Walt Disney World Park Update

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News and Views

Another death at Disney – but is it newsworthy?

A 12-year-old girl died at Typhoon Lagoon on Thursday after passing out near the wave pool. Lifeguards noticed Jerra Kirby of Newport News, Virginia, lying on a ledge near the water and asked her if she was OK. She responded that she was fine and wanted to be left alone. She then attempted to stand up, but passed out. Park staff called 911 and monitored Kirby's condition. Her breathing and heart stopped, and lifeguards performed CPR until Reedy Creek Fire and Rescue paramedics arrived. She was transported to Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.

The honor roll student was visiting Walt Disney World with several relatives, who told the Orange County Sheriff's Office that she had no known medical problems. An autopsy on the girl showed no trauma. Further tests are being done to determine the cause of death, but may not be completed for four to six weeks.

This tragedy, along with other incidents—the death of Daudi Bamuwamye after riding Mission: Space in June, the cardiac arrest of Leanne Duncan after riding the Tower of Terror last month and the near-fatal drowning of Alan Kringel while working underwater near the Dolphin Resort—has made national and world headlines because they took place at Walt Disney World. However, the three in-park incidents are all pointing toward conditions unrelated to the operation of the parks, and the near-drowning may be due to a lack of following commercial diving safety rules.

While deaths at Disney are a guaranteed headline-grabber, are all deaths on property newsworthy? With the four theme parks alone hosting over 40 million guests last year, that's an average of well over 100,000 per day. Add in all of the guests who are not visiting the parks on a given day (spending the day at their resort, at a water park, playing mini-golf, or some other activity), top it with the tens of thousands of cast members on site each day, and you've got the size of a top-500 city right there. Is it unreasonable that there would be a few deaths on property each year?

Here at MousePlanet, we've been running these stories because we feel that people who see 15-second blurbs about the incidents on their local TV station want to hear our perspective on the stories, or just find out a little more about what happened.

[For those who have been writing in or posting on message boards, the last word that we have on previous cases is that test results on Bamuwamye will not be ready until September, Duncan has been flown back to Great Britain in an air ambulance and is still in critical condition, and Kringel is also in the hospital, condition unknown.]

Obviously, we continue to report incidents if there is uncertainty about the malfunction of an attraction or the negligence of an operator. However, if a person wearing a pacemaker ignores a warning about people with heart problems riding an attraction and dies on the ride, or a person has a stroke while walking through the park, is it really important for our readers to know this? Let us know what you think.

Holidays Around the World to again include a big bang; Candlelight narrators and dining packages announced

This year's Holidays Around the World events at Epcot runs from Friday, November 25 through Friday, December 30. The events include the popular Candlelight Processional, the Lights of Winter, Mickey's Tree Lighting Treat, Holiday Storytellers and the holiday tag to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.

The fireworks finale, to the tune of “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” wowed guests last year during its return to the show. Most of the 800 shells in the four-minute tag are fired in the last half-minute, providing a barrage of explosions that can be physically felt as far away as the bridge between the Beach Club and BoardWalk resorts.

The tree lighting show takes place nightly at 6 p.m. at World Showcase Plaza, right near the end of the Lights of Winter canopy. The holiday storytellers will again include everything from multiple versions of the Santa Claus tale (Papa Noel, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Julenissen, and so forth) and La Befana the Christmas witch in Italy to Taarji in Morocco and The Monkey King in China.

Of course, the marquee event for the holidays is the thrice-nightly performance of the Candlelight Processional. The show, performed at 5:00, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. at the America Gardens Theater, features a 50-piece orchestra and hundreds of choir members including Disney cast members, while a celebrity narrator tells the Christmas story. The schedule of celebrity guests has been announced, and is as follows:

• Rita Moreno (Nov. 25-27)
• Phil Donahue (Nov. 28-30)
• Haley Joel Osment (Dec. 1-3)
• Cicely Tyson (Dec. 4-6)
• Jim Caviezel (Dec. 7-9)
• Eartha Kitt (Dec. 10-12)
• Lou Diamond Phillips (Dec. 13-15)
• Harry Hamlin (Dec. 16-18)
• Marlee Matlin (Dec. 19-21)
• Gary Sinise (Dec. 22-27)
• Steven Curtis Chapman (Dec. 28-30)

Disney has announced the event dinner packages, which include preferred seating for the Candlelight Processional with dinner at selected Epcot restaurants:

Dinner packages go on sale next Monday, August 15, at 7:00 a.m. Call 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) to make reservations.

Ocala Disney center to close Saturday

The move of Disney information and purchasing to the Internet has claimed another victim. Disney announced on Friday that the Disney Information Center in Ocala will close at the end of the business day on August 13. The nine full-time and seven part-time employees will be offered jobs at the Walt Disney World theme parks. A company spokeswoman told the Ocala Star-Banner that “[m]ost guests have all the information they need about Walt Disney World before they begin travel.” After the center closes, the property will be sold.

Some restaurants get new dress code

Flip-flops may have generated discussion at the White House three weeks ago, but they'll keep you from being seated at several restaurants at Walt Disney World hotels, thanks to a new dress code. Seven of the resort's spiffiest restaurants have upgraded to a “business casual” requirement. The restaurants involved are:

• Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
• Flying Fish (BoardWalk)
• California Grill (Contemporary)
• Citricos and Narcoossee's (Grand Floridian)
• Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge)
• Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club)

The restaurants are defining “business casual” as dress shorts, pants, jean pants, collared shirts, blouses and sweaters. Hats, swimsuits, swimsuit coveralls, tank tops, T-shirts, torn clothing and flip-flops are not permitted.

A ticket by any other name would cost as much

The Magic Your Way passes have been around for seven months now. Must be time to make some changes. Well, at least changes to the names of some of the options. As of Saturday, the Magic Plus Pack option has a new name: the “Water Park Fun & More option.” And, just in case that wasn't a big enough mouthful, the Magic Your Way Premium ticket is now known as “Magic Your Way with Park Hopping and Water Park & More options.” Apparently, the Premium ticket was getting confused with the Premium Package in the minds of guests and causing a great deal of confusion. It's unknown what confusion the “Plus Pack” terminology may have been causing. (For those who are confused, the old “Plus Pack” or new “Water Park Fun & More” pass allows entry into the water parks, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island and Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex for a number of visits relative to the length of your theme park admissions.

Disney Wonder tries new itineraries for Fall 2006

The Disney Wonder cruise ship is shaking up its schedule next fall before heading into dry dock. Following its usual Sunday-Thursday 4-night cruise departing September 3, it will take the first two lengthy voyages in its history. The Wonder will depart on 10-night and 11-night “Southern Caribbean” cruises on September 7 and September 17, respectively. The cruises will stop at St. Thomas/St. John, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, Castaway Cay and St. Kitts (11-day only) in addition to four days at sea. Upon completion of the two long voyages, the Wonder will take one more 3-night cruise departing on September 28 before heading to Norfolk, Virginia for dry dock. It will return to service on October 15 for a 4-night cruise.

Princesses need to be reminded of their royalty, you know

With the conversion of Restaurant Akershus to three Princess meals per day, it was decided that the restaurant's name did not befit their highnesses. The restaurant now holds the name “Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.” that should eliminate any lingering doubts as to whether or not Princesses are in attendance.

Wife Swap auditions at Studios this weekend

After hosting open casting calls at The Florida Mall and Downtown Disney West Side on Friday, and the Disney-MGM Studios on Saturday and Sunday this past weekend, the ABC-TV show Wife Swap holds additional casting calls at the Studios this Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. Theme park admission is required. For more information, check out the show's web site (link). The show, which features two families with children swapping their mothers for ten days, requires that all children of those families auditioning be at least five years of age.

What the heck is that?

