The popular Taste of Hollywood to Go returns for just 10 days during busy spring break time – making it super-easy to have a quick, delicious meal and reserve seats for Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

From March 24-April 4, there are five boxed meals: hot fried chicken with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sweet corn and carrots and warm apple crisp; a veggie sandwich with avocado, orange and tomato salad, tabbouleh and chocolate cake; California and tuna sushi roll with avocado, orange and tomato salad, ginger-marinated tomatoes and cucumbers and a spicy pecan chocolate cluster; shrimp salad with avocado, orange and tomato salad, ginger-marinated tomatoes and cucumbers and mandarin orange cheesecake; and cold-cut roast beef with creamy horseradish, potato salad, grilled asparagus and chocolate cake.

Kids get a turkey and American cheese wrap with apples and carrots with Ranch dip, strawberry yogurt and a seven-layer cookie bar; or strawberry yogurt, apple wedges, carrot sticks, Goldfish crackers, and a organic apple and cinnamon oatmeal bar.

You can choose which Fantasmic! show you want to attend based on availability, with the number of seats based on the number of meals purchased.

Pick up your “picnic” at Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Call 407-WDW-DINE to make reservations up to 24 hours prior. Meals are $15.99, $5.49 ages 9 and under, and include a 20-ounce soft drink or water. A credit card is required with complete payment upon arrival (24-hour cancellation policy). If you don’t have a reservation, you can check the day you are in the park for availability.

Each meal is one quick-service entitlement on the Disney Dining Plan.

Tagged: DHS, Dining, Gallery, WDW

Filed: Disney Dining, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort

We had a very exciting week here at Disney Parks, from the return of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival to the unveiling of a new Shanghai Disneyland model, among other fun.

Here at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney photographer Gene Duncan took the first few shots of this year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – including one of the festival’s new offerings: The Land of Oz Garden.

At the Disneyland Resort, the countdown to the opening of Fantasy Faire and the Fairy Tale Treasures merchandise location continues.

Be sure to click through the gallery to see other key moments of the week that were captured and shared on the Disney Parks Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter.

Tagged: DLR, Gallery, International Flower and Garden Festival, Photography, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

The marvelous land of Oz has captured the imaginations of people for over 100 years. Chances are good that this wondrous place has sparked your imagination, whether you’re a school kid, bank teller, rocket scientist—or a horticulturist like Eric Darden.

Eric is the Manager of Horticulture for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. This year, the event is presenting one of the most ambitious dreams that Eric, his team and his fellow Disney Parks cast members have ever made come true.

“The Land of Oz Garden is one of the biggest single areas we’ve ever created for the Festival,” said Eric. “It starts in the ‘Kansas’ section, where kids can play midway games in the tents.”

In Walt Disney Pictures “Oz The Great and Powerful” — which opens today nationwide — you’ll see Kansas in black and white, Oz in dazzling color and all in three-dimensional RealD splendor (at select theaters). But at this new Epcot garden, of course everything’s blooming in full color — from the ring toss game and fun mirrors to the Baum Circus tents (named for L. Frank Baum, author of all 14 original Oz books).

“As you walk along, you’ll seem to travel through Oz, where the kids can enjoy the large playground,” explained Eric. Newly designed, this playground sparkles with details that celebrate the film. As the kids play, grown-ups will appreciate the nearby shaded chairs. Look on the other side of this area and you’ll see that it’s actually themed to the Wizard’s deflated hot air balloon!

A dazzling array of unusual flowers and plants suggest the setting of Walt Disney Pictures’ “Oz The Great and Powerful,” including a bed of yellow pansies arranged to resemble a very familiar brick road—plus some dazzling red glass poppies. These amazing creations were prepared especially for The Land of Oz Garden by artist/sculptor Craig Mitchell Smith using his own elaborate technique of cutting, heating, shaping and reheating each flower—a process that takes four days per poppy!

Now through May 19, 2013, The Land of Oz Garden is just part of the overall new excitement at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. “Now we have great food and beverage options at twelve Garden Marketplaces,” says Eric. “Now it’s all tied together—from the garden to your table—better than ever.

“And we’ve placed plenty of character topiaries all over Epcot. There’s a picnic scene at the front entrance, with Minnie sitting on a blanket, Donald and Daisy playing badminton and Goofy is about to drop the cake! Mickey is grilling hot dogs—though unbeknownst to him, Pluto has already taken his share.”

Over at Showcase Plaza, you’ll see Mike and Sulley as they will appear in the eagerly awaited Disney•Pixar movie Monsters University. “Almost all of our gardens are now beautifully illuminated at nighttime, so you can make it a complete day and night visit,” Eric adds. “We’ve brought back the butterfly garden, HGTV celebrity designers and Flower Power Concert Series. We couldn’t be more excited about what we have to offer this year.”

For more information, visit EpcotInSpring.com.

Entertainment subject to change without notice.

