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DVC rumor update
We've received some new information that appears to indicate that the rumor that we reported last week about a possible new Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort on the site of the STOLport is incorrect. We had had some difficulty believing it ourselves, as the attempt to make it an Epcot monorail resort would seem to present a number of difficulties, including the location of the Epcot monorail beam so close to World Drive. In order to be able to host a monorail station attached to the hotel, the resort would have to be built right up next to the roadway, which would pose a number of operational difficulties.
What we've heard is a variation of an even older rumor, that the North Garden Wing of the Contemporary Resort would become a DVC resort. Now, prior rumors had indicated that the South Garden Wing would be converted to DVC lodgings, while still others indicated that a new DVC resort would be built on the current site of the Contemporary's tennis center. The South Garden Wing has already been refurbished into upgraded hotel accommodations. The tennis center is not in danger due to Reedy Creek Improvement District zoning regulations, which preclude new construction that close to the water. In fact, the North Garden Wing location cannot host new construction due to those same rules.
However, refurbishment of the Contemporary Resort is officially scheduled for completion this summer, yet no work has been done to date on the North Garden Wing buildings. The new reports indicate that the North Garden Wing buildings will be gutted down to the steel superstructure. (They can't remove the steel, because then it would be "new construction" and would violate the zoning laws. The old structures would be grandfathered in as existing structures being "renovated.") They'd then add two floors to the top and rebuild the interiors as DVC lodgings.
There's no word on whether the resort would have a separate front desk area, but it's more likely that it would use the Contemporary's front desk area, as is done with the DVC lodgings at the Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club and BoardWalk Resorts.
As with the previous rumor, we do not expect the new resort to be announced until the Saratoga Springs Resort sells out. We expect that Disney is hoping that it will occur in time for the new resort to be announced at the fall press event in October.
Very Merry confusion ahead?
An interesting item that appears to have gone unnoticed is sitting on the Magic Kingdom's calendar on the Walt Disney World Web site for selected nights in November and December. While the September and October dates for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party show the park closing at 6:00 and the party starting at 7:00 as in previous years, Disney appears to be letting themselves in for some trouble later on.
On the nights of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, the calendar shows the park closing at 7:00, following showings of the Wishes fireworks at 6:00. Yet the Christmas party also begins at 7:00. For this year's Halloween parties, as well as in the past, the hour between the official park closing and the beginning of the party allowed them to herd all party guests into one land while clearing the park of all those who were not wearing the special wristband for the event. With the park closing at the same time as the party starts, this will present a whole host of problems.
The park has already been experiencing a problem with non-paying guests hiding out in the park until the event starts and taking advantage of viewing the parades, fireworks and other special entertainment for the party without wearing event wristbands. (The wristbands, obtained in exchange for the special passes for the hard-ticketed event, are really only checked when the guests attempt to board an attraction.) Without the time to sweep the park for non-paying guests, it's almost guaranteed to be a mob scene as hundreds or even thousands of extra guests swell the park beyond the 25,000 people who paid to attend the "exclusive" event.
It's unknown at this point whether Disney has another method in mind for clearing those who did not pay in order to preserve seats at "Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and other popular shows for those who had actually paid for the privilege. Also endangered will be the supply of free hot chocolate and cookies given to party guests.
Unless Disney is looking for a way to kill the event by making it look like the crowd control was a major debacle, it's hard to see why they would let themselves in for this kind of trouble. We'll just have to see how this situation resolves itself.
New Radisson offer
The Radisson Resort Orlando - Celebration, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced reduced rates for MousePlanet readers from now through September 30. Rates start at $89 per night from June 30 through September 30.
Click here for more information, or here to make reservations now. These special rates and discounts are for MousePlanet readers, so remember to book through our links here.
Disney Cruise Line announces special airfare deal for selected cruises
The Disney Cruise Line has just released a great deal on airfare for the 10- and 11-night special Caribbean cruises departing on September 7 and 17, respectively. The offer provides $99 roundtrip airfare per person for most cities east of the Mississippi, $199 for most cities west of the Mississippi (not including taxes and fees). The offer does not include Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico or Europe.
