Practically any day of the year that you visit EPCOT you’re bound to do so during one of its many festivals. The 2021 Taste of EPCOT Festival of the Arts starts on January 8, 2021, and we’re getting excited. Disney has been using the term “Taste of” for all of EPCOT’s festivals ever since the park’s reopening in July 2020. This term is used to help illustrate that each festival is a little lighter on its normal offerings. Still, there’s lots to look forward to.
The 15 Food Studios
Browsing beautiful art on display around World Showcase
Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt
Epcot Festival of the Arts – February 2020
It wouldn’t be an EPCOT festival without food and beverage booths all along World Showcase promenade. The food and beverage at the Festival of the Arts is often the most creative of any festival. This is when the beauty of culinary art is on display as a feast for the eyes and the taste buds.
Champagne with popping bubbles at Epcot’s Festival of the Arts 2020
EPCOT is already a beautiful park. (Well at least World Showcase is; Future World is a bit of a wreck right now.) Throughout World Showcase during the Festival of the Arts, there will be tents featuring different artists and their works. Most of the artists are there to greet guests and answer any questions. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions.
Festival of the Arts Visiting Artist Rob Kaz (photo by Brandon Glover)Festival of the Arts Figment Topiary
Although it costs $7.99, Figment’s Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt is a fun activity for families, and kids at heart. Each festival there is a different scavenger hunt around World Showcase and it results in a fun, themed prize. We look forward to seeing what this year’s prize will be. Any guesses?
Have you been to the EPCOT Festival of the Arts before? What’s your favorite part?
We’re big fans of helpful mobile apps. After all, we have our Lines app. Disney added lots of new functions in the MyDisneyExperience app this year. Let’s look at our three favorite functions that rolled out in 2020.
Mobile Dine Walk-Up Waitlist
Mobile Ordering at Select Table Service Restaurants for To Go Orders
Merchandise Mobile Checkout
MyDisneyExperience Functions
These three functions are in order of when they made their debut. Looking at them in this way you can get an idea of how things evolved to create more options for guests looking to minimize there exposure to other guests and Cast Members. Back in August Disney began rolling out the ability for guests to check on dining availability on a walk-up basis. You can now go to “Check Dining Availability” then select today’s date, and “Now” to see if any table service restaurants have walk-up availability. This is great for any guests who enjoy spontaneity.
MyDisneyExperience “Now” Dining Availability
Then in September Disney fans rejoiced as Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge became available to order for takeout via the MyDisneyExperience app. A few weeks later the ability to order takeout from Kona Café rolled out, and soon many other resort hotel restaurants followed. We think this feature is great for locals and vacationers alike, especially those looking to avoid the traditional dine-in experience right now.
Seared Gnocci and Chocolate Flight To Go at The Wave
Finally, earlier this month Disney began testing the ability to shop at select merchandise stores without having to go to a physical register to check out. At select Walt Disney World merchandise locations, Guests can scan items while shopping and check out simply by using the My Disney Experience app.
Have you used any of these new functions yet? Which one do you find to be the most helpful?
Walt Disney World isn’t just for the young, but also for the young at heart! Yes, a Walt Disney World Vacation has more to offer adults than Dumbo the Flying Elephant and spinning teacups. In addition to award-winning dining and luxury resort hotels, Disney World offers signature quality and service where everything is an experience.
I searched through our Lines 2.0 app and compiled a list of the highest-rated attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom according to adults. Will you agree with our users’ ratings? Let’s take a look!
5. Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
The Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is a self-guided walking trail located next to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Here guests encounter a variety of African wildlife including two troops of lowland gorillas.
According to the Lines 2.0 app ratings, adults of all ages enjoy this trail with seniors rating it slightly higher than young adults and those over 30.
Young Adults Rating: 4.2
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.2
Seniors Rating: 4.3
Why Do Adults Love the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail?
(c) Disney
Unlike rides and shows, this trail allows guests to experience it at their own pace and their own way. The lush and shady trail is also a welcome escape from the relentless Florida sunshine, and the variety of animals from gorillas to hippos to meerkats to exotic birds makes this trail well worth the trek.
4. Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight
Winged Encounters at Animal Kingdom
This mini-show features colorful macaws flying over Discovery Island and then landing in front of the Tree of Life! It’s a gorgeous, picture-perfect display seemingly straight out of a movie.
Young adults scored Winged Encounters a little lower than the other two adult groups, but what’s surprising is that Lines 2.0 users rated this brief show higher than some of the park’s attractions!
Young Adults Rating: 4.1
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.5
Seniors Rating: 4.5
Why Do Adults Love Winged Encounters?
Winged Encounters at Animal Kingdom
Winged Encounters is a photographer and Instagrammer’s dream. There’s nothing quite like seeing those bright, colorful birds swooping in front of the Tree of Life. Plus, once the birds have landed on their perch, guests are free to ask questions from Animal Kingdom’s bird care experts to learn more about them.
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is Animal Kingdom’s take on a runaway train coaster in a mountain. Think of it as a combo of Disneyland’s Matterhorn and the Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain. This highly detailed coaster takes guests in and out of the snowy Forbidden Mountain to escape the legendary Yeti!
This masterpiece of a coaster is clearly a crowd-pleaser among young adults and adults over 30 years and rightly so. But it looks like Expedition Everest’s drops and backward movement contributed to its lower score from seniors.
Young Adults Rating: 4.9
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.8
Seniors Rating: 4.3
Why Do Adults Love Expedition Everest?
Expedition Everest is a masterclass in Disney storytelling and immersion. Plus, it sends guests in and out, up and down, and even backward in a man-made mountain that’s the tallest attraction at Walt Disney World. It checks all the boxes of a thrill ride but keeps guests coming back for its atmosphere and experience.
2. Kilimanjaro Safaris
Kilimanjaro Safaris Entrance
Kilimanjaro Safaris is an open-air safari through 110 acres home to 34 species of wildlife and designed to look like an actual African reserve. While aboard, guests are treated to views of African wildlife roaming free through forests, grasslands, and savannas.
Adults of all ages rewarded Kilimanjaro Safaris a high rating meaning this particular attraction truly appeals to everyone.
Young Adults Rating: 4.7
Adults Over 30 Rating: 4.7
Seniors Rating: 4.8
Why Do Adults Love Kilimanjaro Safaris?
This attraction is about the closest you can get to an actual African safari and is an experience guests remember long after they’ve left the park. Guests also enjoy a variety of terrains and wildlife ranging from giraffes to elephants to cheetahs to lions. But since these are live animals, you never know which animals you might see and what they might be up to.
Flight of Passage is Pandora – The World of Avatar’s signature attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This flight simulator attraction creates the exhilaration of flight from the back of banshee over and through the breathtaking landscapes of Pandora. Flight of Passage is often compared to Epcot’s Soarin’ Around the World as it effectively simulates the sensation of flight and uses a giant screen coupled with scents and water effects. What makes Flight of Passage unique from Soarin’ Around the World is its use of 3-D coupled with unique ride vehicles.
Both young adults and adults over 30 gave Flight of Passage the highest ratings of all the Animal Kingdom attractions. Seniors awarded it high ratings, but not quite as high as they did for Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Young Adults Rating: 4.9
Over 30 Adults Rating: 4.9
Seniors Rating: 4.7
Why Do Adults Love Flight of Passage?
Flight of Passage is a thrill ride where guests remain stationary throughout the experience. They may feel like they’re flying, dipping, and moving at high speeds; in reality, they’ve never moved from their bike. Not only does this fact comfort adults who are wary of typical thrill rides, but the tone of the attraction is something adults love too.
On a typical Disney attraction, the action starts when something goes wrong. But on Flight of Passage, it’s not about what goes wrong but what goes right. It also offers an uplifting, inspiring tone that some have compared to a religious experience.
Do you agree with our Lines 2.0 app ratings? Which of these attractions would you rate as the highest? Let us know in the comments!
Filed Under: Adults, Attractions, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, animal kingdom attractions, Animal Kingdom For Adults, animal kingdom rides, disney world, Disney World For Adults, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage, Gorilla Falls, Gorilla Falls Trail, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Lines 2.0 app, pandora, walt disney world
The year 2020 certainly was an unusual one, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the negative. To help brighten your holidays, we’re running a series of articles of the best of what we saw for 2020.
Yes, the TouringPlans blog covers content that you’d expect to find on many Disney blogs (although with our own unique twists and data-centric focus), we’re also famous for posts that you just plain won’t find anywhere else–even beyond the truly unique content of the Saturday Six. We’ve already shared three “only on TouringPlans” posts of 2020, but we have just too much content to fit in one post. Here’s three MORE of our favorite posts that are unlike content you’ll find elsewhere on Disney blogs.
Testing Mask Efficacy
We knew when the Disney Parks reopened that masks would be a requirement, but which mask would be best? In true Mythbusters style, the TouringPlans staff rigged up gear to test a variety of masks. See the results of the study here.
