimp, mussels, Andouille sausage, corn, potatoes, ouzo-garlic butter, and spiced cioppino broth) and Grilled Swordfish (with warm white beans, roasted Cipollini onions, arugula, and lemon-herb vinaigrette). You will also find a new enhancement featuring one pound of steamed Maryland-style Snow Crab legs served with lemon and butter. And for dessert, you can try the seasonal cheesecake with a shortbread cookie and fruit compote.
At Disney Springs, there is a lot of news including three new additions, as well as new offerings at D-Luxe Burger and Earl of Sandwich. The first of the new additions is a new food truck called “Cookie Dough and Everything Sweet” featuring COOKIE DOUGH! That’s right, you can soon find edible cookie dough desserts at Disney Springs! On the menu:
  • Springs Candy Taco – Candy Monster Cookie Dough, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry served in a waffle taco
  • Minnie Mouse Taco – Peanut Butter Fluff Cookie Dough, caramel sauce, whipped cream, a cherry, and a chocolate Minnie bow served in a waffle taco
  • Celebration Parfait – Celebration Cookie Dough with Celebration Mickey cake, vanilla custard, strawberries, whipped cream, and a cherry
  • Mickey or Minnie Funnel Cake – funnel cake topped with powdered sugar and Mickey or Minnie-shaped cookie dough
  • Cookie Dough Cup or Cone – Flavors include Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Fluff, Celebration, Cookies and Cream, Candy Monster, and Cold Brew
This new cookie dough-themed food truck will open later this month and will be parked near the other food trucks across from Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs West Side. 
Also coming later this month, a guest favorite from the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort is heading to Disney Springs: Sunshine Churro! You will find Sunshine Churro carts at the Marketplace and West Side. These carts serve up a variety of classic and gourmet churros with flavors like watermelon, salted caramel, strawberry cheesecake, fruity cereal, and cookies and cream. You can even try churros dipped in milk chocolate or chocolate-hazelnut spread. 
And coming soon, Ample Hills Creamery will be opening a brand new location at Disney Springs West Side. The scoop shop will offer their popular handcrafted ice cream and mix-ins (like brownie bites, oatmeal lace cookies and butter pecan brittle) similar to the offerings available at the Ample Hills Creamery located at Disney’s BoardWalk. At Ample Hills, every component tells a story — from the ingredients, to the design of the pints, making it another “Instagrammable” foodie destination. 
On the savory side, you will find a new Pepperoni Pizza Burger at D-Luxe Burger topped with artisan pepperoni, fried mozzarella and Pomodoro sauce. And at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, if you haven’t had the new “Temple of Bacon” dish, then you're totally missing out! It comes with thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon dipped in milk and chipotle chocolate ganache from The Ganachery. 
At Earl of Sandwich, you can try one of their new cheesesteak sandwiches! Choose between the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich with tender chopped beef steak or the Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich with grilled chicken. Both are served on freshly-baked artisan bread and topped with provolone, mushrooms, sautéed green peppers, and onions. There’s also a Veggie Cheesesteak Sandwich featuring provolone, mushrooms, sautéed green peppers, onions, and HP sauce. 
Finally, at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, if you are looking for a unique plant-based treat, definitely try the Sweet Thai Coconut Mickey Onigiri at Intermission Food Court. It features coconut sticky rice with poppy seeds stuffed with roasted mangos, mandarins, apples, and carrots wrapped in nori and is served with a sweet and sour fruit dipping sauce. Also at Intermission Food Court, you’ll find a Hades Cupcake offered the entire month of August. This chocolate cupcake comes with blue sour candy buttercream and a chocolate Hades piece.
For Disney Vacation pricing contact me! As a Disney Vacation Planner, I'll help you plan the perfect vacation at no extra charge to you! Just a few of the few things I'll do for FREE!
  • Help to find you the perfect Walt Disney World hotel; 
  • I'll make your Advance Dining Reservations (no early mornings for you!); 
  • I'll make your Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Reservations;
  • I'll make your FastPass+ selections (once gain no early mornings for you!); 
  • Book any tours or unique experiences; 
  • Send you tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation investment; AND 
  • Get a FREE DISNEY GIFT CARD for qualifying vacations and more!

To book your Disney vacation with me, Lauren Gonding a professional Disney Vacation Planner, contact me by: email me at lauren@magicaltravel.com; answer a few quick questions to request a quote; message me on Facebook; or call me at 800-883-1535 x 46! 

Thursday, August 1, 2019

World of Color’ Nighttime Spectacular – ‘Villainous!’, Debuting at Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party at Disney California Adventure Park



Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party, the new separate-ticket party in Disney California Adventure® Park, begins September 17 for 20 select nights. Be treated to an unforgettable night of Halloween fun packed with exclusive new experiences and entertainment, including the new “World of Color” show – “Villainous!” 
Oogie Boogie (from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”) weaves a Halloween tale about a young girl (and all-new character created by Disney animator Eric Goldberg) named Shelley Marie. 
In “Villainous!,” Shelley has a decision to make about her Halloween costume for this year, and finds herself wondering if she could really be as strong and unique as some of her favorite Disney villains. This twisted tale carries Shelley on an unforgettable journey through devious encounters with The Queen, Ursula, Dr. Facilier, Hades, Jafar, Maleficent and more
Enjoy watching the villainous side of Disney characters through fountains, lights, lasers, projections and special effects. “Villainous!” shows you that, deep down, there’s a little villain in all of us.
Oogie Boogie Bash, which takes the place of Mickey’s Halloween Party, will feature other new experiences – including an interactive “Descendants”-inspired dance party, a stage show with Mickey Mouse, and a mysterious Disney villains walk-through experience.  
For Disney Vacation pricing or for more information about Disney vacations, contact me! As a Disney Vacation Planner, I'll help you  plan a magical vacation at no extra charge to you! Just a few of the few things I do for FREE to make your vacation more magical:
  • Help to find you the perfect hotel that fits your wants and needs; 
  • I'll make your Dining Reservations and offer suggestions; 
  • I'll make your Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Reservations;
  • Book any tours or unique experiences; 
  • Send you tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation; AND 
  • Give you a FREE DISNEY GIFT CARD!
To book your Disney vacation with me, Lauren Gonding a professional Disney Vacation Planner, you can email me at lauren@magicaltravel.com; answer a few quick questions to request a quote; message me on Facebook; or call me at 800-883-1535 x 46!

Sip and Savor Intergalactic Food & Beverage at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World Resort, Opening August 29



