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Disneyland President moves to Walt Disney World President Role, Other Changes in Leadership Made

Note: Don’t have much time other than to get this press release up, but in general I think this will be seen as a good for both fans of the parks and cast members. That does not mean everything will be smooth sailing and ponies will come with every Disney vacation, but I like the idea of this leadership change.

Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs today announced key leadership changes across one of the world’s leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences to better position the organization for growth. Effective Feb. 1, Meg Crofton will fully assume her global role as president, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. and France – a position she has held since July 2011 – while concurrently serving as president of Walt Disney World. With Meg’s transition complete, George A. Kalogridis is named president of the Walt Disney World Resort, and Michael Colglazier is named president of the Disneyland Resort. Both Kalogridis and Colglazier’s roles are also effective Feb. 1.

“With all that we currently have in flight across our resort destinations in the U.S. and France, the time is right to move forward with this leadership transition,” said Staggs. “This group of Disney veterans has the knowledge and expertise needed to continue delivering on our legacy of creating unforgettable experiences that our guests have come to know and expect. I would like to thank Meg for her tireless devotion and the extraordinary contributions serving in both positions, and wish George and Michael the best of luck in their new roles. They both bring a wealth of operational expertise, leadership and passion to these roles, which will contribute to the success of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.”

With the appointment of a Walt Disney World president, Crofton will focus all of her attention to providing strategic oversight of the broader initiatives that impact Disney destinations in the U.S. and France.

Kalogridis brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to his new role at Walt Disney World, including more than 40 years of experience at Disney parks in a number of positions around the world. Most recently as president of the Disneyland Resort, he oversaw one of the most extensive expansion projects in the Resort’s history — including the immensely successful transformation of Disney California Adventure. Throughout his career, Kalogridis also has proven himself to be a leader in the travel and leisure industry, as well as a respected partner in the community. Read More »Disneyland President moves to Walt Disney World President Role, Other Changes in Leadership Made

Proposal: A Solution to Walt Disney World’s Transportation Problems

In the past we’ve done our share of speculation for how Disney World could fix its transportation woes. What if I told you there was a solution that would cost the resort less than $50 million to build. That’s about half the cost of the… Read More »Proposal: A Solution to Walt Disney World’s Transportation Problems

MyMagic+ – NextGen Rollout Questions, Answer, and more Questions

If you missed the news, Thomas Staggs has made Disney’s most clear statement to date on exactly what NextGen will bring to the parks. The guest will encounter it via the MyMagic+ program. There’s a fairly good write up on the program by Brooks Barnes in the New York Times.

There was also this bit officially released by Disney:

With MyMagic+ Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is taking another step forward to evolve “how” guests experience Disney Parks and is using technology to make it easier than ever before for guests to make the most of their Walt Disney World visit. Many of these efforts fall under the umbrella of MyMagic+, which has the ability to connect nearly all aspects of the guest experience and make it better for everyone, at no additional charge.

A new website and mobile app called My Disney Experience provides a one-stop shop for all things Walt Disney World throughout every phase of a guest’s vacation. It will enable guests to:Read More »MyMagic+ – NextGen Rollout Questions, Answer, and more Questions

Parking Lot Security & Safety Troubles at Walt Disney World

No cameras in this parking lot

The first and last moment of many a guest’s day at the vacation kingdom is an encounter with a huge asphalt parking lot. There, they are parked like sheet metal sardines, seemingly always at the farthest point possible from the tram. At the end of the night, there is the long (and sometimes windy, wet, and/or cold) tram ride back to the car, which hopefully is where they remember it being and not in some other whimsically named section.

So imagine the anguish of a family who returns to their vehicle after a long day of Disney fun only to find someone has stolen pretty much everything from your car. It happens all the time including this story on WESH. Later when security & police arrive, the family learns that this is a regular problem at Walt Disney World with thieves driving the parking lots with special devices that attempt to unlock car doors remotely.

The nature of a family vacation makes these parking lots a target rich environment for thieves. Many a family checks out of their hotel on the last day, but still spends time in the parks before heading back home. For most families there is little choice but to leave your luggage in your car during this process.
Read More »Parking Lot Security & Safety Troubles at Walt Disney World

Disney Dining Plan, Is it Worth It?

Editor: Please welcome Chris Wood who will be sharing some of her valuable travel planning experience with us as a new guest author.

If you’re staying on property, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether or not you should purchase the dining plan. While it’s certainly convenient to pre-pay for your meals, the dining plan, touted as a money-saving option, doesn’t work for everyone. Here are some things to consider before you add the plan to your vacation package.

The most popular plan is the base dining plan, which includes one table-service credit, one quick-service credit, one snack, and one refillable mug per person for each night of your stay. This means that a family of three staying four nights will have twelve quick and table-service credits and twelve snacks. There’s no order in which you have to use your credits; you just have to finish using them by midnight the day of check-out or you lose them. Credits aren’t even assigned directly to individuals on the reservation, just by age. This year, guests 10 years of age and up will pay $55.59 per night for the plan; those in the 3 – 9 age group will pay $17.16.

Read More »Disney Dining Plan, Is it Worth It?

New Bus Depot at Magic Kingdom to allow for Larger Bus

A new Bus Depot at Magic Kingdom to allow for larger buses and therefore more capacity to move guests during peak transportation times at the resort. A recently filing at the local water district shows there will be 8 new load and unload zones added… Read More »New Bus Depot at Magic Kingdom to allow for Larger Bus

Test Track Re-imagined

Re-Imagining Test Track with Chevy Designers and Disney Imagineers

Go behind the scenes with designers from Chevrolet and Disney’s elite Imagineers as they worked together to completely re-imagine Test Track at EPCOT. The new ride experience is more engaging and interactive plus it’s more in-tune with the modern realities of the automobile design. Something… Read More »Re-Imagining Test Track with Chevy Designers and Disney Imagineers

Festival of the Lion King Relocation Plans Revealed

Back in August we had the news that the most popular and best rated show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and, quite possibly, on property, the Festival of the Lion King, was scheduled to move to a new location. The biggest open questions where when and where. We now know the where and it’s likely the when will come soon.

FotLK had to move to make way for Avatar, which will be coming to where Camp Minnie Mickey is now. Cast members were notified that it would shuttering early in 2013, but so far there hasn’t been much progress as to how the move would be made.

In paperwork filed with the Florida water district management agency, we now know that the FotLK theater will be moved to a new plot of land in Africa. It will be to your left as you cross over the bridge, behind the Tusker House restaurant. Imagineers have been spotted in the area taking a few measurements. So its possible work on fencing in and clearing the plot could begin any day now.

Read More »Festival of the Lion King Relocation Plans Revealed