A Blog About Disney Stuff

Is there anything better than taking that first heavenly bite of a warm cookie as the smell of freshly baked cookies still lingers in the air? I think not. 

No wonder there is a day dedicated to celebrating these delicious morsels of goodness. And that day is December 4!  

We asked our Disney chefs from around the world to send us their favorite cookie recipe so you can bake some Disney magic at home for National Cookie Day. But feel free to celebrate National Cookie Day every day – I do! 

Click the link below each photo for the downloadable recipe. Happy baking! 

Mickey Chocolate Chip Cookies from Disneyland Paris – Our Disneyland Paris pastry chefs have created these delicious chocolate chip cookies and fancied them up with pecans, dried fruit, and a dark chocolate drizzle. Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Belle’s Enchanted Christmas Tree from Magic Kingdom Park – This festive stack of almond macarons, cranberry buttercream, and cranberry-orange white chocolate ganache is sure to “wow” family and friends. A bit of work but worth it! Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Gingerbread Cookies from Shanghai Disneyland Resort – Leave it to our Shanghai Disneyland pastry chefs to take a simple gingerbread cookie mix to the next level. Kiddos love decorating these traditional holiday cookies, well, adults too! Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Shortbread Cookies from Disneyland Resort – A classic. Simple and delicious. What’s not to love? Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Disney’s Contemporary Resort Bakery – Using whole wheat flour adds a slightly nutty flavor that sets these cookies apart from the classic chocolate chip version. Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Molasses Crackle Cookies from Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Bakery – With rich flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon, these deliciously chewy molasses cookies are sure to become a family favorite. Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Spaceship Earth Cookies with Salted Caramel Ganache from Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays – The EPCOT pastry chefs had me at “salted caramel ganache.” This recipe is a baking commitment in the kitchen, but you will not regret it – promise! Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Num Num Cookies from Disney’s Hollywood Studios – The ultimate in the classic chocolate chip cookie game. Jack-Jack loves these over-the-top chocolate chip cookies and you will too. Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Butter Cookies from Hong Kong Disneyland Resort – You may not be able to decorate like our talented Hong Kong Disneyland pastry chefs, but these butter cookies are delicious alone or simply decorated with royal icing. Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Pumpkin Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park – Ice cream sandwiched between soft delicious autumnal cookies? Yes, please! Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

Stay connected with Disney Parks Blog for more delicious Disney recipes and be sure to share the magic with other Disney fans using the hashtag #DisneyMagicMoments.  

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort, Recipe

There’s no better time of year to indulge in sweets than the holiday season (well, except maybe Halloween time). At this year’s International Festival of the Holidays you can sink your sweet tooth into lots of treats. Besides the fun and festive Cookie Stroll, there are plenty of desserts at nearly all of the Holiday Kitchens. Here’s some of the best sweets and desserts at the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.

• Linzer cookie – Bavaria Holiday Kitchen
• Dulce de Leche Churro – Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen
• Buche de Noel – Marche de Noel Holiday Kitchen
• Maple Buche de Noel – Yukon Holiday Kitchen
• Peppermint Sundae – Holiday Sweets and Treat Holiday Kitchen
• Coquito – Festival Favorites Holiday Kitchen
• Mini Jelly-Filled Donuts – L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen
• Pumpkin Gingerbread Cheesecake – American Holiday Table Holiday Kitchen
• Warm Brown Sugar Stuffed Pretzel – Refreshment Outpost

A holiday favorite, the Linzer Cookie was soft and crumbly. A nice cinnamon flavor comes through making it a cozy treat. We’ve covered the Dulce de Leche Churro in a few other posts and we just love it! It’s only $0.25 more than a plain standard park churro, but the sweet dulce de leche inside makes it special.

Over at the France Pavilion the Buche de Noel is a hit with anyone who loves dark, intense chocolate. The serving is relatively small, but it is a very rich dessert. Similarly there is a Maple Buche de Noel available at the Yukon Kitchen. This is a lovely blend of sweet maple and chocolate, and the serving is very generous. We’re concerned we lucked out early in the festival and that the serving size may end up being reduced.

