Brandon Struve’s 8/21/09 Epcot Photo Report
WDWNT Reporter Brandon Struve made a short visit to Epcot on Friday and has a few interesting photos to share with us of his trip:
Work on the Innoventions East breezeway is wrapping up
Osborne Lights Dance Early in ’09
The Walt Disney World website has just been updated with new dates for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, now running from November 10, 2009, until January 4, 2010. The site originally had the Disney’s Hollywood Studios nighttime holiday event slated to debut at the end of November (as it surprisingly did in 2008), but was recently changed to move the starting date up by about 2 weeks. We have to believe that this change was in response to a large number of complaints made last year by guests who visited in mid-November and were shocked to find out the lights would not run during their vacation.
Matt Paul’s 8/21/09 WDW Photo Report
Matt Paul took a trip to the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Friday and has a plethora of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look at his report:
Starting at the Magic Kingdom, work on the Emporium’s Arcade facade continues
Summer Nightastic Comes to a Close, Still With No Dragon
According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:
The image of a giant glowing dragon spitting fire graces most promotional material — billboards, flags, fliers — for Disney’s Summer Nightastic events.
But the theme park’s official summer season will end this weekend without any appearance of the dragon in the water-and-light Fantasmic show because of technical difficulties.
Still, Disney officials promise that fans should get ample time to see the dragon, once it’s ready, because the Fantasmic show will be extended until the end of the year, said John McClintock, a Disneyland spokesman. Disney recently decided to add extra time for the show. On busy days, a third show is added at 11:30 p.m.
But a firm date for the dragon’s debut has yet to be released.
The dragon was supposed to emerge as the centerpiece of a revamped Fantasmic show, stretching 35 feet high in 17 seconds as “Sleeping Beauty” character Maleficent transformed into a dragon in the water and light show. The dragon then was to ignite the Rivers of America for 25 seconds, according to Disney’s press materials.
The dragon was designed to be 40 feet tall by 28 feet wide, weighing about 10,000 pounds.
But the dragon has yet to get off the ground in public, prompting much debate and discussion among Disney fans online. Fans even gave the dragon the nickname of Murphy after Murphy’s Law.
Disney has continued to release the same official statement about the dragon:
“Our goal is to exceed our Guests’ expectations every day. Because the dragon is technically complex and the largest and most fully animated Disney character ever created for a live stage show, we want it to be perfect before adding it to Fantasmic! However, Fantasmic! is a summer tradition at Disneyland, and we’re glad we have been able to offer the show throughout the summer. We’re happy so many Guests have been able to experience it.”
Al Lutz, editor of Miceage.com, a Disney watchdog blog, said he has heard that the dragon may be up soon, but he isn’t sure he believes it after so many delays. Lutz has monitored the behind-the-scenes problems on his blog.
“I’ve never seen so much attention on one thing,” Lutz said of the fans. “I find it fascinating.”
The Summer Nightastic season officially runs June 12 through Sunday, although some features will go beyond this weekend.
Here is the schedule for some promotions:
- Disney’s Electrical Parade in Disney’s California Adventure will go on for the last time Sunday.
- Sunday is the last day for Southern California residents to buy three day passes for $99. The first visit must be made on Sunday at the latest.
- The fireworks show, called “Magical,” will go on nightly through Labor Day and on weekends until Sept. 20. A special Halloween fireworks show is set to begin Sept. 25.
- Fantasmic shows will be nightly through Labor Day and on weekends through the end of the year.
A Closer Look at Centralized Fastpass Distribution
Since July 20th, Walt Disney World has been testing the concept of centralized Fastpass distribution in the parks at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The test has now been running for a month and seems to be working quite well. WDWNT Reporter Brandon Struve has tested the system and has some photos and insight to share:
All Animal Kingdom Fastpass is being distributed at the “It’s Tough to be a Bug” distribution area on Discovery Island
The machines are clearly labeled for each attraction and there are more than enough cast members working in the area
The Fastpass machines are not linked to the overall system, allowing you to get Fastpass for multiple attractions at once. However, you can not get another Fastpass for an attraction that you are already holding a Fastpass for until the time on the bottom of your ticket rolls around. This means that the machines at the individual attractions and the machines for that attraction on Discovery Island are linked, but the machines at the individual attractions are not linked to each-other. I hope that was understandable 🙂
This centralized distribution location is open daily from park opening until 3 PM when the area is prepared for Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this testing becomes available.
