A few weeks ago, we went over some of the possible scenarios for expansion at Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with completion of on-going and announced projects (Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed it). Yesterday, news dropped of a deal that will make it all possible.
What we didn’t mention in those posts was a rumored mega-land purchase by Disney that some fans were saying was a clear sign of a fifth gate being built. I didn’t want to breath life into any crazy rumors like that, so I ended up not posting that story. However, events have changed my mind.
As Walt Disney said about building in Florida, Disney has the blessing of space. 43 square miles is just a little larger than the city of San Francisco. But what you may not realize is that quite a bit of that area is dedicated to wetlands and conservation. Most of the resort that isn’t are already developed is zoned for conservation (see map below). Read More »Disney World makes land grab for additional resort development
In billboards in town and on its digital marketing ads, Disney has decided to leave the word “Christmas” off its promotions for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This has raised the eyebrows of more than a few. If the official name of the event is… Read More »Why is Disney leaving Christmas off its MVMCP ads?
Over the years a family holiday vacation to Walt Disney World has developed into a tradition for many families. Thanksgiving is an especially popular time to visit Walt Disney World with the family because the weather is usually still pretty nice for Central Florida and all the Christmas decorations are out.
But if you decide to visit Walt Disney World during the traditional Thanksgiving week, where can you indulge in some of that traditional Thanksgiving feast. Don’t worry, Disney has you covered with a variety of Thanksgiving lunch and dinner offerings.
Special holiday menus include roasted turkey breast with all the trimmings plus traditional Norwegian meatballs and pan-seared salmon at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, poppy seed lavash, house-made naan, and apple-cranberry achar at Sanaa, roasted heirloom beets with candied walnuts and mulled apple cider at Artist Point, and other unique dishes to enjoy with the holiday classics.
At Epcot, guests can dine on Thanksgiving menus during lunch and dinner seatings at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Biergarten Restaurant, Coral Reef Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse, and Rose & Crown Pub, as well as quick service at Sunshine Seasons.
Holiday menus also are offered at Be Our Guest Restaurant and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood & Vine and The Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. And, of course, the Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom offers traditional turkey and good fixings all year round as part of their regular dinner menu.
The fine folks at the Walt Disney World Resort knows that if they wants to hire qualified candidates to fill the resorts open trade skills positions (many of which are vital for building and maintaining it’s attractions), they’ll need to make sure local students receive the training they need to get started in a well-rounded trade skill position. That probably explains why Disney recently donated ten welding machines to several Central Florida vocational schools.
The donated equipment will help school districts in Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole and Polk counties advance the technical ability of vocational students who are currently pursuing certification in trade skills such as plumbing, electrical, masonry and carpentry, among others. Westside Tech School, Lake Tech, Lyman High School, Ridge Career and Travis Career Centers, and Technical Education Center Osceola received the equipment.
“Before we received this donation, we could only teach welding to the students in the welding program”, said Rob Moody, building construction technology instructor at Westside Tech School in Orange County. “Now we are providing welding training to students who are pursuing certifications in other trades as well. The more skills they have, the better chances they have of getting a job.”Read More »Disney Supports Training for Central Florida Vocational Schools
The annual CANstruction Orlando event once again brought out the best in Disney’s design team and all for a good cause. These fantastic and large sculptures use nothing but cans of food and ingenuity to make some amazing art. And, when the display comes down,… Read More »Disney VoluntEARS make Can Sculptures for a Good Cause
Just in time for holiday season shopping rush, Downtown Disney will open part of the new Westside Parking Garage to guests in late November. That extra capacity is much needed and I’m sure it will be appreciated. Some Cast Members who work at Downtown Disney… Read More »Disney Springs To Open Westside Parking Garage to Guests in Late November
In part one of our look at the future of Disney’s Hollywood Studios we examined what changes have already been announced by Disney and those that are rumored to be in the offing. In short, depending on how much money Disney is willing to invest and how fast, Central Florida’s original studios park could be in for a massive makeover.
Before we go any further, I want to repeat, that I don’t have any particular insider knowledge of plans or upcoming announcements. What follows is my learned hypothesis based on available evidence and informed guesses (aka rumors) from sources I trust. Some of this is more speculation than solid info and I’ll try and indicate that when and where I can.
Let’s start with one piece of information that would be a natural result of the changes coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios losing its ‘studios’ theme. The name will have to change. I think there’s one clear favorite for a new name – Disney’s Hollywood Adventure. It captures the shift in theme from making movies, to being a part of them. Instead of learning how the movies are made, we get to celebrate them and all the magic they inspire. This will let the park keep its two main Hollywood themed thoroughfares, expand Pixar Place (which physically is in Emeryville, not Hollywood, but emotionally it’s the same place) and perhaps add on one or two others. You might see some other Hollywood icons come to the park. El Capitan theater, which Disney owns, and the Carthay Theater, which has ties to Disney history and Disney has used as California Adventure’s main icon seem like two likely candidates. But don’t expect them to get too carried away.
Of course, a new name like “Mickey’s Adventure Park” could come out of left field too. That would indicate the park is in for a major re-imagineering. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities, but not the strongest candidate at the moment either.
When people ask me about what’s going to happen at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I have a certain spiel I provide to give some context to the question. This will help set up some of the financial and timeline issues. The budgets that control those are almost always in flux until they’re not, and the attraction opens. Sometimes, Imagineers get creative with budgets and good things can happen too.
This all starts with some things Disney CEO Bob Iger had been saying to The Walt Disney Company’s investors, that after dropping a lot of money on DCA, New Fantasyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland, the capital expenditures (read: theme park expansion) would be vastly reduced for a few years with only Disney’s Animal Kingdom (for both Avatar and the Nighttime show additions) and Shanghai Disneyland getting the funds. If you look at Disney’s stock price right now you’ll see that investors are very happy with the company and expect its value to continue to rise. In their minds, Iger has been a great steward of their money. So they’re probably pretty psyched he’s planning on sticking around for another year or so.Read More »Disney’s Hollywood Studios – A Timeline for the Future (part II)
