Recent News

A quick look at the new Downtown Disney shop at Walt Disney World, including a tour from the management and a bit of up-tempo music to remind us it is, indeed, trendy.

And gratuitous celebrity endorsements…

In a strange turn of events, Disneyworld.com’s new website makeover include the follow description of the ImageWorks at the Imagination Pavilion in Epcot.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/image-works/

ImageWorks – The Kodak “What If” Labs features a vast array of hands-on, sensory-themed activities and exhibits where you can exercise your imagination and explore your creative side in exciting exhibits that include:

Dreamfinder’s School of Drama – Become the star of your very own film using greenscreen technology
Stepping Tones – Create your own music by stepping on electronic picture panels
Figment’s Coloring Book – Using electric paintbrush guns, add a little color to Figment and Dreamfinder
Electric Philharmonic – Conduct an orchestra through the use of electronic sensors
Rainbow Corridor – Stroll through an illuminated tunnel where colored lights follow you
Vibrating Mirrors – Watch as your reflection changes right before your eyes
Kaleidoscopes – Spin eye-popping colors in intricate designs via large-size kaleidoscopes
Voice-Activated Lumia – Speak out and behold a bevy of shimmering light effects
Bubble Projectors – Blow virtual bubbles on a circular screen and create colorful colors
Figment’s Melody Maker – Help Figment play an instrument to the tune of “One Little Spark”

The majority of offerings on that list are from the original ImageWorks which became defunct after the refurbishment of the Imagination pavilion and the closure of the second floor of the interactive area. We would assume this was a simple mistake referring to outdated source materials, but the wording is modern and it also refers to some of the currently existing offerings on the ground-level ImageWorks.

Is this a major mistake referencing the past or hint of the future?

Raytheon’s new exhibit for Innoventions at Epcot exhibit will allow guests to use math and engineering principles to create their own roller coaster, jet plane or bobsled ride, and then experience their customized ride inside a unique motion simulator.

“The Sum of All Thrills” exhibit and simulator experience will be supported by a Kuka robotic arm as well as “Surface” computer technology. Guests will interact with a multi-touch surface table computer to design their thrill ride of choice. According to WDI’s Brent Strong (associate concept designer) in a newsletter to CM’s, “We put the outline of a hill on the table and give the guests a physical protractor and ruler. By simply dragging their fingers along the protractor, they can change the angle of the hill, and using the ruler, alter its height. Add the right amount of energy to the equation, and guests have created their very own experience,”

The attraction will be Innoventions first “ride” experience. It is currently scheduled to open in late 2009.

Update: Attractions Magazine has more info about the attraction.

Typhoon Lagoon recently reopened from refurbishment and our trusty crew was on hand to survey the park for any major changes. We also took the opportunity to try out a disposable underwater camera being sold at the park. While the park looks fresh and wonderful, we must admit the photos from the waterproof camera we purchased at the gift shop look like they’re from the 70’s. 

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Today we’re launching a brand new, multi-author blog for TouringPlans.com. What does this mean? We no longer have five blogs for you to check, but just one! Plus, we have a new blogging engine powering the site — it’s called WordPress. This new blog has lots of new features to show off, including a RSS feed, a page for every post, a way to read the blog via email, search, and now you can even comment on every story.

Still want to just read Fred’s posts, or just the Crowd Blog? You can still do that (just click on the links above). Another big feature we’re adding is tags, so you can flip through all of the news about Pirates of the Caribbean or Illuminations.

Lastly, we’re launching a twitter account for TouringPlans.com: you can follow us over at http://twitter.com/touringplans. You can also follow TouringPlans.com writers Len Testa (@lentesta), Fred Hazelton (@DisneyStatsWhiz), and Kristen Helmstetter (@khelmstetter).

We asked the managers. We asked the CM’s. We asked guest relations. We sent a letter to Siemens and we even annoyed their PR guy.

We have been told enough times to finally accept it: Spaceship Earth is finished in its current state. There are apparently no plans to add anything to the bleak black curtain finale and nothing is just sitting there waiting to be turned on.

We wish it weren’t true, but it is. If anyone would like to present us with physical proof or a statement from Disney or Siemens on the matter we will happily sing a different tune.

In the meantime, please do not email us telling us they have added a blue triangle to the descent in recent weeks – they have not. We have ridden it and seen it for ourselves many times over many weeks and nothing has changed significantly in several months. Sorry.

Some of our researchers recently had the chance to float past the construction being finished at the Treehouse Villas. it appears the resort will indeed have its own dedicated water taxi service as Disney is working to build a dock at the site. The water taxi will shuttle guests to Downtown Disney.

The Grand Floridian lobby will soon receive new marble floors and replace most carpeting.

In a second wave of layoffs several areas of Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort management are being restructured in the past week.

Most notable in the casualties, we’ve heard that VP of Magic Kingdom, Phil Holmes, is no longer with the company.

Many areas in the parks are losing multiple operational managers (and many frontline CM’s would argue that they were redundant positions). Reports are of attraction groups losing several managers per area and restaurants each losing a few. The most major cuts appear to come from the Studios park.

Management structure has fluctuate over the years at the parks and resorts. The most recent setup involved multiple areas with multiple managers – indeed redundant to some extent. This is compared to previous operational setups where many areas were combined and only a few managers separated the frontline CM’s from the heads of the parks.

Perhaps the best outcome would be the return of “leads” and quasi-management CM’s at individual locations who can make big decisions and remain dedicated to operation. A common complaint among CM’s is that management spends too much time in the back offices and have no idea how to run an attraction or perform their job function properly. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Fred Hazelton, our statistician, has updated the May and June crowd calendar based on the crowds we’ve seen thus far this year. Fred’s also updated his crowd blog to explain the changes.