News & Rumors 12/7/09 - 12/13/09

News

• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is officially sold out for this Friday, Dec. 18th.
• The Main Street Christmas tree is now in place.
• The changes to Pleasure Island won't be complete until 2012.
  

Rumors

• It's being rumored that in January, we may be seeing more of the Muppets. There will possibly be a new pre-parade that will take place before the 3:00 parade celebrating the new "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" promotion.
• Also being rumored and related to the daily afternoon parade, the parade stops that were included in the Disney Dreams Come True Parade may be removed in early 2010.

Review: HGTV Disney Christmas Special

I am a WDW television junkie, like many of you are. Anytime I find out that something WDW related is on TV, I immediately have to turn it on, even if I've seen it a million times before! However, nothing makes me more excited to hear when there's actually a NEW television special on! And recently, Disney and HGTV supplied me with something else spectacular to save on my DVR!

The show, titled Behind the Magic: Disney Holidays premiered Nov. 29th and is hosted by David Bromsted.

On our magical journey, David takes us behind the scenes at the Disney's Holiday Services Warehouse and shows us some secrets about how Disney sets up for the holidays. (I didn't know that the huge bulb ornaments that are on the trees are really streetlight BULB covers! Creative!) This was fantastic because you don't normally get to see a backstage area like this unless you were on some sort of tour. On this special, the tour is brought right to your living room. How awesome is that?

What was also neat was they showed some great footage of what actually happens when the parks closes and they have to set up all these great decorations on Main Street USA. You get to see the nitty gritty of how it all works.

Of course, on this special, we're going to get a peek into two of the most "Disney Holiday" features in the parks. (minus the Lights of Winter of course... :( ) I'm talking about taking detailed looks at both the decorating of Cinderella Castle with her Dreamlights and decorating The Streets of America with the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Both sections give extremely detailed looks into what goes into putting these two displays up each year.

One thing I liked the most about this special is that it showed a few different things than I'd expect to see on a show like this. I mean, you expect to see about the Castle Dreamlights, you expect to see about the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights, but I never expected them to talk to Disney Horticulturalists about all the different Holiday plantings that they do each year! It was fascinating to learn something about an area that rarely gets discussed, but is just integral in decorating the parks for the festivities as those Dreamlights are.

And of course, it wouldn't be a Disney Holiday special without a look at what goes into making the delectable Gingerbread House that can be found at Disney's Grand Floridian and a special peek at the new Mary Blair inspired decor that's now up at the Contemporary Resort.

So, for those of you who maybe missed the special the first time, you're in luck! As with all Disney TV specials, this one, will be replayed. This year, you can still catch it, numerous different times, including as soon as this weekend:

December 11, 3:00 am
December 13, 8:00 pm
December 13, 3:00 am
December 24, 4:00 pm
December 25, 8:00 pm
December 25, 3:00 am


Have you seen this show yet? What did you think? If not, enjoy watching the Holiday goodness! I know I will!

News & Rumors 11/30/09 - 12/6/09

News and Rumors are gathered from various different websites. One particular website is not favored over another. All rumors are rumors and are to be taken with a grain of salt.

News

• The show Cinderella's Holiday Wish will now be showing at 6:15 pm starting today.
  
• AP rates have been extended for MVMCP, so if you want to go and haven't gotten tickets yet, if you are an APer, now would be your chance.
  
• The main pool at Old Key West will be down for renovations in Feb. 2010. Guests may use the quiet pools or the main pool at Saratoga Springs.
• Most stores in WDW are now offering all Annual Passholders 10% off their purchases now through Jan. 3.
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Rumors

• It's being rumored that Captain EO is being looked at, yet again, for a possible return to Epcot possibly by Summer 2010.
  
• Apparently, Disney is conducting a study on Fantasmic and the effect it has on the DHS.
  
• I'm hearing that Dumbo could possibly be coming as a meet and greet character in the future. No word yet on whether it will be soon or once his new area opens in the Fantasyland expansion.
  

Uber Planner

When I go down to Disney, as many of you happen to do, I like to plan. Granted, I don't go so far as some do, where they even have bathroom breaks scheduled only at certain times. But I do like to have a general outline of what I think will work best for which days I'm down there.

Most of the time, I use a mixture of touringplans.com and Disney's own park hours to decide where my fate lies on a specific night. Once I tackle that project, (which trust me, can be a project to decide where to go and when), I can start to create my own little masterpiece that I will carry proudly with me along my journey.

Some people do spreadsheets...which is great, however, I do my version in a little more arts and crafty manner. (Although, as I discovered on my last trip, spreadsheets, aren't as bad as I thought...and are now included in my handy tool, as you will plainly see.)

So what do I do in preparation of my trips? I create my very own "WDW Booklet."

Alright, so I know you're thinking...what's this booklet all about?

Basically, it's a bunch of index cards which I've compiled together to create my map of what should potentially happen on a given day during my Disney vacation. It contains all pertinent information, such as confirmation numbers, park hours, fireworks times, dining reservations, and anything else that would possibly be something I'd need to know, all at the ease of a small carry-able booklet.

I use index cards because they're small and fit inside my plastic pouch I bought easily. I use the plastic pouch in my purse to keep rain and water off of important documents I'll be needing during my trip. I learned the hard way to keep the booklet in the plastic, as it got ruined in a rainstorm once. Luckily I had a backup list that time of everything that I had planned. I get the plastic pouches really cheaply at Walgreens and they work wonders.

Also, it's time to break out the markers and glue because like I mentioned before, I like to do this old school!

Each time, I use the same cover I created using black paper and stickers. With each trip, I change out the index card information so I'll have what I need.



First things first, important confirmation numbers for my flights and hotel rooms.




Next, I'll include the info for my park touring schedule. I include the parks I plan to be in for the day or any other activities planned and my ADR times.



After that, I'll include the Touring Plans.com recommendations for which parks are the best and worst on a specific day and also what the crowd level predictions are supposed to be for the day.



After that is when my new-found love of spreadsheet info comes into play. I'll include all the day's hours and parades and fireworks schedules, just in case my plans do change. This way, I'll be fully prepared. Each day is represented on a different card.



Finally, I have listed, by day and time the different ADRs I've got scheduled, printed straight from the online ADR system.



Last, I leave a few blank index cards in the back for any additional things that may pop up mid trip.

It all may seem a bit manic, but a) it helps me get out my pre-trip jitters because I have something to do before my trip to rid myself of that anxious "I want to be there" energy and b) I am prepared in case of an emergency. Anything can happen during a trip and it's best to have all the info on hand so you can offer it up, if necessary. This is especially true with things like confirmation numbers.

So, this is what I do. What do you do? Strictly spreadsheets or do you have something a bit more creative or even a bit more simple?

And who knows, maybe I can help someone else get rid of that pre-trip agony. Gosh knows I'm feeling it now. January can't come soon enough. Guess I need to get cracking on making my booklet up now...I think it will help! :)

News & Rumors 11/23/09 - 11/29/09

News and Rumors are gathered from various different websites. One particular website is not favored over another. All rumors are rumors and are to be taken with a grain of salt.


News

• Vanessa Williams will now not be performing in the Candlelight Processional on Dec. 14-17. Abigail Breslin will be taking her place instead.
• The De'Vine Voices is a chior that will be singing in Epcot on the Fountain of Nations stage playing now until Dec. 26th. Showtimes will be as follows: 1:15 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm.
• There are some changes to the pick up locations for the Picnic in the Park option at Disney's Animal Kingdom. If you order off the Tier 1 menu, you will now be picking your lunch up in Dinoland at DinoBites. If you've ordered off of the Tier 2 menu, you'll collect your food from the Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery.
• The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectaular at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be closed for refurbishment from Jan. 11th - 15th.
• Guests who want to meet Santa chilling out in his beachwear finest before the Holidays can go to the Swan and Dolphin resorts. For more info, go here.
  

Rumors

• There's rumors floating around that the other monorail train that will be added in 2010 is possibly going to be the color Maroon.
• I've heard that during Splash Mountain's winter refurb, lap bars may be included this time around.
  

What I'm Thankful For (Disney Style)

It's that time of year. The time to be thankful for the blessings in our lives. To really look at the things that matter. And while this list is a little trivial and goofy ...some of it actually means stuff to me. So, let's delve right in. :)

First off, I'm thankful for Walt Disney. Without this visionary, we wouldn't have WDW to obsess about. And it's his dream that gives us all so much joy. Walt was truly one of a kind and although he was taken before he should have been, he definitely left his stamp on the world for sure.

I'm thankful for the imagineers who created some of the best WDW attractions. From the Haunted Mansion to Space Mountain, to Splash Mountain, to Soarin, to Test Track, to World Showcase, to Toy Story Midway Mania, to Rock n' Roller Coaster, to Expedition Everest. All of these attractions and many more helped to create the fun atmosphere we get to enjoy as well. WDW would be nothing without these people.

I'm thankful for all those little hidden jokes that are included in so many rides and areas of the parks. They make the quest to find out more about WDW that much more enticing.

I'm thankful for whomever decided to put that kind of wonderful chocolate on ice cream to make the Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar!

I'm thankful for the fireplace at the Wilderness Lodge. It's where I've had some of the best times with my husband as we just sit there in the "relative" quiet and fall asleep in each other's arms.

I'm thankful also for the same reason about the Poly beach. Just another great place where I can spend quality time with my hubby.

I'm thankful for the TTA. Even though they've changed the spiel of this attraction to something a little more trite, it's still one of my favorite spots to just wind down and enjoy the Magic Kingdom.

I'm thankful for Streetmosphere characters. They give me a laugh every time I walk by. Improv is not easy, but they make it look like it is.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to cream my hubby at Toy Story Midway Mania. It makes for a fun ride because we're constantly trying to outdo and beat each other...and we're always close so it really feeds into our competitive natures. We never know who's gonna come out on top until the very end and then victory is sweet. (Or loss is sour, depending on what end of the spectrum I'm at.)

I'm thankful for LeCellier's Maple Creme Brulee. Best thing I've ever eaten!

I'm thankful for the great music that's played around WDW. Since the music is so epic, it follows you home and anywhere you hear it, you get sucked right in and it takes you right back to the parks. Transporting you to Splash Mountain or Soarin or Future World and actually making you feel like you're there!

And most of all, I'm thankful for the podcast and the Disney community. The podcast has afforded me something I never thought I'd have in my entire life. An outlet to talk about my number 1 passion in life. And I love it so much! It is honestly one of the things I look forward to each week when I get the opportunity to sit down and talk and laugh with Mike, Debbie, and Pam. I couldn't ask for a better team and we are so lucky we get along like the family that we do.

But the best thing the podcast has brought me to be thankful for is you all. Your friendships mean everything. There's nothing I get more excited about than checking my Twitter account first thing in the morning. Or getting a break so I can check out the Be Our Guest Podcast forums. Getting the opportunity to share in your triumphs and tribulations and really become a family, because that's what we are, is absolutely incredible.

So thank you all. From the bottom of my heart. My life would be a little less brighter without all your support and love.

These are just a few items I'm thankful for. Of course there are many, many more. But I could go on for hours and barely scratch the surface.

And so that brings me to you. What is it that you're Disney thankful for?

News & Rumors 11/16/09 - 11/22/09

News

• There will be two Wishes Dessert Parties on New Year's Eve. The first will be a Dinner and Dessert Party. This one will take place at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm and will include an all you can eat buffet. The menu will include things such as breads, fruits, cheeses, sushi, salads, pork, and beef short ribs. This party will run $139.99 for adults and $69.99 for kids. The second dessert party will be the Fantasy in the Sky party and is basically a regular dessert party in the same location starting at 9:50 pm. It will have desserts, beverages, and non-alcoholic sparkling drinks. The cost will be $35.99 for adults and $19.99 for kids.
• Locker Rental prices have increased across the board. For the theme parks, the cost for a locker will be $7 for a small locker and $9 for a large with a $5 deposit that will be returned when the key is returned. (Which remains the same price as before.) At the water parks, the cost for a small locker is now $8 and $10 for a large, with a $5 deposit that will be returned once again for bringing back the key.
• Wheelchairs and EVCs have also seen a price increase. For a wheelchair it's a $12 per day cost with no deposit in the theme parks, but a $100 deposit in DTD. For a length of stay rental, it's $10 per day with no deposit but a $10 deposit at DTD. For ECV rentals, the cost is $50 per day with a $20 refundable deposit.
• Some restaurants are going to open up in the Magic Kingdom with the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays approaching. First, the Diamond Horseshoe will be open for a counter service lunch from Nov. 20th - Nov. 28th from 11 am until 4 pm and from Nov. 25th - Nov. 28th for a Table Service dinner from 5 pm until 9 pm.
• El Pirata Y el Perico will be open from Nov. 22nd to Nov. 28th with operating hours from 11 am - 3 pm.
  
• Finally, the Tomrrowland Noodle Station will be open from Nov. 22nd to Nov. 28th. This counter service restaurant will have a split menu. From 11 am until 4 pm it will serve American food and from 5 pm until 10pm it will serve up Asian cuisine.
• Victoria & Albert's at the Grand Floridian has once again been awarded the AAA 5 Diamond Award. This is the 10th consecutive year.
• Disney is doing some construction/demolition work in Pleasure Island.
  

Space Mountain--Ready for Blast Off!

This past week, Space Mountain has been seeing some testing of it's recent refurbishment. It was widely known that the budget for this project had been cut substantially, so I knew it would be interesting to see what exactly was happening during this refurb.

As the video and pictures I've posted show, a lot got changed, but a lot did not. (See the previous News & Rumors post for video and pics!)

First off, there is the new queue area. They have kept some elements, such as the music and some of the Pepper's Ghost effects that had been a staple for so many years, but they've also included the introduction of a new story (Starport 75) and a ton of video screens with space games to play which have been added for those standing in the standby line.

I do like the introduction of a cohesive story, something that I thought was not as prevalent before. I do have to wonder about the video games though. I know that they are short (about a minute for each game, so if you are playing, you're not going to be holding up the line for too terribly long) but I really have to wonder how they will play out in the future. I think this is something that I will have to see in action, in person, to make a real judgement on this.

From there, we head into the load area. This is where we see a quite a few changes. First, they have enclosed the area so that light does not escape into the actual mountain, something I think was needed. They do show projections on the ceiling though, as if the area has spots that are open. Also, I believe the line system has been re-worked a bit. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out once Fastpass gets re-introduced back into the mix. The one thing I like the most, there are now load gates at the loading area. This is something I am really happy about. I know that we've accidentally gotten into a spaceship that was about to take off. This will mean those kinds of accidents will not happen any further.

As for the actual ride, well, there is some new sounds in the blue tunnel. And of course, there's a new type of flash at the end of it, which is also there to mask the new on-ride photo camera flash. However, other than that, and a bit of a spruce up of the lift area, it doesn't appear that much has changed with the actual ride itself. It may be smoother although, I've heard conflicting reports about that...some say it's not smoother at all. Also, it's a tad bit darker now inside, although from reports, not so dark that you can't see anything in front of you, which would have been cool.

Once the ride is over, you exit and get the chance to see your on-ride photo. From there, we head to the post-show area. This has seen some nice sprucing up as well. The Starport 75 storyline continues here with a hint of a feeling of Horizons. Showing different areas that you could visit in the future. I like the general spruce up of the area, although I'll miss the kitchyness of the old pre-show. (This is not to suggest I didn't think the pre-show area needed an update, as it did for sure.)


So, what do I think of the rehab?

Well, I'm torn. On one side of the coin, with the amount of money they had to spend leftover from the budget cuts that were made, I think they did a decent job. Plus, I love the actual coaster the way it is, so I'm glad that not much actually got changed in that respect. I'm also so thankful they left the Star Tunnel music in the queue area. That music equal Space Mountain to me and so many others.

However, that being said, I would have liked to see what more money would have meant for this attraction. I wouldn't have minded a new track if it meant that that track was smoother all over. Plus, I would have liked to see what updates they could have come up with for certain areas, especially something like the lift hill, with more money.

So, while I like what was done, I wouldn't have minded seeing more.

And with that, I want to know what you think. Where you pleased with the new refurb or underwhelmed? What would you have liked to see them add? What new things do you think they did well? Make sure to leave some comments in the comments section!

And fly safe, space travelers!

News & Rumors 11/9/09 - 11/15/09

News and Rumors are gathered from various different websites. One particular website is not favored over another. All rumors are rumors and are to be taken with a grain of salt.


News

It was a big, yet quiet week with WDW, all at the same time.

• Space Mountain is testing! Soft openings are currently happening at the MK. To see what's changed, visit here and scroll down a bit to see the video and pics!
• The former Skyway restrooms have now reopened after their refurb.
• Hand sanitizers are now spread throughout the park to help combat the spread of disease. They can be found at the park entrances, as well as high volume areas.
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will not be performed on Nov. 22nd due to a private event.
• As mentioned, the Lights Of Winter at Epcot have been retired. See Wednesday's blog post for more info.

Special Report: Has Disney Gone Too Far?

First off, as many of you know, I am a Disney fan.

For many, many years, I have been a Disney apologizist. When people in the Disney community couldn't understand and didn't like what Disney was doing, for example putting something like the concept of Stitch in Tomorrowland, I could understand why and tried to explain it all away. Stitch is an alien and well, Tomorrowland is about outer space, so it fits. I wore those rose colored glasses proudly.

However, in the past year or so, those rose colored glasses have started slipping down my nose. I can still see in rose colored form (which is why I love the place SO much) but alas, I have been seeing in normal color as well. And once you see in normal color, things start looking not quite as rosy as they had before.

Yes, Disney is a business and I understand how tough it can be to run a successful company as big as Disney. You have all these moving parts that have to keep working together in order to stay afloat.

But as of late, Disney seems to be playing a giant Jenga Game with the Walt Disney World Resort.

What do I mean?

Well, they had a relatively solid foundation just like in the beginning of a game of Jenga...but then because of certain aspects (most undoubtably money related) they started taking away blocks. Slowly pushing them out of their slots...hoping all would go unnoticed.

This has been happening for years with things like the Country Bear Christmas show, Fantasmic being cut, Pleasure Island being closed, removal of certain more expensive food choices at restaurants, taking away performing acts from the parks, making DVC guests now pay for valet parking, taking away perks at the Special Parties, like the free photos, cutting park hours, and of course, most recently, the retiring of the Lights of Winter this year.

Disney has of course, been coming up with all sorts of excuses and reasons for why some of these are no longer taking place. They're coming up with a "BOLD NEW VISION" or the technology is obsolete, or they wanted to make sure their food appealed to a broader general public, or worse yet...they are keeping mum about the reasons behind making such cuts, just hoping that we wouldn't notice.

But I think Disney may have pulled the final Jenga tile from the stack, because now, people are starting to notice all these cuts that have recently been made. And let me tell you...they are VERY unhappy.

All you have to do is look at most Disney message forums and even more recently, Disney's official blog to notice the dissention.

And of course, Disney is not lowering prices while taking these unique opportunities away. No, no. Prices are now higher than ever for experiences that have been dwindling. Experiences that helped make Walt Disney World the unique place it is and, even more so, was. Disney's raised the cost of things like park tickets, parking, the dining plan, the special holiday parties, I could continue. But it seems as if they haven't been adding much for us, as of late. Only taking away.

So, Disney, if you really want to listen to your fans...take notice. We're starting to get a tad (or in some cases, a lot) unhappy with your decisions regarding Walt Disney World and many are getting to the point where drastic action is starting to consider being taken place. People are now deciding to plan less trips, stay offsite, cancel their APs, and even, sell their DVC because of the cost cutting decisions you've been making.

And remember, your loyal fans are what drive your company. We're the ones who constantly make sure we go to your movies, we're the ones who are always at your parks, we're the ones who loyally watch your television shows...and we're also the ones who talk up your product to those around us. Because once you start loosing us, we can really hurt your pocketbooks. Something that you seem to be keen on keeping quite full, or so it would at least appear with the decisions you've been making recently.

So for those of you who are starting to become unhappy with the cuts, I urge you to let Disney know. Send them a letter, write a blog post, tweet when things they do upset us, complain to guest relations. Because keeping quiet is what Disney wants. They don't want us to become vocal. So I say, be loud!