Mouse Extra

Apparently, the new concept rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort have been popular. Finding Nemo and the Pirates of the Caribbean rooms may have been just the art. As noted by WDW Magic a few weeks ago, Disney has been sending out surveys about the possibilities of two new kinds of rooms: Princess Rooms and Haunted Mansion rooms.

A look at the concept art can only get one excited. Especially the Haunted Mansion rooms. Sure the princess rooms look cool with their Cogsworth clocks and genie lamps. But the Mansion rooms with the glow in the dark footprints on the ceiling and carpet, and the gargoyle lights are just plain cool. Best of all is the secret passage sliding bookcase to get to the bathroom.

I hope Disney carries through with this plan. I would imagine the Haunted Mansion rooms would be at Port Orleans. If I had to guess, I would put the Princess rooms at the Grand Floridian. And I think this could be a real hit for Disney, making these rooms ultra popular with corresponding rates. And it could pave the way for more. Perhaps Splash Mountain rooms at the Wilderness Lodge or Lion King rooms at the AKL.

Since the economic recession of 2001, Disney has been accused of scaling back its operations at the Walt Disney World Resort.  Limited park hours, lax maintenance, and cuts in operations funding and personnel have all been targets and symbols by critics of a product being delivered to guests that “ain’t what it used to be”.  But nothing symbolized this trend more than that giant abandoned half-built skeleton sitting out there behind the Pop Century Resort known as the Legendary Years.  But now the critics won’t have that to kick around anymore.

Disney announced earlier this week that construction will soon begin on Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, which will be built on the site of the forgotten Legendary Years section of Pop Century.  Is this the sign that the worst is finally behind us?

copyright Disney

Over the past few years, critics have certainly exaggerated, and often times to an enormous degree, the degree to which Walt Disney World has been declining.  But all exaggerations are based in fact, and it certainly was a fact that this enormous eyesore sat there as a beacon for all the bad things critics wanted to jump on.  Now don’t let me exaggerate as well, this is certainly not the telltale sign that all is right in the Magic Kingdom.  But I do believe that it is at least a sign that Disney expects attendance to rise and the demand for “value” priced rooms to increase.

What’s more, I really do like the ideas behind this project.  Check out the Daily Disney Blog from the Orlando Sentinel for some great coverage.

Plans for the new resort show 10 wings of rooms and a separate building housing the check-in lobby and restaurants. The hotel wings will be separated into four distinct groups, each with a theme from a different animated movie: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars.

Each section will have separate courtyards anchored by icons from the movies — such as a 35-foot-tall King Triton presiding over the Mermaid section — and the entire resort will use bright-color palettes evocative of the lush scenery of animated movies. Hotel designers say they have been soliciting input from artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios on everything from building elevations to which scenes to depict at the swimming pools.

While it is true that I am not a big fan of the over-the-top style themes found at the value level resorts, I still find this idea interesting.  Family Suites are a great idea, especially affordable ones, so that alone should be applauded.  But if Disney were going to do an over-sized bordering on tacky theme of any kind, who could argue with using the company’s best attribute for inspiration.

Now, let’s hope the critics give Disney its due credit.

Thanks to the good folks over at DVCNews.com, we now have artist renderings of the new feature pool that is planned for the Saratoga Springs Resort at Walt Disney World.  The Paddock Pool, which is now a quiet pool, will soon be closed so that crews can begin construction on a new, and much more involved, recreation area. 

The announcement was made during the Disney Vacation Club’s Condo Association meeting.  You can read a detailed report on the meeting here.

…A new feature pool will be constructed that will triple the size of the current pool. The new pool will be 3,300 sq feet and wiil feature a lighted, 146-foot long slide, a larger pool deck with more chairs, another spa pool, as well as a 1600 sq foot wt play area for kids. There will also be a quick service dining facility that will serve burgers and fries, and perhaps a refillable mug station. This will cost about 41 cents per point and will be paid out of capital reserves.

There are three things that stand out from this report.  First, is that even though it is going to be smaller than the main High Rock Spring pool, this does look like a really great addition to the resort.  (That certainly looks like a slammin’ slide!) Saratoga Springs is a big, sprawling place that in some areas can really make you feel like you are out in the sticks.  Having something like this will help brings guests in that area a little closer to some action.

Which brings me to my second point, and that is a not-so-subtle urging of the DVC to make absolutely certain they add the refillable mug station to this project, which in the report seems iffy.  I have stayed out in this area before, and just to get a cup of coffee or a soda can be a hike or even a drive away.  It was the number one complaint of myself and everyone in my party during that stay.  This would really be convenient and the club should make it happen.

Finally, I hope the announcement or report just happened to mistakenly leave out plans to add a pool bar to this area.  Being able to get something to eat without having to trek all the way to the main lobby is a good idea, but that isn’t all I want to do when spending an afternoon at my home resort.  Let’s not forget about us adults, okay?

TouringPlans.com raised the possibility this weekend of an online check-in system coming to Disney World Resorts as well as the Disney Vacation Club properties.  Keep in mind this is still in the rumor phase of reporting.

Disney’s Online Check-In service enables Guests to simplify their arrival by allowing them to go online and provide information related to their upcoming stay. On a Guest’s scheduled arrival date, since check-in information will have been provided previously online by the Guest, they may experience a streamlined check-in at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels or Disney Vacation Club resorts. A welcome folder with their Key to the World Card will be waiting at a designated Disney’s Online Check-In area in the resort hotel lobby. Guests will need to present valid photo ID to pick up the folder and complete check-in. Guests may check-in online beginning 10 days prior to their arrival date.

This is one of those things that I can’t believe has taken this long to develop.  I mean, if you can check-in online for an airline flight you should be able to do so with a hotel.  Plus, I can’t be the only one who has waited on ridiculous lines for check-in, especially at the value resorts.

But whether or not I take advantage of this, should it become reality, depends solely on the flexibility of the system.  For a couple of resorts the location of my room is critical to the reason I picked it.  If I can not somehow influence which specific room on get with this system then I simply would not be interested in using it.

Here is a story from late last week that I did not want to let go by without a comment or two.  It is from Scott Powers on the Orlando Sentinel’s “Tourism Central Florida” blog, and it offers up some commentary as well as an image of concept art for the upcoming rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort that will soon be re-themed to a Pirates motif.  What do you think?

A couple of weeks ago I commented on the designs for some other rooms at the Caribbean Beach that are being re-themed to “Finding Nemo”.  And I hated it, in no uncertain terms.  But this I kind of like.  It is certainly different, and no doubt over-the-top, but in a good way.  But I would want to stay here, and I think kids would as well.

So what is the difference, you ask?  You see, there actually were pirates romping around through the Caribbean.  It is engrained within the history and lure of that part of the country that this resort is looking to emulate.  And to boot, the motion picture that these rooms are theme to also actually took place in the Caribbean.  Novel concept, don’t you think?  Nemo however, despite the poor aesthetics of the room concepts, has absolutely nothing to do with the Caribbean, zippo!

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.