A common practice at Disneyland is a pre-parade to whatever parade is showing, which right now is of course Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams. Currently an Enchanted pre-parade shows about 10 minutes before the parade. But Enchanted has run it’s course, & it’s time for a new pre-parade. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian pre-parade will start performances at 3:20pm on Friday April 25th, 2008.
A new window is coming to Main Street! Disney Legend Bob Gurr, who was responsible for such attractions as the PeopleMover & the Monorail, will be getting his own Main Street shop window in a ceremony tomorrow morning at 8am (which is before park opening).
For those of you who are interested, complete coverage of the March 4 re-dedication of Spaceship Earth presented by Siemens at Epcot is available over WFTV. Their coverage of the event includes a full article and video of the small, unannounced ceremony from Tuesday.
Scott Powers | Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
Walt Disney World is tinkering with a roller coaster at Animal Kingdom to improve overall safety after the accidental death of an employee there last fall. Changes are being made in the entry and exit areas of Primeval Whirl — including the installation of sensor mats in a restricted-access area where a Disney worker was reportedly struck by a roller-coaster car Nov. 24. Karen Price, 63, fell and hit her head, and died of her injuries a few days later. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating the death. The accident, said Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty, led the company “to consider additional safety enhancements.” “We are always looking at ways to enhance safety,” she said.
On the off-limits area of the ride platform beyond the passenger loading and unloading zones, Disney is installing sensor mats that will shut down the ride if someone sets foot there, Prunty said. Also, bold striping is being added to delineate the loading and unloading zones. The work, which is being done after hours, should take a few weeks and should not disrupt ride operations, Prunty said.
Primeval Whirl is an old ride design known in the trade as a “wild mouse,” featuring cars that travel independently through a series of close, tight curves. There are dozens of such rides all over the world, some dating back more than 50 years. It is considered a relatively mild roller-coaster design, with a good safety record for riders. Since Primeval Whirl opened in April 2002, there has never been a reported case of a rider hurt seriously enough to require inpatient hospital treatment, though Disney currently faces a lawsuit from a man who alleges he seriously injured his knee while getting off the ride in 2005.
Primeval Whirl, in Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland U.S.A. carnival area, is actually two coasters woven together. According to the independent Web site rollercoasterdatabase.com, each of the two tracks is 1,377 feet long and rises 42 feet in the air, and the cars reach a maximum speed of 29 mph.
It appears that the final performance of the Stars and Motorcars Parade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be Saturday March 8, 2008, not March 9th as originally reported. The reason for the change seems to be that the new Block Party Bash parade is ready ahead of schedule and will make it’s first “soft” performance at 3pm on Sunday March 9, 2008. WDW News Today will have coverage of both of these parades throughout the weekend into Monday, be sure to stay tuned for more details on these two major events.
Our friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media is reporting about some changes that may be coming to the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents attraction in the next year. According to Jim’s report, whoever the new president of the United States may be, they will not be receiving a speaking part in this latest addition. Instead, Disney may be going for a much shorter show that would cut the current president’s speech from it’s lineup and add the reading of the Gettysburg address by Abraham Lincoln. This would allow the attraction to run three shows an hour and shorten the length of what many say is the most boring attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort. To read the entire report, go HERE.
Here’s a few pieces of news & rumors from the latest Monday in the Parks article on MiceAge:
The currently under rennovation Wolfgang Puck express location at Downtown Disney’s Marketplace is nearing it’s re-opening on March 6 and appears to be almost complete. While the interior changes remain a mystery, it is now clear that the building now envelopes what was the outdoor seating area. This may be nice during bad weather, but a problem this particular restaurant has always faced is a small number of seating. This place can become quite busy and sometimes even expands into the generic Downtown Disney seating area across the way. My only hope is that this refurbishment has added seating to what is one of my favorite places to grab a quick bite at Walt Disney World.
I’m sure you’ve all been wondering why exactly King Arthur’s Carousel unexpectedly shut down, & is closed for so long. Well, we now finally have an answer for you. A cast member started it up without unlocking it, thus bending the super-structure.
The Carousel should re-open on April 5th, 2008!
Here are some Disney news updates to brighten your weekend:
-A correction on news we reported yesterday: the tarps surrounding the Animation Courtyard archway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have indeed been removed, but a temporary sign saying ESPN the Weekend has been put over where the new park logo will be placed.
-At 9am on April 22, 2008, there will be a re-dedication of Disney’s Animal Kingdom for it’s tenth anniversary celebration. Of course, the same group that brought you Epcot’s famous Celebration 25 in October will be putting on “A Wild Decade”, a commemorative event featuring one of a kind fan opportunities at celebrating this special occasion. For more information on this event, head on over to WDWCelebrations today.
-I made my way over to a meet for the Central Jersey Disney Pin Traders today and have to say I had a great time trading and talking with all of the attendees. Our co-host of the upcoming Disney Pincast, John Rick, is the founder of the group and once again put on a great Disney pin trading meet. Next month, the CJDPT will be hosting its huge “Trade till’ You Fade” event from April 11-13. For more information on this upcoming opportunity to trade with hundreds of Disney pin traders and take part in numerous Disney activities at this event, head on over to www.cjdpt.com. A special note, I will be attending this event along with staff members Jason Diffendal and John Rick and we will be recording a special edition of the Disney Pincast.
