It’s a known fact that part of the Disney magic is that calories consumed at a Disney theme park don’t actually count. (At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) And with most people doing a lot more walking at the parks — sometimes up to 10 or more miles a day! — some of those calories would be burned off with the physical activity anyhow. But we got to thinking . . . if those calories actually did count, how much walking would you need to do to burn off some of Disney’s popular treats?
(Note: Because Disney doesn’t readily give out calorie information on their products, the calorie counts are approximations. Also, amount of calories burned while walking varies based on factors like weight and fitness level. The information here is included for fun only and not as medical or dietary advice.)
Disney Churro
According to MyFitnessPal’s database, a Disney churro contains 240 calories. At an average 100 calories burned per mile of walking, you’d need to walk a couple short laps around Magic Kingdom (minus Frontierland and Storybook Circus) to burn off that churro. (Very doable in a typical day, of course.)
Dole Whip
For a Dole Whip, a 1/2 cup serving size is 110 calories. Most servings of Dole Whip at Disney are closer to the 2 cup range (or more for some specialty preparations — we’re looking at you Lapu Hula!). If you can keep yourself to the 1/2 cup serving, you’ll only need to walk from the back of the Magic Kingdom parking lot to the Transportation and Ticket Center and then into Adventureland to have burned off that sweet treat.
Caramel Square
Looking for a sweet treat that feels like a splurge but isn’t too bad? Swing by Karamell-Küche for one of their caramel squares. A 50-gram serving comes in at around 190 calories, and so if you walked from the EPCOT parking lot to Germany and back, you’d actually be coming out ahead!
Popcorn
By far, the least calorie-laden treat at Disney is the iconic Disney popcorn. Oil-popped popcorn comes in at around 55 calories for 1 cup. For fun, shadow boxing burns about 6 calories per minute, and if you’re anything like me, that’s the kind of workout you get on Toy Story Midway Mania pulling that cord! At a 6-minute ride, and since you’re only using one arm at a time, you’d just need three ride-throughs to burn off that one cup of popcorn! (With a good touring plan, you can make time for those three rides in a day!)
Mickey Premium Bar
This fan favorite comes in at 330 calories. To burn this off by walking, start by walking from the EPCOT parking lot, around World Showcase starting in Mexico, exit the International Gateway, walk over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and then head back to Galaxy’s Edge. By the time you get to Droid Depot, you’ll have burned off those calories!
Pretzel
Don’t tell Len, but we prefer the pretzels at Germany over the Mickey pretzels elsewhere. At around 10.7 oz. for a serving, or around 900 grams, according to nutritional information from Fitbit, that’s around 1,000 calories. That’s pretty close calorie-wise to another favorite. . .
Disney Cupcake
When we sent the Disney Cupcake to the lab, and the cupcake we sent came in at 1,072 calories. For easy math, let’s just go with the average cupcake calorie count of 1,000 calories. At around 1 mile for a lap of World Showcase lagoon, it works out to around 10 laps for that cupcake or that pretzel. (But it’s a really wonderful place to do laps with so much to see!)
If you are trying to be cautious about the calorie count while on vacation, many of these treats are great to share with other people in your party. My family has found that treats like popcorn, cupcakes, churros, and pretzels can easily be split three or four ways. For a Dole Whip, you can ask for an extra cup and spoon to share with a friend. Another tip to watch calories is to plan your treat of the day in advance. Read reviews to see what treats are worth trying and what isn’t worth the calories. But above all, remember that you are on vacation — and so let yourself the freedom to break the rules a little bit here and there. You can always get back in the swing of things when you get home.
Do you have treats that you think are worth the calories every time, or ones that you think just aren’t worth it? Let us know in the comments.
Visiting Walt Disney World this year just got more enticing. That’s because today the Walt Disney World Resort released several new Walt Disney world offers that you are absolutely going to want to take advantage of! Let’s break them all down for you and see which one is right for you and your family!
Get 2 Extra Days
This is an incredibly awesome offer! For those who book a select 4-Night/3-Day package, you’ll be able to get 2 extra days of theme park tickets added….for free. And if you want to stay longer, to take advantage of those tickets, there are other length of stay options available.
This offer is valid for arrivals most nights from January 8, 2021 through September 25, 2021.
The best part, is right now, if you are still a little uncertain, Disney is allowing Guests the ability to modify or cancel your reservation with extra flexibility right now through April 30, 2021. What does that mean? Well, Disney is currently waiving any Disney-imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in for reservations with arrivals through April 30, 2021. (We’ll see if this gets extended past that date, as we get closer to April.)
30% Room Discount
In addition, there is also a 30% room discount at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels for stays most nights April 18, 2021 through July 10, 2021.
In order to take advantage of this 30% room only discount, you must book by May 27, 2021.
Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts – Save Up to 30%
For stays most nights April 18 to July 10, 2021
These resorts are eligible for a 30% discount.
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
These resorts are eligible for a 15% discount.
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows – Studios Only
Select Disney Deluxe Resorts – Save Up to 30%
For stays most nights April 18 to July 10, 2021
Disney’s Beach Club Resort – reopening May 30, 2021
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – reopening June 6, 2021
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Select Disney Moderate Resorts – Save Up to 20%
For stays most nights April 18 to July 10, 2021
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Select Disney Value Resorts – Save Up to 15%
For stays most nights April 18 to July 10, 2021
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort – reopening March 22, 2021
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Keep in mind that while resort reopening dates have been announced for hotels, these reopening dates could still change. In addition, for Florida Residents, there is also a great room only discount that offers 30% at select Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts, 25% at select Moderate Resorts, and 20% at select Value Resorts.
As a reminder, Walt Disney World continues to operate with enhanced health and safety policies. To manage attendance, Guests are required to have valid theme park admission and make a park reservation for each day of their visit through the Disney Park Pass system. In addition, Disney has implemented new measures to promote enhanced cleaning, physical distancing and reduced contact.
Some of us have our holiday decorations packed away, others have a garage full of boxes waiting for the process to begin. Magic Kingdom is of the latter variety as of yesterday’s visit. (My home falls into this category too.) Ivonne on our team did a little park hopping from Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios, which incidentally were the two busiest parks yesterday. Let’s take a look at the crowds, and the spectacular weather too.
One thing that is sure to catch your attention is the work being done at Tom Sawyer Island. How interesting to see pickup trucks in the dried-up waterway.
Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree – January 4, 2021Big Thunder Mountain on January 4, 2021Tom Sawyer Island Construction – January 4, 2021Buzz Lightyear Extended Queue – January 4, 2021Crowds at Liberty Square – January 4, 2021Crowds at Fantasyland – January 4, 2021
After a nice early afternoon at Magic Kingdom, Ivonne park hopped over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It is so nice to have park hopping back again. Here’s what we’ve experienced with the new park hopping procedures.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge – January 4, 2021Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge – January 4, 2021Toy Story Land – January 4, 2021Hollywood Boulevard – January 4, 2021
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was fairly busy, though things are calming down. There are some new and returning treats we tried that we’ll share more about in some upcoming blog posts – stay tuned!
Filed Under: In the Parks, Observations, Photos and Video, hollywood studios crowds, hollywood studios photos, magic kingdom crowds, magic kingdom photos
Ever wanted to feel like Jabba the Hutt? Probably not, but you can sip in style at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge with a sipper inspired by Jabba’s favorite snack. The Paddy Frog Sipper is now available at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. This sipper caught lots of attention as our field team picked one up yesterday and strolled around Batuu.
Paddy Frog Sipper at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
You can order up your own sipper at Docking Bay 7 with either your choice of Coca-Cola beverage or Moof Juice which is a blend of Simply Fruit Punch, Simply Orange with Pineapple, and Chipotle-Pineapple. With Coca-Cola products the sipper is $15.99. With the Moof Juice it is $17.49.
Paddy Frog Sipper at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge – InsidePaddy Frog Sipper at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge – At NightPaddy Frog Sipper at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge – Light Up at Night
There is a Paddy Frog figure at the bottom of the sipper, and it lights up which looks really cool at night. It adds to the unique atmosphere of Galaxy’s Edge and would look great alongside a themed outfit. Our team has been debating as to whether the Paddy Frog species is also that of the Frog Lady in The Mandalorian. Everything I’ve seen indicated they are two different species, and that the sipper is Jabba’s favorite snack and not an endangered species, but we’d love your input too.
Are you a big Star Wars fan? Would you hand over your Galactic Credits for one of your own?
That holiday sparkle is starting to dim as holiday travelers return home. All four Walt Disney World theme parks saw a decline in their average wait times today. We received 165 Actual Wait Times from our Lines app users today. Overall, each park was about as accurate as we expect on their Posted Wait Times, but EPCOT’s actual wait times were about half of what Disney posted as the wait time – quite a difference!
Also at EPCOT we observed 9 out of 500 guests who were not wearing their mask in accordance with Disney’s guidelines. So about 98% of observed guests were wearing their masks properly. Finally, this is the second day of Park Hopping being reinstated. This could help spread out demand across the day. We’ll have a recap of how to park hop with the new procedures, and our thoughts on the experience soon.
Alright, keep your arms and legs inside the blog post and let’s do the numbers!
Magic Kingdom Wait Times
Although wait times declined at Magic Kingdom today, it was not as dramatic a change as at some of the other parks. Today’s average wait times rank at number 9 of the past 30 days. It is interesting to see the increase in wait times starting around 2:30 p.m., an indicator of the amount of folks who park hopped over to Magic Kingdom today, perhaps?
Magic Kingdom 01-03-2021
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 55 minutes. Its 7-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month. We received 10 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 44% of the posted wait time.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin had an average wait time today of 41 minutes. Its 7-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #15 for the past month. We received 9 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 69% of the posted wait time.
“it’s a small world” had an average wait time today of 44 minutes. Its 7-day average is 48 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 35 minutes, so today ranks #48 for the past year.
Peter Pan’s Flight had an average wait time today of 46 minutes. Its 7-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #8 for the past month. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 82% of the posted wait time.
Pirates of the Caribbean had an average wait time today of 50 minutes. Its 7-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 53 minutes, so today ranks #18 for the past month. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 71% of the posted wait time.
Space Mountain had an average wait time today of 60 minutes. Its 7-day average is 68 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #9 for the past month. We received 14 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 75% of the posted wait time.
Splash Mountain had an average wait time today of 50 minutes. Its 7-day average is 80 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 55 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 56% of the posted wait time.
The Haunted Mansion had an average wait time today of 29 minutes. Its 7-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 52% of the posted wait time.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had an average wait time today of 84 minutes. Its 7-day average is 91 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 79 minutes, so today ranks #8 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 74 minutes, so today ranks #83 for the past year.
EPCOT Wait Times
Without any festival currently in place, EPCOT is a calmer place to be. Today’s average wait times ranked at number 12 of the past 30 days.
EPCOT Wait Times 01-03-2021
You can’t have the third day of the month without the Three Caballeros. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros had an average wait time today of 14 minutes. Its 7-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 11 minutes, so today ranks #7 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 10 minutes, so today ranks #38 for the past year.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment had an average wait time today of 20 minutes. Its 7-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #7 for this week. Its 30-day average is 21 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #73 for the past year.
Soarin’ had an average wait time today of 55 minutes. Its 7-day average is 76 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #9 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 50% of the posted wait time, meaning the actual wait times were around 27 minutes.
Spaceship Earth had an average wait time today of 24 minutes. Its 7-day average is 42 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 20 minutes, so today ranks #80 for the past year.
Test Track had an average wait time today of 76 minutes. Its 7-day average is 107 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 75 minutes, so today ranks #9 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #30 for the past year.
Frozen Ever After had an average wait time today of 38 minutes. Its 7-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #22 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #182 for the past year.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Wait Times
The decline in average wait times was not as dramatic at Hollywood Studios as compared to the other parks. A reminder that park hopping begins at 2:00 p.m. which is after the 1:00 p.m. distribution of Rise of the Resistance boarding groups. So we are not expecting to see massive amounts of guests hopping to Hollywood Studios in hopes of getting on Rise. And perhaps the folks inside Hollywood Studios who did not get a Boarding Group for the day broke free of their bonds and hopped out of the park after 2:00 p.m.
Hollywood Studios Wait Times 01-03-21
I’ve got to include Muppet*Vision 3D on this third day of the month. It had an average wait time today of 34 minutes. Its 7-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #7 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #7 for the past year.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror had an average wait time today of 77 minutes. Its 7-day average is 71 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #4 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #48 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 91% of the posted wait time.
Another 3-D attraction for this third day of the month, Toy Story Mania! had an average wait time today of 38 minutes. Its 7-day average is 38 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 32 minutes, so today ranks #6 for the past month. We received 10 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 66% of the posted wait time.
Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 70 minutes. Its 7-day average is 75 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 65 minutes, so today ranks #10 for the past month. We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 71% of the posted wait time, which means the actual wait times were around 49 minutes.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had an average wait time today of 51 minutes. Its 7-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #9 for the past month. We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 77% of the posted wait time.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 80 minutes. Its 7-day average is 72 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 66 minutes, so today ranks #3 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #32 for the past year.
Rise of the Resistance had a decent day of operations. Boarding groups started to be called just before 9:00 a.m. and were progressing a little slower than the last 7 days, but otherwise have stayed on pace the rest of the day.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Wait Times
With park hopping being back in place, I expected wait times to start to really decline after 2:00 p.m. which is when park hopping is allowed. Today there was not a noticeable decline, but we’ll see how things go as park hopping becomes more “normalized.” Today’s average wait times rank at 14 out of the past 30 days at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom Wait Times 01-03-21
Today it did not take too much time to get back in time. DINOSAUR had an average wait time today of 48 minutes. Its 7-day average is 66 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 48 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #62 for the past year.
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain had an average wait time today of 33 minutes. Its 7-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 46% of the posted wait time, meaning the actual wait time was around 15 minutes.
Have you heard about the new dwarf goats that are viewable on the safari? Kilimanjaro Safaris had an average wait time today of 26 minutes. Its 7-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 40 minutes, so today ranks #110 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 45% of the posted wait time.
Since it’s the third day of the month let’s look at TriceraTop Spin which 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 7 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 7 minutes, so today ranks #106 for the past year.
Na’vi River Journey had an average wait time today of 61 minutes. Its 7-day average is 85 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 53 minutes, so today ranks #85 for the past year.
Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 73 minutes. Its 7-day average is 96 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 72 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 65% of the posted wait time.
