Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for August 13 – 19, 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

Say hello to “Hollywood” | 2.25

years of a Million Dreams? | Universal joins Disney at

$71/day | New kids’ program tests at water park

| Adventures By Disney 2008 itineraries

| Cruise fee increase rescinded | Construction

update | Quick Takes …

Say hello to “Hollywood”; Disney-MGM Studios

to get new name

The time for rumors is over. The Disney-MGM

Studios theme park is indeed getting a new name, it was announced last

Thursday. But it’s not one that appeared in any of the rumors. Not Disney-ABC

Studios, not Disney-Pixar Studios, not even Walt Disney Studios Florida. A

transformation is underway, and by January the park will be known as Disney’s

Hollywood Studios.

Now, we know that Florida is not Hollywood, and that Disney’s studios in

California are actually located in Burbank, with the animation studio in the

process of heading to Glendale. But this “Hollywood” is more a state of mind

than a physical location. After all, when the park was dedicated by Michael

Eisner on May 1, 1989, he said:

The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company

and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind

that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion

and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood

that never was and always will be.

So the Hollywood is more symbolic than anything else. Of course, the Sorcerer’s

Hat blocking the Chinese Theater kind of detracts from that, but a reactive

FAQ distributed to cast members to provide answers to questions from guests

notes that, “We feel the Sorcerer Mickey Hat truly represents the magic of

show business and the entertainment wizardry of Disney. This imaginative icon

falls in line with the tradition of Cinderella

Castle at Magic

Kingdom, Spaceship

Earth at Epcot

and the Tree of Life at Disney’s

Animal Kingdom.” This indicates that the Hat is not likely to experience

the disappearing wand treatment any time soon.

The change-over will happen gradually over a period of time, but Disney hopes

to have most of the work completed by January 2008. The current “Disney-MGM

Studios” merchandise will be gradually phased out as they bring in new product.

New merchandise will be available starting in January 2008.

Along with the renaming, some entertainment changes are in store for the

park.

First up, the High School Musical Pep Rally will be replaced this fall with

the “Disney’s High School Musical 2: School’s Out!” this fall. It’ll still

be a show with a traveling stage, but it should continue to draw the “HSM”

fan crowd.

This November, Disney Channel favorite Handy Manny will join the Little Einsteins,

JoJo and Goliath for meet-and-greets in the Animation

Courtyard near Playhouse Disney–Live

on Stage.

Speaking of Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage, that show will get an extreme

makeover in January, when the popular children’s show closes until some time

in February with a new cast of characters. The new show will feature characters

from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and others.

For the holidays, the park will host the Harlem Gospel Choir performing November

30 through December 25. The performance venue has not yet been announced.

In the spring, the Disney

Stars and Motor Cars Parade will ride off into the sunset, to be replaced

by a Florida version of the popular Block

Party Bash “streetacular” from Disney’s

California Adventure.

Finally, Toy Story Mania is now targeted for next summer. We’ll have to wait

to see if they make it.

The MGM-to-Hollywood switch is the first major renaming of a domestic Disney

theme park. I am, of course, discounting the EPCOT Center-to-Epcot ’94-to-Epcot

’95-to-Epcot transition of that park as a minor change, since the net result

was the dropping of “Center.” The only other change larger than this was the

renaming of Euro Disney to Disneyland Paris.

Since Disney’s deal with the owners of the MGM name (who had tried to void

the contract a number of times) is at an end, it’s not surprising that the

name change is being made. Of course, all publicity for the name change focuses

on the fact that the new name better matches what the park is all about. (The

loss of the name will not impact other MGM relationships at this time, as

the deal for the use of the Wizard of Oz scene in The

Great Movie Ride, among others, was separate from the deal for the name

of the park.)

“The new name reflects how the park has grown from representing the golden

age of movies to a celebration of the new entertainment that today’s Hollywood

has to offer—in music, television, movies and theater,” said Meg Crofton,

President of Walt

Disney World. “As Disney continues to grow and invest in our family entertainment

business, we constantly explore new ways to deliver high-quality, immersive

experiences for our guests,” she added. “As a park all about entertainment,

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will deliver like never before. Now we can say

that Hollywood is literally our middle name.”

