Hall of Presidents – Page 2

Hall of Presidents Passholder Previews Announced!!!

WDWNT on June 5, 2009

Just announced on the Walt Disney World Passholder website:

Be among the first to see the Hall of Presidents attraction before the official re-opening July 4th weekend! Open to all Passholders, this preview includes the Animatronics® figure of our 44th President, Barack Obama. And his predecessors will look more amazing than ever in a re-imagining of this inspiring, unforgettable attraction.

Preview Event Details

Date: June 28, 2009

Time: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Location: Magic Kingdom® theme park.

Passholders do not need to sign up to attend the preview, but they do need to show a valid Pass and Photo ID at the Hall of Presidents attraction entrance.

Seasonal and Epcot After 4 Passholders will need valid admission to the Magic Kingdom theme park in order to attend.

Additional Information

The preview is subject to temporary closures. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Since myself and some of the WDWNT staff are going to be at the Walt Disney World Resort on June 28th, we will have pictures and video of the updated attraction coming on the same day. In addition, if any passholders are planning on attending the previews when they begin at 11:00 AM on June 28th and would like to meet up with us, please send me an email at wdwnewstoday@gmail.com. If the response is strong enough, I may send out invites through our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Hail to the Hall’s Newest Chief

WDWNT on May 22, 2009

The New York Times had an article today on the addition of Barack Obama to the Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World this July:

LOS ANGELES — Barack Obama was standing on a riser inside a warehouse here, delivering an inspirational speech about the blessings of freedom, when his left index finger began to twitch uncontrollably, unnerving his aides.

The nation’s 44th president was in obvious distress. At least it looked like him. But with silicone skin and a tangled nest of wires for veins, this Obama was a 21st-century reproduction.

More specifically, it was an audio-animatronic representation of the president, as imagined by the Walt Disney Company, and assembled with the direct involvement of the White House staff — and of Mr. Obama himself. The president supplied not just his measurements, but he also recorded that speech (which was initially drafted by a Disney writer) — and yet another recitation of the oath of office, this one in Disney high-definition sound.

In that Hollywood building here, the life-size, three-dimensional figure was being put through its final tune-up, its chin rising and hands gesturing in response to technicians, in preparation for shipment to the Hall of Presidents exhibit at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Disney officials declined to say how much it cost to build an Obama. They have cloaked the project with a blanket of secrecy befitting the Secret Service, permitting this reporter to be the only journalist thus far to view the figure up close but allowing only a Disney photographer to take its picture.

Mr. Obama has seen renderings of the figure, telling a Disney employee, Pamela Fisher, “that we had made him better-looking than he was.”

Mr. Obama is not the first president to send his voice, or inseam, to Disney World; George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were also given speaking roles in the exhibit during their terms and assisted Disney’s “imagineers” in the creation of their likenesses. But the Obama figure is assuredly the most lifelike of them all.

The public is to get its first glimpse of “Robobama,” as it is known among some handlers, on July 4. The unveiling will be in a Disney World theater, alongside animatronic figures of every other president. As in the past, the program will end with each president nodding or turning toward the audience during a roll call, as if Mount Rushmore had suddenly come alive.

“Young children watch this, and you want them to feel a sense of identification with the president,” said Doris Kearns Goodwin, a presidential historian, who was recruited by Disney two years ago to write a Hollywood-style treatment about the presidents, which became the basis for a 20-minute documentary made for the exhibit. “This makes the president someone not so far removed from them.”

The exhibit opened in the early 1970s under the direct supervision of Walt Disney and has resulted in countless middle school term papers about the presidents. It has been closed since Election Day as it receives the biggest face-lift in its history.

The company has much riding on the exhibit, with visitors’ spending at Disney World having dipped sharply in the midst of the economic downturn.

The exhibit will open with the new film, narrated by the actor Morgan Freeman. At a certain point, the Abraham Lincoln figure will rise and speak to the audience, as it always has, but now it will deliver the Gettysburg Address in its entirety.

“And this is the first time George Washington will have a speaking role,” said Kathy Rogers, a senior show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, the unit that oversees the creative side of the theme parks.

But the emotional high point is intended to be the introduction of the Obama figure, who will yet again be heard taking the oath.

