Walt Disney World Park Update

Update for October 24–29, 2006

Go directly to: News & Views | Coming Soon | Trivia of the Week | Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Park Events | Discounts/Promotions | Park Hours | Events/Entertainment Schedule

News and Views

Back from the dead

To the surprise of everyone, including this writer, the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot is reopening for the holiday season. The pavilion opens from November 26 through December 31, according to an internal cast member publication. Cast members begin training on the attraction's pavilions this week. While the counter service food location is closed for good, Body Wars, Cranium Command, and The Making of Me are all expected to be open during the five-week period.

Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge safe, for now

A MousePlanet reader passes along this reponse to an e-mail that he sent to Disney regarding the fate of the concierge rooms and lounge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in the face of the new Disney Vacation Club accommodations being built at the resort:

"Thank you for expressing your concern over the concierge service we offer. At this time we know that we will have no change in the concierge services until mid to late 2007. We are currently offering our rooms for next year in two categories. Concierge Deluxe on the 5th and 6th floor and Concierge Standard on the 4th floor. As construction proceeds over the course of the year some deluxe rooms will be phased out and the standard rooms will be used instead. There is no proposed date for any closing of the concierge lounge at this time and we plan on offering the same services to our guest that we do now.

"We are still getting information on this from corporate so stay tuned."

The crane being used in repainting Cinderella Castle looms over the structure. Photo by Brian Warneke.

Cutting the fat

Last Monday, Disney announced new food guildelines for Disney-branded retail foods, as well as for all food sold at Disney properties. The story was published in last week's Disneyland Park Update, which was published on Tuesday, so we're just going to reprint that story here if you missed it. Note that, since the writing of the feature, it was confirmed that Disney is working with all third-party restauranteurs at its resorts to conform with the guidelines. This is a much more important development at Walt Disney World than at Disneyland, as many of the most popular in-park restaurants at Epcot are run by third parties, as well as some hotel restaurants (including all food service at the Coronado Springs Resort).

In addition, we have heard reports that some of the table-service restaurants have rolled out new kids' menus that appear to have fewer choices available than had been at those restaurants before the new initiative. We're hoping that this is just an interim step to a more complete, diverse selection of healthy items.

From the Disneyland Park Update:

Disney has announced new food guidelines to try and create a healthier image for Disney-branded foods targeted to children. The new guidelines not only impact consumer products sold through third-party licensees, but also foods sold inside the Disney theme parks.

While the new guidelines are much stricter on what will be allowed in licensed food products (such as caps on fat calories and "indulgence" items being not more than 15 percent of the total products offered) there is a big change in store for the parks as well.

By the end of 2007 (and 2008 for licensed foods) Disney will have removed all added trans-fats from foods served in park and resort restaurants. Disney branded products sold in the park will meet this requirement by the end of 2008. It is not specifically mentioned but it is likely that the independently operated restaurants in Downtown Disney would be excluded from these guidelines.

While in the past trans-fats were promoted as a healthy alternative (eat margarine, not butter) in recent years research has shed increasing light on the unhealthy nature of such fats. Last year, new Federal Drug Administration requirements mandated labelling for trans-fats on packaged foods and since then there has been increasing consumer demand that restaurants and manufacturers find alternatives for their foods. So, while it is unlikely the theme park dining will become "healthy" any time soon, it is a step towards "healthier."

Here is the entire press release:

The Walt Disney Company Introduces New Food Guidelines to Promote Healthier Kids' Diets

New Policy to Associate Disney Brands and Characters with a More Nutritionally Balanced Range of Foods

BURBANK, Calif., October 16th, 2006—The Walt Disney Company today introduced new food guidelines aimed at giving parents and children healthier eating options. The guidelines for licensed foods and promotions aimed at children will govern Disney's business partnerships and activities in the U.S. on a going-forward basis and will be adapted internationally over the next several years.

The new policies call for Disney to use its name and characters only on kid-focused products that meet specific guidelines, including limits on calories, fat, saturated fat and sugar. Disney also announced nutritionally-beneficial changes in the meals served to children at all Disney-operated restaurants in its Parks and Resorts and unveiled a company-wide plan to eliminate added trans fats from food served at its Parks by the end of 2007 and from its licensed and promotional products by the end of 2008.

"Disney will be providing healthier options for families that seek them, whether at our Parks or through our broad array of licensed foods," said Disney President and CEO Robert Iger. "The Disney brand and characters are in a unique position to market food that kids will want and parents will feel good about giving them."

The guidelines are based on The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and have been developed in cooperation with two top child health and wellness experts, Dr. James O. Hill, Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and Dr. Keith Thomas Ayoob, Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Specifically, the guidelines governing kid-focused licensed foods call for limits such as the following:

• A cap on calories that results in appropriate kid-sized portions.
• Total fat will not exceed 30 percent of calories for main and side dishes and 35 percent for snacks.
• Saturated fat will not exceed 10 percent of calories for main dishes, side dishes and snacks.
• Added sugar will not exceed 10 percent of calories for main dishes and side dishes and 25 percent of calories for snacks.
• Disney will continue to license special-occasion sweets such as birthday cakes and seasonal candy as part of its product range but will limit the number of indulgence items in its licensed portfolio to 15 percent by 2010. In addition, most special-occasion sweets will be available in single-serving packets.

"By developing nutrition guidelines for children, Disney is demonstrating a long-term commitment to the health of kids," said Dr. Hill. "The guidelines are comprehensive and consistent with The Dietary Guidelines for Americans," that are issued by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services.

"This is some of the best news I have heard in over twenty years of working with families and children as a pediatric nutritionist," added Dr. Ayoob. "Disney is synonymous with fun and can play an important role in getting kids to consume a more balanced diet."

Disney's timetable for implementing its new policies is dictated by existing contractual arrangements, the majority of which will lapse in their current form within two years. Disney expects most of its licensed products and promotional tie-ins to meet the new guidelines by the end of 2008.

Disney Consumer Products has already begun to offer many licensed products which comply with the guidelines. They include breakfast items such as instant oatmeal featuring characters like "The Incredibles" and "Kim Possible," and Disney Garden fresh produce such as kid-sized apples and bananas. Lunch and dinner foods such as Mickey-shaped organic ravioli and other pastas are also now available.

"Families are shopping together more often and we see an opportunity to give parents food choices they can approve of while at the same time satisfying their kids," said Andy Mooney, chairman of Disney Consumer Products.

Beginning this month in U.S. Disney Parks and Resorts, kids' meals are automatically being served with low fat milk, 100 percent fruit juice or water along with side dishes like apple sauce or carrots in place of the traditional soft drinks and French fries. Parents will still be able to substitute French fries and soda at no additional cost. Initial tests involving 20,000 kids' meals show that as many as 90 percent of parents and kids stayed with the more nutritious option.

"This is a terrific initiative because it makes it easier for parents, even while on vacation, to offer their children well balanced meals with kid appeal," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Added trans fats are in the process of being removed from all Disney food offerings. Food served at the U.S. Disney Parks and Resorts will be free of added trans fats by the end of 2007. Disney's U.S. licensing and promotional groups are aiming to meet an end-2008 deadline.

"These are just first steps in an initiative that will evolve over time," said Iger. "But we understand the challenges faced by parents and recognize Disney can contribute to the solution."

The crane still blocks the walkway between the castle and Sir Mickey's. Photo by Brian Warneke.

Durant wins Funai Classic

Joe Durant's first PGA Tour win in over five-and-a-half years happened yesterday, as he came from one stroke behind starting the day to win the Funai Classic at Walt Disney World by four strokes over third-round leader Troy Matteson and Frank Lickliter II. Durant shot a 7-under-par 65 in the final round to pull away from the rest of the pack.

After Durant spent the first part of the week visiting all of the resort's theme parks with his wife and two children, Mickey Mouse came to them to present him with the winner's trophy. The win also came with a prize of $828,000, the biggest paycheck of his career, which probably helped to pay for all of those Disney souvenirs his family probably came home with.

Pirates and Princesses to take over Flower & Garden

Continuing to reinforce the branding motif of the year, Pirates and Princesses follow up their after-hours Magic Kingdom parties in January–March with a big presence at the 2007 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

A featured topiary this year is a pirate ship with Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Tinker Bell, while Pirate Mickey and Princess Minnie continue the theme. Pirate Goofy also makes a towering topiary appearance. Among the more than 70 topiaries will be such characters as Cinderella and Prince Charming, Belle and her Beast, Donald, Pluto and other favorites.

