Jim Hill

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Jim Hill

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Let George Do It: One-time WDW busboy becomes Disneyland’s newest president

Jim Hill looks back over this Park & Resorts vet's 38-year-long career with the Company. In particular why George Kalogridis was chosen to help guide the Disneyland Resort through its upcoming transitional period Read More...

Posted Tuesday, October 13, 2009 12:00 AM | 1 Comments

Filed under: Disney, Downtown Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Disney's California Adventure, The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, Disney Parks & Resorts, Disneyland Hotel, Walt Disney Studios, cast members, cast member, 1971, 1976, 2009, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, pin, 2012, 2010, Rich Ross , pins, 1988, millennium celebration, opportunity, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Park, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, DLP, Ed Grier, regional theme park, Al Weiss, George Kalogridis, busboy, senior management, senior management position, UCF, Contemporary Resort Hotel, Disney Wonder, University of Central Florida, training issues, adversity, Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadershio Strategies from a Life at Disney, transition period, transitional period, Winter Olympics, Nagano, Olympic pins, IBM, Coca-Cola, Happiest Place on Earth, Resort Operations, maintenance, general manager, 15th anniversary, Sunshine Plaza, Anaheim property, Grand Flo, development team, Disney's World of Color, gay

Just how spectacular was WDW's Bicentennial spectacular?

In this week's Why For column, Jim Hill looks back to July of 1976. To be specific, all of the advance preparation that WDW officials put into that resort's Bicentennial fireworks display Read More...

Posted Friday, July 18, 2008 12:00 AM | 6 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Why For, parade, fireworks, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, promotion, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, World Showcase, World Showcase Lagoon, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Seven Seas Lagoon, WDW, cast members, Jeff Lange, cast member, hotel, 1974, Crowne Plaza, 1976, theme park guest, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, show, staging, WDWCelebrations , fireworks extravaganza , parades, fireworks display, water , lagoon show, water pageant, lagoon , sound check, soft opening, January, audience, water skiing, JeffLangeDVD, visually stunning

Monday Mouse Watch : The Winter of Disney's Discontent

With late 2008 / early 2009 projected to be an extremely challenging time for the WDW resort, Mouse House managers are already getting aggressive about cost containment. Jim Hill details some of the changes that are now being made around property Read More...

Posted Monday, July 07, 2008 12:00 AM | 25 Comments

Filed under: Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Contemporary Resort, The Magic Kingdom, WDW, Disney World, Pleasure Island, The Adventurers Club, Adventurers Club, Disney's Boardwalk Inn, Liberty Tree Tavern

Will pirates soon be returning to Treasure ... er ... Discovery Island?

In this week's Why For, Jim Hill talks about the history of Treasure / Discovery Island. More importantly, how WDW Entertainment and Food & Beverage are allegedly thinking of using the "Pirates of the Caribbean" characters to help get this place re-opened Read More...

Posted Friday, June 06, 2008 12:00 AM | 14 Comments

Filed under: Disney, Why For, Imagineering, ABC, Johnny Depp, WED, Walt Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tom Sawyer Island, Lost, The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Bay Lake, WDW Entertainment, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, cast members, cast member, Leota Toombs, 1974, 1998, 1976, 2008, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, marshmallows, Food Service, Blackbeard's Ghost , 1967, Peter Ustinov , Captain Jack Sparrow, Food & Beverage , Imagineers, April , rum , Pirates of the Caribbean films, 1960s, Disney officials , Pirates of the Caribbean franchise , January, interactive, Capt. Jack Sparrow, Raz Island, boat ride , treasure hunt , marshmallow, marshmallow roast , Treasure Island, Discovery Island, wilderness preserve , Blackbeard's Island , wizards of WED , 1950, Robert Louis Stevenson , Ben Gunn's Cave, Future Attraction, Future Attractions , The Blockhouse , Long John Silver, buccaneer, buccaneers, Spy Glass Hill , Wreck of the Hispaniola, Hispaniola, bird sanctuary , skeleton, aviary, enclosure, buzzard, buzzards , vulture, vultures, treasure map , operational hours , Yo-Ho-Ho , dough-dough-dough, snack bar, honeymoon, honeymoon cottage, honeymoon cottages , interactive gaming , Myst, pirate-themed adventure , O-Pin House, WDW Food Services, corporate groups, rum drinks , Johnny Depp lookalike

Night Kingdom to reimagine the Disney-theme-park-going experience

Jim Hill shares what he knows about WDW's 5th theme park. Which will be an after-hours venue that will offer guests the chance to have all sorts of once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on adventures Read More...

