Update for October 15 – October 21, 2007
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News and Views
Leave your Segway at the door | Part-time contract approved quietly | 2008 Ambassadors selected | Super Soap Celebs set | Disney’s Wilderness Preserve reintroduces endangered bird | Construction update | Quick Takes …
Leave your Segway at the door
Access advocates are taking on Disney in a new arena – the ability of those with access issues to enter Walt Disney World theme parks on board Segway personal tranporters. An organization called Disability Rights Advocates for Technology (or DRAFT) has taken up the fight on behalf of those who use Segways to get around due to injuries or other disabilities that make it difficult to walk to allow them to ride their Segways in the parks. The organization is making the same push at SeaWorld Orlando.
While Disney conducts guided tours inside Epcot and around Fort Wilderness aboard Segways and uses them for cast members on duty, they do not allow guests to bring their own Segways into the parks. Walt Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty told the Orlando Sentinel that, “We’re not turning people away. We’re turning away a particular form of transportation.”
Some of Disney’s concerns include the fact that there is no way to ensure how well-trained each Segway operator may be, how well they can handle their scooter in the crowded, unpredictable environment of a theme park, and the fact that privately owned Segways can travel 12.5 miles per hour, as opposed to the roughly 5 miles per hour that Disney has throttled their editions down to.
Construction on the Yak & Yeti Restaurant & Market butts up against the edge of Flights of Wonder’s Caravan Stage (those blankets to the left). Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Construction continues with the tallest facade facing the approach over the bridge from Discovery Island. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Construction on the restaurant continues along with walkway across from the shops at the entrance to Asia. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
It continues along around the turn toward Kali River Rapids and Anandapur. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
…and goes all the way back to the public restrooms in Anandapur, near the exit from Kali River Rapids. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Part-time contract approved quietly
With much less furor, discussion or publicity than that surrounding full-time contract negotiations this spring, Walt Disney World and the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) have agreed to terms on a part-time contract that was ratified by the union’s members prior to the expiration of the previous contract.
While this spring’s contract negotiation was contentious and ratification took two votes and was completed nearly six weeks after the expiration of the previous deal, the same union umbrella organization wrapped up the part-timers’ agreement quickly and quietly, winning ratification on September 14, just over two weeks before the September 29 expiration of the old contract.
The new deal took effect on September 30, and included a number of gains for cast members. Pay scales and benefits were increased to match the rate of full-timers, and part-timers will now receive time-and-a-half for working on holidays. The new deal runs through September 2, 2010.
All six member unions of the STCU endorsed the contract, and it was approved by a whopping 96 percent of those voting, as opposed to the 53.3 pecent that approved the full-timers’ contract. The STCU represents six member unions, which in turn represent 21,000 full-time and 8,000 part-time employees with responsibilities as varied as attractions hosts, custodial staff, vacation planners, character actors, bus drivers, florists, food & beverage servers, hotel staff, lifeguards, monorail drivers and stage technicians.
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2008 Ambassadors selected
On Friday, the 2008 Walt Disney World Ambassador Team was announced during ceremonies at the Theater in the Wild at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Cast Members Kerri MacPherson and Tameka Chianti Newman will be the 37th team to represent the resort, following the 2007 team of Lowell Doringo and Michael Kelley.
MacPherson began her Disney career in the Walt Disney World College Program in 1994, and continued as a World Showcase Fellowship Ambassador at the American Adventure pavilion, then at Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Parks & Resorts Sales and Services and the Disney Institute teams.
Newman’s career began in the entertainment department at Disneyland in 1996. She then interned in New York for ABC Television on the daytime talk show, “The View” before moving to Florida to join the Walt Disney World College Program. Since then, she has had experience in many areas at Walt Disney World including stage management, labor operations and production coordination. She currently acts as a recruiter for the Disney College and CareerStart programs.
Mickey Mouse joins (from left) 2007 Ambassador Lowell Doringo, 2008 Ambassadors Tameka Chianti Newman and Kerri MacPherson, 2007 Ambassador Michael Kelley , and Walt Disney World Resort President Meg Crofton during their recent announcement of the 2008 ambassadors. Photo © Disney.
As Ambassadors, they will now appear at and/or help officiate at over 1,000 events during the second Year of a Million Dreams at Walt Disney World and around the globe.
Best wishes to each of them as they start their new roles.
Super Soap Celebs set
The list of celebrities attending this year’s Super Soap Weekend at the Disney-MGM Studios has been set. The event, which runs from November 10-11 this year, will for the first time include actors from the SOAPnet series General Hospital: Night Shift.
Here’s the rundown of who’s who, including an indication (*) of which stars are attending their first event.
All My Children:
- David Canary (Adam/Stuart)
- Bobbie Eakes (Krystal)
- Melissa Claire Egan* (Annie)
- Thorsten Kaye (Zach)
- Michael E. Knight (Tad)
- Susan Lucci (Erica)
- Cameron Mathison (Ryan)
- Alicia Minshew (Kendall)
- Aiden Turner (Aidan)
- Jacob Young (J.R.)
General Hospital:
- Bradford Anderson* (Damien)
- Julie Berman (Lulu)
- Tyler Christopher (Nikolas)
- Josh Duhon* (Logan)
- Sonya Eddy* (Epiphany)
- Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth)
- Kimberly McCullough (Robin)
- Kelly Monaco (Sam)
- Jason Thompson (Patrick)
- Laura Wright (Carly)
General Hospital: Night Shift:
- Nazanin Boniadi* (Leyla)
- Dominic Rains* (Leo)
- Kent King* (Lainey)
One Life to Live:
- Kristen Alderson (Starr)
- Kathy Brier (Marcie)
- Brandon Buddy* (Cole)
- Kamar de los Reyes (Antonio)
- Kassie DePaiva (Blair)
- Michael Easton (John)
- John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex)
- Forbes March (Nash)
- Erika Slezak (Viki)
- Trevor St. John (Todd)
- Tika Sumpter* (Layla)
- Bree Williamson (Jessica)
Menus wanted!Want to help MousePlanet upgrade our park guides? We’re looking to add menu information for all restaurants to our Walt Disney World Park Guide (link). Send photos or scans of menus (no fair copying from other Web sites) to menus@mouseplanet.com (link). Please note that there is a 5MB limit on total attachments in a single email. |
Disney’s Wilderness Preserve reintroduces endangered bird
Last Friday at dawn, five pairs of federally endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers were released into the wilds of the Disney Wilderness Preserve. The release by Nature Conservancy scientists was part of an effort to help the birds return and create a new colony in Central Florida. The longleaf pine trees in the Preserve is an ideal home for the birds. The release was the culmination of 15 years of work by the scientists.
The 12,000-acre preserve now houses 17 endangered and threatened species.
Artwork on the construction walls show a ground-level view of the new shop being constructed in the middle of the north end of the Grand Canyon Concourse. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Artwork on the other end shows the aerial view of the shop. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Work on the shop is proceeding fairly well. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
A closer view shows the cabinetry and some supports. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Construction Update
This week’s listing of interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange County in the last couple of weeks:
