Update for February 11 – 17, 2014
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News and Views
Hollywood Studios Valentine's Day event features Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story | Polynesian construction, reduced Monorail hours and Neverland Club refurbishment | Bay Lake Tower water play area refurbishment | Registration opens today for Tower of Terror 10K | Entertainment notes | Construction Update | Quick takes | Crowd update
Hollywood Studios Valentine's Day event features “Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story”
With apologies to my friends and readers who obsess over Disney's Vinylmation figurines, I've never gotten into the craze. I agree that the three-inch-tall vinyl figures are generally cute, and I have a few here and there, but they're just not my thing.
But I was intriqued to hear that Disney was making a stop-motion animated short featuring the figures, mostly because I wanted to see how the animators would work their stop-motion magic with figurines that rarely have any articulation to them at all. This weekend is our chance to find out, as “Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story” headlines a Valentine's Day event at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios.
“Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story” trailer © Disney.
Catch “Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story” in the Premiere Theater February 14 through 17. The 36-minute film screens at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m each day, with a 10:00 a.m. showing reserved for Annual Passholders on Friday and Sunday, and Disney Vacation Club members on Saturday and Monday.
Admission to the movie is free with park admission. Annual Passholders and DVC members are asked to show their ID cards at the theater to access the special screenings.
Polynesian construction, reduced Monorail hours, and Neverland Club refurbishment
Visitors staying at Disney's Polynesian Resort may find this letter in their room upon arrival, advising them of construction related to the resort's expansion, and the weekday closure of the Monorail lines:
Aloha!
We are thrilled you have selected the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney's Polynesian Resort as your vacation destination!
Upon your arrival, you will notice that we are currently working on refurbishing some of our Resort. While we are creating this new magic Sunset Point, The Never Land Club and a portion of the beach will be unavailable. Please pardon any work you may see or hear in progress.
Rest assured, much of our wonderful white-sand beach will still be open and accessible, providing the South Seas ambience and views of the Magic Kingdom® Park that makes Disney's Polynesian Resort such an enchanting destination. All of our world-class amenities, including our shops, pools, marina and wonderful dining experiences are also still available for you to enjoy.
In addition, please be aware that we will be temporarily adjusting the operating schedule for the Monorail system. Beginning Tuesday, January 21, Monorail service on the Resort and Express beams to the Magic Kingdom® Park will be temporarily suspended on weekdays between 11:30am and 7:00pm. Buses and watercraft transportation (where applicable) will be available to access destinations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort during this time. If traveling to Epcot®, bus transportation will be provided to the Transportation & Ticket Center where you may easily transfer to the Epcot Monorail.
We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please know that we are making every effort to ensure your comfort and enjoyment of all we have to offer. If you have any questions regarding your reservation, please contact your original booking agent listed on your confirmation letter.
We look forward to your upcoming stay with us.
Not mentioned in the letter is the ongoing refurbishment of The Never Land Club. The children's activity center is closed, but parents looking for an evening out can use the centers at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Beach Club Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, and the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.
Bay Lake Tower water play area refurbishment
The water play area at the Bay Lake Tower is closed through February 28 for renovation. Guests staying at the property will receive this letter in their rooms upon arrival:
Welcome Home,
We are thrilled you have chosen to stay with us at Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort!
In order for our resort to continue to flourish as a magical destination, it is necessary for us to make enhancements from time to time.
Beginning Monday, February 10, our children's water play area will be temporarily unavailable. Please pardon any work you may see or hear in progress.
During this time we invite you to make a splash at the enchanting and exclusive Bay Cove Pool or visit the two pools at the adjacent Disney's Contemporary Resort.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. Should you have any questions or need additional information, our Front Desk Cast
Members will be happy to assist you.Thank you for being our Guest, and we hope you have a magical time during your stay here at the Walt Disney World Resort!
Registration opens today for Tower of Terror 10K
Registration for the 2014 The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler race, scheduled for Saturday, October 4, opens to the general public today at noon Eastern (9:00 a.m. Pacific). Fees for the 2014 event are:
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The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 10:00 p.m. |
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Disney Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 7:30 a.m. |
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runDisney Kids Races Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. |
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runDisney One Mile Race Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 10:15 a.m. |
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Disney Villains Hollywood Bash Saturday, October 4 to Sunday, October 5 from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. |
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Note: The price increase dates assume that the events have not sold out before then. With the growing popularity of the 10K race distance, and last week's record for how fast registration filled up for the 2014 Disneyland 10K, runners who are intereted in the event should plan to register as early as possible to avoid disapointment.
Sign up using the links from the runDisney race website. In the event that the runDisney site crashes, which it often does on registration days, you can go directly to Active.com and search for “Tower of Terror” to find the links once registration opens.
Entertainment notes
There have been quite a few entertainment changes in the past few weeks, and more rumored to be in the works as Disney gears up for the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster and the debut of the new Magic Kingdom parade:
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With the continued strong demand for a chance to meet Anna and Elsa from Disney's animated hit Frozen, Disney has expanded the hours of their meet-and-greet encounters in Epcot's Norway pavillion. The location is now open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily, two hours earlier than the original 11:00 a.m. opening.
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After telling the Orlando Sentinel on Friday that there was “nothing” to online rumors, and that the act was not “going anywhere,” Disney announced to cast members Saturday that “the talking trashcan act,” better known to Disney fans as PUSH, will no longer appear at the Magic Kingdom. According to a question-and-answer sheet available to cast members, the contract for the outside vendor who operated PUSH ended on February 8. No direct replacement is planned, but the document repeatedly mentions the (in my opinion) absurdly named #INCREDIBLESSuperDanceParty as an option for Tomorrowland entertainment.
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Disney announced to cast member last week that Saturday, February 22 is the final day of performances for the Ziti Sisters, the atmosphere entertainment group that performs in the Italy pavillion of Epcot's World Showcase. Disney says, “There are no immediate plans for another show at Italy.”
- Rosetta has replaced Periwinkle at the Disney Fairies meet-and-greet in Magic Kindom.
Construction Update
Jeff Kober visits Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney to provide this week's construction notes.
Work continues to expand the outdoor seating area at Casey's Corner in the Magic Kingdom. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
A formerly very narrow Liberty Square walkway is being widened to better handle the bottleneck of guests diverted to the sidewalks during the parades. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Water cascades down the Seven Dwarfs mountain in preparation for opening the new roller coaster in Fantasyland. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Construction continues on the river in front of the new Festival of the Lion King theater in Africa at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
A wider pathway next to the Tusker House restaurant leads to the new Festival of the Lion King theater under construction in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Disney Springs construction in the former Pleasure Island extends right up to the entrance of Fulton's Crab House, which remains opens during the work. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Work is well underway on a bridge that will connect from the Lego Store area to the Rainforest Cafe area in Downtown Disney. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Construction continues on one of two Starbucks locations in Downtown Disney. This location is next to the World of Disney store. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
The new Starbucks in Disney's West Side area is still very much under construction. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Quick takes…
…Disney is adding more articulated buses to carry passengers during the busiest periods.
Two new articulated buses pick up passengers at the Magic Kingdom. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
…In Pixar's Up, Dug the dog wore a collar that translated his barks. A new Bark-O-Lator machine recently installed in Disney's Animal Kingdom allows guests to bark into the machine and then have your bark translated into English. Soon, with the help of Magic Bands, those messages may even be personalized. It is perhaps the first part of the Story Maker experience to be introduced at the parks.
A new Bark-O-Lator device at Animal Kingdom allows guests to translate barks to English, just like Dug from the movie “Up.” Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
…It looks like Creature Comforts at Animal Kingdom will be the site of that park's Starbucks location. Cast members say they don't know exactly when the store is closing, but confirm it will be to make room for a “major coffee franchise.”
…Construction is underway for The Boat House in the old Pleasure Island Rock & Roll Beach House. Based on construction permits on file with the county of Orange, this appears to be another Steven Schussler concept restaurant. The founder of the Rainforest Cafe, Schussler's eponymous Schussler Creative is behind several other Walt Disney World restaurants operated by Landry's, including T-Rex Cafe and Yak & Yeti. It is unclear whether The Boat House will also be a Landry's operation, but the company does operate a restaurant chain called The Boathouse (with different capitalization) in Canada.
Construction is under way for The Boat House in the former Rock & Roll Beach House location in Pleasure Island. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
The MousePlanet Newsletter is here!
The newsletter contains a recap of the week's articles (in case you miss a day), news that may have developed since the weekly Updates were published, and tips about what's happening at the Disney theme parks for the coming weekend. We'll also include a fun MouseAdventure bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, just enter your e-mail in the box below.
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Crowd Forecast
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Talk about these stories and more on our Walt Disney World discussion forum here.
Resort Events
2014
- Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 21–23
- Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival – March 5 through May 18
- Expedition Everest Challenge – May 3
runDisney events
2014
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Disney's Princess Half-Marathon Weekend – February 21–23
- February 21: Disney Royal Family 5k – 98%
- February 21–22: runDisney Kids' Races – 98%
- 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
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Expedition Everest Challenge – May 3
- Expedition Everest Challenge – Sold Out
- Family Edition – 64%
- Kids Races – 52%
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend – October 3–4
- Early Passholder registration opens February 5
- Regular registration opens February 11
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Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – November 7–8
- Early Passholder registration opens February 26
- Regular registration opens March 5
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
- Casey's Corner – closed through February 15 for refurbishment.
- The Plaza Restaurant – closed February 17 through March 15 for refurbishment.
- Pinocchio Village Haus – closed February 17 through March 30 for refurbishment.
- Splash Mountain – closed through March 22 for refurbishment.
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority – closed through March 27 for refurbishment.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – closed April 7–9 for refurbishment.
- Pirates of the Caribbean – closed April 28–30 for refurbishment.
Epcot
- No known refurbishments at this time.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Studio Backlot Tour – closed through March 1 for refurbishment.
- AFI Showcase – closed through March 1 for refurbishment.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Festival of the Lion King – closed for move to its new theater, currently under construction. Estimated to be closed until July/August 2014.
Resorts
As reported in July, some refrigerators in non-Disney Vacation Club rooms at Walt Disney World are being replaced due to a product defect. All Walt Disney World Resort rooms with the exception of DVC Villas, the family suites at the Art of Animation and All-Star Movie resorts, and the cabins at Fort Wilderness are impacted. Disney says “the schedule for replacing the refrigerators at these Resorts is expected to last several months.”
In the interim, if you have a reservation at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel and need a refrigerator for medical reasons, we recommend contacting your resort directly to inquire about availability during your trip. The hotel should be able to arrange for one if your room does not yet have a new refrigerator, but supplies may be limited while they work to replace all of the malfunctioning units.
- Bay Lake Tower children's play area – closed until February 28 for refurbishment.
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Polynesian
- Never Land Club Children's Activity Center – closed for refurbishment through January 1, 2015.
- Port Orleans French Quarter – Doubloon Lagoon Pool closed through February 28 for refurbishment. Transportation will be provided for guests to use the Ol' Man Island pool at Port Orleans Riverside during this period.
Water Parks
- Blizzard Beach – closed through March 17 for annual refurbishment.
Elsewhere
- The Resort and Express monorail beam closes between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily starting on January 21 for maintenance.
- Disney Osprey Ridge Golf Course – permanently closed to play.
- Downtown Disney Lots H, I, J, and K (in Westside area) closed until further notice for Disney Springs construction.
- Downtown Disney Bridge 4 and restrooms on Pleasure Island are temporarily closed for ongoing construction work.
- Cirque du Soleil La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Current Discounts & Promotions
Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Walt Disney World Resort Update. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the intended audience. Check out the category that best matches you, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!
Discounts for Everyone |
Save up to 30%* on rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels for stays most nights March 14 through April 12 and April 20 through June 15, 2014 Upgrade to a room and ticket package and get one more ticket day free. (Minimum 4-day Magic Your Way ticket required.) Offer Details:
Book now through March 31, 2014 Memory Maker pre-arrival discount Disney's PhotoPass service provides a discount on Disney Memory Maker pre-arrival packages. For $149 plus tax, Walt Disney World guests will be able to digitally download any photos associated with their Memory Maker account, including photos taken on attractions. The advanced purchase price is a $50 savings. Applicable taxes are charged to all orders. This special offer is only available from this link, and must be made more than three days prior to arrival at the Walt Disney World Resort. All sales are final, and not eligible for an exchange or refund. |
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Discounts for Annual Passholders |
Room discounts through April 12, 2014 Annual passholders enjoy a discount of up to 37 percent off regular room rates at select Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts March 14–29. Advance reservations required; other discounts available during this time period. Must book before April 12. As with all discounts, rooms available at these rates are limited, and minimum length-of-stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. No group rates or other discounts apply. Campsites, three-bedroom Grand Villas, and standard rooms at Disney's Art of Animation Resort are not included. Discounts vary by accommodation type and date, and availability varies by date. Moderate and Deluxe Resort suites may be available at a lower discount—check with your travel agent. Full details on the offer website (annual passholder login required). You can make your reservation through the Walt Disney World website or by calling (407) 939-7926 or your favorite travel agent. MousePlanet's preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link), Small World Vacations (link) and Get Away Today (link). From March 6–13 (Spring Break travel):
From March 14–29:
Check with a travel agent or Walt Disney World for other rate discounts during this time period. |
Discounts for Disney Rewards VISA & Debit Card Holders |
Room and ticket discount for travel dates from February 24 through June 15 No discounts available March 6–14 and April 13–19. Buy a minimum four day ticket and get a day free. Room discounts include:
20% off select guided tours Disney Visa cardholders receive 20% off the non-discounted price of selected guided tours for up to 10 people. The cardholder must participate in the tour, and pay with a Disney's Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card. Tours included:
10% off select restaurants Disney Visa cardholders receive 10% off the check when you pay with a Disney's Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card (be sure to request the discount). Discount excludes alcohol.
10% off merchandise Disney Visa cardholders receive 10% off at participating Disney-owned retail location when you spend a minimum of $50 and pay with a Disney's Visa Card and/or Disney Rewards Redemption Card (be sure to request the discount). Read all of the restrictions on the Disney Visa website. Free 5×7 character photo at a private meet and greet location at Epcot Present your Disney's Premier Visa Card or Disney Rewards Visa Card for access to a private character meet and greet at Epcot for the cardholder and up to 5 guests. The event is hosted daily from 1pm – 7pm inside Innoventions West at Epcot. You'll receive one free 5 x 7 character photo per day. |
Discounts for Florida Residents |
Room discounts through April 8, 2014 Florida residents enjoy a discount of up to 37 percent off regular room rates at select Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts from March 14 to 29, 2014. Advance reservations required; other discounts available during this time period. Must book before April 8. As with all discounts, rooms available at these rates are limited, and minimum length-of-stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. No group rates or other discounts apply. Campsites, three-bedroom Grand Villas, and standard rooms at Disney's Art of Animation Resort are not included. Discounts vary by accommodation type and date, and availability varies by date. Moderate and Deluxe Resort suites may be available at a lower discount—check with your travel agent. Full details on the offer website. You can make your reservation through the Walt Disney World website or by calling (407) 939-7926 or your favorite travel agent. MousePlanet's preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link), Small World Vacations (link) and Get Away Today (link). From March 6 to 13, 2014 (Spring Break Travel):
From March 14 to 29, 2014:
Check with a travel agent or Walt Disney World for other rate discounts during this time period. |
Discounts for U.K. Residents |
2014 Free Dining offer for U.K. residents 2014 Free Dining offers for U.K. residents have been released. From the information posted on the Virgin Holidays website, it appears the 2014 program offers free Quick Service Dining Plan plan when booking at a Moderate resort, and free Dining Plan when booking at Deluxe resorts, Old Key West or Saratoga Springs. There are also offers for a free $200 Disney Gift Card and/or a 14-day ticket for the price of a 7-day ticket depending on travel dates. These particular offers are valid for U.K. residents only. |
