Two new limited edition MagicBands debut at Walt Disney World. One MagicBand is for the Epcot International Flower and Garden show while the other MagicBand is for Star Wars. Join us in the latest edition of Around the Mouse to read more about the MagicBands and other Walt Disney World news this week.
Walt Disney World Theme Parks
Magic Kingdom Park
New! First Phase of Hub Expansion Now Open: The first phase of the expansion of the Central Plaza area, or Hub, in front of Cinderella Castle is now open for Guests, with additional seating outside Casey’s Corner and The Plaza restaurant and a new walkway to help Guests travel more easily through this popular area. When completed later this year, the expanded Central Plaza area will include a new perimeter path along with a lush garden environment themed to the style of gardens associated with European castles and chateaus. As a reminder, the FastPass+ preferred viewing area for fireworks has been relocated from the Rose Garden to the new Main Street Plaza Gardens adjacent to The Crystal Palace.
Reminder! Construction Crane Behind Cinderella Castle: There will be a construction crane behind Cinderella Castle through Mar 12 for the removal of the holiday lights and other planned work.
Epcot
New! Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Begins: The 75-day festival opens Wednesday, Mar 4th with its legendary Disney topiaries, and this year’s are sure to please. For the first time, Anna and Elsa from Frozen will greet Guests as they enter Epcot World Showcase, with Elsa in the act of turning a spring flower bed into a winter wonderland. And Chip and Dale are also new for this year in the main entrance display. But topiaries are only part of the fun. There will be beautiful and educational gardens all over Epcot for this festival. This year there is a new Emotion Garden, which will pays homage to the upcoming Pixar film “Inside Out.” Additionally, guests can enjoy the health and healing garden, the urban garden for planters with limited space and more. The outdoor kitchens are also back allowing our Guests to savor a taste of spring and collect festival passport stamps as they stroll. Don’t forget to take in one of the new Garden Rocks concerts, too!
New! New Foods and Beverages at Flower & Garden Festival: New craft cocktails at the Festival this year include La Tizana cocktail at Botanas Botánico and the Urban Mary at Urban Farm Eats. La Tizana is a Venezuelan-influenced fruit punch made with orange juice, lime juice, banana puree, grenadine and garnished with a tropical fruit medley of diced pineapple, mango, strawberries and oranges. For an adult version, you can add a splash of RHUM Orange liqueur from Santa Teresa, Venezuela. The Urban Mary is a tomato beverage made with spicy tomato juice, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce, garnished with a pickled green bean and micro greens,” Hunnel continues. Adding a shot of vodka is an option. Craft beer is back in a big way, with new additions like Maple Bacon Stout, being brewed right now at Shipyard Brewing Company in Clearwater, Fla., to be released on opening day of the festival. Try it in a flight at The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews. And one of the most whimsical takes on grown-up tastes is the new “Ice Pop” at Fleur De Lys in France, flavored with peach iced tea mixed with Grand Marnier Peach Raspberry (a limited-release spirit) and a splash of vodka. “It’s frozen, but not solid, so it just melts in your mouth – refreshing!
Reminder! New Cooking Demos at Flower & Garden Festival: New this year are free cooking demonstrations at 3 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through May 17 at Port of Entry at the entrance to World Showcase. If you’re there for the weekend, plan a short stop. The demos are just about 15 minutes, and it’s your chance to meet a Disney chef and watch how to prepare a delicious dish. Just some festival items to be featured at the demos will be the Piggylicious Bacon Cupcake, the ghost pepper-dusted tilapia, and white corn arepas. You can also pick up a copy of the Taste of Epcot festival cookbook with plenty of recipes to try at home.
New! Limited Edition MagicBands Available at Flower & Garden Festival: A new MagicBand with edition size of 5,000 and features Anna and Elsa in their “Frozen Fever” attire from the upcoming animated short debuting in theaters before Disney’s “Cinderella” on March 13. Like all other retail MagicBands, this item can be linked later. Look for it in select retail locations at Epcot (it will not be available via the Disney Parks online store).
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
New! Galactic Gathering at Star Wars Weekends 2015: Star Wars Weekends 2015 returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort on Friday, May 15. To kick off this event, Disney Theme Park Merchandise is holding a special ticketed event called “Galactic Gathering” on Thursday, May 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Similar to the “Rebel Rendezvous” event held last year, this year’s event will give guests the first opportunity to purchase new products created especially for Star Wars Weekends.
Packages for the Galactic Gathering will include the following:
‘Rebel’ or ‘Empire’ retail MagicBand (Guests can choose their side when registering online)*
Commemorative trading pin*
Darth’s Mall Light Speed Pass which gives expedited entry into Darth’s Mall for all five weekends.*
First opportunity to pre-purchase select merchandise including personalized Aurebesh nametags, D-Tech phone cases, Dooney & Bourke handbags, Galactic Gathering Disney Gift card, retail MagicBands, limited edition pins and Vinylmation.
First opportunity to purchase the new designs of Star Wars-themed Disney Gift Cards.
Han Solo-inspired popcorn bucket with popcorn.
Guests who attend this event will also have the opportunity to meet Disney characters, Disney Design Group Artists and Ashley Eckstein from Her Universe. Finally, attendees will be some of the first to purchase the new figures for Star Wars D-Tech Me including a Jedi Knight and a TIE-Fighter pilot. Tickets to this event are $250 per guest (theme park admission is not included but required to participate in this event). Registration will begin on March 4 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on http://www.DisneyParksMerchandise.com.
Reminder! New Cinderella Specialty Cupcakes Available: You can enjoy a Cinderella vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting for just $5.19. The Cinderella cupcake will be available at the following quick service locations: FairFax Fare, Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls, Backlot Express, ABC Commissary, Studio Catering Co., Rosie’s All American Café and The Trolley Car Café. These cupcakes are included in Disney Dining Plan. The Cinderella cupcake is available through March. 29.
Reminder! Park Hours Changed March 10, 2015: Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be extending operating hours for Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Park close has been changed from 8:00pm to 9:30pm. An additional Fantasmic! show time has been added at 10:00pm.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
New! Bringing the World of AVATAR to Life: Imagineers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom first broke ground for the construction of the World or AVATAR last year. Since then, they have been having a lot of fun dreaming up ways to bring to life the land’s iconic elements from the magnificent floating mountains to the interactive bioluminescent forest, and even to the soaring banshees. They describe the creative process as one of the most dynamic and collaborative they’ve ever undertaken. The creative development team, led by Joe Rohde, has been working hand-in-hand with Jim Cameron, Jon Landau and their team of artists and designers at Lightstorm on every aspect of this project—from overall design to the smallest—yet crucially important—details.
New! Spring Forward Event at Rafiki’s Planet Watch: During the Spring Forward event on March 5 at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Guests will have the opportunity to meet some cool amphibians while they learn to leap like a frog, discover different amphibian adaptations, listen to and identify various frog calls and learn about the amphibians native to Florida! Caricature artists and face painters will also be available to transform Guests into one of their amphibian friends. The critically endangered Puerto Rican crested toad which resides here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will make an appearance so Guests can learn about the conservation efforts in place to help repopulate the species in the wild.
Reminder! Tusker House Restaurant to Host Character Dinner: Beginning March 8, 2015, Donald, Daisy and their friends will host a fun-filled character dinner at Tusker House Restaurant. Donald’s Safari Dinner gives you the opportunity to meet some favorite characters, including Donald and Daisy Duck while enjoying a delicious selection of all-you-care-to-enjoy spit-roasted carved meats, unique salads, creative vegetarian offerings, hearty stews, and delicious desserts – all with an African touch. Bookings are available now. Donald’s Safari Dinner at Tusker House Restaurant will be offered beginning at 4 p.m. daily. In addition to the new character dinner, Tusker House Restaurant will continue to feature characters at breakfast and lunch.
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
New! Eater Brunch Available at 1900 Park Fare: Beginning March 29 through April 5, brunch will be offered at 1900 Park Fare from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It will be a brunch buffet, serving breakfast and dinner items. The main entrance to this temporary new offering will be at Grand Floridian Cafe, not 1900 Park Fare. This will not be a character or entertainment dining experience. The price for the brunch has not yet been announced.
New! Cinderella Cupcake at Contempo Café in Disney’s Contemporary Resort: The pastry team at Disney’s Contemporary Resort has created a brand-new specialty cupcake inspired by Disney’s live-action “Cinderella” movie, in theaters on March 13. Beautifully adorned with a sparkly white chocolate slipper and sugary pumpkin, this vanilla cupcake is filled with vanilla icing and buttercream and is topped with a sprinkle of “fairy dust.” Available through March 31.
Reminder! New Bus Route to Typhoon Lagoon from Certain Resorts: A new direct route test will be conducted from select resorts to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Feb. 23-March 28, direct bus service will be offered at the following routes: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge/Disney’s Contemporary Resort to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort/Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Buses will operate approximately every 20 minutes on this route, with service beginning 30 minutes prior to park open and ending 1 hour after park close.
Walt Disney World Resort – General
New! Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival Returns in 2015: Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant is painting the town green with their Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival March 13-17. This authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration features inventive cuisine by Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, live music by Scythian, $3 Band, Reel Ó Gránde, Drops of Green, The Brayzen Heads and The West Coast Trio along with performances by award-winning Irish dancers. The celebration will take place March 13 from 4 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. and March 14-17 from noon until 1:30 a.m. On St. Patrick’s Day, Guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. A cover charge of $10 will apply to Guests 18 and over. For more info about live music, Irish dance, face painting and other activities, go to www.raglanroad.com.
New! Walkway Between Cooke’s of Dublin and Raglan Road Open: As construction continues for the transformation of Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, the walkway behind Cooke’s of Dublin and Raglan Road is now open, allowing easier access in this area.
New! New Menu Items at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports: This season the ESPN chefs have their own triple play with three new tastes on the menu. If it’s not a baseball game without a hot dog, try the new Fiesta Dog, a foot-long, all-beef hot dog smothered in nacho cheese, chili, shredded cheddar, lettuce, tomato and garnished with nacho chips. If you have a hard time deciding, the Double Header kicks it up the hot dog idea with two takes: a mini-bratwurst and a mini-smoked sausage – sauerkraut on one, peppers and onions on the other, house-made kettle chips on the side. And the new Triple Play is a hefty 2 pounds – you might want to share this one, with shredded pork, ham and beef, topped with peppers and onions, shredded Cheddar and potato strings.
Merchandise Events
March 2 – 8: Artist Greg McCullough returns this month with special appearances and signings at Art of Disney in Downtown Disney Marketplace, March 2 – 8 and 18 – 22. Stop by and find a new piece of art to add to your collection!
March 4 – 8: Renowned international artist Larry Dotson is set to appear this month at Epcot. Find him, March 4 – 8 at Art of Disney and March 27 – 29 at Puffins Roost in the Norway Pavilion.
March 4 – May 17: Commemorative Epcot International Flower & Garden Merchandise will be in full bloom, beginning March 4! Visit the Festival Center, open Friday through Sunday, or the bridge kiosk at the entrance of World Showcase and find special treasures to help grow your collection. Some new Festival items include apparel items for adults and kids including Olaf shirts in blue and green, a Sorcerer Mickey topiary shirt, a yellow Minnie Mouse shirt for women, and a specially designed shirt for Annual Passholders. Back by popular demand, we are releasing a new 12-month calendar featuring character topiaries from previous year’s festivals. Guests will also find an iPhone 6 case with Anna and Elsa, magnets, headware, garden accessories, a new Disney Gift Card and much more.
March 6: Meet author and Major League Baseball Legend, Cal Ripken, Jr. Cal will be on hand for a special appearance and signing of his newest book Out at Home at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports during the 2nd inning of the Atlanta Braves Spring Training game. Please note, a game ticket is required to attend this signing.
March 6 – 7: Join us as we celebrate the opening of WonderGround Gallery at Marketplace Co-Op in Downtown Disney Marketplace. Take part in a special artist showcase and signing from 1 – 3:30 p.m. with Michael Lewis Glover and Jerrod Maruyama and 5 – 7:30 p.m. with Jasmine Becket-Griffith and Robert Jimenez.
March 8: Disney artist Jerrod Maruyama will be on hand for a signing of his Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival inspired piece Spring Has Sprung at the Festival Center from 11a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 – 2p.m.
Written by Lori Wall: Lori is a lifelong fan and visitor of Walt Disney World! Her love of Disney World has grown through visits with her own family as well as through planning magical vacations for others! Lori is an expert in maximizing vacations while sticking to a travel budget. Contact her about saving an extra 5% off your Disney vacation with an insider tip! Book your vacation with Lori at (845) 698- 0102 or request a price online.
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