Hope you have a safe and fun Independence Day. Thanks to LaughingPlace.com for capturing this the Walt Disney World 1907 Circus Calliope making a rare appearance in the park. I really had no idea they even had a Circus Calliope. I want to see more!
Trying a new format for the roundup tonight. What do you think? At Disneyland: The OC Register reports that Monorail Red, the first of the new fleet of Mark VII Monorails, will start some limited soft openings for resort guests tonight. Keep your eyes open,… Read More »Independence Day Eve Roundup
I was interviewed by Mike Pesca of NPR’s Bryant Park Project this morning regarding the closure of Pleasure Island’s night clubs including The Adventurer’s Club as well as a few related topics. They’ve now put the segment up on their website so you can listen… Read More »The Disney Blog on NPR’s Bryant Park Project
Despite Florida becoming the winter headquarters for much of the north’s population and the migratory destination for countless others, it still remains firmly planted in the traditions of the south. One of those traditions is a strong protectionist argument for the right to bear arms.… Read More »Disney World claims exemption to Florida’s Right to Self Defense At Work Law, Guns Still Banned
As we’ve covered before Disney has announced a change in plans for Pleasure Island. Goodbye to night clubs, hello to retail and dining. In the 19 years since Pleasure Island opened, a lot has changed in the habits of tourists and locals in terms of night time entertainment. Disney has done quite a bit of tweaking recently on the PI concept and apparently was unable to come up with a workable solution.
Never-the-less, there is a growing movement to save the Adventurer’s Club. It is the only attraction at Downtown Disney that was created solely by Disney Imagineers (Joe Rhode (of Disney’s Animal Kingdom fame, had a hand in it), it has a huge following, and some of the most unique 360 degree immersive theming found in a Disney attraction.
The bad news is, except for the original “Save Mr. Lincoln” letter writing campaign, I can’t think of a single Disney fan movement to save an attraction that has worked. (Okay, the mid-90s effort to keep Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through open may qualify.) I think Disney is happy to see fans get all riled up as it shows a passion in their fan base, it also means free publicity for them. But these days Disney makes decisions based more on business needs than the needs of providing a quality show.
The good news, this time may be different. When Disney announced it would be closing the Adventurer’s Club this fall, along with the other Pleasure Island clubs, there was quick reaction to the news with a lot of chatter on Disney fan sites, a Facebook group, and a petition with more than 3000 signatures in just a few days. There’s also the possibility that Disney just plans on moving
That’s a good start, but not yet the huge outcry of the type that might make Disney re-focus its ideas to rip out the attraction. To make a real difference, a letter writing campaign to Disney corporate and Themepark executives will need to be launched.
Read More »Pleasure Island and Adventurer’s Club, some additional thoughts.
I can pretty much pinpoint the exact moment when food prices for sit down restaurants at Walt Disney World elevated beyond the reach of my budget. It was just following the first off-season offering of the free meal plan with your Walt Disney World vacation.… Read More »NY Times on Fine Dining at Walt Disney World
I spent a long day at the Magic Kingdom Saturday. Summer crowds were evident, but it wasn’t oppressive. If anything it might have been a little lighter than usual. But that may be related to changed vacation patterns with the holiday weekend coming up.
Sadly, the park appears to be cutting back on some of the simplest maintenance. Many attractions were covered in litter. Splash Mountain was particularly bad with water bottles and gum on nearly every surface. We went on Splash 5 minutes after opening too, so there was no excuse not to clean up during the over night shift.
Ended the night with a viewing of Spectromagic. They’ve slowly been upgrading this old parade and last night I noticed a ton of new costumes. It’s still a great parade, but it could use some additional sprucing up and perhaps a new float or two. Technology has advanced so far since when it was created, you know there is some out of this world stuff they could be doing.
I’ve put a few photos down below and more up on Flickr for your browsing pleasure.
It’s hot everywhere and it’s a good day just to take it easy. With that in mind, here is some recent Disney news to explore: WALL-E had a strong Friday and Saturday and now appears to be on the path to a $63 million box… Read More »Disney Discoveries – Links for a Lazy Sunday