Mr. Obama recorded this version on March 4 in the White House Map Room — the same room where he retook the oath after a minor flub on Inauguration Day — to accommodate the Disney World theater’s new sound system. At that time, Mr. Obama also read aloud a short speech to be delivered by the figure, one that ultimately passed through the computer of Jon Favreau, a presidential speechwriter.

“That speech took a village,” said Ms. Fisher, the senior Disney writer on the project who along with Ms. Rogers traveled to Washington in March to guide the president through his role.

The Obama figure’s closest forefather is not Lincoln but a modern-day Capt. Jack Sparrow. Assisted by Johnny Depp, who played the captain in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, Disney recently installed an animatronic version of the Sparrow character in the Orlando theme park.

The Obama figure is the result of attention to minute details by Disney sculptors, animators, engineers and even anatomists who pored over presidential photographs and video of him and then drew on the latest advances in robotic technology.

Thus the audio-animatronic Obama purses its lips to pronounce its b’s and p’s in a way frighteningly evocative of the real one, and raises its hands, open-palmed, while shrugging its shoulders, in a way that can only be described as Obamaesque. Even the president’s wedding ring, with its braided design, has been recreated.

After their work was done with the president, Ms. Fisher and Ms. Rogers said they were given a special tour of the White House.

For Ms. Fisher, there was a sense of déjà vu. She had traveled to the White House on Disney’s behalf in 2001 to capture the voice of Mr. Bush. After he had finished his “take,” she said, he stiffened his arms and “started acting like he was an animatronic figure.”

“He’s got a sense of humor,” she added.

John Cutry, right, testing a life-size President Obama ahead of the reopening of a Disney World exhibit.

Tom Corless’ 4/27-5/4/09 WDW Report

WDWNT on May 9, 2009

Finally, here is our very last Walt Disney world photo report (we promise) from last week. This report is from WDWNT Owner Tom Corless and is quite lengthy, so let’s get started:

Starting at the Magic Kingdom on April 27th…

Walt Disney World Resort in New York? It Almost Happened

WDWNT on April 16, 2009

The Staten Island Notebook has put out a fantastic article by Chuck Schmidt explaining how the upcoming opening of the Doorway to Dreams Disney Vacation Club sales shop in the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island is not the first connection between the Empire State and the Disney Parks:

Want to get a first-hand peak at what the accommodations look like at a typical Disney Vacation Club resort without traveling more than a thousand miles south?

Later this year, the Disney Vacation Club will open Disney’s Doorway to Dreams in the Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City, L.I. The idea is to help prospective DVC members learn about membership in a relaxed, no-pressure atmosphere.

A full-scale, two-bedroom model of vacation home accommodations will be featured. Also included in the experience will be an interactive family vacation discovery zone, a comfortable discussion area where you can chat with DVC reps and a supervised children’s play area.

This isn’t the first time Disney has had a presence on Long Island. In fact, you might be stunned to learn that when the Disney folks were searching for potential sites for an “East Coast Disneyland” in the 1960s, Flushing Meadows in Queens — the same site where the two New York World’s Fairs were held — was being seriously considered.

First, a little history lesson. In the mid-1950s, Walt Disney gambled everything — including his own house — that Disneyland, the world’s first theme park, would be a success. He was right. The Anaheim, Calif.-based park captured America’s imagination and, naturally, led Disney to think about creating a sequel — a second Disneyland somewhere on the East Coast. But there were fears among many of the Disney hierarchy that Disneyland’s West Coast brand of entertainment might not fly east of the Mississippi.

The failure of Freedomland, a Disney-style theme park in the Bronx which opened to much acclaim 1960 before closing in financial ruin in 1964, only fueled that uncertainty. An astute Walt Disney saw the New York World’s Fair, which ran from 1964 through 1965, as an opportunity to gauge the area’s acceptance of his product, as well as to introduce new technology his Imagineers had been working on in California.

The Flushing Meadows site “was seriously considered as a possible setting for Walt Disney World,” Charles Ridgway, former WDW press and publicity director, told us in 1994. There were many things in the site’s favor, including a large population base and two nearby airports (LaGuardia and Idlewild, now JFK).

