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Five Dishes to Make Your EPCOT Food & Wine Experience A Success

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Had some friends in town and my wife and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary this week, so we planned a return trip to EPCOT yesterday with the goal to graze around the world sampling some of our old favorites and a few of the new dishes that debuted at this year’s festival. I think it’s safe to say the evening was a success.

All in all I think Disney has done a great job with the festival this year. Many of the old favorites have returned and there are a healthy dose of new dishes to sample this year. They’ve improved the seating around the popular Belgium and Germany booths. The Eat to the Beat concert lineup is also very strong this year.

I’m still not a fan of having so much of the festival take place away from the world showcase in the old Wonder’s of Life pavilion (but I do appreciate the air conditioning there). I also think they’re under utilizing the World Showplace (the big blue tent originally built for the Millennial Celebrations) as it could hold a day long party for all attendees just as well as the few big evening events. I’d love to see food from 60+ countries one day instead of the 25ish we have now. Finally, generally speaking (but not 100% in all cases) the food is much saltier this year than before. After two days of sampling and coming home feeling red in the face with fingers swollen, I’m not happy about all the salt.

Planning your own trip to EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival in 2013? While I haven’t sampled all the various dishes (I’m not made of gold), I think I have found a few of the newer selections that really are worth a trip. They are, in no particular order:Read More »Five Dishes to Make Your EPCOT Food & Wine Experience A Success

Chase Invites Disney Card Holders to Experience Unique EPCOT Lounge

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Okay Disney fans. You’ve seen all those Disney Visa kiosks springing up like mushrooms around the parks? Yeah, it’s definitely a blight on the parks. But if I told you Chase was going to give its cardmembers access to a previously exclusive area of the parks, would you make that trade?

That’s the choice you get during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. As the presenting sponsor for the marquis culinary event, Chase will offer debit and credit cardholders, including Disney Visa® Cardmembers, exclusive access to the Chase Lounge at the Festival.* The lounge, which will be located on the third floor of the American Adventure Pavilion within the Epcot World Showcase, offers an inviting space to relax, enjoy complimentary beverages, electronic charging stations, and other amenities exclusively for Chase customers. The lounge will be open daily during the Festival from 11 a.m. to park close.

“We greatly value our 10-year relationship with Disney, which is why we’re thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival again this year,” said Robert Belan, general manager, Chase. “The festival is one of the most renowned events at Walt Disney World and attracts Chase customers from across the country and visitors from around the globe. The lounge for cardholders is ideally located within the heart of the festival and gives us the ability to create a truly unique and special experience for all Chase cardholders attending the event.”Read More »Chase Invites Disney Card Holders to Experience Unique EPCOT Lounge

Origins of Walt Disney is Frozen Urban Legend

One of the enduring urban legends surrounding Walt Disney was that after he died from lung cancer in 1966 his body (just his head in some versions) was cryogenically preserved so that future generations could enjoy his genius once the technology to reanimate the dead… Read More »Origins of Walt Disney is Frozen Urban Legend

Starbucks Makes Splash at EPCOT a Bit Early

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I snuck into EPCOT today after a little bird told me that the new Starbucks was opening a few days ahead of schedule. Turns out it was just a preview, but karma was on my side and I was allowed in with a group of guests to help the team work out any final kinks before officially opening tomorrow, September 4th.

The new location keeps the Fountain View name, but ditches the ice cream for other, more caffeinated treats. The layout will look very familiar to those who have visited the Magic Kingdom Starbucks. Only instead of turn of the century look and feel, there’s a vaguely futuristic, decidedly fluid watery environment. It’s appropriate given the Fountain View location.

It is a slightly smaller space than the MK location. Similarly there are no tables or chairs, or even benches, inside. There is a small space on an exterior porch for some tables, but you’re exposed to the elements there. So you take your chances if the winds blow the fountain mist your way.

Another change is that there is now only one entrance via the front doors that face the fountain. I’m not sure this is a good move, as it means there’s no way to get coffee without getting wet when it’s raining and no where to hangout inside when it does.

I love me some Starbucks, of course your mileage may vary depending on your addition level. Having it at EPCOT is going to make those chilly mornings easier. It’s nice that the prices aren’t that much above your typical Starbucks location either.

More photos below the jump:

Read More »Starbucks Makes Splash at EPCOT a Bit Early

Bring to Walt Disney World: The Hyperloop

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This week crazy-like-a-fox billionaire businessman Elon Musk introduced his latest revolutionary concept, the Hyperloop, and then gave it away to the masses as an open source project. Musk’s previous successes include Paypal (without which much online transactions wouldn’t happen), Tesla (an electric car company that’s profitable for a change), SpaceX (a private company that is helping NASA get payloads into space with an eventual goal of Mars(!)), and SolarCity (affordable solar panels for home and business; It remains to be seen if this will fall into the success category, but it seems likely with a net positive in the profit column last quarter).