According to the Disney Pin Trading site, “In honor of the Happiest Celebration On Earth, the Walt Disney World Pin Team is introducing a new collection featuring Mickey Mouse. Titled “Around Our World With Mickey,” this 13-pin collection features Mickey Mouse dressed in attire reprsenting (sic) each of the Disney Destinations around the world.” To celebrate Epcot, a limited edition pin will be released on September 17 featuring Mickey dressed as Dreamfinder, holding Figment. [For those new to Epcot, Dreamfinder was your guide, along with Figment, for the original Journey Into Imagination attraction from 1982 through 1999.]

The limited-edition pin featuring Mickey as Dreamfinder, along with Figment, is kind of cute. Photo © Disney.

While the pin looks quite nice, a plush being released in conjunction with the pin—with a rather unusual-looking bearded Mickey—has frightened several members of discussion boards around the Internet. The $11 plush will have an edition size of 2,000. The $8.95 pin, however, will only have an edition size of 1,500. Both will be available at all four theme parks' primary pin locations, as well as the pin store at Downtown Disney Marketplace. Neither the pin nor the plush will be available via mail order.

However, the matching plush just appears wrong, somehow. Photo © Disney.

Whoops

In last week's Update, we made the comment that “With the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, Epcot's Mission: Space attraction is running with an active shuttle program for the first time. Opened a few months after the Columbia disaster, the attraction has not had the benefit of a space program to help pique interest.” We should have said that the attraction has not had the benefit of manned American space launches to help pique interest. The space program has indeed had a number of missions, most notably the Deep Impact comet intercept, while the ride has been open. However, the unmanned missions do not drive the same interest in the general public as manned launches.

Ears to the ground

…While Body Wars, The Making of Me and the Wonders of Life Pavilion still appear on the “Operational Updates” page of the Walt Disney World web site, they are no longer listed on the Epcot Attractions page, and their individual attraction pages are no longer online. Could this be the end of the pavilion's public life?

…Blizzard Beach will close for its seasonal refurbishment beginning October 23. If schedules hold to their historical time frames, it will return in mid-December, at which time Typhoon Lagoon will shut its doors for refurbishment through late February or early March.

…According to the official web site for the Raglan Road Irish Pub (link), the new pub on Pleasure Island will open its doors in early September.

…Remember, Pleasure Island becomes Elvis Island this weekend, as Disney celebrates the 28th anniversary of The King's death on August 16 a few days early.

…An article in the Tampa Tribune (link) gives an interesting look inside the Central Reservations Office call center.

Don't keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments. Email us here.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• 20,000 League Under the Sea lagoon – most of the area has reopened, featuring corral–type planters and more walkway space. The remainder is transforming into a Hundred Acre Wood–themed children's play area featuring slides, climbing structures, and interactive pop-jet fountains. The area, to be called “Pooh's Playful Spot,” is expected to open around September.
• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress – refurbishment of seats and carpeting occurring on a rolling basis; the attraction remains open.
• Main Street Railroad Station – under refurbishment through December 20. Guests will still be able to board the train at the station, though the entrance and exit may be relocated during the work. The area surrounding the locker rental stand will be inaccessible due to renovations that are rumored to be moving stroller rentals into that location. The station is also slated to receive new glass, canopies, paint and so forth.
• Timekeeper – opens seasonally.
• Jungle Cruise, the Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management, the Hall of Presidents and the Country Bear Jamboree – open at 10 a.m. every day.
• Cinderella's Surprise Celebration – reportedly returns after the 18-month “Happiest Celebration on Earth” festivities end.

Epcot

• The Living Seas pavilion, including the popular Turtle Talk with Crush attraction, will be closed for refurbishment from August 21 through late November. Rumors indicate that another new Finding Nemo-based attraction may be added.
• Ice Station Cool – closed through late this year for refurbishment.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion – open seasonally. The Pure and Simple eatery and the Well and Goods Limited shop have been removed, while the Body Wars, Cranium Command, and The Making of Me attractions now open when the pavilion is open. The pavilion is currently closed.

Disney–MGM Studios

• No current refurbishments.

Animal Kingdom

• Expedition Everest – is scheduled to open in Spring 2006. The likely official opening date is April 22, which is both Earth Day and the park's birthday, but previews may start as early as February 2006.

Resorts

• Polynesian Resort – Work is now underway on the complete refurbishment and upgrading of rooms and hallways in all buildings, which is expected to be completed by June, 2006.
• Contemporary Resort – The South Garden Wing will be closed for refurbishment through October 31. Rumors indicate that the buildings may be completely gutted and rebuilt as Disney Vacation Club villas. No confirmation of the conversion yet. Renovations on the rest of the resort are also underway, and are expected to run through November, 2007.
• BoardWalk Resort – Major pipe replacement project underway in corridors outside guest rooms daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through summer 2005. No work scheduled inside guest rooms. Meanwhile, the Keister Coaster pool is scheduled to close for refurbishment September 6–26.
  
• Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa – Phase I's construction of four buildings complete; Phase II's eight units are opening one each month, through October 2005; Phase III's six units due in 2007, involves razing the old Fairway Villas.
• Yacht Club Resort – Siding renovation project to continue through mid-2005.
• Port Orleans Riverside Resort – The Ol' Man Island spa is scheduled to close for refurbishment September 6–23, while the Magnolia Bend quiet pool is scheduled to close for refurbishment September 15–24.
• All-Star Music Resort – The Piano pool is scheduled to close for refurbishment September 6–14.
• Disney's Vero Beach Resort (DVC Resort) – Roof repairs due to hurricane rehabilitation are ongoing and scheduled to run through late November.
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel – Repainting of the building's exterior is underway. Regular hotel operations are not affected.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – Will close for its annual refurbishment on October 23, and is expected to reopen mid-December.
• Typhoon Lagoon – Is expected to close for its annual refurbishment mid-December, and to reopen in late February or early March.

Elsewhere

• Magnolia Golf Course – Closed for major renovation from May 9 – September 10.
• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays – Saturdays. No performances August 16-17 or August 30.

Park Events

Ongoing 2005

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp. July 29 – August 17. The National Football League team heads down I-4 to get in shape for the season (link).

September 2005

• Tom Joyner Family Reunion. Sept. 2–5. The annual gathering hopes not to be cancelled by hurricane again this year (link).
• A Precious Weekend - Happiness Shared Together. Sept. 3–4. Release of first-ever Precious Moments and Disney Character integrated figurines (link).
• One Little Spark... A Morning with a Purple Dragon. Sept. 8. Release of Figment sculpture and limited-edition pin (link).
• Night of Joy. Sept. 9–10. Disney's annual Christian music festival (link).
• Happiest Pin Celebration on Earth. Sept. 9–11. The big fall pin event, held at Epcot's World Showplace (link).
• Walt Disney World Triathlon. Sept. 23–25. Competitors race around the resort on water, bike and foot (link).
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Sept. 30 – Nov. 13. The annual celebration of things gustatory, plus the Eat to the Beat concert series (link).
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Sept. 30, Oct. 2, 6, 7, 11, 13, 16, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31. The big celebration of the boo-tiful season (link).

October 2005

• Komen Central Florida Race for the Cure 5K. Oct. 8. The annual fund-raising run for breast cancer research (link).
• Disney's Race for the Taste 10K. Oct. 9. The annual Disney 10K race gets a new name and a theme (link).
• Funai Classic at Walt Disney World. Oct. 20–23. The 35th annual fall golf classic is played on the Palm and Magnolia courses (link).

November 2005

• Festival of the Masters. Nov. 11–13. Artists display their works at Downtown Disney (link).
• Super Soap Weekend. Nov. 12–13. Daytime stars descend upon the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Nov. 23 – Jan. 8, 2006. Millions of lights bombard the eyes at the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• Holidays Around the World. Nov. 25 – Dec. 30. Epcot celebrates the season, including the popular Candlelight Processional (link).
• Festival of the Seasons. Dates TBA. Downtown Disney celebrates the season (link).
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Nov. 27, 29, Dec. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What's not to like? (link).
• MouseFest 2005. November 30 – December 3. Meet your favorite Disney Internet and guidebook authors (including some of us!) at a gathering of the Disney Internet community around the World (link).

December 2005

• MousePlanet presents a mini-MouseAdventure at MouseFest. Dec. 1. Meet at the outdoor seating area by Casey's Corner in the Magic Kingdom at 10:00 a.m. for this event. This is a shortened version of MousePlanet's signature event (link), and marks the first time that the event has been held in Florida.
• MousePlanet presents the second annual Mike Scopa Dole Whip Meet at MouseFest. Dec. 1. Meet at the Aloha Isle take-out window in Adventureland at noon.
• MousePlanet presents the first annual Shocolate Mousssse Meet at MouseFest. Dec. 3. Meet at Boulangerie Patisserie at Epcot's France pavilion at 5:00 p.m. following the Mega Mouse Meet for this event. For more on the origin of the Shocolate Mousssse phenomenon among MousePlanet readers, please see this thread on our MousePad discussion forums.
• Pop Warner Super Bowl. Dec. 4–10. Football players and cheerleaders descend on the resort for the annual championships (link).
• Pleasure Island New Year's Eve. Dec. 31. Pleasure Island celebrates the actual New Year (link).
• New Year's Eve at Cirque du Soleil. Dec. 31. Cirque puts on special New Year's performances (link).
• Atlantic Dance Hall New Year's Eve. Dec. 31. Ring in the New Year at the BoardWalk's own dance club (link).

January 2006

• Disney's Health and Fitness Expo. Jan. 5–7. Check in for the weekend's races and check out the vendors (link).
• FamilyFun Magazine Family Fun Run. Jan. 7. The shortest run of the weekend (link).
• Walt Disney World Half-Marathon. Jan. 7. Registration now open (link). [Note: The full- and half-marathons are now held on separate days. Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]
• Walt Disney World Marathon. Jan. 8. Registration now open (link).

March 2006

• ESPN The Weekend. March 3–5. Corporate synergy brings the cable channel back to the Studios for its third go-round (link).

May 2006

• Epcot Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend. May 19–21. Collectible bears and dolls at Epcot (link).

Current Discounts & Promotions

Fall Passholder rates are out

Annual Passholder and Florida Resident discounts have been released for August 28 through October 4, with rates starting at $59 per night for value resorts and $89 per night for moderate resorts. The discount code to use is EXI. See the Passholder web site (link) or MouseSavers (link) for more information.

Radisson Resort Parkway announces rates through 2005

Radisson Resort Parkway, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced their rates through the end of 2005.

Click here for more information, or here to make reservations now.

Disney's Summer Price Slice discount returns to golf courses

Summer Price Slice is back with reduced-price greens fees on tee times after 10 a.m. daily from May 2 through Sept. 29 on Disney's five 18-hole golf courses.

Golfers can play the premier Osprey Ridge course after 10 a.m. for $60 (compared to a normal seasonal greens fee of $119) or Eagle Pines for $50 (compared to a normal seasonal fee of $109). Post-10 a.m. rounds on the Magnolia, Palm or Lake Buena Vista courses are $45 (compared to a normal seasonal fee of $89-$94). Prices include golf cart rental.

Disney's Summer Price Slice also gives golfers the opportunity to play afternoon rounds late into the day. Golfers can take on Osprey Ridge after 3 p.m. for $35 ($30 after 5 p.m.). Eagle Pines, Magnolia and Palm start at $30 after 3 p.m. ($25 after 5 p.m.). Rounds at Lake Buena Vista start at $25 after 3 p.m. ($20 after 5 p.m.).

For tee times, call 407-WDW-GOLF (407-939-4653) or go to the Walt Disney World Golf web site (link).

Plan ahead and save a few bucks

The entire ticket price structure changed as of January 2, 2005, to the new “Magic Your Way” passes. Advance purchase discounts are only available on tickets above the base ticket of at least 5 days.

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 October 2005.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through October 2005.

Theme Park Events

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)