30 million blooms will carpet Future World and World Showcase, including two crop rotations, according to horticultural manager Eric Darden.

Among the new and returning festival events and features and the Flower Power concert series, Minnie's Magnificent Butterfly Garden, themed weekends, a "Lift and Sniff" fragrance garden at the France pavilion, the Great American Gardeners and Disney Gardening at Home presentation series, Tinker Bell's Fairy Garden and daily ladybug releases.

The 2007 Festival takes place April 5 through June 3.

New WDW Dave Avanzino limited editions released

A new, extremely limited edition series of artwork has been released at Walt Disney World. Popular Disney collectible artist Dave Avanzino has created the first two pieces in a planned series of eight. The pieces depict the name of the Magic Kingdom and its lands using letters from relevant park locations. (For example, the Fantasyland piece uses such sources as the "F" from the Peter Pan's Flight sign, a miner's pick from the Seven Dwarf's Mine store for the "T" and a psychedelic flower from the Mad Tea Party for the "Y".

Two extremely limited new pieces by Dave Avanzino went on sale last week..

Only 20 of the pieces were made for the Magic Kingdom edition and and 10 for Fantasyland. Each additional land will also be a limited edition of 10. All pieces retail for $990. Since the two pieces were released last week, it is unknown how many remain. The pieces are being sold at four locations at Walt Disney World: Art of Disney at Downtown Disney (407-828-3929), Art of Disney at Epcot (407-560-6481), Animation Gallery at the Disney-MGM Studios (407-560-4567) and King's Gallery at the Magic Kingdom (407-824-6622). If you're trying to buy these by phone, the SKU numbers are 15682345 for the Magic Kingdom and 15682344 for Fantasyland.

Cirque du Soleil to hold acrobatic and martial arts auditions in Orlando next week

Have you seen Cirque du Soleil performances and thought "I can do that!" Not many of you have, I'm sure. But if you really have those skills and want to become part of Cirque, you might be interested to know that they are holding auditions for new talent in acrobatics, circus and martial arts for all 13 of its current productions and upcoming creations next week in Orlando.

The auditions, which will be held at the La Nouba theater in Downtown Disney and a local gymnastics studio on October 29, 30 and 31, are by invitation only. No walk-ins will be allowed, so please don't try to just show up. To audition, candidates must send their resumes to the head office of Cirque du Soleil in Montréal (time may be too short to guarantee arrival in time), or visit Cirque's Web site.

Super Soap to feature Luke, Laura reunion

This year's Super Soap Weekend at the Disney-MGM Studios features Susan Lucci, Rosie O'Donnell and a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the wedding of Luke & Laura on General Hospital. (For those that weren't around back then, the event was so huge that it was pretty inescapable at the time, even for non-soap fans.)

The wedding anniversary event will be held on the afternoon of November 10, the eve of the 11th annual weekend gathering of soap opera fans, and will feature Anthony Geary (Luke) and Genie Francis (Laura) in their first joint public appearance in decades. (Lest anyone think that this is occurring in a vacuum, Francis will be returning to General Hospital this October.)

As usual, the weekend will include celebrity motorcades, autograph sessions, talk shows, interviews and memorabilia sales.

The complete lineup of stars at this time includes:

• All My Children – Susan Lucci, Justin Bruening, Alexa Havins, Thorsten Kaye, Michael E. Knight, Cameron Mathison, Cady McClain, Alicia Minshew, Eden Riegel, Aiden Turner and Jacob Young;
• One Life to Live – Erika Slezak, Kristen Alderson, Kathy Brier, Kamar de los Reyes, Kassie DePaiva, Michael Easton, David Fumero, Melissa Gallo, Renee Goldsberry, John-Paul Lavoisier, Forbes March, Trevor St. John and Bree Williamson;
• General Hospital – Julie Berman, Scott Clifton, Rebecca Herbst, Kimberly McCullough, Kelly Monaco, Jason Thompson, Greg Vaughan and Laura Wright.

Due to the crowd levels expected for the event and to even the playing field for getting those all-important Fastpass tickets for celebrity autographs, the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot are swapping morning Extra Magic Hours that week. The Studios has its early morning opening on Tuesday, November 7, while Epcot takes on the Extra Magic Hours on Saturday, November 11. If you were planning to stay on property and using the Extra Magic Hours to get your autograph tickets before the park opened to non-resort guests, sorry. Disney has plugged that hole.

However, if you're looking for a special deal for that weekend, we remind you that Small World Vacations, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced a special offer for those traveling during this year's Super Soap Weekend event. The travel agency is giving one free One Life, Many Voices CD with each qualifying Disney Magic Your Way Vacation package that falls during 2006 Super Soap Weekend (November 11 and 12) booked with Small World Vacations (link).

The One Life, Many Voices CD is an independent fundraising effort with 100 percent of net proceeds going directly to aid 2005 Hurricane Disaster Relief, created by the stars of the ABC soap One Life to Live.

The free CD will be mailed with final travel documents. If the guest cancels their Super Soap vacation reservation, the offer is null and void. Small World Vacations' minimum night stay policy applies. Small World Vacations has donated to the One Life, Many Voices Hurricane Relief Fund on behalf of their guests.

Painters work on the castle during daylight hours. Photo by Brian Warneke.

New discount deal announced for Canadian visitors

Walt Disney World has announced a new discounted offer for residents of Canada. The deal, available most nights from January 1–11 and January 15 – February 14, offers free Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options with purchase of a package. Prices start at $377 (U.S.) per adult, double occupancy, at Disney value resorts. No other discounts apply. Use booking code ZCV for this offer. Reservations prior to November 2 require a Canadian address, which seems to point to this offer being expanded to U.S. visitors after that date. Packages must be booked by December 16.

Construction worker dies at Bonnet Creek site

One construction worker was killed and another was in critical condition after a pile of fully framed windows fell on top of them last Wednesday. They were working on the Fairfield Resort at Bonnet Creek, the non-Disney development between the Caribbean Beach Resort and I-4.

One man died at the site, while the other was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The freak accident occurred inside a trailer holding the windows. The accident is under investigation.

Quick takes …

…Effective this past Sunday, pricing on some recreational activities has gone up. Specialty cruises on 21-foot boats, both basic and celebration cruises, have gone up to $225 including tax. 25-foot boats for premium and celebration cruises are $275 including tax. Fishing excursions are now $125 (no tax). Finally, 2-seat surrey bikes are now $21 per 30 minutes, including tax.

…Victoria & Albert's has had a price hike. The new pricing is $115 per guest, not including tax, alcoholic beverage, select non-alcoholic beverages and gratuity (up from $100). Additional wine pairings cost $60 per guest, up from $55. For the Chef's Table, the new prices are $165, plus $70 for the Royal Wine Pairing.

…Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party sold out last Friday, October 20, and is also sold out for Halloween night. Reportedly, this Friday night, October 27 and Monday, October 30, are not far behind, but they had not sold out as of press time.

…Jiko-The Cooking Place at the Animal Kingdom Lodge has been named one of "America's 50 Most Amazing Wine Experiences" by Food & Wine magazine in its October 2006 issue. The citation noted Jiko's extensive list of South African wines (the largest in America), as well as the African-influenced food. Kudos to Chef Anette Grecchi Gray and her staff on winning this award.

…Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is scheduled for a short, one-day closure for refurbishment, on November 15.

While work is being done on East Center Street (hopefully not turning it into another shop as they did with West Center Street), a scrim offers a lovely streetscape image. Photo by Brian Warneke.

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

Talk about these stories and more on our Walt Disney World discussion forum here.

Coming soon

• October 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
• September 29 – November 12, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
• September 29 – November 12, Eat to the Beat Concert Series.
  • October 22–25, The Four Tops
  • October 26–28, Gloria Gaynor
  • October 29–November 1, The S.O.S. Band
  • November 2–4, The Contours
  • November 5–6, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
  • November 7–8, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
  • November 9–12, Jon Secada
• October 28. Blizzard Beach closes for annual refurbishment.
• October 29 – November 2. Disney Pin Cruise.

Trivia question of the week

This week's question: Who won the first major golf tournament at Walt Disney World? Stay tuned to next week's park update for the answer.

