Update: Check out the discreet integration of Starbucks into Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe!
We speculated about a Starbucks-Disney collaboration a few months ago, and it turns out the rumors are true!
For decades, one of the biggest food-related complaints about Disney parks was the lack of decent coffee (Disney for many years relied on instant NesCafe and only recently brought in a few spots where Joffrey’s Coffee was sold). Now that Starbucks is planning to join forces with the Happiest Places on Earth, coffee addicts can finally ditch the jitters. 😉
The coffee king will show up first in Disney California Adventure this June, at the brand new Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café. Locations will serve coffee, espresso, frappuccino, and more, and guests will also be able to nosh on signature Starbucks sandwiches, pastries, and desserts.
Other locations will be popping up soon in all four Disney World parks and Disneyland Park. Note that the Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts have served Starbucks for quite a while.
One question I have: How do you “Disney-fy” something as highly-branded as Starbucks? Starbucks locations all seem pretty consistent to me…what would a Disney version be like? The Fiddler location will be themed to the 1920’s vision of Buena Vista Street — including Spanish/Mexican architecture and baristas in 1920s-inspired attire. Other locations will be themed as well.
Are you excited? Concerned? Don’t care as long as you can finally get good coffee? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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I for one rather deal with the poor quality of Nescafe coffee than the poorer quality and overpriced Starbucks coffee, no matter what fancy names they give their brews. And as long as I can still get my Coke in the World, I can even forgo coffee and still get my caffeine fix. What’s next Dunkin Donuts and Pizza Hut?
Issues with the stores being not corporate and being licensed ( like the ones in hotels and the ones at Universal Orlando) Is that they wont accept The Starbucks app way of paying. You cant get your points or use your card….. that is kind of downer…..I tend to steer clear of those locations because if I am spending the money then I want the “credit” for it lol
Was busy today, so I’m a little late to this party. Lots of commeints, right on point. Disney needs better coffee but will some medium blend ever get to the resorts where it is most needed? At what cost? Can we keep refilling those large plastic mugs? Just having Starbuck coffee stores around the property, no matter how much Disney magic is applied doesn’t excite me. I mean they are so ubiquitous.
I think it’s long overdue for Disney to offer better and more varied coffee options to their guests. I don’t mind if it’s Starbucks or not though. Though I wish they were adding better coffee to all the resorts too, and not just in the parks.
First, nobody is going to base their decision to go to WDW on the kind of coffee they have. That’s how they’ve gotten away with Nescafe for so long. It might make people happier, but it won’t make or break a vacation, or even be a tipping point when it comes to the decision to make a return trip.
Those who feel that this is part of a selling out of the parks are, bluntly, wrong. Disney has always had outside brands highly featured whenever they could. Carnation Cafe. Dole whip. The Land by Nestle. I’m not against that at all. It’s practically a Disney tradition.
Finally, I’m glad it’s in the parks. The more variety the better.
I wonder if Starbucks drip coffee will replace Nescafe in food courts or quick service locations (such as The Market House).
I also wonder if Starbucks will sponsor some sort of coffee experience at F&W.
See i can deal with poor coffee in the parks as long as my first cup is not poop! Any chance Starbucks will invade POP any time soon????
I think this is great news. Disney has had a long history of collaboration with other companies (Coca-Cola anyone). I just hope they offer the entire line of beverages, so I can indulge in my ice coffee or iced green tea.
Well, we won’t be giving up our drives to McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts out on 192 any time soon. My husband remarked that now folks will have a choice of Nescafe swill or burned Starbucks swill. He barely tolerated Joffrey’s. What he considers good coffee is more like what was served at Chock Full ‘o Nuts shops in NYC.
Thank heaven I’m a tea drinker. The tea stand in AK/Asia and the Chinese stand in Epcot mean I have some good choices. Now if we could just get something besides Lipton’s on the food court beverage bar…until then, I BMOB (bring my own bags).
I love the idea of a Starbuck’s/Disney merger but I would love it even more if Starbuck’s coffee would show up in the resorts!
I don’t like Starbucks coffee no matter where I can buy it.It’s too strong and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I doubt very much that they will offer it at the food courts as it will cost Disney way too much money to serve it there. Unless, each foodcourt will have a Starbucks stand. I really wish they would serve another brand of coffee besides Nescafe. I will bring my coffee pot and coffee with me until they serve another brand other than Nescafe. That’s my 2 cents worth..
Well, I thought this would be good news for coffee drinkers as I have read so many complaints for so long, but it seems the complaints go on. Not being a coffee drinker myself, but my daughter does like the stuff, she will be happy I am sure. So one happy camper at least. I am sure others will enjoy it as well.
Personally, I think it is a good addition. Other highly branded products are sprinkled throughout Disney parks and don’t affect our magic. Even if Starbucks is not the best coffee out there it is a big improvement over the watered down stuff they have now. Java-chip frappuccino anyone? 😉
@Dot – it’s just the naysayers. All those Starbucks stores all over the world could never stay open and in business if their coffee was that bad and unpopular.
It’s very high quality coffee, roasted in a more European manner, and not the “brown water” most Americans are used to drinking. But more sophisticated palettes understand real arabica beans from all over the world (instead of the usual cheap robusta beans used in Folgers and other garbage coffee), roasted by German master roasters. And many of us really appreciate it!!
Hubby and I are THRILLED to say the least, that we will be able to get a good cup of coffee now. Not having good coffee was actually one of the main reasons we refused to stay onsite. Paying extremely high rates for a room where you can’t even get a decent cup of coffee in the morning? It seemed incomprehensible to us. So we always stay where there is a Starbucks in the lobby or a condo with a kitchen where we can make our own 🙂 SO happy we will be able to get a decent cup in the parks now. Still will have to stay offsite until they get Starbucks in their hotel properties…. 😉
I can imagine that the Disney version of Starbucks would have a big price tag! Universal’s Starbucks are very overpriced too.
Starbucks? Really. I hope this means that the coffee giant is not going to monopolize all the parks and resorts with just their coffee. I get there is a Starbucks crowd, but not everyone likes the coffee.
Now only if we could get Teavana in the parks for us tea drinkers 😉 THAT would make me a happy mocha!!! lol
It’s not bad enough that we are bombarded with Starbucks on nearly every corner and in every strip mall, but now to have them in Disneyland is depressing. Their coffee (and “snacks”) are overpriced and not that great. I, for one, will stop buying coffee in the park altogether if that is going to be the only choice. I also will not buy the Disney mugs if it means I have to use Starbucks. Maybe losing money on merchandise purchases will make them rethink their decision.
Hot Damn…..Now I will enjoy these jaunts much more.
So Starbucks in the park…..how about Mayorga or Illy in the resorts. There are so many good coffee’s out there. My suggestion is take your coffee with you, the rooms have coffee pots, take your filters and your pre-ground coffee. Unless your like me and take the grinder, beans and bamboo filters. Yes I am a coffee snob. Thank you Disney for being true to your culture and partnering with another american company!!
Disney is finally complete. Good riddens nescafe. I dont understand all the negativity about Starbucks. Do you people really know your coffee. Keep drinking your Nescafe mud water. We have been waiting many, many years for this exact merger, Thank you very much Disney, and I know I speak for majority of true coffee drinkers. Pleeeeeeese get it into the resorts ASAP. Thanx Again.
Starbucks. Ugh! I ONLY drink it if nothing else is available. It always tastes over roasted and burnt. I actually like the coffee at the EPCOT outdoor booths. I believe the brand is Joffreys. I’ll skip the coffee at Disney when Starbucks takes over, thank you.
I have followed this for a few hours, and I remembered back in December my friend convinced me to let her buy me a cup of Starbucks, even tho I knew the taste that it left on my tongue. She spent almost $9.00 on our 2 cups and it tasted great going down, however, the end results were awful. Tums, and other indigestion meds helped in the end, but, I vowed I would never have another cup…
Only place I really enjoyed coffee was in Epcot. Otherwise it was instant rubbish. Now Starbucks are coming to the parks I can have a decent Americano wherever I go! I just hope they’ll all be up and running by October!! We have a huge brand here in the UK called Costa (not sure if USA has Costa or not) but it’s Starbucks’ biggest rival. Now, if we could get a Costa up and running in Port Orleans, I’d be very content indeed…
Big plus for us. Nesca-swill was one of the very few downers our WDW experience.
As someone from Philly I can only wish that Wawa and its awesome coffee (200 times better then Starbucks and cheaper) will eventually be on Main Street, I mean one is being built on I-4, I would permanently move to Orlando to be close to my two favorite things in this world!! I hate Starbucks, Wawa forever!!!!!!!
Starsucks is more like it. I like my lattes with an actually coffee taste to it. Not milk with a splash of caffeine. The coffee,espresso,pastrie stands in Epcot are by far better quality and taste.
I miss Douwe and Egberts
Thats the best
I AM THRILLED!!! Being one of the biggest Disney fans in the world… I have often felt I needed to either be at the Poly or bring my own morning Java fix… This is the best Disney news I have heard in a LONG TIME!!!! YAY STARBUCKS!!! YAY!!!!! Doing happy dance in Princeton Texas!! I hope they open some in the hotels…
The Poly will still have the wonderful Kona but I hope they have Starbucks everywhere else!!
I miss the old Disney Theme Park blend coffee. Wish they would return to serving it in the parks and resorts. I still buy cans to brew at home, takes me to my happy place with every pot! Unfortunately, I can never find large cans of decafe anymore but the regular is still in the shops. I don’t mind Starbucks coming but hope they continue to sell Disney coffee too. If they just hadn’t replaced it with Nescafé a few years ago on the property.
I really don’t care for Starbucks coffee at all. I order their iced tea, but I can get much less expensive iced tea that tastes just as good anyplace.
I’m not a fan of Dunkin Donuts coffee either……………..I come from Tim Horton’s country and I really love their coffee and brewed hot tea. Alas, there is no way that can be found in Florida or California.
my family and i prefer ‘peets coffee and tea’ over starbucks. though starbucks is better than nescafe, we will not spend too much money on starbucks drinks. ‘peets’ is our brand because they brew a better coffee.
I don’t drink much coffee myself…maybe a cappuccino every once in a while. But my husband is a black coffee addict. Maybe the specialty drinks @ Starbucks are good, we don’t know from experience, but my husband cannot stand a cup of plain black coffee from there. He says it tastes like its made from sticks and twigs. The other concern we have is PRICE. How much is this gonna cost? Starbucks is already ridiculously overpriced and we all know things are more expensive in the World!! Will anyone even be able to afford it?
Disney REALLY needs better coffee!!! Starbucks is fine by me, but as folks said, it’s the resorts that really need a coffee upgrade.
Kathleen, I too love wawa!! Unfortunately I can only buy it when I travel to Lancaster, PA..I really don’t think Disney will only serve Starbucks, as it will cost Disney way too much to have it everywhere. I believe that it will be on little stands in the parks. Anyone have a clue as to if this will be true? ‘Thank you:)
I’d like to see Disney open their own gourmet coffee roaster maybe in Epcot or the deluxe resorts
Marilyn, that would be my assumption. Like the Ben & Jerry’s shop in Universal, that’s where you go for Ben & Jerry goodness, otherwise it’s standard ice cream at all the other stands. I bet instant Nescafé will still be all over the place. I’m happy with that, it’s a compromise. I’d have even been happy with just one store in Downtown for instance. As long as there is somewhere to get he fix. I went to the Starbucks in Celebration and it was Christmas time. It was beyond cute in there!
Chris UK, I miss the McDonald’s at DTD:( I relied on that for my “good” coffee fix. When we ate at Ohana, I thought I died and went to heaven, the coffee was delicious. I have been tempted to just make a trip to Kona at the Poly and get my coffee fix. But, I now just take my own pot and coffee with me. I can just imagine how cute the Starbucks in celebration was in December…
It is interesting that so many people equate Starbucks with good coffee and everyone else’s preference with swill. Coffee preferences, like potato chips, tend to be regional. I once had an Englishman struck dumb with horror at my preference for slightly bitter coffee–but I grew up with that style, including chicory blends. The best coffees I have tasted were at Mama Leone’s (Italian) restaurant in NYC; at a local bar in York, PA; and the various blends on the old QE2. All were different but good in their own way, being based on quality beans and careful preparation.
Starbucks may seem like the universal American coffee, but it is not. It is the equivalent of a fast-food restaurant. Just as some folks swear by Burger King and others sneer at Five Guys, I think that we all have different tastes when it comes to coffee–except that we may all agree on the awfulness of the Nescafe stuff currently served at WDW.
This is great news! For years now we have been leaving the parks mid-day to go back to our room to brew a good cup of coffee (been bringing our own coffee pot). Now we don’t have to break up our day we can find a good spot and sit back and enjoy.
Doesn’t make a difference to me since I never liked the burnt taste of overpriced Starbucks coffee. Only drink coffee when I’m cold anyway and I don’t go to WDW when it’s that cold.
Way too corporate and commercial to stick in a Disney theme park. If Starbucks coffee was served AT a Disney establishment, fine. Still, I think its overpriced and not even that good. But to make Starbucks outposts in the middle of the magic? I dont want to feel like I’m in the city where there’s a Starbucks on every corner when I’m in Disney. Those are the things I am trying to escape when I’m in Disney.
Disney isn’t a stranger to “co-branding” so I for one am anticipating Starbucks. I do hope that they will disney-fy their drinks (Caramel Mickey-atto’s perhaps) but if they can have Nestle and Coke and Ghiradelli etc. I’m sure Starbucks will fit in fine.
Woopee! Disney and Starbucks. I cant wait to sipping a good cup of coffee in the most Magical place in the world.
I am tired of seeing a Starbucks on every corner and I am not happy it will invade my favorite place on Earth. But it is a free country and maybe while the caffeine addicts are lined up to get coffee I can ride a bunch of rides with short wait times. I will continue to make my own tea at home and bring it in my water bottle to the park. The green tea in Japan at EPCOT beats any green tea Starbucks makes anyway.
Im not a fan of starbucks. Their coffee is too bitter. I wont go their. Couldnt they do better then starbucks???