Think about it: Had those plans to place WDW on Long Island come to fruition, Staten Islanders would have had about a one-hour drive to get to the Vacation Kingdom of the World.

Ultimately, the specter of cold and snowy winter weather and the high price of acquiring enough land for the project (remember, WDW is twice the size of Manhattan and any open land on Long Island is prime real estate) shelved the idea, according to Ridgway. A sleepy, swamp-filled, mosquito-infested tract of land 15 miles south of Orlando, Fla., proved to be the perfect setting.

Disney also used the World’s Fair to test out his ground-breaking form of entertainment — life-like robots, controlled by pre-programmed computers, soon to be dubbed Audio-Animatronics. There were four Disney-created shows at the fair featuring the new technology — It’s a Small World at the Pepsi-Cola Pavilion, the General Electric Carousel of Progress, Ford Motor Company’s Magic Skyway and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln in the Illinois State Pavilion.

Not surprisingly, they were among the fair’s most popular shows. When the fair closed, all four attractions were packed up and shipped west, where they took up residence at Disneyland; they were subsequently replicated, in one form or another, in Walt Disney World when it opened in 1971.

It’s a Small World remains a mainstay at both parks, while the Carousel of Progress is closed at Disneyland and has been relegated to a seasonal attraction at WDW. The Grand Canyon/Primeval World segments of the Magic Skyway can be seen during the train ride at Disneyland, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln evolved into the more elaborate Hall of Presidents in Florida.

For more information about the DVC and the new Doorway to Dreams, visit www.disneyvacationclub.com.

The article hits home for me personally, as the land once inhabited by Freedomland park in the Bronx is a mere 5 minutes away from my house. The old World’s Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from where I live as well. This has always given me a rare treat, as I can always get a good look at the Unisphere and what remains of the fair every time I’m traveling to the Laguardia or JFK airports for a flight down to Orlando.

This article is also very timely as we are just a few days away from the 45th anniversary of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. To celebrate this anniversary and the anniversary of the legendary Disney attractions of the fair, (including Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, the Ford Magic Skyway, and It’s a Small World) episode #90 of the WDW News Today Podcast and episode #60 of the Disneyland News Today Podcast will be presented as a single program dedicated as a tribute to these major milestones. For the first time ever, we will be bringing together the podcast teams from both shows for a formal episode containing some of our most popular segments such as “What Were They Thinking?!?” and “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” (as well as a few special surprises). We hope you will join us this Sunday for what will be a very meaningful edition of the program.

Matt Paul’s 3/20-3/21/09 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on March 25, 2009

WDWNT videographer and photographer Matt Paul spent last weekend visiting the Walt Disney World Resort and reports back to us with an amazing amount of newsworthy photos to share:

Let’s go there!

Closer…

Robert Ashburn’s 3/13/09 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on March 16, 2009

Our good friend Robert Ashburn of Figmentsmedia.net visited the Magic Kingdom on a less-than supernatural Friday the 13th and has a number of newsworthy photos to share with us:

Posters for Disney-Pixar’s “Up” and Disney Channel’s “Sonny with a Chance” at the Transportation and Ticket Center

Some exterior work on the Exposition Hall on Main Street U.S.A.

The Summer Shapes Up at WDW

WDWNT on March 3, 2009

Wondering if you should visit the Walt Disney World Resort this summer? Disney thinks that you should, and has put out a press release to tell you about everything new and upcoming at WDW:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – From May through August 2009, summer simmers with exciting new attractions and events at Walt Disney World Resort. The smash TV hit “American Idol” inspires a new attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios while, at Magic Kingdom, a Liberty Square icon reopens its doors and street parties turn up the spirit as Disney’s “What Will You Celebrate?” hits full-stride. Treehouse lodging is back, resort guests now can save some time by checking in online before they arrive, Stars Wars Weekends let guests release their inner Jedi, and Downtown Disney unwraps new fun – on the ground and in the air…

Summer Fun at The American Idol Experience

While guests are usually the ones to enjoy the attractions and shows at Walt Disney World Resort, “The American Idol Experience” places Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests in the spotlight, immersing them in the thrill of auditioning and performing or voting on their favorite musical performances.

