Welcome to the latest edition of The Magic, The Memories, and Merch!, the longest running monthly look at the Disney Outlet Stores in Orlando. Today we’re going to close out 2020 with a look at a whole bunch of merchandise before they make their way to the Disney Dump. I, “Discount Derek,” have you covered in Florida while Christela “Clearance” McC is out in California checking out items at an outlet closer to Disneyland.

Now one thing we all know about 2020 is the “new normal” we are all living in. When the Disney Outlet stores reopened this Summer, we talked about the limited amount of guests they are letting into the stores at any given moment. During popular times of the day, a Cast Member will be outside the store putting guests into a virtual queue. After signing up, you will be sent a text of when you can come back to go into the actual Character Warehouse store.

So, I stopped by the Disney Outlets on a late Sunday evening, expecting very little crowds. When it’s not that busy, there is no virtual queue and you can walk right into the Character Warehouse.

Turns out, I was like one of those families who show up to Walt Disney World during Christmas week expecting low crowds…

My reaction?

About an hour later, I was texted that it was time to go back to the store and get into a small queue. At this point, it was a “one in, one out” policy. It was a about a five minute wait in this queue to get into the actual store.

Let’s look at some items related to Christmas first. I liked these ornaments featuring Minnie and Mickey. Great artwork. Originally $12.99, now $4.99.

For the past few months we’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of unsold Redd plush and Funko Pops at the Outlets. This was the character introduced to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in response to “the massive complaints from two people.” The Redd ornament has been reduced to $3.99. Redd is a major “event” in the history of WDW and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these become collector’s items to Disneyana fans years from now.

This Christmas stocking featuring Chip & Dale on the Tea Cups was very cute. Reduced to $10.99.

Minnie in front of the castle was originally $29.99, now $12.99 while pirate Pluto was reduced to $9.99. Great attention to detail with Pluto’s stocking being in the shape of a pirate boot.

That stocking was so cute, I knew it was time for an upgrade for someone back at home…

This plastic dish with cup holder was originally from the Food & Wine Festival of 2019. It was originally $7.99, reduced to just 99 cents. Basically when something is under a buck, I feel compelled to buy it just on principle. However these are also useful to have at the house when we have picnics outside.

This magnet was from the 2020 Flower and Garden Festival. Originally $9.99, now $3.99. Love the design but we already have too many magnets at home. You know what, I think I’m looking at that the wrong way. It’s not that we have too many magnets, we have a fridge that’s too small. Time for an upgrade just for magnet holding!

Flower and Garden 2020 keychain. Reduced to $2.99. You can “spin” the Mickey head like from a game of Twister.

When we went to Flower and Garden earlier this year, we were considering picking up this hat but the price was a little too high. Seeing it at the Outlets made for a nice Christmas surprise. (“Yeah, I noticed you loved the hat so I went back and bought it. I don’t care how much it costs, you’re worth it.”)

This is fantastic. We’ve seen these bonkers Disco Ball-like plush just sitting on the shelves over the past few months. This month they were discounted even lower as a “Black Friday” special. Keep in mind, this picture was taken in DECEMBER.

Maybe the oddest sign was this one though, reducing the price of a Racer Launch set an extra $1.75 (25% discount on the already discounted price).

I bought one for the kiddos.

Button set. Originally $9.99, now just 99 cents, so of course I bought one.

Pin time. First up, some pins featuring characters from Pixar’s Onward. Watched the film. Enjoyed the film. Couldn’t name either one of them if you had a gun to my head. Price reduced to $3.99 each.

I think the Soarin’ pin on the left looks kinda weird, but enjoy the one on the right even though Mickey more than resembles that kid in line for Santa in A Christmas Story who tells Ralphie, “I like the Wizard of Oz. I like the Tin Man.” Pins reduced to $3.99.

Always enjoyed this Test Track design. Reduced to $5.99.

Weird Minnie DCL pin and an much better Minnie Animal Kingdom pin. Both $5.99.

The VHS-style merchandise is my jam.  Digging this iPhone case featuring The Lion King. Originally $29.99, now $7.99

Such a wonderful notebook featuring The Little Mermaid. Originally $16.99, now $4.99.

Our next item is a small tote themed to the Animal Kingdom. Great design on the front and you have to love Donald blinding himself with the flash.

Sold back design as well.

Inside the tote was a variety of items for kids. Originally $22.99, now $9.99.

Shocked that these plush featuring Nala and Simba made it to the outlets. Shocked* Reduced to $9.99.

Who in the world was asking for plush from the live action remake of Lady & the Tramp?!! Originally $29.99, now $14.99.

We are on a roll of unsellable plush now with this one from Pandora: The World of Avatar. I think it’s called a Thanator? Who knows. Originally $19.99, now $7.99.

Some of the plush from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that is supposed to look “hand made.” Here we have the characters Finn and Watto. Originally $19.99, now $7.99. The items from Pandora: The World of Avatar that were supposed to appear to be “hand made” were the very first things to appear from that land in the Outlets, so it was surprising to see Disney go all-in on that concept for Galaxy’s Edge. Even so, why would they EVER think there would be a market for Watto plush? Did they even watch The Phantom Menace? The only possible person this type of product could be made for is the hardest of hardcore Star Wars fans and I highly doubt they are buying a bunch of plush that looks like it was made for an eight-year-old kid.

Let’s stick with Star Wars and check out this MagicBand2 featuring Lando from the movie Solo. Reduced to $7.99.

I’m apparently living in my own universe because the next item blew my mind. Upon first glance, looked like a cool pair of lightsabers for the reduced price of $3.99. Not bad. Of course I’m gonna get a pack.

Then I saw what they were. Hair Sticks. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

I never had an interest in playing the Disney Infinity video game, but always loved the idea of a set of figures featuring characters from multiple brands all done in the exact same style. Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean could plausibly interact with Sully from Monsters Inc or Luke Skywalker from Star Wars because they were all done in the same art style and at the same scale. While the video game flamed out pretty fast, the style has continued on in the “ToyBox” line of figures. These are even better looking than the smaller figurines used for the Disney Infinity game.  Here we have Rey from the latest Star Wars movies. Reduced to $6.99. If they made The Mandalorian and “Baby Yoda” in this exact same style? I’d purchase no questions asked for $20. Easy.

Star Wars magnet from the Disney Cruise Line. This is a pretty great design actually coming up with a unique way to incorporate “Mickey Ears” into the artwork. Originally $9.99, now $5.99. If I were on this sailing I definitely would have bought one at full price because that’s a perfect souvenir.

What is it with Disney and patches?! This month a whole slew made their way to the Outlets again, including many based on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. First we have this one featuring the Travel Poster-like for Batuu. Originally $9.99, now $3.99.

Droid Depot patch. Originally $9.99, now $3.99.

This set features 3 of the 4 positions of Milennium Falcon, so even the patches know getting Engineer sucks. Originally $29.99, now $9.99.

First Order patches. Originally $9.99, reduced to $3.99.

BB-8 sipper, originally $24.99, now $7.99.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge grand opening cups. Originally $22.99, now $9.99.

Similar texture to the Galaxy’s Edge grand opening cup, but this is a Spaceship Earth-themed sipper. Originally $17.99, now $9.99.

I feel like this is the perfect cup for any INFLUENCER in your life. Reduced to $5.99.

Can you imagine drinking anything out of this Rock N’ Roller Coaster mug? Originally $22.99, now $5.99.

Still more practical than this mug featuring the van from Onward. This is just INSANE. Originally $19.99, now $5.99.

Absolutely love any mash-up of Pirates of the Caribbean “dog with a key” moment and the “hitchhiking ghosts” from Haunted Mansion. This Toy Story mug features BOTH. Wow! Reduced to $5.99.

Pixar ball mug. Reduced to $5.99.

Pua mug, with one of the ears as a handle. What I wouldn’t do to be a part of one of the pitch meetings where these designs are created and approved. Originally $22.99, now $5.99.

You gotta love this Disney Cruise Line cup featuring Hawaii. Just fantastic. Originally $29.99, now $7.99.

Oftentimes I’ll be at the Outlet Stores and come across an item and it reminds me of a moment in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. In the movie, Pee Wee comes across a burning pet store, and he immediately runs in to rescue all the animals. He made several trips in and out of the store. Rescuing the cats, dogs, hamsters and the like. On each trip back into the store he would stop by the snakes and shudder, like he wasn’t going to save them. Of course, at the end he ran out with the snakes.

Anyway, that’s how I feel having to take photos of stuff like this.

Toy Story pizza planet pencil case. Reduced to $7.99.

I guess these framed pieces of artwork are supposed to be worn around your neck? That’s straight up bonkers. Aside from just how weird it is to wear a framed painting (I mean do they sell the framed Mona Lisa on a lanyard in The Louvre gift shop?) in order read the small writing on it, another person would have to be like two inches away from you. Originally $29.99, now $4.99.

One for the fans of 101 Dalmatians as well.

A much better option is this magnet set. The three pieces of artwork can be changed out on the easel. Originally $24.99, now $12.99.

Staying with magnets, here is a neat DCL Transatlantic sailing magnet that has the Old Timey artwork we’ve seen used for parks merchandise. Reduced to $4.99.

Fun Animal Kingdom magnet. Reduced to $3.99. What is Minnie doing? Is she holding a compass? Did she pull the lens cover off Donald’s camera?

Mickey Cupcake magnet. Reduced to $5.99.

These mini-diorama sets are really cool in my opinion, but I can see why they may not connect to a larger audience. Originally $16.99, now $4.99.

Here’s one for the all-time books. This keychain features Stitch, but it’s not just his head…

You can “open for a surprise” as the Stitch thing has a small area to put who-knows-what. Maybe like 5 coins? WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS?!!

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

OF COURSE I BOUGHT THE STITCH THING!!!!

However I somehow found the will to pass on this Pluto thing.

If you remember last month there were a metric ton of princess key chains. This month Anna and Elsa joined the collection. Reduced to $3.99 each.

Little Mermaid as well. Same price.

Donald and Mickey head keychains. I like this classic style. $2.99.

Mickey silhouette keychains. Both the Pride and EPCOT flag versions were $2.99 each.

Old Timey Minnie Mouse keychain. Legs totally not to scale which makes my review = ZERO STARS. Reduced to $2.99.

FIGMENT!!!!!

I hate Metal Earth. I think you know I hate Metal Earth. Well, one thing I hate more than Metal Earth are these goofy UGEARS nonsense.

“All the fun and excitement of putting together a piece of IKEA furniture” should be the tagline. Originally $17.99, now $4.99.

Before I lose my mind, let’s head on out to CALIFORNIA and see what Christela McC has found for us this month…

These colorful Disneyland sweaters were originally $49.99, reduced to $15.99.

Cars Land hats were originally $27.99, now $6.99.

Disneyland Resort pin, reduced to $3.99.

I can’t even fathom Disney trying to sell this Droid Depot pin set at the original price of $32.99. It has been reduced to “just” $9.99. “I’m out of it for a little while and everybody gets delusions of grandeur.” – Han Solo, Return of the Jedi

Another pin set from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, all featuring the actual Milennium Falcon or elements of the ride Smugglers Run. Originally $29.99, now $9.99.

In another moment that is completely NOT FAIR TO FLORIDA, the Black Spire Outpost patch has been reduced to $2.99 in California. That’s a full dollar less than our price in Orlando.

Haunted Mansion patches. Originally $19.99, now $3.99.

We’ll close with this cute Disneyland Resort Halloween tote.  Originally $24.99, now $9.99.

Thanks Christela!!! Alright, welcome back to FLORIDA and before we had back into the Outlets, look like there has been some interesting developments while we were away…

 

Meanwhile, one of our dedicated Outlet Report readers noticed ShopDisney was trying to take food off the Disney Outlet Stores’ table with these offerings…

You have to wonder, who are these even for?! This are the type of shirts you give away to employees of a company during an anniversary as a thank you. To charge people for them? WHAAAAAAAAAAT

Let’s check out some clothes from the actual Disney Outlets, including this one for Rise of the Resistance. Originally $24.99, now $7.99.

