As COVID-19 cases start to increase in Florida, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings is asking businesses to require masks to be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status. He is also asking for masks to be worn in crowded places whether you’ve been fully vaccinated or not.
COVID cases in Orange County have risen to a double-digit 14 day rolling positivity rate which is almost triple the rate from three weeks ago. Vaccination rates for Orange County residents has also slowed.
Disney World relaxed its mask policies last month when Orange County and the CDC dropped their recommendation for masks and distancing for fully vaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated guests are required to wear masks while indoors and masks are required on Disney transportation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis approved legislation restricting counties from mandating any new restrictions to counter the surging cases of COVID-19 cases. Orange County will need to rely on businesses and individuals to take precautions against the virus.
Disney World has not made an announcement regarding changing its face mask policy. Stay tuned for more information.
Lid Free Trash Cans debut in Epcot. Seriously, who could foresee a post about trash cans for the third time this year? In the post-pandemic days of Disney Worlds Enhanced Safety measures, we did an article about lids being restored to trash cans around the park, resorts, and also Disney Springs. Now it looks like some lessons were learned about people wanting, or in this case not wanting, to touch the trash can lids.
Importantly, Disney is listening to guests and they have been changing over the trash bins in Epcot over to a contactless and touch-free. The fronts now have a large opening for guests to place their refuse into the bin. Prior to this change, the bins had the swinging door, and now it appears Disney is switching over to the new style.
We got an opportunity to run around Epcot’s World Showcase and Future World and found a few of the new Lid Free Trash Cans. We did not see the new purple trash bins, but you can see in the images, the new blue ones around Future World West. Also, spotting a brown single bin close to the Italy Pavilion closest to Germany.
Disney Imagineers are putting the final touches on the show, which will debut to guests in August, we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the latest update.
Just as Walt envisioned, creative teams have been busy programming an Audio-Animatronics replica of the President, pairing it with a delivery of the presidential oath of office recorded at the White House by President Biden himself just for the attraction. Every detail comes together to create a realistic and symbolic glimpse into the office of the President through the years, from the carefully tailored clothing to the props, documents and furniture placed throughout the stage.
Next time you visit, you may notice the table next to President Biden is adorned with a few special items, each with their own significance to the President—including peach blossoms to represent his home state of Delaware and a pair of aviators as a nod to his proclivity for the sunglasses.
And for those who are curious about what happens to presidents at The Hall of Presidents after their term has ended, the Audio-Animatronics figure of former President Donald J. Trump will take its place on stage among those who have previously served.
So take your seat in our stately theater beginning next month as we share the incredible story of the American presidency, and watch as the curtain rises to welcome back all the Presidents.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has reopened to guests after a refurbishment and re-theming. The rooms at the resort are now themed to the Disney film Moana and they are so beautiful! Let’s take a look at these new rooms.
The new Moana theme starts before you even get to your room! The carpet in the hallways has new tropical patterns and the walls are decorated with Moana-themed artwork.
The rooms themselves are gorgeous with so many amazing details!
Along with new furniture and artwork, there are lots of different textures, patterns, and details. We are absolutely loving these rooms! The bedding fits with the Polynesian look. Even the comforter has a subtle pattern that matches the theme. The pillows add a lovely pop of color as well!
The couch is another bedding option for larger families and is super colorful! The pillows are even Moana themed! And the huge accent wall behind it is just stunning.
The lighting in the room fits in well with the Moana and Polynesian themes. The lampshades feature some of our favorite characters from the movie and the main light in the room has some beautiful polynesian patterns.
The artwork throughout the room is colorful and amazing!
The bathroom is updated and modern while still having some hidden details and touches! There are two sinks so multiple guests can get ready at one time. There’s also lots of storage in the bathroom as well as the rest of the room.
We are absolutely loving these new rooms! Take a look at our walkthrough below:
For help with planning your next Disney vacation, contact me today! I am a travel agent specializing in Disney destinations and can help you plan a magical vacation at no extra cost to you!
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World has reopened to guests! The resort has been undergoing a refurbishment and room re-theming. Let’s take a look at the resort.
Also, over at Pineapple Lanai guests can purchase a Moana Tamatoa-inspired Dole Whip cone! It’s Dole Whip raspberry swirled with Dole Whip orange in a white chocolate-dipped waffle cone coated with shiny gold sugar. It’s $5.99 and is only available until July 21.
Don’t forget about the other great restaurants at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort! Capt. Cook’s, Kona Cafe, and ‘Ohana are all open and taking reservations. Next to Kona Cafe is Kona Island where you can get some really adorable and tasty treats.
Take a look at our walkthrough at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort:
For help with planning your next Disney vacation, contact me today! I am a travel agent specializing in Disney destinations and can help you plan a magical vacation at no extra cost to you!
Get a Free Movie Ticket for Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ by Eating at Applebee’s. Disney fans will now have a chance to enjoy a meal and movie with their next visit to Applebee’s! Starting today and through August 15, Applebee’s, Fandango, and Disney are partnering to offer dinersFREE* movie tickets to the latest summer movie, Disney’s Jungle Cruise, in theaters July 30 or available on Disney+ with Premier Access. Enjoy a free movie ticket with every $25 spent in one transaction at Applebee’s. Valid for dine-in, To-Go, or Applebee’s Delivery, get up to four movie tickets for you and your friends and family to enjoy a night out, valued up to $15 per ticket.
Join Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for the adventure of a lifetime on Disney’s Jungle Cruise, a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. You don’t want to miss out on the highly anticipated summer adventure; so, hurry into Applebee’s for your FREE* movie ticket from Fandango!
To find your local Applebee’s available to dine-in, visit Applebees.com/restaurants. To order Applebee’s To-Go or delivery, visit Applebees.com or the Applebee’s mobile app (iOS, Google). For even more exclusive deals and specials, guests can sign-up to be a part of the neighborhood. Join Applebee’s E-Club and receive a welcome offer!
*For a limited time, receive 1 Movie Ticket to see Disney’s Jungle Cruise with every $25 purchase made in one transaction at Applebee’s.Minimum purchase excludes tax, gratuity, gift card purchases, and alcohol (CA only). Additional restrictions apply. Movie ticket distributed through Fandango.Fandango Promotional Code (“Code”) is good towards the purchase of between one (1) and four (4) movie ticket(s) dependent on qualifying spend (up to $15 per total ticket and convenience fee value) to see Disney’s Jungle Cruise at Fandango partner theaters in the US. Code is void if not redeemed by 9/30/2021. Limit 4 movie tickets per person. The redemption of the Code is subject to Fandango’s Terms and Policies at www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies. See www.activaterewards.com/Applebees/Details for full details.
Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for updates and all things Disney!
The Walt Disney Statue in the center of the Magic Kingdom will soon be refurbished for the Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration.
The partner statue is going to be stripped down, cleaned, and protected just in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration which starts on October 1st, 2021.
Disney has so many projects going on right now to get the Magic Kingdom ready for the 50th Anniversary.
Joffrey’s Coffee is moving forward with new sugarcane straws!
In Disney’s efforts to be more eco-friendly, we have seen little changes around the parks recently like getting rid of plastics, the conservation of water, solar panels and more. The last change is the introduction of sugarcane straws on Joffrey’s Coffee booths to replace the paper straws they had before.
The new straws are 100% biodegradable, have sugarcane fiber, are more flexible and don’t crumble as much as the paper ones that were less durable.
We are happy to see this change since the paper straws would break very easily when having a drink and would taste a look like paper. These new ones are flavorless and odorless, so definitely an improvement in eco-friendly options.
As of now, the only location that has them is the one at Epcot, but we are sure it won’t be too long until we see them all around the Walt Disney World Resort.
Marvel Fan’s Dream Comes True After Tweet is Featured on a ‘Black Widow’ Billboard. Many moviegoers look to reviews and posts online to determine, and one Marvel fan had a dream come true when Marvel Studios and the official Black Widow Twitter account shared a tweet by @yelenatfilms (mars saw bw) discussing her love for the movie and how she has seen the film 5 times in theaters so far! She also encourages more fans to go see the film in theaters.
@yelenatfilms had the appropriate reaction of “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS” followed by several posts sharing how she couldn’t believe her tweet was used on a billboard advertising the movie. It was only heightened after the official Black Widow Twitter account retweeted her tweet and both accounts have shared some more love online since the initial post.
The original tweet read: “Just saw #BlackWidow for the 5th time. Ive been waiting for so long to get this movie and now that it’s here im obsessed! I think everyone should watch this masterpeice right now, go and buy some tickets!!!“
I CANT BELEIVE THIS IS HAPPENING IM LITEALU SHAKING
“Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Joining Johansson in the new feature film are Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. “Black Widow”—the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.”
