The Christmas season is in full swing at Disney World, and at Rope Drop [dot] Net HQ. The Magic Kingdom has it’s Christmas decorations up (and is having it’s “Very Merry” Christmas Parties), The Studios has its ‘Flurry of Fun”, and Epcot has it’s “International Festival of the Holidays.”

If you’re going to Epcot’s “International Festival of the Holidays” and thinking about trying out some of the food items available at the holiday kitchens, you can find the full menus here. Josh over at easyWDW also has a post with his favorite items, as well as reviews of the individual kitchens:

• Canada Yukon Holiday Kitchen
• China Shanghai Holiday Kitchen
• Cookie Nook
• Feast of the Three Kings
• France Alsace Holiday Kitchen
• Germany Bavaria Kitchen
• Italy Tuscany Holiday Kitchen
• Japan Hokkaido Holiday Kitchen
• Mexico Las Posadas Kitchen
• Morocco Tarabaki Holiday Kitchen
• Refreshment Cool Post
• United States American Holiday Kitchen

Now, with that out of the way, it’s time for the rest of the News Nuggets:

• New Spy Glass Grille Restaurant at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Set to Open in Early 2018 – Not a lot of details outside of “we know that it will feature Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.” Then again, do you really need anything else?
• Mark Your Calendars For More Moonlight Magic in 2018 – Since Elyssa and I aren’t DVC members, we don’t track these dates too closely. If you are a DVC member, however, it might be worth checking this out.
• List of Interactive Exhibits and More Details Revealed for the NBA Experience at Disney Springs – It’s going to require a separate ticket to do certain things? I thought it was going to just be a big restaurant like the Comcast grill at Uni.
• Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen at The Magic Kingdom Radically Alters Menu Once Again – No more mac-and-cheese means I doubt I’ll ever convince Elyssa to eat here again. Josh from easyWDW has a review of the new items..
• Permits Filed and Building Placement Revealed for Tron Coaster and Main Street Theater – Nothing exciting is revealed in these permits, but it’s at least some evidence that things are progressing.
• Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Returns December 15th, The Last Jedi Scenes Being Added – Adding a little Last Jedi flavor for the holidays.
• Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar Releasing “Jingle Cruise” Elephant Mug This Week – If I was already having a drink at Trader Sam’s I might pick one of these up. I’m not interested enough in them to wait in line in the morning for one, though.
• Sushi Lands in The Cool Ship at the Magic Kingdom – To someone like me—who isn’t a sushi guy—this seems as strange as when I see sushi in a gas station.
• easyWDW Review of Refurbished Room at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – Josh takes a detailed look at the new Yacht Club rooms. They seem to follow the refurbishment trends of Pop and Coronado (which mirror the wider hotel trend of more minimalist design, with lots of “multi-use” space.) I like the room in the abstract, but I wish they could add a few more “theming” touches (like how the headboard used to look like it had a porthole in it.)
• Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail Debuts Extended Weekend and Holiday Hours – I enjoyed walking the Christmas Tree Trail last year, but this year felt much more cramped and crowded (I’m not sure if there were just more people there because of Santa being at the end, or if the path is actually narrower.)
• Bon Voyage Tangled & Little Mermaid Breakfast at Boardwalk Expanded to Offer More Reservations – Now offered through noon (which is fine, since that “breakfast calzone” is a definitely fine for lunch.) I assume this is just for the Christmas season, though.
• Disney CEO Iger is likely to extend his term beyond 2019 if Fox deal happens – It feels like Iger pretty much has a Supreme Court style “lifetime appointment’ at this point.
• Guests Can No Longer Order Merchandise by Phone or Email from Disney Parks, Will Have to Rely on Shop Disney Parks App & ShopDisney – I never used the other methods, but I usually don’t have many issues with the iOS app.
• Ray-Ban Sunglasses Featuring Mickey Mouse Are Back by Popular Demand – I hope this becomes an annual thing (so I don’t feel so much pressure to make sure nothing ever happens to mine.)
• Transformation Details Revealed for Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort – Looks like an interesting concept. WDW News Today has a few additional images of the concept art.
• Reunion Station at Wilderness Lodge to Offer Disney Vacation Club Members Paid Lounge Experience – Interesting. I wonder if you have to be a “direct purchase” member (or whatever that’s called) in order to do this.
• easyWDW Review of Dinner and Chocolate Kitchen Sink Beaches and Cream at Disney’s Beach Club Resort – I share Josh’s thoughts on the food quality. These days, Elyssa and I grab a burger at Crew’s Cup before going to Beaches & Cream for dessert (though we might try Ale & Compass’ burger now.)
• New Venues from Patina Restaurant Group, Including The Edison and Maria & Enzo’s, Take Their Place in the Disney Springs Story – “An adults-only scene for guests ages 21 and up” with “gravity-defying aerialists?” Great. (Though it’s probably not the best sign that the dates for the tour have already been delayed for a week.)
• First Look: Brand-New Galactic Transformations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique During Star Wars Day At Sea – There is an adult version. That said, you still have to get on a boat to do it.
• Ample Hills Creamery at Disney’s Boardwalk to Offer ‘The Last Jedi’ Ice Cream Flavors – If they’re still there for NYE, I’m sure I’ll give them a try.

That’s it for this edition of the News Nuggets. Elyssa and I recently spent a day at Disney World and tried out Ale & Compass and a few other quick things. Hopefully, we’ll have those thoughts up shortly!

See you next time!