Disney bus service was halted Thursday afternoon when a suspicious device was discovered on one by a maintenance worker around 3 p.m. The worker notified his supervisor, who then notified the Orange County Sheriff's Office. The device was removed from the bus by a Sheriff's bomb squad robot, which took it to the middle of a nearby field. Meanwhile, all other buses were ordered to be removed from service until they could be inspected for other devices. Hours were extended at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks, which normally closed at 5 p.m.
As each of the nearly 300 buses was inspected, it was put back into service. The Disney transportation system was not back up to its normal strength until around 7 p.m., which was the revised closing time of the early-closing parks.
The suspicious device was determined to be non-explosive, and sheriff's deputies noted that it looked like a transponder, a device that could be used for tracking objects like the bus. The device has been turned over to Disney for their examination.
Buzz Lightyear, who returned from space on September 11, will be feted in a parade at the Magic Kingdom next Friday, October 2, along with Apollo 11 astronaut and second man on the moon Buzz Aldrin. To celebrate his return, Disney will kick off a new partnership with NASA to create a new online educational outreach game and an online mission patch competition for school kids across the country. The winning patch will be flown into space by NASA. There will also be a NASA competition announced to give students the opportunity to design an experiment for the astronauts on the International Space Station.
The area around Space Mountain may still be closed, but the Tomorrowland Transit Authority allows for a close view of the area, such as the work being done on the attraction's sign. Photo by Don Sullivan.
The Fastpass return time sign has been gutted in preparation for its reworking. Photo by Don Sullivan.
The Fastpass distribution area sign is also awaiting its new look. Photo by Don Sullivan.
The ion-powered spaceship is still being repaired by the two space-suited astronauts in zero-G between the twin lift hills. Photo by Don Sullivan.
Meanwhile, the demolition of the Tomorrowland Skyway station is nearly complete. Photo by Don Sullivan.
A pile of debris sits next to the remains of the Skyway station. Photo by Don Sullivan.
MouseAdventure's Summer Warm UpQuest #11 will be a snap for those regular readers of the weekly Walt Disney World Resort Update (link). The numeric portion of the answer from Quest #9 is the password you'll need to open Quest #11—if you need to check your work, download the Quest 9 answer key (link). Remember, you can solve this quest at home using information found online at MousePlanet.com. Once you think you've solved the puzzle, visit our MousePad discussion boards and post your answer (link). The first person* to post the correct answer to our MousePad discussion boards will win their very own copy of the BRAND NEW MouseAdventure: Vacation packet #1, filled with quests from the Disneyland Resort. Good luck! *If you have previously won a prize during the Summer Warm Up, you are not eligible to win again. We recommend that you not post an answer until someone else has correctly solved the quest. The Inaugural MouseAdventure event at Walt Disney World will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2009! The day will begin with a private breakfast at the Odyssey Center prior to park opening, followed by a six-hour fun-filled race around Epcot park for a fresh look at things in the park that you never noticed before! The first part of the game will be in the classic MouseAdventure format, sending you on quests throughout Future World. After completion of that portion, teams will engage in an Enchanted Race around World Showcase to the finish line! For more information or to register, go to the MouseAdventure page (link)! Don't forget to sign up for the MouseAdventure Newsletter to stay up on the latest MouseAdventure news (link). |
This is your last week to book free dining packages! The offer expires this Saturday. Packages can be booked for most nights through December 17. Saturday is also the last night to book room-only discount rates for the general public. Passholder rates can still be booked up until the day of arrival for stays most nights through December 24.
Tilework in the entrance lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort now shows the resort's logo surrounded by a floral pattern.You can also see Minnie Mouse in the lower left corner. Photo by MousePlanet reader.
Another view of the tilework shows Mickey Mouse in the lower right corner. The green carpeted area surrounding the tilework will also be replaced with tiles. Photo by MousePlanet reader.
In this photo, you can see Pluto below the resort's logo. Photo by MousePlanet reader.
Here's a closer look at the Mickey Mouse tilework. Photo by MousePlanet reader.
Goofy is also represented in the mosaic. Tile installation will continue through November. Photo by MousePlanet reader.
Though Kouzzina by Cat Cora has been serving dinner since August 15, the restaurant held its official grand opening last Thursday with its namesake in attendance. Food TV chef Cat Cora welcomed the press to her restaurant for lunch with appropriate festivities before the eatery opened for the evening rush.
Here is the listing of interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange County in the last week:
Disney Cruise Line has passed along a cute video about Donald Duck checking out what Alaska has to offer Disney Cruise Line guests.
…As noted last week, the Night of Joy event will be moving back to the Magic Kingdom next year. This will cut back on the earliest night of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, which coincided with the Night of Joy the last two years.
…The first four Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties this year are in the history books, but there are 20 more nights of after-hours trick-or-treating and partying left. Of those, only Halloween Night is sold out so far. The other 19 nights still have tickets available, both online (link)and at the gate. There are discounts for advance purchase, annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members.
…Light crowds at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party last Friday night results in Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn and Cafe being closed, with the lower-capacity El Pirata y El Perico being open instead.
…If you can't get enough of Toy Story Mania, you can bring it home! There is now a version available for the Nintendo Wii (link)!
…Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach have been named the top two water parks in the world by Aquatics International.
…The 2010 Family Fun Run 5K is now full. The Walt Disney World Marathon is now at 81 percent of capacity, the and Mickey's Marathon Kids' Fest is at 70 percent. The Half Marathon and Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge are already sold out. Your only shot at getting into the Half Marathon or Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge would be to contact one of Disney's group or charity registration aggregators (link). Time is running out! Register now (link)!
Join our networks |
|
|
Join our Facebook groups: Become a fan on Facebook: |
Follow us: |
insert tidbit here
From now until September 26, if you book a three- to 14-night, non-discounted Magic Your Way package, you'll get Disney's dining plan for free.
The offer is good for stays on most nights September 27 – December 17, 2009, except November 25-28, the Wednesday through Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.. This time, the free dining comes with a twist: while the package stays the same if you book at a moderate, deluxe or villas resort, free dining packages at value resorts will be the quick service dining plan instead of the basic dining plan. You should be able to pay to upgrade your plan, but the "free" value of the deal at the values will be $29.99 per day for adults, $8.99 for children instead of $39.99 per day for adults, $10.99 for children. For a family of four with both children under age 10, that's a difference of $24 per day. For a family of four with both kids age 10 and up, it's a difference of $40 per day. Please be aware of that before you choose your resort!
To book these packages, go to the Walt Disney World Web site (link), call 407-939-7928 or contact one of MousePlanet's Preferred Disney Travel Providers, Small World Vacations (link) and MouseEarVacations.com (link). Just remember to book by September 26!
MousePlanet sponsor Gaylord Palms Resort has announced a new set of nights for a special promotional rate of $119 per night (Reserve now!). Why stay off property? Because you can get luxury accommodations for the price of a Disney moderate, just a mile from Disney property. Many other nights are available for $129 per night (see below). The following dates are now available at $119 per night:
There are 32 more nights that you can stay at the Gaylord Palms Resort for just $129 pr night! Combined, these rates are available for approximately 2 nights out of every 3 for the rest of the year! Check out the special MousePlanet reader discount rate (Reserve now!) today! The special $129 per night rates are available on the following nights:
Discounted ECV rentals for MousePlanet readers through Scooter Vacations
Scooter Vacations, MousePlanet's mobility scooter rental partner, is offering MousePlanet readers a 10 percent discount on their scooter rentals by using code MP10 when making your reservation for any of their five scooter models.
Passholder rates for August 9 – December 24, 2009 have been released. Rates are available for all dates except for November 25– 28, the Tuesday through Saturday of Thanksgiving week. Under this promotion, the starting rates at these resorts are:
The Disney Dining Plan may also be added to these discounted reservations. The number of rooms available is limited and minimum length of stay requirements may apply for Friday and Saturday arrivals. These rates may be available through your date of arrival. Reservations may be booked through the Passholder web site or by using codes EQA (8/9-10/3) or NBM (10/4-12/24) if booking via the Passholder phone line (407-939-7722) or through a travel agent. MousePlanet's preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link) and Small World Vacations (link).
Discount room-only rates are now available to the general public for dates from October 4 – December 24. These rates are blocked out from November 25– 28, the Tuesday through Saturday of Thankgiving week. Under this promotion, the starting rates are:
These rates must be booked by September 26. The number of rooms available is limited and minimum length of stay requirements may apply for Friday and Saturday arrivals. Reservations may be booked through the Walt Disney World web site or by using code FSC if booking via the Walt Disney World Reservations phone line (407-939-6244) or through a travel agent. MousePlanet's preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link) and Small World Vacations (link).
The Disney Cruise Line has announced a special deal where any bookings through the Disney Cruise web site (link) will only require payment of half of the usual deposit, with the other half due with the rest of the final payment. The offer is only good on new bookings, and for category 4-12 cabins only. The offer is available to those booking online or through their travel agents (though the travel agent would have to book the cruise through disneycruise.com for the offer). Bookings are also eligible for the standard $25 onboard credit offer for all online bookings. The deal is available "for a limited time," but there's no word on when the limited time expires. MousePlanet's preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link), Small World Vacations (link).
(Send an email to Mark Goldhaber)
Mark (@MPMark) is a veteran of dozens of trips to Walt Disney World starting in 1972, with a few Disneyland trips thrown in for good measure. As a Disney stockholder and a Disney Vacation Club member, Mark is always in touch with what's going on with The Mouse. Mark serves as MousePlanet's Walt Disney World content coordinator. Mark is a senior information technology manager working for the State of New York. He lives in the suburbs outside Albany, New York, with his wife and son.