Another chocolate sweet is the Peppermint Sundae. The peppermint flavor is good but not overwhelming and you still get good chocolate flavor. The serving is pretty large; you could probably split this with another person. The surprising thing about the Holiday Sweets and Treats Holiday Kitchen is there’s actually only two desserts here, the rest is beer and shakes. (Granted, the beer is flavored after favorite holiday drinks, Egg Nog and Coquito.)

The Coquito is available with or without rum. Many refer to Coquito as being similar to Egg Nog. It originates from Puerto Rico and is coconut based. The texture is described by our team as “like a chunky milkshake.” The garnish of a cinnamon stick coupled with the holiday atmosphere of World Showplace, made this feel more special than it probably could have been if it was outside and consumed over a trash can.

On this list of items we wish were sold year round, you can put the Mini Jelly-Filled Donuts at the top of the list. They contain the perfect balance of jelly and powdered sugar. Finally, over at the American Holiday Table the Pumpkin Gingerbread Cheesecake is a great treat for anyone who loves traditional holiday flavors of pumpkin or gingerbread.

If you want something very different than the standard festival fare at the Holiday Kitchen booths, there is a Warm Brown Sugar Stuffed Pretzel at the Refreshment Outpost (between the China and Germany Pavilions).  The pretzel was harder than we would have liked, but the brown sugar filling was very good. Even with the vanilla soft serve it wasn’t overly sweet.

Have you been to the Festival of the Holidays? What’s your favorite festival sweet treat?

The post The Best Sweets of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Epcot, Festivals, Holidays, Snacks, disney christmas, disney desserts, Epcot International Festival of the Holidays

Several headliner rides at Walt Disney World experienced extended outages today, including Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom.  Wait times were moderate at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom.  We received 140 actual wait times today – thanks Lines users!  And we counted 497 of 500 guests (that’s 99%) wearing masks in Animal Kingdom according to Disney’s guidelines today.  Let’s do the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had an average wait time today of 66 minutes. Its 7-day average is 72 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month. And Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 52 minutes. Its 7-day average is 48 minutes, so today ranks #3 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 63% of the posted wait time.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

The most interesting wait time today might be at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which had an average wait time today of 51 minutes. Its 7-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #10 for the past month. We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 94% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance did not have a great afternoon.  Rise stopped calling boarding groups around noon, and didn’t resume calling boarding groups for almost two hours.  That restart lasted about fifteen minutes, and the ride shut down again just past 2 p.m., for over an hour.  As I write this, the ride was in the middle of a third hour-plus outage.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 54 minutes, and those posted wait times were a pretty good indicator of how long actual waits were:  We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 102% of the posted wait time.

EPCOT Wait Times

Test Track had an average wait time today of 56 minutes. Its 7-day average is 71 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 62 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month.

The post Rough Day at the Studios – Disney World Wait Times for Wednesday, December 2, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

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

We know Florida’s occasional chilly weather is no match for up north. Still, when it gets a little cold in Central Florida you may want to know where to go get warm. Yesterday we talked about the best festival food for cold weather, as well as where to grab a warm drink. Now, let’s review some of the best places to get warm around Walt Disney World.

Magic Kingdom

• Get cozy with America’s progressive family at Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
• It sounds counterintuitive, but make a splash at Ariel’s Undersea Adventure; most of the queue is indoors
• Grab a warm cinnamon roll at Gaston’s Tavern
• Experience the magic of Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Socialize with some grim, grinning ghosts at The Haunted Mansion
• Get a little country at Country Bear Jamboree
• Enjoy a tropical serenade at Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
• Try the Spice Up Your Holiday Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Cosmic Ray’s

EPCOT

• Journey through time at the iconic Spaceship Earth
• Figment’s got on a festive sweater, so head to Journey Into Imagination
• Take a relaxing ride on Living with the Land
• At The Land Pavilion, Sunshine Seasons has hot beverages and some hearty food selections
• Explore the massive aquarium inside The Seas with Nemo and Friends
• It sounds counterintuitive, but Frozen Ever After‘s queue is indoors and cozy, as long as you get there before the queue extends outside
• Journey to the great north without dealing with its weather at Canada Far and Wide
• Be inspired by the The American Adventure show

