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MouseStation 74 - MousePlanetWatch news

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Walt Disney World News

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• Advocates for the disabled are fighting to convince Disney to allow those who use Segways to get around to use them in the theme parks.
• The contract for the 8,000 part-timers represented by the Service Trades Council Union was settled much more quickly and quietly than that for the 21,000 full-timers represented by the union.
• Kerri MacPherson and Tameka Chianti Newman have been selected as the 2008 Walt Disney World Ambassador team.
• The lineup of celebrities for the Super Soap Weekend at the Disney-MGM Studios on November 10-11 has been set.
• Five pairs of red-cockaded woodpeckers were released into the Disney Wilderness Preserve as part of an effort to help the birds recolonize Central Florida.
• Construction Updates:
  • Demolition and reconstruction of the interior of the Main Street Cinemas seems to spell the end for the Virtual Magic Kingdom center.
  • New parade storage facilities are being built at the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom.
  • New kitchen equipment is being installed at Tamu Tamu Refreshments.
  • New pizza ovens are being installed in the second floor kitchen at Columbia Harbour House. In Monday's Park Update, we wondered what Harbour House was doing with pizza ovens when they don't serve pizza there. We subsequently received information that the pizzas were for sale at the Liberty Square Market, with further information that Mickey waffles are now available at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments.
• Quick takes:
  • Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party sold out on Halloween night. Other nights are going fast, so get your tickets soon.
  • Both Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining opened at the Japan pavilion last week. Make your reservations now.
  • The quick-service portion of Yak & Yeti Restaurant will be called Yak & Yeti Market.
  • Ground has been broken on the T-Rex Restaurant location at Downtown Disney.
  • Brian Piasecki is following Anette Grecchi Gray as executive chef at Jiko - The Cooking Place. Grecchi Gray left to take a position with Carlson Cos., owner of T.G.I. Friday's and other brands.
• In news breaking since Monday's Update, we received answers (or, largely, non-answers) to the questions that we had posed to the Disney Vacation Club regarding the lease extension at the Old Key West Resort.
  • Can those who elect not to extend their ownership interest change their mind and repurchase their extra 15 years from DVD later on? Members are being give the option to add on to their membership or not at this time. We do not have plans at this time to extend the offer again. However, we reserved the right to do so.
  • If they don't extend, what will that do to the resale value of the points? We cannot speculate on the resale value of points.
  • Why is Old Key West the only one receiving this offer? This is our flagship resort and this offer was in celebration of our 15th anniversary.
  • What about the rest of the 2042-class resorts (Hilton Head, Vero Beach, BoardWalk, Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge)? Disney's Old Key West Resort is the only property where this offer is being extended at this time.
  • Why are they forcing this decision on DVC members (who have about five months to make up their minds, complete their financing and pay in full) 35 years in advance? It is a Member's choice to add on or elect not to do so. Members are able to finance the extension amount through Disney Vacation Development the same terms we offer for financing of new purchases.
  • Since we recorded the podcast, we received an answer to our follow-up question: While DVC can't speculate on what might happen to resale values, you should be able to speculate on the dollar level at which you'd exercise your right of first refusal, which does have an impact on resale values. Can you project what impact extending vs. not extending might have on the point at which you'd use ROFR to buy the ownership interest back? We really can't speculate on resale value or the dollar level.
  • So there you have it, for what it's worth. We'll have that information in next Monday's Park Update.