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General Resort News - (3/11/10) The hype for Disney’s new Tron: Legacy film is growing… and Disney has now confirmed that it will spread to the Monorails at Walt Disney World later this month. Artworking showing the sides of a monorail covered with Blue or Yellow LightCycles from Tron can be found over at the official Disney Parks blog.
    (3/6/10) According to the DizFanatic site, Disney has announced that a new pool was on the way to the Saratoga Springs Resort. The current pool in the Paddock section of the resort will be replaced with a new zero-depth entry pool three times it’s size, complete with a 146 ft waterslide and more. It will be open sometime in 2011.
    (3/5/10) About Theme Parks is asking readers to give their options on their favorite WDW restaurants.
    (3/1/10) New pictures taken around the Resort, including a look at the Four Seasons construction site, the new Pet Resort and more have been posted to MouseSteps this week.
    (2/27/10) You can see a good look at the new ESPN Wide World of Sports here, as well as read about all the new changes that have taken place, as well as where they want to go from here.
    (2/25/10) About.com Theme Parks has posted a great article breaking down the best restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort.
    (2/20/10) Walt Disney World has confirmed that they will officially “relaunch” the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on the evening of February 25th. You can catch a few sneak peek photos posted to the Disney Parks Blog. Hmm... Anyone know if they ever started construction on that huge 100 lane “Bowling Stadium”? It’s was supposed to be ready for 2011.
    Is it just me or is the name just a bit awkward?  I’m old enough to get the “Wide World of Sports” reference throwback to ABC programming from years gone by, but I don’t think the younger kids who come there to play get it at all. Removing one little adjective would go a long way to improving this I think… just call it ESPN World of Sports.
    (2/15/10) Walt Disney World has posted a new online map page  where you can find look around maps of not only all the theme parks, but also the Wide World of Sports, Boardwalk, Downtown Disney areas as well as one of the entire resort complex.
    (2/1/10) I’m told that the new juggler act for La Nouba is already in a sort of soft-preview mode for the show on most days leading up to the official premier. I’ve also been told that he will be seen performing on the Ellen show this week on Thursday’s episode. For those wondering, the former Balancing Chair Act group is actually being moved over to Cirque’s new Viva Elvis show in Las Vegas opening soon at City Center on February 19th. Oh… and I’ve been told that another new act is also very likely on the way to La Nouba in the second half of the year that will see the opening act (German Wheel) likely replaced by some kind of “skipping rope” act from Japan.
    (1/31/10) Cirque du Soleil has announced that a new juggling act, by world-renowned juggler Anthony Gatto, will be added into La Nouba starting February 5th. Gatto currently holds 9 world records in juggling and will perform a 9 minute act in the show. In case you were wondering, this new act will replace the current “chair-balancing act”.
    (1/22/10) Take a tour around Walt Disney World with MouseSteps this week, with stops at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Coronado Springs, Downtown Disney, the Magic Kingdom and more.
    (1/21/10) Okay… I thought that this was just a damn funny video featuring Walt Disney World created by one of our readers, so I just had to share it. Check it out.

    (1/18/10) MouseSteps takes a look at the winter rehabs taking place to Blizzard Beach, the Coronado Resort’s pool, Animal Kingdom Lodge pool, as well as a peek into the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
    (1/14/10) MouseSteps has posted a look at the Walt Disney World Marathon this week.
   (1/12/10) According to more than one source, the construction going on across from Port Orleans may be for a new Pet Kennel / Animal Care facility, which was apparently announced back in December 2007 and was to have opened summer 2009 but nothing ever came of it. According to one insider, this new facility may actually be intended to be a complete replacement for WDW’s other aging animal kennel facilities. If so, this may not be your typical dog kennel… it may actually feature high end pet grooming facilities and even some unique leisure activities for your furry friends, possibly including doggie wading pools.
    (1/11/10) A few readers have noticed a new construction site has appeared at Walt Disney World across from Port Orleans on Bonnet Creek Parkway across from Dixie Drive. Right now it’s just simple land clearing going on behind a green construction fence (nothing to exciting worth sharing the pictures I’ve been sent), but given from what I know of the location from seeing an aerial picture of the area, I don’t think the site is big enough for this to be anything to get excited about. Any WDW insiders know what’s being built here?
    We also have great news for race fans this week as it was announced that Walt Disney World passholders can now ride shotgun for free at the Walt Disney World Speedway. Normally the cost of a ride-along experience is $100 but it’s now free through March 31st. There are a few restrictions… you must be at least 14 years old, and if under 18, accompanied by a parent. You are also limited to just one free ride-along during this promotional period. Apparently this seems to be good for all passholders… Florida Resident through Premium… so what are you waiting for?
    (1/5/10) Blizzard Beach closes for it’s winter rehab on 1/10/10, at which point Typhoon Lagoon will reopen from it’s own rehab.
    (12/28/09) According to the local news, Walt Disney World has been fined by OSHA for $44,000 over last summer’s Monorail accident on July 5th.
    (12/21/09) Lets take a little stroll this week into the remains of River Country… the waterpark that Walt Disney World wants everyone to forget about. A kind of shocking series of photos taken inside the old waterpark have been posted to the DisBoards site, where you can see that the Florida swamp is slowly attempting to reclaim the site. If you’ve still be holding onto the hope that Disney would someday reopen the park… don’t. 
     (12/14/09) Walt Disney World has released an updated policy regarding the iBot brand mobility devices, effective December 11th.
“The INDEPENDENCE™ iBOT™ mobility device is permitted for use throughout our parks and resort areas and can be operated in a two-wheel balance mode, but must be in four-wheel mode to board and use attraction ride vehicles and transportation vehicles.
* According to its manufacturer, the INDEPENDENCE™ iBOT™ is a FDA approved indoor/outdoor power mobility device that can rise to eye level, drive over uneven surfaces, climb curbs, and go up or down stairs.
* It is individually configured for its user and can be operated in standard, four-wheel mode or in a two-wheel balance mode.
* Also making it different than other two-wheel or stand-up devices, the unique operating and balancing systems of the iBOT™ allow the device to default to a four-wheel mode when it detects an error.
* Following the manufacturer’s guidelines, we require guests to be in four-wheel mode to board and use attraction ride vehicles and transportation vehicles.
* We rely upon our guests to use their best judgment and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on when to travel in the two-wheel balance mode when not on transportation or attraction vehicles.”
    (12/4/09) I’ve got a funny follow-up to the story about the iBot 4000. It seems that not only did Disney once have the iBot 4000 on display in Innoventions several years ago in the House of Innoventions exhibit, but it seems that this was also where the Mayor first learned of the iBot 4000 before buying it. Wow… talk about full circle… only to get nearly banned from the park for trying to come back and visit in the same piece of technology that Disney was promoting as the way of the future.  Talk about ironic…
    In other news, the Orlando Sentinel has posted some updates about just how well Walt Disney World faired during 2009. Looks like PerCaps were down 4%, revenue from the resorts dropped 8%, though attendance compared to 2008 was flat.
    (12/2/09) We know Disney has a ban on bringing your own personal Segway into their parks, but over Thanksgiving weekend it seems the WDW Resort staff encountered an all new technical beast that put security on alert. Unfortunately it ended up being all due to the visit of the North Miami Beach’s paraplegic Mayor who visited Epcot and Animal Kingdom riding his $30,000 iBOT 4000 wheelchair.  Now before you wonder just how Disney staff confused a wheelchair with a Segway… you’ve got to see the iBOT 4000 in action, as this four-wheeled chair can rise up and move freely, balancing on just two wheels. It can climb over any curb and even go up and down stairs!  Quite amazing to see… Disney should have one of these on display in Innoventions instead of the Segway.

    (11/9/09) Disney has been very quiet since they announced a plan to rebrand their Wide World of Sports Complex to something tied in with ESPN over a year ago, but according to the Orlando Sentinel the plan is moving forward again. Starting February 25th the complex will be renamed, “ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex”. Disney will give the complex a massive makeover, adding tons of HD Camera units, display screens, two large Jumbotron screens, a new audio system, broadcasting center and more. The goal will be to make all of the various competitors who come to take part in the mostly amature level events at the site feel like they’re made it to the big time… to feel like they are really being covered by ESPN. Disney will also add a new channel to their on-site resorts TVs decicated to covering events at the complex. The former All Star Café will also be remade into the ESPN Wild World of Sports Grill.
    (11/5/09) Walt Disney World has put the new “Monorail Teal” into service this month. Monorail Teal isn’t actually a brand new monorail, but rather a Frankenstein style creation mixed up from the remains of Monorail Pink & Purple which will involved in the terrible crash this past July. You can see pictures of the ‘new’ Monorail Teal posted to Orlando United.

Downtown Disney News - (2/27/10) Screamscape was sent an interesting rumor about a possible new attraction under consideration for Downtown Disney. From the sounds of things these plans are a long ways off from being given the green light, but Disney is apparently looking into the possibility of putting on some kind of show at night on the water behind West Side and Pleasure Island. Depending on where they put it, the view of the water here may be a limited, unless they opt to demolish a few of the waterside structures in Pleasure Island. I’ve also got to think that the huge Characters in Flight Balloon may very well cause a visual problem as well. As for the show itself… look for the usual suspects of water screens, fire, lights and more, in sync with music.
    (2/20/10) According to VinylNation the former Planet Hollywood store in Downtown Disney will be transformed into a new retail location called D-Street that will become the flagship store for all things related to Disney VinylMation as well as other various alternative Disney merchandise.
    (2/11/10) Remember that rumor about an Aquarium Restaurant coming to Downtown Disney that was eyeballing the old Virgin Megastore? The latest update to the rumor claims that they are actually more interested in building a new structure in the old Pleasure Island area that would involve the demolition of one of the old nightclub buildings. It seems they may be looking at a couple of possible locations however, though the Mannequins site is said to be one of them.
    (2/10/10) I forgot to mention this last week but the Planet Hollywood gift shop in the West End (near Magnatron) has now closed down for good. This is not to be confused with the small PH gift shop in the round building in front of the restaurant, which is still open. You can see some pictures of this posted in the latest update on Orlando Parks News.
    (2/4/10) In a move sure to shock many, Disney confirmed that the McDonalds location at Downtown Disney would close forever on April 30th. A new quick service Latin-chicken restaurant called Pollo Campero will take its place.
    (2/1/10) For anyone interested the Save Pleasure Island Blog has posted some pictures taken inside the closed Mannequins club.
    (12/17/09) The Save Pleasure Island Blog shows off the current status of the Pleasure Island demoltion, which seems to have come to an end… for now. Scroll down a bit more and they also mention some good rumors about three new restaurants possibly on the way to the P.I. area from Schussler Creative: Orange County Chopper’s America’s Roadhouse, a Hot Dog Hall of Fame and a Polar Ultra Lounge (aka: Ice Bar). There is also an alternate possible theme for the Motorcycle themed BBQ eatery… but I’ve got to wonder how Harley Davidson feels about this, and why they haven’t jumped at building their own HD Café like the one in Las Vegas. Hmm…
    (12/11/09) The Orlando Sentinel has confirmed that Disney’s plans to renovate Pleasure Island wont be complete until the end of 2012.
    (12/1/09) A reader has sent in three fairly depressing pictures to share with everyone this week, showing off the inside of the closed Adventurer’s Club which seems to have already been stripped of virtually every major artifact that once covered the walls within. If you were holding out hope that Disney might reopen it someday, you can pretty much write off any remote chance of that ever happening now.
    (11/30/09) A few new pictures from Pleasure Island have been added to the Save Pleasure Island blog. Oh… and today is also the last day for the Princess Diana exhibit in the former Virgin Megastore.
    (11/25/09) Some new demolition pictures from Pleasure Island have been added to Orlando Rocks.
    (11/24/09) The SavePleasureIsland Blog has posted some new pictures (daytime this time!) showing off the early demolition work taking place on Pleasure Island. Even more interesting is a story they’ve posted claiming that the demolition work has come to a halt because the planned didn’t think to wonder what they were going to do with all those big Harley Davidson logo signs up all over many of the light-tower structures in the area. Can you say “Oops!”?
    (11/20/09) The SavePleasureIsland blog has reported that some demolition work has begun at P.I. this week. They’ve got some pictures to show as well of the DJ booth that was over the Sosa location is coming down along with some of the lighting structures. Meanwhile on the backside of Mannequins, the outdoor staircase that led up into the club from this side, occasional used as an entrance on very busy nights, is also being removed. They also report hearing renewed rumors (as have I) that the first major structure to come down entirely will be the Rock ‘n Roll Beach Club.
    (11/17/09) A reader tells us that they went by Downtown Disney this past weekend at the new Little MissMatched location was now open.
    (11/9/09) The former Starbillias location in Downtown Disney will soon reopen as a LittleMissMatched location. The new logo sign is up on the building along with a coming soon sign by the door.
    (9/8/09) While the exact nature of what may or may not happen in the Disney parks with the Marvel comic characeters is known yet, Screamscape has heard that perhaps the most likely possibility for them could be to create a Marvel Comics version of Star Wars Weekends that would run as a special event and not an attraction, as a possible loop-hole to get the characters into one of the WDW theme parks for a limited run.  I’ve also heard a very odd rumor about possibly repurposing the old Virgin Megastore into some kind of Marvel themed store that would sell merchandise as well as offer a few character Meet & Greets. As a retail store, it may also allow for a loop-hole to use the characters as it wouldn’t be a “theme park” experience. Of course, I’ve got to wonder if they may not go back and revive the old Marvel Mania restaurant idea as well for the same purpose.
    (6/8/09) I’m just going to file this one in the Wild Rumor folder for the time being, but one reader claims to have heard a story about how the Virgin MegaStore building may actually be leased out to Landry’s to turn it into another one of their Aquarium Restaurant concepts. This wouldn’t be entirely out of character for Landry’s either as they are already involved with Disney as the owners of the Rainforest Café, T-Rex as well as the Yak & Yeti inside the Animal Kingdom park. Anyone know more?

2011 / 2012 - Disney’s Animation Inn & Suites - (1/14/09) According to the latest report at Jim Hill Media, Disney may have decided to finally finish up the Pop Century Resort project, but with some significant changes. The half-built structures that have sat empty waiting for this moment will most likely be modified to become new multi-bedroom family suite rooms when they are ready to open sometime between late 2010 and 2011. Of course, Jim also mentions that the intention may be to entirely re-brand this resort as Disney’s Animation Inn & Suites, where they will then start to remodel some of the existing buildings into the new suite style rooms as well.
    (1/8/07) In regards to the eventual completion of the Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney confirmed to travel agents last April that unfinished side will be built up as new family style suites based on the demand for the 192 test units that were constructed at Disney’s All Star Music Resort last year. Disney has yet to provide anyone with a timetable to show a start or completion date on the project however.
    (1/5/07) In other news, a resort guest who stayed at Dinsney’s Pop Century resort tells us that several dormant construction vehicles were on site. Currently the resort is half built with five buildings themed to the second half of the century (50’s to 90’s). While there is a lobby / check-in building for the resort, there is also what looks like a completed second building already on site for the other five decades that have yet to be built (00 - 40’s) across the lake. Anyone know what the timeline is to complete this second half of the resort?

2011 / 2012 - Disney Cruise Line - (3/3/10) The Disney Cruise Line has shared some new pictures of the Disney Dream under construction this week, including an interesting look at one of the funnels being pulled through the icy waters by a tug boat. It also seems that the ship builder has one of their two webcams focused on the construction of the Disney Dream as well.
  While we’re talking about the new Disney Dream, want to see a couple of close up pictures showing off some pieces of the new AquaDuck waterslide waiting to be shipped off for installation? A reader sent in these exclusive shots to us showing off this new prototype slide concept in the flesh. I pity the poor crewmember who has to clean the streaks off the glass every day. Ha!
    (3/2/10) The German shipyard building the Disney Dream, Meyer Werft, is now offering tours of their facilities that include a peek into the area where they are building the massive Disney ships. They have also set up preview centers for the Disney Cruise Line as well. Any locals feel like dropping by and taking a few pictures?
    (2/16/10) A Screamscape reader freshly back from their Disney Cruise Line vacation sent in this great picture from Castaway Cay showing off the newly installed floating water fortress play area at the private island. They believed the name of the new play area was going to be Pelican Plunge, but it wasn’t quite ready to be opened to the guests to play on just yet.  Looks like it can’t be too much longer however.
    (1/5/10) A reader has sent in a pair of interesting pictures showing off what the Disney Cruise Line terminal looked like one year ago in January 2009 and then what it looked like as of late December 2009, as they prepare to expand the site and add new parking to handle the capacity needed for the two new ships on the way. Thanks to Tyler A. P. Moody for the photos!

    (10/30/09) Disney released some great details about the new Disney Dream ship coming in 2011. For starters, take a look at this page and you’ll notice one major difference in particular, the addition of a large and long water coaster style slide that runs around the top deck of the ship… in a CLEAR tube, even hanging over the edge at one point. They call it the AquaDuck.
    Yes, the rumor I posted back on 2/26/09 has come true, “the ships may feature a crazy new waterslide design that will use a clear acrylic tube that will extend quite a ways over the edge of the ship before turning back in towards the ship again for the splashdown. So the only thing between your rear end and the ocean far far below will be a thin clear tube. Creepy… and very cool.”
    Well… mostly true, as even then I had not heard that it was a water coaster, much like the Crush ‘n Gusher slides at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, so there will at least be a raft between your rear end and the see-through tube hanging over the edge of the ocean. According to the official description, “Guests are propelled at high speeds from Deck 12, Aft through an acrylic tube on a breathtaking journey up, down, around and off the side of the ship, through the Forward Funnel and—following a mammoth drop—into a lazy river.” The AquaDuck is 765 feet long and will feature a “4 deck drop”.
    One more interesting feature of the Disney Dream is the “Virtual Porthole” added to the interior staterooms. This faux porthole HD video screen will show off real-time views of the outside world that will actually match up with the location of your stateroom’s position within the ship. From time to time, select Disney characters will also make surprise appearance in the porthole… such as the starfish from Finding Nemo, Captain Hook’s pirate ship out on the waves or even Mickey could drop by. Anything is possible, but if you get tired of it, you can turn off the Porthole at any time.
    (10/13/09) The Disney Cruise Line has announced plans to renovate Castaway Cay, the line’s own private island port of call. The plan is to add more water based fun activities as well as new beachside luxury features. Of course, they also need to do some upgrades to allow for the line’s two newest and biggest ships (Disney Dream & Diseny Fantasy) to dock.
    According to Disney they will add a massive 2400 square-foot “floating” water fortress called Pelican Plunge, that will feature water canons, a tipping bucket, and two water slides. To new landbased areas will also be added: Scuttle’s Cove (kiddie play area) and something called Spring-A-Leak, which will look like beach house that has been wrecked by a storm and feature a ton of leaky pipes and water spray features. Look like Pelican Plunge to open first in the first half of 2010.
    On the luxury side of things, 20 new cabanas will be added to the adults only beach (Senenity Bay) and 16 more at the Family Beach. These are more like mini-houses than a tent, as they each feature a front deck with a view of the water, lounge chairs, an outdoor shower, mini fridge and each has a flagpole for you to use to alert the bartenders when you need a drink. Other features being added to the island include a second buffet restaurant, a new beach bar, a new tram stop and second beach equipment rental building, to go along with a 70% space increase to the Family Beach area.
    (9/14/09) The Disney Cruise Line announced that they will be heading up to Alaska in 2011 with the Disney Wonder.
    (3/11/09) Disney has officially given names to their two new ships: Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. It’s kind of funny though, as I guessed one of the two ships would be given the Disney Dream name a little over a year ago when the Disneyland Hotel renamed their three hotel towers to: Magic, Wonder and Dream towers. The Disney Dream will hit the waves first, launching in 2011 followed a year later by the Disney Fantasy.
    (2/23/07) The Disney Cruise Line confirmed plans yesterday afternoon to build two new unnamed ships that are planned to go into service in 2011 and 2012. The two yet-to-be-named ships will actually stand two stories taller than the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic and weighing in at an impressive 122,000 tons compared to the 83,000 tons of the older ships. The new twins will be built in Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard and feature 1,250 staterooms compared to the 877 staterooms on the first two. Right now they have not yet set the specific itineraries for the ships, but a previous rumor suggested that one might be sent periodically to the West coast to make the Alaska runs since the Wonder and Magic are not outfitted for that kind of environment.

2012 - Four Seasons Resort - (3/16/10) The latest photo update to MouseSteps takes us on a tour to see the progress over at the Four Seasons Resort constrution site.
    (1/27/10) According to this report following the different internet domain names Disney has registered for of late, Disney has nabbed up 20 different domain names referring to the Golden Oak brand names, rumored to be used for the new residential community next to the Four Seasons hotel. The names include DisneyGoldenOak.com, GoldenOakAtDisney.com, GoldenOakAtWaltDisneyWorld.com and many more.
    (12/30/09) A Screamscape source has come to tell us a bit more about an small residential area being built as part of the Four Seasons Resort on WDW Property. They tell us that it will be named Golden Oak, a reference to Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch in California, and that it will be fairly small, consisting of only between 30 to 50 homes. Of course these ‘homes’ will apparently all cost in the 7-figure range and will be within a completely gated community that may come with special benefits such as annual passes for the residents. Of course many of these “homes” are likely to become vacation property rentals or things picked up by higher end corporations as a perk for their executives. A sales center and model home building is already under construction. Look for them to start trying to pre-sell the homes sometime in 2010.
    (12/22/09) New construction pictures showing off the site of the Four Seasons resort and more have been posted to MouseSteps.
    (10/6/09) MouseSteps has posted a few new construction pictures showing off the current state of the Four Seasons Resort area.
    (9/2/08) We finally get a peek at just what the new Four Seasons resort on Walt Disney World property will look like, posted over at the Orlando Sentinel. According to the article, site prep has already started and the hotel is looking to open in 2012 instead of 2010.
    (3/1/07) Walt Disney World made two surprise announcements today about a major expansions planned for the resort. Disney has struck a deal to construct a 900 acre luxury resort and commercial district on the site of the current Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses. The new site will be anchored by an official Four Seasons hotel and include an 18 hole golf course, like keeping one of the two existing courses or perhaps some kind of combination of the two. The site will also include an area for “single and multi-family vacation homes and fractional ownership vacation homes.” Screamscape has heard that the land itself for that has been rezoned from Reedy Creek to Orange County to prevent anyone else’s agenda from getting in the way of Disney and Reedy Creek which is pretty much their unofficial district they maintain control over. Work on the new hotel is supposed to begin later this year, though it wont be ready to open until 2010.

2013 - Bowling Stadium - (2/22/10) It looks like that Bowling Stadium project has been pushed back until at least 2013. I missed this article at the time, but looks like when the economy went south back in 2008, the plans for the 100 lane facility were also put on hold due to financing problems from the unannounced backer of the facility.
    (6/10/08) Disney’s Wild World of Sports, or whatever new ESPN brand name it will have in the near future, will begin to host a huge bowling tournament starting in 2011 for the United States Bowling Congress. To handle the huge 20 week events each year from 2011 to 2029, Disney will build a huge “Bowling Stadium” that will feature at least 100 lanes, stadium style seating, a new restaurant and more.
    Yes, you read that number correctly! At least 100 lanes of bowling… and according to this article that could make this the biggest bowling stadium in the country, and when the lanes aren’t being used for the competition, they will be open for all us regular folks to go play on. Disney has only said that an unnamed company will build and operate the 160,000 square-foot center. They expect it to be open by early 2010.
    There seems to be some debate over what the biggest bowling alley in the country is right now as some older centers that had over 100 lanes have closed in the last few years, including the 106 site at the Las Vegas’ Showboat. The current world leader (as far as I can find) is the 156 lane Nagoya Grand Bowl in Japan, but even that was dwarfed by the previous world record holder, the now closed Tokyo World Lanes that once claimed to have 252 lanes of bowling under one roof.

???? - Disney’s Jungle Trek / Night Kingdom - In Development - (8/21/08) According to information leaked in from the UK, it seems Disney may have changed the name of Disney’s Night Kingdom into Disney’s Jungle Trek. It seems a marketing group was issuing concept surveys to people in the UK who were frequent visitors to Walt Disney World to promote the newest take on the concept. The basic idea was a premium park experience like Discovery Cove with prices ranging between $250 - $350 a person. The experience would last five hours and include a two hour adventure hike across scary bridges into the jungle where you would come across ancient ruins, rare animal encounters and more along the way as your small group works together on some kind of mission task. It seems that the trip will also have more than one path for people who are unable, unwilling or just too young to take on the more physical challenges of the adventure, there will be alternative routes you can take as well.
    At the end of the hike you will come upon what is called the Global Village where you will spend the next three hours either relaxing or exploring even more new features if you’ve still got the energy. The features here will include more animal encounters, rock climbing, zip lines and more. This is where you will also stop to eat as well in The Marketplace.
    The overall list of attractions mentioned so far includes an encounters with a few different ancient ruins and temples, zip lines, a rain forest, boat rides, an otherworldly visit to the Spirit House, scary bridges over crocodile pits and encounters with hippos, bats, penguins, tortoises and kangaroos as they strive to take you on an adventure though five different wild regions of the world: Africa, South America, North America, Asia and Australia.
    Now the big change here is that they seem to have moved away from the After Dark only concept of the older Disney’s Night Kingdom proposal. They mention that these Jungle Trek tours would depart frequently between the hours of 9am to 9pm… so while there will be nighttime adventures offered (9pm to 2am for the last tour), there will be plenty of daytime opportunities as well.
    (7/3/08) While there still isn’t a lot known for sure about Disney’s Night Kingdom project, we have heard a rumor that some early site clearing for the project may have already started not too far from Animal Kingdom, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, unless the plan changes they concept of incorporating an Adventure’s Club into this project is still alive, so perhaps many features of the original club will live on here.
    (4/25/08) Today I have to officially change my stance on the whole Disney’s Night Kingdom park concept. New information has come to my attention proving that the concept is indeed in the works for Walt Disney World and shooting to open possibly in 2012. From what I’ve been told the history of the project comes from a desire by Disney to create their own version of a high-end Discovery Cove style mini-park experience mixed with an original proposal for a major overhaul and expansion to the existing Adventure’s Club at Pleasure Island.
    From the sound of things basic funding has been approved to proceed on with the design of this small but expensive project, but it’s not without some serious design challenges and still isn’t exactly the experience that Jim Hill had previously described. The big attraction and icon of the park, right now, appears to be a large central Disney-made mountain structure where guests will be forced to ‘rock climb’ to the top, take zip lines down again and explore a serious network of caves. The goal is for this to be a very interactive game based adventure experience, with both mental and physical challenges. The tricky part of the design process they’re said to be in now involves balancing it all out so that it doesn’t become so physically difficult that guests will become too pooped or intimidated to play while at the same time, they have to be sure they aren’t catering to the bottom end and make it all far too easy and boring for everyone else.
    As for the game aspect, it seems that the test run of that Kim Possible Communicator game at Epcot a year or so ago was just a large scale concept test for the Night Kingdom game concept. The idea is to equip every guest with their own communicator unit that will guide them from place to place, push them in the right direction when they get stuck, and be used to help solve the various games, puzzles and adventure challenges. Your communicator will also serve as a way for the park to identify you individually as a player and customize your interactions with the various game stations and animatronics. Fuzzy robots wont be the only things you interact with however, as there seems to be a plan in place to develop a number of encounters with live animals as well.
    (2/15/08) Jim Hill Media chummed the Disney waters today with his latest report about a possible new 5th park project in the works called Disney’s Night Kingdom. This concept is apparently something to compete with Discovery Cove and will feature a limited number of guests in a very interactive environment at a very premium price ($250-300). I can confirm that ever since SeaWorld first announced their plans for Discovery Cove, Disney has slaving away on a number of ideas to create a similar high-end concept, though most of them have involved finding an alternate use for the closed down Discovery Island and River Country areas. (Anyone remember the old rumor about Disney hiring the Myst video game team to create an adventure concept for them?) 
    Anyway, after reading through Jim’s article my first real impression is that this isn’t a plan for a 5th park at all, but more of a concept for a high-end after-hours tour experience around the resort. In his own descriptions it mentions guests checking in at an expanded Adventure’s Club location, night-vision tours of the savanna at Animal Kingdom, a tour of a bat cave and other things that all sound like they take place in existing areas of Walt Disney World after the rest of the daytime guests have gone home. A lot of the idea really sounds more like a nighttime version of the same kind of Adventure Tour concept cruise lines offer at the various ports, except that instead of offering it to cruise guests, it will be offered to Walt Disney World Resort guests on property. Seen in that light, it does make sense and sounds like something that could be arranged with a small capital investment cost, since the key is finding a way to make money off of many resort areas that are closed at night, which was pretty much the same concept that drove Disney to create the whole Grad Night concept in the first place.
    But I’m just not buying it as a concept for an official 5th Park. Just by calling it a “5th Park” would indicate to most guests that it would be something included in their Park Hopper options, which it clearly would not be. Keeping in mind the concept’s rumored Adventure’s Club check-in location, I’m just going to call Disney’s Night Kingdom an “Adventure Tour” and nothing more.

???? - Western Beltway Development - (12/4/07) According to the Orlando Sentinel private developers and merchants will be able to run their own small restaurants, a grocery store, retail shops and even a few “value” level hotels as part of Walt Disney World’s new Western development project. Disney has begun to offer parcels for sale for the 450 acre development project that they are calling Flamingo Crossings off Western Way that will be built up over the next decade.
    (3/12/07) Disney released some artwork of the Western Beltway Development project area with maps this week. For some reason it all looks very similar to the retail development off 192 just outside Celebration,
    (3/1/07) Walt Disney World made two surprise announcements today about a major expansions planned for the resort: The new Four Seasons resort and their Western Beltway Development plans. Disney is planning to develop a 450 acre retail and commercial development just outside the gateway near where Western Way meets the Western Beltway. This new area will include even more 3rd party branded hotels (4,000 to 5,000 rooms), restaurants and gift shops that will be built in phases over the next 10 years with site work also to begin before the end of the year.