What’s New in EPCOT: Two Unexpectedly Closed Dining Spots and Darth Vader Ears

Hey there friends, let’s take a trip to EPCOT!

Let’s visit EPCOT today!

We visit the Disney World parks daily to bring you the latest news, and every few days we share a roundup of all the new things we found in each park. So if you’re planning a trip to Disney World’s second park sometime soon, then you’ll want to check out this list of what’s new in EPCOT!

Food Updates

Jardin de Fiestas

The booth in the Mexico Pavilion for the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival has been closed off and on for the past few days, and we spotted it closed once again on our last visit to the park.

Jardin de Fiestas has been closed off and on.

We were told that Jardin de Fiestas was closed due to staffing issues, but we’ll make sure to keep you updated with what we see on our next visit. Hopefully, it’ll reopen soon, we really enjoyed some of the eats here!

Fife & Drum

In the American Adventure Pavilion, we stopped by Fife & Drum Tavern to try out the Coke Float that popped up on the menu. It’s the perfect drink for a hot day, and we’ve got a lot of those coming up soon!

This will be deliciously refreshing in the summer!

It was refreshing and cold, just like we hoped, and we’d definitely stop by here and order one again if that’s what we were craving. It’s great to know that we’ve got even more snack options going into the summertime.

L’Artisan des Glaces

And in surprising food news, we’ve noticed that L’Artisan des Glaces was closed for several days on our last few trips. We tried speaking to Cast Members at other locations in the France Pavilion, but none knew the reasoning.

You’ll have to pass on the ice cream!

We didn’t get any information on this closure ahead of time, there was simply a sign hanging on the door. If you’re a big ice cream fanatic, you’ll want to take note of this if you’ve got a visit coming soon. (We’re not sure how long this will last.) In the meantime, maybe check out the new gelato stand in Italy! Do note that the location was open again today.

Click Here to See Our Review of Italy’s New Gelato Stand!

Merchandise Updates

Mouse Gear

There were several merchandise updates at Mouse Gear in EPCOT over the last few days. First of all, there has been a price increase on Wishables. They were previously $9.99 each, but now they’ve gone up to $12.99. 

Wishables got more expensive!

Also, the Darth Vader Minnie Ears were back in stock a few days ago, although they were selling out quickly. You’ll want to keep your eyes peeled if you’re looking to find this headband in the parks because it has been very popular!

We picked up a pair at Mouse Gear!

There’s a new Mandalorian helmet for sale, so fans of the hit Disney+ series can dress up like their favorite character.

How cool is this?!

The electronic helmet has some seriously cool features. Kids and adults alike are going to want this one!

House of Good Fortune

Over in the China Pavilion, we spotted a few new items in the House of Good Fortune gift shop. First up, there’s this gigantic (and expensive!) silver ant for sale! That’s what we’d call a unique Disney souvenir for sure.

$368 for an ANT?!

There was also a cute little bubble tea squishy toy. You could use it as a plush or a stress ball or just put it on display! However, it’s pretty pricey — they’re $22.95 each.

It’s real cute, but it’s also pricey.

And there were some new Lay’s potato chips here as well. 

New weird chip flavors? Count us in!

If you’re in the mood for a snack that you may love (or may REALLY hate), then you may want to buy a few bags of chip flavors that you don’t usually find in the U.S.!

Pin Traders

If you’re looking for a new way to wear your MagicBand that’s not on your wrist, then you need to get one of Disney’s new MagicKeepers!

Keep your MagicBand on a keychain instead!

We mentioned these in a post the other day, but you can take out your RFID-enabled MagicBand puck and put it in the keychain.

The Fjording

In Norway, the Viking helmets had been restocked. These are really fun souvenirs from the World Showcase!

Who doesn’t want a Viking helmet?

Seriously, who needs Minnie ears when you could have a helmet with horns on the side?!

American Adventure

And finally, in the American Adventure, there was a David E. Doss pop-up shop in front of Art of Disney. We found so many beautiful pieces of artwork among the selection.

Lots of new artwork to check out.

And David E. Doss himself was there signing purchases for guests. What a fun sighting!

Click Here to Learn the Secrets Behind Some Famous Disney Artwork!

Attractions Updates

Test Track

Over at Test Track in Future World, we noticed that the ground markers have been removed from the extended ride queue. They currently remain in place in the regular line area.

The markers are gone!

We’ve seen this already at other rides around Disney World, so we’ll be looking out for this change in more places.

Wait Time Glitches

Also, during one of our visits this week, there was an unusual glitch in the My Disney Experience app. Wait times were not popping up for Living with the Land or for Soarin’, although both rides were operational at the time. 

Both rides remained open during the glitch.

When we spoke with a Cast Member, they shared that they didn’t know the reasoning behind the glitch, but they were getting it fixed. Things were back to normal later on, even though the rides continued to operate. If you see something unusual like this, it never hurts to ask!

Click Here to Read About Another Disney Tech Glitch!

That’s everything new we noticed at EPCOT in the past few days, but stay tuned for more updates this week! We’ll be in the parks every day to share the latest news!

What Was New in EPCOT Last Week? Click Here to Find Out!

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When was the last time you visited EPCOT? Let us know in the comments!

The post What's New in EPCOT: Two Unexpectedly Closed Dining Spots and Darth Vader Ears first appeared on the disney food blog.

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