Are the New Magic Kingdom Photo Sessions Worth it?
Plus, First Look at EPCOT Food and Wine 2023 and more Disney Travel News
Disney announced an expansion to the Capture Your Moment photo sessions in Magic Kingdom Park; are they worth it? This story, plus the first news about the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival; an update coming for Star Tours; Rogers the Musical is happening; and an update on Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
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It's Time to Plan Your Summer Disney World Vacation: EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival starts July 27
The 2023 edition of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival will run from July 27 through November 18. Depending on when you attend, the festival will have slightly different offerings. 25 Global Marketplaces will include returning favorites, plus several new additions that will change as the festival turns from summer to fall.
Highlights of the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival include:
Emile’s Fromage Montage is back for 2023: Try any five cheese dishes listed in the Festival Passport, collect the stamps and then head to Shimmering Sips to get a free sweet treat unique to the festival.
Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak: a Ratatouille-inspired adventure where you search for Remy throughout World Showcase and the Global Marketplaces.
And just in time for Halloween: take part in Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit, a special pumpkin scavenger hunt running from September 29 through October 31.
Eat to the Beat Concerts will be back and we will share line-up details once they're released. Check for more festival news any time at TasteEPCOT.com.
NEW Capture Your Moment Photo Sessions Coming to Magic Kingdom
Capture Your Moment is a Disney PhotoPass product that offers a 20-minute personalized photo session with a Disney PhotoPass photographer in any Disney World Park you choose.
Magic Kingdom photo session locations have included Main Street, U.S.A. and around Cinderella Castle. Now they've added a new Capture Your Moment experience in Fantasyland, starting on May 1.
New locations include the back of Cinderella Castle, Prince Charming Regal Carousel, Rapunzel’s tower, Prince Eric’s castle, Storybook Circus, Belle and Maurice’s cottage, outside Beast’s castle, around Mad Tea Party and more. You are guaranteed one photo location per session, but if you're quick many sessions end up visiting a few locations to take photos. You'll check-in for this experience at Sir Mickey’s where a photographer will help you choose a photo prop and the locations you want to use.
Disney noted you may even be able to visit a location beyond Fantasyland to capture photos, such as the Haunted Mansion or other spots in Liberty Square. Ask your photographer about available options and how long they'd have to capture photos at these locations.
Each 20-minute Capture Your Moment session is $99.00 and can include up to eight guests. The corresponding photos are not included in the price of a session. If you have a Disney PhotoPass entitlement, such as Memory Maker or Memory Maker One Day, or if you are a qualifying Annual Passholder with a Disney PhotoPass add-on benefit, you can download the photos taken during Capture Your Moment at no extra cost. You can also decide to purchase photos individually.
Bookings for Capture Your Moment in Fantasyland will open on April 24, with sessions offered daily starting May 1. Bookings can be made up to 60 days in advance, and advance reservations are strongly recommended. A limited number of same-day reservations may be available; so check the My Disney Experience app for availability.
If you want to do Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique before a Capture Your Moment session in Fantasyland, Disney recommends booking a photo session to begin at least two hours after the start of the boutique time.
Star Tours Will Feature New Adventures Starting in 2024
In 2024, Disney will (finally) be adding more stories and characters to Star Tours at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disneyland Park in California.
It's Happening: ‘Rogers - The Musical’ will Premiere on June 30 for a Limited Engagement at Disney California Adventure Park
In the first episode of “Hawkeye,” viewers saw a Broadway musical featuring the life of Steve Rogers, Captain America. Disney has now officially announced that a real-life one-act musical theater production of “Rogers: The Musical” will hit the stage at the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure Park for a limited-time engagement, starting June 30, 2023.
The production features a cast of singers and dancers telling the story of Steve Rogers joined by Peggy Carter, Nick Fury and select members of the Avengers. The musical will take us on a journey from Steve’s humble beginnings during World War II to becoming Captain America, leading the Avengers and beyond.
Music will include “Save the City,” from the Disney+ series “Hawkeye”; “Star Spangled Man” from the film “Captain America: The First Avenger”; plus, five new original songs written just for “Rogers: The Musical” at the Disneyland Resort.
“Rogers: The Musical” is a 30 minute show that will take place from Tuesday through Saturday most weeks. More details as the date draws closer.
Mama Odie May Just Be the Start of the Show on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
New ride renderings released by Disney show Mama Odie joking with guests along the journey after a special display of her magic. The two-hundred-year-old Bayou Fairy Godmother, with her eccentric belongings and “seeing eye snake” Juju, is comically eccentric (yet wise and all-knowing) throughout the adventure. Actress Jenifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie in “The Princess and the Frog,” is returning to her role for the attraction.
To make room for this new magic, Splash Mountain at Disneyland park will be closed starting May 31, 2023, so we can begin the next phase of development for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.