How would you react if your review was used by Marvel Studios or Disney? Would you freak out with excitement too? Does an ad like this make you want to see the movie even more? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for updates and all things Marvel!
Happy Dole Whip Day everyone! One of the best treats at Disney Parks!
Did you know the Dole Whip started back in 1976 when Dole Package Foods become the sponsor of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland serving Dole pineapple juice and fresh pineapple spears? A few years after that in 1983, they also become the sponsor of Aloha Isle at Magic Kingdom Park serving the same kind of treats as in Disneyland.
But it was a year later in 1984 where the Dole Whip first appeared at Walt Disney World, and two years later at Disneyland Park. Years later in 2011, the classic treat arrived to Aulani Resort and finally in 2017 at Disney Cruise Line. Now 45 years later, we keep enjoying this treat during our Disney vacation.
Would you like to recreate a Dole Whip at home? You can do it with this Dole Soft Serve Mix or follow these recipes we have for you including a boozy one and some delicious cupcakes!
CLASSIC DOLE WHIP
INGREDIENTS:
1 big scoop of vanilla ice cream
4 oz of pineapple juice
2 cups of Dole frozen pineapple
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Put the mixture into a star tipped piping bag to make the iconic Dole Whip swirl.
Make a swirl and serve.
DOLE WHIP MIMOSAS
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup of sugar, for rimming champagne flutes
Pineapple wedges
1 cup of pineapple juice
1/3 cup of coconut milk (not canned)
1 bottle of champagne, cava or prosecco
1 whipped topping, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pour sugar onto a shallow dish. Run a pineapple wedge around 6 champagne flutes and dip in sugar. Set aside.
In a tall glass, stir together pineapple juice and coconut milk until combined. Pour into champagne flutes and top off with champagne.
Garnish each flute with whipped topping and a fresh pineapple wedge.
DOLE WHIP CUPCAKES
INGREDIENTS:
Cupcakes
1 box of yellow of cake mix
1 cup of crushed pineapple with juice
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Small pineapple wedges for garnish
Frosting
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter, softened
4 cups of powdered sugar, divided
1/4 cups of pineapple juice
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325F and line two cupcake pans with cupcake lines.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix with the crushed pineapple, vegetable oil and eggs using a hand mixer. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, then pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.
Once they are ready, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.
In a large bow combine butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, pineapple juice and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth. Add remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Swirl frosting onto cooled cupcakes, then garnish each one with a pineapple wedge and decorative straw.
We hope you have a fantastic day celebrating this classic treat with your favorite recipe!
At this time we don’t have any other information. For those who will not be at the Disney Parks, you can pick up this collection on ShopDisney tomorrow!
‘Black Widow‘ Breaks Another Record for “Biggest Box Office Collapse” in the MCU. Black Widow hit the ground running and made an impressive $232.7 Million at the Worldwide Box Office, earning the number 3 slot in the top ten opening weekend earnings from Marvel Studios just behind Avengers: Infinity War ($257.7 Million). Though this is a massively successful opening, the film also broke another record in its second week and suffered the largest “box office collapse” in MCU history.
Traditionally, opening weekend tends to host the largest sum of earnings for a movie and it steadily decreases over the next 6-8 weeks during a theatrical run also called the “life” of the movie. Black Widow saw a huge drop in earnings between weekends one and two, dropping a staggering 67% and only earning $26 Million in the domestic box office alone. Though there are still concerns from audiences over a new strain of Coronavirus that likely led to some viewers skipping the theaters this last weekend, many believe the real reason for the large dip is the choice by Disney to release the film simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access.
The belief runs so deep the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) issued a statement regarding the decision, sharing with Variety: “Despite assertions that this pandemic-era improvised release strategy was a success for Disney and the simultaneous release model, it demonstrates that an exclusive theatrical release means more revenue for all stakeholders in every cycle of the movie’s life.”
They continued, “It ignores that Premiere Access revenue is not new-found money, but was pulled forward from a more traditional PVOD window, which is no longer an option,” the statement added.”Combined with the lost theatrical revenue and forgone traditional PVOD revenue, the answer to these questions will show that simultaneous release costs Disney money in revenue per viewer over the life of the film.”
“Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Joining Johansson in the new feature film are Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. “Black Widow”—the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.”
Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for updates and all things Marvel!