The answer to last week's question: "What was the first nighttime spectacular to be staged at Epcot on a nightly basis?" is:

Laserphonic Fantasy, which first appeared on June 9, 1984, and ran until January, 1988, when it was supplanted by Illuminations. There were two other shows which were briefly shown on the lagoon, Carnival de Lumiere and A New World Fantasy, which were only viewable from between the Mexico and Canada pavilions, and which were shown for such a short period of time that they don't even rate a mention in Disney A to Z, the definitive Disney encyclopedia written by Disney archivist Dave Smith.

Illluminations: Reflections of Earth, which debuted in October 1999, is the latest edition of Illuminations, which replaced Laserphonic Fantasy above World Showcase Lagoon in 1988. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – closes for refurbishment November 15.
• Timekeeper – is closed for good. The Monsters, Inc.-themed The Laugh Floor Comedy Club is expected to open in January, 2007.
• Splash Mountain – closes for refurbishment January 2–27.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – closes for refurbishment January 28 – February 11.

Epcot

• The Seas with Nemo and Friends – is now in soft-open status. It is possible that it may close at any time up until its official grand opening, but things are reportedly running smoothly and the attraction should remain open.
• Living with the Land – has returned from refubishment with a new system to deliver automated spiels.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion – is amazingly returning and be open from November 26 through December 31..
• Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki – closes for refurbishment January 15 – May 25, 2007.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Journey into Narnia: Creating the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – is closed for refurbishment through November 10.
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster – closes for refurbishment January 7 – February 10, 2007.
• Fantasmic – is not performing November 1–8 while work is done on the island stage.
• Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour – closes for refurbishment November 11–13.

Animal Kingdom

• Finding Nemo – The Musical – opens in the Theater in the Wild on November 12, with soft openings slated to begin on November 5..

Resorts

• All-Star Movies Resort – the Fantasia pool is closed for an extensive rehab through February 18. All-Star Movies guests can use the "quiet" pools as well as the main pools at the other All-Star resorts.
• All-Star Music Resort – Conversion of Calypso buildings to Family Suites continues. All work had been expected to be completed by October 13, but that date has not been met. All buildings not containing Family Suites will be renovated between January and June, 2007.
• All-Star Sports Resort – All buildings will be renovated between June and November, 2007.
• 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 later this year. Tahiti is currently being worked on, with an expected completion date in mid-November. Aotearoa and Rarotonga will need to have a brief unexpected shutdown in the next month or so in order to allow some electrical repair to the monorail track. The reconstruction and expansion of Captain Cook's Snack Company is not scheduled to be completed until early December, though it's possible that it might soft-open before Thanksgiving.
• Port Orleans Riverside – Work has been completed at the Oak Manor building in the Magnolia Bend section as the rolling refurbishment proceeds around the bend
• Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa – Phase I's four buildings and Phase II's eight units are complete, Construction on the six buildings of Phase III is underway, with the six units expected to be completed in mid-2007. The new buildings will comprise two additional sections, to be called The Carousel and The Grandstand.
• Wilderness Lodge – Refurbishment is taking place on the water feature that begins as a spring in the lobby and works its way down to the themed pool area.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – closes for annual refurbishment October 29, and reopens on January 7, 2007.
• Typhoon Lagoon – closes for annual refurbishment on January 7, 2007, and reopens on March 18, 2007.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays – Saturdays. Also, no performances November 19–21.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Oct. 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31. Get your costumes ready. The Disney characters will certainly be wearing theirs. (link).
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Sept. 29 – Nov. 12. The 11th annual celebration of things gustatory, plus the Eat to the Beat concert series (link).

October 2006

• Disney Pin Cruise. Oct. 29 – Nov. 2. This year's cruise is themed as "Cruisin' Through Time" (link).

November 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 stars converge on the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. Nov. 13 – Jan. 7, 2007. Jennings Osborne's amazing display returns to the Studios (link).
• Old Spice Classic. Nov. 23, 24, 26. ESPN Regional presents the inaugural 8-team, 12-game tournament, featuring West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Minnesota, Southern Illinois, Montana, Marist and Western Michigan (link).
• Holidays Around the World. Nov. 24 – Dec. 30. 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. Nov. 13, 17, 27, 28, 30, Dec. 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22. Snow on Main Street, free hot cocoa and cookies. What's not to like? (link).

December 2006

• Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade. Dec. 1 – Jan. 6, 2007. The Animal Kingdom Parade trades its Jammin' for Jingle in this holiday makeover (link).
• Taping of the Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade. Dec. 1–3. Regis, Kelly and all those performers arrive, and they run those floats slowly down Main Street again and again, causing traffic jams and much merriment in the search for the perfect shot.
• Pop Warner Super Bowl. Dec. 3–9. Football players and cheerleaders invade the resort for the pigskin championships (link).
• MouseFest 2006. Dec. 3–11. The annual gathering of the Disney Internet community takes place at sea from Dec. 3–7 and on land from Dec. 7–11 (link).
• Pleasure Island New Year's Eve. Dec. 31. Pleasure Island celebrates the actual New Year (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 is full. [Read our WDW Marathon Guide.]
• Walt Disney World Marathon. Jan. 7. Registration is full(link).
• College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship. Jan. 12-14. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• Disney's Pirate & Princess Party. Jan. 22, 26, 29, Feb. 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 23, 26, Mar. 2, 5, 8. A new hard-ticketed event celebrates the the pirates and princesses in all of us (link).

February 2007

• National Dance Team Championship. Feb. 2-4. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• National High School Cheerleading Championship. Feb. 9-11. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• Twirlmania.February 16–19. Twirlers, auxiliary guard, pom, and dancers descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).
• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. Mid-February – late March (link).
• Cheer & Dance National Championships. February 24–25. School & Youth Rec Cheer February 24, All-Star Cheer & Dance February 25 (link).

March 2007

• Cheer & Dance National Championships. March 2–4. All Star/Studio March 2, School Dance March 2–4 (link).
• ESPN – The Weekend. March 2–4. Synergy strikes again as Disney's flagship cable network returns to the Disney-MGM Studios (link).
• National All Star Cheerleading Championship. March 9-11. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).

April 2007

• Walt Disney World Inline Marathon and Half Marathon (link). April 1. Strap your skates on to race from the Wide World of Sports Complex to the Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot, and back again.
• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. April 5 – June 3. Epcot comes alive with topiaries, other floral displays, gardening demonstrations and the ?Flower Power? concert series at the 14th annual event (link).
• USASF Cheerleading & Dance Worlds. April 21-22. Teams descend on the Wide World of Sports (link).

May 2007

• Disney's Minnie Marathon Weekend 5K and 1 Mile (link). May 5. The short runs of the ladies-only running weekend take place at and near Downtown Disney. Registration is now open (link).
• Women Run the World 15 K (link). May 6. The course starts at Animal Kingdom, goes through the Studios and ends at Epcot. Registration is now open (link).

Current Discounts & Promotions

Passholder, Florida resident room rates for October through December

Annual passholder rates have been announced for October 1 through December 23. Of course, there are no AP rates during peak Christmas Week dates of December 24-31. The rates very by season (the period covered spans regular, value and holiday seasons), but they'll give you approximately $20 off per night at Value resorts, $40 off per night at Moderates, and $71-$80 per night at Deluxe resorts. The booking code for these rates is FBZ. (The passholder Web site says FCB, so I would guess that both would work.)

Florida Residents have their own discounts, using booking code FBY. Availability dates are October 5 through December 23, and rates are $5 more than the AP rates.

Both of these rates can be booked up until December 23.

Special offer for Super Soap Weekend travel from Small World Vacations

Small World Vacations, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced a special offer for those traveling during this year's Super Soap Weekend event. The travel agency is giving one free One Life, Many Voices CD with each qualifying Disney Magic Your Way Vacation package that falls during 2006 Super Soap Weekend (November 11 and 12) booked with Small World Vacations (link).

The One Life, Many Voices CD is an independent fundraising effort with 100% of net proceeds going directly to aid 2005 Hurricane Disaster Relief, created by the stars of the ABC soap One Life to Live.

The free CD will be mailed with final travel documents. If the guest cancels their Super Soap vacation reservation, the offer is null and void. Small World Vacations' minimum night stay policy applies. Small World Vacations has donated to the One Life, Many Voices Hurricane Relief Fund on behalf of their guests.

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, and again on August 6, 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. Prices do not include 6.5% Florida sales tax.

Park Hours

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through March 2007.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through March 2007.

Theme Park Events

Fort Wilderness movie schedule for October 2006

Movies begin at 8:40. Movies are preceded by a campfire at 7:30 and a singalong at 8:00.

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)

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