Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for March 6 – 12, 2006

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

News and Views

Reality check follow-up

Last week, I asked you to send me feedback on the weekly Park Update to let me know what changes might make the Update more useful to you. I'd like to give a huge thank-you to everyone who responded.

More than half of those who wrote said not to change anything. It's extremely gratifying to me to know that I'm meeting or exceeding the expectations of so many of you. However, I'm always looking to improve my work, so let's look at the changes that the rest would like to see.

• About 15 percent of you said that you don't need the Downtown Disney schedules, while just 2 percent specifically said that they use it. I'm still going to keep it for a little while, though I may consider dropping it depending on further feedback.
• About 12 percent thought it would be great for me to add trivia to the Update. I'm going to give it a try for a couple of weeks. Please let me know if you like the format. The question will be after the News & Views section, while the answer will be further down in the Update.
• Ten percent of you asked for more photos in the Update. Since I live in upstate New York, it's a bit difficult to get timely photos on a regular basis. Still, I'll see what I can do to increase the frequency of images in the Update.
• A few of you asked for a summary of coming events that had already been reported in previous Updates, and for an extension of our Park Hours and Entertainment listings from two weeks to three or four weeks. I'm going to try the summary for a couple of weeks, but hold off on the extended listings for now. Another request was for the schedule of movies at the nightly Fort Wilderness campfires. We'll give this a try for the rest of March, and re-evaluate before April.
• Other requests included expected crowd levels (under consideration), a feedback section (emails and responses are forwarded to our Mailbag column for possible inclusion there), more rumors, podcast information and a change to our publication schedule.

Please feel free to keep sending me feedback. While I can't promise that I'll make all requested changes or that I'll be able to respond to each and every email, I do read them all, and I'll keep requests in mind as I make future changes to the Update.

Thanks again for reading and for responding!

Restaurant deal sheds light on two new concepts coming to Walt Disney World

Last Monday, it was announced that Landry's Restaurants had acquired 80 percent of two restaurant concepts from Schussler Creative for approximately $7.6 million. Landry's had previously bought the Rainforest Cafe (link) concept and restaurants from Schussler. What is most significant to Disney fans is that each of the concepts is planned for construction at Walt Disney World in the next two years.

T-Rex (link) sounds somewhat like a prehistoric version of Rainforest Cafe. Rather than Rainforest's "A Wild Place to Shop and Eat" theme, T-Rex will be "A Prehistoric Family Adventure, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover." The location will feature life-sized animatronic dinosaurs among cascading waterfalls, bubbling geysers, and a fossil dig site, and will focus around water, fire and ice.

The first T-Rex is currently under construction at The Legends at Village West in Kansas City, Kansas, and is scheduled to open this spring. The second location is slated to open at Downtown Disney in early 2008. It is uncertain at this time whether the location will be on the parcel to the north of Cirque du Soleil, across from the Saratoga Springs Resort, or replacing one of the clubs on the lakeshore side of Pleasure Island.

The second concept, an Asian-themed restaurant with a working name of Asia, will build its first location in Disney's Animal Kingdom, scheduled to open next summer. The restaurant, which will likely be located in the Asia section of the park between Anandapur and Serka Zong, just before the Yeti Palace Hotel, will feature Asian fusion cuisine with both full-service and quick-service options. A retail component will also be involved, selling Asian goods ranging from sushi plates to chopsticks to fine teapots.

A full-service dining establishment in the park has been expected since shortly after Expedition Everest was announced, with the attraction aimed at turning Disney's Animal Kingdom into a "three-meal park." If the park starts having large crowds staying through dinner time, it is possible that another T-Rex location could appear in the park's Dinoland, U.S.A. section, where it would be a natural fit.

Landry's president, chairman and CEO Tilman J. Fertitta noted that "One of the major factors that drew us to this transaction was the chance to expand our operations with Disney. Our existing three Rainforest Cafes located at Downtown-Disney, Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Disneyland Resort in California generate approximately $80 million in revenue. We feel that the T-Rex and Asian theme concepts are a perfect fit with Disney's unmatched entertainment offerings."

Each restaurant location is estimated to cost $15-20 million in start-up costs. Landry's has the option to purchase the remaining 20 percent of the concepts for up to $35 million once the combined revenue passes $20 million.

