Big Changes Are Coming to Walt Disney World: Here’s What You Need to Know

by Karly WoodMay 31, 2020

When the phased reopening of Walt Disney World starts on Jul. 11, the parks will look a lot different than a few months ago. In an effort to keep park guests safe, follow health and safety guidelines and restart the magic, Disney has made some big changes to ticket sales, hotel reservations, dining and fast passes––and we’ve got all the details. Keep scrolling so you’re in-the-know before heading to Florida.

New Ticket Sales and Hotel Reservations

Disney parks have halted all new ticket sales for now. If you've already purchased a ticket or are an Annual Passholder, you will be able to make a reservation before Disney releases new tickets. This will be done through the new theme park reservation system on DisneyWorld.com.

In addition, all Disney Resort hotel reservations have also been temporarily paused. Disney is currently in the process of contacting theme park and hotel guests to discuss options, which can include refunds.

Both park and hotels will be limited in attendance.

Dining and Experiences

Due to the parks limiting capacity, all existing dining reservations, Disney dining plans and bookings for other experiences have been canceled. As the phased reopening approaches, the parks will reopen both the dining and experiences with smaller numbers, and will shift to a 60-day booking window (down from the former 180-day window).

To further reinforce physical distancing, most restaurants and behind the scenes tours will be largely reduced in capacity.

FastPass+ and Extra Magic Hours

Star Wars, Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland, Millennium Falcon — Laura Green

Due to the necessity of physical distancing, all extra queue spacing will be utilized, and the FastPass+ service will be suspended. Guests with existing selections will have their FastPass+ canceled. Additionally, Disney is stopping all Extra Magic Hours for now.

With a little more than one month until the phased reopening begins, there is plenty of time for changes to the parks current updates. Stay tuned, and don’t lose the magic!

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Disney Parks

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by Jennifer SwartvagherMay 1, 2020

Pancake cereal is a new viral trend on TikTok and Instagram. This new breakfast treat is made by cooking up a batch of tiny pancakes that you then serve in a bowl topped with butter and syrup. IHOP is jumping on the bandwagon, teasing a prepackaged version to be sold in stores.

On Twitter, the pancake brand mocked up a cereal box with the IHOP logo and the word “Panflakes” written across the front. They captioned their post, “Here’s a little taste of something we’re working on. Stay tuned for more.”

We will definitely keep our eyes open for more news from IHOP.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Photo by Edson Saldaña on Unsplash

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Billabong Just Dropped a Must-Have Dr. Seuss Collab

by Karly WoodApril 22, 2020

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and in honor of the momentous occasion, Billabong has just released a brand new collection! The Billabong x Dr. Seuss Earth Day 2020 Collection celebrates the great outdoors and inspires environmental activism, all through the artwork of Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Dr. Seuss.

The first mini-collection comes in kids and adult sizes and is inspired by the Lorax and a “I speak for the trees, I speak for the seas” theme. It includes hoodies, t-shirts, long sleeve tees, and pants all made from from organic cotton.

Also within the line are boardshorts that are made from recycled polyester and accessories like the organic cotton snapback hat and pool slides with vegan leather sole composites.

The second mini-collection is Truffula-themed and emphasizes the importance of tree conservation. The black and white line is made up of black tees and long sleeves shirts, a short-sleeve button-up with allover print, a tote bag from organic cotton canvas, pool slides, bucket hat and recycled polyester boardshorts.

The collaboration with Dr. Seuss Enterprises is in partnership with Billabong LAB, a program that aims to support designers, photographers, artists and musicians. The collection is made with sustainable and recycled materials and currently has over 30 pieces.

Stay tuned as three more collections will begin rolling out from now through the summer. In the meantime, you can shop the entire collection at Billabong.com.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of Billabong Lab

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Enjoy a Disney Bedtime Story Read by John Stamos

by Jennifer SwartvagherApril 6, 2020

Have mercy! Cozy up with a good book and John Stamos too. Disney has started a new series on their YouTube channel featuring familiar faces reading their favorite Disney stories.

“Storytime With …” features readings from John Stamos, Ming-Na Wen, Jeff Goldblum, Yvette Nicole Brown and more.

John Stamos sits inside a Dumbo car from the classic ride as he reads A Kiss Goodnight by Disney legends, Floyd Norman and Richard Sherman. This story is about a young Walt Disney and his love for fireworks. Later on, these displays would serve as a magical send off for guests at the Disney parks.

Stay tuned for more episodes in this series.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Disney via YouTube

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Joanna Gaines’ Kids Filmed a Cooking Show & It’s Airing This Weekend

by Karly WoodApril 3, 2020

Its been awhile since we’ve seen the Gaines family on TV, but the drought has come to an end! In an Instagram post this week, JoJo announced a TV special that will air this weekend.

“Well, this is going to be fun! The ‘cooking show’ videos that the kids filmed will be airing in a one-hour special on @foodnetwork this Sunday at 12p/11a CT!” The mom, designer and chef also shared that she’d be giving a sneak peak of her actual cooking show to debut in a few months on the Magnolia Network.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joanna Gaines (@joannagaines)

Gaines shared the menu for her kiddos directorial debut: appetizers, Dutch oven lasagna, homemade garlic knots, layered salad a French silk pie. Are you hungry yet?

Be sure to stay tuned for JoJo’s show and more Gaines’ Family content when Magnolia Network launches in October.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Joanna Gaines via Instagram

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Disneyland to Close for Precautionary Measures Starting Sat. Mar. 14

by Karly WoodMarch 15, 2020

The Happiest Place on Earth is closing. The Disneyland Resort in California announced on Thursday that it would be closing both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park beginning Mar 14 through the end of the month in response to the COVID-19 virus.

The announcement comes after a slew of similar closures and suspensions of events like NBA basketball, MLB Spring Training, NCAA Basketball and the NHL. This is only the fourth time in the history of the park that Disneyland is closing.

In a statement made on the Disneyland website, the theme park says “While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Disneyland Resort, after carefully reviewing the guidelines of the Governor of California’s executive order and in the best interest of our guests and employees, we are proceeding with the closure of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, beginning the morning of March 14 through the end of the month.”

The three Disneyland hotels will remain open until Mon. Mar 16 and Downtown Disney is slated to remain open until further notice.

Stay tuned for more updates.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of Disney Parks

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OREO Just Released a New Trolls Cookie Collaboration

by Jennifer SwartvagherFebruary 29, 2020

Just last week, OREO teased a new collaboration with Dreamworks’ Trolls World Tour, which is hitting theaters on April 17. The post stated that the cookies would be available starting March 2020. It looks like the wait may be over since one Instagram user has already spotted them in their local grocery store.

View this post on Instagram

Something fun hits shelves this March! 🤫

A post shared by OREO (@oreo) on Feb 18, 2020 at 7:01am PST

Instagram account @markie_devo posted a picture of the new Trolls OREO cookies. According to the packaging, these golden sandwich cookies have pink glittery creme middles. There is no indication if the creme is flavored. We will have to wait to until we get our hands on a package of these magical cookies to find out.

View this post on Instagram

As promised @oreo X @trolls did a collab for TWO Oreos which are officially due out in March. A fellow Chubster has found a pack of these EARLY(no location yet). This limited edition Trolls Oreo appears to have a vanilla wafer with pink colored creme/glitter(magical). I wonder if the creme taste like rainbows and Unicorn tears. I will post more info on the other Trolls collab that follows this one as soon as available. Stay tuned!! 🌈🍪 #oreo #oreos #exclusive #foodgasm #trollsoreo #trolloreo #f52grams #picoftheday #explorerpage #explorer #snacks #magicalasfk

A post shared by Markie_devo (@markie_devo) on Feb 27, 2020 at 9:28am PST

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: OREO via Instagram

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OREO Cookie Crumbles Are the Topping You’ve Been Missing

by Karly WoodFebruary 27, 2020

Milk’s favorite cookie now comes in a new form: OREO Cookie Crumbles. The sweet treat has been spotted by instagrammers like, @markie_devo and while we haven’t tried it ourselves, we’re betting it tastes just as good as the original.

The 16-oz. bag boasts the crumbles are made with real cocoa and shows them being used on top of truffles and cookies, and even by the spoonful.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Markie_devo (@markie_devo)

We’d wager they would also make the perfect topper for ice cream, sprinkled on top of hot chocolate and whipped cream and probably on brownies, too.

So far, the crumbles have only been spied at Reasor’s but stay tuned for a bigger roll out soon!

––Karly Wood

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Netflix’s Newest Shaun the Sheep Film Is Out of This World Fun

by Karly WoodFebruary 11, 2020

This Valentine’s Day you could settle in for a romantic film with your partner, or you could round up the entire fam for a Netflix sesh because A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon hits homes on Feb. 14!

Mossy Bottom Farm has a new visitor when an alien named LU-LA crash lands from outer space. Shaun the Sheep and his buds soon learn all about this adorable, yet magical visitor in the whimsical trailer below.

In an attempt to get LU-LA back to her spaceship, Shaun and his flock embark on an out of this world journey, only to discover that an alien-hunting agency is in their wake. Can the gang prevent Farmageddon?

To get the entire family excited for the newest installment of Shaun, Netflix is sharing a few fun ways to get into the Farmageddon spirit. If your kiddos love drawing, you’ll want to check out tutorials on how to draw LU-LA and Shaun. Stay tuned for three activity sheets to download to get your kiddos even more excited about the film!

A Shaun of the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is only available on Netflix and drops this Friday, Feb. 14.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of Netflix

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OREO Popcorn Is Coming & Here’s the Only Place to Get It

by Shahrzad WarkentinJanuary 16, 2020

If your pregnancy cravings are kicking into gear or you simply love the combo of sweet and salty, then you’ll definitely want get a taste of the new Cookie Pop OREO Popcorn.

The latest in the line of candy and popcorn mash-ups, Cookie Pop OREO Popcorn swaps out the candy of the previous flavors, Candy Pop Butterfinger Popcorn and Candy Pop Twix Popcorn, in favor of cookies.

The latest popcorn concoction is made with real OREO cookies. It’s drizzled with the cream filling from the middle of the OREO and covered in crushed cookies.

The new popcorn is $5.98 for a 20 ounce bag and it’s launching exclusively at Sam’s Club on Jan. 21, just in time for National Popcorn Day. Stay tuned for more Cookie Pop flavors coming later in 2020.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

All photos: Courtesy of Snack Pop

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