Third Death at WDW

WDWNT on December 6, 2007

From Mickeynews.com:

Walt Disney World suffered a third death late last week but unlike the two previously reported deaths the third was immediately ruled natural. A 71-year-old man died after having a heart attack on a Disney bus, according to officials.

The man’s name has not been released. Shortly before 5 p.m. Friday afternoon he fell unconscious while riding a bus toward Magic Kingdom. A Disney spokeswoman said the bus pulled over at the Magic Kingdom toll plaza and Reedy Creek paramedics arrived but were unable to revive him.

In a previously-reported incident on Friday a 72-year-old man who fell at the Magic Kingdom on Thursday died of his injuries, according to Disney officials. The day before a Disney employee, Karen Price, 63, died from injuries she sustained when she was hit by a Primeval Whirl roller coaster car at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Note: An earlier version of this posting had unfortunately drawn from an earlier report that the 72-year-old man who fell at the Magic Kingdom had slipped. Disney officials said the family advised them that the man did not slip, but had lost his balance and fallen.

SSE Almost Ready

WDWNT on December 6, 2007

The cast members for the newly refurbished Spaceship Earth at Epcot can now be seen roaming Future World in their brand new costumes as they await word on when the attraction will open. The ride will probably have a limited test run within the next week, with soft openings starting by December 18th. By no means is the work on Spaceship Earth complete, a lot of the refurbishment that was supposed to happen on the early scenes of the attraction was postponed due to complaints from Epcot management that the attraction would not be open for the holidays. The attraction will still be very different and refreshed when it re-opens, but as was originally reported, the attraction will probably close again for a few days in February 2008.

Parade Rumblings

WDWNT on December 6, 2007

It is being rumored that both the Disney Dreams Come True and Spectromagic Parades at the Magic Kingdom could be replaced in 2009. It is believed that the daytime parade will be replaced by Disneyland’s Parade of Dreams, while Spectromagic will be replaced with Tokyo Disneyland’s Version of the Main Street Electrical Parade, Dreamlights. It is also rumored that Spectromagic would be refurbished and shipped off to Disney’s California Adventure park in 2010.

Block Party Bash

WDWNT on December 6, 2007

Rumors now suggest that the new Block Party Bash parade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios could be making it’s first appearance as soon as February 2008. The previous date set for the debut was March 16th at 3pm. More on this as it becomes available.

SSE Soft Openings

WDWNT on December 4, 2007

Numerous sources are reporting that Spaceship Earth at Epcot will now be open for the Christmas rush at Walt Disney World. The attraction could open any day now as work on the basic attraction is about to wrap up, given that initial testing with Imagineers and Cast Members manages to go well. If problems arise during the testing, then Spaceship Earth’s scheduled opening will go back to February 2008. We will have more on this as it becomes available.

SSE Narrator

WDWNT on December 3, 2007

Judi Dench has been confirmed as the new narrator for Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Spaceship Earth is scheduled to reopen in February 2008. We will have more information on this as it becomes available.

Pet Care Professionals

WDWNT on November 30, 2007

WDWmagic is reporting the following:

“Beginning January 10, 2008, the Walt Disney World Resort will transition its kennel operations to an industry expert, Best Friends PetCare Inc. Best Friends is a national provider of pet hospitality in the United States, with 44 locations in 18 states.

Conversion of Walt Disney World Resort Kennels to Best Friends will occur in phases throughout the months of January and February 2008 with the anticipated transition schedule as follows:

1/10/08 – Transportation and Ticket Center and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground Kennels

1/24/08 – Epcot Kennel

2/7/08 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Kennels

Best Friends is also slated to build and operate a full-service, luxury pet “resort” at the Walt Disney World Resort. The one-of-a-kind pet facility is expected to open in mid-2009 and will be located on Bonnet Creek Parkway. The luxury pet “resort” will cater to park and resort Guests and will provide a full range of pet hospitality services. Note, with the addition of this facility, there are no plans to allow pets in Guest rooms at any of the Disney Resort Hotels with the exception of designated service animals.

For additional information on Best Friends PetCare Inc., please view their website at http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com“

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