Hello, and welcome to Dateline Disney World! I have to apologize for heading to Magic Kingdom again this week, but Starbucks on Main Street USA has opened, and was most definitely the biggest news story of the week, so we have a detailed report of that. Over 50 photos for you, so let’s go!
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Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!
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The statue of Roy and Minnie is still over near the bathrooms. Maybe soon they’ll also move the plaque explaining the statue?
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This week, Disney opened up its first Florida based Starbucks in the parks. It replaced the Main Street Bakery, although the name is still the same. Starbucks is planned to go into the other three parks as well, with construction already underway for it at Epcot at the old FountainView location.
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Cast Members were outside the new location very excited to help guests out.
Once inside, you can see that the building looks quite different than what was there before, but still feels like it has always been there.
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Notice now that the old seating area has been turned into a mirror image of the ordering area on the left, to double capacity for the food and beverages.
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The details inside the building are great, with lots of old time pictures and props.
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Once entering the queue, you get a menu from the CMs.
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Cereal is available.
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Starbucks VIA and coffee bags are also for sale.
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Typical Disney style grab and go.
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Lovely lighting.
The pastries that you will find here are what you would normally get at any other Starbucks location, nothing exclusive to Disney, nothing that used to be at this bakery location.
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When you get a pastry, the bag has Starbucks on one side, and Disney Parks on the other.
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The receipt also has a link to a survey to let Disney get your feedback. I did the survey in a very honest fashion, and I suggest you all do the same if you get to visit.
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The coffee cups also feature Starbucks on one side, and Disney on the other.
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I have mixed feelings about the Starbucks Bakery. I’ll start with the good. First, the coffee that used to be served in the parks was pretty awful. Being able to get a good cup of joe is fantastic. Starbucks also provides a MUCH wider variety of coffee based drinks, with frappes, specialty coffees, teas, smoothies, fruit based drinks, and more. This also provides a great option for those with lactose intolerances. The Cast Members here all had fantastic attitudes, and were all really enthusiastic about serving these beverages to guests. The building also feels like something that has kind of just always been there, which is excellent. The signage doesn’t scream Starbucks, either. I overheard some guests who were standing right in front of the bakery wondering where people were getting Starbucks coffee from. Utilizing the whole room for serving and making beverages also doubles the capacity in what will undoubtedly be a very popular place to visit.
For the bad, I will say that when I visited, the service was pretty slow. All I ordered was an iced coffee, and it took probably close to 7-10 minutes for me to get it after paying. Some will be upset that the seating area is gone in order to increase capacity. I can understand some of this, but at the same time, efficiency is always of importance. There has also been some outrage over the lack of Disney dishes here, with everything being like a typical Starbucks you can visit at home. This location is more like a regular Starbucks than what was done out at Disney California Adventure. Unfortunately, I feel this will be the standard for the WDW Starbucks locations. But for those looking for cinnamon rolls, you can still get them at Gaston’s, and you can still get Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Liberty Square. So it isn’t like out favorites are gone forever. For those who are concerned that Starbucks doesn’t fit with Main Street, Coca Cola has been a sponsor for YEARS in the parks, you don’t hear folks complain about that.
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Yep, Edy’s ice cream. I would argue that the Edy’s signage is less period appropriate and sticks out substantially more than the Starbucks signs do. Overall, there are both pros and cons to this change, but I think the pros well outweigh the cons, and that this Starbucks will be a large success. I look forward to many more delicious iced coffees on hot, Florida days!
Here are some quick shots of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train from this week.
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This fella doesn’t want to wait for Be Our Guest.
Also, progress continues on Prince Eric’s village, with what looks like more steel and a new mast or piece of a boat rising in the center.
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Some nice flowers blooming near the new castle walls.
From a merchandise perspective, these magnets that I have never seen before are pretty great.
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At $5 a piece, they are a little pricey, but I’m a huge fan of the attraction posters, so I’ll be purchasing them soon.
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Well, that wraps things up for this week! How do you all feel about Starbucks now that guests have entered and you can see all the changes? Let us know in the comments!!
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