Luke Manning’s 8/17/09 Photo Report
Hey everyone, Luke Manning here. I visited the Disneyland Resort yesterday on what easily was the busiest day I have ever seen at the parks. But anyway, let’s get to my photo report:
The line at the Downtown Disney Monorail station was 3 switch-backs long, which meant a wait of over half an hour. Only Monorail Blue was running
Here you can see work on the permanent home for LittleMissMatched, which will be right next to its current home
All guests, even Annual Passholders, were required to get their hand stamped
Some of the merchandise from the recent SHAG Haunted Mansion 40th anniversary event is still available in the Disneyana Store
Cast Member Tragedy at Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
Yet another unfortunate story from the Orlando Sentinel:
A Walt Disney World cast member is dead after an accident this evening at Hollywood Studios.
The accident took place during a rehearsal for the ” Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.” The stunt performer was doing a tumbling roll after 7 p.m. when he was hurt. He was transported to the hospital and has since died.
“We lost a valued cast member and our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family as we mourn his passing,” said Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez.
The name of the performer has not been released.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration as well and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office have been contacted. The Sheriff’s office is investigating.
Brandon Struve’s 8/16/09 WDW Photo Report
WDWNT Reporter Brandon Struve took a quick trip to Walt Disney World yesterday and has quite a few newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
Cinderella Castle is already being covered with the winter Dreamlights
90 Day Reservation Policy Turns 180
After changing the booking window policy for all dining, recreation, and tours to just 90 days in late 2008 (to prepare for the advent of the online reservation system), the Walt Disney World Resort will be returning to a 180 day booking window effective October 27, 2009. The change was made official on the Disney Parks Twitter account earlier today, but comes as no surprise to those who have been hearing these rumors over the past several weeks.
Staff Changes at the WDWNT Network
Over the last few weeks here at the WDWNT Network, we have been preparing for a few important staff position changes that have officially gone into effect today:
-WDWNT Technical Director Jose Castillo has stepped away from his position to focus on his long-running web hosting company and a plethora of personal projects. Jose has been a vital part of our family since joining the team in January 2008 and has been responsible for the creation of our enhanced podcasts, Disneyland News Today, the WDWNTube Disney Parks video site, the WDWNTunes online radio station, and much, much more. Jose was such a vital part of our team that he was inducted into our WDWNT Network Hall of Fame in June 2009. While Jose will be stepping away for a while, he will be first finishing up some work on the “WDWNT: The Weekend” website and will continue to pop-in every now and then for a side project. We would like to thank Jose for all his hard work here at WDWNT and wish him the best in his many endeavors. WDW News Today editor in chief and podcast team member Justin Heyman will be taking over our technical services department effective immediately.
-Luke Manning has stepped down as the host of the Disneyland News Today Podcast and as the lead reporter for the DLNT website. Luke has a tremendous amount of work ahead of him the next few weeks and was simply not able to balance everything all at once. Luke will be continuing on as a photographer and videographer for Disneyland News Today and will also continue to appear on the podcast every week. While we are interviewing for a new host for the podcast, I will be filling in as host for as long as is necessary. Taking over as a temporary lead reporter for the website will be Anthony Yacullo, who already works on the WDW News Today Podcast team. The Disneyland News Today twitter account will now also be in my hands, and I’ll do my best to keep the updates flowing as they have in the past.
We hope the transition period for these positions is a smooth one and apologize for any inconviences these changes might cause over the next few weeks. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Tom Corless
Owner of the WDWNT Network