Modeled after the famous “American Idol” television show, the newly opened Walt Disney World attraction makes dreams come true by showcasing the talents of park guests age 14 and older who have aced the auditions (audition slots are limited and interested guests are encouraged to arrive early).

Like the television show, fans – not the onstage judges – have the final say on who is deemed the best of the best. With seating to accommodate 1,000 audience members, the high-tech theater is wired so guests can vote for their favorite singer.

What Will You Celebrate? Adds Gifting Option, Park Fun

During “What Will You Celebrate?” inviting Disney Parks guests to turn their personal milestones into magical Disney experiences, ways for guests to customize and personalize a visit are endless.

With everything from fireworks cruises, street parties and behind-the-scenes tours to specialty cakes and in-room decorations to choose from, guests who have decided their answer to “What Will You Celebrate?” have more choices as they ponder, “How will I celebrate?” The fun is nonstop, too, with a party spirit stamping the new “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It!” street party in the Magic Kingdom. Floats, a cast of Disney characters, stilt walkers and more “move it” down Main Street, U.S.A. accompanied by high-energy tunes and an open invitation to guests to come join the fun.

Main Street, U.S.A. also is home to the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade, a tweaked send-up of the former Dreams Come True parade with changes to some of the floats and soundtracks and the grand marshal in the lead role. Singers and dancers as before invite guests lining the parade route to come join in the celebration.

With all there is to do in Disney parks, guests can tailor a celebration with favorite attractions, favorite characters and special experiences. Thanks to new Web planning tools, learning about available choices and then customizing a “celebration vacation” itinerary – or “gifting” a celebrating family member or friend with a personalized Disney experience – is easier than ever. Through www.disneyparks.com, guests (or their travel agents) choose the celebration destination – Disneyland Resort in California or Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. With a click, they access an interactive online celebration “planner” to shop the many experiences that are a cornerstone of a “celebration vacation” at Disney Parks – experiences that transform guests into the stars of their own party whether the occasion is a birthday, anniversary, Quinceanera, personal triumph or any celebration.

Now there is also a way to participate in a guest’s upcoming celebration visit when you can’t be there: by “gifting.” The giver reviews the possibilities using the online planner, then calls a Disney Dream Maker to personalize and customize the gift. At Walt Disney World Resort, Dream Makers can be reached at 407/WDW-GIFT.

Star Wars Weekends Returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Once again, the power of the Force and the magic of Disney combine in May and June for Star Wars Weekends, a sci-fi fan-fest inspired by the popular film saga.

Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 22-June 14, 2009, Disney’s Hollywood Studios becomes the temporary home for a band of out-of-this-world characters, including Wookiees, Sith, droids, Jedi, Ewoks, bounty hunters and Rodians. Dates are May 22-24, May 29-31, June 5-7 and June 12-14.

A giant, “A to Z” gathering of Star Wars characters – from Anakin Skywalker to Zam Wesell – will roam the streets of the theme park during meet-and-greet sessions. Jedi Training Academy – one of the interactive entertainment experiences featured in the theme park – takes place throughout the day on the event’s main stage and allows young guests to learn from a Jedi Master before testing newly acquired skills in a battle with Darth Vader.

Also featured: the chance to purchase one-of-a-kind Star Wars memorabilia, Star Wars trivia contests, special Star Wars parades, rides on the famed Star Tours attraction, and autograph sessions and star conversations with famous Star Wars actors and creative geniuses.

Event activities are included in theme park admission. For more information, guests may go online to www.starwars.com or www.disneyworld.com/starwarsweekends.

Hall of Presidents to Reopen in July

A July reopening is planned for the Hall of Presidents, an iconic attraction in Magic Kingdom. An Audio-Animatronics version of President Barack Obama will join representations of the previous 43 presidents of the United States as part of an attraction that has been celebrating American history since Walt Disney World Resort opened in 1971. Disney Imagineers are also updating a broad array of show elements.

Whole New World of Lodging Greets Summer Guests

New home-like accommodations presented by Disney Vacation Club are debuting in time for summer guests. New options will combine to revive “treehouse living” at Walt Disney World Resort and immerse guests in the African experience.

Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa – Treehouse living, a cherished Disney World tradition from 1975-2002, returns with the opening (scheduled for summer) of 60 three-bedroom villas elevated 10 feet off the ground on pedestals and beams designed to blend into the forest glens where they are nestled, providing Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa with a new room category.

Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Fresh from the conversion of select rooms at Jambo House (at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge) into vacation villas, Kidani Village is taking shape (for phased openings scheduled in the spring and fall) with thatched roofs and hewn timber design. Kidani means “necklace,” and the building is shaped like a piece of native African jewelry with villas forming the beads, garden-like walkways creating the knots in between and the lobby representing the ornament or jewel at its center. With the spring opening comes Sanaa, a new family dining location, featuring savanna views and serving familiar foods from tandoor ovens and slow-cooked specialties with flavorful spices of Africa.

Disney Vacation Club accommodations can be booked by anyone for overnight stays through www.disneyworld.com or by calling 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639).

Walt Disney World Resort Debuts Online Check-In Service

Walt Disney World Resort has launched Online Check-In Service, designed to simplify and streamline guest arrivals. The new service is complimentary and available to guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels and Disney Vacation Club resorts.

Within 10 days of their arrival dates, guests are able to provide check-in information, advise the resort of their arrival times and request room preferences (although those cannot be guaranteed). Guests can also register the names of all the people in their party and provide a credit card to cover charges at the resort hotel.

Upon arrival at their resorts, guests visit a special welcome location where their room keys and other registration material are waiting. Disney Cast Members are also available to provide additional information and answer questions.

Meeting professionals can also arrange private group check-in at a Disney resort convention center or other locations.

For more information about the new Online Check-In Service or to make a resort reservation, call 407-W-DISNEY or your local travel agent or click on disneyworld.com.

New and Aloft at Downtown Disney: Aerophile!

Imagine an eagle’s-eye view of the Downtown Disney area, with sweeping, 10-mile panoramas of Lake Buena Vista and environs. Downtown Disney greets summer guests with a new iconic attraction in the form of a giant tethered balloon – Aerophile — that will take guests 300 feet into the air from the waterfront. The 72-foot-diameter balloon can lift up to 30 guests at a time on a six-minute ‘’flight,’’ by day or night. Aerophile made a spring debut at Downtown Disney’s West Side. It joins other newcomers at Downtown Disney for summer:

TrenD, a hip new Downtown Disney Marketplace boutique with urban-inspired fashions.

Disney Design-a-Tee, presented by Hanes, inviting Marketplace guests to personalize the popular souvenir to their own tastes.

T-Rex : A Prehistoric Family Adventure, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover – a fun prehistoric environment millions of years in the making.

Downtown Disney restaurant from E-Brands, Paradiso 37, a restaurant from E-Brands featuring Mexican and South American cuisine.

‘’Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration’’ Dance Party Debuts

He’s the Guru of Gross-Out, the Maker of Mischief. Now, everybody’s favorite galactic pal stars in ‘’Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration,’’ a high-energy, retro-futuristic music video dance party in Magic Kingdom. The fun features Stitch, an interactive dance troupe and a DJ celebration host who invites all Tomorrowland guests to come party, dance and celebrate.

Some new details that can be found throughout this release include:

Renaming the upcoming “Characters in Flight” balloon “Aerophile”
The new TrenD store will sell Disney-made urban fashions
E-Brands’ new restaurant on Pleasure Island will be called “Paradiso 37”, not “El Dolbe” as originally reported

Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as we continue to gather details on these upcoming offerings at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Jose Castillo’s 2/15/09 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on February 20, 2009

After a few days of delay, Jose Castillo has finally provided us with pictures from the last day of his latest trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. Let’s take a look at some of his pics from Monday:

The balloon window-clings have now reached the Walt Disney World buses

“Follow that bus to the best kept Disney secret!!!”

Time to Celebrate!!!

WDWNT on January 1, 2009

It’s finally here!!! The Year of a Million Dreams has just ended after over 2 years and now Disney Parks wants to know “What Will You Celebrate?” in 2009. Here’s some of what we have to look forward to (even though WDWNT has reported most of this already):

New immersive fun in theme parks
Disney Parks’ initiative to create more immersive experiences continues in 2009 at Walt Disney World Resort with premieres in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Here’s what’s in store:

“The American Idol Experience” (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – Starry-eyed Disney guests will get a taste of TV’s pop culture phenomenon – up close and personal – when Disney’s Hollywood Studios grand opens this “American Idol” attraction in mid-February. It’s another immersive opportunity as guests will be able to experience the challenge of auditioning, the rush of performing on stage in competition or the thrill of judging the performances in a live interactive setting modeled after the “American Idol” set. There will be several showtimes daily. Guests advancing through the screening process have the chance, in the nightly final competition, to win a guaranteed reservation for a regional audition for the “American Idol” TV show.

Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure (Epcot) – Inspired by Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning “Kim Possible” animated series, guests of all ages will become secret agents to save the world from various comical villains and their mad inventions in this ultra-interactive adventure packed with mystery and excitement. Guests team up with members of Team Possible in this high-tech experience slated for a late-January opening in seven World Showcase pavilions representing countries on three continents.

“Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It! Street Party” (Magic Kingdom) – It’s party time beginning in mid-February when a cast of Disney characters, stilt walkers and other performers processes down Main Street, U.S.A. toward Cinderella Castle to high-energy tunes such as “Breakout” and “I Like To Move It.” Five floats decked out as gift-wrapped packages are part of the procession, and near the castle, Mad Hatter, Genie, Lumiere and Sebastian – the life and light of the party – pop out of four huge boxes. They join about a dozen other Disney characters headed by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to mix and mingle and dance in the street with Magic Kingdom guests during a 12-15-minute party scheduled to take place three times daily.

New high-tech innovations on land and sea

High-tech innovations will help guests navigate theme park fun and treat guests to new thrills on both land and the high seas:

Verizon (in Disney theme parks) – Marking a first in both the travel and mobile industries, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Verizon are teaming up to enhance the guest experience at Walt Disney World Resort (and at Disneyland Resort in California). Guests will be able to access an array of features on their Verizon Wireless phones including the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters and more.

Disney Digital 3-D (aboard Disney Cruise Line ships)– Movie entertainment at sea is being revolutionized with the debut of Disney Digital 3-D, a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience just introduced onboard the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Guests will delight as first-run, feature Disney films leap off the silver screen and take on a whole new dimension in the onboard theaters. Tridimensional images will combine with lasers, fog, streamers, and special lighting effects to create an immersive movie-going experience like no other at sea. During these once-a-cruise special engagements, guests will feel the rush of being part of the hottest show in town.

The Hall of Presidents (in Magic Kingdom) – An Audio-Animatronics version of President Barack Obama will join representations of the previous 43 presidents of the United States as part of an attraction that has been celebrating American history since Walt Disney World Resort opened. Disney Imagineers are also updating a broad array of show elements. Reopening is slated for early July.

‘Re-imagining’ Downtown Disney

Following the fall 2008 opening of T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover, the “re-imagining” of Downtown Disney continues with:

Transformation of the Portobello Yacht Club – The name of this long-time favorite restaurant is shortened to “Portobello,” and an all-new menu reflects a new, warm, Italian trattoria décor. Portobello is open daily for lunch and dinner and is owned and operated by Levy Restaurants.

New waterfront dining spot – A high-energy restaurant and bar opening in spring 2009 will feature Mexican and South American cuisine, an international wine bar and a tequila bar of more than 50 kinds of tequila and 10 signature frozen margaritas. The new as yet unnamed restaurant is being developed by E-Brands Restaurant Group, a multi-concept restaurant group which currently owns and operates Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bars, Samba Rooms, Taqueria Canonita, Aquaknox, David Burke, Salsa Orlando and Canonita Express in a number of cities across the United States. The Downtown Disney restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. until late night with nightly entertainment.

‘Re-branding’ the sports complex

Aligning the world’s No. 1 family vacation destination with the worldwide leader in sports, Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN are joining forces to “re-brand” Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex with the ESPN brand, creating an entertaining and immersive experience for the nearly 2 million athletes, coaches and spectators who come through the sports complex each year. Plans for the re-branding initiative are still in the development stage, but initial concepts involve:

Renaming the sports complex and incorporating the signature elements of ESPN – Throughout the 220-acre facility, which is a leading venue for amateur and professional sports in the country, the project aims to enhance the experience of both athletes and spectators by connecting them to their favorite ESPN programs, personalities and elements and making them feel like they’ve made it to the “big time.”

10 new places to go, 4 new places to settle down

In 2009, Disney Cruise Line is charting two new eastern Caribbean courses. Meanwhile, Adventures by Disney is adding eight destinations, including some of the most exotic and remote locations in the world, to its list of trips. And Disney Vacation Club is offering guests visiting Disney Parks four new resort experiences. Here’s a look at what’s coming:

New eastern Caribbean itineraries (Disney Cruise Line) – St. Croix will be a featured stop on one new seven-night itinerary, and Tortola will be featured on another seven-night itinerary, giving Disney Cruise Line guests more choices than ever before to explore the beautiful islands of the Caribbean. Both islands are new to Disney Cruise Line, increasing the seven-night Caribbean choices on the Disney Magic to four itineraries (Disney’s traditional eastern and western Caribbean itineraries will continue). Itineraries with St. Croix and itineraries with Tortola sail select dates throughout 2009.

New family-friendly adventure vacations (Adventures by Disney) – An expedition to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, a safari in Africa, and an exploration of Alaska are among eight new adventures in 2009, giving guests a total of 23 vacation options to choose from. Other new Adventures by Disney itineraries: Italy and Switzerland; Boston, Newport, New York City; Central Italy; Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and San Francisco; and Glacier National Park and Banff National Park.

New ‘home-away-from-home’ accommodations (Disney Vacation Club) – Four new options in 2009 will combine to revive “treehouse living” at Walt Disney World Resort, immerse guests in the African experience … in Florida, bring vacation ownership so close to Magic Kingdom that families can blow Tinker Bell a kiss goodnight and use Cinderella Castle as their nightlight, and provide the first Disney Vacation Club accommodations on the West Coast:

The Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa– Treehouse living, a cherished tradition from 1975-2002, returns with the opening (scheduled for summer) of 60 three-bedroom villas elevated 10 feet off the ground on pedestals and beams designed to blend into the forest glens where they are nestled, providing Saratoga Springs with a new room category.

Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Having completed the conversion of select rooms at Jambo House (at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge) into vacation villas, Kidani Village is taking shape (for phased openings in the spring and fall) with thatched roofs and hewn timber design. Kidani means “necklace” and the building is shaped like a piece of native African jewelry with guest villas forming the beads, garden-like walkways creating the knots in between and the lobby representing the ornament or jewel at its center.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – The 15-story curvilinear tower (slated for a fall opening) is designed to complement the fabled styling of the original building, which opened with Magic Kingdom on Oct. 1, 1971. The crescent shape, which features 295 two-bedroom-equivalent villas, promises to deliver some of the most dramatic views available anywhere at Walt Disney World Resort – some of scenic stretches of Bay Lake, others with views of Magic Kingdom.

The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – Offering 50 two-bedroom-equivalent vacation villas (in late fall), this expansion of the existing hotel at Disneyland Resort is an architectural and artistic celebration of California’s renowned Arts & Crafts style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first guest has already been awarded free entry to a Walt Disney World theme park for the day in 2009:

Using an oversized park ticket created for the occasion, Seattle, Wash. resident Andrew DaCosta enters the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Jan. 1, 2009. DaCosta was honored this morning as the first person in the nation to receive free admission to a Disney theme park on his birthday as part of Disney’s “What Will You Celebrate?” DaCosta, who turns 49 today, redeemed his “Free On Your Birthday” registration at the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations window at 7:31 a.m. Jan. 1 is the first day of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign at both Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. In addition to offering everyone who visits a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park on their birthday in 2009 free admission, the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign features new theme park entertainment, added celebration experiences and new ways for guests to customize their own “celebration vacation” at both vacation resorts. (Preston Mack, photographer)

Robert Ashburn’s 12/21 Magic Kingdom Update

WDWNT on December 23, 2008

Robert Ashburn of Figment’s Media.Net and FTN has provided us with some his trip to the Magic Kingdom on Sunday. Let’s take a look at some newsworthy items using this new gallery option:

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