DISNEY NEWS ROUNDUP: Annual Pass Sales Resume; Food & Wine Dates Announced; New Details on Tiana Ride; Star Tours Changes & More

Chad & Cindy NykampApril 16, 2023Last Updated: April 17, 2023

Disney was busy this week with announcements about Food & Wine Festival dates, annual passes, new details on the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and some special eats and treats at the upcoming 25^th Anniversary celebration of Animal Kingdom. We also got an exciting update about changes coming soon to Star Tours. We got cool news out of Disneyland and an announcement from Disney Cruise Line about MagicBands coming to Disney Cruise Line ships. All this and more are below in this week’s news roundup.

1 – Dates Announced for 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

One of the more popular festivals, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, will run from July 27-November 18, 2023. This is two weeks later than it opened in the last few years – 2020 (July 15), 2021 (July 15), and 2022 (July 14). The late July opening is still one month earlier than when the festival used to open. In 2019, the festival opened on August 29. In 2020, due to the park closing in March 2020 and the pandemic, Disney opened the festival much earlier than in previous years to try to encourage guests to return to the park. After opening in mid-July for three years, Disney is reversing the trend with a somewhat delayed opening in late July. The Flower and Garden Festival ends on July 5, so most of July at EPCOT will now be festival free. Learn more about the offerings of this year’s festival at the link below.

Click here to learn more about the 2023 Food & Wine Festival.

2 – Disney Announces New Walt Disney World Annual Pass Sales to Resume April 20

After being on hold for over one and a half years, Walt Disney World annual pass sales will resume to all guests this Thursday, April 20. After being on hold during the pandemic, a new pass program debuted in September 2021. However, Disney paused sales for most guests in December 2021. Only current passholder renewals and one pass type available to Florida residents have been available. Many locals, DVC Members, and guests who visit often have been eager to purchase the passes. Disney has said that passes are limited, and we expect certain pass types to reach sale limits quickly. The Walt Disney World website may be inundated on the 20^th. When new passes opened up to DVC Members on April 13 (at 6 am), the website crashed, and problems were reported. Disney paused sales for a few hours and then reopened sales (around 10 am) with a virtual queue to handle the load. If you plan on purchasing an annual pass on April 20, be ready for potential problems and pack your patience! Disney has not reported when sales will open, but we expect 6:00 am as they did with DVC sales. However, this is just a guess and not guaranteed.

Click here to learn more about annual pass sales returning to Walt Disney World.

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3 – Disney Announces New Detail for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Including Closing Date for Disneyland

Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom closed in late January, and construction has been moving quickly. Over at Disneyland, the attraction is still operating. This week Disney released more details about the story of the attraction along with the closing date of the original at Disneyland. Learn more at the link below.

Click here for new story details for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the Closing Date for Disneyland.

4 – Disney Reveals Treats, Merchandise, Photo Ops, and More for Animal Kingdom 25^th Anniversary

This upcoming week Disney’s Animal Kingdom is gearing up to celebrate the park’s 25^th Anniversary with limited-time treats, merchandise, photo ops and offerings. Learn more at the link below.

Click here to learn more about special offerings for Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s 25^th Anniversary During Earth Week.

5 – Disney Announces Star Tours Updates Coming in 2024

The 2023 Star Wars Celebration in London this past week brought many exciting news about upcoming projects. One of those was news that Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will receive story updates and new locations in 2024. Learn more at the link below.

Click here for details on new updates coming to Star Tours.

6 – ‘Rogers: The Musical’ to Premiere This Summer at Disney California Adventure

Ever since Hawkeye saw “Rogers: The Musical,” in the show “Hawkeye,” Disney fans have dreamt of seeing a real show come to life. This week Disney announced that will happen, and the show is coming to Disney California Adventure. Learn more below.

Click here to learn more about the upcoming show “Rogers: The Musical” coming to Disney California Adventure.

7 – Disney Cruise Line Announces New DisneyBands+ for Cruises

Disney MagicBand technology is finally coming to Disney Cruise Line as DisneyBand+. This week Disney Cruise Line announced the bands will first come to select sailings on the Disney Wish this summer and then the entire fleet later this year. Learn more at the link below.

Click here to learn more about DisneyBand+ coming to Disney Cruise Line.

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8 – Jaleo Disney Springs Kicks Off its Gin & Tonic Festival on April 17

This month, Jaleo Disney Springs invites guests to celebrate Spain’s national cocktail with the Gin & Tonic festival, featuring a unique lineup of bright and effervescent cocktails, plus tasty tapas, available from April 17 to April 30. Guests can try Saints, made with Tanqueray Gin, ginger, elderflower, aloe vera and tonic, in addition to Jaleo classics the Ultimate Gin & Tonic and the Mediterranean. Accentuating the flavors of each Gin & Tonic, Jaleo has prepared a curated menu of fan-favorite and specialty tapas, including Croquetas de Pollo, traditional chicken fritters, and Buñuelos de bacalao, fried cod and potato fritters with honey alioli. Plan your next celebration and make reservations here.

Gin & Tonics

- Appetizer: Fords Gin, Cynar, lavender, lemon, tonic 16
- Saints: Tanqueray Gin, ginger, elderflower, aloe vera, tonic 16
- Ultimate: Hendrick’s Gin, juniper, lemon, lime, tonic 18
- El Patriarca: Genever, citrus expressions, tonic 16
- Mediterranean: Gin Mare, sweet and dry vermouth, lemon, lime, thyme, tonic water 16

Tapas

- Patatas bravas: Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and alioli 14
- Berenjenas con miel: Fried eggplant with honey and lemon zest 12
- Buñuelos de bacalao:F ried cod and potato fritters with honey alioli 14
- Croquetas de pollo: Traditional chicken fritters 14
- Pan con tomate y queso manchego: Toasted slices of crispy bread brushed with fresh tomato, served with Manchego cheese 17

9 – Disney Springs Restaurants Launch New Seasonal Cocktails

Spring into the season with delicious new cocktails at Maria and Enzo’s and Enzo’s Hideaway at Disney Springs. Floral and fruity flavors help bring these limited-time sips to life, available now through the end of June.

Maria & Enzo’s

Lotus – $19 – Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Prickly Pear, Lime, Orange Bitters

Tulip – $19 – Malfy Gin, Aperol, Guava, Prosecco, Orange Bitters, Thyme

Lavender – $19 – Titos Vodka, Combier d’Orange Liqueur, Lavender, Lemon Juice

Floral Flight – $25 – A 2 oz portion of the Lotus, Tulip, and Lavender cocktails

Mocktail: Lavender Mint Lemonade – $13 – House made mint lemonade with a hint of lavender

Enzo’s Hideaway

The Bee’s Knees – $20 – Bombay Gin, Honey, Lemon Juice, Fee Foam, Bee Pollen

Smoked Pistachio Tequila Sour – $20 – Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Pistachio Syrup, Lime Juice, Orange Bitters, Salt

Passionfruit Smash – $20 – Absolut Vodka, Aperol, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Passionfruit Syrup

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