Category: Disney Parks

How to Walk from Disney’s Coronado Springs to Blizzard Beach, Winter Summerland, and McDonald’s

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date December 30, 2020

Not too long ago we posted a guide on how to navigate Walt Disney World by foot. One of our awesome readers pointed out that Disney’s Coronado Springs is walkable to Winter Summerland mini-golf and Disney’s Blizzard Beach, as well as the McDonald’s near Osceola Parkway. Ivonne on our team kindly obliged to embark on said walk. With photos and tips, here’s how to walk from Disney’s Coronado Springs to Blizzard Beach, Winter Summerland, and McDonald’s.

How to Walk from Disney’s Coronado Springs to Blizzard Beach, Winter Summerland, and McDonald’s — Disney’s Coronado Springs Gran Destino Tower

First, let’s start off with the big challenge this walk presents. There is no sidewalk leading out of Disney’s Coronado Springs. When you walk towards the front entrance of the resort there is no sidewalk, so you’ll need to be very careful and aware as you walk on the road leading in and out of the resort. Please pay attention, and look and listen for traffic (insert stern mother voice here).

There is, thankfully, a pedestrian crosswalk from the entrance to the resort to cross Buena Vista Drive, which you will need to do in order to reach the sidewalk. Once you have crossed Buena Vista Drive, turn right to walk on the sidewalk along Buena Vista Drive and head towards Blizzard Beach and Winter Summerland. It generally takes 15 minutes to walk from Disney’s Coronado Springs to Winter Summerland.

If you wish to continue on to McDonald’s continue to follow the sidewalk. You will come to an intersection with an overpass for Osceola Parkway. Continue along the crosswalk to go under the overpass and you’ll see the McDonald’s just a few more steps away. It generally takes about 10 more minutes from Winter Summerland to the McDonald’s.

It is important to note that the McDonald’s does not have any seating available right now. That’s right, this brand new, state-of-the-art McDonald’s has closed all of its seating for the time being. Only its drive-thru is open.

Going beyond the McDonald’s, the sidewalk continues over to the currently closed All-Star Resorts.

Have you stayed at Coronado Springs Resort? Would you walk to Blizzard Beach, Winter Summerland, or McDonald’s?

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From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Dos and Don’ts, Resorts, Transportation, disney mcdonald’s, disney mini golf, disney on site hotels, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Tags dining, disney mcdonald's, disney mini golf, disney on site hotels, Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Dos and Don'ts, Resorts, transportation

Disney Lists Disney Parks Other

3 Things We Are Looking Forward to at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT Festival of the Arts

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date December 30, 2020

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

3 Things We Are Looking Forward to at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT Festival of the Arts EPCOT Festival of the Arts — 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.

3 Things We Are Looking Forward to at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT Festival of the Arts — 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.

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?

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From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Epcot, Festivals, Just For Fun, Trip Planning, 2021 festival of the arts, Epcot Festival of the Arts

Tags 2021 festival of the arts, epcot, Epcot Festival of the Arts, Festivals, Just For Fun, Trip Planning

Disney Parks Disney Vacations

Here’s 3 More Disney World Vacation Tips That Everyone Forgets About

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date December 30, 2020

There’s lots to know when planning your Walt Disney World vacation. Even seasoned Disney fans can forget some of the smaller details and tips. We aim to make our website and Lines app as helpful as possible. We’ve previously shared three tips for visiting Walt Disney World that practically everyone forgets about, and we figured we’d share three more.

Parking and transportation opens about 45 minutes before opening
Baby Care Centers and First Aid
You can walk through attraction queues without riding

Here’s 3 More Disney World Vacation Tips That Everyone Forgets About — Avatar Flight of Passage Queue

Parking and transportation opens about 45 minutes before opening

One of the keys to maximizing your time and avoiding long lines at Walt Disney World is getting there early. The famed rope drop experience allows many guests to get multiple attractions under their belt in the first hour of park operation. The key is to get to the park itself well before opening.

Disney resort transportation from the hotels as well as the theme park parking lots generally open about 45 minutes prior to the scheduled opening time of the park. On busier days, like peak holidays, this can even be stretched to an hour before opening.