Hollywood director Jon Favreau has said he modeled his version of Tony Stark, aka Marvel’s Iron Man, at least in part after Musk. But I think Tony Stark is the wrong model. Musk reminds me more of late period Walt Disney, when Walt had his eye on the future, not just of entertainment and the Disney Company, but of the planet as a whole and improving the lives of those who live on it. His gained steam with Monorails (mass transit), moved onto PeopleMovers (person rapid transit (PRT)), and dabbled in energy efficiency and recycling. Then Walt united all his theories and took on the mother of all urban planning projects – EPCOT, the experimental prototype community of tomorrow. With EPCOT, Walt wanted to build a working community where he could partner with industrial explorers with a similar vision for the future.

That is essentially the same vision as Elon Musk; which is why I think there is a natural partnership between Musk, his companies, and The Walt Disney Company. To get started, create the partnership for the purposes of building a working prototype of the Hyperloop at Walt Disney World. Musk, or his team, would be involved enough to oversee things, but most of the R&D would be left to Walt Disney Imagineering. The resulting prototype would be a great first step to making a full scale Hyperloop a feasible project to get past local and state governments.

Disney’s Imagineers already have much of the expertise needed to build such a system. They have experience with air-bearings (from the Flying Saucers ride in 60s to the revisited version at DCA), mass transit systems (Monorail, PeopleMover, etc.) and for years they used a garbage disposal system at the Magic Kingdom that magically whisked away trash right from the curb side down an air pressure driven pipe. They also have good contacts in the coaster and mass transit construction industries, so finding suppliers would not be difficult. Read More »Bring to Walt Disney World: The Hyperloop

18th EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival – The Marketplace Menus

Want to know what delicious goodies are being cooked up for the 18th EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival marketplace kiosks? Disney has released what looks like a complete list of all the marketplace menus. I remember reading somewhere that we were getting scotch eggs, but I don’t see them on the list. Anyone know what happened there?

The Kalua Pork Slider (not the liqueur Kahlua but the Kalua barbecue method of cooking) returns to the Hawaii tasting marketplace

The Kalua Pork Slider (not the liqueur Kahlua but the Kalua barbecue method of cooking) returns to the Hawaii tasting marketplace

Brazil (All-New Menu)

Seared Scallop with Ragout of Tomatoes, Peppers, Hearts of Palm and Steamed Rice
Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Onions, Avocado and Cilantro
Cerveharias Kaiser Brewery Xingu Black Beer
Carnaval Moscato White
Frozen Caipirinha featuring LeBlon Cachaça

Scotland (New)

Seared Scottish Salmon with Cauliflower Puree, Watercress and Malt Vinaigrette
Vegetarian Haggis with Neeps and Tatties-Griddled Vegetable Cake with Rutabaga and Mashed Potatoes
Scottish Banoffee Tart with Bananas, Scottish Whisky Toffee, Walkers Shortbread Crumbles and Sweet Cream
Innis & Gunn® Original
Loch Lomond featuring Glenfiddich® 12 year
Glenfiddich® Scotch Flight (12, 15 and 18 year)

Read More »18th EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival – The Marketplace Menus

18th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Details

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If there is one festival I look forward to every year it’s the Food & Wine event at EPCOT. 2013 will mark the 18th anniversary of the event that finds Disney guests sipping and savoring fresh flavors from six continents and more than 25 food booths. When you add in the special events, exhibits and generally fun atmosphere, you just can’t beat it. The 18th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival presented by Chase runs from Sept. 27 to Nov. 11, 2013.

Disney chefs will debut the authentic tastes of Scotland at the celebrated 46-day festival known for innovative food, wine, beer, cocktails, music and entertainment.  The sizzling aromas of more than 25 ethnic and specialized marketplaces including Africa, Brazil and Florida Local will tempt guests strolling the World Showcase Promenade.  Celebrity chefs like Warren Brown and Jamie Deen will bring culinary cachet to special festival events and demonstrations.Read More »18th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Details

MyMagic, Fastpass+ and Magicband Test Preview Video

Jeff and Denise of the excellent Mousesteps Disney fan site were invited by a cast member friend to be their guest during a test of the new Next-Gen system at EPCOT. During the test of the neww MagicBands and MyMagic+, they put the device through… Read More »MyMagic, Fastpass+ and Magicband Test Preview Video