2.25 Years of a Million Dreams?

Already more of the “15 Months of 1.25 Million Dreams,” the Year of a Million

Dreams will roll on for another year, as Disney has extended the promotion

through December 31, 2008. While no details are available yet about any new

prizes or other changes to the promotion, the promotion has proven popular

enough to allow it to continue for another year, giving Disney time to come

up with the promotion’s successor.

Since October 1999, Disney hasn’t spent much time without a lengthy promotion

in place. (Of course, the 15-month 25th anniversary celebration of Walt Disney

World from October 1996 through December 1997 started the whole trend.) The

Millennium Celebration ran from October 1999 through January 2001, then after

a short break, the 100 Years of Magic celebration of Walt Disney’s 100th birthday

ran from October 2001 through early 2003, followed that fall by the Magical

Gatherings promotion, which ran from October 2003 through December 2004. The

Happiest Celebration on Earth kicked off on May 5, 2005 and lasted until the

start of Year of a Million Dreams, which is now running from October 2006

through December 2008.

Of course, since the terms of the original Disney Dreams Giveaway sweepstakes

have the contest running through the end of this year, Disney will have the

opportunity to play around with what the prizes are, how many of each will

be given out, and how they can be distributed. No word yet on what changes

might be in store. It’s likely, though, that the Cinderella Castle Suite will

continue to be a daily prize.

Univeral joins Disney at $71/day

It took less than a week for Universal Orlando to increase ticket prices

to match Walt Disney World’s price hike at $71 for a one-day one-park ticket.

As with Disney, multi-day passes carry a big discount, and unlike Disney,

advance purchase discounts are available and very steep. Still, the focus

of Universal is also shifting to the purchase of packages and multi-day tickets.

SeaWorld has not yet signaled its intentions, though last year it waited four

months after Disney and Universal before raising prices in December.

New children’s program tests at water park

Last week, a new children’s activities program began running on a trial basis

at Typhoon

Lagoon, similar to the ones available to guests at the Disney resorts.

The supervised program for children ages 3 to 9 is available for pre-registration

through the concierge at the Caribbean

Beach and Pop

Century resorts, and remaining spots are available on a first-come, first-served

basis for all other guests, up the the capacity of 40 children.

The five-week test is included in the price of admission. There will likely

be a fee if the program is made permanent. Check-in starts at 9:30 at Getaway

Glen, near the Leaning Palms restaurant, and the program itself runs from

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The children are chaperoned by Disney’s Ellis-trained lifeguards at a ratio

of about five children per lifeguard, and are separated by age into groups

for ages 3 to 5 and ages 6 to 9. The activities provided vary by age group,

but include: lunch, pitch burst water game, sprinkler fun, water balloon toss,

pirate treasure hunt, limbo, dance party with DJ, trip to Shark Reef, Junior

Lifeguard experience, parachute games, volleyball, and much more. Children

must be potty trained to attend.

If you’re going to be at Typhoon Lagoon in the next four weeks and would

like to relax without your younger children while they have fun, you may want

to give this a shot. If you’re not staying at Pop Century or the Caribbean

Beach, you probably want to get there early to register.

If you do decide to try this program out, write

us and let us know what you think of it!

Adventures By Disney announces 2008 itineraries

Adventures By Disney has announced its 2008 destinations, with eight new

itineraries and 10 returning trips.

New trips include:

• Backstage Magic – California: Hollywood and the Disneyland Resort
• Coasting the Golden State – California: San Francisco, Santa Barbara,

  Los Angeles

• Discovery Down Under – Australia: N. Queensland, Great Barrier Reef,

  Ayers Rock, Sydney

• Enchanted China – Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin, Shanghai, Hong Kong
• Flavors of France – Aix-en-Provence, Luberon Valley, Gordes, Rousillion,

  Paris

• Grande Espana Spain – Madrid, Seville, Barcelona
• Once Upon a Fairytale – Germany: Heidelberg, Trendelburg, Rothenburg,

  Munich

• Sacred Valleys and Incan Cities – Peru: Lima, Machu Picchu, Cusco

Returning itineraries are:

• Southwest Splendors – Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Moab,

  Arches

• Spirit of America – Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Williamsburg
• Quest for the West – Jackson Hole, Grand Teton & Yellowstone National

  Parks

• Path to Pura Vida – San Jose, Arenal, Manuel Antonio National Park
• The Emerald Isle – Dublin, Killarney, Shannon
• Cities of Knights & Lights – London, Paris
• Roma and La Costa Bella – Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi,

  Capri

• Taste of Tuscany – Rome, Orvieto, Siena, San Gimignano, Florence
• Viva Italia – Rome, Florence, Venice
• Imperial Cities – Vienna, Salzburg, Prague

Reservations are now open for returning guests and Disney Visa cardholders,

and open soon for everyone else.

Cruise fee increase rescinded

Last week, we reported that the Disney Cruise Line had informed passengers

with reservations on next year’s Panama Canal repositioning cruises that it

would be charging them an additional $100 per person due to new per-passenger

fees imposed on the cruise lines by the Panama Port Authority that operates

the Panama Canal. However, the increase was the total cost of the fees, rather

than the increase over the $83 per person in fees that DCL had already built

into the fares.

Passengers were up in arms about the price increase, since it appeared that

Disney was trying to pocket the additional $83 per person rather than just

charging the $17 per person increase.

The backlash from cruisers that had been building since the letters went

out a couple of weeks ago has caused Disney to do an about-face, and the cruise

line has announced that it will absorb the cost of the fee increases.

Construction Update

This week’s listing of interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange

County last week:

• Repainting of the exterior of merchandise shops in Tomorrowland.
• Replacing of all carpeting in the County Bounty Tent in Mickey’s

  Toontown Fair.

• Improving the lighting at the Emporium on Main

  Street, U.S.A.

• Intalling motorized rotating signage for the monorail & ferry boat at

  the MK Main Entrance.

• Replacing of air handling units throughout the Magic Kingdom.
• Relocation of the fast food location in the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater,

  home of Fantasmic,

  into the berm to clear more space on the walkway.

• Construction of two screen walls at Playhouse Disney–Live on Stage,

  most likely to accommodate the show changes.

• Installation of new smoke detection system at Rock

  ‘n Roller Coaster.

• Installation of a new flooring system and carpet on the first floor of

  DisneyQuest, hinting that the troubled facility may not be closing just

  yet.

• Removal and replacement of the tiles on the planter walls at Innoventions

  West.

• Modifications for accessibility to the east and west restrooms of the

  Contemporary

  Resort Convention Center.

• Installation of more permanent wiring at the North Servce Area’s main

  fireworks bunkers.

• Replacement of 44 existing Marina lights at the Contemporary Marina with

  new fluorescent lights. All holes from the old fixture area around the new

  lights will be repainted to match the existing structure.

• Installation of lighting enhancements to Trader Jack’s at the Polynesian

  Resort.

• Installation of new ADA chairlist, transfer tier and parallel handrails

  into the Surfboard Bay pool at the All

  Star Sports Resort.

Quick takes …

…Disney endurance races continue to fill up. The Tower of Terror 6.5K

has now sold out, though the 13K is still at 60 percent capacity. Meanwhile,

while the Half Marathon and Goofy Challenge are sold out, the Marathon creeps

toward that status, and is now at 91 percent of capacity. The Family Fun Run

5K is at 55 percent of capacity.

…The new National Treasures exhibit at the American

Adventure will feature Abraham Lincoln’s hat, George Washington Carver’s

microscope, Mark Twain’s pens and Sen. Daniel Inouye’s Purple Heart, among

others. The nearly 40 exhibits, on loan from museums and private collections,

will be displayed indefinitely.

…Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki‘s reopening

as Teppan Edo has been pushed back to November 1.

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

• July 27 – Aug 16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp.
• Aug. 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31 and Sept. 3. Disney’s Pirate & Princess

  Party.

• Aug. 24. Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at Contemporary Resort.
• Aug. 31 – Sept. 3. Tom Joyner Family Reunion.
• Sept. 7–8. Night of Joy.
• Sept. 7–9. Disney’s Pin Celebration.
• Sept. 9. Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K.
• Sept. 23. Walt Disney World Triathlon.
• Sep. 14, 21, 28, 30, Oct. 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26,

  28, 30, 31, Nov. 2. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

• Sep.28 –Nov. 11. 12th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

  [View our special Park Guide page.]

• Aug. 31-Sept. 3 and Nov. 19-25, 2007; and Dec. 16, 2007-Jan. 2, 2008.

  DVC members may not pool-hop on these dates.

Walt Disney World trivia question of the week

This week’s question: This week’s question was submitted by MousePlanet

reader Mike Ricciardi. What is the only attraction at Walt Disney World

that can be found in all Disney Magic Kingdom-style theme parks throughout

the world (except Hong Kong Disneyland, so far), but all of these are located

in a different “land” in each park? Stay tuned to next week’s park update

for the answer.

The answer to last week’s question: “Where in Disney’s

Animal Kingdom can you see a real Baobab tree growing and full of leaves?”,

which was submitted by MousePlanet reader Anthony Uriaus, is:

The Baobab is the bare looking upside-down tree seen a number of times

on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. The real tree is located just outside the entrance

to Tusker House, and when the air temperature falls below 50 degrees it

must be wrapped with blankets and kept warm. It was found growing just outside

Miami and purchased for a considerable sum.

The view towards Kilimanjaro Safaris from Tusker House with the real baobab

tree in the foreground and a fake baobab in the background. The main safari

entrance is just to the left of the fake tree and the entrance of Tusker House

is just to the left of the real tree.

Correction to last week’s answer: We stated that Walt Disney World’s

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was themed

to “Wyoming’s Monument Valley.” Monument

Valley is, of course, located in Utah and Arizona. Thanks to all of the

readers who wrote in to correct us. Last week’s Park Update, as well as the

Park Guide page that we took the answer from, have been corrected.

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. E-mail us here.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Haunted Mansion – closed for refurbishment

  through September 12.

• The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm

  – closed for refurbishment August 20–24.

• Donald’s Boat – closed for refurbishment

  September 4–18.

• Astro Orbiter – closed for refurbishment

  September 9–22.

• Liberty Square River Boat – closed

  for refurbishment September 17-20.

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad –

  closed for refurbishment October 1-24.

Epcot

• Spaceship Earth – closed for refurbishment

  July 9 – November 13. Removal of the wand is expected to be completed

  by late September.

• Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki – closed

  for refurbishment through August 20. It will reopen on November 1 with a

  new name: Teppan Edo.

• Tempura Kiku and Matsunoma

  Lounge – are being reconfigured into a new dining experience to

  be called Tokyo Dining,

  to open fall 2007.

• L’Originale

  Alfredo di Roma Ristorante – closes on August 31 and reopens under

  new management on September 1 under the name “Tutto Italia.” Tutto

  Italia closes in the spring of 2008 for a complete remodeling, and reopens

  in fall 2008 under yet another new name.

• O Canada – closed for refurbishment

  August 6–31.

• The American Adventure Pavilion –

  the American Heritage Gallery is closed through September 26 for installation

  of a new exhibit.

• The Wonders of Life pavilion – has again closed, perhaps forever

  and perhaps just until next Thanksgiving weekend. It appears that The

  Making of Me is being dismantled to clear the central area for use as

  part of events for the 2007 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

• Nine Dragons – closes in early

  2008 for renovations that include the creation of an exhibition kitchen.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – closed

  for refurbishment September 4 – October 4.

• Mickey Avenue – closed through

  at least next spring for installation of the Toy Story Mania attraction

  and related theming.

Animal Kingdom

• Yak & Yeti Restaurant – the new combined full-service and quick-service

  restaurant opens November 2007.

• Tusker House – closed August 20

  – November 17 for conversion to a buffet restaurant with a character

  breakfast.

• Restaurantosaurus

  – Donald’s Breakfastosaurus ensd November 5. The McDonald’s-based restaurant

  remains open for lunch and dinner.

Resorts

• All-Star

  Sports Resort – All buildings under renovattion between June 2007

  and February 2008. The Surfboard Bay pool will be closed August 27 –

  October 4 for refurbishment. Guests can use the Grand Slam pool at All-Star

  Sports or the feature pools at the other All-Star resorts.

