Walt Disney World Park Update

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News and Views

Princess consolidation

If you’re one of those people who run around the park trying to find
all of the princesses to get their autograph and a photo, you’ll be able
to save a lot of legwork, as Disney is now co-locating all of the princesses
in the new Princess Room at Mickey’s Toontown Fair in the Magic Kingdom.

Currently, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White and Cinderella are the
primary princesses, and other princesses will be available on a rotating
basis. Hint: This is the place to look for Ariel while her grotto is
under refurbishment.

Stormalong Bay pool refurbishment continues

An overall refurbishment of the Stormalong Bay pool area at the Beach
Club is running through early 2005. Certain sections of the pool will
be unavailable at various times during the project. Those parts of the
main pool not immediately being worked on will remain available for use.
The first portion of the work should be completed by December 23. The
main Shipwreck Slide will be closed only from January 3 to February 25,
2005, due to a painting project in that area.

Union leaders picket grand opening of new World of Disney store in NYC

The grand opening of the new World of Disney store in New York City last
Tuesday had a few dozen uninvited guests. Informational leaflets were
handed out by about 60 representatives of the Service Trades Council,
the umbrella organization for six unions currently negotiating with Walt
Disney World.

The unions, representing about 22,000 workers at the resort, had rejected
Disney’s last contract offer less than a week before witb a remarkable
97.5 percent “no” vote.

Union leaders said that the leaflet was aimed at increasing the visibility
of the contract fight in front of the large number of reporters covering
the grand opening.

Talks resume next week.

Champion to sponsor WDW Marathon

Through an agreement with Disney Sports Attractions, Champion, a maker of athletic clothing,
will sponsor the 2005 Walt Disney World Marathon and Half-Marathon, and
will provide its new Double Dry Performance long-sleeved T-shirts for
all event participants. The company will be introducing the Double Dry
line of clothing in 2005.

Hilton Head’s Chef Gordon goes to Food & Wine Festival

If you’ve been curious about Chef Gordon Holmes from Disney’s Hilton
Head Island Resort after reading articles by Sue Holland, now’s your chance
to see him at Walt Disney World. Chef Gordon will participate in culinary
demonstrations on October 28 at 2:00 and 4:30 pm, October 29 at 7:00 pm,
and October 30 at 3:15 pm, in the “Odyssey Special Events Pavilion,” formerly
the Odyssey Restaurant. Guests will have the opportunity to watch Chef
Gordon at work, ask questions, and sample the finished cuisine.

Alaska Airlines extends Kids Fly Free to Orlando deal

Alaska Airlines has extended its popular Kids Fly Free promotion to Orlando
for travel through February 17, 2005. The offer is valid for children
ages 2 to 11 accompanied by an adult with the purchase of an Alaska Airlines
Vacations package by October 31, 2004.

Vacation packages include round-trip airfare from Anchorage, Spokane,
Seattle, Portland or Boise to Orlando, airport transfers via Mears Transportation,
three or more nights accommodations at Disney Resort Hotels and Ultimate
Park Hopper tickets for travel between now and February 17, 2005. Those
buying the package also receive two Disney trading pins and a choice of
one round of miniature golf at Winter Summerland or Fantasia Gardens,
one Leave A Legacy tile at Epcot, $25 off dining at Planet Hollywood located
in Downtown Disney West Side. or a specially designed Disney Character
poster. A larger discount is available for those who book by October 31
and travel before the end of the year.

To book Kids Fly Free, call Alaska Airlines Vacations at 1-800-468-2248.

Ears to the ground

…Cypress Gardens will soft-open on Fridays thru Sundays beginning
November 19. Grand opening will be December 9. During the soft opening
period, the rides, botanical gardens and craft village will be open, but
the nature and arcade areas will be off-limits to visitors. The most-recently
planned November 18 grand opening was scrapped due to damage from Hurricane
Jeanne.

…It was rumored that some guest “snatching” may be underway, as
guests may be asked to “test drive” the new Stitch’s Great Escape attraction
in Tomorrowland, even though it’s still a few weeks away from being finished. Reportedly,
the best time to be “snatched” is in the late afternoon. Good luck!

…It’s now the Disney Wonder’s turn to get its refurbishment, including
a replacement of the ESPN Club from the faux smokestack to a teen
coffee house that is the current teen hangout with an adults-only lounge,
redoing much of the floors, and touching up the paint on the hull. The
Magic has already undergone similar work.

…Last week, we mentioned that Edy’s had become the new name sponsor
of the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor. Edy’s is one of many Nestle ice cream
brands, along with Dreyer’s, Haagen Dazs, Carnation and Nestle. So it’s
not so much a “new” sponsor as much as a different product line
from the same company.

…It seems like this will indeed be the year that Typhoon Lagoon
gets its new Master Blaster-style water coaster. Vertical construction
has begun already, and the pace of work will probably accelerate when
the water park goes down for its annual refurb on December 12.

…Characters from The Incredibles have started to make appearances
at the Studios to promote their movie.

Have any interesting news or rumors? Let
us know.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• “it’s a small world” – closed through March
  18, 2005 for rehab (info).


• 20,000 League Under the Sea lagoon – walled off to “clear
  the land as well as add landscape for future use” through November
  19, with the walls tentatively coming down on November 11.


• The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter – closed for good
  to be replaced with new Stitch’s Great Escape. Latest word is
  AP/DVC previews November 5-7, official grand opening press event November
  16, soft openings TBA.


• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – expected to remain
  open for the duration of the Stitch’s Great Escape construction, then
  will go down for major rehab.


• Timekeeper – opens seasonally.


• Adventureland – opens with the rest of the park daily
  with the exception of the Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted
  Tiki Room – Under New Management, which open at 10 a.m.


• The Hall of Presidents and the Country Bear Jamboree
  – open at 10 a.m. every day.


• Magic Carpets of Aladdin – closed September 13 –
  October 19.


• Ariel’s Grotto – closed September 13 – November
  11 for theme-matching with the 20,000 Leagues Lagoon reclamation.


• Cinderella’s Carousel ? will not be operating November 2 –
  14.


• The Hub area in front of the castle – undergoes more refurbishing
  in January 2005 in preparation for the Cinderellabration show coming
  later in the year.


• Astro Orbiter – closed January 2 – February 16,
  2005.


• Dumbo the Flying Elephant – closed January 10 –
  February 12, 2005.

Epcot

• The Universe of Energy – may close for a short rehab at
  any time to remove the ExxonMobil signage that has remained for an inexplicably
  long time since its pavilion sponsorship ended.


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


• The Behind the Seeds Walking Tour of the greenhouses at The
  Land – discontinued during reconstruction of the Food Rocks area
  into the queue for Soarin’. Expected to resume upon completion of the
  construction.


• The Land pavilion – expected closure January – March
  2005 for completion of the Soarin’ attraction.


• The Wonders of Life pavilion – open seasonally. The Pure
  and Simple eatery and the Well and Goods Limited shop have
  been removed, while the Body Wars, Cranium Command, and
  The Making of Me attractions now open when the pavilion is open.
  The pavilion did not open this summer, which does not bode well for
  the future. However, it is expected to be open next January – March
  during the closure of The Land pavilion.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Residential Street at the Disney-MGM Studios – closed
  and demolished and construction well underway to turn the site into
  the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, an American version
  of the popular Moteurs… Action! stunt show from the Walt
  Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris.


• New York Street – undergoing construction to change facades
  to represent Chicago and San Francisco. Previously believed to be renamed
  Big City Street, the newly confirmed name of the area is the Streets
  of America Backlot.


• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights – returns this
  year on the Streets of America backlot, November 24 – January 2.


• The Magic of Disney Animation – will not be operating
  September 13 – October 17. (Annual Passholder preview – October 15-17.)


• Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure – was closed
  due to damage from Hurricane Jeanne, but reopened on Thursday.

Animal Kingdom

• The Boneyard – closes for rehab September 20 – October
  14.

Resorts

• Port Orleans Resort – Ongoing two-year extensive rehab
  of its rooms. Phase I’s French Quarter has reopened. Phase II is underway,
  and involves Riverside going through a phased rehab. The Magnolia Bend
  mansions will go down one by one, followed by Alligator Bayou closing
  in sections.


• Polynesian Resort – nearing completion of the refurbishment
  of longhouses. Each longhouse under rehab is walled off and isolated
  during its rehab. Room refurbishments are resuming. Scheduled: Rapa
  Nui January 3 – April 1, 2005, Tahiti April 24 – August 17,
  2005. Tokelau, not yet refurbished, is not yet scheduled.


• Disney’s Old Key West Resort – The main pool is closed
  through mid-December to construct a new themed water slide.


• Disney’s BoardWalk Resort – portions of the resort will
  see work on the piping system take place in corridors outside guest
  rooms daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through summer 2005. No work is
  scheduled inside guest rooms.


• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (a new Disney Vacation
  Club resort) – now open. Construction continues on the rest of
  the resort; the other three buildings of Phase I are due by the end
  of the year, the eight units of Phase II are due in 2005, and the six
  units of the newly-announced Phase III are due in 2007. Phase III will
  involve the razing of the old Fairway Villas.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – undergoes its annual refurbishment from
  October 24 – December 11.


• Typhoon Lagoon – closes for its annual refurbishment on December
  12.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through
  Saturdays, but closes October 17–20 and December 5–13.


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

Park Events

October 2004

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


• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (link).
  October 12, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29 and 31.


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


• 999 Happy Haunts event (link).
  October 25-27.

November 2004

• Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney (link).
  November 12–14.


• Super Soap Weekend (link).
  November 13-14.


• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (link).
  November 28 & 30, December 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, &
  17.


• Festival of the Seasons at Downtown Disney (link).
  November 26 – December 24.


• Holidays Around the World (link).
  November 26 – December 30.

December 2004

• Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships
  (link).
  December 5-11.


• Join MousePlanet at MouseFest (link).
  December 9-13.


• Disney’s Soccer Showcase (link).
  December 27-January 2, 2005.


• 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.

February 2005

• Twirl Mania – The Twirler’s Championships (link).
  February 18 – 21.


• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports
  complex (link).
  Dates in February – April TBA.

April 2005

• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival (link).
  April 15 – June 5.


• Walt Disney World® Inline Marathon (link).
  April 30 – May 1.

May 2005

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

June 2005

• Gay and Lesbian Day at Walt Disney World (link).
  June 2–5.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Play 4 Days is back

The Florida Resident Play 4 Days Ticket allows Florida residents four
days of play in Disney’s four theme parks between July 30 and Nov. 21,
2004 for $119 per person ($126.74 including tax). Park-hopping is permitted
on the days used. The ticket is available at Disney theme parks, Florida
Disney Stores, and other locations such as Florida AAA offices. Proof
of Florida residency is required.

Radisson Resort Parkway announces rates through 2005

Radisson Resort Parkway, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced their rates
through the end of 2005, and has reduced their rates for much of the rest
of this year. Guests can receive a complimentary upgrade to deluxe pool
view accommodations for the remainder of 2004 simply by typing in the
code of “UPGR” in the promotional field of the reservation.

Click here
for more information, or here
to make reservations now.

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 $26 per adult, per ticket
with the “Advance Purchase Savings” program. These prices are
before the 6.5 percent Orange County sales tax.

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

Annual Passholders

Receive 10 percent 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 December 2004.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently
available through December 2004.

Theme Park Events

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)