Another Downtown Disney Change

WDWNT on January 25, 2008

From bizjournals.com:

Cuhaci & Peterson Architects LLC has started work on the redesign the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop in Downtown Disney. Orlando-based Cuhaci & Peterson is preparing the construction documents for renovations on the 4,015-square-foot store, says Carlos Sobrin, senior project coordinator for Cuhaci & Peterson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The project entails the addition of a chocolate tower to the roof, flat-screen televisions on the building exterior, signage updates and a complete renovation of the soda fountain area, Sobrin says. The store is expected to remain open during the renovations, which are scheduled to be completed in March.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., founded in 1852 by an Italian immigrant, is America’s longest continuously operating maker of premium chocolates.

More Toys in 3-D???

WDWNT on January 25, 2008

As if Toy Story Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios wasn’t enough for Toy Story fans to handle in three dimensions, they may have all three films in the series popping at them in in 2009 and 2010, according to Variety:

The Mouse House is giving Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise the 3-D treatment.

Studio will re-release “Toy Story” in 3-D on Oct. 2, 2009., while its sequel will bow in the format on Feb. 12, 2010.

The two pics will lead up to the newest entry “Toy Story 3,” which is set for June 18, 2010, and will also be shown in 3-D. Lee Unkrich (co-director of “Toy Story 2”) is helming.

Move is part of the Mouse’s aggressive plans to release more of its animated, stop-motion or performance capture pics in the 3-D format. “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Meet the Robinsons” were given the 3-D treatment, while its upcoming “Frankenweenie” from Tim Burton, “Bolt” and “A Christmas Carol” will also be shown in the format.

Studio said John Lasseter, who directed the first two “Toy Story” pics, and serves as chief creative officer for Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, will oversee the creative side of the 3-D conversions for “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.”

Review of Boatwright’s

WDWNT on January 25, 2008

Since news is a little slow today, I decided to pull out a new article by staff columnist Collin Korb. This time around, Collin reports on his most recent visit to Boatright’s at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort hotel. 

Let me begin by saying that we have dined at Boatwrights one other time before our second visit. Our first visit was so positive, server so pleasant and accommodating, and management so responsive, that we booked a second dinner as soon as we knew we were to return to the Port Orleans Resort.

The ambiance is very unique. Inside the restaurant you will find the “bones” of ship mounted in the center of the room surrounded by various tools, cogs, and saw blades. It is a very rustic environment that is warm and inviting. The servers and hostesses are very personable and friendly. Sadly, our second visit was not as pleasing as the first. Our dining experience began very positively as the three of us took advantage of the specialty non-alcoholic drinks. The ladies each ordered a milkshake and it was very tasty. I ordered the Chocolate Banana Smoothie and was very pleased; it was an excellent way to begin the evening. Our server arrived in a timely fashion and took our appetizer orders: Steak and Red Bean Soup for one, Caesar Salad for the other, and I chose the Crawfish cakes. The cakes were very tasty, due in part to the fact that they were baked, not fried at my request. The remoulade dipping sauce really completed the taste experience. We were less than adventurous with our orders this evening. Each of us ordered the Filet Mignon. This is where the experience went sour. We, of course, were excited as a result of our positive dining experiences and filets at other Disney Dining Restaurants. Each of us ordered our filets cooked medium and were eager for the meal to arrive. Our drinks and waters ran dry as our server was somewhat delinquent in her duties. Being a former server, I took note of her section and how many tables she was managing and wondered what caused her delay? We each got our waters topped off and our pop ordered and were doing o.k.

When our dinners arrived things appeared to be in order until we each decided to take a bite. One filet was rather bloody, surely not cooked medium, the other two tasted like “char”- a lot of grill remnants were coated on the filet. We sent the bloody order back to be cooked a bit more but the 14 year old lost her appetite. I admit I finished my meal as did my fiancé, because we were on the dining plan. During our first visit I asked to see the manager because our server, Jose, was OUTSTANDING!!! We wanted to compliment him. I spoke to a female manager who was brand new. Interestingly enough when I requested a manager (4 months later, next visit) it was the same woman.

