Holidays Around the World to Become Epcot International Festival of the Holidays in 2017

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

Holidays Around the World is transforming into Epcot International Festival of the Holidays from November 19 to December 30, 2017.

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Discover a festival like no other, featuring the joyous holiday traditions of our 11 World Showcase nations. Epcot® International Festival of the Holidays surrounds you in the wondrous sights, sounds and flavors of the season as celebrated by cultures near and far.

Delight in stirring live musical productions; savor seasonal food & beverage specialties at the expanded Holiday Kitchens; and take a festive global tour as costumed performers bring time-honored traditions to life throughout World Showcase!

New for 2017 is Chip and Dale’s Christmas Tree Spree. Chip and Dale are collecting ornaments for their Christmas tree, and they need your help! To get started, simply purchase a map and sticker from select merchandise locations, including Pin Central, Disney Traders and World Traveler at International Gateway. As you travel around World Showcase, be on the lookout for Chip and Dale as they gather ornaments from holiday decorations in each World Showcase pavilion. Once you spot them, add the corresponding ornament sticker to your map. Then, take your completed map to Disney Traders and exchange it for a festive surprise, courtesy of Chip and Dale! Maps are $6.99 plus tax, and are available throughout Holidays Around the World at Epcot while supplies last.

The Holiday Kitchens will return this year as well, including:

  • American Holiday Table
    From the tender roast turkey to the tasty pork tenderloin, memories of grandma’s kitchen will come flooding back when you visit this salute to the great flavors of America.
  • Feast of the Three Kings
    Dine like royalty as you enjoy scrumptious foods and delicious drinks from the Caribbean at this holiday kiosk inspired by the story of the Magi. While you nibble, learn about the celebration of Three Kings’ Day, El Día De Los Reyes Magos!
  • Holiday Sweets and Treats
    From decadent desserts to savory snacks and merry libations, you’ll be in full swing of the season at this festively-appointed holiday kiosk. Enjoy the view here at Showcase Plaza, meet up with friends or just take a moment to unwind.
  • Mexico
    Watch mariachi dancers celebrating a Feliz Navidad, while imbibing on the zippy spices of Mexican cuisine. The carnitas tacos and horchata margaritas will have you singing, “olé!”

The Candlelight Processional (along with dining packages for it), the IllumiNations holiday finale, and “Joyful! A Gospel Celebration” will all return as well despite the name change.

 

VIDEO: See How Epcot at Walt Disney World Is Getting Prepared for Hurricane Irma

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

Yesterday, we took a trip to Epcot to enjoy a lightly-attended day at the Food and Wine Festival 2017, and while we were there, we found that the park was already well-underway into preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irma. The following video shows all the changes the park had made up until yesterday to get ready for the storm. Enjoy:

BREAKING: Disney World Announces Reopening Park Hours Following Hurricane Irma

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

After being closed for two days, Walt Disney World has announced the reopening of their parks following Hurricane Irma. Hours for Tuesday, September 12th are as follows:

Magic Kingdom

  • Extra Magic Hours 8AM-9AM
  • Park Hours 9AM-7PM
  • Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party 7PM-12AM

Epcot

  • Park Hours 9AM-9PM
  • Extra Magic Hours 9PM-11PM

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Park Hours 9AM-9PM

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

  • Park Hours 9AM-9PM

Disney Springs

  • Hours 10AM-12AM

Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon Water Parks will remain closed until further notice.

ANALYSIS: Calculate How Much You’ll Spend at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

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Like many of you, I look forward to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival every year. Every year that I go, I try to sample at least one item from every booth. Right now I’m in the middle of planning my upcoming trip for WDWNT Tencennial Celebration and Epcot’s 35th, so I decided to create a tool in the form of a spreadsheet to help me forecast my expenses at the festival this year. After completing the spreadsheet, I thought I would share the sheet with our readers so that you can use it too. It is a Google Sheet so you need to have a Google account to use it.

Click here to copy the Google Sheet to your own Google Drive. This link will make a copy of the master spreadsheet in your own Google Drive so you can edit it and save your changes for future reference.

The spreadsheet calculates the total price automatically as you update what items and how many you want in the “Number to Order” column. You can also click the “Reset” button at the top to reset all of the items to zero.

Using this spreadsheet, you can quickly figure out fun things like:

  • Ordering one of every item at each booth will cost you $1,324.05 plus tax (if you utilize flights instead of individual wines and beers when available).
  • Ordering one item from every booth will cost a minimum of $137.50 plus tax (assuming you order the least expensive item).

I hope this sheet is helpful to you and if you want to see more of these types of tools, please let us know in the comment section below!

PHOTOS: Mysterious Stat Stations Appear at Test Track’s Soon-To-Be-Renamed SIMporium

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

While at Epcot today, we stopped by for a quick ride on Test Track, and upon existing we noticed some changes in the After Market Shop.

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New “Stat Stations” have been added right as you’re existing Test Track in the gift shop area. Currently, we don’t know What exactly these kiosks will do. The only hint is the tag line below the name “Custom Car[d] Design” which could allow guests to customize RFID cards to use in the attraction’s car creator process.

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Other elements have been added to the store including the four test logos from the ride.

To reflect the changes, the store will change names to the Test Track SIMporium at some point.

WDWCelebrations “Celebration 35” IllumiNations Dessert Party Almost Sold Out

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

This is just a reminder to those contemplating attending the WDWCelebrations Celebration 35 event, taking place Thursday – Sunday, September 28 – October 1, 2017.

Although registration for the event will remain open until September 27, the popular IllumiNations Dessert Party on October 1 has a limited capacity and is currently 75% sold out. Because the event capacity is dictated by Disney Park Operations based on the size of the venue, we cannot sell more tickets after we have reached full capacity.

In case you missed our previous post detailing what WDWCelebrations is all about, we’ve reprinted it below.

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In just a few weeks, WDWCelebrations will gather like-minded fans at the Walt Disney World® Resort to celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the opening of EPCOT Center®, the theme park that broke the mold upon its debut in 1982. Exactly ten years after the historic Celebration 25 event that gathered over twelve hundred guests to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Epcot® in October 2007, WDWCelebrations aims to celebrate the past, present and future of the world’s most unique theme park once again! The WDWCelebrations organization was born from the response to Celebration 25, and since that time has hosted an additional eleven unique events, each celebrating the magic of the Disney Parks while raising money for charity.

Celebration 35, a WDWCelebrations Commemorative Event

It has been the privilege of WDWCelebrations to host guests from around the world for the past nine years, and it is a special honor to celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary this October with Celebration 35, a WDWCelebrations Commemorative Event. This new event at the Walt Disney World® Resort will encompass four days of fun, friends, and surprises. As with previous events, this celebration will include WDWCelebrations’ signature offerings to complement the official activities offered by The Walt Disney Company.

The four-day event, set for Thursday – Sunday, September 28 – October 1, 2017, will celebrate the anniversary in a grand way. Planned activities will complement the popular Epcot® International Food and Wine Festival and guests will be able to share in a visit to Pandora, the World of Avatar, the newest offering at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Guests will enjoy their favorite WDWCelebrations signature offerings such as scavenger hunts, group rides, group meals, and, of course, a few very special surprises. Check out the WDWCelebrations web site for more details and a tentative schedule.

Celebration 35’s IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth Dessert Party on October 1

WDWCelebrations is pleased to announce the return of the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth Dessert Party, a significant piece of WDWCelebrations’ history and a fan favorite for many years. As was experienced during Celebration 25 and Celebration 30 five years later, guests will once again have the chance to enjoy delectable dessert options on the water’s edge of World Showcase Lagoon with a premium view of the classic nighttime spectacular as it lights up the night sky. On previous park anniversaries, Epcot has added a special anniversary tag to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth that rivals, if not surpasses, the popular July 4th and New Years Eve tags.

How to Register for Celebration 35, Including the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth Dessert Party

WDWCelebrations charges a nominal fee to event attendees which covers organizational costs. Additionally, a significant portion of the registration fees are donated to the Give Kids The World Village, the WDWCelebrations Charity Initiative charity of choice for Celebration 35 and many previous events. Registration for Celebration 35 costs $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-15.  Guests also have the option to donate additional funds to this event’s Charity Initiative when registering. The IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth Dessert Party is an additional cost of $69.99 per person, and tickets can be purchased during the event registration process. Registration closes on September 27, 2017.