Posted Friday, February 15, 2008 12:00 AM | 95 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theater, theme park, convention, resorts, Walt Disney World, Disney Theatrical, Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel, WDW, cast members, Operations, cast member, hotel, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, resort, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, October, guest, guests, rides, ride, show, on property, vacation package, eatery, SeaWorld Orlando, Pleasure Island, The Adventurers Club, Adventurers Club, night club, 2011, Disney's Night Kingdom, 5th theme park, Busch Gardens Africa, focus group, focus groups , preview video , SeaWorld's Discovery Cove, niche park , J B Kaufman, DNK, High School Musical: East Meets West , 2000, 4000 , Indiana Jones , zipline , crocodiles, hand-feeding , hippopotamus, traditional theme park , night vision goggles , lions , lion, hyenas , hyena, spelunking, bats , bat, rock climbing, African savanna, South American , penguins, horticultural , Typhoon Lagoon , eateries, stage show , Broadway talent, capacity , operation , blueprints , hotels, Walt Disney World Swan, Walt Disney World Dolphin, on-property , admission , gourmet meal , non-alcoholic beverages , non-alcoholic beverage, admission fee , newest theme park , vacation packages, convention groups, convention group, weeks, week, months, month, advance reservations, advance reservation, reservations , reservation, annual shareholders meeting , shareholders meeting , Albuquerque , annual press event, press event, Villain themed , Villains themed , coasters, coaster, natural environment , once-in-a-lifetime , Disney's Boardwalk Inn

A meet the author / artist / filmmaker edition of Where For

Jim Hill bounces from Orlando to Anaheim, New York to Hollywood and then back again. As he talks up a number of signings & screenings that are being held all over the country over the next eight days Read More...

Posted Friday, December 07, 2007 12:00 AM | 3 Comments

Filed under: book, Disney, theme park, Disneyland, Anaheim, Orlando, Disney Press, Disney Legend, Disney's Contemporary Resort, New York City, Disney Editions, Hollywood, The Pixar Story, NYC, The Walt Disney World Resort, Disney / Pixar

Planning on dining at any of WDW's buffets during the coming holiday season ? Then Ho-ho-ho ! Get ready to give Mickey more of your dough

Jim Hill talks about how Disney World's new "holiday premium" program means that -- starting next week -- you'll be paying more for the privilege of dining at that resort's all-you-can-eat eateries during the busier times of the year Read More...

Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007 12:00 AM | 28 Comments

Filed under: Disney, theme park, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney's California Adventure, Anaheim, Disney's Contemporary Resort, The Magic Kingdom, restaurant, WDI, it's a small world, WDW, Imagineer, Boma, The Crystal Palace, Christmas, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Memorial Day, holiday premium, Easter, Chef Mickey's

Why For aren't there more countries in Epcot's World Showcase area?

As Jim Hill recounts, it wasn't for lack of trying on Walt Disney Productions' part. Jim talks about the lavish four-day-long party that the Mouse threw back in 1975 in an effort to convince more nations to become part of the project Read More...

Posted Friday, September 21, 2007 12:00 AM | 12 Comments

Filed under: theme park, Why For, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Anaheim, Walt Disney Productions, Epcot Center, Disney's Contemporary Resort, World Showcase, Card Walker, The Magic Kingdom, Washington D.C., The Matterhorn, Eyes & Ears, Hoop de Doo Revue, The Walt Disney Story, Bay Lake, big fig, Buena Vista Club, Brazil, Canada, Donn Tatum, Egypt, France, Future World Theme Center, Goebel, Greece, Guest Relations, Gulf Hospitality House, Hummel, Indonesia, International Street, International Land, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, McCoy Airfield, Morocco, Orlando International Airport, Pakistan, Pioneer Hall, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain , Sweden, The Middle East, Ticket & Transportation Center, Top of the World, Venezuela, Zaire

The Kingdom That Never Came : Disney World expansion plans circa June of 1982

Jim Hill shares an interview with Dick Nunis from the early 1980s. Where the then-president of WDW goes into great details about the many new hotels & attractions Walt Disney Productions has in the works for its Central Florida resort Read More...

Posted Friday, August 31, 2007 12:00 AM | 24 Comments