Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for March 19 – 25, 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

Night of Joy entertainment list released, tickets on sale now

Tickets for the 25th annual Night of Joy events went on sale last Tuesday, as Disney announced the list of acts that will be performing at the Christian music event. The event runs from 7:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. on the nights of September 7 and 8 in the Magic Kingdom, which closes at 6 p.m. on those nights.

Friday night’s line-up is Jaci Velasquez, Brian Littrell, BarlowGirl, Leeland, Jessie Daniels and Sanctus Real performing on stages around the park, while the schedule for Saturday night includes Smokie Norful, Kutless, Red, Mary Mary, Flyleaf and Mark Schultz, as well as the Best of Show winner from the Gospel Music Awards’ Music in the Rockies event.

Advance tickets for the event cost $41.95 plus tax for one night, $71.95 plus tax for both nights, and are available via phone at 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639) or on the Web from Walt Disney World’s tickets page (be sure to select “special events”). If any tickets are left on the day of the event (they often sell out in advance), they will cost $46.95 plus tax.

Star Wars Weekends guest list announced

The official list of celebrity guests has been announced for this year’s Star Wars Weekends at the Disney-MGM Studios, and there are some great guests appearing this year. The event starts off with Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok, Episode VI, and Wald, Episode I) and Kenny Baker (R2-D2, all films) appearing June 1-3. The second weekend (June 8-10) features Ray Park (Darth Maul, Episode I) and Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett, Episode II). There’s be more Fett on weekend 3, as Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett Episodes V and VI) returns on June 15-17, along with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca, Episodes IV-VI and III). The final weekend features Anthony Daniels (C-3PO, all films) and Bonnie Piesse (Beru, Episodes II and III) appearing June 22-24.

Tentative dates leak out for Pirate & Princess Parties

We’ve now got the (not yet officially announced) dates for the return of Disney’s Pirate & Princess Party to the Magic Kingdom this summer. The parties take place on August 11, 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31 and September 3. The calendar at the Walt Disney World Web site has not yet been updated to reflect these dates, with all dates showing normal park closing hours. Expect the park hours and Extra Magic Hours schedule to be modified shortly to reflect this hard-ticketed event. Tickets for the parties go on sale June 1.

Man collapses, dies at Blizzard Beach

Last Thursday afternoon, a 51-year-old man with a pre-existing heart condition collapsed at Blizzard Beach after suffering a heart attack and later died. Cast members performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) on Wicker before Reedy Creek Emergency Services staff took him to Florida Hospital-Celebration Health, where he was pronounced dead.

Oscar Wicker, Jr., of Pulaski, Mississippi, was climbing the stairs to the Downhill Double Dipper when he told his wife that he was not feeling well and that he would meet her at the bottom. According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, Reedy Creek Fire Department Deputy Chief Bo Jones said that “The man turned around and said, ‘I’ll meet you downstairs.’ When he got to the bottom of the mountain, he fell and went into cardiac arrest.”

Woman arrested for selling bogus theme park tickets

Last Wednesday, detectives from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Tourist Policing Unit arrested a 37-year-old woman for selling used multi-day theme park tickets following an investigation in conjunction with Universal Studios and Walt Disney World. Karrie Geith had used chemicals to remove the original names of the buyers and replaced them to make the tickets look new. She then sold them as new park tickets at a booth at 7620 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy (U.S. 192), just west of the World Drive entrance to Walt Disney World. She was arrested on misdemeanor charges of resale of multi-day tickets and fraudulent possession of admission tickets. The ticket booth, owned by Orlando Entertainment, is in rented space within a supermarket, and is not affiliated with the supermarket.

This just reinforces the warnings that we’ve sounded here before: If you’re looking for a discount on park tickets, go through the licensed ticket brokers, of which there are several. MouseSavers.com has links to multiple brokers who have pretty good prices. If you want to be absolutely sure, but directly from Disney.

Adventures By Disney announces “Kids Free” promotion

Three Adventures by Disney itineraries are now offering a “Kids Free” promotion to fill the tours. Each guest booking the Fiesta España (Spain), Path to Pura Vida (Costa Rica) or Imperial Cities (Austria and the Czech Republic) with departure dates between March 19 and September 30 at regular or value season rates is entitled to a free Kids Travel Package for kids 4-14 staying in the same room. One child can travel free per adult, with a maximum of two children per room.

The offer is subject to availabiity, can’t be combined with other offers and only applies to land packages. To book a package, see your travel agent (Small World Vacations is the preferred Disney travel provider for MousePlanet), go to the Adventures by Disney Web site or call Disney at 877-728-7282.

Disney Cruise Line enhances “Disney Dreams” show, Sail-Away Parties

The popular “Disney Dreams” show aboard the ships of the Disney Cruise Line is getting a longer name and some more special effects, scenery and characters. The enhanced “Disney Dreams … An Enchanted Classic” features the addition of Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King in their first DCL appearance, as well as “snow,” laser pixie-dust trails and new animation and scenic elements. What would the addition of everybody’s favorite meerkat and warthog be without music? A medley of “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” and “Hakuna Matata” are now also part of the 55-minute performance. The new show debuts this Wednesday on the Disney Wonder, and will be added to the Disney Magic just in time for its voyage to the Mediterranean in May.

But wait, that’s not all! Starting this summer, Sail-Away Parties aboard both ships features new music, interactive dances and appearances by Disney characters on the upper decks. New visual elements (including live video of guests onboard) will appear on the Ariel Vision jumbo screens. (They’re calling them Ariel Vision, but I could have sworn they used to be called DumboTrons.)

Quick takes …

…If you happen to be at Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at the Contemporary Resort on April 27, you’ll get a special sneak peek at artwork for Disney’s Pin Celebration 2007. Registration for the big annual event (held September 7-9 this year) opens on May 9, so it gives you an almost two-week advance notice on the artwork.

…Perhaps casting an eye to the value-conscious travelers, Disney has included a lengthy release on “How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck” as an addendum to their monthly summary of upcoming events. (We post the “Dateline Disney” releases in the Announcements forum of our MousePad discussion forums each month.)

…It appears that Disney will be installing wireless Wi-Fi access points in three locations at Typhoon Lagoon – the Gangplank Falls load area, Ketchakiddie Creek and near the main wave pool. No word on whether access is restricted to Disney use only, or open to day guests. If they open them up, then you can alternate between bodysurfing the waves and surfing the Internet.

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

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

Coming soon

• Feb. 15 ? March 29. Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
• March 24. “Still Goofy After All These Years” cel release and artists signing.
• March 31-April 8, May 25-28, Jun. 30-Jul. 7, Aug. 31-Sept. 3 and Nov. 19-25, 2007; and Dec. 16, 2007-Jan. 2, 2008. No pool-hopping for DVC members.
• April 1. Walt Disney World Inline Marathon and Half Marathon.
• April 5 – June 3. Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
• April 20, 21, 27, 28. Disney Grad Nite.
• April 21–22. USASF Cheerleading & Dance Worlds.
• April 27. Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at Contemporary Resort.

Trivia question of the week

This week’s question: Where at Walt Disney World would you find a sign saying “Warning! Do Not Pull Rope” with the work “Not” crossed out? Stay tuned to next week’s park update for the answer.

The answer to last week’s question: “Where can you pilot your own miniature Jungle Cruise boats?” is:

Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats, near the exit to the full-size Jungle Cruise attraction.

Do you have a trivia question that you’d like to share? If we choose to use your question, we’ll give you credit in the Update. Email us here.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Haunted Mansion – is closed for refurbishment from June 6 through September 12.
• Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse – is closed for refurbishment from April 30 through May 18.
• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club – is holding occasional test shows and will have its official grand opening on April 2. Annual passholder previews will be held March 30 – April 1.

Epcot

• El Rio del Tiempo – is closed for refurbishment through April 1, including the addition of a Three Caballeros-themed overlay.
• Maelstrom – is closed for refurbishment from April 30 through May 24.
• Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki – is closed for refurbishment from April 15 through August 25.
• Le Cellier Restaurant – is closed for refurbishment May 14–18.
• Lotus Blossom Cafe – is closed for major refurbishment. End date for the work is TBA.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion – has again closed, perhaps forever and perhaps just until next Thanksgiving weekend.

Disney-MGM Studios

• No known refurbishments at this time.

Animal Kingdom

• No known refurbishments at this time.

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 are under renovation between January and June.
• All-Star Sports Resort – All buildings are under renovation between June and November.
• Caribbean Beach Resort – The feature pool is closed for renovation January – June, 2008. Exact dates have yet to be announced.
• Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Building 6 (Concierge) is closed in September for a full refurbishment.
• Port Orleans Riverside Resort – The Riverside Mill food court is closed for refurbishment 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 late 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.

Water Parks

• No known refurbishments at this time.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays – Saturdays. No performances March 18–20, May 20?June 4, July 29–31, September 23–October 1, November 25–27.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex (link). Feb. 15 ? March 29.

March 2007

• “Still Goofy After All These Years” cel release and artists signing (link). March 24. Celebrate Goofy’s 75th birthday at the Disney-MGM Studios with a new collectible.

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 (link). 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.
• Disney Grad Nite (link). April 20, 21, 27, 28. Graduating high school seniors have a huge party in the Magic Kingdom.
• USASF Cheerleading & Dance Worlds (link). April 21–22. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports.
• Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at Contemporary Resort (link). April 27. The popular 3-hour event returns to Fantasia Ballroom G.

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).
• Muddy Buddy (link). May 12. Athletes get down and dirty in this competition. Registration is now open (link).
• Danskin Women’s Triathlon (link). May 12-13. Athletes compete in a 400 yard swim, a 9 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. 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.
• Walt Disney World 70.3 Ironman Triathlon (link). May 20. Athletes compete in a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. Registration opens soon (link).
• 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.
• Gay Days 2007. May 31 – June 3. The 17th annual gathering of the GLBT community at Walt Disney World (link1 | link 2).

June 2007

• Star Wars Weekends (link). June 1–24. The popular event returns to the Studios in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars film.

July 2007

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

August 2007

• Disney’s Pirate & Princess Party (link). Dates TBA. A rerun of this past winter’s new hard-ticketed event celebrates the pirates and princesses in all of us.
• Tom Joyner Family Reunion (link). Aug. 31 ? Sept. 3. The radio host’s annual gathering returns for another year.

September 2007

• Night of Joy (link). Sept. 7?8. Disney’s annual Christian music festival.
• Disney’s Pin Celebration (link). Sept. 7?9. This year, the event’s theme is “Where Dreams HapPin”. Registration opens May 9.
• 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).
• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (link). Sep. 14, 21, 28, Oct. 1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 (dates tentative). Get your costumes ready. The Disney characters will certainly be wearing theirs..
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (link). Sep.28 ?Nov. 11. The 12th annual celebration of things gustatory, plus the Eat to the Beat concert series.

October 2007

• Race for the Taste 10K (link). Oct. 7. The annual October classic steers runners through the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot. Registration is now open (link).

November 2007

• Disney Golf Classic (link). Nov. 1–4. Joe Durant returns to defend his 2006 title.
• Festival of the Masters (link). Nov. 9–11. Disney’s annual arts festival at Downtown Disney’s West Side.
• ABC Super Soap Weekend (link). Nov. 10?11. Your favorite ABC soap opera stars converge on the Disney-MGM Studios.
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (link). Nov. 12 ? Jan. 6, 2008. Jennings Osborne’s amazing display returns to the Studios.
• 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.
• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade (link). Dates TBA. The Animal Kingdom Parade trades its Jammin’ for Jingle in this holiday makeover.
• Holidays Around the World (link). Nov. 23 ? Dec. 30. Epcot’s World Showcase gets storytellers, special entertainment and crafts for kids, the Lights of Winter and a spectacular Christmas tree.
• Festival of the Seasons (link). Dates TBA. Downtown Disney gets a holiday makeover.
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (link). Nov. 13, 15, 16, 26, 27, 29, 30, Dec. 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21 (dates tentative). Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What’s not to like?.

December 2007

• Pop Warner Super Bowl (link). Dates TBA, expected to be Dec. 2?8. Football players and cheerleaders invade the resort for the pigskin championships.
• MouseFest 2007 (link). Dec. 2?10. The annual gathering of the Disney Internet community takes place at sea from Dec. 2?6 and on land from Dec. 6?10.
• Pleasure Island New Year’s Eve (link). Dec. 31. Pleasure Island celebrates the actual New Year.
• New Year’s Eve at Cirque du Soleil. Dec. 31. Cirque puts on special New Year’s performances.
• Atlantic Dance Hall New Year’s Eve (link). Dec. 31. Ring in the New Year at the BoardWalk’s own dance club.

January 2008

• Walt Disney World Half-Marathon (link). Jan. 12. Registration opens January 8, 2007.
• Walt Disney World Marathon (link). Jan. 13. Registration opens January 8, 2007. [Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]

Current Discounts & Promotions

Florida resident and AP room rates through March 30

Disney has announced room-only discounts for Annual Passholders and Florida Residents through the end of March. Room-only discounts are available for Annual Passholders and Florida residents for most nights through March 30. Discounts are up to $40 off per night at Value resorts, $61 off per night at Moderate resorts and $131 off per night at Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club resorts. You can book these rates 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 FCR (Passholders) or FCT (Florida residents).

Passholders and Florida Residents get six months’ admission to Pleasure Island for the cost of one night

Through March 31 of this year, Annual Passholders and Florida residents can purchase a multi-club Pleasure Island ticket for the regular price of $21.95 (plus tax) and get unlimited visits through June 30. Guests must be over 21 years of age to purchase the tickets, and proof of age, proof of an annual pass or Florida residency, and a valid photo ID are required at the Pleasure Island box office when purchasing a ticket or redeeming a certificate from an online purchase. The offer cannot be combined with other discounts or offers, and is not valid for single-club tickets. Guests must be 21 years of age to enter any of the dance clubs (basically anything other than the Adventurer’s Club and the Comedy Warehouse), and must show proof of age at the time of entry.

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 September 2007.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through September 2007.

Theme Park Events

Fort Wilderness movie schedule for February 2007

Through March 10, Movies begin at 7:40 and (on Friday and Saturday only) 9:15, and are preceded by a campfire at 6:30 and a singalong at 7:00. Starting March 11, movies begin at 8:40 and will be preceded by a campfire at 7:30 and a singalong at 8:00.

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)

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