Jose Eber’s 4/6/09 Mini-WDW Update

WDWNT on April 6, 2009

WDWNT Reporter Jose Eber took a short trip to the Walt Disney World Resort this morning and has a few photos to share:

photo12

The Characters in Flight balloon at Downtown Disney looks ready to take off any minute now

photo22

The Virgin Megastore is almost gone, rumors suggest that this may become an AMC-Imax location

photo32

Work continues on “Paradiso 37”, not much progress on the exterior in the last few days

photo42

The finishing touches are being applied to the entrance of the Bay Lake Tower wing of Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Celebration Round-up and Barbecue Opens at Disneyland

WDWNT on April 3, 2009

From the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

“Toy Story” heroes Woody, Jesse and Bullseye are the stars at the Celebration Roundup & Barbecue, a new Disneyland outdoor restaurant located in the Frontierland area.

The stage hosts constant entertainment featuring country music acts and seven different skits starring Disney-Pixar characters.

The restaurant serves food family style, which means big portions are taken to each table in containers that can be passed around to everyone in the party.

Oregon resident Ken Patchett and his family had lunch today at the Celebration Roundup & Barbecue. He said the cost for the meal ($28.99 for ages 10 and up; $18.99 for ages 3-9, plus tax and gratuity) was high, but he liked the food, the open space and the festive atmosphere.

“The ribs rock,” said Ken Patchett.

“The cornbread is awesome,” said his wife, Audrey.

Planning for this venue started about a year ago, keeping the “What will you celebrate?” promotional campaign theme in mind.

The menu consists of corn, coleslaw, beans, barbecue ribs and chicken, cornbread and dessert. As part of the celebrate campaign, all restaurants in the resort feature a special “celebration” item, and the Cowboy Cone Cakes, which come in four flavors and are served inside a waffle cone filled with mousse, are an example.

Reservations may be made in advance by calling 714-781-3463. Walk-up reservations are also available.

Annual Passholder Appreciation Days

WDWNT on April 3, 2009

The Disneyland Resort will be appreciating its annual passholders with special food and merchandise discounts at Downtown Disney from April 19th through the 25th (you can click on either of the images to be taken to a bigger pdf file):

We’re Serving Up Fun, Family Style!

WDWNT on April 2, 2009

Disney has released more information on Celebration Round-up and Barbecue at Big Thunder Ranch, which is scheduled to open tomorrow:

“Hey, howdy, hey y’all!” On April 2, as part of “What will you celebrate?” Big Thunder Ranch will transform into Celebration Roundup and Barbecue. Serving up family-style barbecue dishes, live entertainment and Disney characters, Guests can celebrate their special occasion with a unique outdoor entertainment experience, filled with western Disney flair.

Stepping into the newly enhanced ranch, Guests will be greeted by Woody or Jessie at a special Disney’s Photo Image location near the entry. Also on hand to welcome everyone is the “owner” of Big Thunder Ranch, Miss Chris, who helps create the festive atmosphere. While interacting with the crowd and finding out who’s celebrating what, Miss Chris and the musicians will sing songs and invite a few young Guests to ring the bell (an old western-style bell mounted on the stage) to commemorate their special occasion.

Hot off the grill and fresh out of the oven is a new line of tasty treats for everyone to enjoy. From chicken and ribs, and vegetarian dishes to Miss Chris’ Celebration Sensation Cupcakes and everything in between, the new restaurant is sure to create a party for your taste buds.

Here’s a sampling the menu items:

  • Barbeque Chicken & Ribs – with Miss Chris’ Special Secret Sauce
  • Cookie’s Cole Slaw
  • Corn Cob Wheels
  • Ranch Beans
  • Cornbread (with real corn!)
  • Barbeque Tofu and Vegetable Skewer – mushroom, red onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, squash, zucchini, potato and tofu with Miss Chris’ Barbeque Rub and tangy sauce
  • Lil’ Buckaroo Watermelon Slivers
  • Miss Chris’ Celebration Sensation Cupcakes

“The overall thought is that Guests can come to the park and enjoy all the great things Disneyland® has to offer as part of the celebration, but if you really want to make the moment special, come to the ranch,” said Joey Michaels, Entertainment producer.

Meanwhile, over at the critter corral, merriment of a different sort will be going on as the barnyard animals recognize their own milestones. Whether a cow has been declared a State Fair Winner or a goat has lost his first tooth, the critters will be celebrating up a storm with Chip ‘n’ Dale at the forefront to greet everyone and pose for photos. Guests will also be able to pet goats in the petting farm at the corral.

Celebration Roundup and Barbeque was brought to life by a varied group of Cast Members from Food & Beverage, Entertainment, Photo Imaging, WDI, Circle D Corral, Horticulture, Custodial, Resort Enhancement, Sales, Safety, Special Events, Environmental Affairs, Industrial Engineering, Architecture & Facilities Engineering and Facilities Asset Management.

Numerous activities, entertainment and interaction with Disney characters and Cast Members ensure there is never a dull moment at Celebration Roundup and Barbecue. Whether it’s an actual holiday or a Guests’ birthday, there’s always a reason to “Celebrate Today!”

We Are Clear for Take-Off

WDWNT on April 1, 2009

0326ar_1310gd57132231jpg

UP, UP AND AWAY — Guests will get a bird’s-eye view of Walt Disney World Resort as they soar to new heights in a whimsical attraction that recently opened at Downtown Disney. Characters in Flight, operated by Aerophile, is a giant tethered balloon that ascends some 300 feet into the sky every 10 minutes (depending on weather). Riders can catch the flight daily for $16 ($10 for ages 3-9).

0326ar_1336gd56962234jpg

If you look really closely at this press picture, on the bridge you will find a man in a black shirt. That man is actually WDWNT Reporter Matt Paul. Just thought that was an interesting note….

Glowing Back In June

WDWNT on March 31, 2009

According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

The classic Electrical Parade at Disneyland is on its way back, this time to Disney’s California Adventure.

Disney spokesman John McClintock said the seasonal night parade — marked by float’s and characters decked in thousands of lights — will start again in June.

There will also be a number of other new after-dark shows and attractions — possible a new fireworks show.

McClintock said all of the details of these new shows and features will be announced April 24 — a press event that we at Around Disney will, of course, be folllowing.

The parade started in Disneyland, but was retired in 1996. A popular show, McClintock said Disney resurrected the parade in 2001 during the summer after California Adventure opened as a way to draw people to that park.

The show was originally conceived and performed in 1972. It has been performed about 3,600 times.

The parade uses 500,000 lightbulbs now, powered by 500 batteries.

More than 50 six-volt batteries power the same number of costumes worn by performers — lighting up 11, 000 bulbs.

Since July, 2001, the parade has been performed about 620 times in California Adventure.

Disney themselves have announced that a Tinker Bell float will be added to the parade, and it has been rumored that the old Snow White Dwarf Mine and Pinocchio floats will make their way back into the parade, as well as the possibility of a new soundtrack inspired by Tokyo Disneyland’s Electrical Parade: Dreamlights.

Being released on April 26th, two days after the press event, is an open edition pin featuring the new Tinker Bell float coming to Disney’s Electrical Parade:

Disney’s Electrical Parade is one of my personal favorite things at the Resort, so definitely tuned to Disneyland News Today for all the Electrical Parade coverage you could need.

People Still Vacation!

WDWNT on March 31, 2009

According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

As hundreds of workers hang drywall, weld girders, pour concrete and install plumbing in the new wing of Disney’s Grand Californian, the sales staff are kicking off selling space in 50 time shares.

The villas at the Grand, to be completed in the fall, will be the 10th location in Disney’s growing “Vacation Club” business.

Mike Brunson, the sales director for Disney Vacation Club on the West Coast, said he expects the timeshares to sell out fast, despite the spiraling economy.

“We’re actually finding we’re doing very, very well,” he said. “In economic times like these, people still vacation. We’re actually growing year over year.”

The vacation club is based on a points system, Brunson said. Consumers tend buy between 160 and 300 points at $112 a point – so a typical timeshare with the club costs an average of $18,000 to $30,000. The 200 to 300 points refresh every year.

Annual fees, in addition to the cost of the time share, run about $500 or $600, according to the Disney Vacation Club member Website.

Members use the points like Monopoly money to purchase nights in suites at any of the Disney resorts. For example, a studio – basically a hotel room with a kitchenette – sleeps up to four and costs as much as 227 points per week during the busiest season in spring and during the holidays. In the slowest seasons, a week in a studio is 129 points.

There are also one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom Grand Villa suites that get pricier – 160 points a night in the busiest season.

There are two “Grand Villa” suites under construction at Disneyland, with balconies overlooking Paradise Pier and what will be the “World of Color” light, water and pyrotechnic show each night.

The Worldmark Anaheim timeshare resort opened in the nearby Anaheim Gardenwalk about six months ago, and officials from Wyndham, the company that operates the huge unit, said all the space was sold out by the time the resort opened.

Worldmark spokeswoman Liz Hutchison said that timeshare resort has been at almost full occupancy since it opened.

“Consumer demand remains strong,” Hutchison said.

For more information about the Disney Vacation Club, visit www.disneyvacationclub.com.

More pictures are available at the link to the OC Register.