About WDWCelebrations

As Epcot® prepared to celebrate its 25th anniversary in October 2007, the online Disney community was in an uproar over the apparent lack of official acknowledgement of this historic park’s milestone. In response to the Internet furor, a group of individuals decided to step up and create a fan-based event – dubbed Celebration 25 – to properly celebrate the silver anniversary. Over 1200 like-minded fans registered to attend the event. The Celebration 25 event was officially embraced by Disney management and was given the rare privilege of working closely with the management and staff of Epcot® to provide in-park event check-in, group history walks, a press conference, and a private dessert party. At the end of the day, the attendees knew they had been a part of something special – and something they didn’t want to end. Out of this demand, an idea was born: to celebrate the many anniversaries, milestones, and bonds between those who share a love for Walt Disney World. WDWCelebrations was born. And since that time, each of their unique events have offered guests the chance to celebrate the magic of the Disney Parks’ past, present and future, together.

PHOTOS: Iconic Water Feature Drained as Universe of Energy Transitions to Guardians of the Galaxy

WDWNT on August 29, 2017

While not much work has happened since The Universe of Energy closed at Epcot last week, the iconic water feature outside of the 1982 Future World Pavilion has now been drained.

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The water feature may or may not return, with the marquee being replaced by a Nova Corps ship from the Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise.

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The Guardians of the Galaxy ride will open before 2021 at Epcot.

Dole Whip & More Restaurants Coming to Mobile Order at Disney World

WDWNT on August 29, 2017

On the heels of the successful rollout at many other restaurants, Walt Disney World will expand the Mobile Order program through the MyDisneyExperience app to several previously unannounced establishments later this year.

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Here are the restaurants now adding the service later this year:

  • Lunching Pad at the Magic Kingdom
  • Aloha Isle at the Magic Kingdom
  • Rosie’s All-American Cafe at Hollywood Studios
  • Fairfax Fare at Hollywood Studios
  • Catalina Eddie’s at Hollywood Studios
  • Sunshine Seasons at Epcot

No exact date for these additions has been given as of yet.

The mobile ordering program allows guests to order at Disney counter service restaurants from their mobile devices and then pick-up the order when they are ready to eat. Check out our comprehensive review of the service to see how it works.

Walt Disney World Switching to Self-Service Automated Lockers at Theme Parks

WDWNT on August 29, 2017

Guest lockers offered at Walt Disney World’s 4 theme parks have been changed to self service, electronic kiosks that no longer require a cast member or physical keys.

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A similar system already in place at the Disneyland Resort

Guests paying with cash and credit can now head directly to the lockers to pay. Guests paying with gift cards or MagicBand will still need to see a cast member at the nearby merchandise location.

Lockers are available in standard size (12.5″x10″x17″) for $7 or large (15.5″x13″x17″) for $10. No deposit is required any more.

Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World water parks already utilize this system.

Bodh’aktan, Margaret Almer Return, New Acts Coming to World Showcase for Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival

WDWNT on August 29, 2017

In addition to the “Eat to the Beat” Concert Series, featuring 11 new artists, guests will also want to look for new and returning acts in World Showcase at Epcot during this year’s Food and Wine Festival.

Suroît – New to Epcot, this renowned band hails from Canada’s Magdalen Islands in eastern Quebec. For four decades, their infectious sound has embraced influences from Cajun, Celtic, bluegrass and rock music. Join Suroît on the Mill Stage at the Canada pavilion, August 31 – October 1.

Margret Almer & The Bavarian Band – World-famous yodeler Margret Almer makes an encore appearance at Epcot this fall. She’ll be performing with The Bavarian Band at the Germany pavilion, beginning August 31 and continuing through the holiday season.

Musique Aramenco – Another returning favorite takes the stage at the Morocco pavilion September 1 – December 30. Musique Aramenco presents a fusion of traditional and modern Moroccan music.

Bodh’aktan – Back by popular demand, Bodh’aktan mixes Quebecois, folk and polka to make fantastic rock and dance music. After rocking stages across Quebec, the United States and Europe, this incredibly popular, kilted band is returning for an Epcot encore at the Canada pavilion October 2 – 22.

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Raffy – This musical quartet makes their Epcot debut October 23 – November 26 on the Mill Stage. Raffy’s infectious energy has been embraced across Canada through a live tour, appearances on television and radio airplay of their first hit single.