• Boardwalk

  Resort

  – Big

  River Grille and Brewing Works closed for refurbishment August 18 –

  September 1.

• Caribbean Beach Resort – The feature

  pool will be closed for renovation January – June, 2008. Exact dates

  have yet to be announced.

• Fort Wilderness Resort – Hoop-Dee-Doo

  Musical Revue will not be performed on Tuesday or Wednesday between

  September 4 and October 24.

• Grand

  Floridian Resort & Spa – Building 6 (Concierge) closed in September

  for a full refurbishment. 1900 Park Fare restaurant is closed for refurbishment

  through October 1.

• Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa –

  All buildings are now complete and open.

• T-Rex Cafe – reportedly opens in Downtown

  Disney in early 2008.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – closed for annual refurbishment January 6

  – late winter.

• Typhoon Lagoon – closed for annual refurbishment October 28

  – January 5

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays –

  Saturdays. No performances September 23–October 1, November 25–27.

• Official All-Star Cafe atDisney’s

  Wide World of Sports Complex – closes on September 23, and is expected

  to reopen on November 20 as a quick-service eatery.

Park Events

August 2007

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp (link).

  July 27 – Aug 16. The Bucs return to Disney for another year’s training

  camp.

• Disney’s Pirate & Princess Party (link).

  Aug. 11, 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31 and Sept. 3. A rerun of this past winter’s

  new hard-ticketed event celebrates the pirates and princesses in all of

  us.

• Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at Contemporary Resort (link).

  Aug. 24. The popular 3-hour event returns to Fantasia Ballroom G.

• Tom Joyner Family Reunion (link).

  Aug. 31 – Sept. 3. The radio host’s annual gathering returns for another

  year.

September 2007

• Disney’s Pirate & Princess Party (link).

  Aug. 11, 15, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31 and Sept. 3. 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.

• Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at Yacht & Beach Club Resort (link).

  Sep. 6. A special 2-hour edition of the event helps to kick off Disney’s

  Pin Celebration.

• 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.

• Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K (link).

  Sept. 9. The annual fund-raising event to fight breast cancer will be run

  at Disney’s Wide World of Sports this year.

• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (link).

  Sep. 14, 21, 28, 30, Oct. 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28,

  30, 31, Nov. 2. Get your costumes ready. The Disney characters will certainly

  be wearing theirs.

• Walt Disney World Triathlon (link).

  Sept. 23. Athletes compete in a 1.5K swim, a 58K bike ride, and a 10K run.

  Registration opens soon (link).

• Mickey’s Pin Trading Night at Contemporary Resort (link).

  Sep. 28. The popular 3-hour event returns to Fantasia Ballroom G.

• 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

• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (link).

  Sep. 14, 21, 28, 30, Oct. 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28,

  30, 31, Nov. 2. 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.

• 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).

• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K and 6.5K (link).

  Oct. 27. Disney’s first night-time endurance event is Halloween-themed,

  and concludes witha big after-party. Registration is now open (link).

November 2007

• 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.

• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (link).

  Sep. 14, 21, 28, 30, Oct. 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28,

  30, 31, Nov. 2. Get your costumes ready. The Disney characters will certainly

  be wearing theirs.

• 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.

• Pirates of Castaway Cay pin cruise (link).

  Nov. 11-15. Pirates, pins and a Disney cruise, all rolled into one.

• Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (link).

  Nov. 12 – Jan. 6, 2008. Jennings Osborne’s amazing display returns to the

  Studios.

• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade (link).Nov.

  12 – Jan. 6, 2008.The Animal Kingdom Parade trades its Jammin’ for Jingle

  in this holiday makeover.

• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (link).

  Nov. 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30, Dec. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18,

  20, 21. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What’s not to like?

• 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.

• 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.

December 2007

• Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (link).

  Nov. 12 – Jan. 6, 2008. Jennings Osborne’s amazing display returns to the

  Studios.

• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade (link).Nov.

  12 – Jan. 6, 2008.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. 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30, Dec. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18,

  20, 21. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What’s not to like?