Baby Care Centers and First Aid

Whether you’re a parent of an infant or a preschooler, Disney’s Baby Care Centers are a godsend. Each of the four parks has one. They are marked on the maps and MyDisneyExperience app, and are generally located near the center of each park. Any Cast Member should be able to direct you if you have any trouble finding it. Here you can purchase any forgotten baby supplies like diapers, pull-ups, wipes, pacifiers, baby food, and more. You can also change diapers in a space that is much less congested than the regular restrooms throughout the park. Nursing rooms are also available.

Each park also has a First Aid Station, usually near the Baby Care Center. Here you can get help with basic medical needs including some over-the-counter medications. I have utilized them for allergic reactions and dehydration, and appreciate the wonderful Cast Members and RNs here so much.

You can walk through attraction queues without riding

Walt Disney World does an awesome job of creating queues for attractions that are entertaining and immersive. Disney is big on storytelling and the story usually begins the moment you walk into the queue. But, not every ride is for every person. If you want to join your group as they wait in line, or if you just want to experience one of the cool queues, you can walk through without having to get on the ride. Just let the Cast Member at the boarding area know you do not wish to ride and they will point you in the direction of the exit. Of course, you should check the Expected Wait Time in our Lines app first to make sure you won’t be waiting too long.

What are some of your lesser known Disney World tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments.

The post Here’s 3 More Disney World Vacation Tips That Everyone Forgets About appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dos and Don’ts, Observations, Park Hours, Trip Planning, disney planning, disney vacation tips, disney world vacation

Tags disney planning, disney vacation tips, disney world vacation, Dos and Don'ts, Observations, Park Hours, Trip Planning

Disney Lists Disney Parks Other

The Top 3 New Functions in MyDisneyExperience App in 2020

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date December 29, 2020

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

The Top 3 New Functions in MyDisneyExperience App in 2020 — 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.

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.

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?

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From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Just For Fun, MyDisneyExperience, Observations, disney dining, disney vacation planning, mydisneyexperience app

Tags disney dining, disney vacation planning, Just For Fun, MyDisneyExperience, mydisneyexperience app, Observations

Disney Guides Disney Parks Other

Best Ways to Enjoy Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Rain

Post author By touringplans.com
Post date December 29, 2020

Into each life, a little rain must fall. And if that rain happens to fall on your Disney day, you may be singing the blues. There’s still plenty of ways to have fun at the parks, though. Today, we’re looking at four ways to have fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on a rainy day.

Indoor Attractions or Attractions with Indoor Queues

Best Ways to Enjoy Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Rain

Although many attractions at Animal Kingdom are outside, there are a few that can help take you out of the rain for a while, including It’s Tough to be a Bug and Dinosaur. Also, depending on line length, Flight of Passage has a queue that is partially indoors, and much of Kilimanjaro Safaris’ queue is under cover. A trip on the Wildlife Express is under cover, and then Conservation Station is inside.

Go Shopping for a While

Best Ways to Enjoy Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Rain

Animal Kingdom has several unique shopping locations where you can spend some time to get out of the rain. You can read more about the variety that you can find here.

Grab a Drink and Watch the Crowds Go By

Best Ways to Enjoy Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Rain

A good bar experience may not be what you think of when you think of Animal Kingdom, but two of our favorite bars at Walt Disney World can be found here. For a casual drink and good crowd-watching opportunities, Dawa Bar in Africa is highly recommended. Looking for an even more relaxing experience? Nomad Lounge, located near the Discovery Island bridge into Pandora offers quality drinks and food. You can see more of our recommendations here.

Ride Kali River Rapids

Best Ways to Enjoy Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Rain

If it’s raining, you’re probably already wet. As long as it isn’t severe weather that necessitates a closure, why not enjoy riding on Kali River Rapids to get thoroughly soaked?

Do you have other favorite things to do at Animal Kingdom when it rains? Let us know in the comments.

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From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Walt Disney World (FL), Disney’s Animal Kingdom, rain

Tags Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, rain, Walt Disney World (FL)