Author: disneyfoodblog.com

When Disney World closed, Annual Passholders on the monthly payment plan were given the option to postpone their payments until the end of the closure.

On Friday, some Annual Passholder who chose to postpone payments were unexpectedly charged for all four months of the park closures at once. Disney acknowledged that this was an error, and said they were in the process of reversing the charges.

And it looks like the reversals have started processing! As of this weekend, Annual Passholders have reported that they’ve seen the unexpected charges removed from their accounts.

We reached out to Disney and a Cast Member confirmed that everyone who was charged should see the reversal processed automatically, without needing to call.

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for any additional developments!

Here’s everything you need to know about the Disney World Annual Passholder previews!

Were you impacted by these unexpected Annual Passholder charges? Let us know if you’ve seen the reversal processed yet!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, Walt Disney World, annual pass, Annual Passholder, Annual Passholder refund, annual passholders, Disney World Annual Passholders, surprise charge

We’re standing right next to Fire Rock Geyser at Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge, which means we must be getting close to our next destination!

That’s right — we’re hoofing it over to see what’s new at Geyser Point Bar & Grill, so let’s go check it out!

Atmosphere

This stunning outdoor dining location debuted at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge back in 2017 alongside the Disney Vacation Club expansion at the resort. This open-air location serves as the resort’s main pool bar.

It’s an idyllic spot to spend a few hours since it overlooks the water and has a wonderful outdoorsy feel to it!

When we visited, the counter service window was closed, so it was strictly “order at the bar or lounge only.”

We noticed some additional tables have been spread out near the water, but these guys don’t have any shade, so either load up on sunscreen or seek shelter at the main bar area.

Back at the main bar, you can order your food to-go or enjoy it at one of the many tables. Tables have been moved at least 6 feet apart so that parties may socially distance while they dine.

The seating is relaxed and comfy here with options at both casual low tables and chairs, or at the bar area.

We could easily spend a whole afternoon out here — the vibes are that chill!

Menu

To access the menu, guests can scan the QR code provided.

They are offering the same counter service menu (listed as “Rustic Fare”) at the bar as well as some Light Fare you’ll only find here…

…plus a healthy (i.e. impressive and unique) drink menu, of course.

In fact, we think we’ll order up a few cocktails to go with this VIEW!

Drinks and Eats

First up, we’re trying the Blue Wilderness — a Geyser Point secret menu drink! (You know we gotchu on the secret menu front!)

The tasty concoction is made from Zodiac black cherry vodka, pineapple juice, and lemon! Our bartender told us this is the only spot on the property where you can find Zodiac vodka (!!!).

Blue curaçao gives the Blue Wilderness its signature hue!

The flavors of cherry and pineapple paired really well in this refreshing drink! This is one where it goes down EASY with the pineapple juice masking much of the alcohol taste. Forewarning though — this one is SWEET!

We also ordered up a glass of refreshing Cascadia Sangria for $15! This drink is a blend of that same Zodiac Black Cherry Vodka, lime juice, and orange juice topped with Columbia Crest H3 Merlot. While the colors looked pretty as it was served to us, our bartender recommended giving it a good stir before sipping it!

The cherry added a unique flavor and, when it was all mixed together, this was another fruity, easy-sipping drink perfect for the patio. The dry wine cuts a lot of the sweetness in the juice, so be sure to really stir this guy up! Definitely a big step up from your run of the mill Disney bar Sangria, but not quite as good as the Sangria at spots like Jaleo or Nomad Lounge.

And, as is established DFB law, our cocktail hour wouldn’t be complete without some delicious Charcuterie! Luckily, Geyser Point makes a mean board for only $14! (We usually can’t pass up the epic Bison burger here, but we’d been eating all day at this point, so just needed a little sumthin’.)

We’ve enjoyed this same Charcuterie board in the past and it’s pretty rock solid. You get toasted sourdough slices, Prosciutto, Salami, shaved Parmesan Reggiano, arugula, mini pickles, and honey grain mustard with a jar of pâté-like Duck Rillette.