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Get to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway before the queue extends outside
• Take a galactic journey aboard Star Tours
• Celebrate the fun of being on vacation at Vacation Fun at the Mickey Shorts Theater
• Grab a drink at 50’s Tune-In Lounge, or a home-cooked meal at 50’s Prime Time Café
• Explore the fascinating history of Walt Disney at Walt Disney Presents
• Enjoy the zany humor of Muppet*Vision 3-D

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

This park is rough if you want to stay warm, as most everything is outside. But the animals are usually very active in cooler weather

• Get to Flight of Passage before the queue extends outside
• Go get that dino at DINOSAUR
• Enjoy a warm meal off-world at Satu’li Canteen

Walt Disney World Resorts

• Enjoy the indoor firepit at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House
• Relax by the fireplace at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, one in each lobby
  • Use resort transportation from Magic Kingdom
• Sit around the fireplace at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
  • This fireplace is not used for an actual fire, but the lobby is cozy and inviting, and a short walk from Epcot
• Break for a meal at Ale and Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club – such a cozy atmosphere
  • A short walk from EPCOT
• Soak in hot tubs at each resort, if you’re feeling brave to wear a bathing suit in this chilly weather and are a guest of the resort

Have you visited Walt Disney World during chilly weather? Where do you recommend warming up?

The post Best Places to Get Warm at Walt Disney World appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Resorts, disney christmas, disney reopening, disney weather, on site disney resorts

It’s okay to admit that wearing a mask all day in a theme park is not always easy or fun. It’s the right thing to do and the safe thing to do, but it’s okay if you want a break for a few minutes. Each major Orlando theme park has designated areas where guests can sit and take off their mask for a little bit. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom there are two Relaxation Stations. They provide a restful area whether you want to enjoy your snack or drink, or just have a place to sit down for a few minutes. Here’s everything you need to know about the Relaxation Stations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Location of Relaxation Stations at Animal Kingdom

There are two Relaxation Stations at Animal Kingdom. The first is located at Pizzafari at Discovery Island. This is normally a quick service dining location, but it is temporarily unavailable as it is used as a Relaxation Station. There are tables, chairs, and plenty of shade. This location is closest to the front of the park and is a good spot to rest before or after venturing into Pandora – World of Avatar. There are also restrooms here, making it an overall great place to stop and rest, or have a snack.

The second Relaxation Station is located along the Discovery River. It is not as easy to find as the Pizzafari location, but it is midway along the pathway that connects the African land and Asian land. It is a beautiful pavilion with detailed wood carving. The views of the Discovery River and the Tree of Life are glorious, and you might even catch a character cavalcade go by. This is a good location if you’re in the back of the park. Restrooms aren’t as convenient as the Pizzafari location, but there are some a few steps away, across the pathway.

How to Use Relaxation Stations at Animal Kingdom

No reservations are needed for the Relaxation Stations, but they can reach capacity. It is rare for them to reach capacity as many guests do not know about them. The tables are placed six feet or more apart, so please do not move the tables or chairs. If you have a larger group it is asked that you keep your party at the designated tables and not combine them.

It is asked that all guests keep their masks on until they are seated at their table. Once you are seated you can remove your mask whether you have food and drink, or if you just want to sit and relax. There is no time limit on using the stations. If you need to get up from your table, or whenever you are done, it is asked that you put your mask back on before getting up from your table.

Cast Members frequently clean and sanitize the tables, chairs, and the general area. The Relaxation Stations can have limited hours. They do not always open right when the park opens, and generally close a little earlier than the park itself does.

Have you made use of the Relaxation Stations yet? Do you think they are helpful?

The post Everything You Need to Know About Relaxation Stations at Animal Kingdom appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Dos and Don’ts, In the Parks, Trip Planning, disney covid, disney reopening, disnney’s animal kingdom tips