Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for September 11 – September 17, 2006

Go directly to: News & Views | Coming Soon | Trivia of the Week | Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Park Events | Discounts/Promotions | Park Hours | Events/Entertainment Schedule

News and Views

It has been a very slow news week at Walt Disney World, so we’re going to take this lull to recap a number of the rumors that we’ve heard lately in order to fill out some additional space beyond the pitifully few news stories.

Preparing for Mickey’s Not So Scary Traffic Jam

One bit of actual news is that cast members are expecting the worst in trying to clear the park of guests without wristbands on the nights of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year. (The first party is Friday night.) With the parade starting not all that long after the party starts and the park closes, it will be tough to get the changeover done. Each land will be “swept” of those without wristbands before a final sweep down Main Street by guest control cast members walking down the street in a line clearing out everyone who should not be there.

If you’re planning to attend the party, make sure that your wristband is visible and that you retain your park ticket. That will make it easier for you and quicker for the cast members.

Some finish work around the edges of the Theater in the Wild remains, as well. Photo by Brian Warneke.

Around the rumor mill …

…There were auditions last week for the role of Tinker Bell. It’s rumored to be for a new meet-and-greet where guests would be “sprinkled with pixie dust,” which would cause them to shrink to Tink’s size, allowing them to meet the pixie. This is reportedly in conjunction with the expansion of the Disney Fairies line.

…The Illuminations globe may be removed from the show for a couple of weeks in January for a technology upgrade on some of the monitors.

…The princess parade during the Princess and Pirate Party events this winter may feature all of the princesses on horseback.

…Jack Sparrow may make an appearance in the Mickey’s Boo To You parade at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

…It’s rumored that Jungle Cruise and Space Mountain are both scheduled for refurbishments in 2008, with Jungle Cruise budgeted at $13 million and Space Mountain at over $30 million.

The wall blocking the construction site for the new Asia restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom starts at the Flights of Wonder theater. Photo by Brian Warneke.

Disney community fundraising news

MousePlanet’s Mike Scopa is running in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Walt Disney World next month. For more about why he’s running and to donate, go to his fundraising Web site (link).

Also, Terry Pendt, one of the co-owners of KeepToTheCode.com (the official fan site for Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies), is in kidney failure, on home dialysis, and waiting for a donor kidney to become available for a transplant. To help him with his huge medical bills, the folks at FrightFest (a horror-themed event in New Hampshire that he also helped to get off the ground) are throwing a fundraiser at this year’s event, with a two-night party featuring Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees in some of the Friday the 13th movies). If you’re into horror movies and will be in New Hampshire in late October, you might want to consider stopping by the event to help Terry out. For more info on Terry and the event, go to the FrightFest Web site (link).

The Asia construction wall extends all the way back to the restrooms in Anandapur. Photo by Brian Warneke.

Quick takes …

…A reminder that Saturday will see the final performances of Cinderellabration.

…No word yet as to whether the death of Steve Irwin (“The Crocodile Hunter”) by a stingray barb has had any effect on bookings for the Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure at the Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Cay.

…The Main Street Family Fun Day Parade is expected to begin soon, and will run three times daily before the 3 p.m. parade. Ropes and other guest control measures will not be set up for this short parade, as participation is encouraged.

…They have been spending quite a bit of time on sidewalk replacement on the east side of Main Street, U.S.A. recently. There’s also been a delay in the replacement of a lamp post where the west side of Center Street used to be.

…The crane for removing the Happiest Celebration on Earth trimmings from Cinderella Castle arrived a few days early and the decor is just about completely off. Painting should be underway shortly.

…Disney’s Magical Express is moving their location from the “A” side of the terminal to the “B” side, effective October 3.

The construction wall ironically proclaims that it is for preservation purposes. Photo by Brian Warneke.

Don’t keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments. Email Mark here.

Talk about these stories and more on our Walt Disney World discussion forum here.

Coming soon

• August 13 – September 30, “Playhouse Disney in Concert” series at the Disney-MGM Studios.
  • Sept. 11-16 – Ralph’s World (ABC Theater)
  • Sept. 17 – Playhouse Disney Dance Party (Sorcerer Mickey Hat stage)
  • Sept. 18-24 – Imagination Movers (ABC Theater)
  • Sept. 25-30 – Dan Zanes and friends (ABC Theater)
• September 15, 22, 29, October 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
• September 16, Final performances of Cinderellabration.
• September 24, Walt Disney World Triathlon.
• September 29 – November 12, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
• September 29 – November 12, Eat to the Beat Concert Series.
  • September 29–30, Survivor
  • October 1–3. Family Stone Experience
  • October 4–7, Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas
  • October 8–11, Loverboy
  • October 12–14, David Sanborn
  • October 15–16, The Beach Boys
  • October 17–18, Little Richard
  • October 19–21, Three Dog Night
  • October 22–25, The Four Tops
  • October 26–28, Gloria Gaynor
  • October 29–November 1, The S.O.S. Band
  • November 2–4, The Contours
  • November 5–6, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
  • November 7–8, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
  • November 9–12, Jon Secada
• October 7, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K.
• October 8, Disney’s Race for the Taste 10K.

Trivia question of the week

This week’s question: What are the only two dolls in “it’s a small world” that represent the United States of America? Stay tuned to next week’s park update for the answer.

The answer to last week’s question: “While some restaurants at Epcot have changed format over the years (such as Le Cellier, which changed from a buffeteria to a steakhouse), one of its original dining locations has closed to the general public, and is now only open for special events. What is it?” is:

The Odyssey Restaurant, which sits between Future World and World Showcase. It is the location of Epcot’s First Aid station and Baby Care Center, and will be used for several events during this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The restaurant, which probably suffered from its out-of-the-way location, was originally to be located much closer to the main walkway to World Showcase Plaza, but had to be moved due to a sinkhole that is in the middle of the pool that currently separates it from the walkway.

The Odyssey Restaurant sits on the other side of a pool that hides a sinkhole. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Liberty Square Riverboat – has finally returned after its lengthy rehab and refurbishment.
• Mickey’s Country House – will be closed for refurbishment September 11–15.
• The Hall of Presidents – will be closed for refurbishment September 11–25.
• Timekeeper – is closed for good. The Monsters, Inc.-themed The Laugh Floor Comedy Club is expected to open in January, 2007.
• Cinderellabration – will have its last performances on September 16.
• Splash Mountain – will be closed for refurbishment January 2–27.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – will be closed for refurbishment January 28 – February 11.

Epcot

• Nemo’s Undersea Adventure – will open in November in The Living Seas, which will be renamed “The Seas with Nemo and Friends.”.
• Living with the Land – is closed through September 17 to remove Fastpass machines and install a system to deliver automated spiels.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion – is closed for good.
• Yorkshire County Fish Shop – is closed for refurbishment through September 22.
• Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki – will be closed for refurbishment January 15 – May 25, 2007.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show – will not be performed September 14–19.
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – will be closed for refurbishment January 7 – February 10, 2007.
• Studios Catering Company – will be closed for refurbishment September 14–19.
• Backlot Express – will be closed for refurbishment September 20–30.
• Fantasmic – will not be performed November 1–8 while work is done on the island stage.

Animal Kingdom

• Finding Nemo – The Musical – will open in the Theater in the Wild on November 12, with soft openings slated to begin on November 5..

Resorts

• All-Star Movies Resort – the Fantasia pool will be closed for an extensive rehab from September 11 – December 11. All-Star Movies guests can use the “quiet” pools as well as the main pools at the other All-Star resorts.
• All-Star Music Resort – Conversion of the Jazz Inn buildings to Family Suites continues, followed by rooms in the Calypso section. All work is expected to be completed by October 13.
• Polynesian Resort – Work is now underway on the complete refurbishment and upgrading of rooms and hallways in all buildings, which is expected to be completed later this year. Tahiti is currently being worked on, with an expected completion date in mid-November. Aotearoa and Rarotonga will need to have a brief unexpected shutdown in the next month or so in order to allow some electrical repair to the monorail track. The reconstruction and expansion of Captain Cook’s Snack Company is not scheduled to be completed until early December, though it’s possible that it might soft-open before Thanksgiving.
• Contemporary Resort – The refurbishment and upgrading of rooms and hallways in the South Garden Wing also continues, and is now expected to be completed this summer. Rumors indicating that the North Garden Wing could be completely rebuilt as Disney Vacation Club lodgings are growing much stronger.
• Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa – Phase I’s four buildings and Phase II’s eight units are complete, Construction on the six buildings of Phase III is underway, with the six units expected to be completed in mid-2007. The new buildings will comprise two additional sections, to be called The Carousel and The Grandstand.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – Will close for annual refurbishment October 29, and will reopen on January 7, 2007.
• Typhoon Lagoon – Will close for annual refurbishment on January 7, 2007, and will reopen on March 18, 2007.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays – Saturdays. Also, no performances September 17–25, November 19–21 and December 31.

Park Events

September 2006

• Walt Disney World Triathlon. Sept. 24. Athletes compete in a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike ride, and a 10K run (link).
• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Sept. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31. Get your costumes ready. The Disney characters will certainly be wearing theirs. (link).
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Sept. 29 – Nov. 12. The 11th annual celebration of things gustatory, plus the Eat to the Beat concert series (link).

October 2006

• Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. Oct. 7. The annual fund-raising event to fight breast cancer will be run at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this year (link).
• Disney’s Race for the Taste 10K. Oct. 8. The annual Disney 10K race continues its association with the Epcot Food & Wine Festival (link).
• Funai Classic at Walt Disney World. Oct. 16–22. Lucas Glover will try to defend his title at the 36th annual fall golf classic on the Palm and Magnolia courses (link).
• Disney Pin Cruise. Oct. 29 – Nov. 2. This year’s cruise is themed as “Cruisin’ Through Time” (link).

November-December 2006

• Festival of the Masters. Nov. 10–12. Disney’s annual arts festival at Downtown Disney’s West Side, now sponsored by Sharpie! (link).
• ABC Super Soap Weekend. Nov. 11–12. Your favorite ABC soap opera stars converge on the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Nov. 13 – Jan. 7, 2007. Jennings Osborne’s amazing display returns to the Studios (link).
• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade. Dates TBA. The Animal Kingdom Parade trades its Jammin’ for Jingle in this holiday makeover (link).
• Old Spice Classic. Nov. 23, 24, 26. ESPN Regional presents the inaugural 8-team, 12-game tournament, featuring West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Minnesota, Southern Illinois, Montana, Marist and Western Michigan (link).
• Holidays Around the World. Nov. 24 – Dec. 30. Epcot’s World Showcase gets storytellers, special entertainment and crafts for kids, the Lights of Winter and a spectacular Christmas tree (link).
• Festival of the Seasons. Dates TBA. Downtown Disney gets a holiday makeover (link).
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Nov. 13, 17, 27, 28, 30, Dec. 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What’s not to like? (link).

December 2006

• Taping of the Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade. Dec. 1–3. Regis, Kelly and all those performers arrive, and they run those floats slowly down Main Street again and again, causing traffic jams and much merriment in the search for the perfect shot.
• Pop Warner Super Bowl. Dec. 3–9. Football players and cheerleaders invade the resort for the pigskin championships (link).
• MouseFest 2006. Dec. 3–11. The annual gathering of the Disney Internet community takes place at sea from Dec. 3–7 and on land from Dec. 7–11 (link).
• Pleasure Island New Year’s Eve. Dec. 31. Pleasure Island celebrates the actual New Year (link).
• Atlantic Dance Hall New Year’s Eve. Dec. 31. Ring in the New Year at the BoardWalk’s own dance club (link).

January 2007

• Walt Disney World Half-Marathon. Jan. 6. Registration now closed. [Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]
• Walt Disney World Marathon. Jan. 7. Registration now open (link).
• Disney’s Pirate & Princess Party. Jan. 22, 26, 29, Feb. 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 23, 26, Mar. 2, 5, 8. A new hard-ticketed event celebrates the the pirates and princesses in all of us (link).

April 2007

• Walt Disney World Inline Marathon and Half Marathon (link). April 1. Strap your skates on to race from the Wide World of Sports Complex to the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot, and back again.

May 2007

• Disney’s Minnie Marathon Weekend 5K and 1 Mile (link). May 5. The short runs of the ladies-only running weekend take place at and near Downtown Disney. Registration is now open (link).
• Women Run the World 15 K (link). May 6. The course starts at Animal Kingdom, goes through the Studios and ends at Epcot. Registration is now open (link).

Current Discounts & Promotions

Room discounts available for passholders, Florida residents and general public through end of September

Disney has announced new room rate discounts for travel through September 30. New, lower room rates are available to the general public beginning August 19 as room-only reservations or as a Magic Your Way package with or without dining.

Passholders and Florida residents get even lower rates, with value resorts starting at just $59 per night. These rates start August 27.

To make reservations at the general public rates, use promotional code BPN or BPO for room-only reservations, YYC for Magic Your Way packages and YYD for Magic Your Way Plus Dining. Passholders should use promotional code FAU or FAV, while Florida residents should reference code FAR.

Passholder, Florida resident room rates, general public package deals announced for October through December

Annual passholder rates have been announced for October 1 through December 23. Of course, there will be no AP rates during peak Christmas Week dates of December 24-31. The rates very by season (the period covered spans regular, value and holiday seasons), but they’ll give you approximately $20 off per night at Value resorts, $40 off per night at Moderates, and $71-$80 per night at Deluxe resorts. The booking code for these rates is FBZ. (The passholder Web site says FCB, so I would guess that both would work.)

Florida Residents have their own discounts, using booking code FBY. Availability dates are October 5 through December 23, and rates are $5 more than the AP rates.

Both of these rates can be booked up until December 23.

The general public has not been left out, either. Disney has announced a special discount for packages purchased through September 30. For vacations between October 1 and December 23 (with the possible exception of November 19-23 and December 2-8), a great low rate, with the example rate given as $355 per adult for five nights at a value resort, based on double occupancy, with lower per-person rates for juniors and children staying in the same room. The Disney Dining Plan can also be added to these packages.

To book online at the Disney Web site, click “Special Offers” on the left side of the Tickets and Reservations part of the site to see the offer.

To book via phone or through a travel agency, use code ZBG for Magic Your Way packages and ZBH for Magic Your Way Plus Dining.

Disney Rewards Visa cardholders got access to the same discount three days earlier, and can also book through September 30. It’s unknown whether they get anything more than the general public, but the cardholders can book with code ZBC for Magic Your Way packages and ZBD for Magic Your Way Plus Dining.

Special offer for Super Soap Weekend travel from Small World Vacations