Nosh or Not

Stop over at Geyser Point if:

• You’re already chillin’ at Disney’s Wildnerness Lodge and looking to become even more one-with-nature!
• You love seeking out Disney World’s secret menu drinks!
• You’re a firm believer that food and drink taste better when enjoyed by the waterside!

Pass on Geyser Point if:

• You won’t be making the long trek to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge any time soon — you can find suitable substitutions elsewhere
• You’d rather dine INSIDE where there’s plenty of AC and NO BUGS
• You’d prefer more variety to choose from since there are only a few entrées and snack options here!

Overall

With Geyser Point being mostly open-air, we barely noticed any of the modifications they’ve had to make to accommodate the new health and safety concerns, aside from fewer tables. The spot offers a few unique drinks you won’t find anywhere else at Disney and the food options, while limited, are solid for a bite while enjoying a few drinks. For us, it was a great afternoon spent in the great outdoors!

We’ll continue to check out all the reopened spots in Disney World, so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out our ultimate guide to EVERYTHING that’s reopening at Disney World here!

One of our favorite spots at Disney Springs reopened today! Find out more HERE!

Have you ever been to Geyser Point? Let us know if you’ve been missing this place in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Counter-Service, Featured, Snacks, Walt Disney World, Wilderness Lodge, blue wilderness, Cascadia Sangria, changes, charcuterie, differences, different, Disney World, disney’s wilderness lodge, Geyser Point, health and safety, menu, Pool Bar, reopening

Looking for more pins to fill up your Pin Trading Minnie Ears?

Well, we spotted some adorable pins that combine two of our favorite things — snacks and Disney Princesses!

These Disney Princess Soft Serve Blind Box Enamel Pins make for a great summer accessory! There are ten different designs available, and each is packaged in a mystery blind box — so you can treat yourself to one (or a few!) of these pins and still be surprised with what you get!

The designs feature the color schemes that the princesses have become known for — as you can see with the Snow White, Belle, and Ariel pins!

And the gorgeous soft-serve pins are adorned with the princesses’ iconic accessories!

Seriously, how cute are these designs?!

Each blind box contains one randomly chosen pin for $9.90. So, if you’re looking to treat yourself to a sweet new addition to your pin collection, snag these adorable Disney Princess Soft Serve Pins!

Pin Trading is BACK at Disney World — here’s what it looks like!

Which of these Disney Princess Soft Serve pin designs is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, Featured, News, boxlunch, boxlunch exclusive, Disney merch, disney pin, Disney pins, disney princess, ice cream pins, princess pins

With major Disney news seeming to drop every single day lately, it’s been tough to keep up with everything that’s going on! While there are plenty of things we’ve managed to wrap our heads around, we STILL have quite a few unanswered questions.

Today, let’s look at nine things we’re still unsure about when it comes to the Disney Parks.

We don’t know when certain guests can book Advance Dining Reservations.

Earlier this week, guests who had an active dining reservation between May 28 and September 2 that was canceled due to the Disney World’s temporary closure were able to begin booking new dining reservations 60 days in advance of their arrival — a shift from the previous 180-day advance booking window for dining.

However, guests who did NOT have dining reservations canceled are still in the dark about when they will be able to make new bookings. Many of these guests have upcoming trips beginning as soon as July 11th when the parks begin to reopen, and with restaurants across Disney World property seeing a reduction in their capacity, there will most likely be fewer reservations available.

While we don’t know when everyone will be eligible to book new dining reservations, we DO know what in-park restaurants will be opening!

Check out ALL of the dining locations that will reopen with the parks here!

BIG TIP: And for those of you who think you SHOULD be able to book your dining reservations based on Disney World’s current website language, but are still getting that “Paws” message, definitely call Disney directly. We’re hearing plenty of anecdotal evidence that people who are running into difficulty have been able to book dining reservations via the phone lines.

We don’t know when Disney World will allow guests to begin making new 2020 bookings or ticket purchases.

