Holiday Economy

WDWNT on November 17, 2008

It seems that the poor economy in this country is finally starting to hit the Disneyland Resort, as we have received word that a majority of DCA’s regular Christmas decorations will not be put up this year. The regular garlands on the San Francisco buildings will not be put up, & neither will the oversized ornaments in A Bug’s Land. The scope of the decorations in Hollywood Pictures Backlot has been shrunk. And finally, Santa’s Beach Blast will not be returning this year, & likely any other year to follow.

Of course all of this is subject to change, & many of these things could potentially be put up, so stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for the latest.

10 Years of the Grand Floridian Gingerbread House

WDWNT on November 17, 2008

Jose Eber has sent us a few great photos of the Gingerbread House inside Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort which is just about ready for the rush of customers who will be buying treats from inside it this year:

Donald Duck is opening a present above this window

Hard to believe it has been ten years since it was first constructed

Jose Eber’s 11/15/08 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on November 16, 2008

Here is another fantastic photo (and video) report by WDWNT Photographer Jose Eber from his latest trip to the world:

Refurbishments on the Fantasyland facades has now moved on to Pinnocchio’s Village Haus

Work is now 100% complete on the new Liberty Square Bridge, no more work in the waterways

Christmas has now taken over Main Street U.S.A.

Tinker Bell movie merchandise has taken over some of the windows

This window that was full of Year of a Million Dreams merchandise has been changed, the first piece of the celebration to disappear with just about a month and a half left in it.

Fresh paint going on another facade on Main Street

Moving over to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Contempo Cafe is now open

 

Here’s a video of the Cafe (boy is it loud on that floor now)

The Holiday napkins have arrived

New promotion, similar bag… 🙁

Continuing construction on the Bay Lake Tower addition

An arial view of the bridge

The lesser seen side of the Bay Lake Tower

Click the above image for a larger version

 

Here’s a video of the construction on the Bay Lake Tower Jose has taken

Chocolate Advent character with some awesome artwork

Same can be said for these holiday cards

We’ll end this report by looking at this cool recordable gift card holder, again featuring that artwork we love so much

Thanks for the update Jose!!!

Adam Roth’s 11/14 Mini-Photo Report

WDWNT on November 16, 2008

Our own Adam Roth of WDWCelebrations has provided us with a short photo report looking at the refurbished Fuel for Thought exhibit at the exit of Test Track at Epcot:

Not all that much has changed here since the walls went up

They cleaned up the exhibit quite a bit, certainly more floor room now

You can get an inside look at how Hybrid vehicles from GM work

Over at The Land, they are preparing for a new exhibit.

Celebrate New Adventures at the Disneyland Resort!

WDWNT on November 16, 2008

Disneyland’s latest official podcast is quite a treat. It features a look at all of the new & upcoming attractions to the Disneyland Resort in this last leg of 2008. Covered are the Blue Sky Cellar, High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now!, Pixie Hollow, the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, & Holidays at the Disneyland Resort.

My favorite part of this video was the portion on the “re-awakened” Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, that actually shows some of the Imagineers working on some of the show scenes for the walkthrough. The Holidays at the Disneyland Resort portion has a look at the new lighting for this year on Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle & the Main Street Christmas Tree.

You can watch the video bellow:

Steve Wieczorek’s Very Merry Christmas Party Photo Report

WDWNT on November 15, 2008

We here at WDW News Today would like to welcome Steve Wieczorek to the staff as another official WDWNT photographer. His first photo report for us comes from the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party of the year:

Nutcrackers around Town Square.

Disney actually does celebrate Thanksgiving!

And now look at Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.

The new Santa float in the parade this year

Cinderella Castle all lit up is a great spectacle at the end of Main Street.

A few shots from Holiday Wishes.

Gotta’ Love that shot

We’ll end Steve’s photos with Goofy as Santa Clause at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe.

Before we end this photo report, here are a couple of pictures from Jose Eber of a new holiday throw available for purchase at the Resort:

 

First Look at Christmas Lighting

WDWNT on November 14, 2008

The first look at the new Main Street Christmas Tree & lighting of Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle for this year is given by Access Hollywood. They featured a great segment on this tonight, & it’s now available to view on their website for those of you who missed it. You can watch that video HERE.

The Merriest Of Holiday Celebrations Make Spirits Brighter Than Ever At The Disneyland Resort

WDWNT on November 14, 2008

ANAHEIM, Calif. (November 11, 2008) – When it comes to celebrating the magic and sparkle of the holidays, there’s no place like the Disneyland Resort, the Merriest Place on Earth. From November 21 through January 4, the annual Disneyland Resort holiday celebration will be more dazzling than ever.

Guests will enjoy the return of the holiday’s most popular offerings as well as be immersed in new entertainment at both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks.

Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle, first introduced in 2007, will be decorated even more elaborately this holiday season with additional snowdrifts and icicles. After dark, a sensational new holiday lighting and special effects show will carry the magic of the holidays from the Castle all the way to the Christmas Tree in Town Square. And, for the first time in 53 years, the Christmas Tree will be completely artificial, which enables Disneyland to present a holiday light show like no other with more than 62,000 energy-efficient LED lights.

The Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle presentation unfolds throughout the evening in three acts, each of them featuring a touch of winter snow on Main Street, U.S.A.  The finale of the show includes the legendary “Believe … in Holiday Magic” fireworks show, which takes guests on a journey of sights and sounds of the season and ends with a touching rendition of “White Christmas” along with a climactic snowfall swirling down on Main Street, U.S.A., “small world mall” and New Orleans Square.

New this year, just in time for the holidays and for the first time in seven years, guests will walk through the iconic home of Sleeping Beauty. A “reawakened” Sleeping Beauty Castle show tells the story of “Sleeping Beauty” in a style reminiscent of the Disneyland Castle walkthrough of earlier years, but enhanced with 21st-century special effects. 

Themed entertainment, sparkling decorations and tasty treats add festive warmth to holiday fun at both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. Guests can also book guided holiday tours that provide expedited entry into the “it’s a small world” holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday, VIP seating for the Disneyland “A Christmas Fantasy” parade and entertaining information about the history behind Disneyland holiday traditions. For information and reservations guests can visit Disneyland City Hall or call (714) 781-4400.

Other returning holiday favorites at Disneyland park include:

  • Santa’s Reindeer Round-up, which transforms Big Thunder Ranch into a “West Pole” getaway where Santa can unwind with Mrs. Claus and his team of reindeer.  Kids and their families will chat with St. Nick, see real reindeer grazing in a corral, play some reindeer games, create take-home Yuletide souvenirs and join in holiday line dances with music from a Western trio.
  • “A Christmas Fantasy” parade will be presented November 21 through January 4 on Main Street, U.S.A.  This ever-popular procession depicts an enchanting collection of holiday scenes, music and a cast of Disney characters and performers in Yuletide vignettes.
  • Haunted Mansion Holiday presents a madcap celebration as the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide.  The ghoulish but well-meaning Jack Skellington from the film Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas has come to the Haunted Mansion to transform it with his skewed vision of the holidays.
  • “it’s a small world” holiday transforms “it’s a small world” into a worldwide celebration of the season, boasting more than 300,000 glittering lights on its facade.
Disney’s California Adventure celebrates the season with fanciful park-wide decorations and lively entertainment:
  • Guests approaching the park will immediately get in the holiday mood as they encounter the iconic “CALIFORNIA” letters transformed to appear as swirling red and white peppermint sticks.
  • “a bug’s land” transforms as Flik and his bug buddies spread giant Christmas lights and oversized ornaments throughout their realm.  
  • The holiday scene at Paradise Bay includes a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, hundreds of sparking lights on nearby trees, and lampposts decorated with seasonal wreaths. 

The Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort hotels will join in the merriment with twinkling lights and ornaments, special entertainment and holiday dining.

Just in time for the holidays, new entertainment comes to life in both parks.  At Disney’s California Adventure, the daily “Pixar Play Parade” is joined three times each day by performances of the energetic, traveling rock and dance concert show, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year – Right Here! Right Now!” Also new to Disney’s California Adventure is the Blue Sky Cellar, a Walt Disney Imagineers’ workshop that offers guests a preview of new attractions coming to the park over the next few years. 

At Disneyland, in addition to the reopening of the doors to Sleeping Beauty Castle, guests have a new opportunity to explore the world of Tinker Bell inside Pixie Hollow, a magical place where visitors meet “Tink” and her pixie friends. 

Expanded hours at both Disneyland Resort theme parks will extend the holiday fun. For more information about holidays at the Disneyland Resort, and to send Disneyland Resort e-card holiday greetings to friends and relatives, visit www.disneyland.com/holidays.

Passholder Tour Experience

WDWNT on November 13, 2008

I’ve been hesitant to post the following news since registration for this event has closed once already and could close again at anytime. The event I’m speaking of is a 25 minute Walt Disney World Annual Passholder only tour of the Superstar Television Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, home to the upcoming American Idol Experience attraction. The tour is happening at various times during the day on December 14th, 2008 and the following times are still available as of this reports posting:

Updated at 6:15 PM EST on 11/14- every half hour from 3:30-7:30 PM now remaining

Space is limited and filling up fast, so if you are interested and can attend, you should rush over to disneyworld.com/passholder and sign up under “News & Upcoming Events”. The American Idol Experience attraction is expected to have full Annual Passholder previews sometime in January 2009 and open to the public the following month.

How Tough Are New Tickets?

WDWNT on November 13, 2008

Walt Disney World Tickets seem to have switched to a new, more durable texture than the paper tickets that most have used to enter the WDW Theme Parks and Water Parks in the past. Here is a special video from our own Jose Eber showing us just how durable these new ticket media are: