Mouse Extra

As a follow up to our coverage of Spaceship Earth’s impending makeover, Mark Goldhaber of MousePlanet.com gives us an insight into the product’s schedule.

Some time over the summer (we don’t have a firm date yet), the main Spaceship Earth attraction will close and leave just Project Tomorrow open to entertain guests while the major work goes on inside the geosphere. It’s likely that the closure won’t happen until after the July 4 week, since Spaceship Earth will be needed to soak up the crowds during the peak times.

Renovations will be phased in though the year, and the work won’t be complete until early 2008. This leads to conjecture that the work inside the attraction will be done piece by piece, allowing the attraction to close and then reopen for the peak seasons, closing again for the next phase as the crowds disappear. This would likely mean that the lighting effects, costume changes, and perhaps set decoration would be done little by little, with the new show scenes added by blocked off, until the last batch of changes would allow the changeover to the new theming, including the new narration and theme music.

With the Haunted Mansion closed throughout the summer, it is somewhat hard to believe that Disney World officials would close another crowd eater during such a busy time.  I would imagine this would begin more towards August then Independence Day Weekend, but that is only a guess on my part.  It will also be interesting to see what kind of attention the post-show area gets without the ride being open.

Even though the maintenance schedule seems somewhat tailored to allow use of the attraction, and not the traditional prolonged shut down, I would still imagine we will see a significant down time.  Apparently work is being done on every scene, and on all the ride vehicles.  One would think that kind of refurbishment can’t be stopped in mid-stream.

The Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday on the plans Disney World officials have to celebrate Earth Day at the Animal Kingdom.  As one can probably guess, this park is the focal point for Sunday’s special events. 

As part of a national string of events called “Party for the Planet” organized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Animal Kingdom will set up conservation-themed stations, such as an African market, with activities, costumed characters and gifts for children and other visitors. At each location participants will receive a postcard with the stations identified and several conservation steps they can take at home.

It is always nice to see attention focused on the Animal Kingdom, as I think the park gets some undeserved abuse.  This event seems appropriate for the day.  It is simple, fun for the kids, but it won’t interrupt the normal enjoyment of the park. 

I’ll admit that the Animal Kingdom had some bumps in the road towards the end of the Michael Eisner era.  But even with poorly planned out additions, specifically in Dinoland USA, the park still maintains an immersive quality level of continuity that should be applauded.  This small event is exactly the type of thing we expected from the park when it first opened.

I would like to just take a second and introduce you to a new Disney World newsletter called Mouse House News.  It is an independent weekly email publication that is wonderfully done and something you’ll look forward to getting.

Much of the newsletter is made up of contributions from many different people, including readers.  There are tons of pictures by Disney World fanatics, which give it an air of fun that is easy to pick up.  The newsletter covers news from Disney World’s theme parks, resorts, restaurants and more.  All the news from the Mouse is in there and it is presented in a down to earth manner that is fun to read. 

It’s a free subscription, so click the website to read more and sign up.  You may even find the occasional contribution by a Mouse Extra staffer.

On this date in 2001, Disney World opened the doors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Six years later, the Lodge stands as one of Imagineering’s crowning achievements, and perhaps the best explanation of why people love to stay on property.  Though other hotels may have better and more luxurious rooms, nothing can match the Animal Kingdom Lodge for theme and overall “wow factor”.

Now the lodge is growing in leaps with the addition of the Disney Vacation Club’s Animal Kingdom Villas.  Perhaps coincidentally, the Vacation Club has sent members an email with a link to a preview video of this potentially amazing spot.  The plan is to have a new restaurant, shops, and water play area, but the real draw is the addition of a new savannah, filled with the wonderful animals that make the Animal Kingdom and the Lodge so terrific.  I am not sure how long this link will last, but try it here.  The video has some terrific shots of the lodge.

I have been in many discussions with Disney’s critics over the value the Disney Vacation Club offers the company.  While I can’t speak to how much it brings in, the amount of investment being poured into this relatively small space, when compared to Saratoga Springs and Old Key West, is certainly as sign that it is substantial.  It’s one thing to bolt a bunch of villas to the side of a hotel.  It’s another thing entirely to build a mini-zoo for it as well.

The internet is bubbling this morning with the story that Universal will soon announce they have landed the exclusive rights to Harry Potter for theme parks, something Disney was reportedly working towards for years.  While nothing is confirmed just yet, I certainly recommend that Disney fans read Jim Hill’s piece on this. 

He discusses how Imagineers are not nearly as disappointed with losing Potter as they are with losing a robotic arm technology to Universal.  But he also takes us to the logical conclusion as it relates to Disney theme parks…

But — truth be told — the Imagineers that I’ve talked with are fairly philosophical about this whole situation. Okay, so Universal now has the theme park rights to the “Harry Potter” characters as well as Kuka’s amazing robotic arm technology. That just means that Disney will now have come up with some other way to wow its customer base.

Universal is clearly making a full-court press to combat their attendance problems.  And they are honestly doing it the right way, with investments into new rides and characters.  Will Harry Potter be enough to stem the tide of Mouse Ears that have been dominating the tourist industry in Orlando recently?  That’s difficult to say for the long term, but in the short term I think there is little doubt Potter will pull people from Disney to see what Universal is doing.

                                                                                         Copyright Disney Company 2007

The important thing here for Disney is to respond in a similar fashion, and not wait for attendance issues to pop up like Universal did.  Mr. Hill mentions the “living character initiative” as the way Imagineering plans to answer their competitors.  That would seem like a great idea, but is the Muppet Mobile Lab really enough?  The technology is great, but something even bigger is needed to make a true splash, something along the lines of the Happiest Celebration on Earth.  I’ll be the first one to say that when this gets announced, Disney executives may seriously want to reconsider plans for Beastly Kingdom at the Animal Kingdom.

Whenever I think back on my experience at the 50s Prime Time Café at Disney MGM Studios, I feel I understand the meaning behind Kurtz’s famous last words in the Heart of Darkness: “the horror, the horror.” In short, I’d rather chew tin foil then eat there again. The premise behind this restaurant is rather straightforward: you have entered “your” family’s kitchen sometime in the 1950s. The decor is kitschy and right out of an episode of “Leave it to Beaver.” On small televisions, you can watch clips of “I Love Lucy” and other classic (and not so classic) sitcoms.

The food is below average and fairly pricey. Lunch items include such typical Mom and Pop fare as fried chicken, pot roast, meatloaf, and chicken pot pie. The prices range from $13 to $16. These same items appear on the dinner menu with similar prices bucking the usual trend of being able to eat cheaper at lunchtime. Dinner does also include other choices like glazed salmon and pork tenderloin. Appetizers are basically the same, as well. The choices include beer-battered onion rings, shrimp cocktail, and Cesar salad. There is a bevy of specialty drinks of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic type. Kids may like the flavored sodas which are basically a combo of sprite and a fruit juice like sour apple or watermelon.

But herein lies the rub with the Prime Time Café- the cast members. Keeping with the general theme, the servers are your family members- brothers, sisters, mothers, third cousins twice removed. The shtick presented by your “family” sets this restaurant apart in the annoying department. “Mom” may inspect your hands for cleanliness or scold you for not finishing your vegetables (I hated that as a kid and it has not gotten any cuter since). Your “siblings” may tease you while “Mom” isn’t around. This nonsense is definately not for the shy and younger kids may find it unsettling. I just find it distracting, which on second thought, may be a good idea considering the quality of the food. Its particularly bad if the cast member is not giving it his or her all (a rare exception I grant you).

This restaurant is often compared to the other heavily themed Disney MGM Studios eatery, the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. The food is not great at either establishment, but I love the atmosphere at the Sci-Fi. The eat-in cars and cheesy movie clips are fun. I find the atmosphere at the Prime Time bothersome which just accentuates the fact that the food is not very good. I am aware that there are many supporters of the Prime Time café who love to play along with the servers and enjoy the vibe. Its just not for me.

Today’s dining review is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra