PDA

View Full Version : Dateline Disney - March 2004



imported_PolyGirl40
02-17-2004, 01:35 PM
Dateline Disney Florida/National Edition - March 2004


Newly Renovated Disney's Port Orleans Resort-French Quarter Reopens in March

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Walt Disney World Resort is taking reservations for Disney's Port Orleans Resort-French Quarter, which reopens March 21 after extensive renovations.

The 1,008-room resort closed in May 2003 as part of a complete room renovation for Disney's Port Orleans Resort. The freshly renovated rooms have new furniture, new carpeting, new wall coverings and remodeled bathrooms. Disney's Port Orleans Resort-Riverside remains open as a phased renovation continues. Because of the overall size of the resort, the renovation of Disney's Port Orleans Resort-Riverside has been happening in building-by-building phases.

The theme of Disney's Port Orleans Resort-French Quarter has not changed. The resort offers a step back in time, into the heart and soul of the Southern region of our country. A popular feature of Disney's Port Orleans Resort-French Quarter is watercraft transportation. Flat-bottomed boats transport guests to the shops and showplaces of Downtown Disney.

For more information or to make reservations, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Earl of Sandwich Set to Reign at Downtown Disney Marketplace

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Another British export is making its way across the Atlantic and heading straight for Walt Disney World Resort. The Earl of Sandwich is coming to Downtown Disney Marketplace.

Replacing Gourmet Pantry, the new restaurant will serve a variety of hot, freshly prepared sandwiches on warm, fresh breads with original sauces and spreads. Guests looking for a quick bite can choose from an assortment of cold sandwiches, salads, side orders and desserts in the Butler's Pantry. The restaurant décor will reflect the 242-year history of the sandwich and the family that is credited with its creation.

The Earl of Sandwich is a collaboration between Robert Earl, founder and CEO of Planet Hollywood, and John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich and direct descendant of the sandwich inventor. Scheduled to open early March, this will be the first Earl of Sandwich shop to open in the United States.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


From Bulldogs to Dodgers, March Means
Braves Spring Training Games at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- For the National League East Division champion Atlanta Braves, March will come in like a Bulldog and go out with the Dodgers.

The Braves, winningest team in the major leagues over the past 13 years, open their seventh full season of spring training games at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex with a March 3 exhibition game against the University of Georgia Bulldogs. By the end of the month, they'll have played 15 games at picturesque Cracker Jack Stadium. They'll close out spring training with a 16th game, against the Houston Astros, on April 1.

Single-game tickets for Braves home games are available at Disney's Wide World of Sports box office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 407/839-3900. Prices range from $12.50 (general admission lawn seats) to $20.50 (lower reserved).

Information on spring training season and group tickets and mini-packs is available by calling 407/939-GAME (939-4263). Three types of mini-pack ticket plans include: the five-game mini-pack, the first half three-game mini-pack, and the second half three-game mini-pack.

Fans may also purchase Atlanta Braves Spring Training travel packages by calling 407/939-7712. The packages start at $143 per person (based on double occupancy) and include a Braves game ticket and two nights accommodations at a Disney Value Resort, including the new Disney's Pop Century Resort, conveniently located near Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Here's the lineup of Braves spring training games at Cracker Jack Stadium in 2004:

March 3 -- University of Georgia, 1:05 p.m.
March 4 -- Los Angeles Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.
March 7 -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 1:05 p.m.
March 8 -- Cleveland Indians, 1:05 p.m.
March 10 -- Philadelphia Phillies, 1:05 p.m.
March 13 -- New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m.
March 17 -- Montreal Expos, 7:05 p.m.
March 19 -- New York Mets, 1:05 p.m.
March 20 -- Cincinnati Reds, 1:05 p.m.
March 21 -- St. Louis Cardinals, 1:05 p.m.
March 22 -- St. Louis Cardinals, 1:05 p.m.
March 25 -- Detroit Tigers, 7:05 p.m.
March 26 -- Cleveland Indians, 7:05 p.m.
March 27 -- New York Mets, 1:05 p.m.
March 30 -- Los Angeles Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.
April 1 -- Houston Astros, 1:05 p.m.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Surf's Up at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park In Time for Spring Breakers

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The first waves of water fun in 2004 are breaking just in time for spring breakers at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park.

Following the Walt Disney World attraction's Feb. 29 reopening for daily fun in the sand and surf, the park begins offering special learn-to-surf classes in the early morning (prior to regular park hours) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Classes start March 1 and will be offered three mornings a week through April.

Craig Carroll's Cocoa Beach Surf School conducts the 2 ˝-hour lessons. Carroll, a mentor of six-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater, estimates that 70 to 75 percent of the participants in the program at Typhoon Lagoon have never surfed previously -- and that about 90 percent will "get up" sometime during the early-morning session.

Enrollment is limited to 12 participants and can be arranged by calling 407/WDW-PLAY (939-7529). Boards are provided. The cost for a one-morning session is $135.

Regular daily operating hours for Typhoon Lagoon in March are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Current one-day ticket price for Typhoon Lagoon (or Blizzard Beach, the other Walt Disney World water park) is $31 plus tax (ages 10+) and $25 plus tax (ages 3-9).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Walt Disney World Resort Earns Honor
As Golf Magazine Gold Medal Resort

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Avid golfers and Golf Magazine editors have given Walt Disney World Resort a Gold Medal endorsement as one of 25 resorts in the United States earning the magazine's highest resort distinction.

The ninth edition of the biennial Gold and Silver Medal awards has been announced in the March 2004 issue of Golf Magazine.

The magazine arrived at its selections with the help of readers. Through a consumer research firm, 25,000 readers were asked to consider resorts they had visited in the past two years and to rate them in a variety of categories -- more than half pertaining to golf and the remainder about other aspects of resorts.

The readers' responses were analyzed by Golf Magazine editors who finalized the selections.

Sample reader comments about Walt Disney World Resort that were included with the March feature: "Good challenge but not excessively hard . . . The 'cast members' seem to anticipate everything . . . If you cannot find something to do here you should never leave home."

Walt Disney World Resort features 99 holes of golf designed by renowned course architects Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Ron Garl and Joe Lee. Two of the Joe Lee courses, the Magnolia and Palm, are host to the Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort, a PGA TOUR event held in October each year since 1971.

In addition to golf facilities, the resort features four theme parks, two water parks, a multi-sports complex, other outdoor recreation, dining, shopping, nighttime entertainment and 21 themed hotels.

2004 marks the fifth time since 1992 that Walt Disney World Resort has been accorded a Golf Magazine Gold Medal. As in 2002, Disney is one of two Florida golf resorts so distinguished (next-door neighbor Grand Cypress Resort is the other).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Survey Says: Walt Disney World Resort is Top Hotel Owner

LAKE BUENA VISTSA, Fla. -- Walt Disney World Resort was the top-ranked hotel operator and top "upscale" hotel operator in a recent national customer satisfaction survey by Market Metrix, LLC, a leading provider of hospitality market research services.

The Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) is a quarterly report of customer satisfaction with hotel, airline and car rental companies based on 35,000 in-depth consumer interviews. The MMHI contains 135 hotel brands, 25 airlines and 11 car rental companies. The results for the fourth quarter of 2003 were released on Feb. 3, 2004.

While this is the first win for Walt Disney World Resort overall, the hospitality company has won in the "Upscale Hotel" niche category for the last six quarters in a row.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Disney Cruise Line Hosts Fourth Annual
Ebert & Roeper Film Festival At Sea

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper of the popular syndicated television show "Ebert & Roeper" will host the fourth annual Film Festival At Sea aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship March 11-14.

Special film festival package activities include a sail-away cocktail reception with Ebert and Roeper, a sneak peak at four of the popular critics' favorite films, open discussions with Ebert and Roeper following each screening and a book signing during the cruise.

Rates for three-night cruise vacations start at $409. Seven-night land and sea vacations start at $829. Film festival packages can be added for $190 each. All rates are per person, based on adult double occupancy. Government taxes and fees are included.

To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a Disney Cruise Line vacation, guests can contact their travel agent, visit disneycruise.com or call Disney Cruise Line at 888/DCL-2500.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lacrosse, Softball, Track & Field Teams
Conduct Spring Training at Disney Complex

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- High school and college sports -- from lacrosse and softball to track & field -- join major league baseball on the spring training calendar during March at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Five weeks of training camps are scheduled during the month in each of the sports, with the softball alone featuring more than 100 teams from 28 states -- mostly in the Northeast and Midwest but also as near as Florida and as far away as Alaska.