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• Mickey & Minnie say "Farewell" to Toontown Fair, "Hello" to the Town Square Exhibition Hall

  Jim Hill brings the latest news of the Fantasy Forest project. Which involves the Toontown crew packing up and moving to new digs down on Main Street USA Read More... Posted Tuesday, September 29, 2009 12:00 AM | 18 Comments Filed under: theme park, Imagineering, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Disney Fairies, Dumbo Circus, Mickey Mouse, Dumbo, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Studios, D23, animated feature, Disneyana fans, Main Street USA, 2001, guest, guests, 1401 Flower Street, Town Square Exposition Hall, autographs, Goofy , character , coaster, Imagineers, characters , Disney characters, Mickey's Toontown Fair , D23 EXPO, Disneyana fan, Walt Disney World Resort, 1941, The Barnstormer, Barnstormer, Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, kiddie coaster, Casey Jr., Casey Jr. Circus Train, circus train, Casey Jr. Jr., clearance issues, Wiseacre Farm, smokestack, off the table, pies, seltzer, expansion, Fantasy Forest, Magic Kingdom expansion, country house, country home, Town Square, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, 100 Years of Magic, Toontown Fair, photographs, country mouse, city mouse, Zoo Crew, Big Cheese, friend-of-Mickey, homeless, friends-of-Mickey, air conditioning, Operational, motion picture industry, Duckburg, heat, Duckburg USA, humidity, USA, Operational standpoint, The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm

• What gloom & doom? It's still "Happy Poly Days" over at Disney's Polynesian Resort

  Tired of all the bad news coming out of Orlando these days? Jim Hill uses Jeff Lange's photographs as an excuse to write about WDW's most popular hotel Read More... Posted Friday, December 05, 2008 12:00 AM | 5 Comments Filed under: Disney, resorts, Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Seven Seas Lagoon, Central Florida, WDW, Jeff Lange, 1971, hotel, resort, tourists, 2008, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, October, guest, guests, tourist , hotels, Lake Buena Vista , occupancy rate , January, pool, JeffLangeDVD, gingerbread , occupancy rates, retail entertainment complex, ocean, dog, Walt Disney World Resort, wave machine, Santa Paws, DTD, dogs, Disney's Beach Club Resort, carousel, gingerbread carousel, merry go round, merry-go-round

• Disney World now offering discounted Merchandise Credits to select Guests

  Jim Hill talks about a test that's currently underway at the WDW Resort. Where people who have already bought vacation packages are now being offered the chance to purchase a $500 Walt Disney World Merchandise Credit for just $395 Read More... Posted Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: Disney, Downtown Disney, Orlando, Central Florida, WDW, tourists, 2008, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, guest, guests, shops, WDW guests, tourist , retail dining and entertainment complex, WDW officials , consumers, Credit Crunch, Central Florida tourism, retail area, retail entertainment complex, consumer spending, targeted, retail sales

• Will Disney World's new "Buy 4 Get 3 FREE!" promotion really be enough to get you to book a trip to Orlando in early 2009?

  Jim Hill talks about that new WDW incentive program that Bob Iger revealed as part of yesterday's earnings call. Which includes a free $200 Disney Gift Card for those who buy a vacation package before December 20th Read More... Posted Friday, November 07, 2008 12:00 AM | 13 Comments Filed under: Disney, Bob Iger, Walt Disney World, promotion, The Walt Disney Company, marketing, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDW Entertainment, 9/11, Central Florida, WDW, Christmas, 2008, 2009, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, annual passholders, guest, Disney World vacation, WDW guests, Disney Dining Plan, WDW management , advance reservations, advance reservation, WDW vacations, WDW officials , cost over-runs , WDW executives, bottom line , 911, Walt Disney Company, Disney theme park, business plan, fiscal year, bookings, earnings, earnings call

• "Creating Magic" reveals how the modern Magic Kingdom really operates

  Jim Hill reviews Lee Cockerell's new book, which recounts the many lessons that this Disney vet learned while he was the Executive Vice President in charge of Operations at the WDW Resort Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: book, Disney, parade, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Tinker Bell, The Walt Disney Company, The Magic Kingdom, Euro Disneyland, Cinderella, 9/11, Walt Disney : The Triumph of the American Imagination, The Animated Man : A Life of Walt Disney, Neal Gabler, Michael Barrier, WDW, cast members, cast member, David Koenig, Realityland: True-Life Adventures of Walt Disney World, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, September, guest, guests, Disney Publicity , publicity, 2006, pins, 1994, Lee Cockerell, Trapper Keeper, Charlie Ridgeway, Spinning Disney's World: Memories of a Magic Kingdom Press Agent, MMO, modern Mouse House, Doubleday, Grant's tomb, Alice Marriott, millennium celebration, Euro Disney, Publicity Department

• Characters come to the rescue at the Magic Kingdom

  Jim Hill explains how WDW officials used Mickey & friends as a diversion while repairs were being made on the Liberty Square bridge Read More... Posted Friday, August 29, 2008 12:00 PM | 5 Comments Filed under: Magic Kingdom, The Magic Kingdom, WDW, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Operations, Christmas, 2008, The Walt Disney World Resort, guest, guests, holiday season , WDW guests, construction, August, WDW officials , Mickey's Pirate & Princess Party, Adventureland , Liberty Square bridge, operational issues

• Monday Mouse Watch : Why Pleasure Island has to close

  Jim Hill talks about the real reason WDW's night club complex is shuttering. Which is Mickey's desire to create a seamless Guest experience for all those shopping & dining at Downtown Disney Read More... Posted Monday, June 30, 2008 12:00 AM | 54 Comments Filed under: attraction, Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World, WDW, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, guest, Pleasure Island, Adventurers Club, night club complex, night club, Disney Village Marketplace, the West Side, night clubs

• Monday Mouse Watch : Disney World's new grim grinning gracious ghosts

  Forget about fright. Now it's all about being polite. Or so says Jim Hill as he talks about the new spiel that cast members are expected to recite whenever they work at this Magic Kingdom attraction Read More... Posted Monday, June 02, 2008 12:00 AM | 14 Comments Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Haunted Mansion, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, The Foyer, The Portrait Gallery, The Entrance Hallway, Liberty Square, cast members, Jeff Lange, cast member, JHM, guest, guests, butlers, maids, acting classes, Imagineers, CD, script, The Ballroom, wretched bodies, Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen, guest complaints , gruesome gags , PR team , acting coaches , dialogue , spiel , show narration , The Stretching Room, final arrangements, maid, butler, please, Prince Arthur, grim grinning ghosts, grim grinning gracious ghosts, polite, fright, retraining, plussing, fashion, The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion, fireplace, MouseSteps, JeffLangeDVD, photos, screensaver, Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, disc, Denise Preskitt

• 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

• Monday Mouse Watch : Changes to Disney Dining Plan infuriate WDW guests

  Jim Hill reports that it's been a really rough week for managers & servers at Disney World restaurants. Who've had to deal with all of the customers who are complaining about the "no more free gratuity" portion of this "Magic Your Way" add-on Read More... Posted Monday, January 07, 2008 12:00 AM | 48 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Guest Relations, restaurant, Universal Orlando, WDW, Mouse, 2008, Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, The Walt Disney World Resort, guest, pre-paid dining, Walt Disney World Resort website, placate, compensation, Mickey By, running tally, complaints, wages, tips, waiters, credit cards, Disney World vacation, frontline staff, panel, implementing policy, Central Reservations, Chris Heatherly, gratuity included, appetizer included, January 1 2008, taking it in the shorts, Food Service, The Moment of Truth, customers, recreational facilities, shops, on property, off property, credits, room key, gratuity, snack, meal, counter service, table service, vacation package, Magic Your Way, 2005, SeaWorld Adventure Park, WDW guests, Disney's Magical Express Transportation, Disney's Magical Express, Disney Dining Plan, Security, patron, parent, camera, Coke, Mickey, server, eatery, full service

• A PC Haunted Mansion ?! Now that's scary

  Jim Hill talks about the new script that the Imagineers have written for this attraction's Foyer area. Which is reportedly being added to the stateside versions of this classic attraction because a handful of guests complained about the macabre remarks that a few Disney cast members have made over the years Read More... Posted Thursday, January 03, 2008 12:00 AM | 43 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Imagineering, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Anaheim, Orlando, The Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Resort, The Haunted Mansion, WDI, Glendale, WDW, Imagineer, Walt Disney Imagineering, Paul Frees, Ghost Host, The Foyer, The Portrait Gallery, The Entrance Hallway, stretching room, theme park visitor, theme park guest, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, guest, guests, macabre, ghoulish, butlers, maids, ad-lib lines, staging, blocking, acting classes, official script, 1401 Flower Street, sinister, theme park attraction, squeamish

• Monday Mouse Watch: Is there really such a thing as putting too much Walt into a Disney theme park?

  Jim Hill offers a different take on the upcoming DCA redo. Where the proposed revamp of this theme park has more to do with appeasing specific market segments than it has to do with making California Adventure better Read More... Posted Monday, November 26, 2007 12:00 AM | 37 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Pixar, Walt Disney, attraction, Imagineering, Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Pixar Animation Studios, The Walt Disney Company, Disneyland Resort, Main Street U.S.A., television, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyana, Hollywood, WDI, Southern California, Imagineer, DCA, dark ride, tourists, theme park fans, nostalgia, 1923, Disneyana fans, tribute, tributes, critic, critics, vocal critics, too much Walt, window dressing, Walt-centric, per-square-foot sales ratio, retail corridor, annual passholders, Main Street USA, 2001, entrance area, girl-friendly, 5-to-8-year-old girls, Golden Dreams, The Indiana Jones Adventure, GM Test Track, Radiator Springs Racers, Cars Land, Jeff Hornaday, E-Ticket, corporate symbol, Colonel Sanders, Frank Finlay, The Disneyland Resort, Generation X, Generation Y, Disneyphiles, Disneyphile, guest, guests, pie-eyed Mickey, The Partners statue, Partners statue, attractions, shows, rides, Ol' Mousetro, ride, show