Author: disneyfoodblog.com

As Walt Disney World continues to move ahead with its phased reopening, we’ve been keeping our eye on how construction is progressing around the resort. 

Although some construction projects have recently been paused, we’re excited to see that there are quite a few that are forging ahead, like the expansion of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin with the construction of a brand new tower called The Cove. Let’s take a look.

Ground was broken on the 14-story tower in 2018 and was originally slated to be completed in 2021. There’s a chance this opening could be delayed due to the current health crisis and related closures, but from what we saw while we were checking out the newly reopened Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, it sure looks like things are moving right along!

Construction has steadily progressed during Disney World’s unprecedented closure, and it looks like 12 of the 14 stories are well on their way.

The tower will have 349 guest rooms including 151 suites. It will also feature a nearly 17,000-square-foot elevated deck with a fire pit and pool and a 90-seat restaurant. Guests at The Cove will also benefit from the same perks of staying at an official Walt Disney World resort that guests of the Swan and Dolphin currently receive

Find out what counts as a “Walt Disney World Resort” here. 

Construction crews have even begun installing some of the windows which, based on the concept art, will go a long way toward giving the tower its stylized look. Here’s a look at the artist’s rendering of the finished hotel.

The Cove HAD to bring some signature style to complement its VERY DISTINCTIVE siblings, the Swan and Dolphin.

Read about our favorite places to EAT at the Swan and Dolphin here!

All eyes are on the Swan and Dolphin right now with the arrival of Major League Soccer players, who will be staying at the resort during the MLS Is Back Tournament. Guests who had been scheduled to stay at the resort from July 1st to July 29th are being relocated to the brand new JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa that just opened down the road in the nearby Bonnet Creek area.

See what Major League Soccer players are having for lunch in Disney World here!

We’ll be keeping a close eye on The Cove as construction progresses and will let you know when this STUNNING new tower has an opening date!

Headed to Disney World Soon? Order one of our Disney Food Blog face masks for your trip!

Will you be staying at The Cove when it opens? Let us know in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, disney resorts, Featured, News, Swan and Dolphin Resorts, construction, disney hotel, disney news, Disney World, hotel, resort, swan and dolphin, the cove, Walt Disney World

Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that 19 California counties needed to close reclose restaurants and movie theaters. 

And while yesterday just the parking lots at beaches were expected to be closed in some parts of the state, we’ve just learned Orange County will be closing down many of its beaches entirely over the holiday weekend.

Changes keep rolling in regarding new closures. So far, Disneyland’s grand reopening has been delayed while Downtown Disney’s July 9th resumptive date seems to be moving along as scheduled — although restaurants might only be providing outdoor dining.

California Governor Newsom is allowing cities and counties to act on their own regarding whether or not they should close their public beaches. Today, several cities have decided to close their beaches. These include several popular Orange County beaches like Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Laguna Beach, and Newport Beach.

Some beaches haven’t announced if they’ll be closed or not, and for now, many of the beaches that will be closing have only stated they’ll be shutting down for the weekend. Of course, we’ll let you know if anything changes between now and July 5th!

Anaheim, California has mandated face masks must be worn in all public areas. Learn more details here.

What are your thoughts on California closing its beaches for the weekend? Let us know in the comments below.

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney california adventure, Disney News, Disneyland, Disneyland Column, Disneyland Resort, Downtown Disney Anaheim, Featured, beaches, california, closing beaches, closure, govenor newsom, newport beach, orange county, order, postponed, reopening

Here at Disney Food Blog, we like to say “we gotchu” A LOT! That’s because we don’t want you to worry or struggle with any of the major challenges planning a Disney vacation can sometimes impose on having FUN!

Since we’re all getting our gear ready to head back to the Disney parks, we want you to be PREPARED! That’s why we’ve decided to expand our t-shirt store into a t-shirt AND face mask one-stop-shop!

That’s right — many of your favorite DFB t-shirt designs are now available to wear on yo’ face! 

Our cloth masks cost $14 and some are even customizable! They’re one-size-fit-all and provide full-coverage of your nose and mouth which means you can wear them at any Disney park — or wherever you like! Even though our masks are non-medical grade, they do meet CDC requirements and each mask has two 6″ elastic straps to loop around your ears.

And the best part? For every mask you buy, we’ll donate $1 to No Kid Hungry!

So what will it be? Maybe the Sonny Eclipse GALAXY TOUR Mask in honor of our favorite Cosmic Ray’s crooner?

Or maybe you’ll want to tell the world your winning Disney World with this Winning Mask!

If you’re as stoked as us to get your Rise of the Resistance on (uh, reportedly WITHOUT a virtual queue!) this Winning Studios Mask would really suit you!

And you know we’ll be flying on the backs of some banshees while we’re winning Pandora with our Animal Kingdom Mask on!

Dole Whip! We think our Pineapple Face Masks with stylish Japanese katakana lettering and cute lil Dole Whip baby are super kawaii!

For you Disney fans who are looking to dig up some fun at Magic Kingdom when it reopens, don’t forget your MK Geological Survey Mask!

We also made a Kingdom Mask just for our Magic Kingdom peeps! We love how the graphic looks with the blue!

You know we gotta rep for one of our favorite Disney World parks with this Winning Epcot Mask especially since Spaceship Earth’s refurb has been postponed! If that isn’t winning, we don’t know what IS!

And speaking of all things grand and miraculous, how about picking up our Grand Spaceship Mask? We think the Phoenicians will really get a kick out of this one!

We also made this similar-looking World of Tomorrow Mask with a little Japanese Kanji thrown into the mix!

Let us know if there’s a style you’d like to see in our shop and we’ll try to come up with some exciting new styles for you! Until then, make sure you read our 7 tips for wearing a face mask all day and everything you need to know about wearing a face mask at Disney World here!

To find out what does and doesn’t qualify as an acceptable face mask at Disney World, click here!

Which of our styles do you like the best? Let us know in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Animal Kingdom, disney california adventure, disney merchandise, disney’s hollywood studios, Disneyland, Epcot, Featured, magic kingdom, News, attraction, DFB, DFB Store, disney food blog, face covering, face mask, face masks, favorite park, Hollywood Studios, i’m winning, merchandise, my geological survey, official merch, online store, pineapple dole whip face mask, ride, Snack, sonny eclipse face mask, Spaceship Earth, world of tomorrow

Disney Springs has been reopened for a while, but now that many Disney World Cast Members are returning for the grand reopenings of the resorts and theme parks, we spotted a great dining discount JUST FOR THEM!

In fact, these two restaurants are so happy to have Cast Members back, they’re offering them 35% off their check!

Terralina Crafted Italian posted their special discount offer for Cast Members on Instagram a little while ago!

Disney World Cast Members can enjoy 35% off their entire bill — excluding alcoholic beverages.

Terralina Crafted Italian has reopened in Disney Springs! Check it out here.

And Paddlefish (which is owned by the same restaurant group) has also extended a 35% off discount to Disney World Cast Members.

This discount is also good for food and non-alcoholic beverages now through July 31st!

Read our review and see what the newly reopened Paddlefish looks like here!

We will be on the lookout for more discounts. So, stay tuned!!

Click here to see what it’s like to eat in a newly reopened Disney World restaurant!

Have you been to Disney Springs since it started its phased reopening? Tell us which shops or restaurants you’ve visited in the comments below!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Featured, Table-Service, Walt Disney World, 35% off, cast member deal, cast member discount, discount, disney springs, Disney World, limited offer, Paddlefish, reopening, special offer, Terralina Crafted Italian

Calling all cupcake lovers! Sprinkles is BACK with another limited-time cupcake that is making sparks fly!

Remember the Pineapple Upside Down Cupcake we showed you back in June? How could we forget! The gourmet cupcake shop in Disney Springs released another specialty cupcake that is downright patriotic. We made a special trip for the NEW July 4th Red Velvet cupcake released just today.

This sweet treat is only available between now and July 5th and costs $5.99. The cupcake is fairly simple made with a red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, and topped with patriotic sprinkles. While the recipe may not be incredibly innovative, it tasted SO GOOD. Let us explain.

The cake is one of the best red velvet cakes we’ve tasted at Disney in a while! It was incredibly moist and chocolatey, but not too sweet. This was the perfect complement to the cream cheese frosting, which was definitely sweet.

The sprinkles were actually a cute surprise! Although they look a little dull on the menu pictures, they were really bright and sparkly in the sun. Making it the perfect cupcake for an Instagram pic.

This cuppy cake delight is beautiful on the outside and the inside! You can see the frosting isn’t layered on too thick. Which honestly, is totally fine because it’s so sweet you shouldn’t need any more than what you get!

If you happen to be at Disney Springs this Fourth of July weekend, we think this cupcake is definitely worth a stop. But, don’t worry if you can’t make it out to Sprinkles! They are releasing a few more specialties this July like the ooey-gooey S’mores cupcake and a Caramel Chocolate Chip cupcake.

Can’t make it to Disney Springs for dessert? Try making your own with this Mermaid Tail Cookie Recipe from Disney Cruise Line! 

Will you be at Disney Springs this weekend? Let us know if you’re picking up a 4th of July cupcake!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, 4th of July, Cupcakes, Dessert, disney cupcakes, disney desserts, disney snacks, disney springs, Disney World, Fourth of July, fourth of july 2020, Fourth of July Cupcake, red velvet, red velvet cupcake, sprinkles, sprinkles cupcakes