New vacation packages for 2021 went on sale on June 24. However, new bookings for 2020 are still unavailable, and Disney has yet to announce when that may change. All we know for sure is that 2020 should become available “later this summer.”

Disney is faced with a logistical challenge in accommodating guests with existing 2020 bookings. Many hotels have yet to reopen, creating a kind of Disney hotel tetris game for guests who hold reservations. Disney will need to make sure that all guests with existing 2020 reservations are accommodated when it comes to hotels AND park entrance before they open things up for new 2020 bookings.

Learn more here about why you can’t buy a 2020 ticket for Disney World right now!

We don’t know when the Disneyland parks are going to reopen.

A few weeks ago, Disneyland proposed a reopening date of July 17 for their theme parks. Since then, those plans have been delayed until further notice.

We also don’t know what Disneyland’s theme park reservation system will look like once their reopening plans are confirmed. We expect many components to closely resemble Disney World’s Park Pass Reservation System, but nothing has been confirmed.

Disneyland’s Downtown Disney reopening, which is still currently slated for July 9 according to the Disneyland website, was thrown into question when California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the suspension of indoor operations at restaurants and certain other businesses in 19 California counties, including Orange County, where Disneyland is located. It has been reported that Downtown Disney is still planning to move ahead with its July 9 opening, but restaurants will have to stick to outdoor dining.   

Read more about the health and safety guidelines that will be in place at Downtown Disney here!

We don’t know when the Disney Dining Plan will come back.

Disney made the decision to cancel existing Dining Plans as well as to completely suspend the Disney Dining Plan for the time being. Disney has yet to say when they plan on reintroducing the Disney Dining Plan.

Currently, you cannot add the Dining Plan to any new 2021 bookings, although it’s possible that should the Dining Plan become available again, you might be able to add it to an existing reservation.

Read more about Disney’s decision to temporarily suspend the Disney Dining Plan here!

We still don’t know the future of the Park Pass Reservation System.

Perhaps the biggest source of confusion for guests planning their upcoming Disney World vacations has been the announcement and rollout of the new Disney Park Pass Reservation System. The system went live on June 22 for guests with existing resort reservations, then on June 26 for Disney World Annual Passholders, and finally on June 28 for all other guests with valid theme park tickets.

The system experienced some glitches on its first day, but most of those seem to have been resolved. There have also been some discrepancies regarding the amount of Park Passes one person can have at a time, especially for Annual Passholders who also have upcoming resort reservations.

The biggest question we have moving forward is whether Disney will add availability to dates that have already filled up. At time of writing, most upcoming dates are still available for guests with resort reservations or theme park tickets, but for Annual Passholders, nearly all of July and most August weekend days have filled up. So, it will be interesting to see if more availability gets added — and for whom.

Check out our guide to Disney’s new Park Pass Reservation System here!

We don’t know what the Food & Wine Festival booths will be or what their menus will include.

In an announcement that frankly no one saw coming, A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will begin on July 15th, the FIRST DAY EPCOT is open! That’s right folks, we have a theme park reopening AND the first day of Food & Wine on the same day!

All we know so far, however, is that the festival will feature 20 “global marketplaces” and will last through the fall. At this time, we don’t know much about those marketplaces, other than that they will include Hawaii, Hops & Barley, and Islands of the Caribbean! 

Will all of the marketplaces be returning booths from last year, or will there be some new ones? We know there will be elements from EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival sprinkled in, so could that mean we’ll see a few of those menu items in the mix? We don’t know!

Because we don’t know what the booths will be, we have no idea what the menus look like either, and this festival starts SOON!!!

Take a look at what we hope returns to the Food & Wine Festival this year!

We don’t know what’s happening with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional. 

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was canceled for 2020. This move, as unfortunate as it was, made sense, as many of the key components of the Halloween parties, including fireworks, parades, and character meet and greets, have been suspended until further notice.

This might not bode well for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but we have yet to hear an official announcement from Disney. We also don’t know the current status of the Oogie Boogie Bash in Disneyland.

Add to that we haven’t gotten an update on the future of EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional for 2020. So far, Disney has not called back any groups or shows that focus on singing. This could have to do with the fact that, according to the New York Times, singing seems to be a risky activity given the global health crisis.

With those things in mind, can the Candlelight Processional even happen this year? We’ll have to wait and see!

Learn more here about Disney’s decision to cancel Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year!

We don’t know when Park Hopping will return.

Recently, Disney announced that Park Hopping, the ability to visit multiple theme parks in a single day, would be temporarily suspended. However, if you purchase a 2021 vacation package right now, you are able to add on Park Hopping. So, as of right now, Disney hasn’t ruled out bringing back Park Hopping in time for 2021 vacations.

Disney has yet to make an announcement of when we may expect Park Hopping to return, if before 2021.

BIG TIP: If you currently have park hopping added on to your ticket, you have the option to use the ticket later (many tickets have been extended for use into 2021), modify your package, or cancel your tickets. Wanna get a refund? Click the link below for details.

Wondering if you can get a refund on your Park Hopper ticket? Here are your current options!

We don’t know the opening dates of some Disney World’s Resort hotels.

Last but not least, we are still in the dark on the reopening status of many of Disney World’s hotels. We know that hotels are reopening in phases, with only Disney Vacation Club resorts currently open.

We also know that some resorts, like Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, are temporarily closed to the general public to host the NBA as they conclude their season at Walt Disney World.

But, some hotels don’t have reopening dates yet at all! These include Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts (French Quarter and Riverside), and Disney’s All Star Resorts (Sports, Movies, and Music).

BIG TIP: If you’re staying at a Disney World resort hotel that won’t be opening by the time you’re scheduled to travel, or a resort hotel that doesn’t have an opening date yet at all, definitely get on the phone with Disney to modify your reservation. Disney has stated on their website that reservations that are not moved to an open resort hotel will be automatically canceled seven days before the scheduled arrival date. If you still want to go to Disney World — modify to an open resort ASAP.

Check out all the reopening dates that we know so far for Disney World’s hotels!

We know this may have given you more questions than answers when it comes to some major Disney World trip-planning components! Hopefully this gives you a better perspective as to what we are currently waiting to hear from Disney, and what you should be doing in certain circumstances (mostly — calling Disney if you have questions!). News can drop at a moment’s notice, so we are constantly checking to make sure we are providing YOU with the most up-to-date news possible!

What unanswered question do YOU have regarding Disney World’s reopening? Ask away in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney dining tips, Disney News, disney parks, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, 2018 Gingerbread Mickey Straw, advance dining reservations, Candlelight Processional, disney dining plan, Disney Park Pass, disney park pass reservation system, Disney World, Disney World reopening, Disneyland, disneyland closure, Flower & Garden, flower and garden, Food & Wine festival, Food and Wine, mickey’s very merry Christmas party, park hopper, park pass, park pass reservation system

 

We’re less than a week away from being able to grab a Dole Whip in the parks again, but in the mean time you’re able to pick up one at the re-opened Disney Resorts!

Although we’ve been grabbing all sorts of Fourth of July treats this weekend at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, the Beach Club Resort, the Contemporary Resort, and more, Disney’s Polynesian Resort has brought back a fan-favorite!

The next time you stop by Pineapple Lanai, you can pick up the returning LIME DOLE WHIP! And, the crowd goes wild!!

While the Lime Dole Whip has come in the form of the Yoda Cone and the Heart of Te Fiti Cone in the past, you can just get a regular Lime Dole Whip in a cup when you visit the Polynesian Village Resort.

We thought that our hearts couldn’t be happier, but the return of the Lime Dole Whip just makes everything better!

What’s your favorite Dole Whip flavor? Let us know in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney dining tips, Disney News, disney parks, disney resorts, Featured, Polynesian Resort, Snacks, Walt Disney World, Disney, disney dessert, disney dining, disney news, disney snacks, disney treats, Disney World, Disney World reopening, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Dole Whip, lime dole whip, pineapple lanai, Polynesian Village Resort