Mouse Extra

For those of you that are unaware, Disney has announced the closing of one of the original attractions of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. According to the Orlando Sentinel,  , the last show will be September 27th. This is not a terribly compelling show for sure. It was one of those attractions that after seeing it once, you never went back. For those who have never seen it, it was a small theater where Pocohontas appeared with Grandmother Willow and several live animals. The whole thing was environmentally educational and small children were able to sit up front for a better view.

Disney has not announced a replacement. The demise of this attraction has been rumored for some time. One rumor placed an animal actors show at this location. Another rumor placed a show around Merlin and a dragon here. As many of you are aware, Camp Minnie Mickey was initially a temporary land with the Beastly Kingdomme eventually occupying this spot. This closure almost assuredly is not a sign of the coming of the Beastly Kingdomme. In all likelihood, the area will remain a low-key stage show.

As many of you know, I have always been a supporter of the increased influence Pixar has had over the Disney theme parks.  While purists have pounded their collective fists and coined the annoying term “Pixarization”, I have been mostly positive.  But today’s Jim Hill Media posting is going to run me off the tracks a bit.  Check out his piece here with pictures from the recently renovated rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

Just last week, the first 32 units at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort received the “Finding Nemo” retreatment. In the weeks & months ahead, 64 rooms will be retheming each week until a total of 1738 units have undergone Pixarification.

Yes, you have read and seen that correctly.  “Finding Nemo” will be the theme inside rooms at the Caribbean Beach.  Quite honestly, I can’t think of a more ridiculous idea.  And to make things worse, it isn’t even done well.  These pictures are just plain awful.  It looks cheap and poorly thought out.

The Caribbean Beach has long been a favorite of mine, though I haven’t stayed there recently.  It had a great theme, classy rooms, and bright but subtle atmosphere that made it a happy place.  It had the kind of well done, if somewhat less intense, immersive experience that makes Disney resorts worth the money.  But now we have rooms that look like they belong in the same kind of “shove the marketing down your throat” style we can find at the All-Star Movies or Nickelodeon hotels.  Those styles have a place, but why does it have to be here?

Now in all fairness, this has nothing to do with Nemo or Pixar.  I would hate this even if it was Mickey Mouse himself plastered all over these rooms.  This is supposed to be a resort that is NOT gaudy and kiddy.  It is supposed to be equally as charming to the no-children-in-tow adults as to the five year old.  But now it looks like a value hotel, only without the cheap price tag.  What a terrible disappointment.

There is a great article on the Orlando Sentinel’s website by Scott Powers that is really worth a read.  He covers the whole “expired FastPasses” market that has popped up on the internet, a question I hear asked a lot by Disney World guests.

On most days, eBay features more than two dozen separate FastPass auctions, some for dozens of tickets. Some claim to offer VIP FastPasses good anywhere, anytime. Requested bid prices start at less than a dollar but can run into the hundreds of dollars.

Besides the people selling their old tickets online, there are also reportedly counterfeiters selling fake FastPass tickets out there as well, making the problem a growing concern for guests.  Even though Disney seems to wash its hands somewhat at this, don’t gloss over the fact that they too bare some responsibility in this.  But I think they really are not all that concerned, despite what they say.

This is one of those things I just don’t get.  The one and only problem, the one thing that can stop all of this from happening, is if cast members actually check the dates on the tickets.  How hard can this be?  If Disney really and truly wanted to stop these tickets from being sold, they can make them worthless to begin with.  But everyone knows they don’t look at the tickets much and you can often get away with handing over an expired one.

According to this morning’s Mouse Planet park update for Walt Disney World, it appears Disney may be making a change to their dining reservations system.  Apparently they are going back to a 90 day window for advanced booking, from the 180 day window that currently exists.  There will be three exceptions, Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Victoria and Alberts.

It’s about time.  This is great news and a great decision should it come to pass.  I always thought that having to book restaurants half a year before you go on vacation was absolutely absurd.  For one thing, I don’t always plan my trips that far out and I know others don’t either.  If you booked your trip any less than six months away you don’t get a fair shake at decent ressies.  That seemed like an awful stiff price to pay for not knowing if you had the vacation time or funds to go on a trip that far in advance.

My extended family and I are scheduled to go to Walt Disney World in January, and it is amazing to me that we are trying to figure out where we are going to eat now.  Let’s hope this change is made and in the future we can take our time a bit more.

“Throwing it out in the trash” is an old news expression for releasing information late on Friday afternoon when no one is paying attention and no one reads the Saturday papers.  It is almost always information you know people are not going to be happy about and you want to minimize the impact.  That is exactly what Disney did last week when it tossed the Pleasure Island closing story into the trash.  They knew there would be a backlash, but I think they may have been a little overly cautious.

You see, on the whole I think this is a very good idea.  Sure, I don’t want to see the Adventurer’s Club close either, and hopefully Disney will figure a way to rework it into its future plans.  But the concept is a good one and a needed one.  Jim Hill was correct earlier this week when he talked about how Pleasure Island stands like a big wall between the Marketplace and the West Side.  A more seamless experience would be a big plus.

I also can not tolerate the idea of paying to get into a bar.  Call me old-fashioned, but plugging down money for a “cover” is just not in my plans.  I think the incredibly inflated drink prices are enough payment from me.  For this reason I almost never go into the clubs at Pleasure Island anymore.  I want places where I can go at night, and have a drink with my friends without having to pay a fortune.  Is that so much to ask?

And I also think the survey information we have heard so much about is also correct.  We do need some more and some new places where everyone can go to eat.  Personally, I don’t like the current crop of restaurants at Downtown Disney and I haven’t made a point to eat there in a long time.  Some new places, with great themes and atmosphere, would bring the masses back to Pleasure Island.

Why can’t we have more places that during the day and evening hours are magnificently themed family restaurants, but by night become fun hangouts for the over 21’s?  Raglan Road is a terrific example.  During the day, anyone can come in and enjoy good food in an Irish pub.  But when the night falls, it turns into a raucous drink-fest.  The best of both worlds can be achieved, but the current Pleasure Island clubs are just not set up for that.  (However, the Adventurer’s Club could be with a little retooling.)

So let’s not all fall into deep depression or start to panic here.  Disney already replaced a Pleasure Island club, the Jazz club, with the extremely popular Raglan Road.  There is no reason to believe the rest of what is coming won’t be equally as positive.

I have a soft spot for animals, I must admit.  So when I see stories come out of Disney’s Animal Kingdom like this one, I just can’t help but post it.  I mean, the picture alone is worthy of making it on the website.

Yes, that’s a beautiful new 300-plus pound bouncing baby boy, welcomed into the world welcomed into the world just this past weekend.  The mother’s name is Moyo, and I guess she hasn’t decided yet what to name her new son.

This is really what makes the Animal Kingdom such a great place.  To see the effort it takes to raise this elephant from birth to adulthood is just incredible.  As I have said before, Disney should really bring guests closer to these animals.  I think it would truly enhance the experience.