If you have been following us on Instagram, you know that we are leaving for Walt Disney World in just ONE WEEK!
EEEEEEEEEEK!
As our excitement builds, of course we are looking forward to many of our old favorites. But we are even more excited about all of the new things we are going to try as we descend upon the World. Even though we have gone to WDW over a dozen times, there is always something new to do on every trip. This trip is no different.
For your enjoyment, we are going to reveal the top new items that we are most anticipating!
But First… a Shameless Plug!
If you want to follow along with our travels to WDW, make sure to follow us on Instagram @ busterandthebanshee. We’ll be posting (semi) real time updates on our experiences. So if you want to experience WDW through our eyes, please give us a follow.
With the commercial message out of the way, here’s our list of top most anticipated items:
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
Our family usually travels to WDW during July and August, so we never really thought about going to a HALLOWEEN party. After all, we usually associate Halloween with autumn. However, as MNSSHP starts earlier and earlier each year, it now overlaps with our travel dates! Who would have guessed? We already have our costumes lined up (no spoilers), and we are saving room in our luggage for our candy haul.
We are most looking forward to the special party entertainment, especially the Boo to You Parade. Banshee and Little Buster also are excited about experiencing Space Mountain in complete darkness – a party exclusive. While they are riding that, Little Banshee and I will be enjoying some of the party-exclusive snacks. Maybe we’ll sneak a candy bar or three…
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Splash Mountain, when it was opened, was one of our favorite rides in all of Walt Disney World. Disney Imagineer’s took a a basic flume ride, an amusement park staple, and elevated it through a combination of false drops, animatronics, music, and story. Chef’s Kiss. That said, Splash Mountain was showing its age and was certainly in the need of an update to bring it into the 21st century.
Cue Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
I’ve seen some previews of the new attraction, and it looks like the new theming and refreshed technology has injected some life into the old ride. We’re really excited to experience it first hand for ourselves. Can’t wait to be “going down the Bayou”!
BONUS ITEM: In honor of the new ride, Magic Kingdom has added beignets to its snack menu. Who doesn’t love a good beignet? The perfect post ride treat to celebrate that 50 foot drop.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass
We’ve experience pretty much every iteration of WDW’s skip the line system: paper FastPass, FastPass+, Genie+. So we are looking forward to going for a test drive with LLMP and LLSP. As you can tell from some of our previous articles, we’ve given some thoughts on possible optimal strategies for getting the most out of the new system. However, this will be our first opportunity to put theory into practice.
Since we are staying both on property and off property for parts of our stay, we will get an opportunity to experience booking at both the 7 day mark and the 3 day mark. It will be interesting to see what the differences are, if any. We are also curious to see what same day availability will look like when we go. Since we are going during what is supposed to be a low crowd time (if such a thing even exists), that might color our experience. Nevertheless, we will report on any first hand tips and tricks that we learn along the way.
A New Buster and the Banshee Challenge!
On the heels of last year’s WDW Character Meet Challenge, we decided to come up with a new challenge for 2024. And this one is a good one:
We are going to eat at every barbecue restaurant on WDW property!
Unlike the Character Meet Challenge, we aren’t going to do it all in one day. That would be a little too much magic. Instead we are going to spread it out across the length of the entire trip.
To be part of the challenge, a restaurant needs to have at least three different barbecue meats on the menu. It also needs to have a selection of traditional barbecue sides. The following restaurants “meat” the qualifications:
- Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom, Quick Service)
- Polite Pig (Disney Springs, Quick Service)
- Regal Eagle (EPCOT, Quick Service)
- Roundup Rodeo BBQ (Hollywood Studios, Table Service)
- Whispering Canyon Cafe (Wilderness Lodge Resort, Table Service)
Our plan is to dining at each one, enjoy some tasty meats and sides, and give our ratings. If you are a BBQ fan, you’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
New Dining Experiences
On top of our BBQ challenge, we are looking forward to a few new (to us) dining experiences.
The BOATHOUSE
I’m actually quite surprised that we’ve never dined here, since it consistently gets included in lists of the best restaurants at Disney Springs. Our only excuse is that there are so many great places to eat at Disney Springs that we have tended to stick to our favorites. But this year, we are giving the BOATHOUSE a whirl. Hopefully it lives up to the hype.
Yak and Yeti
This is the Pan-Asian sit down restaurant inside Animal Kingdom. This one hadn’t been on our radar until we watched some YouTube videos about their famous Ahi Tuna Nachos. That inspired us to want to check it out on our next visit.
It’s actually surprising that we’ve never been there before, given that both Banshee and Little Buster are Asian cuisine fanatics. But this year, we are correcting that omission.
eet By Maneet Chauhan
This is a relatively new Quick Service restaurant run by celebrity chef Manet Chauhan. If you have ever watched the Food Network, you have probably seen the award wining chef either as a judge or contestant on several of their shows. The restaurant itself features an Indian-inspired menu with a unique fusion flare. Tandoori Chicken Poutine, an Indian twist on a Walking Taco, and several naan-based pizzas are some of the highlights of what appears to be a super creative menu. I know that carb-lover Little Banshee is looking forward to ordering an entire bread service for herself!
Other Disney Springs Fun
Disney Springs is always changing and evolving, so we are looking forward to catching some of their newer offerings
Disney Dreams That Soar
This is the limited time drone show that is currently running at Disney Springs twice nightly. We never seen a drone show on this scale, so we are looking forward to checking out this unique show. Based upon reports, the show is super popular, bringing in the crowds, so we’ll have to play this one by ear based upon how Little Banshee is feeling.
Gideon’s Cookie of the Month
Banshee is a HUGE fan of Gideon’s. On every trip, we need to make a pilgrimage to Disney Springs’ most famous bakehouse to stock up on cookies for the trip (and even a few to bring home and freeze). One of the joys of going to Gideon’s on each trip is checking out the “Cookie of the Month”.
This month, Gideon’s is featuring a Key Lime Chocolate Chip Cookie. I know I am a big fan of key lime pie, so a mashup of it with a chocolate chip cookie sounds delightful… a half pound of cookie goodness!
The Cookie Bar at Summerhouse on the Lake
While it is likely that nothing can beat Gideon’s cookies, we want to give Summerhouse a fair shot. We’ve heard good things about the lemon-poppy cookie, and we’ve been told not to sleep on their specialty Rice Krispy Treats!
Even if it falls short of Gideon’s, any cookie is a good cookie. Besides, we’ve got to try it out for research purposes, if nothing else!
Wrap Up
Not much to add other than… can’t wait!!!!
Once again, please follow us on Instagram @ busterandthebanshee if you want to follow along with our travels. Otherwise, keep checking this space for more long form updates and post-trip reports!
AD: We hope you enjoyed this post. If you are coming to Central Florida and need a place to stay, please consider the Encore Magic Villa. It sleeps up to 12 and features a game room, theater room, themed bedrooms, and private pool… located within a short drive of the Magic!
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