On January 9, those with dated tickets will no longer require park reservations. As a result, though, those guests will no longer have the assurance of a spot in the park that park reservations afforded them. This could be significant on the busiest days of the year, such as New Year's Eve.

In light of that change it is probably a good idea to remember how capacity control worked before park reservations. If I recall correctly:

The first level of capacity control was closing the parking lot for the park that is approaching capacity. I suppose they were hoping that, once diverted away from the parking lot, those guests arriving by car might voluntarily choose to visit a different park. (I remember being affected by this once many years ago, when Tricia Yearwood was performing at the Magic Kingdom that night.) 

At the next level, ticket sales are stopped. Of course, today they would be able to stop ticket sales for specific parks (and for single-day park hoppers). 

At the next level, they limit entry to re-entering or park hopping, or first-time-that-day-entry by guests of a Disney hotel, or one of the dozen Official WDW Hotels (the ones that get Early Entry). This is the first tense level, since guests might be facing the prospect of being turned away from MK (for example) on the last day of their trip, because they didn’t enter before it reached this level of attendance. At the next level after that, they tighten it to just Disney hotel guests. 

At the next level after that, they stop all first-time-that-day entries, even Disney hotel guests, therefore limiting entry to re-entry and park hopping. After that, they stop park hopping as well. And of course the final level is no more entries, not even re-entries. 

How will it work in 2024? It’ll be interesting to see: Disney hasn't provided details about how park reservations and capacity controls will work for 2024. While it is unlikely, it is possible that we could get into 2024 with some of these questions unresolved, and perhaps even with Disney finding that they left a hole that they need to plug.

One thing we know is that park reservations will remain for guests with undated tickets, which includes all annual passes. (Park reservations will probably also be required for admission similar to this year’s Florida resident Summer Magic ticket, as it is valid on most any three or four days over a four month period - effectively a limited-use partial annual pass. I don’t know where the dividing line will be, but I suspect they’ll choose a certain number of days, probably 21 or 28, and require park reservations for tickets valid over that amount of time or longer) 

As such, the first open question is whether the current quasi-guarantee of entry, currently afforded to those with park reservations, will continue, or will passholders be required to have park reservations but could still then be turned away if the park for which they have a park reservation is at capacity. That would be cruel, but without park reservations controlling the entirety of park capacity, it is a possibility. 

The alternative would be that Disney uses park reservations to set capacity for passholders, while counting other guests entering the park for the purposes of asserting capacity control associated with the remaining portion of park capacity. That would be seen by both passholders and ticket holders as unfair to them, but for diametrically opposed reasons. Disney isn’t shy about putting provisions like that in place that some guests will find offensive, but they typically don’t put in place such provisions when different sets of guests will abhor them for diametrically opposed reasons. [Either all guests will not like the provisions for the same reasons, or some guests will like the provisions while others don’t.]

What might make sense (but I doubt is going to be the reality) is Disney announcing that park reservations are only applicable (for passholders) prior to 2pm, implying that the quasi-guarantee of late entry with a park reservation is no longer valid, or perhaps just explicitly saying that passholders have to enter before 2pm for their park reservation to assure their entry. (As things are already, after 2pm, passholders don’t need park reservations, except at the Magic Kingdom on weekends. That extra condition, regarding the Magic Kingdom on weekends, makes this whole situation a bit of a mess.)

Regardless, guests (especially annual passholders) should be prepared for how things will work differently in 2024 with regard to park capacity. 

Summer Survival Tips

Summers at Walt Disney World are remarkable, especially for those of us who lived further north for many years. First, they are long... I call them our, “five month-long summers,” they span from mid-May through mid-October, and many guests are even surprised by how hot it is in April and in early November.

We live here so we have to manage with the heat and humidity every day. Here are my best insights about how to manage it:

‣ The first step is to put aside the notion that you'll ever be free of sweat. A lot of dealing with the heat and humidity is mind over matter, and this is where it starts.

‣ The second step is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. (And do as I say; not as I do, in that regard.)

‣ The third step is to dress for success. Very light, breezy clothing. Function (staying cool) over style (looking cool). This includes wearing a very wide brimmed hat, or holding a wide umbrella over your head. The sun isn't kidding. No matter how much sunscreen you wear, no matter how huge your sunglasses are, you still need the cover offered by a hat or an umbrella. The importance of portable shade like this cannot be overstated. Portable neck fans (the kind where strings and hair can’t get caught in the blades!) and cooling cloths are also very useful.

‣ The fourth step is to avoid the middle of the day, 1pm - 3pm. Plan a long lunch, go back to your hotel, whatever. Just get off the pavement of the park and stay off the pavement of the park for those two hours.

‣ The fifth step is to pace yourself. Beyond just factoring the extra time needed for hydration breaks, and beyond getting off the pavement of the park during the worst heat of the day, you really need to build in additional, real rest time. If you don’t work outside everyday in heat and humidity similar to Central Florida, you need to take it slower than perhaps you may want.

It is a good idea to keep track of how you and your family are doing, with regard to the heat, and keep in mind the best places to take a break. Some guests prefer to take a midday break, back at their hotel. Another good option are long, leisurely meals in air conditioned restaurants. However, there are even attractions that, once you get inside, are good places to relax in air conditioning: 

𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸

🆒🆒🆒 Hall of Presidents
🆒🆒🆒 Carousel of Progress

🆒🆒 Mickey’s Philharmagic 

🆒🆒 Country Bear Jamboree

🆒🆒 It’s a Small World

🆒🆒 Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor

🆒 Enchanted Tiki Room

𝗘𝗣𝗖𝗢𝗧

🆒🆒🆒🆒 The American Adventure

🆒🆒🆒 Disney/Pixar Film Festival

🆒🆒 Impressions de France

🆒🆒 Spaceship Earth

🆒🆒 Reflections of China

🆒🆒 Living with the Land

🆒🆒 Journey into Imagination

🆒🆒 Amazing Planet

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘆'𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘀

🆒🆒🆒🆒 Frozen Sing-along

🆒🆒 Muppet Vision 3D

🆒🆒 Vacation Fun

🆒🆒 Lightning McQueen Racing Academy

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘆'𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸

🆒🆒🆒🆒 Festival of the Lion King 

🆒🆒🆒 Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!

🆒🆒🆒 Animation Experience at Conservation Station

🆒 It’s Tough to be a Bug

(𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨. 😉)

Keep an eye on any physical effects you’re feeling or seeing. One common condition is exercise-induced vasculitis (sometimes called golfer’s vasculitis or Disney rash). It is a harmless form of cutaneous small vessel vasculitis and is caused by strenuous or extended-duration physical activity, especially in warm weather to which the body is not accustomed. Prevention advice includes a lot of what I outlined above: Wearing light and loose clothing; drinking a lot of fluids; taking 15-minute breaks for every hour on your feet. Prevention advice also includes things like wearing compression socks and comfortable, high-quality, and well-fitting footwear.

Have a great summer at the parks!

Pizza al Taglio at Epcot's Italy Pavilion

 By Nick: 

Pizza al Taglio  - Italian for pizza by the slice — literally "by the cut"

Pizza al Taglio, the pizza window located next to Via Napoli Pizzeria in Epcot's Italy Pavilion was one of those dining spots I had managed to never seem to get to. Either a festival would be happening, or the line would be too long (lines get very long, indeed), or it was closed, as it is apparently only open seasonally. 

A couple of weeks ago, after a Garden Rocks show, the friends I was with suggested we get a slice of this mythical pizza and get a spot for Harmonious, and, I was all too happy to say "Yes!" 

I got a slice of the Pepperoni. 

 I'm not generally a thick crust pizza fan, but this was not dense, and the pepperoni cups... this was absolutely delicious. Full disclosure, I'd had a few beers first, so wasn't absolutely certain my first impression was correct. 

To be absolutely sure, I stopped again the other day and tried a slice of their "Pizza Margherita."

The menu is short but sweet.

 Now, that is a nice looking slice!

Yes, the crust is excellent, I was absolutely right the first time.

It's very cheesy, with very little sauce. Some people (I'd imagine this is really not for those that are lactose intolerant) aren't a fan of overly cheesy pizza. If that's the case, this may not be for you. 

I will absolutely be looking for this window to be open in the future.   

Oh, and if you need a dark quiet corner to duck into and enjoy your slice, there's a little spot to the left where you'll find counter space and a couple of seats.

 

Vegetarian's POV Roundup Rodeo

 By: Robbie

My husband and I were the vegetarians with Nick's party on opening day of Rodeo Roundup, and I'm happy to say that the food did not disappoint! I had a few concerns about mixing it up with the meat eaters at the same table, but Disney understands that sometimes vegetarians hang out with their meat eating friends and that there needn't be any conflicts with that. ☺

Actually I felt that the menu choices catered more to the vegetarians (as in, there weren't any unwanted and surprising bits of bacon added to any of the dishes on the menu), although vegans would have more limited choices. Here's a breakdown:

Cheddar biscuits with pepper jelly. A big old plate of these delicious biscuits came soon after our drinks were served and they did not disappoint. Warm, flakey, buttery and cheesy. What's not to like? Pepper jelly accompanied the biscuits, but really, it wasn't needed. I thought it was a little too sweet, geared more to children, than the stuff my grandmother used to make, so after tasting a bit of the jelly, I basically ignored it. I didn't need butter with these biscuits, but others might like that. 