I explained our situation to her and this time she was less than sympathetic. I told her we were on the dining plan and explained the situation about the under/over cooking. I was disappointed in her response that the reason for the issues was a result of the menu just changing; she offered no measure to resolve the issue at all. We were all very disappointed. We ordered our desserts to go. I had the Bananas Foster Angel Food Cake and the ladies ordered chocolate cake. We finished those up after visiting the Magic Kingdom that evening. One positive and one negative experience don’t quite add up. Next time, it’s back to Le Cellier at Epcot.

Disney Parks: Where Dreams Come True

WDWNT on January 25, 2008

MSN.com has a 25 picture pictorial slideshow featuring all 5 of the Disney resorts around the globe and some of their most recent additions. Be sure to read the small blurb with each picture for more information. The slideshow can be seen here.

Journey To the Center of the Earth

WDWNT on January 23, 2008

In a wild rumor, it appears that the next expansion for Disney’s Animal Kingdom park may be a whole new land replacing Camp Minnie-Mickey. With the possible decision that Cars Land will not be a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the future, another oppurtunity to use the Test Track ride system may arrive in the form of a Tokyo Disney Sea park attraction. The Journey to the Center of the Earth E-Ticket attraction may find it’s way across the sea to the park just in time for Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in 2011. This is still strictly rumor at this time, but here is a link to the official webpage for the attraction currently running at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.

Wonders of Life Now “Future World Event Center”

WDWNT on January 22, 2008

The Wonders of Life was finally removed from seasonal activity on DisneyWorld.com, but the reason will only be for it’s demise. From February 1, 2008 forward, the pavilion will no longer be officially referred to as the Wonders of Life. In addition, control of the pavilion has been handed over to Walt Disney World Special Events. During the 2008 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, the following events will now take place in the pavilion: 

  • March 19 & 20: Roger Swain, “Gardening Bright From the Start” – Host of PBS’ ‘The Victory Garden’ kicks off the Festival with
  • March 21 – 23: Joe Lamp’l (joe the gardener) , Green Gardening – Environment friendly tips for today’s gardener
  • March 28 – 30: Ellen Zachos , Prehistoric Planting – Learn how ancient species of ‘dinosaur’ plants create a fun garden
  • April 4 – 6: Shirley Bovshow, This TV host will instruct you how to bring a touch of artistry to your garden
  • April 11 – 13 : Jeffrey Rustuccio, Get Fit Through Gardening – Learn how to garden without the usual calluses, muscle and back aches. Turn your time on your garden into a fitness routine
  • April 18 – 20: Tovah Martin, – This respected author and guest on PBS’ ‘Cultivating Life’ will discuss Garden Stewardship and how historic gardens can transition to current trends. Ms. Martin will also give tips from top ‘green’ pros.
  • April 25 – 27: Felder Rushing ,Author of ‘Passalong Plants’, acclaimed horticulturist and NPR host, Felder Rushing will discuss SLOW – Slow Gardening. Learn about resilient shrubs, herbs and flowers and learn how to grow ‘designer’ veggies in containers and your flower beds.
  • May 2 – 4: Tom MacCubbin , Extension Agent Emeritus with the University of Florida, writer and local media personality, Tom MacCubbin will instruct you in converting your landscaping into a bountiful harvest of foods your family will enjoy.
  • May 9 – 11: Raymond Western, Guerlain perfume specialist will discuss how you can plant a fragrant garden and what blooms become part of their fragrances
  • May 16 – 18: Robert Bowden,director of Orlando’s renowned “Harry P. Leu Gardens” will give tips for weekend gardeners as well as talk about plants of different textures, colors and habits
  • May 23 – 25: Melinda Myers, TV Host and author, this gardening expert will share tips in creating gardens in small spaces as well as maintaining gardens with year round interest
  • May 31 – June 1: Jon Carloftis, author of “First A Garden” and “Beyond the Windowsill” shares his expertise in bringing nature into all of your surroundings

It looks like our assessment of the now extinct Future World pavilion was correct, but the idea of a replacement now may be further off than once thought. Other projects at Epcot, such as the addition of new pavilions to World Showcase, fixing the Imagination Pavilion, and upgrading Test Track’s ride system and technology is most likely where Epcot’s budget goes to work next.

Star Wars Weekends 2008 Dates Announced

WDWNT on January 22, 2008

According to StudiosCentral.com:

According to the Cast Member publication Eyes and Ears, Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be held each weekend (Friday-Sunday) June 6-29. This means that the weekends will be held in June only this year.

Upcoming Evolution of Pleasure Island

WDWNT on January 22, 2008

Christopher Boyd | Scott Powers and Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
The slow evolution of Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island continues with the recent opening of a second specialty apparel shop, the impending shutdown of a live-music nightclub, and the anticipated reuse of a long-closed building. Opening shortly before Christmas was a new, two-story shop called Curl by Sammy Duval, named after the water-skiing legend and featuring name-brand surf and skateboard fashions, boards and gear. Closing Feb. 3 will be the Rock ‘n’ Roll Beach Club, a venue known for its nightly live music. Along with Raglan Road, which often features solo musicians or acoustical combos, the Beach Club has been Pleasure Island’s live-music venue.

Nearly completed is the overhaul of a retail and venue building, along Village Lake, which has been vacant since the Orlando Harley-Davidson clothing store relocated and two other stores closed in 2006. Renovations appear to provide four retail storefronts plus side entrances for a multistory venue behind them. Disney officials would not discuss plans except to say something will be announced soon. Together, the three changes are consistent with a more than 2-year-old strategy pursued by Walt Disney World to broaden the appeal of Pleasure Island beyond nightclub patrons. Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez declined to elaborate on plans for the Beach Club building, which features a panoramic view of Village Lake, though she dispelled rumors that the building would be torn down. All employees are being offered jobs elsewhere in Disney World, she said.

The Beach Club building has undergone major change before. It opened in 1989 as the XZFR Rockin’ Rollerdrome, with a roller rink inside. The rink was deemed too dangerous and was removed in favor of a beach-club theme, according to The Official Encyclopedia Disney A to Z, by Dave Smith.

“I Almost Bounced Out Of The Ride”

WDWNT on January 22, 2008

The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh attraction at the Magic Kingdom was unexpectedly closed yesterday after a major breakdown inside one of the show rooms. In the Tigger scene, it appears one of the “Bouncing” characters flew off it’s base and caused some minor damage to the attraction. The Fantasyland dark ride was closed for the duration of the day, but has now re-opened to the public. It has been rumored that the attraction may go down for refurbishment in the next year or so to make some minor changes and add some new cutting edge effects.

Epsiode 26 of the WDW News Today Podcast Now Available

WDWNT on January 21, 2008

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit podcast.wdwnewstoday.com to download our latest shows

After weeks without a regular show, we have returned with our longest and biggest show ever. Join host Tom Corless and a cast including Jason Diffendal, John Corigliano, Luke Manning, Jose Castillo, Nick McLamb, and John Rick. So sit back, relax, and enjoy all the amzing content we have to offer this week.

John Corigliano and Jason Diffendal join me for Walt Disney World news and rumors this week as we discuss the name change over at the Studios, all the construction going on at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, a new parade that’s coming to the Magic Kingdom, and the future of the Wonders of Life pavillion at Epcot.

Next up, It’s the debut of what will be a weekly Disney Pin Trading segment with John Rick of the Central Jersey Disney Pin Traders (www.cjdpt.com). While this inaugral segment is over 1 hour long, it offers a look into the full spectrum of news and events in the Disney Pin Trading community. We hope in the coming weeks that we will be able to inform and entertain all of you pin sharks out there, and perhaps introduce those of you new to this hobby to all that Disney Pin Trading has to offer. I apologize for the sometimes bad audio quality, we will have that corrected for next week.

Finally, we have the first of what will be weekly discussions about eating at the Walt Disney World Resort. This week, we take a look at Counter Service Dining locations throughout the Magic Kingdom with Luke Manning (www.podisney.com), Jose Castillo (www.kryptonlogic.com), Nick McLamb (www.dnwproductions.com), Jason Diffendal (www.wdwcelebrations.com), and John Corigliano (www.mousetimes.com).

Coming up on Episode 27 (1/26/08):

Walt Disney World News and Rumors, another Disney Pin Trading Segment, A discussion on Table Service Dining locations at the Magic Kingdom, Our first WDW ’Back To The Future’ segment on the history of the ABC Theater in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and much more!!!

To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit podcast.wdwnewstoday.com to download our latest shows