Fun kid’s shirts featuring characters from Moana (originally $19.99, now $7.99) and Zootopia (originally $24.99, now $14.99).

Another shirt featuring Hei Hei from Moana.

Pizza Planet and a denim-style Sheriff Woody sweatshirts. Pizza Planet version reduced to $29.99 while Woody was down to $24.99.

Soarin’ pilot’s jacket for those freezing Florida nights when the weather drops below 74 degrees. Originally $59.99, now $19.99.

Not just a bib for your baby, a SuperBib. Originally $14.99, now $8.99.

Ear Hat featuring the flags of countries in EPCOT’s World Showcase. I wonder how all pieces of merchandise like this will be going forward with Disney running the Morocco Pavillion? Maybe the Morocco flag will be replaced with a picture of Baby Yoda or something. Anyway, hat was originally $19.99, now $7.99

Cute Mickey Mouse Ear Hat for kids, including a tiny tail in the back.

it’s a small world headband, reduced to $7.99.

As much as I loved seeing the Flower and Garden hat, hard pass on this similar one themed to – of all things – Dole Whip. Reduced to $7.99.

Face masks have made their way to the Outlets. I have a feeling this time next month the store will have 4 times as many for sale.

Not often we see umbrellas for sale at the outlets, especially themed ones. Usually it’s the small fold up ones they will offer for $5.

I was THIS CLOSE to buying the Tiki Room umbrella.

As close as I was to buying that umbrella I was just as far AWAY from buying this Test Track vanity license plate. They literally could have offered it to me for free at the counter and I’d say “no thanks.”

Cute Nemo luggage tag. Originally $8.95, now $2.99.

Here is the back of the luggage tag.

Stitch luggage tag, same price.

This monstrosity is a acrylic photo frame that also acts as a poor man’s snow globe or something. Originally $19.99, now $4.99.

Speaking of weird frames, this one features the mossy wall from Pandora: The World of Avatar. Originally $29.99, now $9.99.

This photo frame featuring Belle is much better. Love the stained glass rose. Originally $24.99, now $9.99.

Rapunzel themed frame, same price.

This Rapunzel themed notepad is next level bonkers. Originally $9.99, now $4.99.

Adventureland themed PATCHES~! Originally $19.99, now $8.99.

Before we leave you for this year, we ponder this question from another dedicated Outlet Report reader…

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH!

BEFORE YOU ASK: There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlets shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 32821). They do not ship. There are items at the Outlets that you can buy both in Disney stores along with the Shop Disney Parks app, but you will be paying full retail for the items. For our CALIFORNIA OUTLET trips, @ChristelaMcC goes to the Las Americas outlet in San Diego. It is located right off the last U.S. exit.

I often get asked “which store is better?” That depends. Vineland is close to Walt Disney World, while the I-Drive location is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Universal Orlando Resort. The Vineland Disney Outlet Store is much, MUCH bigger than the I-Drive location. However, the Vineland outlets in general are much, MUCH busier than I-Drive. Each have their pros and cons, and ultimately they carry much of the same items. For a Disney Outlet Store FAQ, check out this SATURDAY SIX Presents: Everything You Wanted To Know About The Disney Outlet Stores (But Were Afraid To Ask)

2013: July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2014: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2015: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2016: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2017: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2018: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2019: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec
2020: Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept |Oct | Nov

Very Special Editions & Milestones: Tribute to O.O.G.; Four Year Anniversary Special; First Pandora Items; Five Year Anniversary Special & Outlet Hall of Fame; Major Changes Come to the Outlets; Camera Hat; the Outlets Reopen after Coronavirus shut down

We also did an edition of Magic, Memories, and Junk for a non-Disney owned Outlet Store, and for you merch addicts like myself, you may also enjoy a look at the official Disney merchandise available on the Disney Cruise Line, Castaway Cay, and at the Orlando International Airport. Want to see our favorite WDW resort-specific merchandise? Well, CLICK HERE!

If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog and you can follow your humble author on Twitter (@derekbugan).

The post The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! – Disney Outlet Store Update for DECEMBER 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Magic, Memories, and Merch, Walt Disney World (FL), Outlets, pandora, Star Wars

New Year’s Eve is traditionally the busiest day of the year at Walt Disney World.  With capacity limits and no scheduled fireworks, though, it’s likely today won’t even be in the top 50 for any park. (EPCOT’s wait times today are grossly inflated – a trend we’ve seen for a while now.)

We counted 487 of 500 guests (97%) wearing masks according to Disney’s guidelines today at Hollywood Studios.  We received 161 actual wait times today. Let’s do the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 53 minutes. Its 7-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #91 for the past year. We received 9 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 55% of the posted wait time.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Posted wait times at Expedition Everest were about three times higher than actual waits, which is really unusual and tells you that today’s posted wait times aren’t to be believed. Expedition Everest had an average wait time today of 41 minutes. We received 17 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 30% of the posted wait time.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 78 minutes. Its 7-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #3 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #37 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 84% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance has had a couple of long ride outages today, delaying the calling of boarding groups to experience the ride.

EPCOT Wait Times

Soarin’ had an average wait time today of 81 minutes. Its 7-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #2 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #6 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 50% of the posted wait time.

The post Saying Goodbye to 2020 — Disney World Wait Times for December 31, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), wait times

Each year Disney fans flock to Walt Disney World to say farewell to the current year and ring in the new. This year is very different with COVID-19 precautions, reduced capacity, and reservations required. Today, and yesterday, is proving to be a busy day in the parks. For the most part our team is noticing mask compliance and distancing is still going pretty strong.

Yesterday at EPCOT our team observed 11 out of 500 guests were not wearing their masks in accordance with Disney’s guidelines. Today at Disney’s Hollywood Studios we observed 13 out of 500 not wearing their mask properly. This means about 98% of observed guests were in compliance.

Disney’s posted wait times have been some of the highest of the past 30 days, and yesterday three of the four parks had average wait times that were in the top 50 of the entire year!

We aim to make our Lines app as helpful as possible whether you visit during a super busy time, or a slower one. One of the useful features of our app is the Expected Wait Times. We collect Actual Wait Times and other data to help produce the real-time Expected Wait Times. We all know Disney’s Posted Wait Times are higher than the actual wait time, but our Expected Wait Times show a realistic picture so you can make better decisions in the parks.

At EPCOT yesterday and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios today, our team observed plenty of extended queues. With physical distancing necessary, the queues extended out into walkways and other parts of the park. We’ve also noticed some rides being loaded with every row now in order to increase capacity of the rides. Park capacity is still capped at 35%, but ride capacity being increased means that even if you see longer lines, they should move faster than when the rides had decreased capacity.

One helpful aspect of the reservation system is guests who have chosen to visit today do not have to get to the park first thing in the morning before capacity is reached. Those with a park reservation essentially have secured their spot for the day.

At EPCOT yesterday we saw a few tents for Festival of the Arts, which starts on January 8, 2021. There were also extended queues for quick service food since most counter service restaurants at EPCOT do not have mobile ordering.

Today at Hollywood Studios our team is noticing some extra crowds at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. It certainly is an interesting time to be at Walt Disney World.

 

The post PHOTOS – Take a Look at the Crowds at Walt Disney World Today (and Yesterday Too) appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Attractions, In the Parks, Photos and Video, disney crowds, disney new year’s eve, disney world attendance, disney world photos

To ensure the best data for our site and Lines 2.0 app’s dining pages, the TouringPlans team eats at Disney a lot in a year. In some cases, we are pleasantly surprised that an old favorite continues to be good. In other cases, we can be surprised when a good restaurant hits a rough patch or be shocked when a restaurant that isn’t the best suddenly changes their menu and becomes a superstar. Looking at all the reviews of quick service dining for 2020, here’s our top 3 stand-out meals.

Satu’li Canteen (Pandora, Disney’s Animal Kingdom)

No question, Satu’li is the place we recommend for our friends and family when dining in Animal Kingdom. I’m a huge fan of the bowls, which are both healthy (in terms of theme park dining) and delicious. For something a little less filling, the cheeseburger pods continue to be a favorite. Adding a limited-time-only peppermint cream cheese mousse dessert that was simply delicious was a great way to end 2020.

 

Regal Eagle (American Adventure, EPCOT)

Generally restaurants need a shake-down period (and at Disney, often this means menu changes) to really hit their stride. But Regal Eagle wowed us from the start. A few items could be tweaked, but overall everyone on our team who dined there was pleased with their meal. (And since it looked so good, I think everyone for TouringPlans who ended up in EPCOT at one time or another dined there this year!) It is certainly agreed that this is a vast improvement over the previous dining at the American Adventure pavilion.

 

ABC Commissary (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

If you had told me at the beginning of the year that ABC Commissary would be on a “best of” list for 2020, I’d have said that 2020 was going to be a really crazy year. Both ended up being true, obviously. The new menu after reopening at ABC Commissary was surprisingly good, with bold, fresh flavors that were properly prepared. This is even true with what our team called the best plant-based dish in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Compare that with the embarrassingly lackluster review of the menu in January 2020. . . . at least some things improved this year!

Did you have a quick service meal that wowed you this year at Walt Disney World? Have you tried our top 3 picks? Let us know what you think in the comments.

 

The post Top 3 Quick Service Meals of 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Dining, Walt Disney World (FL), quick service, quick service dining

Technically you don’t have to have a sweet tooth to work on the TouringPlans in-park team, but it does make the job a lot easier! We try a lot of sweet snacks to find what tastes best, is a great value, or ideally both. Sometimes Disney snacks aren’t all that noteworthy. (“It’s your typical Disney cupcake in flavor and texture” has been noted more than once.) Other times, it’s hard not to have a bit of envy at the glorious treats that the team gets to sample.

This year, we were very lucky to find some really amazing treats in the park. Here’s our top 5 picks.

Lemon-Blueberry Lunch Box Tart (Woody’s Lunchbox, Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

The flavor combination of lemon and blueberry is sorely underrated, and so it’s wonderful to see this Lemon-Blueberry Tart at Woody’s Lunchbox. This particular preparation comes in a house-made “pop tart” type of pastry. No stale cardboard pastry here — the crust is flaky and has a delightful lemon flavor, and the blueberry filling and frosting add a great contrast in flavor and texture.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cannoli (PizzeRizzo, Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

Pumpkin cheesecake filling plus a crispy cannoli shell. If those flavors are your thing, then this was a must-recommend. Oh, and did we mention there was also praline crunch mixed in? Yes, that is able to make this treat even better, and at a price point under $5, you’re probably losing money if you didn’t try it. Right?

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Martini (L’Artisan des Glaces, France Pavilion, EPCOT)

This is one where a picture speaks a thousand words. The Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Martini is an amazing adult beverage-ice cream-macaron bit of goodness. Pumpkin spice ice cream is scooped into a martini shaped cup, then spiced rum is poured on top. To top it off there is whipped cream, caramel syrup, and a pumpkin spice macaron. Si magnifique!

I don’t think there’s any way to go wrong with ordering something from Karamell-Küche. As long as you like caramel (and if you don’t, you have my sympathies), everything here will tempt your tastebuds. One of the best desserts we found this year for the fall was the Gingerbread Cookie Sandwich.  The gingerbread cookies are chewy, the perfect texture with just the right amount of gingerbread spice. There’s caramel frosting and a caramel drizzle in the middle of these two delicious gingerbread cookies. It’s a seasonal treat worth keeping an eye open for.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwich (Dino-Bite Snacks, Disney’s Animal Kingdom)

As mentioned before, we eat a lot of snacks, so when there’s one that our reviewer says she’s making a trip back to get it AGAIN, we know it has to be good. The Double Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwich may be the favorite treat of the year. Two dense chocolate cookies make an ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream. Then that sandwich is rolled in crushed peppermint candy and dipped in peppermint white chocolate. It looks so festive, and it tastes as good as it looks.

Did you get to try any of these treats this year? Have a favorite we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments.

The post 5 Practically Perfect Sweet Snacks We Tried in 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Snacks, Walt Disney World (FL), snacks, sweets