Nights of Joy schedule, entertainment announced

The schedule, entertainment and ticket pricing has been announced for this year's Nights of Joy (link), Walt Disney World's annual Christian music festival. The events will be held at the Magic Kingdom on Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9, from 7:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Advance-purchase tickets will cost $42.55 including tax for one night and $72.37 including tax for both nights. The price is for all attendees, ages 3 and up. Same-day one-night tickets (if available) will cost $44.95. Group sales (10 or more) must be purchased by calling 1-877-NITE-JOY. Groups receive 1 free ticket for every 10 tickets purchased.

A special offer for Passholders will allow purchase of one-night tickets for $37.23 for the passholder and up to three guests. The offer is for advance purchase only, and must be picked up at Will Call. A valid AP, PAP or Seasonal Pass must be presented at the time of pickup.

The entertainment on Friday night will be:

• BarlowGirl
• Building 429
• Casting Crowns
• David Crowder Band
• Matthew West
• MercyMe
• Rebecca St. James
• Todd Agnew
• Vicky Beeching

Saturday night's music will be provided by:

• Barlow Girl
• Hawk Nelson
• Jeremy Camp
• Kirk Franklin
• Smokie Norful
• tobyMac
• Tonex
• ZOEgirl

Entertainment, as always, is subject to change. Tickets go on sale today.

Disney Cruise Line releases some sailing dates, summer still on hold

Last week, we reported that the Disney Cruise Line would begin working through its waiting list for all cruises about the Disney Magic leaving between May 2007 and the end of the year at the end of March. It now appears that, in order to make it easier to process the special itineraries for summer cruises, Disney has released all other itineraries for booking.

Standard 7-night cruises departing May 7 as well as September 1 through the end of the year are now available for booking. Cruises from May 14 through the end of August are still being held, seeming to confirm the predicted European itineraries. We'll let you know as we hear more.

Pirates now closed

Pirates of the Caribbean is now closed for its refurbishment. Three weeks ago, we reported that the attraction would temporarily reopen for the Easter crowds before completing the refurbishment (link), and discussed what would be done during each closure. We are now hearing that the reopening will last for the entire month of April. We have not yet been able to confirm that, however.

Post-Timekeeper rumors

Now that The Timekeeper is officially closed, the rumors have begun flying. The two most commonly heard are a "hovering flying saucers" bumper car-type attraction hosted by the Little Green Men from the Toy Story movies and a ride based on Monsters, Inc., possibly a clone of the new attraction at Disney's California Adventure. Other rumors include an Incredibles-themed attraction. However, nobody seems to know for sure. We'll let you know when we get some solid information.

Pin quest correction

A couple of weeks ago (link), we mentioned a pin quest to be called "Pirates of the Caribbean: Legend of the Golden Pins" that would take place this summer. That event will actually take place at Disneyland. We apologize for the confusion. However, there is a pin pursuit that will be taking place at Walt Disney World in a couple of weeks.

The Magical World of Transportation event (link) will feature seven pursuit pins plus a completer pin. The pins feature Disney characters with various modes of Walt Disney World transportation. Fitting for the theme, the pursuit pins pins will be distributed at the four theme parks, two resorts and Downtown Disney, forcing you to take many of those modes of transportation yourself.

Pins will be distributed at the Magic Kingdom (WDW Railroad), Epcot (WDW monorail), Disney-MGM Studios (Backlot Tour shuttle), Disney's Animal Kingdom (Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition Vehicle), the Grand Floridian (ferry) and Boardwalk (Disney Cruise Line bus) resorts and Downtown Disney (Disney transportation bus and entrance sign completer pin).

I'm not quite sure why they included a Disney Cruise Line bus instead of a FriendShip, but it's otherwise a pretty good overview of modes of tranporation at Disney.

Overdue concession

Back in October, I made a prediction (link), which I modified a week later (link) regarding the dropping of "MGM" from the name of the Studios theme park by the beginning of this year. Obviously, my conclusions were faulty.

Quick takes …

…An interesting site to watch is the Re-Imagineering blog (link), where former Imagineers (including MousePlanet contributor Paul Torrigino) and Pixar staff are posting treatises on what they think should be done after John Lasseter comes on board at Imagineering. Thanks to Jim Hill for pointing this site out (link).

…Thanks to the WDW Today podcast crew (link) for having me on their show today and Wednesday. It was a lot of fun. We'll have to do it again some time.

…Attention Off Kilter fans! The group will be playing at Pleasure Island's West End Stage for St. Patrick's Day weekend, March 16-18.

…The Virtual Magic Kingdom has passed the one-million character mark, just over seven months after first launching.

Coming soon

• Wednesday, Roaring Forks Snacks at Wilderness Lodge scheduled to return from refurbishment.
• March 10–12, National All-Star Cheerleading Championship.
• Now – March 29, Spring training home games for the Atlanta Braves at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Games are at 1:50 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.
  • March 6 (Detroit Tigers)
  • March 11 (New York Mets)
  • March 12 (St. Louis Cardinals)
  • March 13 (St. Louis Cardinals)
  • March 14 (Houston Astros) @ 7:05 p.m.
  • March 15 (Los Angeles Dodgers)
  • March 17 (Houston Astros)
  • March 18 (Cincinnati Reds)
  • March 22 (Philadelphia Phillies)
  • March 23 (Cleveland Indians)
  • March 24 (Washington Nationals) @ 7:05 p.m.
  • March 25 (Cleveland Indians)
  • March 27 (New York Yankees) @ 7:05 p.m.
  • March 29 (New York Mets)
• March 7–10, World Baseball Classic games at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
  • March 7, Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela, 1 p.m.
  • March 7, Australia vs. Italy, 8 p.m.
  • March 8, Venezuela vs. Italy, 7 p.m.
  • March 9, Dominican Republic vs. Italy, 1 p.m.
  • March 9, Venezuela vs. Australia, 8 p.m.
  • March 10, Dominican Republic vs. Australia, 7 p.m.
• March 16–18, Sham-Rock ?n? Roll ? St Patrick?s Party at Pleasure Island, 7 p.m. ? 2 a.m.

Trivia question of the week

True or False: Disney's Animal Kingdom covers as much land as Disney's other three Florida theme parks combined. (Answer below.)

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

Talk about Walt Disney World on our discussion forums here.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress – has been returned to the list of "seasonal" attractions, so its open status may change at any time.
• Liberty Square Riverboat – is not operating due to refurbishment, and will return to service on July 1.
• Pirates of the Caribbean – is closed through July 6 for the addition of characters from the movie that was inspired by the ride. The attraction will reportedly reopen briefly for the peak Easter crowds before closing again to complete the refurbishment.
• Timekeeper – is closed for good.
• Cinderella's Surprise Celebration – reportedly returns after the 18-month “Happiest Celebration on Earth” festivities end.

Epcot

• The Wonders of Life pavilion – is closed for good.

Disney–MGM Studios

• No current refurbishments.

Animal Kingdom

• Expedition Everest – is scheduled to officially open in Spring 2006. The official opening press event is scheduled for April 7, just before the peak season of the two weeks surrounding Easter. Soft openings for the general public are now underway.

Resorts

• Wilderness Lodge – Roaring Forks Snacks will be closed through March 8 for refurbishment. Whispering Canyon Cafe and Artist Point will remain open, and grab-and-go items will be made available elsewhere during the refurbishment.
• 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.
• Contemporary Resort – The South Garden Wing is partially-open during refurbishment through September, 2006. Renovations on the rest of the resort are also underway, with the tower building being done one floor at a time and the North Garden Wing to follow, and are expected to run through October, 2007.
• Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa – Phase I's four buildings and Phase II's eight units are complete, Construction on Phase III is underway, with the six units expected to open between June and December, 2006.

Water Parks

• No current refurbishments.

Elsewhere

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

Park Events

Ongoing

• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (link). February 17 ? March 30.

March 2006

• World Baseball Classic. March 3-11. Baseball's best players from Australia, Domincan Republic, Italy and Venezuela square off in the first round of the international tournament (link).
• National All Star Cheerleading Championship. March 10–12 (link).
• Pleasure Island St. Patrick's Day Celebration. March 16–18. Raglan Road leads the festivities as the Island turns green to celebrate the holiday.
• National Kidney Foundation of Florida Gift of Life 5K Run/Walk. March 19. The seventh annual event to raise money and promote organ and tissue donation awareness (link).

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).
• Grad Nite. April 28-29, May 5-6. High school seniors take over the Magic Kingdom after an early closing and party all night (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 course starts at Animal Kingdom, goes through the Studios and ends at Epcot.
• Danskin Women's Triathlon. May 13-14. Athletes compete in a 400 yard swim, a 9 mile bike ride, and a 2 mile run (link).
• Epcot Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend. May 18–21. Collectible bears and dolls at Epcot (link).
• Star Wars Weekends. May 19-21 and 26-28, and June 2-4 and 9-11. The popular event is slated to return to the Studios in 2006 (link).
• Gay Days 2006. May 31 - June 4. The 16th annual gathering of the GLBT community at Walt Disney World (link1 | link2).

July 2006

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (link). July 29 – August 17. The NFC South champions prepare for the 2006 campaign, with practices open to the public.

September 2006

• Tom Joyner Family Reunion. Sept. 1–4. The radio host's annual gathering returns for another year (link).
• Night of Joy. Sept. 8–9. Disney's annual Christian music festival (link).
• Disney's Pin Celebration. Sept. 8–10. This year's event is themed as "It All Started With … Walt" (link).
• 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).

October 2006

• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Dates TBA. Get your costumes ready. The Disney characters will certainly be wearing theirs. (link).
• Disney's Race for the Taste 10K. Oct. 8. The annual Disney 10K race continues its association with the Epcot Food & Wine Festival (link).
• Funai Classic at Walt Disney World. Oct. 16–22. Lucas Glover will try to defend his title at the 36th annual fall golf classic on the Palm and Magnolia courses (link).
• Disney Pin Cruise. Oct. 29 – Nov. 2. This year's cruise is themed as "Cruisin' Through Time" (link).

November-December 2006

• Festival of the Masters. Nov. 10–12. Disney's annual arts festival at Downtown Disney's West Side, now sponsored by Sharpie! (link).
• ABC Super Soap Weekend. Nov. 11–12. Your favorite ABC soap opera starts converge on the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Dates TBA. Jennings Osborne's amazing display returns to the Studios (link).
• Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade. Dates TBA. The Animal Kingdom Parade trades its Jammin' for Jingle in this holiday makeover (link).
• Holidays Around the World. Dates TBA. Epcot's World Showcase gets storytellers, special entertainment and crafts for kids, the Lights of Winter and a spectacular Christmas tree (link).
• Festival of the Seasons. Dates TBA. Downtown Disney gets a holiday makeover (link).
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Dates TBA. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What's not to like? (link).

December 2006

• 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 2007

• Walt Disney World Half-Marathon. Jan. 6. Registration now open (link). [Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]
• Walt Disney World Marathon. Jan. 7. Registration now open (link).

Trivia answer

False: Disney's Animal Kingdom covers 500 acres. The Magic Kingdom is 107 acres, Epcot is 300 acres, and the Disney-MGM Studios covers 154 acres, for a total of 561 acres. The entire Walt Disney World Resort is over 30,000 acres in size, or about 47 square miles.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Magic Your Way package with free ticket upgrades available through June 3

Disney has announced a special offer for vacations between April 23 and June 3, that will include free upgrades of base Magic Your Way park passes. The passes will be upgraded with both Park Hopper and Water Parks & More options at no charge. When booking on the Disney web site, make sure to click the "Special Offers" tab on the left side of the page, or the offer may not appear.

Passholder discounts now available through June 3

Passholders discounts are now available on the passholder web site for vacations from April 23 through June 3. When calling by phone, use booking code EZN or EZO. Florida resident discounts for the same dates are available on the resident web site, using booking code BOR. Passholder rates start at $74 per night for value resorts, resident rates start at $79 per night for the values.

Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration releases rates through the end of 2006

The Radisson Resort Parkway is now the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration! The resort, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced their standard rates through the end of 2006. Note that the nightly rates do not include a $7 per night resort fee.

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

Magic Your Way ticket price guide

Walt Disney World's entire ticket price structure changed as of January 2, 2005, to the new “Magic Your Way” passes, and prices increased on January 1, 2006.. Advance purchase discounts are only available on tickets above the base ticket of at least 4 days, with higher discounts on those tickets with both options.

Park Hours

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through September 2006.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through September 2006.

Theme Park Events

Fort Wilderness movie schedule for March 2006

Movies begin at 7:40. In the case of a weekend double-feature, the second movie begins at 9:15. Movies are preceded by a campfire at 6:30 and a singalong at 7:00.

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)