Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for December 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007

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’s mostly a quiet week this week, but enjoy the decorations to extend your holiday weekend.

The Magic Kingdom’s Christmas tree glows at night. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Laugh Floor not generating enough power, opening pushed back

Laughter provides power for Monstropolis, and so Mike Wazowski has opened a comedy club to entertain humans and provide lots of power for the monsters—or so the story goes. Apparently, however, there has not been enough laughter in test showings of the attraction and the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club’s official opening has been pushed back to “Spring 2007.”

Word is that, while people were enjoying the show, it was not the huge hit that the Imagineers had hoped for. In trying to build on the success of the previous “living creatures” attractions (the Stitch Picture Phone in Disneyland‘s Innoventions and Turtle Talk with Crush at The Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion at Epcot – which was later duplicated at the Disney Animation attraction at Disney’s California Adventure), the Walt Disney Imagineering did not want to have a lukewarm response to the new attraction. Reportedly, some of the characters were just not clicking with the audience, and there is debate over how to fix it.

Despite the delays, there will still be sneak previews of the Laugh Floor during next month’s press event, so we’ll have a first-hand report for you at the end of January.

The chocolate and candy Toy Shop at the Contemporary Resort features candy figures of Pinocchio, Gepetto and Jiminy Cricket. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

Pirates event details announced

More information has now been released about next May’s Pirates of the Caribbean event that we reported on last week. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Adventures on the 7 Seas Lagoon” will have three tiered packages of varying event lengths.

At the lowest tier, the “‘X’ Marks the Fun” package features events on May 24, through early morning of May 25. For a package price of $199 per person, you get:

• A special themed Pirate dinner with games and entertainment
• A seminar with special guests
• Special event-themed entertainment
• A midnight viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, complete with movie snacks
• An opportunity to purchase special event merchandise through the Random Selection Process
• Admission to the “Walk the Plank of Treasures” event auction
• Commemorative keepsakes

The next step up, the “A Pirate’s Life for Me” package, will run you $700 per person, and starts on May 23. For that cash, you get everything from “‘X marks the Fun” plus:

• Two nights lodging at the Contemporary Resort (May 23-25)
• Event-exclusive seminars with special guests on May 23
• Admission to a pirate dinner feast on May 23
• An event-themed breakfast on May 24

The top tier “Ye Swabs” package will set you back a whopping $2,350 per person, and starts on May 22. In addition to everything from the lower-tier packages, you’ll also get:

• A third night at Contemporary Resort (May 22-25, plus all nights will be at the concierge level)
• A special dinner at the Grand Floridian Resort on May 22
• A special dessert voyage on the Seven Seas Lagoon on May 22
• A special breakfast experience at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in the Magic Kingdom with special guests on May 23
• A private Lunch & Learn with a special guest on May 23

For those couples signing up for the two upper-tier packages, Disney will provide extra nights at the Contemporary, Polynesian or other commensurate resorts matching the number of nights in the package selected. (That would be two additional nights for “A Pirate’s Life for Me” and three nights for “Ye Swabs.” Extra nights must run consecutive with the event stay. Concierge level is not guaranteed for the additional nights on the “Ye Swabs” package.

Event merchandise should appear soon on the event’s Web site.

Reservations begin January 11, 2007, at 2 p.m. EST/ 11 a.m. PST. For event related questions, guests may call 407-827-7600 Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm.

As with all Disney events, this comes with a disclaimer. In the case, everything is subject to change without notice. You can’t redeem anything from the event for cash, and everything is nonrefundable, nontransferable and will be forfeited if you don’t use it in conjunction with the event. Theme park admission is not included. All packages are subject to availability. We do not know yet how many slots are available for each package tier.

So Disneyland may have the Hollywood stars and the red carpet premiere, but Walt Disney World has the Seven Seas Lagoon and the big special event for guests.

The roofs over the popcorn vending locations at the Magic Kingdom’s hub are decorated for the holidays. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

Disney releases quick peek at castle suite

Disney has released the first photo from inside the under-construction Cinderella Castle Suite, sort of. As part of a tour of the suite by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition‘s Paige Hemmis, Disney released a photo of Hemmis with Imagineer Cathy Carver, principal interior designer for the suite. A tour of the work in progress was shown yesterday as part of the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade broadcast.

Imagineer Cathy Carver (right) gives Extreme Makeover: Home Edition‘s Paige Hemmis a tour of the Cinderella Castle Suite currently under construction. Photo by Kent Phillips, (c) Disney.

If you like purple socks, this one’s for you

This Friday, Donny Osmond will be making an appearance at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to sign DVDs and soundtrack CDs from Mulan (he was the singing voice of Shang in the movie), as well as his latest CD “What I Meant to Say.” Osmond will be at Disney Outfitters (the store to your right as you enter Discovery Island from The Oasis) from 10:00-11:30 a.m. He is currently starring on Broadway as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

The tree outside Mickey’s Country House is appropriately “tooney.” Photo by Cathy Sowa.

2007 Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend package announced

Details have been announced for the 2007 Epcot Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend (link), which will take place May 18-20, during the Flower & Garden Festival. Over 30 artists will showcase their wares during the event. Those purchasing the $200 event package will partake in an evening social with the artists, a limited edition private sale, a banquet dinner and live auction, one day’s admission to Epcot, an additional “after 4 p.m.” ticket for the event’s first day, complimentary parking at Epcot, special room rates of $137 (plus tax) per night at the Caribbean Beach Resort and a commemorative event gift. For more information, contact Walt Disney Event Services by phone at 407-827-7600 or via email (link).

The stockings are hung by Mickey’s chimney with care. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

“One Mighty Weekend” beneficiary announced, Gay Days schedule listed

Johnny Chisholm, founder and producer of the “One Mighty Weekend” (link) events during Gay Days at Walt Disney World, has announced that the Elton John AIDS Foundation (link) will be the beneficiary of funds raised at the June 1-3 event.

Gay Days itself will hold its land portion from May 31 through June 3. The schedule will have the crowds at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Thursday, May 31; the Disney-MGM Studios (or SeaWorld) on Friday, June 1; the Magic Kingdom on June 2; and Epcot on Sunday, June 3. Other events will take place at the Hotel Royal Plaza and the Buena Vista Palace.

A wreath hanging from a light post in Toontown Fair brightens up an otherwise dreary day. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

Quick takes …

…Following the lead set by Disney and copied by SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, Universal has announced that it will remove trans-fats from all menus at its parks in Florida and California.

…Hidden Mickeys Guide author Steve Barrett is holding a photo contest to gather images for his next book, a guide to the most luxurious experiences that Walt Disney World has to offer (link). Winners receive two signed copies of the book before its official release.

…After the collapse of talks with Walt Disney World about moving their spring training to the Wide World of Sports Complex due to the lack of commitment from Osceola County, it now appears likely that the Cleveland Indians will be moving their spring headquarters to Arizona in 2009. The move from the Grapefruit League to the Cactus League spells the end to the attempt to have both major league teams named after Native Americans train at the same Disney complex.

…Just a reminder: Effective January 1, Pleasure Island dance clubs (BET Soundstage Club, 8TRAX, Mannequins Dance Palace, Motion and Rock ‘n’ Roll Beach Club) will only admit guests age 21 and older. The Adventurers Club and The Comedy Warehouse will still admit guests of all ages, though those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

A snowman greets visitors to Dinoland, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Photo by Cathy Sowa.

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

• Nov. 13 – Jan. 1, 2007. Hollywood Holly-Day Parade.
• Nov. 13 – Jan. 7, 2007. Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade.
• Nov. 13 – Jan. 7, 2007. Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.
• Dec. 17 – Jan. 2, 2007. No pool hopping for DVC members.
• Nov. 24 – Dec. 30. Holidays Around the World.
• Nov. 24 – Dec. 30. Candlelight Processional.
  • 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.
• January 7. Blizzard Beach reopens as Typhoon Lagoon goes down for its annual refurbishment.

Trivia question of the week

This week’s question: Which of the following has not been awarded a Thea Award by the Themed Entertainment Association: It’s Tough To Be A BugExpedition EverestDisney’s Animal KingdomAnimal Kingdom LodgeDisney’s FASTPASSKilimanjaro Safaris? Stay tuned to next week’s park update for the answer.

The answer to last 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?” is:

The heads feature the faces of the film’s co-directors, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, best known for directing Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

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.
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway – closes for refurbishment January 31 – February 15.

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 opens 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 has 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 closes 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) is closed 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, and reopens on January 7, 2007.
• Typhoon Lagoon – Will close 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).
• 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

• 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 room-only discounts for Annual Passholders and Florida Residents for January through mid-February.

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.

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.