Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for October 3 – 9, 2005

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

News and Views

Birthday greetings

Happy Birthday to Walt Disney World, which celebrated its 34th birthday on Saturday, and Epcot, which celebrated its 23rd birthday the same day!

MousePlanet events at MouseFest

Just a reminder that MouseFest is scheduled for November 30 to December 5 (land) and December 4-8 (sea). MouseFest Gold Sponsor MousePlanet is organizing three events and officially participating in a fourth during the land portion. For more information and how to let us know that you're coming, visit our MouseFest events page (link). For more information on MouseFest, visit the MouseFest event site (link).

More details on the temporary buffet at El Pirata y El Perico

Last week, we listed the menu for the new buffet that Disney is testing at the Magic Kingdom's El Pirata y El Perico Restaurante, and reported that attendance was low for the first night of the test. We've received a bit more information about why the buffet is being run for a short period of time, and a rumor of what may happen to the meal in the future.

It turns out that the main reason for the buffet meal is not to test demand, but rather to add capacity for the Disney Dining Plan, which has caused a huge increase in demand at Magic Kingdom table service locations. The food is actually being catered by WDW Convention services, rather that Magic Kingdom Foods, and is reportedly very good. Officially, the only way the location is supposed to be advertised is when guests try to make Advanced Dining Reservations for another Magic Kingdom table service location and there is no availability. Guests would then be directed to the podium at El Pirata (after 1 p.m.) to set up a dining time. (Some Magic Kingdom cast members are directing folks there anyway to try to show a demand to keep the location open.) The main focus of the meal is to make sure that all guests who want a sit-down meal during the remainder of the “Free Dining” packages over the next two weeks. It is unknown whether the location might continue to serve the meal after that time.

However, MousePad discussion forum member jengold29 reported, “Just from talking to the waiter and the manager I learned that … they are thinking of adding characters—boy-themed, like Peter Pan type.” We've got no confirmation of that fact, but it sounds intriguing.

Extra Magic Hour shifts this week

Disney has shifted Extra Magic Hours later this week, likely for the annual press event. Epcot will switch evening EMHs with Disney's Animal Kingdom (Epcot to Tuesday, DAK to Thursday) and the Magic Kingdom will switch morning EMHs with DAK (MK to Saturday, DAK to Friday). This will free up after-hours Thursday night at Epcot and pre-opening Friday at Magic Kingdom for the events.

Radisson Resort Parkway offers reduced special rate through December 22

For a very limited time the Radisson Resort Parkway, a MousePlanet sponsor, has allocated rooms as low as $77 weekdays and $87 weekends now through December 22.

Disney gives African art collection to Smithsonian

Walt Disney World has donated the Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The 525-piece collection, one of the most famous collections of traditional African art in the world, includes most major styles of African art. There is no word yet on whether this will affect the “Echoes of Africa” exhibit of pieces from the collection at the American Heritage Gallery in the American Adventure pavilion at Epcot.

Ears to the ground

…We are hearing that Disney is converting some ground-floor rooms at the All-Star Music Resort into two-room suites to accommodate large families at the low-priced resort.

…Now that Disney greeters can no longer solicit travelers who have not yet signed up for Disney's Magical Express when they arrive at Orlando International Airport, Disney is giving people another way to sign up for the shuttle bus service. A new Disney's Magical Express Web site (link) allows those staying at at Disney resort to sign up for the DME service online. Travelers can easily sign up for the services online, but must do it 21 days in advance for guaranteed delivery of materials; after that they may have to manually process their ride at the airport.

…The Raglan Road Irish Pub at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney is now scheduled to open on Friday, October 21. The pub occupies the spot formerly held by the Pleasure Island Jazz Club. Pleasure Island admission will not be required for admission to the pub.

…The coin-operated animal feeders were removed from Disney's Animal Kingdom Saturday for the safety of the animals, as it was throwing their diet off too much.

…Last week, we reported that MouseSavers had been expecting a new discount rate to be announced at any time. On Thursday, discounts for room-only (Oct. 23 – Nov. 23) and package (Oct. 23 – Dec. 25, except Nov. 21–25 and Dec. 5–9) were announced. Reservations are booking up quickly. There is virtually no availability Nov. 5–13 for either the room-only or package reservations. If you're looking for the discount, you probably want to book soon. For more information, check out MouseSavers (link).

…Some Disney front desk staff are getting annoyed with Expedia. Apparently, the Internet-based travel service is guaranteeing room locations with reservations that Disney itself won't even guarantee, and guests booking through Expedia are expecting to receive certain accommodations that may not even be available when they check in.

…Last week, we gave a link to what we said was the complete schedule for the Food & Wine Festival. However, it's not the text of the whole brochure, but rather only the second half of it.

…To help promote the release of the new Cinderella Platinum Edition DVD, a little girl will be selected each day of the month of October to be a Cinderella Honorary Princess of the Day at the Magic Kingdom. The honorary princess will receive a Cinderella gown and tiara, a ride in Cinderella's coach in a special pre-parade before the 3 p.m. parade, a private meeting with Cinderella herself and a copy of Cinderella on DVD.

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

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• 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 can still board the train at the station, though the entrance and exit may be relocated during the work. The locker rental stand area is being converted to stroller rental, with the lockers moving elsewhere. In addition, the curb in front of the station is disappearing to allow easier transit for newly rented and about-to-be-returned strollers. The station is also slated to receive new glass, canopies, paint and so forth.
• Liberty Square Riverboat – reportedly not be operating due to refurbishment through next spring.
• Haunted Mansion – closed for minor mechanical refurbishment November 6–16.
• Timekeeper – open seasonally.
• 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 – is closed for refurbishment through November 23. Rumors indicate that another new Finding Nemo-based attraction may be added.
• Ice Station Cool – closed through late this year for refurbishment. It will reopen as “Club Cool.”
• Norway's Stave Church – closed through 11/14/2005 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, and has been removed from park maps. Its future is uncertain.

Disney–MGM Studios

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie sets – scheduled to open on December 9.

Animal Kingdom

• Expedition Everest – 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 – South Garden Wing is closed for refurbishment through September, 2006. Rumors indicate that the buildings may be completely gutted and rebuilt as Disney Vacation Club villas. However, another rumor states that new DVC lodgings will be built on the current site of the Disney Tennis Center at the resort, and there is no confirmation of the either rumor yet. Renovations on the rest of the resort are also underway, with the tower building being done one floor at a time, 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.
• 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.
• 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

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays – Saturdays.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Through Nov. 13. The annual celebration of things gustatory, plus the Eat to the Beat concert series (link).
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Oct. 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. 14 – 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. Nov. 25 – Dec. 25. 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).
• College Cheerleading and Dance Team Championship. January 13–16.

February 2006

• National Dance Team Championship. February 3–6.
• National High School Cheerleading Championship. February 10–13.
• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (link). Dates in February ? March TBA.
• Twirlmania. February 17–20. Twirlers, auxiliary guard, pom, and dancers descend on the Wide World of Sports (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).
• National All Star Cheerleading Championship. March 10–13.

April 2006

• Disney's All-Star Kids Classic. April 1. Registration is now open for the kids' inline race (link).
• Walt Disney World Inline Marathon. April 2. Registration is now open (link).
• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. April 21 – June 11. Epcot comes alive with topiaries, other floral displays, gardening demonstrations and the “Flower Power” concert series (link).

May 2006

• Disney's Minnie Marathon Weekend 5K and 1 Mile (link). May 6. The short runs of the ladies-only running weekend take place at and near Downtown Disney.
• Women Run the World 15 K (link). May 7. The ladies-only run starts at Animal Kingdom, goes through the Disney-MGM Studios and ends at Epcot.
• Star Wars Weekends. Dates TBA. The popular event is slated to return in 2006 (link).
• Epcot Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend. May 18–21. Collectible bears and dolls at Epcot (link).

September 2006

• Walt Disney World Triathlon. Sept. 24. Athletes compete in a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike ride, and a 10K run (link).
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Sept. 29 – Nov. 12. The annual celebration of things gustatory, plus the Eat to the Beat concert series (link).

Current Discounts & Promotions

Passholder Best Rate Program through February 15

The Passholder Best Rate program has reduced the advance reservation requirement from 120 days to 60 days. The program is now accepting reservations, online only, through February 15, 2006.

Radisson Resort Parkway offers reduced special rate through December 22

For a very limited time the Radisson Resort Parkway, a MousePlanet sponsor, has allocated rooms as low as $77.00 weekdays and $87.00 weekends now through December 22.

Radisson Resort Parkway releases rates through the end of 2006

Radisson Resort Parkway, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced their rates through the end of 2006.

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

Plan ahead and save a few bucks

Walt Disney World's 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)