Guests coming from the West Coast that are taking a flight that requires them to spend one night in a hotel before the cruise, accommodations at the Hyatt at Orlando International Airport are included in the price of the airfare. (Those taking a red-eye and getting in early on the morning of the cruise will not receive accommodations.) Also, for all guests, the roundtrip transfers from the airport to the ship and back are included in the price of the air.
Please note that this is for new bookings only. If you try to modify an existing reservation to include the airfare deal, the fare for your cabin will be adjusted to the current rate.
The offer can be combined with a Florida Resident discount if available.
Thanks to our friends at MousePlanet sponsor Small World Vacations (link) for the information.
Cubs fans to gather again at Walt Disney World this December
Following last year's successful event (link), the Chicago Cubs baseball team, AAA Chicago and Disney are teaming up for their third annual event. Following the Magical Gathering for Cubs Fans and the Happiest Celebration on Earth for Cubs fans, the event will again take on the year's Disney marketing theme and will be called the Walt Disney World Dream Vacation for Cubs Players & Fans.
This year's event will be held from December 8-12 and will feature private events and receptions featuring several past and present Cubs team members. Confirmed so far are returnees Ernie "Mr. Cub" Bank, Billy Williams and Michael Barrett, and new attendees Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Dempster. Reservations must be made in advance through AAA Chicago, and include a choice of accommodations at different price levels. Packages go on sale this coming weekend. Contact AAA Chicago for more information.
Help us out!
Want to help MousePlanet upgrade our park guides? We're looking to add menu information for all restaurants to our Walt Disney World Park Guide. Send photos or scans of menus (no fair copying from other Web sites) to menus@mouseplanet.com. Please note that there is a 5MB limit on total attachments in a single email.
Cell phone parking lot to be built at Orlando International Airport
Last week, the Orlando International Airport approved construction of a free 100-space cell phone parking lot south of the airport on a portion of the current Red Satellite Lot. This will provide a safe, comfortable place for drivers to park their cars while waiting to pick up travelers at the airport.
Due to federal security requirements, cars can no longer wait for arriving passengers at the curb, so there have been a large number of cars that just keep circling the terminal until their passengers to appear at the curb. Now, drivers can save gas and keep the roadways clear by waiting for their passengers to call and let them know that they have collected their baggage and are ready to be picked up.
The $250,000 lot is expected to be ready by the Thanksgiving holiday travel season.
Hasbro joins Disney at sea
The Disney Cruise Line and Hasbro announced last week that Hasbro toy lines including Playskool will be introduced to the play centers aboard both the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic ships as part of the ongoing relationship between Hasbro and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
The Flounder's Reef Nursery will now include such Playskool lines as Weebles, Gloworm, Busy Basics and Wheel Pals. The nursery for children ages 2 and under will also make use of the Playskool Ages and Stages system. The Oceaneer's Club (for children ages 3-7) will feature such new activities as a Play-Doh and Disney themed play session and a Pirate Mr. Potato Head-branded scavenger hunt.
Quick takes …
…We're still hearing (as we've been noting since April 10) that there will tentatively be a soft opening of Pirates of the Caribbean this Saturday, July 1, ahead of the official reopening on July 7, but this is of course subject to change at any time.
…We're hearing that, on the heels of the May 31 announcement of new Hilton and Waldorf-Astoria hotels and the June 7 announcement of a new Wyndham hotel, another 500-room hotel could be announced in the near future for the Bonnet Creek Resort adjacent to Disney's Caribbean Beach and Pop Century Resorts. The new hotel would bring the resort up to its zoned maximum of 2,400 hotel rooms. The Fairfield Resorts timeshare complex at the resort property will include the maximum 1,594 timeshare units, bringing the property's total to 3,994 total hotel and timeshare units.
…2005 Walt Disney World Ambassador Jeannie Amendola has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities, also known as The Able Trust. The group is a nonprofit foundation serving Floridians with disabilities. Blind since birth, Amendola is president of Disney's CastABLE Diversity Resource Group, a 400-member organization that mentors job seekers and employees with disabilities at Disney.
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