Salads. A trio of salads were shared among the table that included a tomato salad, kale/Caesar salad, and watermelon salad. I'm not really sure what makes the kale salad non-vegan. They called the dressing "green goddess" , but it wasn't like the bottled green goddess dressing I was used to. Otherwise, the rest of the salads were vegan and quite delicious. Tomatoes tasted like tomatoes are supposed to taste and the watermelon was cool, sweet and delicious. I could have had that for dessert!

Sides. I could have made a full meal from all the sides! The table got to choose four dishes from eight available side dishes, of which three are vegan. We chose a carb heavy set that included married potatoes (potato barrels with a cheesy gravy), mac and cheese, street corn (delish!), and baked beans (vegan). 

Round up chow (main dishes). Our choice for vegetarians included a platter of roasted cauliflower, plant based sausage, and riblets. Honestly, it wasn't the best. If you like plant based meats, you'll enjoy it, but I find plant based sausage to have way too much sodium, and this was the ordinary bratwurst you find in supermarkets. The "riblet" was seasoned impossible burger shaped on a stick. It was similar to the kofta meatballs you can find over at Docking Bay 7 in the Felucian Garden dish, but was really kinda dry and hard. Thank goodness for the trio of BBQ sauces available to help that one out. The cauliflower had an interesting flavor, however, the way it was cut was just weird, as it was like they quartered a huge cauliflower so there were two huge chunks of it in the platter. I did like the flavor of it, though. 

Dessert. Each person gets to choose one from five. There was only one vegan choice, which is peach strawberry pie, and the one I chose. Others include lemon blueberry cheesecake, chocolate silk pie, apple pie and a cupcake. These are all served in small mason jars, with the exception of the cupcake. Mine was just okay so I would choose something different next time.

All in all, we really enjoyed our meal and would definitely go back for more. 

Roundup Rodeo BBQ at Disney's Hollywood Studios

 By Nick:

Andy has built all of us toys a new sit down restaurant in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and he's having a barbecue to celebrate! 

Thanks to our friend Brian, Barbie, me, and a whole posse had the great pleasure to attend on opening day!

Andy did a bang up job with the construction, and he let his imagination run wild...

 

 

You may notice there is a day and night side, because I didn't put that together until looking at photos later that evening, because there is so much to look at! Or I'm not very attentive to detail! I found the darker area was very peaceful despite the background noise, because, as Barbie commented, it was very loud. 

 The night side is also not super conducive for getting great people pics.

There are also plenty of fun moments, but I'll leave that for you to discover, because now it's time for some food.

The menu is family style, $45 for adults, $25 for children 3-9.

We were brought The Prospector’s Homemade Cheddar Biscuits with Sweet Pepper Jelly first. The biscuits were very soft, but Barbie and I were not fans of the sweet pepper jelly. That is just a personal preference, as it was good, just not what we were in the mood for. Next visit, I'll request butter, because the rolls are very good. Or you can use them to make a sandwich with, lets say, brisket, like Barbie did once the meat arrived.

Immediately following the biscuits, we were served, Rootin’ Tootin Tomato Salad - Cucumbers, Pickled Red Onion, White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Plant-based), Rex’s Romaine and Kale Salad - Apples, Dried Cranberries, Pumpkin Seeds, Green Goddess Dressing, and Wheezy’s Watermelon Salad - Fresh-torn Mint (Plant-based), all of which were delicious, with the salad being my favorite because of the Green Goddess Dressing, which I need to find a recipe of.

We each picked a side which we shared, Mean Old Potato Salad - Homestyle Red-skinned Potatoes, The Married Spuds - Loaded Potato Barrels, Veggie Slaw (Plant-based), and Slinky Doooooooooog's Mac & Cheese. The Mac and Cheese was tasty, with goldfish crumbles, the slaw a vinegar based standard, the spuds are tater tots, which, while they say are loaded, are covered in a savory gravy, and the standout to me was the potato salad.

Then there is the meats. Evil Dr. Smoked Ribs, Buttercup's Beef Brisket, There’s a Sausage in my Boot - Fire-grilled Pork Sausage, BBQ Chicken - with Style. They were all great. I rank this barbecue above Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge, on par with Regal Eagle at Epcot, and just below The Polite Pig at Disney Springs. And I mean just. The sauces aren't as strong, however, but Barbie found mixing the Sweet, Classic, and Spicy a perfect blend. My favorites were the sausage and the chicken. Salmon was also available upon request, and it was perfectly grilled and flaky.

