Mouse Extra

The much anticipated T-Rex Restaurant has opened at Downtown Disney.  The droos opened yesterday and our friends at WDW New Today already have some great coverage of the place.  Take a look at their video and photos.

It does appear interesting to me and I am looking forward to trying it out when I get to Walt Disney World in January.  But I will be completely honest here.  It does not seem to distinguish itself all that much from the Rainforest Café.  The T-Rex audio-animatronics are impressive, but certainly not all that technologically advanced.  But I will reserve judgment until I can experience it myself.

Disney announced late yesterday a change in the name of the Disney Dining Experience program that offers members discounts at Walt Disney World restaurants.  Upon checking my emails first thing this morning, I got this message from the folks at the Disney Dining Experience…

Greetings,
On the occasion of the 13th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, we are pleased to announce that we will be launching a new name for the Disney Dining Experience.

Our Festival, which will take place from September 26 – November 9, 2008 will celebrate Cities in Wonderland, and following that theme, your dining club will be named Tables in Wonderland as of September 15, 2008.

This new name will not alter any of your current benefits. We have simply decided to do this to help distinguish your membership from any other dining privileges at Walt Disney World Resort that bares a similar name to the Disney Dining Experience.

You may continue to use your current card until expiration and your renewal card will reflect the new name, Tables in Wonderland.

The first thing that really caught my attention was the use of the word “Wonderland”.  Doesn’t that sound strange to you?  I mean, Disney has not used that phrase at all in advertising and marketing plans in recent years.  Creating something like this without using the word “dreams” has almost become a shock to the system.

But besides that the change is just a name change, and I honestly would be happy if they called it whatever they wanted.  The program is not really changing and that is good news.

Screamscape.com has some interesting details via a press release on what we can expect to find in the upcoming T-Rex Café set to open this fall.  This is the first example of what is to come from the new Downtown Disney, so a lot is riding on this newbie.

Guests will be greeted with life-size animatronic dinosaurs that live among cascading waterfalls, bubbling geysers, a fossil dig site and much more. There will be a meteorite shower every 20 minutes and an aqua bar complete with a 6,000-gallon shark tank and a large octopus with mechanical tentacles. A full-size skeleton replica of Argentinosaurus, one of the largest of the dinosaurs and copied from a museum specimen about 125 feet in length, looms over the entrance, joined by a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.

The only reason I am posting this is because I want to read what you the fans think of what you see hear.  The cynical Disney addict has been saying that this will be no more than a re-themed Rainforest Café.  But this looks a lot more elaborate than your average Rainforest and much more interesting as well. 

Yes, the animatronics could be ciraca-1964 and turns this into a giant cheese-fest, but let’s stay positive.  I mean a shark tank is cool in almost any form…unless this turns into some sort of Nemo-ized shark tank…

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.

It appears Disney’s Wide World of Sports is about to undergo a major change, as Disney finally puts the mega-popular ESPN brand name to its proper use in the theme parks.   According to a press release this morning, the complex will undergo a complete rebranding.  You can read the entire press release here.

Aligning the world’s No. 1 family vacation destination with the worldwide leader in sports, Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN are joining forces to re-brand Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex with the ESPN brand, creating an entertaining and immersive experience for the nearly 2 million athletes, coaches and spectators who come through the Disney sports complex each year.

Plans for the re-branding initiative – which was announced today during the ESPN upfront presentation to advertisers and sponsors – are still in the development stage, but initial concepts involve renaming the sports complex and incorporating the signature elements of ESPN throughout the 220-acre facility, which is a leading venue for amateur and professional sports in the country.  The project aims to enhance the experience of both athletes and spectators by connecting them to their favorite ESPN programs, personalities and elements.  It also will provide advertisers new sponsorship opportunities at the grass roots level.

It is somewhat unusual for Disney to be so upfront with things that are still at the “developmental stage”.  Usually they let it orbit the rumor world for a few months and then offer the details when they are good and ready.  Despite the longwinded press release, there is little here that says much more than a new name.  Could that really be all there is to this project?  Perhaps, but they seem to be hinting here to much more.

For one thing, I believe there still is an All Star Café over at that complex.  I can’t imagine ESPN would want a direct competitor to its own line of restaurants within their new digs.  Could this be the place where Disney puts the giant-sized flagship ESPNZone?

The Orlando Sentinental is reporting the following

“E-Brands, the multi-concept Orlando based restaurant group, will launch its newest location and concept at Walt Disney World in 2009. The eatery will feature authentic Central and South American cuisine, specialty tequilas, premium wines and live music.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to build upon our portfolio of 15 successful restaurants across the country — including such brands as Timpano and Samba Room — and our 25-year relationship with Walt Disney World Resort,” said Rashid Choufani, CEO/Owner of E-Brands Restaurants and operator of Epcot’s Morocco Pavilion. “We look forward to sharing our unique dining experience with Walt Disney World guests from around the globe.

E-Brands Restaurants newest concept will come to life with a boldly colored hacienda-style interior featuring rustic beams that contrast against modern fixtures, stone floors and windows that open to create an open-air environment. The 5,000-square-foot, two-story facility will have a tequila bar and outdoor seating along Village Lake.”

Disney has not announced where this is going exactly other than to say it will be on Village Lake. I can guess that it may be part of the Pleasure Island overhaul. I can also assume it will much be like Raglan Road in that there is no cover charge. Frankly, Disney is going to the chain restaurant well a little too much recently with, in my opinion, mixed results. Having said that, South American cuisine is notably absent from Walt Disney World and this is a place I will definately try. We’ll see if it works out.

Today’s article is by Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra.