Mouse Extra

The big buzz this morning is that Spaceship Earth had a soft opening last night and reports of exactly what has been changed and to what extent are now starting to appear on the internet.  Our good friends at WDW News Today have linked us to such a report.  Keep in mind that this report is nothing but spoilers, so if you are waiting to be surprised…don’t read it.

It appears as though much of the original historical scenes have been kept intact with only a few exceptions.  But thankfully, the lighting and animatronics have all been given significant updating and attention.  Some of the scenes have been altered, and of course some updating was needed to make the last 25 years be seen as history and not the future.  Hopefully this removes the “antiquated” feel these scenes had…at least for a couple of years. 

The second half, the futuristic descent sequence, is totally changed with apparently nothing left behind.  This is where the interactive part comes in.  I won’t spoil it too much, but it sounds much more elaborate that Horizons, as many suggested.

This morning’s Orlando Sentinel has a terrific report on the soon to be opened and remade Spaceship Earth.  They also have a nice two minute video of some behind-the-scenes- construction, but don’t get too excited.  The video is very careful not to show anything new.

The report, however, does offer just a bit more details of the upcoming changes and some of the new things that have been added…

Fresh content is most apparent as riders near the top of the sphere. New sets representing the invention of the computer mainframe and the garage where the personal computer was developed lead to the darkened, downward second half of the experience.

As the cars coast down the rail, passengers answer seven questions about their future on a touch screen. (Do you prefer the journey or the destination? While away, do you worry more about your home or your pet?)

Answers are melded into a customized piece of retro-yet-futuristic cartoon for each row.

Other changes blend old and new. The revised living room steers attention to the 1969 moon landing on television — featuring reports from Walter Cronkite, a former narrator of Spaceship Earth.

Some of the recent refurbishment projects, such as the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean, were mostly upgrades and only a very few additions.  But this seems to be more along the lines of the Gran Fiesta Tour, without the name change.  At first I thought this was going to be a new corporate message at the end and perhaps some interactive features on the ride vehicles.  But this information certainly leads us to believe it will be much, much more involved than that.  Especially since the entire decent sequence is now different.  That is a good chunk of the ride.

There is good news for those of us with pets who struggle to find something to do with them while we travel to Walt Disney World.  Now, our four-legged buddies can come and enjoy the same Disney-style luxury that has us so addicted.  According to today’s Orlando Sentinel, a new high-end pet resort is coming to the Mouse.

Walks? Sure. Runs on an obstacle course? If they wish. Ice cream snacks. Bottled water. Supervised socializing with other pets. Elevated beds with lamb’s-wool bedding. If special bedding is desired — even orthopedic beds — those, too, will be available.

For dogs used to curling up on a child’s bed and drifting off to sleep as a parent reads a bedtime story, bedtime stories will be available. For those conditioned to nap in front of a TV, televisions can be provided. And they won’t be playing just any TV shows; they’ll have dog movies, like Milo and Otis or Homeward Bound.

Sound a bit strange?  Well, it shouldn’t.  This is the way many pet boarding facilities are going and there is no reason for Disney to not do the same.  And quite frankly, this kind of place is exactly where I would want my dog to go.  We have a similar establishment by me and I would not take my dog anywhere else.  These places are often so good for the dog that they don’t want to leave!  When I was young, I had a dog pass away in a kennel while on vacation and since then I would never think of leaving my pet at the cheapest joint around.  I want someone who will watch and care for them.

Disney has contracted this out to a company named Best Friends Pet Care Inc.  They will be taking over all of Disney’s existing kennels in January of 2008.  The new “luxury pet boarding center” will not be ready to take guests until mid-2009.  My dog is ready to make her reservations as soon as possible.  Now, can she also get an ADR at Le Cellier?

Today is December 5, the most important historical date for all Disney fans everywhere.  It is Walt Disney’s birthday.  He was born on this date in 1901.

There are, however, some very official documents somewhere in the world that have his birthday erroneously recorded in 1900.  As the story goes, Walt in an attempt to serve with the Red Cross in France during the end of World War I had his mother sign a correct document only to do some…altering…so he could appear a year older. 

I have often wondered why Disney does not make a bigger deal of December 5 at the theme parks.  Regardless of the year, I would think doing something really special annually on this day would be a great idea and a worthy one.  I mean, after all, it all started with Walt.  No disrespect to the Mouse intended, of course.

LaughingPlace.com has a story regarding new itineraries coming in 2008 to the Disney Cruise Line.  The Eastern Caribbean cruise will replace St. Maarten with either Tortola or St. Croix for only a select amount of trips.  But what is even more exciting is that from mid-May to late-August the Four-Night Bahamian Cruise will add a second stop at Disney’s own Castaway Cay.

The Four-Night Cruise once featured a stop at, I believe, Freeport in the Bahamas.  I was told by a crew member that guest feedback told them they would prefer have a day at sea to enjoy the boat, so that is why it changed to the most recent itinerary.  For these 16 voyages that day at seas will be replaced with a visit to Castaway Cay.

This brings up an interesting question.  Anyone who knows the Disney Cruise Line will tell you that Castaway Cay is enormously popular.  Am I supposed to believe the majority of guest feedback said for all these years that they would rather have a day at sea than at Disney’s lush private island?  Now I can only assume bringing guests to the island is more expensive than leaving them on the ship and the cost of these cruises is higher, but will the popularity of these new cruises change Disney’s thinking?  Will this be a preview of a permanent change to the four-night cruises?  I hope so.

There is some interesting speculation going on recently about bringing an e-ticket size attraction to a World Showcase pavilion at Epcot.  We’ve all heard the Mt. Fuji rumors, and the log flume at Canada has been around the block a few times as well.  Yesterday, however, Lou Mongello of Disney World Trivia fame has added another wrinkle to these possibilities.  Can Imagineering be bringing back the Rhine River concept to the Germany pavilion?

If you look at the pavilion from the promenade, you will see a set of large double wooden doors to the left side of the plaza. Behind this is the show building for what would have been a multi-milliondollar ride through the German forests along the Rhine and other rivers. You would have passed scenes that included Oktoberfest, Ruhr Valley and so much more. While the show building remains, it has been used for utilitarian tasks throughout the years, such as for storage, construction, rehearsals, etc. Recently, I have learned that Disney may have taken an interest in this building once again, possibly going so far as to have a number of people scouting the interior and interior of the pavilion and what’s behind those large wooden doors. No specifics as to what may be planned, although we all have heard the old adage that no good idea at Imagineering is ever lost forever, so who knows.

Of all the concepts I have heard for the World Showcase, this is the one that makes the most sense for the theme of the area.  Should the World Showcase really be about log flumes and roller coasters?  That is a worthy debate, but I don’t think anyone can complain about an expansive indoor dark ride.  This would fit in rather seamlessly.

But does a dark ride about Germany have the draw Disney is looking for?  Does it have the marketability that a thrill ride can deliver?  This is what this will come down to.  I think Imagineering will eventually add something big to this side of Epcot, but they need to decide how big a splash they truly want to make.