Walt Disney World Park Update

Go directly to: News & Views | Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Park Events | Discounts/Promotions | Park Hours | Events/Entertainment Schedule

News and Views

Fatal accident kills cast member during Magic Kingdom parade

An accident claimed the life of Javier Cruz, a cast member portraying Pluto, when he was run over by a float as the Share a Dream Come True parade entered the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday afternoon. Cruz, 38, was a father of two and an 8-year Disney veteran, having started in custodial services and working his way up to character portrayal. He was well-liked by all cast members for his outgoing, happy demeanor and his caring for other cast members. It was also reported by a newspaper in Puerto Rico (link) that he was soon to begin entertaining aboard the Disney Cruise Line.

Sources report that Cruz was waiting for the three-part “Once Upon a Dream” float carrying three Disney princesses and their respective consorts to pass him while preparing for the parade, and may have been playing around with the parade coordinators when he got his foot caught under the last section of the 6,000-pound float carrying Ariel and Prince Eric, and fell under the wheels.

It has been said that the Pluto costume has very good visiblity for costumes in that height range, but Pluto's nose blocks the view straight down. Or order to see one's “feet,” the person in the costume must bend over, almost straight down. Peripheral vision is poor, but average for most characters. It has been hypothesized that Cruz felt the float catch his foot, and when he bent over to see what happened to his foot, that motion, combined with the motion of the float, caused him to fall in the path of the float.

An Orlando Sentinel article (link) quotes Donna-Lynne Dalton, business agent for Teamsters Local 385, the union representing costumed workers, as saying, “It appeared the float was where it was supposed to be. The driver and coordinators were in no way at fault. They were following proper procedure.” Dalton sat in when OSHA interviewed witnesses to the accident.

On Thursday, the parade went on with the 25th Anniversary “Remember the Magic” castle float replacing the “Once Upon a Dream” float that had hit Cruz. Cast members in Cruz' unit held a silent prayer, then went onstage and gave a high-energy performance in his memory. Many off-duty cast members walked the parade route following the final float in memory and solidarity. Reportedly, many members of the Guest Relations and Main Street team were out on the steps of City Hall clapping for them.

Walt Disney World and Actors Equity are offering counseling services for all employees. Disney sent food to Cruz' family, is paying for the funeral, and paid the airfare for family members to attend. Wanda Marin, Cruz' sister, is considering filing a lawsuit against Disney for negligence.

Funeral services for Cruz will be held this morning.

In lieu of flowers, the family of Javier Cruz has requested that donations be given in his memory to the Children's Miracle Network. For those who wish to do so, checks may be made out to the Children's Miracle Network and mailed to the address below. Be sure to include “In Memory of Javier Cruz” in the memo line of the check.

Children's Miracle Network
22 West Lake Beauty Drive
Suite 102
Orlando, FL 32806

Credit card donations are also accepted by call the Children's Miracle Network at 407-481-2774.

For all who wish to send condolences, thoughts or prayers, the Orlando Sentinel has a guest book that can be signed online (link).

Walt Disney World has also apparently begun making changes to parade operating procedures. Floats are now to remain at least 50 feet apart unless they are in the loading zone. The crossing in front of floats backstage by cast member (costumed or not) is being limited. In addition, no one is to approach a moving float at any time. The changes are a result of initial concerns and requests by OSHA and the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Similar changes have been noted at Disneyland, as well.

The last time a cast member was killed on the job at Walt Disney World was in 1999, when a 65-year-old custodial cast member was swept from the Fantasyland loading platform of the Skyway attraction by a moving gondola and fell about 40 feet to his death. That accident resulted in a $4,500 OSHA fine for a “serious” violation of safety standards. The attraction permanently closed a few months later. [Editor's note: The article originally stated that the cast member killed on the Skyway was an attraction operator. It has come to our attention that this was incorrect, and we have corrected the story.]

New Epcot Segway tour

Disney has announced a new tour, called “Around the World at Epcot,” that allows guests to travel around World Showcase on Segway human transporters before that portion of the park opens. The tour, which has a capacity of 10 people and must be prebooked, costs $80 plus tax per person (less 15 percent discount for AAA members, DVC members, annual passholders, season passholders, and Disney Visa Card members). All participants must sign a waiver. Participants must be at least 16 years of age, and parents of children under 18 must sign the waiver for them. The two-hour tour, which debuted on Saturday, runs from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The first hour will be training and instruction on the use of Segways, and the second hour will be the tour of World Showcase. In case of inclement weather, the second hour will be dropped and a 50 percent discount will be applied for the indoor training session. Helmets will be provided. There is a weight limit of 250 pounds to ride on a Segway.

In light of the fact that, as reported last week (link), Walt Disney World will not allow guests to use their own Segways for medical reasons (instead of wheelchairs or ECVs), it might appear that Disney is keeping out the other Segways to push their tour. However, it is more likely that Disney is concerned about safety hazards from guests using Segways on crowded walkways, and the Segway tour of World Showcase would be complete before other guests are allowed into that section of the park. It will be interesting to note whether Disney will have to change its policy when Segways become approved for access use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

New concierge-only safari debuts

Disney has announced a new safari for concierge-level guests at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Apparently replacing the Sunrise Safari, the new Wanyama Safari runs in the late afternoon and evening. At 4 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays, up to eight guests will board a specially designed pop-top vehicle for a tour of the Uzima Savannah on an “authentic” safari experience. Guests then enjoy a family-style dinner at Jiko, which includes South African wines paired with each course. The Wanyama Safari is offered to adult concierge-level guests of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge only. The three-hour experience, including dinner, is $150 per person.

Disney Cruise Line drops Freeport from four-day cruise

In January, Disney Cruise Line announced a change to the itinerary of its four-night cruises. Due to popular demand, the new year-round itinerary combines a full day in Nassau, a daylong visit to Castaway Cay, and a full day at sea. Therefore, this itinerary no longer sails to Freeport on alternating four-night cruises. The new itinerary is as follows:

• Sunday - Depart from Port Canaveral, Florida
• Monday - Nassau, The Bahamas
• Tuesday - Castaway Cay
• Wednesday - at sea
• Thursday - Return to Port Canaveral, Florida

Notes from Disney's conference for institutional investors

At last week's investors conference held at Walt Disney World, a number of Disney executives spoke about the recent past and plans for the future. Here are a few tidbits regarding Walt Disney World.

On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Walt Disney World President Al Weiss noted the following:

• Mission: Space is on pace to generate more incremental attendance than any other thrill ride in Walt Disney World history.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror set an all-time attendance record last year—10 years after it opened.
• Outside of a new theme park opening, never in the history of Walt Disney World have there been this many attractions under construction at the same time—one in each of the four theme parks.
• Stitch's Great Escape! will feature some of the most sophisticated Audio-Animatronics figures ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering. The attraction is opening this fall, which means Stitch has taken one of the fastest journeys ever from movie screen to theme park attraction. In fact, you may catch Stitch in a lot of places. Guests may see him pop up unexpectedly on Walt Disney World billboards, in commercials, or in different places around property—including surprise sightings in other parks and attractions.
• Guests in the 5,000-seat amphitheater for the new stunt show at the Disney-MGM Studios will see cars, motorcycles and even jet skis go flying during the carefully choreographed stunts. Giant screens will show the audience how camera angles can dramatically change the look of a stunt, and some guests will even be pulled into the action.
• Walt Disney World will continue to grow its Disney Vacation Club business.
• In 2003, the average length of stay for domestic tourists lengthened over prior year, with special offers driving increases in length of stay and theme park visits. Even coming off of the Fairytale Vacation offer, they continue to see gains in domestic length of stay.
• Value resorts now represent 37 percent of the total Walt Disney World resort inventory. The price point allows Disney to capture guests who would have otherwise stayed in a resort off property. This shift to “on-property” results in an increase in the number of days they visit the Disney parks.
• With about 29,000 rooms between Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Disney one of the biggest hotel operators in the United States. In fact, Hotels Magazine does an annual ranking, and in 2003, The Walt Disney Company came in at number 40 in its “Hotels 325” listing for number of hotel rooms.
• Saratoga Springs will be our largest Vacation Club resort to date, with 65 acres and 552 total accommodations when all phases are complete in 2005.

On Thursday, February 12, Jay Rasulo, President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, noted the following:

• Disney expects to keep capital spending in its domestic parks meaningfully below $1 billion per year for the foreseeable future.
• With both of the nation's most popular resorts, Disney now captures less than 3 percent of the 350 million overnight leisure trips taken in the United States each year.
• Disney will continue to invest in “unique Disney” entertainment in the parks.
• Mickey's PhilharMagic—which an amazing 94 percent of guests surveyed call “excellent”—has become one of the most highly rated attractions at any of Disney's parks since opening at the Magic Kingdom in October.
• Interactive conversations with Crush the sea turtle (from Finding Nemo) will indeed be part of the upcoming phase 2 of the Living Seas rehab.
• The worldwide celebration of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary will be called the “Happiest Homecoming on Earth,” and, when it officially kicks off next May, will invite consumers to relive old memories and make new ones with an 18-month extravaganza, providing extensive content for Disney's marketing efforts.
• A huge array of nighttime spectaculars and live entertainment is planned to celebrate Disneyland's “The Happiest Homecoming on Earth” 50th Anniversary which will kick off around the globe next year.
• The Walt Disney World Web site is capable of recommending vacation packages based on guest preferences, by leveraging Destination Disney, a comprehensive customer relationship management (“CRM” – all the way a company interacts with its customers) infrastructure now being installed in Orlando. By tracking both guest preferences and room capacity, Destination Disney allows Disney to create personalized offers that support their pricing strategy and improve yields. It also gives Disney a very powerful upselling tool, by turning each of their 2,200 reservation agents into “experts” on every detail of their resorts, and providing the booking history of the guest on the phone, all at the click of a mouse. And as the system evolves over the next few years, it will also enable Disney to launch targeted marketing campaigns based on historical vacation patterns of individual families. They plan to extend the Destination Disney technology to Disneyland, and will leverage it across more than 25 million households in their database.
• Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is not scheduled to open until May, but they have already sold about 50 percent of the first phase and expect to be completely sold out by fiscal year end—just four months after opening.

Western Beltway waiting on land acquisition

A court battle has begun for the last 84 acres of land needed for construction of the Western Beltway by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority. The condemnation case is just the latest step in the 30-year history of the planned road, which cuts past the western edge of Walt Disney World. The Beltway, which would run approximately 22 miles from the interchange of the Florida Turnpike and State Road 50 to Seidel Road in Winter Garden, has lined up all of the parcels and rights of way for its entire length—with the exception of three land parcels. It is now trying to take those parcels by condemnation, since sale negotiations have broken down. One of those parcels, which was bought at a price of $12,359 per acre in 2000, was recently assessed at $89,400 per acre. The offer on that property was $98,000 per acre, which was refused. Now the matter is in the hands of the courts.

Ears to the Ground

…Due to the high occupancy expected, DVC members may not “pool hop” from April 3 to 11.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• “it's a small world” is rumored to be going down for rehab from June 7 of this year through March 18, 2005 for upgrades to the lighting, audio, and electrical systems, rehabs to sets and Audio-Animatronic figures, asbestos abatement, roof repair, regular water maintenance (draining and refilling), and the possible addition of a new scene.
• The Astro Orbiter is closed for refurbishment through March 1.
• The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter has closed for good. It is now undergoing a major rehab and reopens in Fall 2004 as Stitch's Great Escape.
• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is expected to remain open for the duration of the Stitch's Great Escape construction.
• Timekeeper has returned to seasonal operation.
• Mickey's Star Traders is closed for refurbishment through early April as part of the Stitch rehab.
• Adventureland now opens at 10 a.m. on non-peak days, but opens with the rest of the park (except for the Jungle Cruise and the Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management) on Sundays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The following schedule has been announced for February. The early-opening portion of Adventureland opens at 9 a.m. now through Feb. 24, 26, and 28, and the rest of the land opens at 10 a.m. All other days, the entire land opens at 10 a.m. El Pirata Y el Perico Restaurante opens February 16 and 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• From now through Monday, March 1, Liberty Square's merchandise locations are open from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Frontierland locations are reduced, with Big Al's opening at 10 a.m., and the Trading Post, Prairie Outpost & Supply, and Briar Patch opening at 11 a.m. The Trading Post and Briar Patch are closing at 6:30, Prairie Outpost & Supply are closing at 7:30, and Big Al's are closing at park close.
• The Hall of Presidents and the Country Bear Jamboree also opens at 10 a.m. every day except as noted below.

Epcot

• Test Track is rumored to be going down for rehab for track and queue resurfacing from February 28 to March 2.
• The Universe of Energy is expected to close for a short rehab in March to remove the ExxonMobil signage after its pavilion sponsorship ends.
• The Living Seas pavilion appears to be closing for a rehab in the April timeframe. Rumors are strong that Audio-Animatronic characters from Finding Nemo will be added to the pavilion for Phase II of the Nemo rehab.
• Food Rocks has closed permanently to make way for the entrance to the new Soarin' Over California attraction.
• The Behind the Seeds Walking Tour of the greenhouses at The Land has been discontinued during reconstruction of the Food Rocks area into the queue for Soarin'. The tours are expected to resume upon completion of the construction.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion is open seasonally. The Pure and Simple eatery and the Well and Goods Limited shop will remain closed, while the Body Wars, Cranium Command, and The Making of Me attractions will now be open when the pavilion is open.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Residential Street at the Disney-MGM Studios has been closed and demolished and construction is well underway to turn the site into Lights, Motors, Action!, an American version of the popular Moteurs… Action! stunt show from the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris.
• The Backlot Tour is closed through April 1 to allow construction vehicles free access to the stunt show construction site. Once the stunt show opens, the tour will run two routes. The first route, when the stunt show is not running, will go through the stunt show set. The second route, during the stunt show, will bypass the stunt show set.
• Sets from the Haunted Mansion movie are now open in the old Backstage Pass soundstage and is open through April 2004.
• New York Street is undergoing a great deal of construction to change some facades to represent Chicago and San Francisco. The Chicago facades appear to be complete, but we do not yet have a target completion date for the rest of the newly-titled Big City Street.
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights is reported to be returning on New York Street/Big City Street for this year.

Animal Kingdom

• TriceraTop Spin is closed for refurbishment through March 16.
• Dinosaur is rumored to be scheduled for a three-month rehab from April through June.

Resorts

• Pop Century Resort has officially opened.
• Port Orleans Resort - A two-year extensive rehab of this resort's rooms is ongoing. For Phase I, French Quarter closed May 4, 2003 and reopens on March 21. Phase II will involve Riverside going through a phased rehab. The Magnolia Bend mansions will go down one by one, followed by Alligator Bayou closing in sections.
• Polynesian Resort is nearing completion of the refurbishment of longhouses. Each longhouse under rehab is walled off and isolated during its rehab. Niue and Rarotonga are the last remaining longhouses currently scheduled to undergo rehab, and are tentatively scheduled through May 2.
• Shades of Green – Major construction and rehab is ongoing at this MWR-run resort for the military. It is currently expected to reopen in March 2004.
• Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (a Disney Vacation Club resort) has an announced grand opening ceremony date of May 27, however guests may stay at the Resort beginning May 17. Reservations are now available.

