Walt Disney World Resort Update

Update for July 23 – 29, 2013

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News and Views

U.S. Armed Forces discount extended | Here comes Disney Springs | Fall refurbishment schedule update | Will a Florida boycott hurt Walt Disney World attendance? | Quick takes | Crowd update

Our weekly Walt Disney World Update publishes on Tuesdays.

U.S. Armed Forces discount extended

Disney has published details of the 2013–2014 U.S. Armed Forces discount, now extended through September 24, 2014.

From August 12, 2013, through September 24, 2014, active and retired U.S. military personnel can purchase 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with either the Park Hopper or Water Parks Fun and More option for $169 per ticket, plus tax (up from $156 last year), or with both the Park Hopper and Water Parks Fun and More options for $198 per ticket, plus tax (up from $184). No Base ticket is available with this offer.

These tickets are valid September 29, 2013, through September 27, 2014. Blockout dates are December 20–31, 2013, and April 13–20, 2014,at all ticketed locations; and July 4 at Magic Kingdom park only.

Eligible service members include active or retired members of the U.S. military including the U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves. You can purchase Disney Military Promotional Tickets at Shades of Green or at a participating military base (MWR/ITT) office. There is no tax charged for these tickets but they must be activated at a theme park ticket window. You can also purchase tickets at Walt Disney World Park Ticket Offices and Guest Relations Offices, where tax will be charged.

Tickets may be purchased by active and retired military personnel for themselves and up to five additional family members or friends. One of the Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets purchased on each occasion must be for use by the eligible service member or spouse. This offer is for active or retired members of the U.S. military, including the National Guard, Reserves, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Valid military identification is required. The tickets are non-transferable and may not be resold.

You may upgrade the tickets to Seasonal Passes or Florida Resident Weekday Select Passes (for Florida Residents), or Annual Passes, Premium Annual Passes, or Disney Premier Pass with credit toward the upgrade based on the actual price paid. The no-expiration option and other upgrades, such as additional days, are not available.

In addition, specially priced rooms are available to active and retired U.S. military personnel at select Walt Disney World resorts for stays most nights through September 27, 2014 with the exception of the following blockout periods:

• November 28–30, 2013
• December 23–31, 2013
• April 14–19, 2014

For complete information regarding Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets and discounted resort rates, call (407) 939-7830, go to the Walt Disney World website, or visit participating U.S. military base ticket offices.

Here's comes Disney Springs

Expect parking around Downtown Disney to become even more difficult starting this week. A large section of the lot between Splitsville and Planet Hollywood is being closed to start construction on two parking structures for the expanded Downtown Disney, to be renamed Disney Springs. The first structure is expected to open by early 2015, after which work will begin on a second structure. While construction is underway, the Orlando Sentinel reports that additional night and weekend parking will be made available across Buena Vista Drive at the Team Disney casting building and at the SunTrust bank building, with shuttle service and a pedestrian path available.

Construction for Disney Springs is well underway. This wide shot shows the grassy area north of Cirque du Soleil completely torn up. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Additional parking is being added to the Team Disney area, along with this new road which will funnel traffic in and out of street and Team Disney. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Downtown Disney is remaining open during the construction, with the two new sections of Disney Springs—The Town Center and The Landing—opening in phases through 2016.

Throngs of guests connect between the Disney Marketplace and Disney's East Side though the old Pleasure Island area. Walls on the right now take in the entire area between the old Mannequins and the Comedy Warehouse. Walls on the backside were put up earlier for the Hyperion project. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Fall refurbishment schedule update

Disney has updated the Fall refurbishment schedule with additional ride and pool closures that may impact your next trip. The full refurbishment schedule is listed below, but here are the key additions:

• Magic Kingdom – Enchanted Tiki Room closed July 31 through August 28 for refurbishment.
• Magic Kingdom – Peter Pan closed September 30 through November 13 for refurbishment.
• Disney's Hollywood Studios – Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground closed September 3–November 19 for refurbishment.
• Polynesian – Volcano pool closed September 9–20 for refurbishment.
• Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa – Grandstand pook closed August 25 through September 14
• Disney Palm Golf Course – closed through mid-November for refurbishment.

An oversized GAF View-Master viewer complete with a replica of a vintage Disneyland Tomorrowland reel was recently removed from the Toy Story Mania queue and replaced by this Etch-A-Sketch prop. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

The first rail installed for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine ride is now obscured by a rockwork and an entrance to the mine. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Outside retail space is under construction as part of Prince Eric's Village in the new Fantasyland. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Finishing touches on another building in Prince Eric's Village include a thatched roof and wrought iron details. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Will a Florida boycott hurt Walt Disney World attendance?

Following the acquittal of George Zimmerman by a Florida jury in the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, activists, including Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton, and celebrities including comedian Dick Gregory, have called for a boycott of Florida companies like Disney, along with products like Florida orange juice.

Members of our MousePad forums are discussing the impact, if any, the boycott may have on Walt Disney World attendance. The majority feel the Florida resort will see little or no decline in attendace, and point to the 1997–2005 boycott by the Southern Baptist Convention and a more recent boycott led by the group One Million Moms, as evidence of how little impact these efforts may have.

What do you think of the boycott? Will it harm Disney, or will it be business as usual in Florida? Share your thoughts on our MousePad discussion board or in the comments below.

Quick takes…

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon hosts music and games tied to the Disney Channel Teen Beach Movie throughout the summer. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

… A reminder to those planning a stay at the All-Star Sports Resort in the coming months: The hotel's arcade closes July 28 for conversion into a temporary grab-and-go food location, and is expected to reopen in December. The food court closes August 5 for refurbishment. During this time, snacks and drinks will be available from a grab-and-go location in the former arcade. Hot food will be available from the All-Star Music Food Court, with Disney offering bus service between the resorts.

A Sundae Sampler is one of the desserts debuting on the new California Grill menu when the restaurant reopens this fall. Photo © Disney.

…The Disney Parks Blog shared a preview of the new bread service and a few new desserts coming to the California Grill when it reopens this fall. The bread basket will now contain whole-grain sourdough rolls and focaccia infused with fresh California lavender. The new dessert menu is headlined by a “Sundae Sampler,” a trio featuring a caramel corn sundae, a Coke float and a strawberry sundae. This looks like a great sampler for a table to share, and we're really hoping the tiny Coke bottle is available as a souvenir.

Christmas in July came even earlier to the Hall of Champions on Main Street, U.S.A. The photo scrim was installed over construction walls in June while the exterior of the shop was under refrubsihment. If you look carefully, you can see that the images were taken during the holiday season, when Christmas trees, fleece sweatshirts and knit scarves filled the window displays. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

…This week's Limited Time Magic promotion is Christmas in July. From the description posted on the Disney website, it looks like this is a clever excuse to prompt visitors to begin their holiday shopping early. The focus of the promotion is a new collection of Ear hat-shaped Christmas ornaments, available for sale in the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney. Select food locations will sell holiday treats, including Santa Mickey Demitasse dessert at Tony's Town Square Restaurant, holiday cupcakes from the Main Street Bakery (Starbucks) and gingerbread sundaes at the Cone Shop.

Long Lost Friends from Song of the South visit the Magic Kingdom as part of Long Lost Friends week. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Characters from Robin Hood make a rare appearance during Long Lost Friends week. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Crowd Forecast

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Don't keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments. Email Adrienne here.

Talk about these stories and more on our Walt Disney World discussion forum here.

Resort Events

2013

• Night of Joy – September 6–7
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party – September 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27, 29; October 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31; and November 1.
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival – September 27 to November 11
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend – October 4–5
• EasyWDW.com reports that Disney Hollywood Studios will close at 6 p.m. on October 26 due to a private event for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Holiday Time at Walt Disney World – begins November 8
• Opening night for Osbourn Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – November 8
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party – November 8, 11, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22; and December 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20.
• Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – November 8–9
• MouseAdventure World Explorers V – November 16–17. Keep an eye on our MouseAdventure Facebook page, and register for our MouseAdventure Newsletters for more details as they are announced.
• Candlelight Processional – November 29 through December 30. Dining packages go on sale July 9.

2014

• Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – January 9–12
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 21–23

runDisney events and capacity updates

2013

• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend – October 4–5.
  • October 5 (a.m.): Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run – 90%
  • October 5 (a.m.): runDisney Kids' Races – 57%
  • October 5 (p.m.): The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler – Sold out
  • October 5 (p.m.) – October 6 (a.m.) – Disney Villains Hollywood Bash – 51%
     
• Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – November 8–9.
  • November 8 (p.m.): Wine & Dine Pre-race Taste – 87%
  • November 9 (a.m.): runDisney Kids' Races – 54%
  • November 9 (a.m.): Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K – 87%
  • November 9 (p.m.): Wine & Dine Half Marathon – Sold Out
  • November 9 (p.m.): Finish Line Party – 54%

2014

• Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – January 9–12. Final cost increase August 14, 2013
  • January 9: Family Fun Run 5K – Sold Out
  • January 10: 10K – Sold Out
  • January 11: Half Marathon –– Sold Out
  • January 12: Marathon – 98%
  • January 11-12: Goofy Challenge (Half and full) – 85%
  • January 9 – 11: runDisney Kids' Races – 51%
  • January 9 – 11: Pasta Party in the Park – 51%
  • January 9-12: Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, half and full) – Sold Out
     
• Disney's Princess Half-Marathon Weekend – February 21–23.
  • February 21: Disney Royal Family 5k
  • February 21 – 22: runDisney Kids' Races
  • February 22: Enchanted 10k – Sold out
  • February 23: Disney's Princess Half Marathon – Sold out
  • February 22 – 23: Glass Slipper Challenge (Enchanted 10k and Disney's Princess Half Marathon) – Sold out

Do you participate in (or are considering signing up for) runDisney events? Visit our Team MousePlanet forum on the MousePad discussion board, where you can join our community of health-minded readers and staff.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Pirates of the Caribbean – closed July 27–30 for an “animation refurbishment.”
• Enchanted Tiki Room – closed July 31 through August 28 for refurbishment.
• Prince Charming Regal Carousel – closed August 1–21 for refurbishment.
• Liberty Belle – closed August 5–9 for refurbishment.
• Jungle Cruise – closed August 19 through September 30 for refurbishment.
• Cinderella's Royal Table – closed September 10–13 for refurbishment.
• Peter Pan – closed September 30 through November 13 for refurbishment.
• Princess Fairytale Hall – opens 2013.

Epcot

• Fountain View Ice Cream – closed through early September for conversion to Starbucks location.
• Spaceship Earth – closed August 18–24 for refurbishment.
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground – closed September 3 through November 19 for refurbishment.
• New rest room between America and Japan pavilions – scheduled to open Fall 2013.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

• Muppet*Vision 3D – closed August 6 through September 2 for refurbishment.
• Both parades (Disney Channel Rocks and Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade) have ended their run. No new parades have been announced.

Animal Kingdom

• No known refurbishments.

Resorts

• All-Star Movies – feature icons refurbishment through September 20.
• All-Star Music
  • Feature icons refurbishment through September.
  • Melody Hall guest check in parking renovation – June 13 through August 7
• All-Star Sports
  • Feature icons refurbishment through September 20.
  • Arcade closes July 28 for conversion into a temporary grab-and-go food location. Expected to reopen in December.
  • Food court closed August 5 – mid-December for refurbishment. During this time, snacks and drinks will be available from a grab-and-go location in the former arcade. Hot food will be available from the All-Star Music Food Court, and Disney will offer bus service between the resorts.
• Contemporary Resort
  • California Grill closed through late summer for refurbishment.
  • Guest elevator renovations – through December 8
• Grand Floridian – Convention center parking lot refurbishment August 5–7
• Polynesian
  • Soft goods replacement in guest rooms through October 4
  • Volcano pool closed September 9–20 for refurbishment.
• Pop Century
  • Feature icons refurbishment through October 2
• Port Orleans French Quarter
  • Atrium and lobby renovation through July 12
  • Lodge building window frame and shutter painting through August 20
• Port Orleans Riverside
  • Bridge and bus stop vine removal and painting through August 30
• Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • Spa closed through summer for conversion to Senses – A Disney Spa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. The spa at the Grand Floridian remains open during this time.
  • Grandstand pook closed August 25 through September 14
• Yacht and Beach Club
  • Beach Club Villas sidewalk will be repaired through August 6
  • Hard goods refurbishment in guest rooms August 31 through December 8
• Wilderness Lodge
  • Main building exterior repairs through August 5

Water Parks

• Typhoon Lagoon – closed October 27, 2013 through January 4, 2014 for refurbishment.

Elsewhere

• Disney Palm Golf Course – closed through mid-November for refurbishment.
• Cirque du Soleil La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through Saturdays. Will not be performed on the following dates in 2013:
  • July 23
  • September 17–21
  • November 5–6

Current Discounts & Promotions

Don't keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments. Email Adrienne here.