Foodie Guide to Father’s Day Treats at Walt Disney World

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

June 19 is Father’s Day this year and no matter how you plan to celebrate, there are plenty of delicious goodies all across the Walt Disney World Resort for guests to enjoy. The chefs and pastry extraordinaries at Walt Disney World have brought their creativity by whipping up some savory and sweet delights to enjoy together with dads, uncles, grandfathers, caregivers, father figures, or another special person!

Some of the best ways to share love with those who mean a lot is through the stomach, and what better place to get those tasty treats than Walt Disney World? From the All-American Dad Platter at Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue to the Dad’s Favorite Snacks Tart at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, there’s something for everyone to indulge in on this special day.

Get ready to grab your people, and your appetite, because here is the Foodie Guide to Father’s Day filled with all the yummy eats and treats you can feast upon. Bon appétit!

EPCOT

Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (Available June 19, Mobile Order available)

  • All-American Dad Platter: Memphis dry-rub ribs, sliced Texas beef brisket, North Carolina chopped smoked pork butt, garlic toast, and choice of side (New)

Le Cellier Steakhouse (Available June 17 through 20)

  • Slow-roasted Beef Prime Rib with au jus, creamy horseradish, and truffled fingerling potatoes

Sunshine Seasons (Available June 19)

  • Apple-Peanut Butter Tart with cinnamon crumble and chocolate mustache (New)
  • Toasted Coconut Cake with mango chutney filling and buttercream grass (New)

Disney Springs

Amorette’s Patisserie (Available June 17 through 20)

  • “I Am Your Father” Petit Cake: Red velvet cake, cream cheese filling, dark chocolate mousse, and white and dark crisp pearls

Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar (Available through June 30)

  • Bacon of Doom: Chocolate-covered bacon paired with The Colonel, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, or White Crème de Cacao

Walt Disney World Resorts

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

World Premiere Food Court, Intermission Food Court, End Zone Food Court

  • Roasted Prime Rib: Oven-roasted prime rib, mashed potato, roasted asparagus, baby carrot, and red wine demi sauce served with Caesar salad (New) (Available June 17 through 19)
  • Fatherly Moments: Fudge brownie and caramel with a pretzel and buttercream “frame” surrounding iconic fatherly moments from “The Incredibles” and “The Princess and the Frog” (New) (Available through June 19)

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Landscape of Flavors  

  • Braised Short Ribs: Braised short ribs with a spiced rum mushroom demi, charred baby carrots, asparagus, and potato pavé (New) (Available June 17 through 19)
  • S’mores Gourmet Stuffed Cookie: Chocolate chunk cookie loaded with toasted marshmallow crème topped with a crunchy cinnamon graham streusel and drizzled with dark and white chocolate (Available through June 19)

Disney’s Beach Club Resort

Cape May Café (Available June 19 for breakfast only)

  • Dad’s Beachside Bloody Mary: Loaded Bloody Mary with Absolut Peppar topped with shrimp, candied bacon, celery, green olives, and a lime wedge rimmed with Cajun seasoning

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Centertown Market (Mobile Order Available)

  • Ropa Vieja with Maduros and Cuban Style Rice: Cuban-style beef stew and rice with plantains (New) (Available June 17 through 19)
  • Father’s Day S’mores: Graham cracker cake topped with a milk chocolate mousse infused with bacon, chocolate mirror glaze, and toasted meringue garnished with candied bacon (New) (Available through June 19)

Spyglass Grill (Available through June 19; Mobile Order Available)

  • Father’s Day S’mores: Graham cracker cake topped with a milk chocolate mousse infused with bacon, chocolate mirror glaze, and toasted meringue garnished with candied bacon (New)

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Contempo Café (Available June 17 through 19; Mobile Order available)

  • Father’s Day Bacon Brownie: Fudge brownie, chocolate ganache, caramel, bacon, and chocolate crisp pearls (New)

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

Toledo (Available June 19)

  • Father’s Day Brûlée: Bourbon ganache, vanilla crème brûlée, fresh berries, and chocolate mustache (New)

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

Good’s Food to Go and The Artist’s Palette (Available through June 19)

  • Hole in One: Fudgy brownie filled with caramel and pecans, topped with cheesecake glazed in a white chocolate glaçage with white chocolate golf garnish (New)

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (Available June 17 through 19)

Kona Island and Capt. Cook’s (Mobile Order available at Capt. Cook’s only)

  • Dad’s Favorite Snacks Tart: Chocolate tart, coconut macadamia topping, dad’s favorite snacks (potato chips, snickers, popcorn, and M&M’S), rum chocolate caramel sauce, and chocolate-dipped bacon piece on top (Gluten/Wheat Friendly) (New)

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Everything POP Shopping & Dining

  • Roasted Prime Rib: Oven-roasted prime rib, mashed potato, roasted asparagus, baby carrot, and red wine demi sauce served with Caesar salad (New) (Available June 17 through 19)
  • S’mores Gourmet Stuffed Cookie: Chocolate chunk cookie loaded with toasted marshmallow crème topped with a crunchy cinnamon graham streusel and drizzled with dark and white chocolate (Available through June 19)

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter and Riverside

Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory and Riverside Mill Food Court (Mobile Order available)

  • Sweet & Spicy BBQ Ribs: Pork ribs with sweet & spicy BBQ sauce, cowboy beans, corn on the cob, and coleslaw (New) (Available June 19)
  • Father’s Day Cheesecake Brownie: Brownie topped with peanut butter cheesecake garnished with whipped ganache and M&M’S Minis (New) (Available through June 19)

Disney’s Riviera Resort

Le Petit Café (Available June 17 through 19)

  • Milk Chocolate Ganache Tart and Bourbon Pairing: Milk chocolate ganache tart paired with the “Father of Bourbon” Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Bourbon on the rocks

(Note: All offerings are subject to change.)

Minnie Vans Return on June 29!

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

Guests will once again be able to travel around Walt Disney World in style with Minnie Vans Connected by Lyft beginning June 29, available on demand right from their smartphone. With special drop-off locations that can only be accessed by Minnie Vans, Guests using this service can reach select Walt Disney World destinations quickly and with a bit of extra pixie dust that only our Disney Cast Members can provide.

Our specially trained Disney Cast Member drivers, many of whom are returning experts from the service’s previous run, are revving up to welcome Guests back onboard this private transportation with a personalized approach that makes traveling around Walt Disney World even more magical. Whether sharing tips for planning their day, installing car seats for little ones (two available per vehicle) or playing fan-favorite music throughout their journey, our Cast Members are ready to provide an exceptional experience tailored to your client’s family of up to six passengers.

Cast Members Enraged At Changes to Attendance Requirements

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

When it comes to creating that magical Disney experience, there are few keys more important than Cast Members. Cast Members do everything from keeping the Parks clean and safe to helping Guests who may not be very experienced in Disney vacations, running your favorite attractions and rides, and more. Without the thousands of hard-working Cast Members, Walt Disney World would not be the top vacation destination it is.

While becoming a Disney Cast Member may be a dream job for many, it is still a job. There are still clock-ins and clock-outs, breaks, vacation time, and all of the other things that come with a regular job. Each Company has its own attendance policy that employees have to follow, and The Walt Disney Company is no different. However, according to a local union, Disney is trying to drastically alter its attendance policy for Walt Disney World Cast Members, and the Cast Members are anything but pleased.

The Workers United Local 50 posted the following message on its Facebook page:

ATTENDANCE POLICY UPDATE

We’ve met with Disney and reviewed the proposed attendance policy. While we wait for clarification to questions that were raised we wanted to provide members with the main takeaways. Understand, this is just the beginning of the conversation with Disney and we will negotiate with Disney over the impact and request changes be made. Meaning, this may not be the final policy.

-No more points system. Instead attendance infractions will be tracked as total amount of unexcused time of missed work.

Tardies tracked separately by number of occurrences

– Different amounts of unexcused time/tardies for Full Time, Casual Regular, and Casual Temporary will trigger discipline.

16 hours to trigger for FT, 12 hours for CR, 6 hours for CT

3 tardies to trigger for FT, 2 tardies for CR, 2 tardies for CT.

– Supplementing sick time to not receive an infraction will require equal amount of time be supplemented. For example a 6 hour shift requires 6 hours be supplement.

– FMLA and other applicable leave time will continue to excuse absences.

– No more continued absences only counting as one infraction.

We will post updates as they become available. Message us with any questions or call the office (714 502 0220).

In Solidarity,

Chris Duarte

Local 50 Vice President

Now, only those who work at Walt Disney World and the union are incredibly familiar with the attendance policy and how it works for the type of company Disney is. And, according to numerous Cast Members, the new proposed attendance policy is just insulting.

Twitter user Jess (@jesscantlead) said that Disney was messing up with the new attendance policy, especially because being a Cast Member is both physically and mentally exhausting.

Facebook user Amber T. posted that the hour-for-hour proposed system doesn’t make sense. If an employee calls out, and they were scheduled to work a double shift, that could really hurt their sick time.

So if I need to call out on a double then I’ve just used almost all of my 12 hours for the whole year…this is insane.

Caroline M. pointed out on Facebook that Disney encourages Cast Members to call out and not come into work if they are feeling sick, which is especially important during the pandemic. Every day, sick Guests visit the Parks knowing that they are sick and knowing that they could get others sick. With this new strict attendance policy, those signs may be ignored.

I hope when you guys sit down with Disney you will bring up the signs posted in all areas indicating that if we are sick we should not come to work and indicate to them that if they truly believe in this statement they need to reconsider everything they have put on the plate especially not being able to extend a call out. Disney might not believe it but we still are in the middle of a PANDEMIC with Covid cases on the rise, as I’m sure HR is currently witnessing. This is not a proper solution to the call out issue, and will only require them to hire more people when Covid once again comes around in winter because everyone will be fired. Truthfully if Disney cannot negotiate in good faith as they generally cannot do, Local 50 you should contact media. I’m sure Disney would love to have more bad publicity on their hands.

Some commented that the new attendance policy is similar to attendance policies in regular businesses. However, many people who claimed to be Cast Members said that regular attendance policies may work for “normal” jobs, but being a Cast Member is anything but a normal job. One of those people was Jess, the original poster, who pointed out that yes, the proposed attendance policy is normal, but doesn’t work for the demands of a Disney job.

but also since leaving Disney I haven’t needed to call out a bunch because I’m not worked to exhaustion, not burnt out, not getting sick from guests, I have PTO, I have 80 hours worth of PSL, I have a set schedule, time off requests are honored, etc.

At this time, the Local Union is still working with Disney to negotiate a new attendance policy. So, the current points system that Cast Members seem to really like is still in place. Hopefully, Disney and the Union are able to come to an agreement that everyone can be happy with.

Guest loses Apple Watch on ride at EPCOT

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

A Guest at the Walt Disney World Resort lost her Apple Watch while visiting EPCOT. The wearable technology snafu has already cost her more than $40,000.

EPCOT is often referred to as the “park to skip” if you only have three days to spend at the Walt Disney World Resort. But the Disney theme park is home to the engineering marvel Spaceship Earth, a brand-new take on the previous “Future World,” and soon, the brand-new Guardians of the Galaxy: COSMIC REWIND coaster. Thanks to all of these offerings and more, EPCOT could easily become the one Disney theme park NOT to miss.

But a Guest and her husband who visited EPCOT last month are probably wishing they’d never stepped foot inside the theme park.

According to a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as reported by SebastianDaily, the Guest was visiting EPCOT on April 13. She and her husband were enjoying the Seas with Nemo & Friends attraction when her Apple Watch fell off her wrist and fell through the grated floor under the ride.

According to reports, the Apple Watch was a Hermes watch, similar to the one seen here, valued at more than $1,300 on Apple’s website.

Just below the grated floor, the Apple Watch lay on a pathway where the Guest could see it. Immediately, her husband jumped from the moving ride vehicle to attempt to retrieve it. As this was a direct violation of safety rules aboard a ride at Disney World, Cast Members promptly halted the ride’s operation and told the couple they were not to disembark the ride vehicle while it was in motion.

The Guest asked the Cast Members how she could retrieve her Apple Watch, and the couple was told that they would retrieve the device and return it to the couple’s room at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

But when the Guest and her husband returned to their Resort Hotel, they asked a Cast Member at Disney Guest Relations whether the Apple Watch had been returned, but they were told that no watch had been delivered to the Resort.

As frustrating as that was for the Guest and her husband, it was probably the best part of the whole ordeal, as more bad news was delivered to her next. The Guest had linked her American Express card to her Apple Wallet, and almost immediately, she began to receive fraud alerts from the credit card.

American Express Charge Cards | Amex - HSBC Expat

Her card had an unlimited spending limit on it, and it looked like someone else was having a great time in the parks on her card. Fraud alerts continued to warn her that fraudulent charges were being made on her American Express card. In all, the charges totaled tens of thousands of dollars.

According to the report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Guest told Disney Guest Relations that she had received “several fraud alerts throughout the day on her Amex card. According to the victim, there were approximately $40,000 in fraudulent charges on her card.”

Woman sues Orange County Sheriff's Office claiming excessive use of force

The Guest says she froze her credit card and proceeded to file a report of grand theft with the Sheriff’s office, as she intended to prosecute whoever had made the charges.

At this time, because the investigation is ongoing, no details are known publicly about the fraudulent charges incurred on the credit card.

Cast Members Get Sneak Peek of New MagicBand+

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

This summer, Walt Disney World will debut its highly anticipated new MagicBand, called MagicBand+. These new MagicBands will be able to do things above and beyond the traditional MagicBand. Regular MagicBands — which have been at Walt Disney World for years — are able to hold Guests’ theme park tickets, Park reservations, Lightning Lane Reservations, open your hotel room door, and more. MagicBand+ will be able to do all that and more, a lot of which will be in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary.

As part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, Walt Disney World Imagineers created 50 beautiful gold statues of classic and newer Disney characters. These statues are called the Fab 50. The new MagicBand+ will be able to interact with these statues, creating a truly one-of-a-kind experience for Guests. Some Walt Disney World Resort Cast Members were given the chance to use MagicBand+ and had a great time.

MagicBand+

WDW Ambassador shared footage of the fun interactions on Instagram.

We recently “banded” together with some Cast Members at Magic Kingdom for a special sneak peek of the new MagicBand+ Disney Fab 50 Quest! We had a blast bringing some of our favorite Disney characters to life and can’t wait to interact with the rest of the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection when MagicBand+ launches this summer. Which sculpt are you most excited to interact with? #DisneyCastLife #DisneyWorld50

In addition to using the MagicBand+ to interact with the Fab 50 statues, Guests will also see their Bands light up as they watch Disney Enchantment at magic Kingdom and Harmonious at EPCOT. Much like the Mickey ear hats that debuted at Disney years ago, MagicBand+ will light up in time to the music and change colors as the show progresses. 

Disney Enchantment

Guests who purchase MagicBand+ will also be able to become Bounty Hunters as they spend time in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The MagicBand+ will light up and vibrate as you get close to the hidden virtual bounties you are searching for. Then, in conjunction with the Play Disney Parks app, a thermal imager on your phone will reveal the hidden bounty. If Guests complete their missions, local guide masters will reward them with galactic credits. 

Now, the Fab 50 statues, as well as Disney Enchantment and Harmonious, were created specifically for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary. The 50th is scheduled to run through March 2023, and it is unknown if the statues and shows will remain after that. Disney has not revealed what things the MagicBand+ will be able to interact with once the 50th is over.