By: Merritt Grusecki, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
There are so many events and treats happening right now in Walt Disney World that are only available for a limited time this summer! Don’t miss out—contact your Marvelous Mouse Travels agent to plan your last minute summer vacation to Disney World with your family now to get to experience all of these unique events that will be disappearing in the next month or two!
Are you or is someone in your family a foodie? Check out the Flavors of Florida event happening until August 11th at Disney Springs! This event celebrates local flavors and chefs from across the state. Taste exclusive menu items, go to live cooking presentations, and book special pairing events at certain Disney Springs restaurants. I visited The Ganachery, the chocolate shop at Disney Springs, to try one of their exclusive Flavors of Florida items, the Orange Ganache Pop. This pop was outstanding! The fresh orange flavor in the vanilla ganache center was refreshing and delicious, and paired beautifully with the dark chocolate shell. The perfect way to celebrate Florida in a chocolate bar!
After dinner, stay in Disney Springs to experience the new, limited time only nighttime drone show, Disney Dreams That Soar. This is the first nighttime show at Disney World to feature new drone technology, and the best part about it? You don’t even have to enter the parks! You can visit Disney Springs on a rest day or go to dinner after finishing at the parks for the day, and stay for the twice nightly shows over the lake. The showings can get crowded, so I’d recommend staying for the later show time for lesser crowds! The ten minute show is best viewed from the West Side of Disney Springs, close to the House of Blues. But you can also view the show from across the lake if you’re staying at Saratoga Springs—much smaller crowds but do note that you will be watching the show backwards!
Just last month, a new ride opened in the Magic Kingdom, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! And while this ride will surely stick around longer than this summer, there’s no guarantee when the limited time only food items and merchandise to celebrate the opening will disappear! I was SO excited to get to try Tiana’s famous man-catchin’ beignets and lavender lemonade—I hope they stick around but no promises made by Disney! The beignets were fresh out of the fryer and covered in copious amounts of powdered sugar, just how they should be! The lavender lemonade was the perfect refreshing treat on a hot summer’s afternoon, and paired nicely with the beignets. These can be found in several different locations around the Magic Kingdom to celebrate the ride opening, including Golden Oak Outpost in Frontierland and Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland.
Swing by Animal Kingdom this summer as well to to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Lion King through September 6th (I know, how can it be that old right?)! There are special treats designed to celebrate the movie offered at quick service locations around the park, such as Zazu’s ice cream sandwich at Tamu Tamu Refreshments, a Scar themed cupcake at Pizzafari, and Simba’s mango slushy at Eight Spoon Cafe.There are also special animation classes being offered at the Conservation Station area to teach guests how to draw your favorite characters from the movie. I learned how to draw Zazu when I stopped by recently! Also at the Conservation Station, look for special character meet and greets with Timon and Rafiki this summer, who can usually only be seen on a flotilla as they float down the river around the Tree of Life.
Are you an Encanto fan? Then you have to go to Epcot this summer to experience the !Celebración Encanto! This limited time only show will run several times a day through September 6th at the new Communicore Plaza in the Festival Celebration area of Epcot, and allows guests to sing along with their favorite songs from the movie. There are even guest appearances by Mirabel and Bruno! Also, look for the special snack items nearby from the Communicore Plaza Festival Booth themed to Encanto. Two different arepas, one stuffed with cheese and one stuffed with chicken and avocado, and tres leches cake are being offered just for the duration of the summer while the Encanto sing along show runs. Muy delicioso!
There are also several promotions to have your travel agent take advantage of when booking a trip to Disney World in the next month! You can get great deals on Disney resort rooms with up to 30% off standard rates for stays this summer 5 days or longer. You can also take advantage of the 4-park 4 day Magic ticket promotion, for park tickets from only $99 per day per person! If you want to save even more, the 3 day 3-park ticket is an even better deal for guests willing to go only to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. PLUS, if you have a Disney Visa credit card, make sure to ask your agent about a last minute free dining plan deal when you book a vacation package with a non-discounted resort room and park tickets running through July and select dates in September!
As you can see, now is the PERFECT time to go to Disney World—school break makes traveling with the family easier, there are multiple promotions running to take advantage of and make your vacation more affordable, and there are so many special events happening right now that are ending soon! So contact your travel agent today, ask about booking a last minute summer trip, and hop on a plane! Be sure to reach out at info@marvelousmousetravels.com to get connected to a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent when you’re ready to book your next Disney World vacation!