Read on for more updates about the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival:

• Get Your Mini Disney Gift Card and Get a Taste of Spring at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
• Celebrating Springtime at Epcot in the Land of Oz
• Behind the Scenes: Horticulture Preps 100 Topiaries for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Tagged: Epcot, Gallery, International Flower and Garden Festival, WDW

Filed: Epcot, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

To this day whenever I get a ticket at Walt Disney World Resort, I immediately look to see who’s on it. I’m not going to lie, I’m always hoping for Mickey Mouse (He’s been my favorite since I can remember). If you’re anything like me, you save your tickets from all sorts of events. I still have my ticket from my very first visit to Walt Disney World Resort.

I was unsure why my Mom wrote my hometown and name on my ticket, so I called and asked her. Her response, “You expect me to remember what I did in 1988?” I’m guessing it was just in case I lost it (I can’t imagine she let a 10-year-old be responsible for his own ticket). Here’s a look at some tickets throughout the years from Walt Disney World Resort. (This is not a comprehensive look.)


See below for more “Vintage Walt Disney World”:

• Vintage Walt Disney World: Becoming Castaway Cay
• Vintage Walt Disney World: Saluting the Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom Park
• Vintage Walt Disney World: Mickey’s Valentine Through the Years

Tagged: Gallery, WDW

Filed: Disney History, Walt Disney World Resort

I’m looking forward to the return of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. This year’s event will feature millions of blooms, great entertainment and new food offerings (hello, Dole Whip!) from March 6 to May 19 at Epcot. Last year, I enjoyed visiting Epcot on multiple occasions to photograph many beautiful flowers (I also snapped some wonderful images in the butterfly garden). This year, my photographic journey started at the Festival Center. This highly-themed destination is located between Mission: SPACE and Universe of Energy, and it’s home to demonstrations, seminars and a merchandise shop.

This year, the merchandise location resembles a garden oasis. The sound of gentle water and chirping birds filled the air as I took photos. Last year, we introduced artwork that featured Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as topiaries. The artwork was incredibly popular with guests, so we added a Minnie Mouse topiary to the mix for this year. You can find her image on apparel, a reusable tote bag and, my favorite, a new coffee mug (look inside the mug for a cool detail).

There were a few other items that caught my eye, including a new topiary-inspired headband, a strawberry ear hat, Duffy the Disney Bear in overalls, D-Tech on Demand iPhone cases and more. We are also introducing new garden statues that look like Grumpy and Dopey. Look for additional character topiary statues in the weeks to come.

Here is a gallery of a few other items that you will find at Epcot during the festival.

I’d love for you to join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #EpcotInSpring. I also hope to see you during the event!

Tagged: Epcot, Gallery, International Flower and Garden Festival, WDW

Filed: Epcot, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful, and I found myself at Epcot, exploring the Land of Oz Garden – and I was not alone. This very interactive kids’ play zone was one of the happiest places I’ve ever seen, with children climbing, jumping, swinging and just laughing out loud. The theme was all about flowers – the real and the surreal. It was a visual treat for me, and a relaxing space for dozens of parents to just sit back and soak in the afternoon sunlight while the kids played with seemingly tireless energy.

Tomorrow is the first day of the 20th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, and I can’t wait to see what more our horticulture partners have created this year.


Read on for more updates about the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival:

• Behind the Scenes: Horticulture Preps 100 Topiaries for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
• ‘TRYit’ Tastes for Kids at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
• The Land of Oz Garden Magically Appears at Epcot

Tagged: Epcot, Gallery, International Flower and Garden Festival, Photography, WDW

Filed: Epcot, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

Today in Disney history is a biggie for fans of early Epcot history. On March 5, 1983, the original Journey Into Imagination attraction debuted in FutureWorld at Epcot, introducing guests to Dreamfinder, Figment and a lovely little song titled “One Little Spark.”

The original attraction’s storyline began with Dreamfinder gathering up materials to inspire new ideas. With the help of his imagination he creates a companion named Figment, who is described as having: “Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow. Horns of a steer – but a loveable fellow. From head to tail, he’s royal purple pigment and there, voila, you’ve got a Figment – a Figment of imagination!” From here, Dreamfinder took Figment – and us guests – along on an exploration of the Dreamport, the place where the duo used their imaginations to try out new ideas in the arts, literature, technology and more.

The attraction’s Image Works post-show offered guests a chance to experiment with creativity hands-on in different activity stations, including Magic Palette (digital drawing), Lightwriter (laser writing/drawing technology), Bubble Music (image projection combined with sound), and other interactive fun. One of my personal favorites was the Rainbow Corridor/Sensor Maze, pictured above, which assigned a color to each person who entered and followed the person throughout.

The attraction later became Journey Into Your Imagination in 1999, and the current version, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, debuted in 2002.

What are your favorite memories of Figment? Share your birthday wishes the “Comments” section below.

Tagged: Epcot, Gallery, WDW

Filed: Disney History, Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort