WDW Tips

While this has been speculated on for years, Disney finally made it official. I don’t really know how I feel about this change. I sorta expected it to be the Disney-Pixar Studios, but I guess the Hollywood name fits where they are going with the direction of this park. Here is the press release:

On With the (Even Bigger) Show! New Name, More Magic to Transform Disney Theme Park New Attractions, Experiences at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Aug. 9, 2007) — In the Walt Disney World theme park famous for all things Hollywood, it’s curtain up on the launch of new attractions, new looks, new breakthrough experiences…

…and a brand-new name.

Disney-MGM Studios will be renamed Disney’s Hollywood Studios, effective January 2008, announced Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort.

“The new name reflects how the park has grown from representing the golden age of movies to a celebration of the new entertainment that today’s Hollywood has to offer — in music, television, movies and theater,” she said.

Framed by the park’s supporting cast of classic Hollywood architecture are shows and attractions straight from contemporary Hollywood, such as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, “Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show” and many more. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also the place to meet favorite character stars of today including Lightning McQueen and Mater from Disney-Pixar’s “Cars,” Power Rangers and Little Einsteins.

With exciting coming attractions and experiences, the best and brightest of Hollywood is about to emerge for park guests, Crofton said.

“As Disney continues to grow and invest in our family entertainment business, we constantly explore new ways to deliver high-quality, immersive experiences for our guests,” she added. “As a park all about entertainment, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will deliver like never before. Now we can say that Hollywood is literally our middle name.”
New Attractions, Experiences

* Toy Story Mania! Guests get sporty in a new, interactive “Toy Story” competition inspired by Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story” films and hosted by characters like they’ve never before experienced. Past a queuing area featuring a giant Mr. Potato Head, guests grab 3-D glasses, board fanciful ride vehicles and zip into a world of exciting midway-style games hosted by many of their favorite “Toy Story” characters including Woody, Hamm and Rex. Once inside “Andy’s Toy Box,” the competition heats up. Who can rack up the most points? Using spring-action shooters, guests launch darts at balloons, rings at aliens, eggs at whimsical barnyard targets. Toy Story Mania! takes the interactive ride-game experience to infinity — and beyond. (summer 2008)

* “Block Party Bash.” Play, party and dance as the Disney-Pixar Film Pals present “Block Party Bash,” the wildest, most interactive parade in Disney history. New to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Block Party Bash” will invite guests to rock to retro tunes, be dazzled by high-flying acrobatics and join in the fun as more than 20 partying Disney-Pixar Film Pals fill the theme park streets. This immersive rolling spectacle will feature favorite characters from “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “A Bug’s Life.” (spring 2008, replaces “Disney Stars and Motor Cars” parade)

* “Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!” A whole new cast of friends from Playhouse Disney fills the popular Playhouse Disney stage. Children will be on their feet singing, clapping and dancing to performing stars from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Little Einsteins,” “Handy Manny” and more. (”Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!” will be dark most of January 2008, reopens February 2008)

* “Disney High School Musical 2: School’s Out!” With new songs and a rollicking new spirit, the Disney Channel Original Movie “High School Musical 2″ comes to life on the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It is interactive fun as high-energy performers on a traveling stage invite all ages to catch Wildcat fever by singing and dancing. (fall 2007, replaces “High School Musical Pep Rally”)

* Meet and Greet Adds Handy Manny. And what would a Disney theme park be without characters? Disney’s Hollywood Studios is center stage for character meet and greets. Disney Channel stars JoJo and Goliath and the Little Einsteins welcome guests in the Animation Courtyard next to “Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage!” and will be joined for the first time by Handy Manny later this year. (November 2007)

Part of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios magic includes events for which the park is famous. To a stellar lineup including ABC Super Soap Weekend, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, ESPN the Weekend and Star Wars Weekends, the park reprises the Playhouse Disney in Concert series with dynamic concerts and special entertainment for little ones.

Headliners include favorite children’s acts The Doodlebops, Imagination Movers, Dan Zanes and Friends, and Johnny and the Sprites. The fun happens on select dates Aug. 30-Oct. 28, 2007, during Little Ones Travel Time in a 10,000 square foot, air-conditioned performance venue. For the complete show schedule: disneyworld.com/pdic.

In addition, holidays at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will have a special sparkle this year as the park hosts the Harlem Gospel Choir Nov. 30-Dec. 25, 2007.

“This is easily one of the most ambitious attractions rollouts in the 18-year history of the park,” Crofton said. “With so many great coming attractions, we are thrilled to be launching a Studios year unlike any other. Wrapped in a brand-new name…Disney’s Hollywood Studios.”

via The Disney Blog

I found this web site via The Disney Blog Its pretty neat…I knew there were corporate rooms at the Land Pavilion but had no idea of the options for different locations. I seriously doubt I will ever need use of one of this for a party, but it’s nice to know they are there. Link

In trying to correct the sins of the past (Paul Pressler), Disney is looking at investing around 1 billion in Disney’s California Adventure. DCA opened around the same time as Tokoyo DisneySea and the differences were/are amazing. Both parks were nearly the same size, yet the detail that went into DisneySea is overwhelming. DCA on the other hand, was penny pinched and not well thought out at all. This money is reported to be more than what it originally cost to build the park just a few years ago. Although it’s not capital that is being spent on WDW, I think it continues to show that the new leadership at Disney is going back to it’s roots. It’s all about a good show. If you make a quality product, even if it costs more than what the bean counters think it should, people will come and come back again and again.

After long overstaying it’s welcome the Mickey hand over Spaceship Earth is coming down starting tomorrow! I cannot begin to tell you how happy this makes me. The wand, while very effective for the Millennium Celebration, lost it’s meaning when it just became some kitchy part of Epcot. Now if the would just please get rid of those horrible Leave a Legacy tombstones. I cannot wait for the day when the entrance of Epcot is the pure, clean version that I vaguely remember. The wand coming down is a start….

I know I have talked before about passporter.com being a great resource. I also wanted to talk how much I am enjoying the online worksheets that they offer to passporter’s club members. The cost is around $5/month and you also get access to the e-books as well. I have not used the e-books, but the PDF worksheets have come in handy while planning my fall trip. I have also used some of the generic worksheets for our upcoming Vegas trip. As someone who as owned a passporter for the last 6+ years, I cannot begin to tell you how helpful they are. Anytime someone tells me they are going to Disney I suggest they pick up a copy (or I get one for them!)

So I haven’t posted in a while….here is where the trip stands right now:
It is down to 4 of us. We are meeting another friend who lives in Orlando, but we are not sure if she is going to be able to meet up with us much due to her work schedule. We are arriving too soon for Halloween Horror nights so it’s only just Universal/IOA for us on Thursday. I got the customized map in…..it’s nice, but not really what I was expecting. It is probably useful for the casual disney traveler, but for me (someone who can pretty much walk through all 4 parks with her eyes closed) it doesn’t really do much.

We are still staying at All Star Music. I would like for us to upgrade and can get some great passholder rates at a vacation club, but this is a budget trip so All Star’s it is! It shouldn’t be too bad. I don’t think that we will be in the room that much and we have requested adjoining rooms.

I have begun to plan out the days….as soon as I get something a little more set I will post here.

I started playing around with the newly redesigned Disney.com and I really like it. One of the features they offer is a customized map for your trip. I have them saved, but have not ordered them yet. It’s a pretty neat feature….you put in your favorite attractions in each park as well as parades and select dining locations. I will let you guys know how they look when I get mine in.

Started to make plans today for a weekend trip at the end of September. It’s going to be a girls weekend. We are going to be there for the first weekend of the Food and Wine Festival as well as the Halloween Horror nights at Universal. I can’t wait!!!

The first night we are staying with a friend a few miles from Universal and then will be in WDW Friday-Monday. We are staying at All Star Music. It looks like we will be there for the 1st night of the Food and Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

It was announced this week that one of our favorite resturants at EPCOT will be closing Aug 31, 2007. From Mouseplanet.com

“L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante will be the first of the original table service restaurants in Epcot’s World Showcase to disappear from the park. The restaurant will close at the end of its current contract on August 31, to be replaced by “a new Italian restaurant concept.”

I am so sad over this. Apparently this was a Disney choice not Alfredo’s. Alfredo’s was always one of mine and Jim’s favorite places to eat at EPCOT. We had a wonderful dinner last year for Jim’s birthday there. If you are going before August I highly suggest you check it out.

Disney announce that they will be building 2 new ships for the first sailings to take place in 2010 and 2011. These ships will 2 decks taller than the current Disney Wonder and Disney Magic and have approx 350 more cabins.
We have not taken a Disney cruise yet, but know several people who have and loved it. Even though they say that there are “adults only” areas we are still unsure of the kid factor. I have tried to assure Jim that we could avoid the kid areas, but he is still not sold on the idea. Hopefully in the next year or two we will be able to expierence one of these for ourselves.