Walt Disney World Park Update

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News and Views

Celebration downtown sold

Last Wednesday, The Celebration Company, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney
Company, sold downtown Celebration to Lexin Capital, a New York investment
firm. The sale took effect immediately. While the price was not disclosed,
certain terms of the sale were made public. Among the terms made public
last week, Lexin Capital will continue Celebration traditions such as
Founder’s Day and the Fourth of July party, and will abide by all past
architectural rules and designs.

“We really think they are going to be an owner who will focus on the
long-term growth of the community,” Celebration Co. spokeswoman Andrea
Finger said. “They understand the importance of the town center to the
community.” Many residents have said that they are hoping that the new
owners will mean that the shops in the downtown core, known as Market
Street, will become targeted more toward residents than tourists. According
to MousePad member Teri, “people who live here drive several
miles out to get their groceries and hardware.” (link)

Lexin Capital’s purchase encompasses 18 acres containing 16 retail shops,
six full-service restaurants, more than 94,000 square feet of commercial
office space, 105 private apartments and three land parcels. ?We look
forward to strengthening Market Street?s position in Celebration and becoming
an active member of the community,? said Metin Negrin, president of Lexin
Capital.

Disney sold the town center of Celebration, FL to Lexin Capital last Wednesday.
MousePlanet photo by Sue Holland.

Bucs will return to Disney for training camp in 2004

For the third straight summer, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host their
training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. The team announced
on Thursday that it had signed a contract to return to Walt Disney World.
In addition, the players, coaches and staff will call the Celebration
Hotel home for the third consecutive year. ?The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’
training camp has become one of the most highly-anticipated events on
our schedule at Disney?s Wide World of Sports Complex,? said Reggie Williams,
vice president of Disney Sports Attractions. Buccaneer practices at training
camp will continue to be open to the public and free to all fans. On most
days, the Bucs hold one practice in the morning and another in the afternoon.
The Buccaneers will announce a complete training camp schedule later this
spring, but workouts are tentatively scheduled to begin in late July and
conclude in mid-to-late August.

Timekeeper runs out of time, shop stays

Apparently, the decision to keep Timekeeper and the Carousel of Progress
open during the rehab of the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter into Stitch’s
Great Escape lasted a whole three months. Effective Sunday, Jan. 25, Timekeeper
will return to the ranks of the “open seasonally” attractions.
However, it appears that the relocated Mickey’s Star Traders will remain
open in the Timekeeper queue area until the completion of the rehab at
the original Star Traders location at Easter time.

Splash painting, Bears open early

Splash Mountain will be getting a much-needed exterior painting over
the next few weeks. This will cause the attraction to open at 11 a.m.
on weekdays from Monday, Jan. 26 through Thursday, Feb. 12. On those days,
to help soak up the morning crowds, the Country Bear Jamboree will again
open at 9 a.m. instead of the recently-instated 10 a.m.

Great ride, awful sign. While anticipation is high for the new
Soarin’ attraction being imported from Disney’s California Adventure park,
the promotional signage leaves much to be desired. MousePlanet photo by
Lisa Perkis.

Splash single rider correction

In the Ears to the Ground section of the Jan. 12 WDW Update (link),
we stated that the single rider line experiment at Splash Mountain had
failed due to guests not wanting to ride with a stranger on the wet ride.
A cast member has given us the actual story. The cast member writes:

The main reason for discontinuing singles was the fact that our queue
is nowhere near set up for single riders. We tried several different merge
points (merging FastPass, singles and standbys), and none of them seemed
to work. We tried up at the stairs near the train station, we tried down
at load, we tried just about everywhere in between; and we just couldn’t
seem to get it to work. Another problem we faced was that we tried this
during the VERY BUSY holiday times. There were some parties that just
wanted to get into the logs quicker than even a FastPass would, so when
they reached the load area and we tried to split them up to fill the empty
seats in the logs, they threw a fit – “We got in single rider line so
we could all ride together!” … It really had nothing to do with not
wanting to get stuck in a seat with a stranger, as the majority of folks
who used singles used it correctly. We just couldn’t get it to work they
way we wanted to. Splash load just ain’t designed for three lines merging.

So it looks like the Splash Mountain single rider line will have to wait
for a major rehab of the queue area or it won’t happen at all.

Disney Dining Experience news

Disney Dining Experience (a special dining card offer available only
to Florida residents) members have the option of celebrating Valentine’s
Day at the Hollywood Brown Derby for the annual semi-formal/black tie
optional dinner dance extravaganza at a cost of $150 (members) and $165
(non-members). The event will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed
by dinner at 7 p.m. Dancing, cordials, and cigars will commence at 9:30
p.m. with the conclusion of the evening at 11 p.m.

In other news, Planet Hollywood has just been added to the Disney Dining
Experience list of participating restaurants.

Ears to the ground

…Dinosaur! is rumored to be scheduled for a three month rehab
from April through June.

…The Earl of Sandwich shop at the Downtown Disney Marketplace
still has not opened, but the Goofy’s Candy Shop has already been
renamed to Sweet Memories.

…Current Surreal Life cast member Erik Estrada announced
that he and reality show “roomie” Vanilla Ice plan to take a Disney Cruise
Line cruise together with their families in the near future. The former
CHiPS hunk made the announcement while he was a guest on Live
With Regis & Kelly during a recent broadcast from Disney’s California
Adventure. Meanwhile, ABC sitcom According to Jim taped an episode
aboard the Disney Magic last week. Airdates are rumored to be Feb. 24
and March 2.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• The Liberty Square Riverboat will be closed for refurbishment
  from Jan. 17 – Feb. 8.


• The Astro Orbiter will be closed for refurbishment from Jan.
  26 – March 1.
• The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter has closed for good.
  It is now undergoing a major rehab and will reopen in fall 2004 as Stitch’s
  Great Escape!
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is expected to remain open
  for the duration of the Stitch’s Great Escape! construction.
• Timekeeper has returned to seasonal operation.
• Mickey’s Star Traders will be closed for refurbishment through
  early April as part of the Stitch rehab.


• Adventureland now opens at 10 a.m. on non-peak days, but opens
  with the rest of the park (except for Jungle Cruise) on Sundays, Thursdays
  and Saturdays. The Hall of Presidents and the Country Bear
  Jamboree will also open at 10 a.m. every day except as noted below.


• Splash Mountain will open at 11 a.m. on weekday mornings from
  Jan. 25 through Feb. 12 for exterior painting. On those mornings, Country
  Bear Jamboree will return to 9 a.m. openings.

Epcot

• It is expected that the Universe of Energy will close for a
  short rehab in March to remove the ExxonMobil signage after their pavilion
  sponsorship ends.


• It appears that the Living Seas pavilion will closing for a
  rehab in the April time frame. Rumors are strong that Audio-Animatronic
  characters from Finding Nemo will be added to the pavilion for
  Phase II of the Nemo rehab.


• Food Rocks has closed permanently to make way for the entrance
  to the new Soarin’ Over California attraction.


• The Behind the Seeds Walking Tour of the greenhouses at The
  Land has been discontinued during reconstruction of the Food Rocks area
  into the queue for Soarin’. The tours are expected to resume upon completion
  of the construction.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion went to seasonal operation on
  Jan. 5. The Pure and Simple eatery and the Well and Goods
  Limited shop will remain closed, while the Body Wars, Cranium
  Command, and The Making of Me attractions will now be open
  on a seasonal basis. No word yet on the Frontiers in Medicine,
  Sensory Funhouse, Goofy about Health, and Sports Fitness
  Areas.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Fantasmic! will be closed from Jan. 26-30 for a regular maintenance
  rehab.
• The Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage show at the Theater
  of the Stars will be closed for refurbishment Feb. 2 – 6, 2004.
• The Backlot Tour will be closed through April 1 to allow construction
  vehicles free access to the stunt show construction site.
• Sets from the Haunted Mansion movie are now open in the old
  Backstage Pass soundstage and will be open through April 2004.
• Residential Street at the Disney-MGM Studios has been closed
  and demolished and construction has begun to turn the site into an American
  version of the popular Moteurs… Action! stunt show from
  the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris.
• New York Street is undergoing a great deal of construction
  to change some facades to represent Chicago, San Francisco and Washington,
  D.C. We do not yet have a target completion date for the newly-titled
  Big City Street yet.
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights is reported to be returning
  on New York Street/Big City Street for this year.

Animal Kingdom

• Kali River Rapids will be closed for refurbishment from Jan.
  20 – 30.


• TriceraTop Spin will be closed for refurbishment from Feb.
  9 – March 16.


• Dinosaur is rumored to be scheduled for a three month rehab
  from April through June.

Resorts

• Pop Century Resort – Has officially opened.


• Port Orleans Resort – A two-year extensive rehab of this resort’s
  rooms is ongoing. For Phase I, French Quarter closed May 4, 2003 and
  appears to be nearly complete. Phase II will involve Riverside going
  down in sections.


• Polynesian Resort – This resort nearing completion of the refurbishment
  of longhouses. Each longhouse under rehab is walled off and isolated
  during its rehab. Niue and Rarotonga are the last remaining longhouses
  currently scheduled to undergo rehab, and were tentatively scheduled
  for Jan. 18 – May 2, 2004.


• Shades of Green – Major construction and rehab is ongoing at
  this MWR-run resort for the military. It is currently expected to reopen
  in March 2004.


• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (a Disney Vacation
  Club resort) has an announced grand opening date of May 27, 2004. Reservations
  are now available.

Water Parks

• Typhoon Lagoon is closed for refurbishment through Feb. 28.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba will be closed on Jan. 25-26,
  Feb. 1-4, March 14-17, June 20-July 5, August 22-25, October 17-20,
  and December 5-13.


• The All Star Cafe at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex
  is now closed Monday-Wednesday. It is open Thursday-Sunday, from 11:30
  a.m.-9 p.m.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Celebrate Mickey… 75 InspEARations (link)
  showcases 75 very special interestingly decorated Mickey statues to
  celebrate Mickey’s 75th birthday throughout the Walt Disney World Resort.
  Now through April 2004.

January 2004

• National Dance Team Championship (link)
  January 31 – February 1.

February 2004

• This is Love merchandise event (link).
  February 4.


• National High School Cheerleading Championship (link)
  February 7 & 8.


• Atlanta Braves training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports
  complex (link)
  February 15 – April 2.


• TwirlMania – The Twirler’s Championships (link).
  February 20-23.

March 2004

• National Cheerleading and Dance Championship (link)
  March 13 & 14.


• Lights! Camera! Pins! pin trading event (link).
  March 27.

April 2004

• Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival (link).
  April 16 – June 6.


• Grad Nights (link).
  April 23, 24, 30, and May 1.

May 2004

• Walt Disney World Inline Marathon (link).
  May 2.


• Florida Half Ironman Triathlon (link).
  May 23.


• Disney Vacation Club Member Homecoming event/Saratoga Springs opening.
  May 25-27.


• Star Wars Weekends (link).
  Weekends in May and June TBA.

June 2004

• Gay Days (link).
  June 3–6. *
• Family Pride Coalition Weekend (link).
  June 17-20. *

September 2004

• Nights of Joy (link).
  September 10 & 11.

October 2004

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (link).
  October 1 – November 14.


• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (link).
  Dates in October TBA.


• Disney’s 10K Classic (link).
  October 10.


• Funai Classic at Walt Disney World (link).
  October 21-24.

November 2004

• Super Soap Weekend (link).
  Dates in early November TBA.
• Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney (link).
  November 12 – 14.
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (link).
  Dates in November and December TBA.
• Festival of the Seasons at Downtown Disney (link).
  November 26 – December 24.
• Holidays Around the World (link).
  November 26 – December 30.

December 2004

• New Year’s Eve celebrations at Pleasure Island (link)
  and Atlantic Dance (link).
  December 31.

January 2005

• Disney’s Health and Fitness Expo (link).
  January 7 & 8.
• FamilyFun Magazine Family Fun Run (link).
  January 8.
• Disney Marathon (link)
  and Half-Marathon (link).
  January 9.

* Not official WDW events

Current Discounts & Promotions

Discount codes for February-April

Walt Disney World has announced new discount codes for Annual Passholders,
Florida residents, and the general public for check-ins February 12 through
April 17, 2004. General public rates start at $79 per night, while AP
and Florida rates start at $74 per night. Visit disneyworld.com
or MouseSavers
for more details.

Florida resident Play Four Days pass returns

Disney’s Play 4 Days pass for Florida residents is again on sale. The
special pass is essentially a four-day park hopper pass for Florida residents
that is available for $109 plus tax. The pass is good for theme park visits
from January 4 through June 4, 2004, with blockout dates April 3-15 for
the peak Easter week season. Passes are available at Walt Disney World
theme parks, Florida Disney Stores, AAA offices. The cost of a Play 4
Days pass may be applied to a Florida resident Annual or Seasonal pass.
For more information, guests can either visit disneyworld.com/play4days
or call 407-WDW-4DAYS.

Discount codes for January-February

Walt Disney World has announced new discount codes for Annual Passholders,
Florida residents, and the general public for check-ins January 1 to February
11, 2004. General public rates start at $55 per night, while AP and Florida
rates start at $49 per night. These rates are also available with DreamMaker
packages. Visit disneyworld.com
or MouseSavers
for more details.

Plan ahead and save a few bucks

The Walt Disney World Resort is encouraging visitors to buy their theme
park tickets before they even leave home, by offering a slight discount
on advance purchases. You can save as much as $22 per adult, per ticket
with the “Advance Purchase Savings” program.

You can also receive these Advance Purchase Savings with packages purchased
through AAA.

Annual Passholders

Receive 10% off the price of their lunch meal at selected Walt
Disney World Resort hotel restaurants, and the discount is good for up
to three guests. The offer is valid Mondays through Fridays. Call 407-WDW-DINE
(407-939-3463) for locations and reservations.

Park Hours

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently
available through March 2004.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently
available through March 2004.

Theme Park Events

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)