Update for October 22 – October 28, 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
New Year’s Eve lineup | Get the good
news from Mickey, again
| DVC extension update |
Child molestation case finally closed | Construction update | Quick Takes …
New Year’s Eve lineup announced
Once again, Walt Disney World is throwing
multiple parties all over property to celebrate the New Year. Some are included
in regular admission, while some are hard-ticketed, higher-priced affairs.
Three of the four theme parks will be open to ring in the New Year, all included
in standard park admission. The final night of existence of the Disney-MGM Studios (before becoming “Disney’s Hollywood Studios”)
will see the park open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. with three performances of Fantasmic
(6:30, 8:30 and 10:00 p.m.) and the Osborne Lights, plus “a special showering
of fireworks at midnight.” Whether that’s the Lights! Camera! Happy New Year!
fireworks shown last year or something smaller is unknown at this point.
Hours at the Magic Kingdom will be slightly longer, with the park opening
at 8 a.m. and staying open until 1 a.m. There will be two showings of SpectroMagic
at 7:00 and 10:30 p.m. In addition, Hoiday Wishes
will be seen at 8:30 p.m. and the New Year’s edition of Fantasy in the Sky
will once again appear at 11:50 p.m.
Epcot will also be open from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m., and will feature
live music around the park and two showings of Illuminations.
The first showing will be at 7:30 p.m., while the special New Year’s extravaganza
will run at 11:40 p.m. (Hint: watch from the vicinity of the Germany
and Italy pavilions to see the New Year’s
finale of Illuminations and Fantasy in the Sky at the same time!)
While Disney’s Animal Kingdom won’t be open until midnight (we don’t
want any fireworks freaking out the animals now, do we?), the park will be
open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for those who want a longer day at the park before
celebrating quietly back in the room (or putting the kids to bed early). The
Jingle Jungle Parade will run at 3:45 p.m.
Of course, it’s not just the theme parks that celebrate the New Year. Cirque
du Soleil will host two special presentations of La
Nouba on New Year’s Eve, at 6 and 9 p.m. The show will feature a special
souvenir program, a “champagne toast celebration,” glow sticks and a gift.
Tickets are $67-$139 plus tax, depending on location.
While now a couple of years removed from its legendary party with big-name
headline acts, Pleasure Island is still holding a six-hour party from 8 p.m.
to 2 a.m. including live music, dancing in the streets, a dinner buffet, hats
and noisemakers, fireworks, midnight champagne toast and fireworks. The party,
which will include all seven clubs on the island, will run you $99 plus tax
per person. Annual Passholders can get up to two tickets for $89 each plus
tax.
While not included in the official press release, it appears that Atlantic Dance at the Boardwalk
Resort will also be holding its annual New Year’s Eve bash, as well. With
a $20 cover charge and first-come, first-served admission, it might be a good
option for those who don’t want to brave the theme parks and don’t want to
pay the cost for Pleasure Island. There will be “dueling Video DJ’s” playing
music videos and tunes from the last 30 years, plus a champagne toast at midnight.
You must be 21 years old to enter. If you want to stay at Disney’s
Animal Kingdom until closing, then dance your way into the New Year, this
might be a great choice for you, as the doors open at 9 p.m.
Innoventions has yet another new logo. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Even the construction signs are getting into the 25th anniversary spirit..
Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
…and yes, we’ll have to wait until November 14 before we find out what.
Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Get the good news from Mickey, again
Once again, Walt Disney World will be holding a promotion to let you have
Mickey himself give your family the good news that they’re going to Walt Disney
World with a phone call on Christmas Day. If you book a Walt Disney World
vacation between November 23 and December 23, you can sign up to have the
Mouse deliver the news.
It’s expected that you can once again choose from a Merry Christmas or Happy
Holidays greeting. If the details from last year repeat, you’ll also need
to provide your birthdate and a phone number to call on December 25, as well
as your reservation number, to schedule the call. The call will be made between
9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Magic Your Way vacation packages start as low as $58 per person per day for
a family of four in a standard room at a value resort. To book your trip,
visit disneyworld.com/gift or
call 407/W-DISNEY between November 23 and December 23. (The web address is
not yet active, so don’t try to jump the gun.)
Get your MousePlanet gear!The MousePlanet.com store is now open for business (link)! You can get shirts, mugs, hats and even a Teddy Bear! Check it out and show your MousePlanet pride!
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DVC extension update
Three weeks ago, we reported
about the official terms of the Disney Vacation Club lease extension at the
Old Key West Resort and wondered about the
remaining unanswered questions. We’ve finally received official answers to
the questions from DVC, though we’re not sure how valuable the answers will
be to you. Let’s take a look:
Q: Can those who elect not to extend their ownership interest change their
mind and repurchase their extra 15 years from DVD later on?
A: “Members are being give the option to add on to their membership
or not at this time. We do not have plans at this time to extend the offer
again. However, we reserved the right to do so.”
Q: If they don’t extend, what will that do to the resale value of the
points?
A: “We cannot speculate on the resale value of points.”
We followed up by asking:
Q: [W]hile DVC can’t speculate on what might happen to resale values, you
should be able to speculate on the dollar level at which you’d exercise your
right of first refusal, which does have an impact on resale values. Can you
project what impact extending vs. not extending might have on the point at
which you’d use ROFR to buy the ownership interest back?
A: “We really can’t speculate on resale value or the dollar level.”
Q: Why is Old Key West the only one receiving this offer? “This is our
flagship resort and this offer was in celebration of our 15th anniversary.”
What about the rest of the 2042-class resorts (Hilton Head, Vero Beach, BoardWalk,
Beach Club and Wilderness
Lodge)?
A: “Disney’s Old Key West Resort is the only property where this offer
is being extended at this time.”
Q: Why are [you] forcing this decision on DVC members (who have about
five months to make up their minds, complete their financing and pay in full)
35 years in advance?
A: “It is a Member’s choice to add on or elect not to do so. Members
are able to finance the extension amount through Disney Vacation Development
the same terms we offer for financing of new purchases.”
So basically what they’re saying is that they’re not saying. What’s most
likely going on here is that this is a trial balloon to gauge interest and
response from DVC members. If there is a huge amount of interest, you can
probably bet that the other 2042-class resorts will follow. If it falls flat,
this will be a one-shot-only deal. Disney will likely watch the resale market
to see what happens to the going rate for ownership interests both with the
15-year extension and without before determining what they’re going to do
with ROFR trigger points. The ability to repurchase the extra 15 years later
if not done now will probably be another decision based on market values.
So if you’re waiting for Disney to blink first, it’s not going to happen.
Make your decision based on your best guess as to whether you think that the
extension will be good for you. As for me, I’m going to hold off on my decision
for now. I’ll be at the DVC Condominium Association annual meeting on December
4, and maybe I’ll have a little better idea of what I’m going to do after
that.
The Disney Vacation Club area is closed for a major refurbishment at Disney’s
Animal Kingdom. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
The Harambe School is an interactive learning adventure in Africa at Disney’s
Animal Kingdom. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Diverse lessons are taught at the Harambe School. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Child molestation case finally comes to a close
The Walt Disney World child molestation saga that went public nearly three
years ago has finally gotten its last conviction, as Matthew Mancuso pleaded
guilty to two counts of attempted sexual battery on a child under 12. We first
reported in February 2005 about the release of some
photos of a resort where the molestation had taken place in 2001 by Toronto
police, which were promptly identified by citizens as having been taken at
the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort.
Three months later, the Orange
County Sheriff’s Office got involved, releasing a photo of another girl who
was not involved in the molestation but was believed to be a witness. It only
took three weeks to identify the victim and
the molester – Matthew Mancuso, the girl’s adoptive father – who
had already been convicted in 2004 for molestation.
At the time, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office stated that they didn’t want
to see Mancuso out of prison again, but would not press charges as long as
Pennsylvania could guarantee his incarceration in order to avoid dragging
the victim through another trial. Apparently, however, since the Pennsylvania
case was currently under appeal, the case was brought to the Orange County
Circuit Court, with Mancuso facing eight counts of capital sexual battery
and life in prison.
Just before the trial was to begin, however, he pleaded guilty to the lesser
charges. The conviction will still carry a 14-year sentence. The prosecuting
attorney for the state noted that the plea deal was struck to avoid forcing
the girl, now 15, to testify again. The Florida term will be served after
Mancuso finishes serving a 15-and-a-half year Federal sentence and the 35-year
Pennsylvania sentence that is under appeal.
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. |
Construction update
This week’s listing of interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange
County in the last week:
