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Wouldn’t you know it? As soon as my dealorometer finally cooled off, Hotwire pushed another set of deals out in February!

If you haven’t read our previous Last-Minute January Deals post, you might want to run over there for a minute to catch up. We’ll wait. *hums hakuna matata*

OK, Let’s get going: The February HotRate deals are essentially the same ones from January rolling right through to the end of the month. As usual, there are some price fluctuations, including a bit of a spike on either side of Valentine’s Day weekend. You can catch Pop Century from $68 to $118, Coronado Springs from $87 to $127, and Yacht Club from $228 to $319.

My family tends to be Moderate resort-stayers, so when I see rates reaching up beyond $300 I start to get nosebleeds. But, if you put the deals in context, many of these HotRate deals will likely save you around $90 or more per night over the current Disney direct discount, depending on the day.

The comparisons above are all based on Disney’s rates for standard rooms. While those some very good savings as is, I’ve received several reports that the past few drops of Yacht Club rooms have all turned out to be Water View rooms. While I wouldn’t necessarily count on that every time, if they do turn out to be water view then the savings vs. the Early 2021 discount is more like $178 per night! That’ll sure buy a lot of churros.

And, don’t forget: there’s a NEWYEAR21 coupon code that will take another 6% off bookings over $100.

Once again, you can hop back to our January deals post to see some examples to help you identify these resorts in hidden deals. But, first, take a gander at the February calendar of deals we’ve found.

If you’ve booked any of these deals, or aren’t sure where you’ve left your gander – let us know in the comments!

The post Hotwire: Let’s Do It Again in February appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: discounts, Resorts, Saving Money, Walt Disney World (FL), hotwire

Today is the type of day many Floridians dread. It’s damp, it’s dreary, it is actually getting chillier as the day goes on instead of warmer. Couple that with January already being a slow period at Walt Disney World and you’ve got yourself yet another day of super low average wait times. We received 134 actual wait times from our Lines app users today.

EPCOT Wait Times

The average wait time of EPCOT today is 14 minutes. Right now the part of EPCOT with the most crowds is World Showcase as many guests are there for the Festival of the Arts offerings. Test Track had some down time today, though that tends to be the case. And poor Donald Duck is still missing from the grand finale of Gran Fiesta Tour.

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros had an average wait time today of 5 minutes. Its 7-day average is 8 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 10 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 10 minutes, so today ranks #225 for the past year.

Living with the Land had an average wait time today of 5 minutes. Its 7-day average is 8 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 11 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 13 minutes, so today ranks #243 for the past year.

Mission: SPACE Orange had an average wait time today of 17 minutes. Its 7-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #175 for the past year.

Soarin’ had an average wait time today of 16 minutes. Its 7-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 36 minutes, so today ranks #206 for the past year.

Test Track had an average wait time today of 41 minutes. Its 7-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #7 for this week. Its 30-day average is 71 minutes, so today ranks #30 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 55 minutes, so today ranks #146 for the past year. We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 63% of the posted wait time.

Frozen Ever After had an average wait time today of 18 minutes. Its 7-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 55 minutes, so today ranks #239 for the past year.

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Today’s average wait times rank at the lowest of the past 30 days! This average is Disney’s posted wait times, but the actual wait times we received in our Lines app were about 75% of Disney’s posted wait times, which means Disney’s posted wait times fairly accurate.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 37 minutes. Its 7-day average is 54 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #177 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 94% of the posted wait time.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin had an average wait time today of 26 minutes. Its 7-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #160 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 34% of the posted wait time.

Jungle Cruise had an average wait time today of 33 minutes. Its 7-day average is 39 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #180 for the past year.

Peter Pan’s Flight had an average wait time today of 28 minutes. Its 7-day average is 35 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 44 minutes, so today ranks #170 for the past year.

Pirates of the Caribbean had an average wait time today of 37 minutes. Its 7-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 53 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #180 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 78% of the posted wait time.

Space Mountain had an average wait time today of 33 minutes. Its 7-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #151 for the past year.

Splash Mountain had an average wait time today of 19 minutes. Its 7-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #192 for the past year.

The Haunted Mansion had an average wait time today of 14 minutes. Its 7-day average is 21 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 27 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #221 for the past year.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had an average wait time today of 50 minutes. Its 7-day average is 66 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 80 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 72 minutes, so today ranks #163 for the past year.

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid had an average wait time today of 12 minutes. Its 7-day average is 19 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 23 minutes, so today ranks #191 for the past year.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Wait Times

It is interesting that the attraction with the highest average wait times today is The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which had an average wait time today of 54 minutes. Its 7-day average is 65 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 86% of the posted wait time. Usually this spot belongs to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith had an average wait time today of 48 minutes. Its 7-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 48 minutes, so today ranks #12 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 54 minutes, so today ranks #136 for the past year.

Toy Story Mania! had an average wait time today of 26 minutes. Its 7-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #27 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 35 minutes, so today ranks #155 for the past year. We received 11 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 64% of the posted wait time.

Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 51 minutes. Its 7-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 65 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 68 minutes, so today ranks #181 for the past year. We received 10 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 51% of the posted wait time.

Alien Swirling Saucers had an average wait time today of 22 minutes. Its 7-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #172 for the past year.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had an average wait time today of 45 minutes. Its 7-day average is 48 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #164 for the past year. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 72% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance is having a fairly decent day today. We’re seeing a new trend with a 12:30 pm gap in operations that has been happening in recent days. Perhaps this is taking over for the former 3:00 pm gap which is usually for cleaning or other maintenance. The Boarding Group distribution is at the bottom half of pace for the past 7 days, but has not fallen behind.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Lately Na’vi River Journey has been having a longer average wait time than Flight of Passage. What a weird world we’re living in these days. Kali River Rapids remains in refurbishment.

DINOSAUR had an average wait time today of 14 minutes. Its 7-day average is 40 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #185 for the past year.

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain had an average wait time today of 14 minutes. Its 7-day average is 24 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 31 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 38 minutes, so today ranks #221 for the past year. We received 19 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 36% of the posted wait time.

Kilimanjaro Safaris had an average wait time today of 19 minutes. Its 7-day average is 21 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #21 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #146 for the past year.

It’s Tough to Be a Bug! had an average wait time today of 13 minutes. Its 7-day average is 14 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 23 minutes, so today ranks #24 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 14 minutes, so today ranks #107 for the past year.

Na’vi River Journey had an average wait time today of 36 minutes. Its 7-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #182 for the past year.

Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 23 minutes. Its 7-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 74 minutes, so today ranks #198 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 67% of the posted wait time.

 

The post Another Day of Low Wait Times – Disney World Wait Times for Tuesday, January 12, 2021 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Attractions, Observations, Trip Planning, best time to visit disney, disney crowds, disney wait times

If you love art you obviously cannot miss the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. One of the things that makes this festival so special is the amount of art on display and for sale throughout the festival. But even that is elevated by the presence of the artists themselves at scheduled times throughout the festival. This year things have changed a little bit with some COVID-19 precautions.

First, the art tents throughout the festival now have designated entrances and exits, just like most of the merchandise shops at Walt Disney World. This is a little awkward for the tents due to their size. Guests will need to pay attention to the markings on the ground that show the entrance and the exit. It is nice to have more of an organized flow as you browse the art in the tent, though.

Second, the artist appearances are to the side of the tent, which is not new, but their table is set up with six feet of space between them and the guests. The artists are generally very happy to sign any works that you purchase. If you happen to purchase a piece of art when the artist is not there, many are happy to sign for you if you are able to return to the park with your purchase.

Additionally, many of the tents are shared among more than one artist. For the most part each artist is scheduled to appear one at a time to reduce crowding. There is hand sanitizer available at each of the tents as well.

Have you ever purchased any art at the Festival of the Arts? What do you think of the artist appearances?

The post Changes to This Year’s Artist Tents at Festival of the Arts appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Epcot, Festival of the Arts, Festivals, Observations, disney art, disney covid, Epcot Festival of the Arts

If you’re looking for a special experience while visiting Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, consider heading to the Droid Depot. Here you can build your own custom droid in an immersive environment. But as much as you may love your new droid, you may feel better having it sent home to wait for you there once you return from your Walt Disney World vacation.

We recently pointed out that many guests forget they can ship their Walt Disney World merchandise purchases back home if they wish – certain restrictions apply. And one of our awesome readers wanted to double check if custom droids built at the Droid Depot could be shipped. We asked the Cast Members at the Droid Depot, and double checked some other information, and confirmed yes you can.

If you’re not familiar with the options and the process of building your droid, you’ll need to pay for your droid first before being able to build it. So you will need to decide before building your droid if you will want it shipped back home. Shipping is only available in domestically, not internationally. Shipping rates vary, but the price is based on the cost of the droid and ranges from $12-15.

Unfortunately, we were told that Merchandise Pick Up (a service where select merchandise purchases can be sent to the front of the park) and Resort Hotel Pick Up are not available for your droid at this time.

Have you ever built your own droid at Droid Depot? Have you ever used Disney’s shipping services for any of your purchases?

