Disney Reveals Special Food & Drink Offerings for July

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios

July is almost here, with it lots of unique and limited-time treats at Disney Parks that celebrate Independence Day! Some of these items are available the entire month of July, and some just for a few days, so take a look below to see what you can enjoy at Disney Parks in July!

From a Disney Cast Member;

Get ready to get patriotic! Fourth of July is just around the corner and here at Disney Parks, the culinary teams have been bursting with delicious ideas to fill your stomach. From Walt Disney World Resort to Disneyland Resort, there are plenty of tasty ways to celebrate Independence Day this year.

If you’re looking for sweet or savory selections to satisfy your taste buds, you’ll be happy to indulge in new items like the Fourth of July Shake from Sunshine Seasons and the Red, White & Blue Sundae from Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream. There’s also a variety of returning favorites to get a taste of, including the Lemon Mousse Cake at Roaring Fork. I think it’s time we light up your appetite with the full list of can’t-miss items coming to Disney Parks this Fourth of July. Let’s get to the Foodie Guide!

Walt Disney World Resort

EPCOT

Connections Cafe (Available July 4 only)

  • Fourth of July Liege Waffle: Brioche dough with pearl sugar

Fife & Drum (Currently available) 

  • The American Dream: Frozen Fanta Wild Cherry, vanilla ice cream, and Frozen Fanta Blue Raspberry slushy

Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (Currently available; mobile order available) 

  • Celebrate the regions of American backyard barbecue with classic dishes (Some plant-based items available on the menu) 

Sunshine Seasons (Available July 1 through 31) 

  • Fourth of July Shake: Red velvet shake with whipped cream and red velvet cake pieces

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Backlot Express (Available July 1 through 31)

  • Mickey Apple Pie Cupcake: Yellow cupcake filled with an apple pie filling, topped with a salted caramel buttercream, cinnamon streusel, and garnished with rainbow silver sparkle and red, white, and blue Mickey Ears

Woody’s Lunchbox (Available July 1 through 31) 

  • 4th of July Lunch Box Tart: Cherry pie filling, vanilla fondant, and star sprinkles

Disney Resort Hotels 

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, and Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort 

Intermission Food Court, World Premiere Food Court, and End Zone Food Court (Available through August 31; mobile order available) 

  • Sweet Summertime Favorites: Hot dog éclair with chocolate buttercream, iced sugar cookie ‘fries’, and raspberry dipping sauce

Disney’s BoardWalk 

BoardWalk Deli and Carousel Coffee (Available June 27 through July 4)

  • Independence Day Cupcake: Cinnamon cupcake, apple pie filling, and vanilla mascarpone cream
  • Freedom Cheesecake: Red velvet brownie base, vanilla cheesecake, sweet cream, crisp pearls, and white chocolate garnish

Disney’s Contemporary Resort 

Contempo Café (Available July 1 through 8; mobile order available) Fourth of July Fruit Tart: Blackberry custard topped with fresh berries and a vanilla panna cotta popsicle

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort 

Centertown Market and Spyglass Grill (Available July 1 through 31; mobile order available) 

  • Star-spangled Brownie Bar: Graham cracker crust and chocolate chip fudgy brownie topped with a brown butter caramel mousse, popping candy, and chocolate décor

Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa 

Good’s Food to Go and The Artist’s Palette (Available June 27 through July 4; mobile order available at The Artist’s Palette only) 

  • Fourth of July Layer Cake: Layers of red velvet cake with white and blue buttercream filled with a patriotic sprinkle surprise

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside 

Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory, Riverside Mill Food Court (Available July 1 through 31; mobile order available) 

  • Star-spangled Brownie Bar: Graham cracker crust and chocolate chip fudgy brownie topped with a brown butter caramel mousse, popping candy, and chocolate décor

Disney’s Riviera Resort 

Bar Riva (Available June 30 through July 14) 

  • Patriotic Wave: The Mediterranean Wave with the addition of blue curaçao and hibiscus to celebrate both Independence Day and Bastille Day

Le Petit Café (Available June 27 through July 4) 

  • Patriotic Top Hat: Vanilla bean cheesecake with morello cherries on a Riviera brownie (New) 

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge 

Roaring Fork (Available June 27 through July 4; mobile order available) 

  • Lemon Mousse Cake: Lemon cake and white chocolate lemon mousse with a blueberry compote center and chocolate star décor

Available at Various Disney Resort Hotels (Available June 30 through July 9) 

  • Red, White, and Blue Colada: Bacardi Raspberry Rum blended with flavors of coconut, pineapple, and raspberry purée topped with a float of Bols Blue Curaçao
  • Red, White, and Blue Gin and Tonic: Empress 1908 Gin, tonic water, and cranberry and pomegranate juices (New) 

Disneyland Resort 

Disneyland Park 

Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe (Available July 1 through 4; mobile order available) 

  • Fourth of July Donut: Cotton candy icing donut filled with strawberry compote, red, white, and blue whipped topping and sprinkles (New) 

Plaza Inn (Available July 4 only) 

  • Fourth of July Dining Package: Slow roasted BBQ pork, fried chicken thigh, smoked sausage, watermelon wedge, small corn on the cob, broccoli salad, sharp cheddar mac & cheese, bread roll, specialty dessert, and specialty beverage (New) (Reservations strongly encouraged) (Kids version available) 

Disney California Adventure Park 

Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream (Available June 30 through July 5; mobile order available) 

  • Red, White & Blue Sundae: Strawberry and blueberry sorbets topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream, and sprinkles in a waffle bowl (New) 

Disneyland Hotel 

The Coffee House (Available June 30 through July 9; mobile order available) Red, White, and Blue Cupcake (New)

Downtown Disney District 

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes (Available June 30 through July 4) 

  • Red, White, and Blue CakeShake: Vanilla shake featuring a vanilla frosted rim with red, white, and blue sprinkles topped with red, white, and blue cake, whipped cream, more sprinkles, and a cherry

Blue Ribbon Corn Dog (Available July 4 only) 

  • Fourth of July Mozzarella Dog: Red, white, and blue mozzarella cheese, dipped in batter, rolled in panko crumbs, fried, rolled in sugar, and served with a side of sriracha dipping sauce (New) 

Available at Various Locations at Disneyland Resort including Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen, Pooh Corner, Trolley Treats, Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff, and Marceline’s Confectionery (Available June 30 through July 4) 

  • Fourth of July Apple: Granny Smith apple dipped in caramel with marshmallow ears, enrobed in blue-colored white chocolate and red-colored white chocolate, striped with white chocolate, and sprinkled with sugar stars
  • Fourth of July Marshmallow Wand: Marshmallows dipped in caramel, enrobed in blue, white chocolate and red, white chocolate, striped with white chocolate, and sprinkled with sugar stars
  • Fourth of July Cereal Treat: Mickey-shaped cereal treat enrobed in blue, white chocolate and red, white chocolate, striped with white chocolate, and sprinkled with sugar stars
  • Fourth of July Cake Pop

No matter the time of year, there are endless possibilities for foodie fun at Disney Parks.

I hope you have a lovely (and tasty) Fourth of July!

(Note: All offerings are subject to change and availability.)

Walt Disney World Has the Emptiest Fourth of July Weekend in YEARS

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

When it comes to planning a trip to Walt Disney World Resort, one of the most critical factors that Guests consider is the crowd levels. Disney World is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and as a result, it can get very crowded at times.

Fans hoping to experience the Parks in a less busy state often will be strategic in picking the best time and dates for their trip. Often, fans use a crowd calendar to monitor when would be a good time to vacation. Weekends, special events, school vacations, and holidays are usually times when Guests can expect heavy crowds in the Parks. However, that might now be the case this holiday weekend.

Usually, the Fourth of July is one of the busiest times to visit the Parks all year long. This weekend is very popular amongst families who are trying to spend some quality time on the long weekend. Walt Disney World Resort will be offering an incredible selection of entertainment, food, and fireworks, making it the perfect place to celebrate America’s birthday.

While the Disney Parks are definitely busy this holiday weekend, the numbers are shockingly lower than in previous years. Thrill-data.com is a website that compares crowd levels and wait times in Disney Parks. The data from their website shows that wait times for the 2023 weekend at Magic Kingdom Park are 30% less than in 2022 and 2019.

Magic Kingdom wait times today were down over 30% this year compared to last year and 2019
by u/eth6113 in WaltDisneyWorld

This trend is also being seen in the other Parks at Walt Disney World Resort. This brings up the question: is the influx of post-pandemic vacations finally over? It seems that things may be back to normal or even less busy than before as far as crowd level goes. It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out as Halloween and the Holiday season at the theme Park approaches closer.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Issues Warning for Disney World Guests

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management has issued serious warnings that affect visitors at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida. 

Unless you’ve been vacationing somewhere in the Arctic Circle, you’ve likely heard about the heat wave gripping the southern United States. Temperatures have been soaring across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and the sweltering heat is expanding as far as the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Florida over the past few days. But this is no ordinary heat wave (if there even is such a thing). The excessive heat that’s holding residents and visitors in the southern U. S. states hostage in recent days is due to a massive “heat dome” that seems to have firmly planted itself in the skies above.

A “heat dome” is a weather phenomenon that occurs “when the atmosphere traps hot ocean air like a lid or cap,” according to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As part of this phenomenon, “high-pressure circulation in the atmosphere acts like a dome or cap, trapping heat at the surface and favoring the formation of a heat wave.”

Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon explains that a heat dome occurs when “stationary high pressure with warm air combines with warmer than usual air in the Gulf of Mexico and heat from the sun that is nearly directly overhead.” In layman’s terms, it’s hot. It’s scorching. It’s unbelievably, unnecessarily hot, and according to weather experts, temperatures may continue to soar.

This week, the city of Dallas, Texas, won the #1 spot on the list of hottest cities in the country, an accolade with which even Texans aren’t completely familiar. So what does this have to do with Florida and those who are visiting the Walt Disney World Resort?

The Texas heat wave has been expanding, and Florida is currently feeling the heat from the heat dome effect that initially began in the Lone Star State, and the reasons behind the expanding heat are probably two-fold: first, many Texans are friendly, and we don’t mind sharing with everyone so it makes sense to share the heat with our friends in Florida, and second, the very nature of heat domes and heat waves causes them to expand, meaning that the area under the heat dome often grows in size, encompassing nearby states–and some states hundreds of miles away.

According to The New York Times, more than 62 million Americans live in areas of the country that are expected to experience dangerously high heat levels this week. That’s nearly 20% of the population of the contiguous United States. The map below shows areas with dangerously high heat indices. Areas in dark orange are expected to see a heat index of between 103 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

When it’s hot outside, the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke increase, and symptoms of both can pop up quickly and with little warning. Overexposure to extremely high temperatures can have devastating consequences for people of every age.

As such, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management has issued warnings to residents and visitors in Florida.

“As Florida experiences heat waves and high temperatures, residents and visitors are encouraged to stay hydrated and cool to avoid heat-related illnesses,” the Division of Emergency Management tweeted on Wednesday.

☀️ As Florida experiences heat waves & high temperatures, residents & visitors are encouraged to stay hydrated & cool to avoid heat-related illnesses.

⬇️ Know the differences between heat exhaustion & heat stroke & learn more about heat safety: https://t.co/iMt7ktUAmU pic.twitter.com/cJJirIC9Uw

— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) June 27, 2023

The National Weather Service located in Melbourne, Florida, echoed that sentiment, warning people that staying hydrated and taking breaks to cool off are imperative.

Both entities shared information about heat exhaustion and heat stroke with the graphic below, which gives information about the symptoms for both.

heat exhaustion and heat index graphic

If you’ll be outside in the heat for any length of time, it’s important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol. It’s also important to use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 and to take frequent breaks in the shade or in the air conditioning. This is especially important for Guests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort, as symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke can be more difficult to identify when Guests are focused on rides, attractions, and experiences.