Food & Beer

The Battle Over Straws at Walt Disney World

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Cup with straw in front to castle at Magic Kingdom

The humble drinking straw appears to have become a political lightning rod and the controversy has extended to Walt Disney World. It almost seems like you can tell someone’s political affiliation by their straw preference, it’s the new “paper or plastic?” for this generation. In July 2018, Walt Disney World announced a major environmental initiative to eliminate single-use plastic straws in all their global parks and resorts by mid-2019. In 2023 Disney went one step further in no longer making any straws readily available at quick service locations and only providing paper straws upon request. However, Florida lawmakers are now trying to ban paper straws in the state starting in 2027 due to concerns over PFAS (forever chemicals) often found in paper straws. Scientists however point to similar PFAS chemical concerns with plastic straws as well the consumption of microplastics. It seems like the answer going forward may just be no straws.

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Six Flags Launches New “Perks & Play” Reward Program

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Six Flags Logo

Six Flags has launched its new rewards program that appears to be an improvement on the excellent previous program. The new Perks & Play program unifies the Six Flags loyalty programs into one seamless experience.  If you held a Season Pass in 2025, you might remember the “visit-to-earn” model of Pass Perks where rewards were unlocked based on monthly attendance. This is now gone with no visit requirements or complex point systems to track with benefits throughout the season simply by being a member. Six Flags mentioned this type of program better fits today’s busy families and it also lets them dynamically use marketing and attendance info to push and pull attendance throughout the year.

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Firehouse BBQ at Six Flags Over Georgia Up for USA Today 10BEST Award with More New Food Options Coming in 2026

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The Firehouse BBQ at Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) has been nominated for “Best Theme Park Restaurant” in USA Today’s 2026 10BEST. Firehouse BBQ was a new dining option for 2025 at SFOG and it’s great to see it already getting such great recognition. We had a chance to review Firehouse BBQ last year and it’s easily the best dining experience in the park and part of a broader initiative to improve dining options across the chain. This has included multiple Six Flags parks hiring their first-ever executive chefs including Jeremy Hacker at Six Flags Great Adventure, Josh Streeter at Six Flags New England and Priscilla Nicole at Six Flags Over Georgia. I’ve personally met Pricilla, she is simply wonderful and has been doing great work for the park.

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The Best Beer Deal in Theme Parks is at Fun Spot

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Beer sign at Fun Spot Kissimmee
Beer sign at Fun Spot Kissimmee
Beer sign at Fun Spot Atlanta
Beer sign at Fun Spot Atlanta

Alcohol at theme parks, once a rarity, is becoming increasingly common. The Busch Garden parks have always had it given their original ownership by Anheuser-Busch and alcohol availability at Disney parks is still sparse, but growing recently. Universal has had alcohol essentially since inception and fully embraced it with numerous options at Epic Universe. However, in almost all these locations (sans free beer days at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld), you’ll pay a pretty penny for a drink. However, one place breaks this mold with what is the best deal you’ll find on beer in the theme park industry and that’s Fun Spot at their Orlando, Kissimmee and Atlanta locations. You can get a 22 ounce beer in a souvenir glass for only $9.99 and refill it for just $3.99 all season long!

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Will Six Flags Souvenir Refill Bottles Become a Thing of the Past?

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Six flags refillable bottles

If you’re like me you have a small collection of souvenir refill bottles from theme parks. Probably my biggest collection is from my home park, Six Flags Over Georgia. However. when I renewed my season pass this year there was a new option for 2026, a paper cup option. It is quite similar to the sports bottles with refills available every 15 minutes, but you don’t need the bottle as you’ll get a new paper cup each time. Upon a little research, it appears this paper cup program has been an option at the legacy Cedar Fair parks since 2017 that is now coming to the legacy Six Flags parks. Signs are also pointing to this being the only option in 2026 as there is no 2026 bottle option online.

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Drinking Around the Universe at Universal Epic Universe

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Epic Universe entrance
Epic Universe Chronos Tower

Universal Epic Universe has quickly established itself as a prime destination for thrill-seekers and, as it turns out, for those seeking unique and sophisticated adult beverages. The park, which opened on May 22, 2025, has made a name for itself not just with its incredible rides and themed worlds, but also with a diverse and creative lineup of cocktails, beers, and other alcoholic libations. Whether you’re looking for a refreshing spritz in Celestial Park or a potent potion in the Ministry of Magic, here’s a guide to some of the top spots to find alcoholic drinks at Epic Universe.

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New “Beak and Barrel” Tavern is Magic Kingdom’s First Public Bar and One of the Few Ways for the General Public to Drink at the Park

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The Beak and Barrel sign

Getting an adult beverage at Magic Kingdom is not easy, and that’s thought to be somewhat intentional. While the other Walt Disney World Parks more openly sell alcohol at bars and kiosks (think “Drinking Around the World” at EPCOT) alcohol has generally been hard to come by at the Magic Kingdom. You can generally get it at table service restaurants, but otherwise it was as part of an upcharge event like the “Fireworks and Dessert Parties“. This has now changed with the opening of The Beak and Barrel Tavern Magic Kingdom’s first bar.

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Disney’s Spaceship Earth Mickey Balloon Popcorn Bucket from EPCOT Can Teach Us a Lot About Math

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Spaceship Earth Popcorn Bucket in front of Spaceship Earth (Picture from Karol Brinkley)

Popcorn buckets at Disney are a big deal and a good deal. The themed buckets look great and are highly collectible, but are also useful as a refillable popcorn container in the parks at a reduced price. Some of the standard refillable buckets are simple cylinders with printed graphics, but the premium refillable buckets border on works of art with some containing electronics and lights. There have been some amazing ones recently, with the popcorn bucket featuring the Imagination Pavilion and Figment from the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts getting a ton of buzz. However, the one that caught my eye was Spaceship Earth Mickey Balloon popcorn bucket. It of course looks great, but I got to thinking, what if the actual Spaceship Earth was a popcorn bucket?

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Dining at Promenade Primo’s Pizzeria at Six Flags Over Georgia with Italian Street Food Inspired Pizza

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Promenade Primo's Pizzeria at Six Flags Over Georgia
Promenade Primo’s Pizzeria (courtesy of Six Flags Over Georgia)

Primo’s is one of three restaurants at Six Flags Over Georgia to see major upgrades this year with the others being DeeJay’s Diner and Firehouse BBQ (formerly Daddy O’s BBQ). In a press release about the Primo’s upgrade, Six Flags Over Georgia mentions, “Primo’s Pizzeria now has a new pizza recipe featuring a thicker crust, along with new menu items inspired by Italian street food.” In addition to a new pizza recipe Primo’s also features new chicken pesto sandwiches on focaccia and sausage piadina flatbreads inspired by Italian street food.

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Would you Pay $1,000 to Have Breakfast with Disney Characters?

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If you have kids of a certain age, character breakfasts are a big thing. It’s a chance for kids to have a somewhat extended interaction with some of their favorite characters while parents get some great pictures. During these interactions you often overpay for the food in exchange for the atmosphere and entertainment value, but a family’s experience at Disneyland may have taken this to a new level. John Tolkien recently posted about his $937.65 tab for his family of 5 at the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at Disneyland. At $142/person for adults and kids over 3, so after tax and tip that’s nearly $1,000 (and the internet has been going nuts).

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