The post Can You Ship Your Custom-Made Droid Back Home? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dos and Don’ts, Galaxy’s Edge, Hollywood Studios, Shopping, Star Wars merchandise, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Part of the fun of EPCOT’s many festivals is the ability to sample craft beers at Walt Disney World. Although EPCOT does have a great beer selection year round, during the festivals you can sample even more unique beers. Here’s some of my favorites that I have enjoyed at the festival so far this year that I think are worth giving a try yourself.

• North Coast Brewing Co. Scrimshaw Pilsner, Fort Bragg, CA – 6 oz $4.50 /12 oz $8.50
  • Decadent Delights Studio Kitchen
• #RainbowSherbetGlitterDreamAle by Playalinda Brewing Co., Titusville, FL – 6 oz $4.50 / 12 oz $8.50
  • Pop Art Studio Kitchen
• Neapolitan Beer Flight $9.50
  • • Saugatuck Brewing Co. Neapolitan Milk Stout, Douglas, MI
    • Lexington Brewing Company Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale, Lexington, KY
    • Lindemans Framboise Lambic, Belgium
  • The Artist’s Table Studio Kitchen

I will start off with the North Coast Brewing Co. Scrimshaw Pilsner as it is the lightest beer on the list. It is available at the often overlooked Decadent Delights Studio Kitchen. I selected the 6 oz. so that I would have enough room to try a few other beers at the festival. This Pilsner is very crisp and clean. I detected a light floral note and some citrus too. Great for a warm Florida day.

The next beer has become a staple of the EPCOT Festival of the Arts. Local Florida brewery, one of my personal favorites, Playalinda Brewing Company has created this signature beer with a hashtag for a name. The #RainbowSherbetGlitterDreamAle is a pretty beer that is usually shimmering with drinkable glitter. My own pour lacked the glittery shine that I have seen in other’s photos, but the taste was there. A lovely orange cream popsicle flavor comes in a first sip, but a bright citrus note finishes it off. This is a must-do in order to have the full festival experience.

There are plenty more beers around Festival of the Arts, but one way to try a selection of great beers at once is by ordering one of the many beer flights around the festival. One of my favorites is the Beer Flight at The Artist’s Table Studio Kitchen. It works out to being a Neapolitan Beer Flight. The Neapolitan Milk Stout is chocolaty with a touch of vanilla, the perfect representation of the chocolate layer in a Neapolitan dessert. But the other two beers were perhaps my absolute favorites of what I tried.

The Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale was absolutely divine, bursting with vanilla flavor with a luxurious creamy finish, and yet it was not overly heavy. This beer comes from Lexington Brewing Company which produces some of my favorite flavored beers. My other favorite beer in this flight, and the festival overall, is the Framboise Lambic. The raspberry flavor is absolutely incredible. There’s a delightful tartness to prevent this beer from being too sweet. Although it is very fruity it is still refreshing.

BONUS BEERS

• Collective Arts Brewing Piña Colada Sour – $9.75
• Big Storm Brewing Dunder and Blixem Winter Ale – $9.75

These final two beers are not part of the Festival of the Arts, but they are seasonal and have limited availability. You can find them at the EPCOT Experience. The food stand at the EPCOT Experience reminds me of a movie theater snack stand. It offers popcorn, pepperoni and cheese flatbreads, and a few other snacks, plus soft drinks and a selection of craft beer and craft ciders. And, you can hear the impressive sound system of the EPCOT Experience film as you place your order.

The beers and ciders here are full size pours–they better be for being priced at $9.75. I ordered the Piña Colada Sour from Collective Arts Brewing for my husband, as it combines two of his favorite things. I am not a big fan of sour beers and thankfully this one wasn’t too sour. The piña colada flavor had the tropical notes you’d expect and a nice sweetness to balance the sour.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum I ordered the Dunder and Blixem Winter Ale from Big Storm Brewing. This dark winter beer was spicy and malty. I should have looked to see that its ABV is 8.8% because oh boy did it pack a punch. If you’re looking to enjoy some winter flavor before the season is over this is a great choice.

You’ll need to ask the Cast Members at the counter about the craft beer and craft cider selections. They rotate and it can be difficult to tell what the selections are just from the pull handle on the tap.

Have you been to EPCOT’s Festival of the Arts? What’s the best beer you’ve tried?

The post Here’s Some the Best Beers at EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Adults, Drinking, Epcot, Festival of the Arts, Festivals, 2021 epcot festival of the arts, best beers at disney, disney beer, epcot beer, Epcot Festival of the Arts