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Disney Dining Blog: Looking Back and Ahead

Disney Dining Blog: Looking Back and Ahead

With the New Year here, I thought that it might be fun to talk a little about this past year. 2013 was the year that my family and I realized that we belong in Florida, so we moved back. We are enjoying it a lot more this time around, since we missed it so much while we were gone.

 

In 2013 at Walt Disney World we saw MagicBands and Mickey pretzels. The new Refillable Mug program was rolled out and it seems to be a hit. Glow With the Show mouse ears seem to be extremely popular. Guests have a new place to meet princesses. Starbucks entered two of the parks. Some restaurants closed to make room for new ones, while others were refurbished. The transformation of Downtown Disney to Disney Springs began in 2013.

My favorite dining experience this past year took place at California Grill. It was just a few days after the restaurant reopened. We had a reservation for the day before my husband’s birthday. The dinner was a birthday surprise, and we had a great time. Our reservation was for right before the fireworks were to start and we were awed by the show. It is an experience that I will not soon forget.

What lies ahead for 2014? We know that we can expect a fun new ride to finish up New Fantasyland. Spice Road Table will open sometime this year in the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Festival of Fantasy Parade is scheduled to start at the Magic Kingdom in the spring. Disney Springs will be closer to becoming a reality. There will be two new Starbucks, both at Downtown Disney. The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will take place March 5-May 18. Star Wars Weekends will be held four consecutive weekends, starting on May 16. The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is scheduled to run September 26-November 10. There are unconfirmed rumors that the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will move to Epcot in 2014, to make way for a new land in Disney’s Hollywood studios. It sounds like 2014 will be another exciting year at Walt Disney World. I am glad that I will be here to enjoy it.

Happy New Year, from one Disney fan to another.

 

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About PaulaK

I grew up in Western Massachusetts. When I was nine my family went to Disneyland and I was hooked. I grew up, attended New England College in Henniker, NH and eventually moved to Virginia. I worked as a disc jockey, married and became a full time mom when our daughter was born. Fast forward several years. In 2010 we moved to Central Florida and my Disney obsession grew. I now work as a freelance writer and spend my spare time in the parks. Under the name Paula Brown I penned the novels Dream Wanderers and The Coffee Cruiser. I also am a co-author of Dining at Walt Disney World: The Definitive Guide. I'm obsessed with Star Wars, so this is a good time to live in Central Florida. I've been a vegetarian for well over a decade, a choice that my daughter eventually made as well. While my husband still hasn't joined us fully he has given up most meats except for seafood. I was relieved to find that vegetarian dining is not difficult at Walt Disney World.