Tidbits June 2007

[Figment!]

Tidbits
June 2007

Ring in the Year with Rehabs

6/29/07 It is currently rumoured that the Jungle Cruise rehab may be pushed back and replaced time-wise with a Space Mountain rehab. It is currently rumoured that Space Mountain may under-go a 6 month rehab starting January 2008, with a Jungle Cruise rehab to start in June 2008 directly following the Space Mountain rehab completion. At this time, this schedule has not been confirmed by attraction Cast of either attraction or Operations.

6/2/07 Attraction Cast have reported that the Jungle Cruise is tentatively scheduled to close for a major rehab in Early 2008. While no specific details or duration have been reported at this time, the rehab has so far been described as a multi-month maintenance and refreshing rehab.

Tides of Change

6/29/07 It has been internally announced that the new Sammy Duval Watersports shop will be called "Curl". It was further announced that the shop will feature surf-wear and surfing accessories.

5/23/07 Disney has filed a Leasing Agreement for one of its currently dormant Please Island retail locations. According to the documentation, Sammy Duval Watersports will lease the former Superstar Studios retail location. No date was documented for the beginning of the lease period nor its contractual length.


Coming Soon ... at The Studios

6/29/07 Recent internal meetings have confirmed that the "2009 EarMark" is still scheduled. Recent reports indicate that the time table for the new attraction has been broadened to 2009-2010 time frame, but that plans are still on the table. It has also been confirmed internally that the current location considered for this attraction is Soundstage 1. Given the forthcoming re-theming of this area, it is being speculated that the attraction will have a Pixar content theme.

10/10/06 Cast Members have reported that, at recent “town hall” meetings, Disney has internally announced that 2008-2009 is EarMarked for the Disney-MGM Studios. Reports indicate 2008 is EarMarked for one attraction and 2009 is EarMarked for a second attraction.

EnterChanges

6/26/07 A number of changes and additions have been internally announced for the Disney-MGM Studios over the next 11 months.

The Jedi Training Academy is planned to be added as a regular entertainment offering with a permanent stage. While a debut for the offering has yet to be announced, the stage installation has been announced to start July 9, 2007.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid is tentatively scheduled to receive a refurbishment Late Summer / Early Fall 2007. The nature of the refurbishment was not announced.

Playhouse Disney Live on Stage! is scheduled to receive show revisions debuting in February 2008. The revised show will reportedly add Little Einsteins and Mickey's Clubhouse segments in place of the Bear in the Big Blue House, Stanley, and The Book of Pooh segments.

The Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade has been announced to be replaced by a new version of Block Party Bash in March 2008.

A new show attraction is planned to debut in the ABC Theater May 2008.

A Movie Dive-In

6/26/07The Yacht and Beach Club has recently added a Beach Campfire & Movie offering. The entertainment features a campfire on the beach at 8:00 pm followed by a movie 9:00 pm. Guests should check with Guest Relations for a current schedule of this new offering.

Rockn' Rehab

6/26/07 Attraction Cast have reported that Rockn' Roller Coaster is tentatively scheduled for a month long rehab Fall 2007. The attraction is tentatively scheduled to be closed for an operation refurbishment from Early September through Early October 2007.

A Castle Christmas

6/25/07It has been internally announced that Cinderella Castle will be receiving a Christmas Overlay for the 2007 Holiday Season. The overlay is scheduled to be complete November 15th, 2007. The addition of the overlay will require the use of a crane near the Castle September 12th through November 14th, 2007. As usual, it is anticipated the use of the crane during normal operation hours will be minimal. While the details of the overlay itself were not announced, it is expected to mostly (if not entirely) consist of Christmas Lights.

Horseshoe Happenings

6/25/07 Disney has recently filled several work permits for minor work at the Diamond Horseshoe location in the Magic Kingdom. According to Dining Cast, these permits are to prepare the location to re-open as a Dining location albeit Seasonal and sans a show. While this location was used once before as a Peak Holiday Season buffet location, its future operation is being reported as operating as a Counter Service option during multiple Peak Crowd times of the year. It is not clear when the location will re-open in this new operation, but it is speculated it may not be until the Peak Holiday Season 2007.

A Grand Refurbishment

6/25/07The Grand Floridian started a resort wide Soft Refurbishment earlier this month. June 2007 through January 2008 the resort will replace the all the furnishings and most of the furniture in each room. As with its other accommodation category counterparts, these soft refurbishments will include the addition of flat-panel t.v.'s.

[Figment!]

A Royal Raise

6/22/07 Dining Cast have reported that Cinderella's Royal Table will raises prices Late Fall 2007 and will institute special Holiday Seating prices.

Starting November 11, 2007 Breakfast seating prices will be raised to $32.99 per Adult and $22.99 per Child; Lunch seating prices will be raised to $35.99 per Adult and $23.99 per Child; and Dinner seating prices will be raised to $40.99 per Adult and $25.99 per Child.

Also starting in November 2007, Cinderella's Royal Table will charge a "Holiday Premium" price for meals November 18th through November 24th and December 16th through January 5th. During the Holiday period Breakfast seating prices will be $36.99 per Adult and $24.99 per Child, Lunch seating prices will be $39.99 per Adult and $25.99 per Child; and Dinner seating prices will be $44.99 per Adult and $27.99 per Child.

An American Refurbishment

6/22/07 As speculated, the American Adventure attraction re-opened from rehab with new footage during the Golden Dreams film. The added footage reportedly includes a montage of the events of 9/11/01, Contemporary American Celebrities and the Miracle on Ice.

6/16/07 Operations have announced two refurbishments at the American Adventure pavilion during the Summer of 2007.

The attraction will be closed June 18 through June 20, 2007. While no specific changes were reported with the closure, it is speculated that there will be some updates to the Golden Dreams film. Former Epcot Vice-President, Brad Rex announced early this year that small amounts of new footage were ready to be added to the film, so giving the timing of this rehab, it seems like a reasonable change to expect.

The American Heritage Gallery, located in the pre-show area, will be closed July 23 through through September 25, 2007. During this closure the Echoes of Africa Exhibit will be replaced with the previously announced National Treasures exhibit .

O New!

6/19/07 With the recent announcement of O Canada! being closed for refurbishment August 20-24, it is being speculated that the new film will debut when the attraction re-opens. While there has yet to be any evidence cited to support the installment of the new film the timing fits with the previous statements by the former Vice-President of Epcot and the length of rehab both support the speculation.

2/1/07 Earlier confirmed by Canadian filming permits, Brad Rex has further confirmed that O Canada! will be updated with new footage. According to Brad, the new version of the show is scheduled to debut Late Summer / Early Fall 2007.

Tides of Change

6/19/07 Fuego by Sosa Cigars has opened on Pleasure Island replacing the Sosa Family Cigar Shop location.

The rich enticing aroma of premium tobacco welcomes cigar aficionados to Fuego by Sosa Cigars, an upscale cigar bar now open at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island at Walt Disney World Resort.

Cigar connoisseurs can savor a smoke and enjoy other tobacco products in an intimate lounge setting where premium wine, beer, spirits, plus specialty coffees and other non-alcoholic beverages are served daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The new lounge is a tribute to four generations of the Sosa family with pictures of family members decorating the walls. The gathering place blends contemporary furnishings and high tech with old-world charm. Pendant-style light fixtures adorn the room while a hand-crafted glass bar top resembles a floating block of ice. The back bar is illuminated with silhouettes of tobacco leaves and back-lit with images of fire. Custom-designed, hand-crafted wooden humidors hold more than 100 facings of hand-rolled premium cigars -- from the legendary Fuente Fuente Opus X to the highly rated house-branded Sosa cigars. An expanded terrace offers guests outdoor seating as well.

The Sosa Family Cigar shop in Downtown Disney West Side remains unchanged.


Swap Meet (and Greet)

6/18/07 The Ratatouille Meet and Greet opened at the Disney-MGM Studio's Magic of Animation building on 6/17/07. As anticipated, this location replaced the Meet the Robinsons location while not affecting the Incredibles location. The characters available are Remy and Emile. The set for the Meet and Greet is farily elaborate featuring oversized ingredients and other kitchen items. Unlike the location's former tenant, this Meet and Greet offering is reportedly not planned to be a short term opportunity.

5/17/07 Character Cast have reported that Remy (from Disney's upcoming feature film Ratatouille) is scheduled to start Meet and Greet appearances at the Magic of Disney Animation sometime during the first half of June 2007. This Meet and Greet is tentatively planned replace the current Meet the Robinsons location.

A Roomier Restaraunt[/B]

6/18/07 More details have started to surface about the new restaurant that Memo Emec (Epcot Regional Manager of Operating Participants) announced to replace the Tempura Kiku and the Matsunoma Lounge locations in Epcot's Japan Pavilion. The new sushi location (slated to open August 25, 2007) will reportedly feature a new kitchen built separate from the existing area. This new construction will reportedly allow for the new location's seating to expand into the kitchen areas of the former locations, providing more seating than that of the two former locations combined.

A Wanderfull Departure?

6/14/07 Rumours have started to circulate over the last 30 - 45 days that Epcot's infamous Wand may be removed sometime over the next 18 months. Most recently it has reported that a budget to remove the Wand structure has been allocated for the 2008 fiscal year. Considering that the structure was only intended to be a 9-10 year structure, this seems reasonable. Still, with a lack of credible, concrete information the removal of the Wand still falls into the realm of rumours.

[Figment!]

An Avenue Advent

6/13/07 A new section may be debuting at the Disney-MGM Studios when Toy Story Mania opens. While the intent of the project is unclear paper work has recently been filed for a construction project titled "Disney's MGM Studios - Pixar Studios" in the vicinity of the current Toy Story Mania project in the Mickey Avenue section of the park. While project names have occasionally proven to be red herrings in the past (and the name is somewhat non-sequitur with the current park nomenclature), this paper work has caused some speculation that the current Mickey Avenue section may become "Pixar Studios" when Toy Story Mania opens.

Street Snacks

6/13/07 Paper work has been filed for a new Quick Service Pizza Location in the Streets of America section of the Disney-MGM Studios park. While the sub-section of this planned location was not listed in the paper work, there are some reports that it may come as part of the announced-but-yet-to-be-created Chicago area.

Test Pass

6/13/07 It appears that several if not all of the Magic Kingdom FastPass locations were updated with the new machines during the first two weeks of this month. Beyond the work permits reported below, there has been no further indication of the continued roll-out of these new machines.

6/2/07 The new FastPass machines with upgraded printing and reading capabilities appear to be planned to be moved beyond their current limited roll-out. Work permits have been filed to replace all existing FastPass machines at Epcot and the Animal Kingdom. A time table for this work was not filed, nor has one been reported.

May the Force be with Two?

6/5/07 Anthony Daniels (of C-3P0 fame) may have leaked future attraction plans at a recent Adventure Con comic book convention. During a Q&A session he reportedly stated that he has recently completed filming portions of a new film for the Star Tours attraction at the Disney-MGM Studios. While he did not reportedly go into further detail about the film itself, he did reportedly state the new film is planned to be added to the attraction in Late 2007.

A New Journey

6/5/07 Studios Cast have reported that Journey into Narnia is scheduled to close for a major rehab in Early 2008. During the rehab, the attraction will reportedly be changed to feature the next film in the Chronicles of Narnia series--Prince Caspian. The new form of the walk-through exhibit is tentatively scheduled to open Spring 2008.

SnaCOT

6/2/07 Epcot Cast have reported that two new snack locations are planned for Epcot. A new snack kiosk is reportedly planned to be added near the vicinity of the the American Gardens Theater. . Additionally, a new snack and beverage kiosk is reportedly planned for to be placed at the World Showcase entrance to Future World. While no hard time table has been reported, both kiosks are reported to start installation Summer 2007.

A Legacy's Legacy

6/2/07 It appears that the Leave a Legacy program at Epcot will soon be ending. Work to remove the current Leave a Legacy sales kiosks began late last month only to abruptly stop and now recently re-start. In conjunction to this construction, it has been reported that the sale of Leave a Legacy tiles will end Mid June 2007. While these reports are certainly supported by the removal work, there has yet to be any direct evidence cited (like an announcement) that the Leave a Legacy program is indeed ceasing new sales. As a result of the sale booth removal, the tile locater will reportedly be moved to the Camera Center.

Better Busses

6/2/07 The new on-board audio system is reportedly now operational on buses on all 4 theme park loops. The buses were reportedly upgraded between Mid-May and June 1, 2007. The upgrades were reportedly installed in the following order: Epcot loop, Magic Kingdom loop, Disney-MGM Studios loop, Animal Kingdom loop.

The next phase of the Magic in Motion program is tentatively planned to go into operation Mid Fall 2007. During this time period kiosks are reportedly planned to be installed at each bus stop to aid in responding to real-time Guest demand for buses.

The reported planned operation of these kiosks involves each Guest inserting their Key to the World card or park admission medium when entering a bus stop in order notify bus dispatch of the frequency of Guests arriving to each bus stop and the number of Guests currently waiting at each bus stop. Automated counters on each bus are planned to be utilized to track Guests then leaving each bus stop, thus completing the cycle. The new Guest tracking system is aimed to greatly increase the efficiency of the existing bus system.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks Jason!

[Jeff]

[disneyboy98]

Thanks Jason

[WDWfanatic742]

Attraction Cast have reported that the Jungle Cruise is tentatively scheduled to close for a major rehab in Early 2008. While no specific details or duration have been reported at this time, the rehab has so far been described as a multi-month maintenance and refreshing rehab.

Just as long as they don't plan on putting some of elements from the movie that comes out either next year or the year after that into the ride

[vizsla]

Thanks for the updates.

[goofy for pluto]

Thanks Jason!

[ccp1]

Thanks for the updates!

I like the real-time bus dispatching plan. As someone who usually travels with 90 students, there's many a time that I wish I could tell someone that we just clogged the queue and we need more busses.

As for the Leave a Legacy tidbit, it would be great if the next step was to remove the monument completely... or at least the over 50% that sits there without tiles.

IMHO- Walk Around the World= Good Idea. Leave a Legacy= Bad Idea.

[disneyfan369]

That's pretty cool. Thank you!

[readytogo2]

great info as usual

[dolphinmickey9170]

Thanks Jason, the bus info was cool. Hopefully it will cut down on the wait times for buses.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Thanks, Jason - great info as usual!

[Bethanymouse]

Thanks so much for the updates. The new busing system sounds great!

[Ian]

Interesting about Jungle Cruise ... I read a rumor not long ago that said there's a proposal out there to re-theme all of Adventureland to a Pirates concept.

This would involve removing the treehouse and replacing it with a walk-through of the Black Pearl, revamping the Tiki Room to have a pirate theme, and possibly removing or re-theming the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

Left out of this rumor was what would happen to the Jungle Cruise. I wonder if this refurb is related.

[BrerSchultzy]

So...interesting tidbit about the buses. I have a question about the tracking of guests though...the report says that guests will insert their room keys or park entrance medium into the turnstile so that the computer will know how many guests are waiting...right?

So, will they be enforcing the "Transportation for Resort Guests Only" rule? It seems to me the only choice they'll have (from a PR standpoint) is to change the rule or enforce it. Currently, they offer it as a perk to staying on property, but it is so difficult to enforce. But if it is easy to enforce (with these kiosks), there's no way they can list that as a perk if they don't enforce it.

Just curious.

[FriendsofMickey]

Thanks for the info

I was thinking the same thing about them enforcing the "guests only on the buses".
Though, I think the buses probably are a benefit to Disney when people use them instead of their cars (congestion) while park hopping (guest or not). I cannot see them preventing guests of the parks from not using the bus system regardless of where they are staying... it will be interesting to see if they do.

[xipetotec]

6/2/07 Attraction Cast have reported that the Jungle Cruise is tentatively scheduled to close for a major rehab in Early 2008. While no specific details or duration have been reported at this time, the rehab has so far been described as a multi-month maintenance and refreshing rehab.
[/COLOR]

Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

[DawsonAR]

Thanks for the update. We will be there early 2008. I hope the Jungle Cruise will still be open.