This Sunday marks the official reopening of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Technically, it’s currently in soft open; which means it might experience some down time. (Heck, it might even experience downtime after Sunday).

While not exactly the major overhaul that many thought Space Mountain deserved, this rehab has brought some fairly significant changes to the attraction. Okay, it’s mostly a fresh coat of paint, some new projections, and some queue enhancements. But hey, it’s open again.

To celebrate I’m calling mini-meet, or Tweetup if you’re reading this from twitter, to experience it together. Let’s get together at 11:00 AM on Sunday in front of Space Mountain by the round planter. We’ll go once through the standby queue and once through fastpass, so come early and pick up your fastpass.

Just wanted to quickly highlight some of the new merchandise that’s available at Walt Disney World these days.

Haunted Mansion Action Figures! They’ve done something like this before, but these are more affordable.

This new Pirates Mickey Ears actually looks like a dead mouse skull if you ask me. Not exactly a Disney image.

If you like Disney’s new Vinylmation collectibles, then you’ll love these plush versions. I like the monorail one myself.

Even if you can’t make it to the parks, you can find some of the best Disney Themepark Merchandise available on the LaughingPlace.com Store.

Downtown Disney Orlando recently added a tethered balloon experience, Characters In Flight. It takes guests 400 ft into the air for a glorious panoramic view of the Lake Buena Vista area. When it opened the attraction was notorious for closing down for safety with even a light breeze in the area. It’s rumored that they brought in a new operations team and these days the balloon flies in even a stiff breeze.

Of course, this can make things interesting from time to time. From what I’ve seen the flight up is fine, but sometimes the landings can be a bit shakey. The video below wasn’t even the roughest landing I saw all day, but it’s still an e-ticket experience. Check out the passengers clapping at the end. Happy they all survived it sounds like.

Singer & Arena Football team owner Jon Bon Jovi poses with Goofy Nov. 16, 2009 on the New York Street backlot set at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Bon Jovi and his band, who have sold more than 120 million records in a career that spans 26 years, have just released their newest album, “The Circle.” The group will begin a world concert tour in early 2010. (Photo courtesy Disney. Gene Duncan, photographer)

Today TouringPlans.com, the fine folks behind the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, are launching a preview version of Lines, a mobile website for iPhone users that displays estimates of wait times for every attraction at Walt Disney World, in real time.

For the past 10 years they’ve been obsessively researching wait times at Walt Disney World, collecting and processing a massive amount of data along the way. Their products like Touring Plans and the Crowd Calendar help you efficiently tour the parks and avoid the crowds.

In Lines, it’s obvious they thought a lot about one’s experience while touring the parks: standing in Frontierland and want to know how long the line is at Space Mountain? Is Soarin’ really a ninety minute wait? Will there be FASTPASSes left at Toy Story Mania if we get there at noon?

Lines was built to solve these problems. There are many mobile applications doing wait times (Disney included), and accurate estimates are particularly challenging. TouringPlans has the unique dataset required to provide the most accurate estimates.

There is also a handy preview of what tomorrow will look like. I’d like to see this expanded in future editions.

To give it a test-drive, grab an iPhone our iPod Touch and navigate to http://m.touringplans.com (other mobile platforms are on the way). You’ll need a TouringPlans.com subscription (which is free) to use Lines during this preview.

Here’s the latest time lapse video from Disney Parks highlighting the changes the Magic Kingdom undergoes when shifting from Halloween to Christmas decor.

Chad Emerson of Blooloop.com has a short interview with EPCOT Vice President Dan Cockerell. I’ve met Dan on a couple of occasions and can tell you his heart is definitely in the right place. He comes with a lot of front line experience as well as operations experience.

When asked about his leadership style he said:

Albert Einstein said, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” I really believe that. People don’t care what you say, they care what you do. Since our Cast is what makes our guest experience unique and they deliver the magic, I spend most of my time finding ways to support them in their roles and making sure they can be as successful as possible.

More at Blooloop.

A sea of more than 400 Disney VoluntEARS helped clear 1,080 pounds of trash from the Brevard County coastline on Sat., Nov. 7 as part of the International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest volunteer effort to improve the health of the ocean and waterways. Disney VoluntEARS, working with the Ocean Conservancy, Keep Brevard Beautiful, United States Coast Guard and the Canaveral Port Authority, represented the largest group participating in the community-wide cleanup event.

“We really appreciate Disney VoluntEARS coming out here to help as one large organization,” said John Porter, chairman of Keep Brevard Beautiful. “It makes a huge impact for our county and will make the beaches nicer for everyone.”

Joined by friends and family, Disney VoluntEARS from Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney Imagineering helped protect the environment and preserve the natural beauty of nearly four miles of beach near the Disney Cruise Line terminal in Port Canaveral. The majority of items picked up were cigarette butts, bottle caps and fishing line.

“Small objects – such as cigarette butts and fishing line – may look really insignificant, but they can be life-threatening to marine animals,” said Jackie Ogden, vice president of Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. “Picking up trash on the beach is a simple action that people can take to really make a difference for wildlife and wild places.”

Coastal Cleanup participants are acting locally as part of a global mission to eliminate ocean debris, protect marine life and make the beaches more enjoyable for everyone. This year, the Ocean Conservancy estimates 500,000 volunteers – one million helping hands worldwide – will join in on the effort.

“Trash along our beaches and waterways threatens marine wildlife and undermines tourism and other economic activities,” said Dianne Sherman, director of the International Coastal Cleanup. “The Cleanup gives everyone a chance to be a part of an important global movement to end the tide of ocean trash.”

Disney’s involvement in the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup spans six years; since 2003, more than 1,700 VoluntEARS have picked up more than 26,000 pounds of garbage at Florida Coastal Cleanup events.

The Walt Disney Company, through the Disney VoluntEARS program, provides opportunities for Cast Members to contribute their time and expertise toward positively impacting their communities. Disney VoluntEARS are active in Central Florida; in 2008, they gave more than 204,000 hours in service to the community ranging from serving meals to the homeless to coaching Little League.

Don’t forget that beginning January 1st you can register online with Disney to get a free days admission in exchange for a volunteer shift.