Disney Security Over-Exposed

WDWNT on March 17, 2008

From the Associted Press:

An off-duty Disney security guard has been released from jail after being charged with indecent exposure in public, battery and child abuse, authorities said. John Briegel, 43, was arrested on Wednesday and released the same day on $6,000 bond, the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday.

A woman flagged down a Groveland police officer and told him that a neighbor had just hit her 11-year-old son in the face, the newspaper reported. The boy said he was collecting money for his school’s fundraising campaign when he rang Briegel’s doorbell four or five times, the arrest affidavit said. The boy said Briegel answered the door naked, berated him for ringing the doorbell, then struck him on the side of the head with a closed fist.

Briegel admitted answering the door nude and yelling at the boy, but he said he kept his body hidden behind the door and denied hitting the boy, according to the affidavit. Zoraya Suarez, a spokeswoman for Disney, confirmed to the Sentinel that Briegel worked for the theme park’s security department and said that he had been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of his case.

A telephone message left for a Disney spokeswoman by The Associated Press was not immediately returned after hours Friday. There was no telephone number listed for Briegel and it was not immediately known if he had an attorney.

A Bent Situation!

WDWNT on March 3, 2008

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!

Star Wars Weekends 2008 Dates Announced

WDWNT on January 22, 2008

According to StudiosCentral.com:

According to the Cast Member publication Eyes and Ears, Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be held each weekend (Friday-Sunday) June 6-29. This means that the weekends will be held in June only this year.

“I Didn’t Mean To Offend You Prematurely”

WDWNT on January 5, 2008

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.

Dining Changes for Christmas Week

WDWNT on December 22, 2007

The following information was given out to cast members this week regarding additional dining choices during the busy holiday season at the Magic Kingdom:

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe will serve breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. daily, December 23- 31.

The Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station will be open for lunch and dinner as follows:
December 22 -28: 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
December 29-31: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
January 1-5: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

The Diamond Horseshoe will be serving quick service lunch December 23 – January 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition, a full service traditional turkey dinner will be offered from December 24 – 31. Dinner will be served between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on those dates.

El Pirata y el Perico Restaurante will open daily for lunch December 22 – January 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. December 28 – 31, El Pirata will offer extended operating hours until 8:00 p.m.

Sleepy Hollow will open for waffles daily at 7:00 a.m., offering another great breakfast option for Guests!

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor will open at 7:00 a.m. daily for “Coffee Express,” offering coffee, hot cocoa and pastries.

New carts and kiosks will be open in several locations:

A Tomorrowland Kiosk will serve burgers, sandwiches and a salad.
Another cart in Tomorrowland will serve hot wings and chili.
In Fantasyland, a cart will serve a turkey wrap and Caesar salad.
The Center Street Hog Dog cart will return on December 25.

Behind The Scenes: Deck The Resort

WDWNT on December 20, 2007

Back from an extended hiatus is columnist Sparky LD. Good thing too, because our resident Walt Disney World Cast Member is here just in time to talk about the magical holiday season at WDW. So grab some cookies and cocoa, and enjoy another Behind The Secens look from Sparky.

Hey there everyone, back again with another Behind the Scenes look into the Walt Disney World Resort. Since Christmas is only a few days away, let’s use that as our topic for discussion.
Christmas at the Parks is an amazing site. Not only is it beautiful, but how much of it there is and the amount of time it takes in preparation and installation is a modern marvel. A crew of 25 or so work year round in the Holiday Services Warehouse to put together all the trees, garlands, wreaths, and other decor. The Holiday Services Department is responsible for the 4 theme parks, 20 some resort hotels and Downtown Disney. Once Christmas is over, they begin on next year’s displays right away. The Warehouse has racks and racks of ornaments, garlands, tinsels, toppers, etc. These “elves” are also responsible for store window displays around the entire WDW property.
The week before the Christmas season starts, small decor begins to go up. The larger stuff goes up mainly overnight, which doesn’t happen often anymore. Usually the larger stuff will go up over two nights.  Crews of 75 or so install the decor after hours. The Christmas season gobbles up about 3,000ft of garland, 4 million strands of lights, over 2,000 wreaths, more than 1,000 Christmas trees varying in height from 2ft to 80ft, over 1,000 yards of fake snow sheeting will be used, and over 200,000 ornaments will be used for decorating. Not to mention that new castle lighting this year, takes up another 200,000 strands of LED lights, a little over 4000ft of control cable, 300 strobes, and over 10,000 yards of fishing net.
During the Christmas season, certain Cast Members are decked in holiday costumes as well as shows and parades with holiday costumes. There are over 2,500 pieces of holiday costuming used throughout the season. Not to mention the new talking character heads that are used in 3 different shows. You now have Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Chip, Dale and Pluto talking, winking, and more in “Cinderella’s Holiday Wish”, “Celebrate the Season”, and “Mickey’s Twas the Night”.
You can’t forget the holiday fireworks, “Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season” and “Holiday Illuminations”. Holiday Wishes uses the same bunkers as regular Wishes, but they add an extra touch. On certain nights they fire the show with a 180 degree pyro on both sides of the castle. Pyro fires from not only behind the castle, but the left and right sides. This is accomplished by flat bed trucks with pyro bunkers on them that are driven out on the road surrounding the park. They used to do a full 360, which still happens on the rarest of occasions. For that a site on an island in the Seven Seas Lagoon is used as well as other various flat bed bunker trucks. Holiday Illuminations uses all the launch sites for the normal show, plus 1 extra barge and 55 extra launch tubes.
Christmas at the Walt Disney World Resort is the most magical time of year where anything can happen.  From all of us here at the Walt Disney World Resort, and from everyone in the the Parade and Technical Services Department we wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

New Great Movie Ride Costumes

WDWNT on December 16, 2007

The cast members on The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have received brand new costumes. It appears they are wearing grey jackets and red shirts now, a more modern look compared to the classic theater usher outfits they have been wearing since opening day. We will have pictures of the new costumes as soon possible.

Disney Building Employee Health Center

WDWNT on December 13, 2007

Disney announced plans Wednesday to build a $6 million health facility on its property for the use of its cast members and their dependents who participate in the company’s health plans.

The 15,000-square-foot facility will give cast members access to primary care doctors and other medical professionals, as well as a pharmacy, lab, basic radiology and wellness and behavioral health resources.

The facility will open in 2009 and will be operated by a health management company to be chosen in the coming months.

The new health center will provide:

  • Longer-than-average visits with health care professionals
  • Convenience through extended operating hours, weekend availability and its close proximity to work-coordinated treatment

More than 40,000 Walt Disney World cast members and dependents are currently eligible for benefits.

Great Movie Uniforms

WDWNT on July 26, 2007

Cast members inside the Great Movie Ride at the Disney MGM Studios have been informed of a costume change. Instead of the classic uniforms they have had since 1989, they will soon be wearing grey suit jackets and red shirts. The look doesn’t necessarily fit the attraction, but cast members will probably be happy wearing much more normal attire while they participate in the often hectic show-scenes.

Weekend Round-up

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

What is already starting to be a very interesting weekend has begun here at WDW News Today, and here are some news and notes to bring you up to speed:

-Rumors are swirling about a video that appeared on the Walt Disney World cast member website that provided full details on the next attraction coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a Monsters Inc. themed roller coaster. The video was apparently pulled from the site fairly quickly, yet we can still not confirm that these reports or that the video actually exists. Be sure to keep you eyes on WDW News Today as more info becomes available on this rumored project.

-Here’s a picture of the progress of the new north wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (provided by Jason Diffendal’s sister):

Notice that the glass and exterior on most of the building is nearing completion

-On a final note, if you are attending the MagicMeets fan gathering this weekend, be sure to look out for myslef and Jason Diffendal who will be representing WDW News Today and WDWCelebrations.