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 Park News - (6/26/09) Now through to August 28th the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station will be offering a special Fireworks Viewing Party for the Wishes show that will include a dessert buffet. Reservations are required and it costs $17.99 per adult and $9.99 per child (in addition to park admission). The buffet will open to guests one hour before the show. Make your reservation at 407-WDW-DINE.
(6/17/09) Apparently the public has spoken and they did not care for the new Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration show at all. According to this article posted to the OBJ, the new show will close down on June 27th.
(5/18/09) A little something called the Pirate League will open at the Magic Kingdom (in Adventureland) on June 29th. From the sound of it, this is where all the aspiring Pirates should go as they will offer special packages of costumes and accessories to turn you into a Pirate for the day. On the bottom end of things will be the First Mate or Empress packages for $49.95. The former will include a bandanna, choice of facial effect (scar, tattoo, eye patch, fake teeth, etc), a sword and pirate coin necklace, a 5x7 photo and personalized pirate oath. The Empress package aimed at the girls is pretty much the same but offers pretty makeup effects, nail polish, etc in place of the scars and fake teeth. Of course those who want to go all out can pay $124.95 for the Captain’s Package and get a full costume, facial effects, sword, necklace, 3 photos and the oath. To make a reservation for this, you can call 407-WDW-CREW.
In other news, Disney has announced Disney’s Celebrate America on the 4th of July, a ‘Concert in the Sky” that will dazzle the guests at 9pm at the Magic Kingdom. The park will also put on SpectroMagic at 10:30pm that sale night.
(5/6/09) A series of videos showing off a preview performance of Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration has been put on YouTube, starting with the “Part 1” video embedded below and you can find the rest of the clips here.
(5/5/09) I’ve been told that Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration is expected to begin public shows as early as this Wednesday, performing up to six times a day.
(4/30/09) The construction walls around the new Stitch show stage have been taken down. You can see new pictures posted to Orlando United.
(4/21/09) Space Mountain is now closed… but you can take one last look at the mountain as well as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority in the latest update posted to MouseSteps this week.
(4/9/09) A photo update showing off the new stage area for Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration has been posted to MouseSteps.
(4/3/09) The new stage for the Stitch show in Tomorrowland is nearly complete. You can see the latest pictures at Orlando United showing off the crews installing the giant video screen.
(3/30/09) Another good close look at the new Stitch SuperSonic Celebration stage can be seen this week at Orlando United.
(3/29/09) Pictures of the stage for the new Stitch show in Tomorrowland can be found at MouseSteps this week. Despite what I thought earlier, this stage is actually quite massive, far taller than the nearby Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
(3/16/09) Jim Hill Media has reported that the Goofy’s Liberate Your Appetite character dinner will be returning to the Liberty Tree Tavern by early to mid April if all goes well.
(2/20/09) One of our readers has sent in some pictures (see sidebar) of the new Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! parade at the Magic Kingdom.
(2/5/09) I’ve heard a new rumor than the plan to renovate the Toon Town Fair area into a more standard Toon Town theme (like Disneyland’s version) is gaining some momentum. The interesting bit is the reason for this move, as it isn’t a push just to be rid of the old “Fair” theme, but a need to expand and widen the pathways in the area due to crowding issues. Again, this is just something in the planning stage right now.
(1/15/09) A reader sent in a small piece of art showing off the stage for the new Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration show. From the look of it, based on the placement of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority track in the background, I’m going to guess that it will be placed in the typical Tomorrowland temporary stage area between Carousel of Progress and the old Skyway  building.
(1/14/09) Login to your Disney account to view a quick story about a new Street Party style interactive performance that will begin at the Magic Kingdom in mid February called Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Meanwhile the general Disney website also features a page on the new Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration that confirms our speculation that a “live video version of Stitch” will interact with guests and the show performers. It looks like there was supposed to be concept artwork for this show on the page as well that is currently missing, so keep checking back.
(12/16/08) Okay, this is just so funny, it’s beyond words… as the Magic Kingdom will be altered for the upcoming year to celebrate… ME! Click here to learn more.
(11/27/08) In anticipation of a downturn in attendance in early 2009 Screamscape sources tell us that the previously successful Pirate & Princess party extra ticket events at the Magic Kingdom have been put on hold indefinitely.
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Hall of Presidents - NOW CLOSED through 7/1/09
Tomorrowland Transit Authority – NOW CLOSED through 8/24/09
Space Mountain – NOW CLOSED through 11/21/09 (Estimate)
Summer 2009 - Hall of Presidents Update - (7/1/09) The all new Hall of Presidents (with Robo Obama) has opened and you can see a video of it embedded in the videos below.
(6/26/09) A reader at the Magic Kingdom yesterday tells us that as they passed by the Hall of Presidents a CM opened the door and began to ring a bell, announcing that they would be opening the theater for a single test performance for anyone who wanted to come in. Disney CMs were not allowing any photos to be taken however, but according to our source the show did seem to get quite a technical upgrade to it’s projection systems, in addition to the new Robo Obama.
(5/22/09) You can get your first look at the new Robo-Obama figure made just for Disney’s Hall of Presidents attraction at the New York Times.
(8/6/08) According to a Disney insider, the planned rehab for the Hall of Presidents is actually much longer than the four months currently posted on their website, starting November 1st. The total rehab time given to the park from Imagineering to create and install the newest President figure and update the show will take the attraction down for up to 8 months, putting the new opening date at the end of June 2009, just in time for the busy July 4th holiday.
2010 - Space Mountain: Miss ion 2 - (6/9/09) According to an article from the Orlando Sentinel Disney has filed some interesting permits lately though to be part of the new Space Mountain rehab. One of which calls for an Interactive Queue with audio and visual upgrades, which has led some to assume that some kind of interactive game like what was installed into Soarin’ could be on the way.
(6/2/09) I’ve got some bad news... and some possible really bad news. Just 24 hours ago I posted a quote from the official Space Mountain page that talked about a “pumping musical score” Take a look at the same website page now and you’ll see all reference to any kind of audio at all has been removed. Even worse, it sounds like the addition of the highly requested on-board audio system has been scrapped from the rehab budget entirely! Ever since Space Mountain at Disneyland added audio in the ‘90s, people have been demanding that they add it to the Florida version as well. I hate to say it, but I’ve got to admit now that it seems likely that in their rush to budget cut and trim out all the cool new items from this rehab in order to reopen it by Thanksgiving, they’re going to give us all the Mickey Mouse one-finger salute instead. God I hope I’m wrong...
(6/1/09) If you check out the latest description of Space Mountain on the Disney World website, you’ll see that Disney has finally confirmed the fact that the ride will have a “pumping musical score and synthezised electronic sounds of space that are sure to immerse you in your otherworldy flight.” To date, I don’t believe Disney has publicly confirmed that an on-board soundtrack was being added until now.
(5/19/09) For anyone who is curious about what exactly is on top of Space Mountain, we were contact by a mysterious mountain climber who has actually been there before. They tell us that there is an access hatch that will allow someone into a small catwalk area, used mainly to gain to change the top level work-lights for the inside of the dome. It’s not big enough that you would ever see them hauling ride pieces in and out of it however. There are also numerous HVAC systems up on the roof as well as radio communications equipment systems, which is probably what they are busy removing at this point in time.
(5/18/09) WDW News Today has posted some more pictures of the crane lifting stuff to the top of Space Mountain. So with all the stuff be hoisted to the top of the mountain, I’ve got to wonder if they have removed the top of it or something, giving them access to the inside.
(5/16/09) A large crane was parked behind Space Mountain earlier this week which was spotted lifting a large “blue box” up onto the top of the mountain’s roof while they work on renovating the attraction.
(4/15/09) According to a e-mail sent out to all Cast Members this week, they have listed new closing and reopeneing dates for Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Both will close, as scheduled, on April 19th, 2009. The notice says that Space Mountain is planned to reopen on November 22st, 2009 while the TTA should reopen by August 25.
(4/2/09) There has been some confusion lately about when Space Mountain may reopen, some of which may have been caused by Disney World management who would rather have the ride closed for an entire summer rather than have it closed for the two weeks of the Christmas holiday period. As I understand things, the plan is still to perform a complete replacement of the ride system, bring in new trains, new effects, and rebuild and retheme the loading stations. It seems the timetable for this is a little… ummm… unspecific. There are those involved, especially on the resort’s management side, who are pushing to ensure that the ride will be reopen in time for the winter holidays if it is at all possible. These are also the people who may be pushing to ‘cut’ certain things from the budget (cool things…) in an effort to have the ride reopened early. Meanwhile most others are less than optimistic that it can be done that quickly… especially based on how slow the Orlando the local construction crews are with almost every other major project. They do have the advantage of weather not being an issue, as the attraction is indoor so while it is possible, it’s just far too early to know for sure until the project is under way.
(1/29/09) A Screamscape source has confirmed to us that the lengthy Space Mountain rehab may actually see the ride closed for close to a year, so unless they really get ahead of schedule don’t expect to see the ride back open for Christmas. From what I’ve been told Disney did opt to go for a complete track replacement plan, along with building loading station area, queue and of course a new fleet of trains with on-board audio systems.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before or not but the Galaxy Palace Theater in Tomorrowland (between the Carousel and Buzz Lightyear) is being demolished right now. While Disney has long had their eyes on redeveloping this side of Tomorrowland (all the way down to the old Skyway station building) I’ve heard that the demolition may have been a necessary requirement due to the old age and stability of the venue. While there are no plans to build anything new here yet, Disney went along with the demolition mainly so they could use the site as temporary parking and storage during the yearlong rehab to Space Mountain.
(1/9/09) While Disney still isn’t saying much, a Screamscape source tells us that Space Mountain will very likely get entirely all new track after all. I know in the past I had heard that they were getting price quotes for both whole and partial replacement and at one point they were leaning towards going the cheap route and just replacing some of the track. According to our source, the new track is necessary due to the new heavier rockets that will feature on-board audio. They also tell us that the queue may end up looking much more like the California version, it should have a new Re-Entry tunnel effect at the end and that we can expect to see station-gates added to the loading areas. Apparently there is also talk about putting in the cool “revolving tunnel” effect on the lift hill, though that aspect has not be finalized since the current version has it’s own uniquely themed lift-hill and there is an effort to preserve some classic elements from the current ride since it is the original.
(1/8/09) The Orlando Sentinel has posted a brief article confirming the Space Mountain rehab project as well as giving away a few hints about what will be changed. They mention new track will be installed, while keeping the same layout, a new enclosure for the queue and a new ceiling inside the huge dome itself. Nothing else was mentioned, but our sources have been claiming all along that when it opens it will have the much-requested on-board audio system Disney fans have been begging for.
(1/7/09) While nothing official has come from Disney yet, a couple of people and other sites are predicting reopening dates for Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Some think that we may see the TTA reopen by late August while while Space Mountain is likely closed until the weekend before or after Thanksgiving in November. Of course, there is no reason Disney couldn’t decide to keep it closed even longer, perhaps up to Spring 2010. More when I find out.
(1/6/09) Walt Disney World has finally posted the official closing date for the big Space Mountain refurbishment project, shutting down the mountain on April 19th. No reopening date is available yet, but we’ve heard that the earliest it may open is just before the end of the year. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority will also be closed during the Space Mountain rehab.
(12/15/08) In a move that comes close to confirming the extended closure of Space Mountain over the summer, many readers have reported in after getting the latest free Walt Disney World trip planning DVD packet in the mail. In addition to having pretty much every mention of Space Mountain removed from the video, the enclosed brochure’s map of the Magic Kingdom has also removed label icon from Space Mountain itself, just
leaving it on the map as if it were an empty building. You can see a picture of the map in question on the brochure posted to WDW News Today.
(12/10/08) It’s been some time since we’ve heard any kind of update about the status of the Space Mountain rehab. While I haven’t had time to check in with some of my regular sources, we did hear a rumor that while the project was still on for 2009, the start date may have been pushed back a bit, possibly until June. Anyone know more?
(10/9/08) While I haven’t heard any updates in awhile, the latest update at Jim Hill Media mentions that Space Mountain is still on track to go down for it’s lengthy rehab in January 2009 and isn’t expected to reopen until at September.
(2/18/08) The latest update to the Space Mountain rehab saga is that anyone planning a vacation in 2008 is now safe. From what I’ve been told the new timeline will close Space Mountain from January 2009 to September 2009. The bad news is that apparently they are not planning a complete track replacement, though numerous sections will be replaces, the goal is apparently to keep the ride’s layout the same as it always has been. The good news however is that the plan is to finally add an onboard audio system as well as numerous new special effects and props to bring the aging ride more inline with its California sibling. Of course, if they’re going to bump the project back... why screw up another entire summer season? I still don’t get why they don’t just close it this September and reopen it by June 2009.
(1/11/08) Screamscape sources tell us that while the lengthy planned rehab of Space Mountain is still on the way, there is a good chance right now that they will wait until after Toy Story Mania opens before shutting Space Mountain down. Since we’re talking about a very length shutdown, anywhere from 12-18 months, this has a large number of people concerned and very anxious because it could mean that Space Mountain would be down not only for Summer 2008, but could possibly be down for some or all of Summer 2009. From the sound of things, Imagineering is ready to go and would like to begin work as soon as possible, but Disney World management is the troublesome one dragging their feet, as they don’t believe it to be a priority.
After all, in their eyes people will come to the Magic Kingdom regardless of it the ride is open or not. Of course they had this same attitude last summer when they drug their feet and delayed the rehab of Haunted Mansion to the point where it also had to be closed for the entire summer. This was quite a sticking point to many people over the last summer as seen in our Scream Sheet poll asking if the summer long closures of Haunted Mansion or Spaceship Earth would be enough cause for you to delay your trip to WDW. An amazing 44.4% of the voters did confirm that these summer long closures would be enough to make them delay their trips to WDW for a later date. White not the majority of course, it’s still a large enough number that Disney should be concerned.
(11/27/07) The latest buzz about the upcoming Space Mountain rehab claims that “Mission 2” has been given the green light and that it looks like they will likely be gutting the entire inside of the mountain and rebuilding the ride from scratch. A possible plan to speed up the process may be to remove the “top” of the mountain itself to allow for the removal of the old ride more quickly and in much larger pieces than what would normally be able to fit through the 22 ft tall back door.
(10/26/07) Screamscape sources tell us that Vekoma may have been signed on to produce not only all new track for Space Mountain, but new trains with an on-board soundsystem as well. Apparently the final budget for the Space Mountain rehab isn’t set yet, but apparently it was decided that the more length and expensive direction is the way they really need to go. I still can’t say for sure if this will be a move to replace 100% of the ride’s track, but I can hope so. If so, the new version of the ride will likely keep the same basic layout that they currently have. We’ve also heard something about a big change may take place to the lengthy exit ramp as well.
2010 - New Parades - Rumor - (3/19/08) I received yet another insider tip confirming that plans are in the works to bring the Parade of Dreams from Disneyland to the Magic Kingdom in 2010. On a semi-related note we’ve also heard a rumor discussing the possibility of sending SpectroMagic off to Paris around the same time in exchange for Fantillusion which was created for Tokyo Disneyland by some of the same people behind Fantasmic. Evolution wise, it was kind of the next step after SpectroMagic, while telling a similar story to Fantasmic. You can see some pictures of it at Laughing Place.
(3/18/08) Last time we talked about what new parade may show up at the Magic Kingdom we were told that Disneyland’s Parade of Dreams was likely going to be retired. Now it seems that was spoken a little too hastily and that plans are being made to bring the Parade of Dreams (POD) to the Magic Kingdom after all, including reinforcement of the bridge between the Hub and Liberty Square because the POD floats are said to be quite heavy. Last we heard from the West coast however, Disneyland was planning on keeping POD until fall or winter of 2009 as the replacement wouldn’t be ready until 2010 for the 55th Anniversary.
(12/5/07) From what I understand it sounds like the park is still planning on adding a major new day and night parade this year, though the latest buzz claims that the Parade of Dreams from Disneyland will be retired at the end of it’s run and not sent anywhere else. Meanwhile rumors still suggest that not only will Spectromagic be retired by 2009, but the parade may be rehabbed and sent to California Adventure for 2010. Don’t look for the Main Streel Electrical Parade to return for another run either how, since our sources indicate that the plan is to send it to China whenever they are ready to open their new Shanghai park. So either the park will have to get two entirely new parades, so borrow a show from Japan. Anyone know more?
(9/27/07) We’ve heard a rumor that Disney may be thinking of sending the Parade of Dreams from Disneyland to the Magic Kingdom sometime around 2009. Around the same time, I hear there is talk about finally retiring SpectroMagic for good as well, which means that they’ll need a new replacement for that too, unless they decide to bring back the Main Street Electrical Parade for yet another run.
2011/2012 - Little Mermaid / E-Ticket Attraction - Rumor - (6/11/09) I’ve heard some good news this week that Disney management is ready to start spending some money on the Magic Kingdom once again, starting with that much needed Fantasyland overhaul project, expected to include a copy of California’s new Little Mermaid ride as well. More on this later.
(10/9/08) According to an update posted at Jim Hill Media the current economic state we in has caused Disney to put a few big projects they had in the works on hold for the time being. Apparently at the top of the list is the proposed copy of the Little Mermaid ride at the Magic Kingdom along with some other much needed Fantasyland facelift items. They also mention a proposal to turn the Snow White dark ride into a new Beauty & The Beast ride has also been put on hold. What about Snow White? Well, Jim claims the plan was to then build a kiddie friendly mine car themed coaster themed to the Seven Dwarves diamond mine.
(7/22/08) According to a hint dropped at the end of this Jim Hill Media article, the Magic Kingdom may have been approved to receive a copy of The Little Mermaid dark ride in 2011 for Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary. Of course the old Submarine Lagoon site has long been rumored to become home to a Mermaid themed attraction for years, even when the actual lagoon was still there and a copy of the DCA ride was rumored to us last fall.
(10/26/07) With all the talk about a Little Mermaid ride confirmed for California Adventure, the Disney World people are feeling a little left out while they wait to find out what will be coming for the big WDW 40th Anniversary. Another possible idea for the Magic Kingdom may be that old rumor about adding a whole Mermaid Lagoon themed area to the former 20,000 Leagues site, which could be anchored by a Little Mermaid dark ride of their own. Though I wouldn’t exactly call this kind of ride an E-Ticket attraction, but the location seems to be right where all the rest of the buzz is talking about.
(10/17/07) I don’t have any details at all right now, but I’ve been told that a big new E-Ticket attraction may finally be in the works for the Magic Kingdom in the distant future. And when I say distant, I’m talking about 2011 or 2012 as a possible major attraction to celebrate the park’s 40th Anniversary.
2012 & Beyond - Fantasyland Update - Rumor - (8/3/08) Going back to a report from Blue Sky Disney from mid July, they add on to the story of the new Little Mermaid ride with details about the Blue Sky plans to revamp quite a bit in Fantasyland over the next 5 years. Other possible projects in development looking for funding include a new coaster highly themed to the Seven Dwarfs (which I can only hope would be themed to a mine ride) and the addition of a Pixie Hallow area to tie into the new Disney Fairies characters along with previously mentioned Tinkerbell Meet & Greet. Of course if the Little Mermaid ride is a big hit, it also seems likely that a new dark ride themed to Beauty & The Beast may be approved as well. As pointed out in the blog, redevelopment on a scale this size would go a long way to improve the status of Florida’s version of Fantasyland, finally giving it a good number of unique attractions to call their own.
The Future - Tomorrowland Update - Rumor - (12/4/07) A local source ended up having an interesting conversation the other day at the Magic Kingdom with a CM who apparently mentioned that Disney may be working on plans to add attractions themed to Meet the Robinsons and Incredibles into Tomorrowland. As I stated a few years ago, Disney’s intention for Tomorrowland from now on is to make it a SciFi version of Fantasyland, filling it with various attractions based on their films. No more details were given about how these characters may be added into Tomorrowland, but given that there is an Incredibles themed version of the PeopleMover rumored for Disneyland, I can only imagine that the same concept may be under consideration for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It would be perfect timing to convert the TTA into IncrediPods during the rumored year-long closure of Space Mountain (2008 to 2009) since they wont be able to run it anyway. If true, the concept would add new four-seat semi-enclosed pod shaped vehicles to the track, with a controller to allow the riders to spin the pod in any direction they choose, similar to how you control your car on Buzz Lightyear. As for Meet The Robinsons… an attraction could take any possible shape I would guess, though I can’t help but think that this could be a great theme to takeover the Carousel of Progress attraction.
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