Mouse Extra

Anyone who has taken the Magical Express and stayed at a non-deluxe resort knows exactly how much room for improvement there is in Disney World’s bus system.  We have all waited in the afternoon for what seems like over a half an hour, with screaming and sun exhausted kids, in the blistering heat for a bus to take us back to the resort for nap or a swim.  We have all seen buses for other resorts come by two or three times while we wait impatiently for ours.  And forget trying to connect to anywhere!

Well, perhaps those days are behind us to some extent.  We have all heard about improvements coming to the buses, but earlier this week the Touring Plans website reported some really positive news…

After extensive delays, the Disney bus system upgrades have finally implemented the functional features then merely the aesthetic uses. Driver have begun being dispatched over the radio according to the computer monitoring system and will soon begin receiving the same data by the in-cabin computer read outs. Guests should see a noticeable reduction in wait times at bus stops soon.

Will there be a truly noticeable difference in wait times?  Only time will tell on that, but we can not under state the importance of this.  Disney World has built a wonderfully expansive complex with scores of things to do and places to eat.  Those who choose, by Disney’s own suggestion, to not rent a vehicle and take their transportation often find much of Disney World out of reach.  They need to close that gap and open great resort restaurants to people who otherwise wouldn’t bother.

Disney’s best kept secret has also been the holder of Disney’s worst kept secret.  After months of rumors and poorly guarded secrets, it seems Disney has finally let the cat out of the bag about the new Vacation Club resort at the Contemporary…well not exactly.

According to Scott Powers in this morning’s Orlando Sentinel, Disney has been cleared to sell timeshare interests in the new $110 million tower currently going up next to the Contemporary.  It is set to be called the “Kingdom Tower” and construction will not be completed until the fall of 2009.

…in new filings with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Disney formally states that the Disney Vacation Club will “add a ninth component site to be known as Kingdom Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.”

Disney says in the documents that it will sell the time shares in phases, beginning with an initial 75 units. The Kingdom Tower, which will connect to the existing Contemporary via a fifth-floor pedestrian bridge, will ultimately contain 281 units, according to the filings.

The article also offers a peek into some of the specifics and details that will be part of the Kingdom Tower…

A new swimming pool, for instance, will be large enough for 180 people; go as deep as 4 feet, 11 inches; and feature two hot tubs and a 104-foot-long water slide. There will be two tennis courts, two shuffleboard courts and two boccie ball courts. A barbecue pavilion will have about 490 square feet of covered area and a pair of picnic tables.

I think we all expected this to be a big project with many amenities for those staying there.  It is, after all, the first DVC resort on the monorail line and because of that it will instantly become the most popular resort among the club’s offerings.  But as we also could have guessed, club members will be paying a premium as a result…

Glaser predicted that Disney will choose to market the Contemporary time shares “as more of an upscale product.” An early point-chart submitted by Disney to the state — Disney Vacation Club owners buy points from the company, which they then redeem for rooms, though they must buy through a “home resort” — shows guests will have to spend more points to rent one- and two-bedroom units at the Kingdom Tower than any of Disney’s other existing time shares.

The question is, how much more will it cost?  Will the high point rate keep current DVC members from buying add-ons or discourage them from clamoring to book a vacation at the Kingdom Tower?  As a member myself, the point cost is going to make a huge difference for me.  The other resorts are terrific and the value of them may look even greater if this new resort runs sky high.

There is some great news this morning coming out of Lou Mongello’s Disney World Trivia website.  According to Lou, the finger-scanning system found in the turnstiles at Disney World’s theme parks will be going away and replaced with a barcode scanner that will read information on your ticket…

Disney will be installing barcode readers at the turnstiles. Now, instead of scanning your finger, you will simply swipe your card and gain entry. No more choosing which hand or finger, waiting for people to get it “just right” - it will be a quick, automated process. I think this is a wonderful idea, as no longer will Guest interaction and familiarity with the process determine how long it takes to gain entry. As long as the card contains valid entry media on it, the Guest can gain access. Will this possibly allow people to use a card form someone else in their party? Probably. Is that a big deal? Not likely.

Lou is exactly right on many levels here.  First, this is a VERY good thing and I simply can’t wait for this to happen.  The finger-scanning system is just plain awful and holds up lines at the turnstiles and that is just not necessary.  If they were actually using the finger-scanning system to validate that the right person is holding the ticket then that would understanable, but the system doesn’t even do that with much accuracy.  We have all handed out the wrong tickets to our party and still have gotten in.  That fact has always made me grind my teeth every time I needed to wait for people to get this silly system right.

Also, I agree with Lou on the last part of that paragraph.  I never understood why Disney would care what I did with the park days I purchased.  As long as I am not leaving the park and handing off my card to someone else on the same day, I think letting someone use your unused days is just fine.

It has been quite some time since the rumor that DisneyQuest was on its way to the chopping block first hit the internet.  Many believed the interactive playground, which was not as well attended as Disney hoped, would make way for a flagship ESPNZone restaurant in the same building.  Though there seemed to be a lot of momentum behind this rumor, it never happened.

Now, according to Jim Hill Media, DisneyQuest is going to stay, but the ESPNZone is coming anyway, only now the rumor is that the Virgin Megastore will be the building doing the vacating. 

To explain: Just like with the Cheesecake Factory, Virgin & Cirque du Soleil’s contracts with the Walt Disney Company — at least when it comes to these West Side facilities — are up for renewal this year. And given that Megastore Orlando has never really done as well as the parent company had hoped it would, the rumor is that Virgin is now leaning toward not renewing its lease on this Downtown Disney location. Which means that the Mouse may soon find a 49,000 square foot hole in its West Side line-up.

Which is why the Imagineers are now toying with tossing an ESPN Zone into this location. An idea that — you may recall — was once proposed for the building that WDW’s DisneyQuest currently occupies.

The only thing about this rumor that seems fishy to me is the use of the phrase “toying with tossing”.  Bringing the ESPN restaurant to Downtown Disney is an idea that I would imagine has been tossed around quite a bit. 

So how do you feel about this?  Are you happy DQ is staying?  To be honest, I went inside it once in the dozens of times I have been to Disney World since the arcade opened.  I didn’t find it worth the money at all.  I hope this if they do keep it, they will at least invest in improving it.  On the other hand, the Virgin Megastore is certainly nothing I would miss all that much.  Perhaps between the two choices, the Virgin store is the better one to cut.

I would love to see the flagship ESPNZone placed in Downtown Disney.  It makes perfect sense and would be a welcome addition to us adult sports fans that would enjoy a great place to see a game.

I am sure you have all read and heard in recent weeks about the upcoming reopening of Disney’s Treehouse Villas.  According to the Orlando Sentinel earlier this week, the project has definitely been given the green light but many folks are still wondering how exactly they will be offered to the public, as Disney has been very short on details…

Disney officials haven’t made much of the villas for years, and even now they aren’t willing to discuss their plans in any detail. The company sought and received permission from the South Florida Water Management District recently to tear down the villas and replace them. Disney World spokeswoman Andrea Finger said at least some of the new units would be available for use by resort visitors — the first time any of the Treehouse Villas have been open to the public in several years.

The central question is whether these will open as a new resort to any guest or if they are to become a DVC property, perhaps an extension to Saratoga Springs.  (If you want to get an incredible detailed look at these possibilities, try DVCNews.com’s articles from last week.  They have one on why it will be a DVC and one on why it will not.)  So far, Disney has refused to answer this question and have been unusually tight-lipped in the rumor department. 

I honestly would be surprised if this is a Vacation Club resort.  It just doesn’t seem to make much sense to me.  While these resorts certainly fit into the “home away from home” idea of the DVC, there are only 60 of them.  In order to make money on the rooms, DVC needs to sell timeshare interests in amounts that correspond directly to the number of actual properties they have.  60 is such a small number, I just can’t see them investing the money for that. 

Also keep in mind that the DVC has two very exciting properties they are going to focus on once Saratoga Springs sells out, the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Contemporary.  Will there really be a big market for the Treehouses with these two out there to buy instead?  I’ve been wrong about this before, so I wouldn’t be shocked if the DVC takes it over, but right now it seems unlikely.

When spending a day at this park with your toddler, be prepared to sit out most of the rides. At present, there is only the Great Movie Ride which children of this age can experience. This may change with the soon to be opened Toy Story Mania, but even that seems to be geared to the video game crowd, not those 3 years and younger. While the Backlot Tour is open for all ages, it can be dull except perhaps for the quick trip through Catastrophe Canyon. That doesn’t mean parents with little ones should avoid this park.

The Studios are teeming with character meet and greets, many geared to this age group. In one alley, characters from JoJo’s Circus, Kim Possible and the Little Einsteins can be found continously throughout the day. At designated times, youngsters can get the oppurtunity to meet the Power Rangers and Darth Vader, as well as Cars characters like Lightning McQueen and Mater. Times and locations for these events can be found on the schedule, a necessity for guests more so here than at the other parks.

The Studios also does a nice job at providing shows for the toddler set. The Playhouse Disney stage show, recently revamped, is certainly a must see. Our toddler went absolutely nuts for this show. Then there is the Voyage of Little Mermaid which mixes live actors with puppets. Your little princess can get swept away when Prince Eric saves Ariel from Ursula right before their eyes.

For the boys, Disney had added the Jedi Training Academy as a permanent attraction to the park. Previously, this show was only seen during the popular Star Wars weekends but was made permanent thanks in part to the very popular and similiar-in-concept Pirate Training show at the Magic Kingdom. In any event, make sure to get there at least a half hour prior to start time (more so during busy days) and get as close to the front as possible. Then your youngster may get a chance to learn a lesson on the fine art of wielding a lightsaber by a Jedi Master.

The food falls a bit flat in the Studios compared to elsewhere in the “World.” The Sci-Fi Dine in Theater has subpar food but a uniquely fun atmosphere. However, the campy concept of this eatery can be lost on most toddlers. We do not recommend the Prime Time Cafe for any age group, but especially for tiny tots. The overbearing “mothers” and teasing “siblings” can be unsettling for adults never mind impressionable youngsters. And who wants a stranger yelling at them for not eating thier peas or keeping their elbows on the table? Mama Melrose’s features standard average italian fare at well above average prices. Worse yet, the counter service selection at this park is the poorest of any Disney park.

We are proponents of the Fantasmic Dinner package, especially with youngsters and even more so during peak seasons. For a set price, you can eat at either the Hollywood & Vine, the Brown Derby, or Mama Melrose’s and get a guaranteed seat at Fantasmic, a must see for all children of all ages. This show gets our nod as the best nighttime event. With toddlers, I would suggest the Hollywood & Vine as its the cheapest choice and, as a buffet, the easiest.

As you can see, this park requires a different mindset from the others in order to get the best experience for your toddler. Its all about shows and characters here. But even with the lack of rides, your tykes can have a fantasic time. Many of them are just as happy singing with Ariel or hugging JoJo as they are riding Peter Pan’s Flight.