Update for May 7 – 13, 2007
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News and Views
Walt Disney World hotels go smoke-free
Walt Disney World Resort Senior Vice President for Operations Erin Wallace
announced last Tuesday that all hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club accommodations
will become smoke-free by June 1. Demand for smoking rooms has become steadily
lower. Right now, only 3.5 percent of the total 24,000 rooms at Walt Disney
World are designated smoking-optional.
The policy applies to all guest rooms, patios and balconies and designates
outdoor smoking areas at all resorts. The new prohibitions are in addition
to the already smoke-free areas such as lobbies, common areas, restaurants
and convention spaces.
If you’re a smoker, you can still smoke at the resort but you’ll be restricted
as to where you can do it, just like in the theme parks and water parks, which
restricted smoking to designated areas in January 2000.
What do you think of this decision? Let
us know!
This troll stands between the Norway pavilion and World Showcase Lagoon during
the Flower & Garden Festival. Photo by Cathy Sowa.
Man caught in the act of molesting child near Swan pool
A convicted child molester was arrested on Friday, April 27, after being
caught in the act of molesting an 8-year-old girl in the bushes near the pool
area at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort. 61-year-old William Bishop, of
Estero, Florida, had apparently tried to approach several different young
girls before finding that particular girl, who was playing near the pool without
her parents’ supervision.
The brother of one of those girls told his father, who kept an eye on Bishop
as he wandered the pool area. When Bishop went into the bushes with the 8-year-old
girl, the father sent the boy to see what the man was doing. The boy saw Bishop
fondling the girl and himself while videotaping the activity, then reported
back to his father.
The father then notified the pool lifeguards, who went to the area. Bishop
left in a hurry, heading to his vehicle. The lifeguards confronted and detained
him until Orange County Sheriff’s deputies could arrive.
Bishop was hastily erasing the recording in his video camera when caught,
so it’s uncertain whether there’s any footage on there that could be used
against him. However, police seized a laptop and a handgun from Bishop’s car,
and plan to search the computer, as well as his hotel room and his home south
of Fort Myers, Florida, for any evidence.
Bishop has a history of similar arrests dating back to the 1970s, though
all of his convictions pre-date Florida’s current tracking system for sexual
predators. He is being held without bond.
This serves as a reminder that, while Disney vacations can be carefree, they
should not be vigilance-free. While security at the Disney resorts and parks
is widespread, they can’t stop everything. Just as Willie Sutton purportedly
noted that he robbed banks “because that’s where the money is,” child molesters
will naturally be drawn to locations with many children. Have fun on your vacation,
but don’t let your guard down too much and make sure that your kids know what
to do when confronted by a stranger, regardless of where they may be at the
time.
Smaller rock trolls also decorate the landscape. Photo by Cathy Sowa.
Disney swaps land with Reedy Creek
Last Thursday, Walt Disney World and the Reedy Creek Improvement District
completed a land swap, with Disney receiving 4.79 acres of land north of the
intersection of Maple Road and Floridian Way, north of the Grand Floridian
and west of the Magic Kingdom. Reedy Creek received 5.27 acres near the site
of the Western Way expansion.
The Western Way land appears to be some outparcel acreage in the northeast
and southwest corners of the development area on the west side of the Western
Beltway, which might possibly be used for supporting infractructure for the
upcoming development. The Floridian Way land seems to be at or near the site
that was proposed for the proposed new Fire Station #3. We’ll see if we can
find out more about this land swap.
Addendum: Apparently, we misread the deeds, and the swap is taking place
in the opposite direction. Reedy Creek will be receiving the land near
the intersection of Maple Road and Floridian Way for the construction of
Station #3, while Disney will be receiving the additional acreage around
the Western Way expansion. That makes much more sense. We apologize for
the confusion.
Disney adds quinceañera celebrations to its party portfolio
As the Latin quinceañera celebration continues its rise into the stratosphere
of lavish party-throwing, Disney has finally responded with three quinceañera
packages to allow Latina teenagers to have a coming out party in Disney style.
The traditional quinceañera is a coming-of-age celebration for girls
in the Latin community, where she symbolically passes from childhood to young
adulthood.
With a target market of the over one million Latinas turning 15 each year,
these parties range from “A Reflection of You,” with a dessert reception overlooking
Illuminations (starting at $1,800); through “Dancing with a Star,” with a
multilingual DJ providing music for either a reception-style party or a buffet
dinner at a resort hotel (starting at $6,900); to “Belle of the Ball,” featuring
floor-length linens, twinkle-lit trees, artistic centerpieces, tiered cake,
photography, dining and dancing for groups of 100 or more (starting at $20,000).
Additional options include a Cinderella Castle facade, storybook entrance,
horse-drawn carriage, Cinderella’s crystal coach and visits from Disney characters.
To kick the new business off, last Tuesday 15 girls selected from nine U.S.
cities and Puerto Rico via an essay contest were honored with a huge “Dream
Come True” quinceañera party at the Magic Kingdom on the Cinderella
Castle stage. The all-Spanish language event featured a dinner reception in
Fantasyland with mariachis, DJ music, a serenade from pop star Fonseca and
a nearly 11-foot-tall tiered cake. The girls exited down Main Street, U.S.A.
in horsedrawn carriages to a fireworks finale as dawn broke.
Disney has a little information online now in English for Walt
Disney World, and a bit more available in Spanish for Disneyland.
