DLW 225: Food and Wine Festival 2022

This week, an update on meet and greets, villains nite snacks, a new retro dress, a bunch of Food and Wine information, some updates to the Magic Key Terrace, a wonderful peice of new merchanside, we talk about Food and Wine Fest food, and more! Please support the show if you can by going to https://www.dlweekly.net/support/. If you want some DLWeekly Swag, you can pick some up at https://www.dlweekly.net/store/. Book your travel through ConciEARS at no extra cost to you! Be sure to mention that you heard about ConciEARS from DLWeekly at booking! If you want some awesome headwear or one of a kind items, be sure to visit our friends over at All Enchanting Ears! You can use the promo code DLWEEKLY10 to get 10% off your order!

News:

Classic character meet and greets could be coming back soon! During a Q&A session at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, & Telecom Conference this week, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Walt Disney Company Christine McCarthy said they should be returning “soon.” She pointed to the decline in Covid cases as a good indicator of the safety of the meet and greets. She also stated that meet and greets could help with long lines that have been at the parks recently. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/07/news-face-to-face-character-meet-and-greets-returning-soon-to-disney-parks/ and https://www.ocregister.com/2022/03/07/when-will-disneyland-let-mickey-mouse-hug-visitors-again/ At the same conference, we got some insight on the capacity of the parks currently. A question came up asking about the current capacity and if it was back to 100%. McCarthy said they are not back to full capacity, but they are close. When asked if the capacity would go back to pre-covid levels, her answer was no. The way in which they manage the parks is different now. Disney is looking forward to bringing back nighttime entertainment as that will help with the crowds that are happening now. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/07/are-disney-parks-back-at-full-capacity-yet-an-executive-answers/ and https://dlnewstoday.com/2022/03/disney-may-never-return-to-former-capacity-to-avoid-parks-bursting-at-the-seams-says-executive/ The first Villains Nite is happening as we record this episode, with the second nite on March 10th. The Disneyland app has posted the snacks and other items that will be available at the event. Some of the interesting items include a Maleficent Straw Clip at Smokejumpers Grill for $5.99, a Sweet Spiral Ration at Terran Treats for $6.25, and the Cruel Devil at Schmoozies for $8.49. For the complete list, check out the link in the show notes. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/04/full-list-of-exclusive-snacks-available-during-villains-nite-at-disneyland-resort/ Star Wars fans have even more to be excited about with more tickets going on sale for Star Wars Celebration, happening in Anaheim from May 26th through May 29th. Additional tickets will go on sale March 15th at 9am Pacific time. Tickets are limited and are likely to sell out fast! Proof of full vaccination will be required to attend the event. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/07/hurry-star-wars-celebration-tickets-are-going-on-sale-soon/ An annual sweet treat is returning to the resort! The Fudge Easter Eggs that the food artisans at Disneyland create for Easter this year are rumored to be returning! Each egg has a surprise flavor inside. For those guests who would rather spoil the surprise, checking the label and looking at the ingredients is a good way to find out the filling. A Cast Member told the Disney Food Blog that they could be back as early as this past Sunday. Once they are available, they can be purchased in the Candy Palace. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/05/the-iconic-disneyland-easter-eggs-are-returning-soon/ A new treat has landed at Lamplight Lounge for the Food and Wine Festival. Cookies and Cream Donuts, topped with creme-filled chocolate cookie pieces and serviced with a vanilla and cookie dipping sauce is available for $10. The dipping sauce is a great compliment to the donut with the classic cookies and cream flavors. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2022/03/review-cookies-and-cream-donuts-are-a-fantastic-treat-at-lamplight-lounge-for-2022-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival/ Weeklyteers who love Flo’s V-8 Cafe in Cars Land should get excited for a new apparel item that is sure to turn heads! The Dress Shop in Downtown Disney has a new dress themed to the popular eatery. The dress is mint green, with vintage features like blue and pink records, white stars, the Flo’s V-8 Cafe sign, and Flo herself. The dress also has a pink waistband, with pink capped sleeves, with a retro cut for the dress itself. The dress is $128. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/06/warning-if-you-love-disneys-cars-land-hide-your-wallet/ Magic Key Holders may notice a slightly updated Magic Key Terrace. We reported on the refurbishment of the space a few episodes ago and work was supposed to wrap up soon. Due to supply chain issues with some of the items ordered for the area, only some of the updates have been completed so far. The area has seen updated murals, tile accents, and stained glass. New booths, tables, and more will be swapped in as they arrive. New menu items should also be showing up soon. – https://www.micechat.com/315956-disneyland-update-actions-speak-louder-than-words/ Junior Weeklyteers who are fans of Disney Junior, get excited! The first Disney Junior Fan Fest will be taking place in Disney California Adventure on April 29th. The event will run from 10am to 4pm, and include a character cavalcade with Disney Junior characters, a 10th Anniversary stage show, commemorating Doc McStuffins, and previews of new Disney Junior shows. Check out the link in our show notes for more details. – https://www.mouseplanet.com/13129/Disneyland_Resort_Update_for_March_7__13_2022#news2 The Food and Wine Festival is in full swing now, so what should you get and what should you avoid this year? There are so many new options, there is a lot to choose from! According to the Disney Food Blog, the best new items are the Glazed BBQ Pork Belly at LA Style, the Blueberry-Buttermilk Pie at Berry Patch, the Black & Tan Beef Potato Puffs at D-Lish, the IPA Sausage Dog at California Craft Brews, and more! MiceChat reviewed the Peanut Butter & Jelly Mac and said to skip it. It was too oily and just not good. For the full list and more, visit the link in our show notes. We will talk more about this topic later on in our discussion topic. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/06/best-of-the-fest-what-to-eat-and-drink-at-the-2022-disney-california-adventure-food-and-wine-festival/ and https://www.micechat.com/314139-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival-2022/ Not only is there plenty to eat at the Food and Wine Festival, but there are also some entertainment options! Live music is at the Palisades Stage across from The Little Mermaid, as well as the Paradise Garden Bandstand. The Jammin’ Chef’s feature Pluto, Daisy, and Chip & Dale near the Hyperion Theater. Chef Goofy can be seen at the Hollywood Backlot. Family friendly activities include Alice’s Wonderland Bakery Unbirthday Party in the Hollywood Backlot, where kids ages 3-11 can decorate cupcakes with Rolly Pin, Alice, Princess Rosa, and Chef Minnie! – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/05/see-all-of-the-entertainment-at-the-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival/ and https://www.micechat.com/314139-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival-2022/ Just when you thought we were done, there is still more! The Food and Wine Festival also has merchandise! A new “life is grape” Spirit Jersey, 2022 Festival Minnie Ears, T-Shirt, Zip Front Hoodie, Baseball Tee, Aprons, and more are all available. Of course there are also some options of housewares, and, of course, pins! For the complete list, check out the link in our show notes. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/04/all-of-the-merchandise-at-the-2022-food-and-wine-festival-in-disney-california-adventure/ and https://www.micechat.com/314139-disney-california-adventure-food-wine-festival-2022/ This week, we saw a specific merchandise item that we just had to talk about! A new Disneyland Resort photo album has arrived at the Emporium. This new album is a white book, with a gold, pink, and blue vintage Disneyland castle logo, a cutout Disneyland font “D”, and gold Disneyland Resort label on the spine and back of the album. Inside, the pages have a place to slide in photos, with lines for text next to the images. On the opposite page, there is a gold checkerboard design with the cattle and sleeping beauty designs. The album is $34.99. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2022/03/take-the-magic-home-with-this-new-disneyland-resort-photo-album/ Is the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ever coming back? The signage that was up on the walls around the attraction have been removed. They originally stated that the subs would be returning “Winter 2021,” then “Winter,” and now there are no signs on when it will return. With the closing of ToonTown soon, the capacity is needed, so hopefully this attraction will be surfacing again soon! – https://dlnewstoday.com/2022/03/resurfacing-winter-2022-removed-from-finding-nemo-submarine-voyage-construction-walls-reopening-possibly-delayed-at-disneyland-park/ Weeklyteers who have been in the parks recently may have experienced crowd flow issues in some areas of Disneyland. The resort has taken notice and has been sending out surveys to guests where they experienced overcrowding. Disney may use this information to work on more Project Stardust projects in the future to help with crowd flow and overall guest experience. – https://www.micechat.com/315956-disneyland-update-actions-speak-louder-than-words/ Disneyland Paris is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a few new surprises! A new pre-show to Disney Illuminations, Disneyland Paris nighttime spectacular that combines projections, water jets, mist screens, and fireworks, is coming the the resort. The pre-show, called Disney D-Lite, will uses all the technology of Illuminations, but adds in drones as part of the show. The new pre-show took 8 months of collaboration with Dronisos, a French drone company, to come together. To see a video of the drones in action, check out the link in our show notes. – https://wdwnt.com/2022/03/disneyland-paris-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-disney-d-light-drone-show-in-new-video/

Discussion Topic:

Disney California Food and Wine Festival Food 2022