Hello from a gray and rainy Walt Disney World! With Hurricane Elsa coming into the area this evening, the weather today wasn’t too intense, but it was still overcast and wet enough to keep crowds lower than normal. We started our day at EPCOT, and we found some things to show you, so let’s get started!
When we arrived this morning, we were surprised to see that the now-familiar hold at the toll plaza had been released at least 15 minutes early, and guests, who are normally allowed to move freely up until the tapstiles, were funneled through one entrance to security and held there for a few minutes. From there, however, it was business as usual.
Inside the park, we found a new guide map with the outdated safety guidelines removed from the back, plus more updates within. For more pictures and information, check out our article here.
Underneath Spaceship Earth, we found the construction walls that had housed the crane used to install the Points of Light removed. There are still a few lights missing here and there across the network of lights already installed, so we’ll be watching closely for further developments.
A large crane has been moved into the Journey Of Water construction site, hopefully signaling imminent progress in this area. For more pictures and information, check out our article here.
With the Flower and Garden Festival officially over, we saw changes across the park to festival-specific offerings. The largest of the topiary displays have already been removed, including those at the entrance of the park, and the butterfly garden has been surrounded by scrim fabric.
The landscaped seating area next to Travelers Cafe has also been surrounded by scrim fabric.
The patio garden seating area across from Test Track has been surrounded by rolling planters.
Out in World Showcase, work continues on the replacement of the flooring in The Fjording. Only a quarter of the floor remains to be replaced, and is currently filled with painted plywood as a placeholder. The merchandise displays that are traditionally in these corners have been removed and replaced with easier-to-move clothing racks during this time of transition.
With the Morocco Pavilion having fully reopened after its refurbishment, we found the Race Against The Sun exhibit open once again. We also found the items in the display cases inside had been returned, as some of them had been removed, presumably for safety, during the closure.
Without a festival going on at EPCOT, guests will undoubtedly be searching for alternative food options, so we are pleased to report that Eats at The EPCOT Experience has reopened. They have reopened with a basic menu of ice cream, popcorn, and flatbreads, but their location makes them the perfect stop to grab a snack and cool off for a minute.
With the International Food & Wine Festival less than two weeks away, we found many of the food booths had already begun their transition to their new look. Most of the food booths now have the Food & Wine booth names up with a “Coming Soon” banner across them.
After checking out EPCOT, we headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where we found another new guide map. The biggest change for this new edition is the removal of the outdated safety guidelines on the back, and the front cover featuring an unmasked individual, the first such feature since masked photos have been in use.
We were excited to check out all the new food items available in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. For more pictures and information, including our full review, check out our article here.
We found a few pieces of merchandise to show you today, starting with these new activity books, which we found at The Darkroom for $19.99 each.
Lastly, we found this youth Buzz Lightyear shirt at Mickey’s of Hollywood for $19.99.
We had a wonderful time at Walt Disney World, and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Have a magical day!
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