Disney News

If you are just as excited for the Cars Land opening on June 15th as we are, be sure to tune into Part 2 of the season finale of America’s Funniest Home Videos tonight! The show was taped inside Cars Land at Disney California Adventure® Park and will give a glimpse of what guests will be able to experience when Cars Land opens in less than a month!

Check your local listings for air time of AFV on your ABC station.

runDisney has announced details on the course for the 2013 Walt Disney World® Marathon. Taking place on Sun, January 13, 2013, this year’s event will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Marathon.

With a course that travels through all four Walt Disney World® theme parks, the Walt Disney World® Marathon route offers plenty of scenary for runners and will be the most magical 26.2 miles you will ever run on Earth! The course starts at Epcot®, continues on to the Magic Kingdom® Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios® before an exhilarating finish back at Epcot®. Along the way, you will find many photo opportunities along the way with Disney characters and parade floats.

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary, runDisney has made a couple changes to the route. Between miles 8 & 9, the course will take a lap around the Walt Disney World® Speedway! Also, a run through Champion® Stadium, the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves will be part of the course! A “Mile 20 Spectacular” is also being planned inside the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, but full entertainment details have yet to be released! Also, an additional post-race party will be held in the Downtown Disney® Area on Sunday.

Registration is currently open for all of the different Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend races. Please contact your Magic Maker® for full details.

This morning, fans of all ages will assemble at Disney’s Hollywood Studios® for the opening day of Star Wars™ Weekends. This annual sci-fi event, which is included with regular theme park admission, includes several different interactive activities, exclusive merchandise, and meet-and-greet opportunities with Star Wars™ celebrities and characters. Be sure to watch our Facebook page as we post some updates and photos from the event all weekend long!

One of this year’s celebrity meet-and-greet opportunities will be with Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars™: The Clone Wars. While these autograph sessions are a lot of fun, sometimes they turn a little “weird!” Check out the video below.

By Magic Maker® Tara Radulski

At Walt Disney World® Resort, some refer to it as Quick Service, others refer to it as Counter Service, some may even call it “fast food”.  It is all those things, but it is also much more than what you would expect from “amusement park” food. Last week, in the first of our two part series, we looked at the Quick Service dining options at Magic Kingdom® Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. This week we will pick up where we left off with Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ and Epcot®!

Clients who are on one of the Disney Dining Plans, especially those on the Quick Service Dining Plan, always ask me what the best places to eat a quick meal are.  Now, I will admit that the expected burgers and fries, pizza and chicken strips are available.  But much better options abound!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios™

Not exactly Rodeo Drive, but a little searching will find you some quality Quick Service meals here too.  The Backlot Express offers guests a Southwest salad of mixed greens, crisp corn tortilla, black bean relish, avocado, chicken and cilantro vinaigrette; a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich on multigrain ciabatta with arugula and red peppers; or even a grilled vegetable (including mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini, tomato, watercress and cheese) sandwich on basil asiago artisan bread with a sundried tomato pesto.

Epcot®

With the all the nations of the World Showcase within a 1.3 mile loop, there are amazing Quick Service Options in Epcot®.  The Tangierine Café in the Morrocco pavilion has tasteful plates such as chicken and lamb platters served with side of hummus, tabouleh and a tangierine couscous salad with fresh Moroccan bread; Mediterranean wraps served with tangierine couscous salad and lentil salad; lamb, chicken and Falafel wraps; as well as many other Mediterranean Specialties such as Morrocan kefta sandwiches, vegetable platters, and even a Mediterranean sliders combo made up of  lamb, chicken and falafel pita pockets.The Katsura Grill in the Japan pavilion will not disappoint either with its assortment of sushi rolls, curried rice and udon.

Future World is home to Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion, some of the BEST Quick Service in all of the theme parks.  Sunshine Seasons offers options such as ginger Mongolian beef; spicy cashew chicken; roasted beets and goat cheese salad; Togarashi seared tuna noodle salad; an oak grilled vegetable flatbread sandwich; or oak-grilled sustainable catch Niciose style.

As you can see from last week’s post, as well as this week, you will think again before you use the words “fast food” to describe the Quick Service / counter service food options at the Walt Disney World® Resort!