Tidbits September 2008

[Figment!]

Tidbits
September 2008

Reflections of Upgrades

9/15/08 The Earth Globe float returned to Illuminations Reflections of Earth on 9/13/08. The newly refurbished showpiece features the same video package, but now with increased clarity and definition.

8/25/08 After a show cancellation due to inclement weather, Illuminations Reflections of Earth officially debuted in it's Globe-less form over the weekend. During the now-in-progress refurbishment of the the Earth Globe float, the nightly presentation will be the alternative version that was tested earlier this year.

8/19/08 Due to further delays, Epcot Operations has announced the refurbishment for the Illuminations Earth Globe float has been rescheduled to begin August 21, 2008 and end Mid-September 2008.


Exiting Stage Left

9/5/08 The further entertainment cut backs rumoured amongst Cast earlier this Summer have been confirmed; as well as, other entertainment cut backs announced. It has been internally announced that Four for a Dollar will be retired 9/20/08, Inkas Wasi has been retired effective 8/30/08, The Karuka Acrobats have been retired effective 8/30/08, The Main Street Family Fun Day Parade will be retired 9/27/08, OrisiRisi has been retired effective 8/30/08, Spelmanns Gledje has been retired effective 8/30/08, Wes Palm has been retired effective 8/30/08, and Woody's Cowboy Camp will be retired 9/27/08


7/26/08 Rumours have been circulating among Entertainment Cast that further entertainment offerings will be scaled back or retired in Late 2008/Early 2009 in addition to the already announced retirement of Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends and variable scale back of Fantasmic!. It is being rumored among Cast that Woody's Cowboy Camp will be retired Fall 2008, The Main Street Family Fun Day Parade will be retired Fall 2008, and The Disney/Pixar Block Party Bash Parade will be scaled back to 5 days-a-week in January 2009. Currently, none of these changes have been confirmed nor has any concrete evidence been cited in support of these rumours.

Singling Out

9/5/08 It appears that the Single Rider Line at Toy Story Midway Mania! at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be unavailable for at least the near future. The sign for the queue option has been covered and Attraction Cast have been reportedly informed that the Single Rider Line is no longer a Guest option.


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[Figment!]

A Fairyly New Meet & Greet

9/3/08 Work is underway to prepare the forthcoming Disney Fairies room in the Toontown Hall of Fame at the Magic Kingdom park. The Disney Pal's room in the Toontown Hall of Fame has closed for construction. Addtionally, construction permits have been filed for demolition work and interior modifications under the description of "ToonTown Princess/Fairies Queue Modifications".

Due to the closure of the Disney Pals room, Character Cast have reported that the Pluto will now appear regularly in Town Square, Goofy will appear regularly near the Splash Mountain exit area, and Donald Duck will appear regularly (in Pioneer attire) along Frontierland Street.

7/31/08 Character Cast have reported that the Disney Fairies Meet 'n' Greet at the Magic Kingdom is tentatively scheduled to open October 26, 2008--the same day as its Disneyland counter-part. According to Cast, the Meet 'n' Greet line-up will rotate between Tinkerbell, Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta and Silvermist.

7/18/08 The previously reported retrofit of the Disney Pals room into a Disney Fairies Room in the Toontown Hall of Fame appears to be in motion. The Walt Disney World resort has announced auditions to be held July 23, 2008 to be "friends" of the Disney Fairies. Auditions of this nature are typically held relatively close to the start of a Meet & Greet, although there have been yet to signs of work beginning to convert the room. With the Disneyland Fairies Meet & Greet announced to Open October 2008, the yet-to-be-announced Magic Kingdom location is still expected to open shortly after its West Coast counterpart placing an anticipated opening in Late 2008/Early 2009

Spectroblackout

9/3/08 Despite the scheduled extension, Spectromagic returned per the original schedule on August 30, 2008. In addition to allowing the return of Spectromagic, the Liberty Square bridge has also re-opened to pedestrian traffic.

[DisneyBabies]

Thanks for the updates Jason! We are especially excited to here about the Fairies Room at Toontown .

[vizsla]

Thanks for the updates.

[Mousemates]

thanks for the update...will be good to see Donald in his Davy Crockett attire.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the update Jason!

[Figment!]

**Update**

[SurferStitch]

Awwwww.......

Wes Palm is gone?? Bummer....I loved him. It was a blast chatting with him before AK opened while waiting in line.

I'll also miss the acrobats.

[GrumpyFan]

Awwwww.......

Wes Palm is gone?? Bummer....I loved him. It was a blast chatting with him before AK opened while waiting in line.

Us too!

Seems like they're doing a LOT of cuts!

[vizsla]

Thanks for the updates.

[DizneyRox]

9/5/08 The further entertainment cut backs rumoured amongst Cast earlier this Summer have been confirmed; as well as, other entertainment cut backs announced. It has been internally announced that Four for a Dollar will be retired 9/20/08, Inkas Wasi has been retired effective 8/30/08, The Karuka Acrobats have been retired effective 8/30/08, The Main Street Family Fun Day Parade will be retired 9/27/08, OrisiRisi has been retired effective 8/30/08, Spelmanns Gledje has been retired effective 8/30/08, Wes Palm has been retired effective 8/30/08, and Woody's Cowboy Camp will be retired 9/27/08

WOW, I sure hope it's due to them being stale and not a $$$ issue. Wes Palm is just one guy and a rechargable battery I assume, you can't get any cheaper than that.

More and more it's turning into Six Flags Orlando.

[CaptSmee]

I will miss Four for a Dollar so, soooo much...

[wilshade]

Four for a Dollar was always fun to listen to. Enjoyed them immensely. I am getting real tired of these cutbacks real fast.

[Disneyatic]

All of these cutbacks announced so close together are so disheartening.
It seems like they are getting rid of all the "small things" that make the parks special and let it stand out against all the competition.

[TheAdventurer]

I was a big fan of Spelmanns Gledje, I'm sad to see them gone

[FriendsofMickey]

All of these cutbacks announced so close together are so disheartening.
It seems like they are getting rid of all the "small things" that make the parks special and let it stand out against all the competition.

This is exactly how I feel


I was just thinking the other day, they seem to be taking away a lot of the 'little magic moment' stuff and especially the 'little kid's magic moment' stuff. My girls are really upset about Pocahontas (I have not told them about Figment... I do not have the heart... we will be there soon and I am NOT looking forward to them not being able to see Figment... they will be very sad, because he is their favorite character.)

[IamBelle]

I was a big fan of Spelmanns Gledje, I'm sad to see them gone

Who are they? They sound familiar, but i just can't place them..

[DisneyorBust]

Appreciate the updates!

[TheAdventurer]

Who are they? They sound familiar, but i just can't place them..

The band that played Norweigian music in the Norway pavilion.

[NASCARVW]

I will miss Four for a Dollar so, soooo much...

Wow,
ME TOO!
These guys were AWESOME!