Vegetarians are not forgotten, and there is a plant based option that my friend Robbie was kind enough to review, so please check that out…

https://thedisneyexchange.blogspot.com/2023/03/vegetarians-pov-roundup-rodeo.html?m=1

More food is available upon request, and request we did. But we did (barely) get a round of the desserts, and they were all terrific, with one exception. Bo’s Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake, Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie, Goat’s Apple Pie, Gruff’s Peach-Strawberry Pie (Plant-based), and Cupcake à la Forky For Lil’ Riders, Gooey Chocolate Cake, Graham Cracker, Buttercream, Sugar Cookie.  Barbie and my favorites were the chocolate silk pie, and the cheesecake. That one exception was the Forky cupcake, which was fine, but couldn't compare to the jars of love, as I am going to refer to them from here on out.

Over all, this was an excellent, fun, and imaginative experience, and we look forward to returning! 

 Yee-Haaaaaw!

EPCOT : Garden Rocks Regal Eagle Dining Package

By: Nick 

One of my favorite albums of all time is Blue Oyster Cult's "Agents of Fortune." Then there are incredible tunes like Godzilla, Burnin' For You, Career of Evil, to name a few, which are among my all time favorite songs. Yet I never saw them live. Cut to a few weeks ago, and I see that they're on the list of musical acts playing EPCOT's International Flower and Garden Festival's Garden Rocks Concert Series March 19th and 20th! To say I was excited is an understatement.

I planned on trying the Regal Eagle Dining Package, as I love their food, and thought $35 a reasonable price to pay to get good seating without waiting in line. 

Regal Eagle Smokehouse is located at The American Adventure Pavilion, across from America Gardens Theater. Their barbecue is fantastic, up there with The Polite Pig in Disney Springs, and I've never had a meal I didn't love.

At this point I will share that I've become completely lax in planning since moving here, because I never bothered to find out how the dining package worked. 

Here was my experience:

I walked into Regal Eagle about 4:25, as the sign out front said there was still limited availability for all 3 shows. I walked up to register and asked about the package. The Cast Member was unfamiliar with how to ring it up, so asked a manager that was nearby. She came back, took a ticket out, stamped the date, and tried to ring up my order. But it wasn't taking, so she asked another Cast Member nearby who asked what show I wanted to attend. I said 5:30, to which he explained that dining packages should be made 2 hours prior to show time. I was about to say that was fine, I'd take it for the 6:45 show, when he said he'd ask his manager. She gave the okay to make an exception, but I want to stress this was an exception.  After the first show, I walked by the sign again, and it was updated to all shows being sold out. I also noted that it doesn't specifically state that there is a 2 hour window.

The package includes entree, drink and dessert, so I ordered the Memphis Dry Rub Pork Ribs, a Coke, and the Tiana Banana Pudding.  

There is plenty of seating inside and out, and I took my dinner to a bench outside as it was a lovely cool day. As an unexpected and mind blowing bonus, I got to sit and eat while watching BOC doing sound check.

The ribs were tender and juicy, the sauces are always good, the coleslaw could use some salt, and the pudding was delicious.

When I walked over to enter at a little after 5 for the 5:30 show, I was brought to a section to the left of the stage, and there was plenty of space to sit in the front row! Oh, and the ticket is a sticker!

For $35 I got about $25 worth of food, and an awesome seat in the front row. It was a packed show in the rest of the theater, but the dining section wasn't crowded at all. 

 Relative to the sit down restaurant packages, which start at $60, I feel it's a good bargain.

All that being said, you may be able to get a better viewing spot waiting in line, or, as was the case for the 6:45 show, no line at all. I literally walked in at 6:30 and was able to get an aisle seat with a great view, and I could've gotten even closer if I didn't mind sitting mid row.

Then again, if I hadn't been in the front, I would not have gotten this awesome shot of rock icon and original founding BOC member, Eric Bloom! 

 

Will you be at Flower and Garden this year, and will you be seeing a show?

EPCOT'S Preparations for the 2023 International Flower and Garden Festival

 By Nick 

Even as the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is wrapping up, (the last day is today, 2/20, actually), preparations are well underway for the Flower & Garden Festival, which begins on March 1st and runs through July 5, 2023. Many gardens, displays, and topiary's have been springing up recently.

 Elsa and Anna at EPCOT's World Showcase Norway Pavilion 

 Lady and the Tramp at EPCOT's World Showcase Italy Pavilion 

 Flower, Thumper, and Bambi can be found by the Canada Pavilion.

 Peter Pan, Hook, Tick-Tock, Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Pooh

can all be found at the United Kingdom Pavilion

 Woody, Bo Peep, and this lovely butterfly are between The Seas with Nemo and Friends and The Land Pavilion in EPCOT's World Nature section.

 When you see these flower beds located in World Celebration, 

you know the Flower and Garden Festival and Spring are just around the corner.

Will you be attending this year's EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival?