Tidbits
January 2009




Only Rehabs Can Prevent Inferno Fires

 1/30/09 Epcot Cast have reported that the Inferno Barge will be removed from the nightly Illuminations Reflections of Earth show for a brief refurbishment. The refurbishment is tentatively scheduled to start February 1, 2009 and last 3 - 4 weeks. During this time period Illuminations will be presented as scheduled, but with-out the Inferno Barge's effects.

Celebrate the Details

 1/30/09 The Magic Kingdom has recently added a new kiosk and added a new feature to a classic attraction as part of the resorts "What will you celebrate?" marketing campaign. Guests wishing to get a button to celebrate their special occasion should now visit the new "button cart" that has been set-up outside of City Hall. The cart features newly designed Birthday, Anniversary, Honeymoon, First Visit, and Family Reunion buttons in addition to a new catch-all "Celebrate!" button. Guests can continue to celebrate their occasion on the classic Tommorowland Speedway attraction. The attraction has recently introduced "tailgate signs" that can be attached to the back of the celebrating Guest's speedway vehicle. Guests can currently choose signs to help them celebrate their Birthday, Honeymoon, or Anniversary.

Mexico Mixer

 1/30/09 It has been internally announced that the interior retail area of the Mexico pavilion will be rearranged. Casa Mexicana, the exhibit of a traditional Mexican homestead, has closed and construction permits have been filed to modify walls, casework, lighting, doors and fire sprinklers. Once the construction is complete, it has been internally announced that Artesanias Mexicanas will move into the new location. While a replacement for the soon-to-be former Artesanias Mexicanas area has not been announced, it is currently rumoured among Cast that it will become the long-delayed tequila bar.

Mission: Possible

1/27/09 A few more details have been revealed from the on-going Soft Opening Previews of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure.

Guests start their Adventure by reporting to one of the recruitment centers (located in Innoventions West, in Innoventions East, near the Odyssey Bridge and near the International Gateway Entrance/Exit). Guests can also start their adventure at any of the field stations located at each country, but to get the full experience it is recommended to start at one of the recruiting stations at least once. Once signed-up, Guests will receive a Mission Pass (that looks very similar to a FastPass) telling Guests a field service location (World Showcase Pavilion) to report to and a time to report there.

At their designated time and location, Guests should proceed to the designated countries pavilion and find the Kim Possible noted cart. Once there Guests will be assigned to an actual Adventure (so if Guests have a preference they may request one at that time). *Note* The country Guest are instructed to report to, may not be the country their Adventure is in. Once assigned, Guests will be given a Kimmunicator device and start their adventure by following clues, completing tasks and interacting with hidden show features all around one of the World Showcase pavilions. Once the adventure is complete, Guests will be direct to a drop-box for their Kimmunicator. If Guests wish to complete another Adventure, they may do so by signing up at one of the recruiting or field stations.

1/13/09 The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure has been announced to conduct its Official Grand Opening January 28, 2009. Disney Vacation Club members will be eligible for a preview of the interactive attraction January 23 - 25, 2009 from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm daily. In lieu of a preview, Annual Passholders can sign-up to have their spot reserved in the attraction's virtual queue in advance of their arrival. These limited advance reservation can only be made for February 26 through March 1, 2009 from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm each day. The advanced reservations will open on February 5, 2009 at 10:00 am EST on the Annual Passholder website.

According to the recent announcements, each "adventure" is expected to take Guests 30 - 45 minutes to complete. Actual reports from Guest Previews have averaged closer to 15 - 30 minutes to complete an adventure. With 7 total adventures, the complete attraction could take Guests 2 - 5 hours to complete not including their time spent in the virtual queue in between each adventure.

InnovenChange

1/27/09 A portion of the new IBM THINKPlace exhibit has opened in Innoventions West. This portion of the new exhibit allows Guests to play a classic style video game with them as the star. Guests start at a kiosk where they are digitally recorded running, jumping, and dancing. Once each motion is recorded Guests can review the recording and "keep it" or "try again". Once all three actions have been recorded and accepted, Guests move to a second kiosk where they play the video game with they are now the main character.

1/7/09 The IBM THINKPlace exhibit in Innoventions West has closed for what appears to be a major renovation. Construction walls surrounding the area feature a marquee that reads, "the NEW! THINKplace presented by IBM COMING SOON!"

Aloha Chocolate, Aloha Orange

1/27/09 Aloha Isle has further revised its menu to more fully incorporate its new Dole Whip flavor. The location's soft serve menu items are listed as follows Pineapple Dole Whip, Vanilla Dole Whip, Pineapple-Vanilla Swirl Dole Whip, Citrus Swirl, Pineapple Float, and Pineapple-Orange Float. The Pineapple-Orange Float is descried as "Orange Dole Whip with Pineapple Juice". The Citrus Swirl is described as "frozen orange and vanilla soft serve"; it has not been reported if the Sunshine Terrace still serves the Citrus Swirl or not. Oddly, Orange Dole Whip is not listed as a menu option although they clearly use it to make the Pineapple-Orange Float.

1/7/09 Aloha Isle, in the Adventureland section of the Magic Kingdom, has modified its flavor offerings for its popular Dole Whip frozen treat. The chocolate flavor has been retired, and a new orange flavor has been introduced.

Third Tweak a Charm?

1/24/09The Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade (slight name change from the announcement) debuted on January 23, 2009 as scheduled. The parade features a new original soundtrack and a few float revisions. The Walt Disney Mini-Float marquee has been replaced with a banner marquee that features criss-crossed banners that read “Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade”. The "it all started with a mouse" float has undergone the most significant changes. The film reels have been transformed into ribbon spools and the film strips comprising the Mickey-icon structure has been replaced with colorful “Celebrate today” banners forming the iconic silhouette. The various statues depicting Mickey’s incarnations have been removed and over-sized blowout horns and streamer horns have been added. Minnie Mouse now joins Mickey on this float and both are in their new “Celebration” attire. The Cinderella Castle float has also received some significant changes. The “A Kingdom of Dreams” banner has been replaced with a “Celebrate Today” banner. The float has also been adorn with cloud sculptures and Mickey-Mouse balloon statutes. The float now features Chip, Dale, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy all in their new “Celebration” attire. The Character troupes in-between the floats have been replaced with dance troupes. The parade has also added a show stop where the dance troupes perform a dance number. For those interested in viewing the new parade, a search on YouTube with the phrase "Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade" should pull up several videos.