Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for December 18 – 25, 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

Laugh Floor continues to move toward completion; DVC and AP previews scheduled

The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club continues to have test shows in the Magic Kingdom‘s Tomorrowland, while the animation of the characters involved continues. (Some of the characters still use in-progress animation.) The various “entertainer” characters are testing with varying levels of success. The first officially scheduled dates are the Disney Vacation Club member and Annual Passholder previews on January 19–21, a few days before the official grand opening press event.

The sign is up for the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club and test shows are underway. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

Pirates to take over Seven Seas Lagoon in May

While Disneyland again holds the premiere of the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, Walt Disney World will have its own feature event: A three-day adventure on Seven Seas Lagoon during the week before Memorial Day.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Adventures on the 7 Seas Lagoon will be based out of the Contemporary Resort, with “surprises and thrills that are lurking behind the dark and dreary coves of the Lagoon.”

Based upon the theme of the event, it seems likely that the event will include some sort of event on Discovery Island, perhaps searching for a treasure.

More information is expected to be released at noon this Wednesday about the tiered packages that will be involved. The event will be set up similarly to the 999 Happy Haunts events. Lodging will be included in the top two tiered packages, which will also include unique experiences. Limited-edition merchandise will also be offered for sale, while other special merchandise will be auctioned off at both silent and live auctions.

The event will also feature special guest appearances, with celebrities yet to be announced.

And if it’s treasure yer’ heart be fancying, then venture to the mucky port of Tortuga, where ye’ be sure to find the finest pirate treasures in all the land. But beware this port of riches; swabs like you and their treasures, have been known to disappear?

Tickets for the event will go on sale on January 11, at 2:00 p.m.

Wooden pallets and portable lavatories surround the entrance to the Contemporary Resort’s North Garden Wing as asbestos abatement continues. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Regular season baseball comes to Wide World of Sports

We noted a couple of weeks ago that Disney was negotiating with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Major League Baseball team to bring a regular season series to The Ballpark at the Wide World of Sports Complex. Those negotiations have reached a successful conclusion and the May 15-17 series against the Texas Rangers will be played at Disney’s stadium (link). All games will have a 7:10 p.m. start time.

Individual tickets sales begin on February 17 at Ticketmaster.com, the Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex box office, and the Tropicana Field Box Office. Most ticket prices run from $15 (grass or upper level reserve-obstructed view) to $49 (lower level reserved), but premium tickets for the first four rows behind home plate will set you back $119.

The Devil Rays are one of the lowest-drawing teams in the Major Leagues, often running last or next-to-last in attendance. The Rangers are typically one of the lower-drawing opponents for the Devil Rays, pulling in an average of 7,221 fans for a two-game series at Tropicana Field last May. The official capacity of The Ballpark is 9,500, though the largest official crowd there was 11,431 for an exhibition game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Yankees earlier this year. The Devil Rays are looking to increase their fan base in Central Florida.

Devil Rays season ticket holders will be offered seats similar to those that they hold at Tropicana Field. Those who elect not to attend any or all games in Lake Buena Vista will receive compensation such as a refund, food and beverage vouchers, or tickets to another home game. According to the Orlando Business Review, those who do make the trip will be offered additional perks such as preferred parking, free Walt Disney World theme park tickets and discounted hotel rates.

Various staging areas are set up behind the construction walls at the North Garden Wing. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Western Beltway entrance development paperwork filed

The rumored plan for the entrance to Walt Disney World from the Western Beltway has finally gained some true corroboration. The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), Disney’s governmental arm, filed an application with the South Florida Water Management District on Thursday, asking for permission to grade 31 acres of “remnant citrus groves” near the interchange. The overall area of development would be 330 acres, and would include hotels, clubs, stores and restaurants.

Officially, the work is to remove dirt for usage at a project in Celebration, but since the new development has been included in the paperwork, it follows that the work will also serve as preliminary site preparation for future construction.

At this time, no formal construction plans have been filed with RCID, but there is an apparent understanding that plans will eventually be filed. No further information is available to us at this time.

Construction walls block off entryway work in front of the future site of the Midway Mania attraction at the Disney-MGM Studios. Photo by Stuart Newsom.

Disney Cruise Line offering $25 onboard credit

The Disney Cruise Line is currently offering a $25 onboard credit as an incentive to book online (link). If the Web page is to be believed, the credit is available for all cruises booked online from now through December 31 of next year. That seems to be a long time, so we’re not sure if it is actually supposed to indicate that the deal lasts through the end of this year. We’re trying confirm it one way or another.

In the meantime, you can book this offer in conjunction with other offers, but you can’t add the credit to an existing booking as it’s for new bookings only. If you prefer to book through a travel agent, the agent can book it for you via disneycruise.com and you will still receive the credit.

Thanks to Sue Pisaturo of Small World Vacations (link), a MousePlanet sponsor, for the information.

Donald, Goofy and Pluto topiaries string up Christmas lights at the entrance to Epcot. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Disney tells “Santa” to stop acting in park

“Santa Kicked Out Of Disney” reads one headline. “Disney World Tells Santa Lookalike to Hit the Road” reads another. Some people are up in arms (and getting the story wrong) about Disney asking J.D. Worley to stop telling people that he was Santa Claus as he was walking around the Magic Kingdom last weekend. Apparently Worley, 60—who bears a striking resemblance to the traditional image of Santa—was walking around the park when a child came up to him and asked him if he was Santa. Worley told the boy that he was indeed the jolly old elf. Soon, he was getting a great deal of attention from those wishing to take photos with him and to talk with him.

In an interview with Fox News, Worley’s wife Darlene noted that “J.D. has been playing Santa for a long time. He plays Santa and I play Mrs. Claus. We do it for charity, and we march in parades. We’ve done it for the troops in our local National Guard, and for disabled vets at the local VA hospital.”

Disney at first did ask Worley to exit the park, but after some discussion agreed to let him remain if he removed his red Santa hat and stopped telling people that he was Santa. In a number of interviews, Worley noted his anger and hurt at Disney’s actions and asked how he was supposed to tell children who called him “Santa” that he was not who they thought he was.

I’m going to do a little editorializing on this one.

Just why it took several days to hit the newspapers is a mystery, but the fact that he and his wife do make many appearances as Mr. and Mrs. Claus brings the question of whether or not it was brought to the media as a publicity gimmick. Another possibility would be that someone was looking to give Disney some negative publicity.

The fact that Disney asked him to stop is not surprising. After all, if someone were to be upset by their interaction with “Santa” at Walt Disney World and lodge a complaint at City Hall, it would be hard for Disney to argue that he was not a cast member portraying Santa if they did not make an attempt to stop him, as other Disney characters do walk around the park interacting with guests. (In fact, some reports state that a complaint was indeed filed.) In addition, Disney has its own Santa available for meet-and-greet opportunities, which could cause some confusion with the man walking around with a red Santa hat, a red shirt and blue jeans. And if they allowed him to claim that he was Santa to park guests, what would be to stop someone from coming into the park looking like Captain Jack Sparrow and proclaiming that he was indeed that pirate? “Well, they let the other guy say he was Santa, why can’t I be Jack Sparrow?”

As to the question of how he’s supposed to disappoint the children, it’s surprising that he doesn’t have a stock answer on hand already. Perhaps “no, I’m not Santa, but a lot of people tell me that I look like him.” Or maybe, “No, I’m not Santa, but it’s very nice of you to say that I look like him.” There are many possible answers that Mr. Worley could give that would not devastate children, and perhaps he should be prepared with some the next time that he is in a location with another “official” Santa.

OK, I’ll get off of my soapbox now.

The Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot’s Future World will be open for another two weeks.. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

Quick takes …

…As we approach the holiday season, this warning becomes even more
appropriate. If you purchase any snowglobes or other souvenirs with
water or other liquids in them, please either ship them home or pack
them in your checked luggage. The TSA rules regarding a maximum of 3 oz.
of liquids that must be in ziploc bags taken out for inspection applies
to souvenirs as well. If you want to keep your souvenirs, don’t try to
get them through security. They won’t make it.

…We are hearing that the Rose & Crown Dining Room closes for refurbishment from February 21 through March 14 and Le Cellier Restaurant will close for its own refurbishment May 14–18. The Coral Reef Restaurant will not serve dinner on January 24 due to the “Big Blue World party” for the press event being held January 24–26.

…This past Saturday, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts President of Worldwide Operations Al Weiss, former Walt Disney World President, was presented with the 2006 Charles Andrew Hospitality Award for Community Leadership by the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association for his contributions to the area’s tourism industry through community service.

…The High School Musical Pep Rally will reportedly be moving from the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland to the Disney-MGM Studios some time next month.

…Another cute mini-campaign within the “Year of a Million Dreams” umbrella involves a dreaming snowman (link).

Cranium Command is arguably the most popular attraction within the Wonders of Life. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

…Disney Channel may have The Wiggles, but the newly Greg-less group has signed with Six Flags as the host for “Wiggles World” park areas.

…Prepare to see a lot of the Orlando area’s new marketing slogan in the next year: “Built for families. Made for memories.” The slogan will start appearing in advertising in late January, with a major push starting the day after the Super Bowl.

…WDW’s Annual Passholder Web site has been suffering frequent, lengthy outages this week. The cause is currently unknown to the public. Just keep trying back, and you should eventually get through.

Apparently, Goofy’s Candy Company has as much to do with Christmas as it does with Halloween, with the float returning from Mickey’s Boo To You Parade during the Halloween Party to make an appearance in the Very Merry Christmas Parade at the Christmas Party. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

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

• Dec. 18, 19, 21, 22. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
• Nov. 13 – Jan. 1, 2007. Hollywood Holly-Day Parade.
• Nov. 13 – Jan. 6, 2007. Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade.
• Nov. 13 – Jan. 7, 2007. Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.
• Nov. 24 – Dec. 30. Holidays Around the World.
• Nov. 24 – Dec. 30. Candlelight Processional.
  • Dec. 18–20. Neil Patrick Harris.
  • Dec. 21–23. Cuba Gooding, Jr.
  • Dec. 24–26. Gary Sinise
  • Dec. 27–30. Marlee Matlin.
• Dec. 23 – Dec. 31, as well as all nights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade.

The venerable, oft-reused castle float is doing double-duty this season, appearing in the Disney Dreams Come True Parade (seen here) by day and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade by night. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Trivia question of the week

This week’s question: When the Cranium Commandos first enter the staging area for all of the heads in the pre-show film at Cranium Command, what is significant about the two heads visible when the doors open? Stay tuned to next week’s park update for the answer.

The answer to last week’s question: “Who or what pops out of the teapot at the center of the Mad Tea Party?” is:

The Dormouse.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club – is currently holding occasional test shows and will have its official grand opening during a press event January 24–26.
• Splash Mountain – closes for refurbishment January 2–27.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – closes for refurbishment January 28 – February 11.

Epcot

• The Seas with Nemo and Friends – is now open, and will have its official grand opening during a press event January 24–26.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion – has amazingly returned and will be open through January 1.
• El Rio del Tiempo – closes for refurbishment January 2 – April 1, 2007.
• Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki – closes for refurbishment January 15 – May 25, 2007.
• Rose & Crown Dining Room – closes for refurbishment from February 21 through March 14.
• Le Cellier Restaurant – closes for refurbishment May 14–18.
• Coral Reef Restaurant – will not serve dinner on January 24.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – closes for refurbishment January 2–21, 2007.

Animal Kingdom

• Finding Nemo – The Musical – is now open, and will have its official grand opening during a press event January 24–26.
• Kali River Rapids – closes for refurbishment February 5–9.

Resorts

• All-Star Movies Resort – the Fantasia pool is closed for an extensive rehab through February 18. 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 Calypso buildings to Family Suites continues. All work had been expected to be completed by October 13, but that date has not been met. All buildings not containing Family Suites will be renovated between January and June, 2007.
• All-Star Sports Resort – All buildings will be renovated between June and November, 2007.
• Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Building 6 (Concierge) closes in September, 2007 for a full refurbishment.
• Port Orleans Riverside Resort – The Riverside Mill food court closes for refurbishment from January 2 through mid-April.
• 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 all 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. The two buildings in The Carousel have been completed, and the four in The Grandstand are well underway.
• Wilderness Lodge – We’ve gotten further information that all of the scaffolding is not yet down, though there is much less than there had been. The previous information from staff at the front desk was inaccurate.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – Closed for annual refurbishment October 29; reopens on January 7, 2007.
• Typhoon Lagoon – Closes for annual refurbishment on January 7, 2007, and reopens on March 18, 2007.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays – Saturdays. There will be two performances on New Year’s Eve, a Sunday night.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Hollywood Holly-Day Parade. Nov. 13 – Jan. 1, 2007. The Disney-MGM Studios parade gets a holiday makeover.
• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade. Nov. 13 – Jan. 6, 2007. The Animal Kingdom parade trades its Jammin’ for Jingle in this holiday makeover (link).
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Nov. 13 – Jan. 7, 2007. Jennings Osborne’s amazing display returns to the Studios (link).
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Dec. 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What’s not to like? (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. November 13 – Dec. 31. Downtown Disney gets a holiday makeover (link).

December 2006

• 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).
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade. Dec. 23 – Dec. 31, plus nights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The annual classic returns to the Magic Kingdom.
• 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 is full. [Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]
• Walt Disney World Marathon. Jan. 7. Registration is full (link).
• College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship. Jan. 12-14. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (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).

February 2007

• National Dance Team Championship. Feb. 2-4. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• National High School Cheerleading Championship. Feb. 9-11. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• Twirlmania. February 16?19. Twirlers, auxiliary guard, pom, and dancers descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. Mid-February – late March 29 (link).
• Cheer & Dance National Championships. February 24?25. School & Youth Rec Cheer February 24, All-Star Cheer & Dance February 25 (link).

March 2007

• Cheer & Dance National Championships. March 2?4. All Star/Studio March 2, School Dance March 2?4 (link).
• ESPN – The Weekend. March 2–4. Synergy strikes again as Disney’s flagship cable network returns to the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• National Kidney Foundation 5K for Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness. March 3. Another race for a great cause (link).
• National All Star Cheerleading Championship. March 9-11. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (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.
• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. April 5 – June 3. Epcot comes alive with topiaries, other floral displays, gardening demonstrations and the ?Flower Power? concert series at the 14th annual event (link).
• USASF Cheerleading & Dance Worlds. April 21–22. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).

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).
• Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (link). May 15-17. Regular-season Major League Baseball comes to The Ballpark at Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the first time.
• Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend (link). May 18-20. The annual event features over 30 artists displaying their wares.
• Pirates of the Caribbean Adventures on the Seven Seas Lagoon (link). May 21-24. Disneyland may get the movie premiere, but Walt Disney World gets a three-day, multi-tiered event on open water. Details to be announced on December 20.

July 2007

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp (link). Late July – Mid-August. The Bucs return to Disney for another year’s training camp.

September 2007

• Walt Disney World Triathlon (link). Sept. 23. Athletes compete in a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike ride, and a 10K run. Registration opens soon (link).

November 2007

• Disney Golf Classic (link). Nov. 1–4. Joe Durant returns to defend his 2006 title (link).
• Old Spice Classic (link). Nov. 22, 23, 25. ESPN Regional presents the second annual 8-team, 12-game tournament, featuring George Mason, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Penn State, Rider, South Carolina and Villanova.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Magic Your Way package discounts through March 8, FL resident and AP room rates through February 14

Disney has announced discounts on Magic Your Way packages for January through early March and room-only discounts for Annual Passholders and Florida Residents for January through mid-February.

The Magic Your Way deals include free Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options added to your tickets and are valid from January 1 through March 8, with possible blackout dates for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday weekend. You must book this rate by December 16. No other discounts apply. To book the package, call Disney directly or your travel agent (Small World Vacations is MousePlanet’s preferred travel agency) and request booking code ZCK (standard Magic Your Way package) or ZCL (Magic Your Way Plus Dining).

Room-only discounts are available for Annual Passholders and Florida residents from January 1 through February 14. Discounts are $23 off per night at Value resorts, $46 per night at Moderate resorts and $80 per night at Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts. These rates can be booked up to the night of arrival, depending on availability. Discounts are priced off of rack rate. To book the rates, call Disney directly or your travel agent (Small World Vacations is MousePlanet’s preferred travel agency) and request booking code FCC (Passholders) or BRL (Florida residents).

Thanks to MousePlanet sponsors Small World Vacations and MouseSavers for this information.

Passholder, Florida resident room rates 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.

New discount deal announced for Canadian visitors

Walt Disney World has announced a new discounted offer for residents of Canada. The deal, available most nights from January 1–11 and January 15 – February 14, offers free Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options with purchase of a package. Prices start at US$377 per adult, double occupancy, at Disney value resorts. No other discounts apply. Use booking code ZCV for this offer. Reservations prior to November 2 require a Canadian address, which seems to point to this offer being expanded to U.S. visitors after that date. Packages must be booked by December 16.

Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration rates through the end of 2006

The Radisson Resort Parkway is now the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration! The resort, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced their standard rates through the end of 2006. Note that the nightly rates do not include a $7 per night resort fee.

Click here for more information, or here to make reservations now.

Magic Your Way ticket price guide

Walt Disney World’s entire ticket price structure changed as of January 2, 2005, to the new “Magic Your Way” passes, and prices increased on January 1, 2006, and again on August 6, 2006. Advance purchase discounts are only available on tickets above the base ticket of at least 4 days, with higher discounts on those tickets with both options. Prices do not include 6.5% Florida sales tax.

Park Hours

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through June 2007.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through June 2007.

Theme Park Events

Fort Wilderness movie schedule for December 2006

Movies begin at 7:40 and (on Friday and Saturday only) 9:15. Movies are preceded by a campfire at 6:30 and a singalong at 7:00.

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)

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