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General News - (6/29/09) Some interesting new pictures taken at Downtown Disney have been posted to MouseSteps this week, showing off a balloon version of the house from UP set up near the AMC Theater entrance. If you go to the bottom half of page 2, you can also seem some early construction finally started on the site of the Four Seasons hotel too. As for the whole Grad Night thing... Disney’s own websites have confirmed that Grad Nite 2010 will be moved back to the Magic Kingdom.
  (6/26/09) I’ve heard a rumor that Disney is seriously considering moving the Grad Night events back to the Magic Kingdom next year. According to one report, moving the event to the Studios gave them more room for music performance and dance areas, but the park was just lacking in the rides department and the shows (Idol, Indy and even Fantasmic) played to small or nearly empty crowds as the teens chose to avoid them.
  (6/15/09) The DVCNews site has posted an update about a new planned refurbishment plan for the Boardwalk Resort’s Villas. In general to other updates, all of the Villas will be updated to feature new flat-panel HDTVs and other new appliances, with the rehabs to start taking place from this summer through January 2010.
  (6/7/09) Disney is now offering Cabana style service at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon for $250 (plus tax) for a space that can accommodate up to six people. The service includes a personal attendant, private lockers, all day refillable drink mugs, a cooler stocked with bottled water, private lounge and table space, and more. At Blizzard Beach they are being called the Polar Patios which can be obtained at the Shade Shack, meanwhile over at Tyhoon they are called the Beachcomber Shacks and can be obtained at High ‘N Dry. From what I understand, you can not reserve them in advance (yet) and these are available on a first-come basis only right now. Oh… one more fun update from Blizzard Beach I’m told is that Disney is testing out their first Haystack dryer unit, charging $5 for the experience of cramming four people into the unit to get blown dry.
  One more interesting update for Resort guests this week… as I’ve been told that Southwest Airlines is currently testing out a Resort Airline Check-In program at the Pop Century Resort. Guests at the resort flying Southwest can now check their bags and get their boarding passes right at the hotel on the day of departure. If this works out, we may see the service expand to the other Disney Resorts.
  (5/29/09) According to this article Disney will build a new ESPN Innovation Lab facility at the Wide World of Sports Complex. The basic idea for the lab is to allow them to play-test new broadcast concepts before they are put to use during actual game programming. This wont be a tourist attraction however, though it is likely that a large window will be set up for guests to peek in to see what’s going on inside.
  (5/25/09) The new Vinylmantion Park #2 series of figures just came out this past week and you can find pictures and details about them all here.
  (5/16/09) Some new pictures of the latest developments around Walt Disney World can be found this weekend at MouseSteps. This includes a look at the now closed Virgina MegaStore, the Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower along with a brief stop inside the Magic Kingdom.
  (5/9/09) All new pictures of the Treehouse Villas, Bay Lake Tower and aerial shots from the Characters In Flight balloon ride have been posted to MouseSteps this week.
  (4/18/09) Disney fans, there is a new news blog on the net for you called Disney At Work. One of their first articles talks a bit about how the Magic Kingdom park is remembering a former Imagineer at The Mad Tea Party ride.
  New Unofficial Tribute websites for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort have been launched in the last couple of months. From what I’ve been told, these are the creations of the same people responsible for the WDW For Grownups and Unofficial Tribute To Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge sites.
  (3/31/09) First Disney was offering some good package deals on rooms and now they’re offering a free food program to people who buy a 5-night / 6 day park ticket package between August 16 and October 3rd. The promotion will include one free quick-service meal, one snack, and one table-service meal for each night of the package. Reservations for this deal must be made by June 21st.
  (3/25/09) Two quick news items to share today. For starters, Typhoon Lagoon has now reopened after being closed for the past six months. Any readers decide to stop by and see what’s new or changes at the park from this lengthy rehab? I’m also interested if there is anything different about the wave pool now, since that was rumored to be the cause of the lengthy closure in the first place.
  In other news, we’ve heard from a Cast Member that staff layoffs have begun this week. While the upper levels of management being let go (voluntary or involuntary) are doing so with “handsome” retirement packages, the rest of the resorts staff are being told that nothing like that will be offered to any of the lower tiers, as they are now looking to weed out the poor performers. “I saw at least ten people walked out today that I know, and none of them were poor performers. Some of them were among the best I have worked with - Partner's In Excellence recipients, highly rated performers, and some that were recently promoted.”
  And while this is all because business is supposed to be decreasing, the “Remaining managers in the parks have been told to expect to work six days for a while because they parks have been so busy.” And it does seem odd to me that they would choose right now to start laying people off when they are in the middle of the busy Spring Break season in Florida, one that wont ease up for another month at least when Florida gets one last month to breathe easy before the huge summer crowds come flooding in. It just seems an odd-time to be cutting back... especially if WDW management is enacting mandatory six-day work weeks for some CMs. It makes me wonder if they are budget Cutting or Culling...
  (3/18/09) Disney is teaming up with Chef Cat Cora to open a new restaurant on Walt Disney World property this fall according to the Orlando Sentinel. The new restaurant will replace Spoodles at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and feature Mediterranean-style cuisine.
  (3/13/09) New construction pictures of the Treehouse Villas, the Balloon ride dock at Downtown Disney, Saratoga Spring construction as well as Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival can be seen at MouseSteps.
  (3/11/09) La Nouba has announced a Florida Residence special, offering tickets up to 20% off for Category 2 seats ($64 adult / $52 child) from March 10 through June 27th. There is a blackout period here however from April 4 – 8th, and you can buy your tickets at the box office or by calling 407-WDW-SEAT.
  (3/1/09) I don’t know any details, but we’ve heard rumors that Disney may be planning some kind of new themed restaurant that may have a tie to the upcoming animated film, The Princess and the Frog. I don’t know which park this may be for, only that it is something proposed for somewhere in Walt Disney World and is rumored to include animatronic figures of some of the film’s characters, including a figure of “Louis” who is a Jazz singing alligator character who apparently does a lot of comedy bits in the film and also plays a trumpet. You can find a picture of this character here, and see the teaser trailer for the film here.
  In other news, new pictures of Pleasure Island, the new Balloon ride at site at Downtown Disney and a peek at the dirt being pushed around on the Four Seasons site can all be seen at MouseSteps.
  (2/25/09) All new pictures of Fort Wilderness, the Bay Lake Tower and more have been posted to MouseSteps.
  (2/16/09) According to a reader some CMs were informed that Disney was about to hold an audition looking for comedy style actors who could also sing, with the goal of hiring about 60 performers. While at first I started to think about a possible reopening of the Adventure’s Club and Comedy Warehosue… 60 actors still seems like way too many. Anyone else have a clue?
  (2/9/09) I’ve been told that Sanaa, the new restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Villas, has set a tentative opening date of May 1st. However DVC members will be allowed to make advances reservations (via Member Services) starting February 16th. Reservations will open to the public (via: 407-WDW-DINE) starting February 23rd.
  In other news we’ve heard that the High Rock Spring Pool at the Saratoga Springs Resort will be closed for renovations from March 9th to March 30th.
  (2/4/09) I’ve received the following updates about Diseny’s latest DVC properties. Apparently they will begin booking reservations for the new Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort on February 8th, with the tower ahead of schedule and looking to open around August 4th right now. Also on Feb 8th, DVC Members with ownership interest in Saratoga Springs may also begin booking reservations for the new Treehouse Villas. All other DVC members can book the Bay Lake Tower and Treehouse Villas starting February 22.
  In other news Resort Guests can look forward to trying out a new service called Disney’s Online Check-In later this month. Guests can virtually check-in up to 10 days in advance online and pick up a welcome kit with a Key to the World Card waiting for them at a special Online Check-In station in the resort lobby.
  (2/2/09) While Typhoon Lagoon is officially on the schedule to reopen on March 22nd, we’ve heard a rumor that the park may be closed a little longer than expected due to complications with that wave pool repair job that has kept the park closed all winter long. Anyone know more?
  (1/22/09) Some new pictures of the Treehouse rooms, Animal Kingdom Lodge and a night time look at the outside and inside changes at the Contemporary Resort have been posted to MouseSteps.
  (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 in mid to late 2010. 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.
  In other news an unofficial tribute website for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has opened this past week at AKLResort.com. Check it out if you want to know anything and everything about one of Disney’s more unique resort experiences.
  (12/19/08) According to a posting at the Orlando United forum, the new Disney Design A Tee store is now open in Downtown Disney.
  (5/19/08) Walt Disney World and ESPN are joining forces to “rebrand“ Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex with the ESPN brand. The final plan has not yet been decided yet as many ideas are still being developed but according to Disney’s press release, “initial concepts involve renaming the sports complex and incorporating the signature elements of ESPN throughout the 220-acre facility”.

Downtown Disney & Pleasure Island News - (6/19/09) As one of our readers put it best today... I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that the rumors about a Princess Diana attraction taking over the Virgin Megastore location are true. The official name of the attraction is, “DIANA - The People’s Princess” where you’ll see displays about her, her history, her wedding, and of course... a large collection of her former gowns. It will open in July on the lower floor of the former Virgin Megastore at a price of $14.50 for Adults and $5 for kids. Now for the good news... this is only a temporary attraction that will run from July through to November, so this leaves room for something bigger and better to move in by next year.
  (6/16/09) I’m hoping to god this rumor isn’t true, but the Save Pleasure Island blog has posted a story that indicates that the former Virgin Megastore site could be replaced by a display of gowns worn by Princess Diana. Yeah… you read that right. Somehow I can’t see a display of clothing filling up the Starbillas joint, let alone the massive Virgin Megastore building… nor can I see people lining up to pay to see this. But I’ve been wrong before… Holyland is still open after all. (Tax dodgers…)
  In other news, there is another rumor going around claiming that AMC may be drawing up plans to possibly take over the building to convert it into new theater space, using the height to install a true sized IMAX theater as well. Of course there already is one down the road at Pointe Orlando…
  (6/9/09) Pictures taken at the top Paradiso 37 restaurant, the only new thing to open in the now closed Pleasure Island area, have been posted to the Save Pleasure Island blog and MouseSteps. While I haven’t eaten there and can’t speak about the quality of the food, given the high prices I’ve heard about those of you on a budget may want to just make the short drive down the street to the Crossroads eat at Chevy’s instead.
  (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?
  (5/18/09) Is another big store getting ready to pull out of Downtown Disney? According to a source Starbilias has now marked almost everything in the store 40% off, which is a good sign that they may be trying to move the merchandise before their lease expires. In another bit of news, we’ve also heard a strange rumor that the frequently busy McDonalds in Downtown Disney may also be thinking of closing up shop here, and only running the one location closer to Animal Kingdom outside the All Stars Resorts. Anyone know more about either?
  (5/15/09) Screamscape sources report that the Virgin Megastore closed down for good at midnight this past Tuesday (May 12th) night. 
  (4/23/09) Disney held a grand opening ceremony for the new Characters In Flight balloon ride this past week, and you can see pictures of it at MouseSteps.
  (4/20/09) Screamscape sources tell us that DisneyQuest is expected to roll out their new standup Guitar Hero game this Wednesday if all goes according to plan.
  (4/17/09) MouseSteps has finally posted footage (photos and video) after taking a ride on the new Characters In Flight balloon ride.
  (4/15/09) Two more videos showing off the questionable entertainment value of the P.I. Street Party have been added to the JeffLangeDVD site. I’ve been told that they feature even more footage of the ever watchful Stilt Walkers... so watch at your own risk.
  (4/13/09) A bunch of new pictures of the Pleasure Island Street Party area have been posted to MouseSteps this week. Some videos have also been added to the JeffLangeDVD website as well showing off some the interactive entertainment, which seems to use the overly abundant “Orlando Stilt-Walkers”. Sorry… got to rant here, but I’ve never been a big fan of stilt walkers, but it seems that every park and attraction in Central Florida is almost obligated to used them. They’ve become like the Mob… or Teamsters or something. You can’t have a major event, especially at night, in any Orlando park, without at least two of them. It doesn’t matter if it’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, Via La Musica at SeaWorld, Mardi Gras at Universal, or even just a simple Media event… the stilt walkers are everywhere. Looming High… spying on everyone…
  Beware I tell you… beware…
  (4/10/09) Last month we had heard that Disney was trying to hire new DJ’s for Downtown Disney. It looks like the answer to what they have planned was posted to the Save Pleasure Island blog, where the idea is to do some kind of Dueling DJ’s with heavy crowd interaction at P.I. to liven things up in an area they’ve dubbed Celebration Plaza. This is the area between the Comedy Warehouse and the old BET Soundstage.
  In other news Disney has opened a new gift shop at Downtown Disney a few weeks ago that comes with a bit of attitude. Check out Tren-D, a new women’s clothing and accessory store that is aimed at the Teen-to-35 age range. Look for it in the Marketplace near the Pin Trading and Once Upon A Toy locations.
  (4/3/09) MouseSteps has posted some pictures of the Characters In Flight balloon taking another test flight.
  (4/1/09) The Characters In Flight balloon has been making test runs lately, and you can see pictures of it posted from RCPro who spotted it in the air all the way from the SeaWorld Skytower. Meanwhile some closer picture of it testing can be seen over at Orlando United.
  (3/29/09) MouseSteps has posted some more pictures of the Characters in Flight balloon which is apparently expected to be up and running by April.
  (3/26/09) I’ve got a couple of weird updates from the world of Downtown Disney this week. Our souce tells us that while the Virgin Megastore is expected to close down on May 31st, no one knows for sure who is going to take over, if anyone. We know the old Apple store rumor has been around for quite some time… but never with any solid proof to back it up. Meanwhile over at DisneyQuest the new Guitar Hero arcade version has yet to arrive… though this is apparently Disney’s fault this time around. It seems that the arcade machines were ready to go when someone at Disney decided that they had to make a few objections to some of the song and lyric content on a few tracks. As a result, a special Disney approved version of the game is now being worked on, so there is no telling when it will hit the game floor.
  (3/25/09) The big surprise is that the new Characters In Flight balloon is now up and floating at Downtown Disney. While it isn’t open just yet, you can see photos of it sitting on the dock posted to MouseSteps and the Save Pleasure Island blog this week. They also snapped a photo of the prices: $16 for an adult and $10 for kids to ride the big balloon upwards of 400 feet into the air. Maybe it’s just me... but this could be the most frightening ride in all of Walt Disney World.
  (3/19/09) The various rumors about the Pleasure Island area of Downtown Disney are interesting, though I’m not sure exactly how true they are. For example we have this week’s rumor, which tells the story about an Exec. from Hanes who was in town last week to get a tour of the new Design-A-Tee store. That part was fine, but apparently he was less than pleased to see all the closed up buildings in Pleasure Island turning the site into a dead zone. True or not true… Disney really doesn’t need to get something rolling here soon.
  (3/18/09) Take a peek at this Disney Audition website and you’ll see that they are currently seeing DJ’s for a new gig at Downtown Disney described as an “exciting new night time offering”. Again… could this be linked to a future revival effort of a Pleasure Island venue or two? Something to think about…
  (3/17/09) It’s been about a year since I’ve heard this rumor, but the story that Apple may be interested in taking over the Virgin MegaStore location, to create the world’s biggest Apple store has come up once again. Of course this wouldn’t just be to sell hardware, as the story goes the new concept may actually sell the same kinds Multimedia stuff that Virgin Megastore did. Anyone know more?
  (3/4/09) Virgin Megastore has confirmed that they will be closing down their six remaining stores this summer, including the one at Walt Disney World.
  (2/23/09) The Save Pleasure Island blog folks have let us know that Disney is once again taking bookings for private events in former Motion, BET Soundstage and Adventure’s Club venues, though they are not allowing any bookings in the old Mannequins or 8TRAX locations. Right now they are only taking bookings through September 30th.
  (2/12/09) According to one of our readers Disney held a DJ Audition at the Atlantic Dance Hall not too long ago. According to someone who went, the Disney casting agents informed them that “Atlantic Dance Hall and our partners across property have requested us to find more DJ’s for them.” If you were looking to find a hidden meaning in that statement, you might want to think about where Disney used to feature DJ’s most often until last fall. This may go along with the rumors that Disney could be seeking to reopen some of the Pleasure Island club scene in time for Spring Break.
  (2/10/09) A Screamscape source tells us that DisneyQuest is about to get something new at last… but unfortunately it wont be a new custom attraction. Instead it will be the new arcade version of the popular Guitar Hero game, and it’s expected to arrive sometime before the end of the month, so get ready to rock. Speaking of which… can we make a hybrid version of the Guitar Hero game installed inside a Cyperspace Mountain pod so we can have Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Hero? Just an idea…
  (2/5/09) For anyone interested, a reader sent us a link showing off the aerial view of what the Balloon Ride dock at Disneyland Paris looks like here.
  (2/4/09) According to the Orlando Sentinel Harley-Davidson has been playing around with the idea of taking over the old Mannequins building to build a Harley-Davidson Café.
  (2/3/09) We’ve heard from a couple of people today confirming that Disney has reopened private bookings for the Adventure’s Club and maybe other venues through to the end of the fiscal year. One source was walking through PI the other evening when they spotted a few suits getting a tour of the site, standing outside one of the club for a time talking when suddenly the outside lights of the club all came back on. It certainly looks like Disney is looking over their options to bring the area back to life in some form.
  (2/2/09) I’ve heard a rumor this weekend that Disney may have reopened bookings for some of the old Pleasure Island nightclub locations as well as the Adventure’s Club. If the rumor is true, staff were informed that they may be taking new bookings for special events through to October 1st, 2009 now, the end of Disney’s fiscal year. There are whispers starting to work their way up about possibly doing something to breathe new lift into the area sooner than later, perhaps reopening the Adventure Club and a Club or two for the spring break crowds. Anyone know more?
  (1/30/0 9) A reader has sent in a couple of pictures from Downtown Disney where they are installing the new Balloon ride.
  (1/19/09) While very little is still known about what the future will hold for Pleasure Island, we’ve heard rumors that with the economy in the state that it is a many of those 3rd party vendors Disney had lined up to take over the old P.I. Club locations have been dropping out. My source also tells me that some higher level Disney suits, upon touring the site, are currently not very happy with the way the area looks to guests. So I guess the real question is… if the 3rd party groups have ran for the hills, will Disney step up to put in their own new concepts to bring the former PI area to life again?
  (1/12/09) The DisneyGeek crew sent in a few pictures taken in late December showing off the construction of the new Characters In Flight balloon ride.
  (1/7/09) According to the E-Brands website employment section they are now hiring for a new location called “Salty Rim in Downtown Disney (Opening 2009)”. The site’s list of restaurants list the new concept’s full name as Salty Rim Dockside Café. From the sound of things, this is likely the concept formerly known as “La Dolbe”. From another source we get the following text that I believe may be from the newest Disney Eyes & Ears newsletter, “A restaurant and bar opening in spring 2009 in Downtown Disney will feature Mexican and South American cuisine, an international wine bar and a tequila bar of more than 50 kinds of tequila and 10 signature frozen margaritas. The new, as-yet-unnamed restaurant is being developed by E-Brands Restaurant Group, a multi-concept restaurant group that currently owns and operates Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bars,
Samba Rooms, Taqueria Canonita, Aquaknox, David Burke, Salsa Orlando and Canonita Express in a number of cities across the United States. The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. until late night, with nightly entertainment.”
  (12/11/08) It’s been awhile since we’ve posted a photos update from Downtown Disney and we have a few new things to look at thanks to one of our readers. You can see the nearly finished new covered amphitheater as well as artwork and early construction for the new Characters in Flight balloon ride set to open in Spring 2009. The drilling for the docks for the attraction is now taking place in the water just past the main entrance to the AMC Theater on the Pleasure Island side.
  (12/8/08) According to the rumor mill a number of the old Pleasure Island clubs are being gutted right now. In fact according to one rumor some of the lighting equipment from Mannequin’s has been removed for refurbishment with the intention to install it at the American Idol show at the Studios. Meanwhile we’ve heard that the emptying out of Comedy Warehouse and 8-Trax is already well under way.
  (11/24/08) Screamscape sources tell us that virtually all of the old nightclub locations at Pleasure Island either have already been stripped of all the major props and technical items at this point, unless they were previously booked for a special event. In case of the later, apparently the work crews are ready to decend upon those locations in January.
  (10/22/08) While we’re not entirely certain of everything that may happen in the old Pleasire Island area for the Holidays I’ve heard that the one thing that seems for certain will be the return of the PI Live broadcast to bring some life back. However look for the new PI Live to take on a more Radio Disney style approach, playing more kid friendly music clips as well as hyping up some of the retail stores.
  (10/21/08) According to one source, in the weeks that have followed the closure of Pleasure Island, WDW Management has been made aware of just how dead and silent the middle of Downtown Disney has become. On top of this, we’ve heard rumors that the poor economy has also made several of the 3rd party companies who were set to move in, start to second guess these costly projects. With serious demolition not even planned until sometime in 2009, the rumor leaking from Team Disney is that management is looking into possibly reopening some of the venues for the busy Holiday season. Anyone else heard this?
  (10/20/08) A ton (250 or so) of pictures from a private event at the Adventure’s Club for the NFFC has been posted to MouseSteps this week.
  (10/1/08) Video footage from the last night of the Adventure’s Club has been posted to A Walk In The Park.
  (9/30/08) Regarding that letter handed out to some guests at the last night of the Adventure’s Club, it seems that copies of that letter have been handed out on and off over the years, so this wasn’t anything new. From the sound of it, they were handing out all kinds of little things like this to clear out their closets I suppose, in addition to the letter people were getting creed scrolls, Adventure’s Club pins, cast photos and more. As for the finale of the evening, I’ve been told that Bestwick arrived and announced that the old monkey, Marcel the Butler, got rich and has decided to take the entire crew on a one year safari that was leaving first thing Sunday morning. I’m not sure of the significance of the ‘one year’ part, though that has caused some speculation amongst the masses. It was also determined that the never-ending radio-thon failed to raise the needed funds. And Otis finally won the balderdash cup instead of Emil. You can see a bit more about the final evening’s events posted to JimHillMedia.
  (9/29/08) MouseSteps has posted a few pictures from Pleasure Islands’ last night, mostly of Frankie and the West End Boys concert, but there are a few showing off the huge lines outside the Adventure’s Club. Apparently the line started forming at 8am that morning. You can also take a final virtual tour of the club over at MouseSteps.
  (9/12/08) Screamscape sources claim that suits have been spotted walking the island with rolled blueprints lately, looking over the current BET, Adventure Club, Beach Club and Motion buildings. As for the buildings on the other side of the street (8-Trax, Mannequins) we’ve heard that there may be no set plans for those sights yet, which could possibly mean they could have a date with a wrecking ball in order to build up something entirely new.
  (7/2/08) According to a letter Disney is sending out to travel agents, the new Mickey themed Hanes T-Shirt Factory store should open this fall. It also mentions that a new E-brands Restaurant concept will premier in Spring 2009 featuring Central and South American cuisine and music along the waterfront. I wonder if this is the “La Dolbe” Restaurant seen at Attractions Magazine which seems to be planning to take over the building between Adventure’s Club and the closed Beach Club that is currently sitting empty.
  (6/27/08 - Breaking News) As all the Pleasure Island Cast Members arrived for work tonight, apparently they were all informed about a mandatory meeting that would take place at 7pm that would also delay the opening of Pleasure Island until 9pm.
  The meeting that followed couldn’t have been more shocking as the Disney’s VP in charge of Downtown Disney announced that Saturday, September 27th would be the very last night of operation for Pleasure Island. All six clubs at Pleasure Island will close down for good after this date but all retail shops and restaurants locations will remain open however. To spell it out… Mannequins, 8 Trax, BET Soundstage, Motion, Comedy Warehouse and The Adventure’s Club will all close their doors forever at 2am on September 28th. They were quick to tell all the CMs that no layoffs were planned as of this time, though meetings are still taking place with the various parties involved so no guarantees.
  Disney has even managed to post a FAQ about this new announcement on their website already. According to the FAQ, Pleasure Island will be re-imagined, based on guest feedback, to feature a mix of “dining and shopping” options to be announced in the future. Hmmm… sounds like the rest of Downtown Disney, doesn’t it? While lacking in details, according to sources at the meeting, it was indicated that the transformation would take at least a year or two to fully complete. Meanwhile an article already posted at the Orlando Sentinel also mentions that Disney will make improvements to the rest of Downtown Disney as well, including the addition of a tethered-balloon ride that will allow riders to 300 feet up for a view of Walt Disney World.
  (5/27/08) Today we received yet another hint as to what new restaurant concepts could be on the way to Downtown Disney. Apparently there is a good rumor going around that one of the new Grand Luxe Café restaurants, from the creator of the Cheesecake Factory, is in development for somewhere on property.
  (4/28/08) Over the weekend we were sent names for two other possible projects on the way to Pleasure Island, though I’ve nothing to back either of them up yet. First up was the rumored addition of Disney’s first official Starbucks, and certainly this would be no surprise to anyone. I’m honestly more surprised that Downtown Disney didn’t get one years ago.
  Our second rumor is more interesting and claims that Pleasure Island could become home to a new Harley-Davidson Café. As far as I know the only currently one of these in existence is the one in Las Vegas, though previously there was a location in New York City that has since closed down. I walked through the Vegas location and it looked interesting enough, though I didn’t have the time to actually stop in and try the food. The Harley name however is no stranger to PI guests however as they’ve had a Harley gift-shop on site for the last few years. I could almost see the current Motions club being turned into a Harley-Davidson Café myself, but that’s just speculation. Anyone know more?
  (4/25/08) The Orlando Business Journal has backed up our new restaurant rumors with confirmed news that E-Brand Restaurants (the people behind Timpano Chophouse) plans to open a new location on WDW property next year. The article says it will be a 5,000 square-foot two-story location featuring Central and South American food, with a focus on specialty tequilas and wines. It will also feature an outdoor bar and seating along the lake as well, which seems to indicate that it wont be taking over the old Beach Club building, which was also three stories tall as well, unless the they are planning on demolishing it. Going back to my old rumor about the Timpano Chophouse, apparently they were looking to take over the BET Soundstage location, which does have a nice little pathway along the water as I recall that could be turned into an outdoor bar. Anyone know more?

May 2009 - Animal Kingdom Villas - (5/3/09) New pictures from Kidani Village the new kids pool area at the Animal Kingdom Lodge have been posted to MouseSteps.
  (1/12/09) Ou r friends at DisneyGeek sent in a good look at the Animal Kingdom Lodge expansion.
  (1/6/09) MouseSteps has posted another construction update from the Animal Kingdom Lodge expansion.
  (12/22/08) MouseSteps has posted some new construction pictures from the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas this week.
  (8/8/08) You have to log-in to see it but a preview video of the new Animal Kingdom Villas has been added to Disney’s website. It shows off the basic look of the resort, the new restaurant, new pool, and a look inside the different rooms. The new resort expansion is scheduled to open in May 2009 but will start to accept reservations this September.
  (7/21/08) Some new aerial construction shots showing off the new DVC Wing at the Animal Kingdom Lodge can be seen here.
  (1/25/07) Disney confirmed details about the new Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas to be located at the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Disney Vacation Club accommodations will feature intricate African-inspired details and home-like amenities, and most will offer sweeping views of an expanded savanna inhabited by a variety of African animals. Walt Disney Imagineers are designing the new village of Vacation Homes to feel curiously at home in the natural world. The architectural style will evoke the look of a thatched-roof, hewn-timber structure that will appear to emerge organically from the land beneath it. The project will also feature a new table-service restaurant, a new themed pool and water play area, fitness center, merchandise shop as well as new sports and recreation facilities.
  The anticipated opening will begin in fall 2007, with final completion scheduled for Spring 2009. The first phase will include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge building, and subsequent phases will include the construction of 324 Vacation Homes in a new building on the resort property, for a total of 458 Vacation Homes. This will be the 8th DVC Resort joining the other 5 on WDW property and the two outside Disney property (Vero Beach, FL and Hilton Head, SC).

2009 - Contemporary Bay Lake Tower - (5/25/09) OrlandoUnited has posted some nice new pictures of the Bay Lake Tower as most of the walls are now down allowing you to get up close and personal with some new areas.
  (3/30/09) Some new pictures of the Bay Lake Tower can be seen this week at Orlando United. Just scroll down through the whole page to see them all.
  (1/15/09) A few new pictures of the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort have been posted to MouseSteps.
  (1/6/09) New construction pictures from the Contemporary Resort can be found at MouseSteps.
  (12/31/08) MouseSteps takes us on another tour of the Contemporary Resort expansion starting with a nice waterside view of the project taken from the boat ride over from Fort Wilderness.
  (12/19/08) MouseSteps takes a look at the progress at the Contemporary Resort expansion.
  (12/5/08) You’ll have to login to the WDW website to see it, but they’ve posted some new details about the Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort after talking with some Imagineers about the project.
  (11/7/08) Some new pictures of the Bay Lake Tower expansion have been posted to MouseSteps.
  (10/14/08) A few new pictures taken from the water sides of the Bay Lake Tower can be seen posted here towards the bottom.
  (9/16/08) According to a reader the new expansion tower for the Contemporary Resort is on track to be open for guests by September 2009, which fits right in with the timeline mentioned in earlier stories.
  (5/14/08) According to the Orlando Sentinel Disney may have changed their minds about calling the expansion tower at the Contemporary Resort the “Kingdom Tower”. In the latest filing with the county they are now referring to the building as the Bay Lake Tower, or by the longer name… Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The expansion will top out at 15 stories, connect to the Contemporary Resort via a 5th story bridge and contain a total of 281 units. They don’t expect to finish the $110 million project until the fall of 2009.

2009 - Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort - (6/3/09) MouseSteps has posted a new photo update showing off the inside of one of the new Treehouse Villas.
  (5/25/09) All new pictures from the Treehouse Villas can be seen this week at MouseSteps.
  (4/15/09) A new video showing off the Treehouse Villas has been posted to JeffLangeDVD.
  (1/12/09) I’ve got a couple of new Treehouse construction pictures taken late last month, courtesy of our friends at DisneyGeek. Enjoy!
  (12/29/08) MouseSteps has added all new pictures of the Treehouse Villas this week, with three pages of this rebuilt hide-away resort rooms.
  (12/5/08) MouseSteps has posted some new photos of the Treehouses going up at Saratoga Springs.
  (10/29/08) Today we’ve been sent four new pictures of the new Treehouse Villas under construction.
  (10/7/08) One of our readers has sent in a ton of pictures showing off the demolition of the old Treehouse Villas and the construction process on the all new Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. From the look of things once they demolish it down to nothing, they pour new concrete supports, install a steel frame to support the weight of the main structure and then lift in the pre-built pieces by crane onto the structure piece by piece.
  (5/16/08) Demolition work has begun on removing the old Treehouse Villas. The series of small round buildings set into a forested area that you can still see if you take a boat ride from Downtown Disney over to Port Orleans, was approved for removal back in February. According to DVCNews.com, Disney’s approval plan is to rebuild the Treehouse Villas, replacing the structures with a new design that will actually take up less ground space and look even more like a Treehouse. Make the jump to read all the details and see the artwork.

2011 - Bowling Stadium - (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.

2011 / 2012 - Disney Cruise Line - (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. Meanwhile the first piece of steel for the Disney Dream was cut last week where a giant Mickey shaped piece was cut.
  (2/26/09) Screamscape was sent a great rumor today that involves a very interesting new development for the two new Disney Cruise Line ships coming online in 2011 and 2012. From what we’ve been told, 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.
  (2/17/09) According to the Meyerwerft website they will begin production (steel cutting) on Disney’s two new cruise ships in early March 2009, with an expected timeline to deliver them to the company in 2011 and 2012. The interesting thing is that this company has a couple of webcams that watch over some of their building areas, so we may actually get to watch the new ships get put together at some point.
  (1/29/09) The Disney Cruise Line will soon run afoul Pirates... and I’m not talking about the Somalian kind. From March 8 - 12th the Disney Cruise Line will feature a unique Pirates of the Caribbean themed cruise on the Disney Wonder called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend Lives On. Aided by actors Lee Arenberg and Martin Klebba (better known as Pintel and Marty from the three films) guests will be taken to “Worlds End and beyond” while traveling to Nassau and Castaway Cay and getting event-exclusive gifts.
  (9/8/08) When the Disney Magic goes into dry dock for a three week rehab they will add a new Fantasia themed “Mickey’s Splash Zone” area to the ship’s existing Mickey Pool along with other numerous upgrades such as putting 22-inch flat screens in every cabin.
  (8/28/08) The Orlando Sentinel has posted an article about how Disney’s Cruise Line is handing the high price of fuel this year. It’s estimated that the annual fuel bill will grow by 20% for them by the end of the year and as a result Disney is looking to possible change their cruise itineraries to hit the various destinations in a better order than what they are doing now. Once change was already made earlier this summer as the 4 night cruises were re-routed to include two stops at Castaway Cay instead of just one. Meanwhile the Disney Magic is scheduled to undergo a three week rehab next month where they will coat the hull with a new slick coating designed not only to cut down on friction but to try and keep the collection of barnacles and other crud to a minimum. The article also mentions that Disney and about every other cruise line have reduced the speeds that they travel while cruising to cut down on fuel costs as well, extending the time at sea.
  (6/24/08) Port Canaveral has approved a $32 million loan that will set in motion the planned upgrades to the Disney Cruise Line terminal. The first of the two new ships is set to go into service in 2011, which will put the construction timetable on a tight deadline.
  (3/20/08) According to a Screamscape reader the local news did a quick story on a new or expanded Disney Cruise Line terminal building and in the artwork they claim you could see the names for the two new ships, “Disney Dream” and “Disney Celebration”. Anyone else catch this or happen to find an image capture of the artwork? I can’t seem to find anything about it right now.
  (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 - (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.
  (5/8/08) MouseSteps has posted new pictures showing off the current status of the Four Seasons as well as a few new shots of the Contemporary’s new Kingdom Tower.
  (3/25/08) According to a reader who passed by the Four Seasons construction site, not a lot is going on to the naked eye right now. It’s still far too early to expect to see a huge tower going up into the sky, but it does look as if some early clearing and ground work is taking place.
  (3/2/07) I received a little insight as to how the whole Four Seasons deal may have come around. There has been some corporate shakeup within the Four Seasons company lately where the hotelier’s two largest investors (Bill Gates and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal) just finalized a deal two weeks ago to take the company private for an estimated $3.4 billion. If the name Prince Al-Waleed sounds familiar to you, he has been involved for some time in the EuroDisney Resort where he came in years ago to add financial support to the struggling resort in it’s first bout of bad times and now he apparently owns 10% of EuroDisney S.C.A., the second largest parner after Disney’s own 39.78% stake. It’s said that Prince Al-Waleed has been asking Disney for quite some time now to let him place a Four Seasons hotel on site at Walt Disney World in exchange for his continued and possibly additional financing support for EuroDisney SCA.
  (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.

2012 - 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.

???? - Disney’s Pop Century Phase 2 - (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?

???? - 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.