Next summer, Starbucks will open at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot at Walt Disney World. In June, the first Starbucks in a Disney theme park opened at Disney California Adventure.
At the Magic Kingdom, the Starbucks will replace the Main Street Bakery which will close in January 2013. It will reopen as a Starbucks location in early summer.
At Epcot, Fountain View will close in March 2013 and reopen as a Starbucks location in midsummer.
As with the location in California, the new Walt Disney World locations will be designed to fit the theme of their surroundings. At Magic Kingdom Park, for example, cast members will wear a costume consistent with the early 20th century look and feel of Main Street, U.S.A. At Future World in Epcot, the new Starbucks location and cast member costumes will be designed to match the park’s futuristic theme.
The Starbucks locations at Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot will both offer the standard Starbucks beverage menu and standard assortment of sandwiches and baked goods. In addition, the location will carry many of the baked treats from the Disney bakeries, similar to how the California location offers a mix of Disney and Starbucks products in the display case.
The Disney Starbucks locations operate as a franchise location, which means you can use your Starbucks card to pay for beverage but you will not accrue Starbucks rewards points (and likely cannot use any free beverage on your card).
In our experience at the California location, the prices were higher than a typical Starbucks and the cast members didn’t have the same level of polish as a typical Starbucks. We expect the Florida locations will share the same high prices, but are holding out hope that the cast members will be better trained this time around.
Update: In response to feedback about the changes coming to the Main Street Bakery, The Disney Parks Blog clarified how Starbucks will be integrated to the Main Street Bakery when it reopens next summer.
Here’s some additional information about our Walt Disney World Resort Starbucks locations. The Main Street Bakery will keep its name and theming when it reopens in early summer. It’ll also continue to serve Disney favorites like cookies, brownies and seasonal cupcakes, in addition to Starbucks signature beverages and other items. And for those of you who asked in comments, the cinnamon rolls are available at Gaston’s Tavern in New Fantasyland, and the ice cream sandwiches are available at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, U.S.A.
Hipster Mickey image by Jerrod Maruyama
Even if it is priced higher than normal, I’m glad that Disney is adding Starbucks to the theme parks. It was one of those things everyone wanted and I’m surprised it took them this long to add.