• Pop Warner Super Bowl (link).

  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

• Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (link).

  Nov. 12 – Jan. 6, 2008. Jennings Osborne’s amazing display returns to the

  Studios.

• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade (link).Nov.

  12 – Jan. 6, 2008.The Animal Kingdom Parade trades its Jammin’ for Jingle

  in this holiday makeover.

• Walt Disney World Half-Marathon (link). Jan. 12. Registration is now open (link).
• Walt Disney World Marathon (link). Jan. 13. Registration is now open (link).

  [Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]

June 2008

• Gay Days 2008 (link1

  | link 2).

  June 6 – 9. The 18th annual gathering of the GLBT community at Walt Disney

  World.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Hotel Royal Plaza offers discounts to MousePlanet readers

MousePlanet sponsor Hotel Royal Plaza, in the Downtown Disney resort area,

has enhanced its deal for MousePlanet readers. From now through the end of

the year, anyone booking

their stay through the MousePlanet Web site has been able to receive discounted

rates up to 20 percent off on all room types. Now, for a limited time, you

can get even more! The discounted rates now include free breakfast for two

in the Giraffe Café!. Plus children 10 and under always eat breakfast for

free! (Two children 10 and under eat free from the kids menu when accompanied

by an adult dining from the regular menu.)

The completely-remodeled 394-room resort is located on Hotel Plaza Boulevard,

just a few minutes’ walk from Downtown Disney. Bus service to all Walt Disney

World theme parks is included with your stay. Their Giraffe Café restaurant,

Giraffe Tavern sports bar, Marketessen deli-style café and Sips Pool Bar are

ready to serve you.

We’d like to invite you to try

their hospitality!

August/September passholder, Florida resident discounts announced

Disney has released discounted room rates for passholders and Florida residents

for August and September. Discounts are available for select Disney Vacation

Club and deluxe resorts for most nights from August 5 to September 29, and

at moderate and value resorts for most nights August 5–9, August 12–29

and September 2–29.

For passholders and Florida residents, the DVC rates start at $164 per night

plus tax in a studio at the Old Key West

or Saratoga Springs Resorts. Prices go up

from there depending on the resort and accommodations.

In addition to those two DVC resorts, discounts are also available at all

deluxe resorts, with passholder rates $5 per night less than Florida resident

rates. Some sample rates are garden view rooms at the Polynesian

($249 passholder/$254 resident), Contemporary

($225/$230) and Grand Floridian ($295/$300).

Rates at the moderates start at $94 per night for passholders and $99 per

night for Florida residents. Value resorts start at $64 for both passholders

and Florida residents.

Minimum stay requirements apply for Friday and Saturday arrivals. All rates

can be booked up until the date of arrival. Passholders and Florida residents

can book via your respective Web sites, by calling your travel agent (Small

World Vacations is MousePlanet’s preferred Disney travel provider) or

by calling 407-560-7277 for passholders or 407-560-7722 for Florida residents.

Discount codes are FDR (passholder) and FDT (Florida residents).

Disney’s Price Slice golf rates are back

Disney’s popular summer golf discount program, Disney’s Price Slice, will

return from May 14 through September 27. During that time, a round of golf

at any of the Walt Disney World courses

will be less expensive after 10 a.m. daily, due to the heat of the summer

season. The Magnolia, Palm, Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge courses will carry

a fee of $55, while the Lake Buena Vista course will cost $45. Rates include

the use of an electric cart, and are $34-$44 cheaper than regular rates.

The rates include the use of an electric cart and are discounted from the

before-10 a.m. prices of $99 for resort guests/$109 for day visitors (Magnolia

and Osprey Ridge), $89 for resort guests/$99 for day visitors (Palm and Eagle

Pines) and $79 for resort guests/$89 for day visitors (Lake Buena Vista).

To reserve a tee time, call 407-WDW-GOLF (407-939-4653) or go to the Disney

Golf Web site (link).

Note that the site’s front page still appears to have difficulty with browsers

other than Internet Explorer. Once you get past the front page, you should

be all right.

For ticket prices, park hours, and entertainment schedules, please go here.

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and comments. Email Mark here.