Are you ready to eat your way through Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World® Resort? That day is coming fast because it opens on August 29, 2019 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®! When you visit Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu, you’ll be greeted with a variety of food and beverage options, and you won’t want to miss out on any of them!
Oga’s Cantina
If you are thirsty for a taste of adventure, then Oga’s Cantina might be just the thing to quench your thirst! This notorious watering hole serves as the hangout spot for all of the locals as well as smugglers, bounty hunters, and the groovy droid, DJ R-3X! Here you will find a variety of specialty beverages with and without alcohol. For the fully-grown Jedi and bounty hunters out there, the specialty beverages with alcohol are served throughout the day. There’s even a few morning specialties like the Bloody Rancor made with vodka, chile liqueur, spicy Bloody Mary mix, and a rancor bone cookie.
The afternoon and evening specialties include options like the Outer Rim featuring silver tequila, açai liqueur, lime juice, pure cane sugar, black salt, and exotic fruit purée. There’s also the Yub Nub made with pineapple rum, spiced rum, citrus juices, and passion fruit as well the Fuzzy Tauntaun. This fun drink comes with peach vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice with tangerine, pure cane sugar, and “buzz button tingling” foam.
Younglings and travelers of all ages can also enjoy an array of family-friendly concoctions like the Blue Bantha. Offered all day, this beverage features blue milk served chilled and topped with a bantha-inspired vanilla-butter sugar cookie. During the afternoon and evening, sip on concoctions like the Hyperdrive (Punch It!) with Powerade Mountain Berry Blast, white cranberry juice, black cherry purée, and Sprite or the Jabba Juice featuring Simply Orange with pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe, and blueberry popping pearls.
Try a new provision with alcohol (exclusive to Walt Disney World Resort): the Rodian Ration. This comes with vodka, sour apple liqueur, Sprite, and green apple popping pearls. Of course, there’s also a version without alcohol called Oga’s Obsession with Odwalla Lemonade, cotton candy flavor, and blue popping pearls. For snacking, you can order Batuu Bits – a trail mix featuring different seasonal crunchies and crispies that pair perfectly with any of the drinks on the menu!
Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo
Step into a working hangar bay and find that Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs has docked his food freighter, “Tugg’s Grub: A Traveling Diner for Diners Traveling,” right on the roof. He’s serving up a variety of dishes prepared with ingredients from across the galaxy. Guests can sit down in the spacious hangar (or grab a table in the rustic outdoor seating area) and chow down on eats like the Felucian Garden Spread (plant-based “kefta” with herb hummus, tomato-cucumber relish, and pita) or the Yobshrimp Noodle Salad with chilled shrimp, marinated noodles, and seasonal vegetables. To drink, you can sip on specialty beverages without alcohol like the Moof Juice with Simply Fruit Punch, Simply Orange with pineapple, and chipotle-pineapple. For a specialty beverage with alcohol (exclusive to Walt Disney World Resort) – try the Takodana Quencher with dragon berry rum, blue curaçao, Simply Orange with pineapple, and kiwi. 
To satisfy a sweet tooth, indulge in the Batuu-bon featuring chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse and coffee custard or the Oi-oi Puff – a raspberry cream puff with passion fruit mousse.
Milk Stand
Guests can stop by the Milk Stand to try Batuu’s legendary blue and green treats. Both the Blue Milk and the Green Milk feature a plant-based blend of coconut and rice milks and can even be ordered with alcohol (exclusive to Walt Disney WorldResort). Your Clients can sip on a Blue Milk Cooler with rum or a Green Milk Cooler with tequila! And don't forget to order a Bubo Wumba Family Farms souvenir drink vessel.
Ronto Roasters
Roasted to perfection by our pitmaster droid 8D-JB, the Ronto Wraps are a great grab-and-go bite served at Ronto Roasters. They come with roasted pork, grilled sausage, peppercorn sauce, and tangy slaw wrapped in pita. You can also take a bite out of some Nuna Turkey Jerky, offered in sweet and spicy flavors.
To quench their thirst, Guests can try the non-alcoholic Tatooine Sunset with Gold Peak Unsweetened Tea, Odwalla Lemonade, melon, and blueberry. Or they can enjoy the Walt Disney World Resort exclusive specialty beverages with alcohol: Trandoshan Ale (a spiced wheat ale) or the Coruscant Cooler featuring Kentucky bourbon, cherry liqueur, fortified wine, cranberry, and lime juice.
Kat Saka’s Kettle
Pop into this eclectic food stall (run by grain merchant Kat Saka) in the Black Spire Outpost Marketplace for a unique taste of Batuu. The Outpost Mix is a combination of sweet and savory popcorn and is the perfect snack for the traveler on the go!
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World Resort opens August 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
For Disney Vacation pricing contact me! As a Disney Vacation Planner, I'll help you plan the perfect vacation at no extra charge to you! Just a few of the few things I'll do for FREE!
  • Help to find you the perfect Walt Disney World hotel; 
  • I'll make your Advance Dining Reservations (no early mornings for you!); 
  • I'll make your Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Reservations;
  • I'll make your FastPass+ selections (once gain no early mornings for you!); 
  • Book any tours or unique experiences; 
  • Send you tips and tricks to get the most out of your vacation investment; AND 
  • Get a FREE DISNEY GIFT CARD for qualifying vacations and more!
To book your Disney vacation with me, Lauren Gonding a professional Disney Vacation Planner, contact me by: email me at lauren@magicaltravel.com; answer a few quick questions to request a quote; message me on Facebook; or call me at 800-883-1535 x 46!