Choosing an NBA Team Based on Hotel
When the NBA bubble came into play at Walt Disney World, suddenly there were many non-basketball fans who took an interest in basketball season. But if you’re not a fan, how do you choose which team to support? How about comparing each team and their record to a Disney resort?
Becoming a Disney Cyborg
And by far the most 2020 of our article series was when one of our bloggers decided to see if it would be possible to have an RFID chip implanted that would be able to substitute for a MagicBand. Long story short–it is possible. Read the progression of this experiment in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, if you dare.
Planning your Walt Disney World vacation can feel overwhelming. Are you making the most of your trip? Is there something you’re forgetting? There’s lots to know, and we aim to make our website and Lines app as helpful as possible. In that spirit here are three tips for visiting Walt Disney World that practically everyone forgets about.
Merchandise Pick-up / Delivery
Adults can order from kid’s menu
The park doesn’t actually close at closing time
Disney’s Merchandise Pick-up / Delivery
This first tip you may not want to share with your kids. If you’ve ever said, “no we can’t buy that, we don’t want to carry it around all day,” this one’s for you. At most Disney theme park merchandise shops you can send your purchase to the front of the park to pick up at the end of your day. This service is free, and it was suspended during the initial reopening on the parks, but it is now back in service.
When you’re checking out, ask the Cast Member about the Merchandise Pick-Up option. Usually they need just 2-3 hours to ensure your purchase makes it to the park exit. Be sure to double check on if you have enough time, and ask about the exact location for picking up your merchandise. At EPCOT you will need to know if you will exit at the front of the park or at International Gateway.
The other free option is for your purchase to be sent to your Disney resort hotel. Not all hotels on Disney property participate, so be sure to double check with the Cast Member. You will need to provide your room number. The purchase will be sent overnight and available for pick up the next day at your resort’s merchandise shop. This service cannot be done for delivery on the day you check out of your hotel.
Hester’s and Chester’s Dinoland USA Merchandise
Adults can order from the kid’s menu
If you’re not too hungry, or you’re trying to save a little money at Walt Disney World, you can order from the kid’s menu. This mainly pertains to quick service dining locations. At table service restaurants it may be a little trickier. Thanks to Mobile Ordering you can easily order from the kids menu and simply pick up your order when it is ready. Disney does have the basics of children’s eating habits like chicken nuggets, burgers, and pizza, but they also have some creative, healthy options too. Be sure to explore!
Kid’s Finger Food at Geyser Point
There’s also a great snack pack available at select quick service locations which provides a decent amount of snacks that can keep you going throughout the day.
The park doesn’t actually close at closing time
Each park’s published closing time indicates a few things. First, no more guests will be admitted into the park at that point. Second, no additional guests will be allowed entrance into any of the queues for the attractions. Most quick service locations and many shops will close at closing time or just before. However, if you are already in line, you can remain in line. So, yes, if you’ve got five minutes until the park closes and you jump into a line with a 45 minute wait, for example, you’ll be able to continue in line and ride the ride.
Tomorrowland at Night October 2020
You can also dine past closing time. Many table service restaurants will have timeslots available all the way until just before closing time. There’s also been cases when we’ve found timeslots for right after park closing, say 15 minutes. You use our Reservation Finder to help secure a reservation at popular spots and popular timeslots.
Enjoying a meal that goes beyond the published park closing time will not only satisfy your hunger, but will give you a chance to stroll through the park with less people–an enchanting way to end your day. Merchandise shops at the front of the park are open for about an hour past closing as well, in case you need those last-minute mementos.
There’s plenty more tips where these came from. Let us know in the comments if you’d like to see more tips like these.
Filed Under: Dos and Don’ts, Observations, Park Hours, Trip Planning, best tips for disney world, disney dining, disney park hours, disney world planning tips
Expedition Everest is a masterclass in Disney storytelling and immersion. Plus, it sends guests in and out, up and down, and even backward in a man-made mountain that’s the tallest attraction at Walt Disney World. It checks all the boxes of a thrill ride but keeps guests coming back for its atmosphere and experience.
This attraction is about the closest you can get to an actual African safari and is an experience guests remember long after they’ve left the park. Guests also enjoy a variety of terrains and wildlife ranging from giraffes to elephants to cheetahs to lions. But since these are live animals, you never know which animals you might see and what they might be up to.
Flight of Passage is a thrill ride where guests remain stationary throughout the experience. They may feel like they’re flying, dipping, and moving at high speeds; in reality, they’ve never moved from their bike. Not only does this fact comfort adults who are wary of typical thrill rides, but the tone of the attraction is something adults love too.
