It has just been announced that both Journey Into Imagination with Figment and Imageworks at Epcot will be closed from January 28 to February 24. While some minor refurbishing will be done, there will also be testing of some new effects for a BIG planned refurbishment of the attraction in the coming year. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on this in the coming weeks.
If you visit Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, you are sure to notice some major renovations going on. In the resort’s main building, a giant tarp spanning two floors has engulfed all of the hotel lobby. On the upper level, most of the floor tiles have been ripped up for the installation of new flooring. This refurbishment is only the first step in a lengthy refrbishment that will see every building of the resort upgraded. All of the resort’s changes should be complete by early 2009. I will have pictures available after I return from WDW this weekend.
I just returned from a very long day at Walt Disney World, spending the entire day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, formerly the Disney MGM Studios. Not much has changed at the park, but some stuff has been updated:
-The sign over the park entrance and parking entrance is still in red lettering but now states the new name. The sign over the bag check area is still not in place.
-New park maps and times guides with the new name are available.
-Most cast members working in attractions still said the old name in their spiels, a big mistake for a big day.
-The limited edition pin that was originally postponed was released, just later in the day than expected.
-Some of the smaller signs in the park were removed and not replaced with the new name.
I’ll be sure to put up some pictures from today and the rest of my trip after I return home and I’ll also have a full trip report on our next episode of the WDW News Today Podcast.
Over at the Disney MGM Studios, all of the original name signage has been removed and the first Disney’s Hollywood Studios sign is now in place. If you head over to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, the movie poster in the stroller parking area now has a small black title bar on the bottom with the new park name on it. The Disney MGM Studios will become Disney’s Hollywood Studios on January 7, 2008.
The Disney MGM Studios signage over the parking entrance to the park has been removed. The new Disney’s Hollywood Studios name should be up in this and other locations by Monday. WDW News Today will be there to cover all events as they happen on January 7, 2008, as the Disney MGM Studios becomes Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I was walking through Animal Kingdom earlier today and came upon a large number of park managers in Dinoland U.S.A. with some papers in their hands. Being the good guy that I am, I decided to stand around like a normal lost and clueless guest would. The group was discussing places to put additional lighting in the park, perhaps planning for longer hours to accommodate longer park operating hours. This could be the early planning stages for “Rivers of Light”, a night parade on the rivers of Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. The earliest I would expect anything to be announced on this is Animal Kingdom’s 10th Anniversary on April 22, 2008. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more becomes available.
A number of websites have been discussing a possible script that may be given to cast members in the foyer area of the Haunted Mansion due to some ridiculous complaints. A full story can be read over at Jim Hill Media at this link.
Earlier this week, the dedication plaque at the Disney MGM Studios mysteriously disappeared. It is unclear at this time if it is simply being changed to reflect the new Disney’s Hollywood Studios name or if it will be replaced by a new dedication plaque based on the new goals and mission of the park. We wll have more on this as it becomes available.
It appears Walt Disney World made a mistake when they announced the upcoming refurbishment of Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom, they forgot how heavy crowds will still be for the three days following the New Year’s holiday, The refurbishment of Splash Mountain will now be from January 4, 2008 until February 15, 2008.
The upcoming refurbishment of Minnie’s Country House in Mickey’s Toontown Fair has been pushed back until sometime in 2008. Small children who will soon be visiting the Magic Kingdom are very grateful.