Water Parks

• Typhoon Lagoon is closed for refurbishment through February 28.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba will be closed February 15-16 and 22-23, March 14-17, June 20-July 5, August 22-25, October 17-20, and December 5-13.
• The All Star Cafe at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex is now closed Monday-Wednesday. It is open Thursday-Sunday, from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Celebrate Mickey… 75 InspEARations (link) showcases 75 very special interestingly decorated Mickey statues to celebrate Mickey's 75th birthday throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. Now through April 2004.
• Atlanta Braves training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (link). Now through April 2.

February 2004

• TwirlMania - The Twirler's Championships (link). February 20 – 23.
• Mardi Gras at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island. February 20, 21 & 24.

March 2004

• National Cheerleading and Dance Championship (link) March 13 & 14.
• Lights! Camera! Pins! pin trading event (link). March 27.

April 2004

• Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival (link). April 16 – June 6.
• Grad Nights (link). April 23, 24, 30, and May 1.

May 2004

• Walt Disney World Inline Marathon (link). May 2.
• Florida Half Ironman Triathlon (link). May 23.
• Disney Vacation Club Member Homecoming event/Saratoga Springs opening. May 25-27.
• Star Wars Weekends (link). Weekends in May and June TBA.

June 2004

• Gay Days (link). June 3–6.[Not official WDW events.]
• Family Pride Coalition Weekend (link). June 17-20.[Not official WDW events.]

July 2004

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (link). Dates in July and August TBA.

September 2004

• Nights of Joy (link). September 10 & 11.

October 2004

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (link). October 1 – November 14.
• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (link). Dates in October TBA.
• Disney's 10K Classic (link). October 10.
• Funai Classic at Walt Disney World (link). October 21–24.

November 2004

• Super Soap Weekend (link). Dates in early November TBA.
• Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney (link). November 12–14.
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (link). Dates in November and December TBA.
• Festival of the Seasons at Downtown Disney (link). November 26 – December 24.
• Holidays Around the World (link). November 26 – December 30.

December 2004

• New Year's Eve celebrations at Pleasure Island (link) and Atlantic Dance (link). December 31.

January 2005

• Disney's Health and Fitness Expo (link). January 7 & 8.
• FamilyFun Magazine Family Fun Run (link). January 8.
• Disney Marathon (link) and Half-Marathon (link). January 9.

Current Discounts & Promotions

April-June discount codes for Fort Wilderness

MouseSavers is reporting new discount codes for stays at the Fort Wilderness campground for check-ins April 18 through June 5. Reservations must be made by March 31, and rates are subject to availability. Visit MouseSavers for more details.

Florida resident Play Four Days pass returns

Disney's Play 4 Days pass for Florida residents is again on sale. The special pass is essentially a four-day park hopper pass for Florida residents that is available for $109 plus tax. The pass is good for theme park visits from January 4 through June 4, with blockout dates April 3-15 for the peak Easter week season. Passes are available at Walt Disney World theme parks, Florida Disney Stores, AAA offices. The cost of a Play 4 Days pass may be applied to a Florida resident Annual or Seasonal pass. For more information, either visit the Play 4 Days Web page (link) or call 407-WDW-4DAYS (407-939-4329).

Plan ahead and save a few bucks

The Walt Disney World Resort is encouraging visitors to buy their theme park tickets before they even leave home, by offering a slight discount on advance purchases. You can save as much as $22 per adult, per ticket with the “Advance Purchase Savings” program.

You can also receive these Advance Purchase Savings with packages purchased through AAA.

Annual Passholders

Receive 10 percent off the price of their lunch meal at selected Walt Disney World Resort hotel restaurants, and the discount is good for up to three guests. The offer is valid Mondays through Fridays. Call 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) for locations and reservations.

Park Hours

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through April 2004.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through April 2004.

Theme Park Events

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)