Wow – who knew that 2009 would be such a busy year?! It seems like only yesterday we were saying goodbye to the Year of a Million Dreams to make way for the new What Will You Celebrate? promotion, but now we’re learning that this new program promoting special occasions at Disney World and offering free admission on guests’ birthdays is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Disney has in store for us going forward!
If you thought that D23 was going to be big, then these new announcements will really knock your socks off…
Shamu and Friends Welcomed to Seven Seas Lagoon with SeaWorld Acquisition
Rumors have circled ever since Anheuser-Busch was sold last year about whether Disney would be interested in purchasing any of the theme parks from InBev, the new Belgian owner of the global brewing company, however now the only question is just how quickly the iconic animals of SeaWorld can be incorporated into Walt Disney World and the answer to let them roam free, as nature intended, seems obvious. Instead of watching these creatures from behind glass, guests will now have the unique opportunity to watch dolphins play in the distance from the beaches of the Polynesian or even take awe as Shamu himself swims gracefully alongside the riverboats that transport guests across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom.
Plans also call to eventually integrate the sharks, penguins, and other more unique animals from SeaWorld into Disney’s infrastructure as well, however special care must be taken to avoid introducing certain predatory creatures into guest areas without first installing the appropriate warning ropes and signage.
Sassagoula Riverfront Along Downtown Disney to be Filled In, Paving the Way for Even More Retail and Dining Space
Following in step from last fall’s efforts in closing the clubs of Pleasure Island to make way for additional retail and dining space at Downtown Disney, key executives have identified a prime way for the Resort to delivery even more of what guests have asked for by moving forward with further expansion into the valuable real estate currently occupied by the Sassagoula River itself along the marketplace. By cutting off the river further upstream and filling in this area between Downtown Disney and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, Disney executives look forward to being able to offer potential merchants a wealth of new real estate, just waiting to be filled with the top names and brands that guests have come to know and love from their own local shopping malls back home.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Become Disney’s Moving-Pictures-with-Music-by-Randy-Newman Studios
In an effort to further maximize branding efforts and ultimately end any confusion that the park, in fact, resides in Orlando and not Hollywood, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will see a minor tweak to its most recent name change. Guests visiting Disney’s Moving-Pictures-with-Music-by-Randy-Newman Studios will know from the moment they walk through those classic, studio-esque turnstiles that they’re stepping into a world that’s all about the moving picture shows with Randy Newman soundtracks that they’ve come to cherish from Walt Disney Pictures. This update will also allow the Studios a unique opportunity to further highlight upcoming features as well as the classic favorites from the Disney archives before plunging them deep into the archaic time capsule that is The Disney Vault.
Legendary Years at Disney’s Pop Century Resort to Become First Value DVC Resort
Fans of Walt Disney World’s tribute to pop culture will be delighted to learn that not only will their favorite value resort finally see construction resuming on its Legendary Years phase which currently sits opposite the existing buildings of the resort, but upon completion, they’ll also be getting the unique option to own a piece of pop culture history when the area opens as Disney’s Pop Century Villas: The Legendary Years. These modest one- and two-bedroom suites will be the Disney Vacation Club’s most affordable offerings to date, allowing a new class of Disney fans to take ownership in “the best kept Disney secret” while also celebrating their own passions for the pop culture memories of yesteryear.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Remain As-Is
Despite the plethora of changes announced around every facet of the Resort here in April, one place that Disney Imagineering is leaving to its own is the newest of the Resort’s four theme parks – Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Despite speculations that the Beastly Kingdom area might still be one day developed, executives cited that with recent completion of Expedition Everest and the newly opened Yak & Yeti restaurant – both in the Asia area of the park – further development at this time is simply “unnecessary” and can be better focused on other guest areas such as Downtown Disney and, ummm, Downtown Disney…
So many big and exciting changes, all announced on this first day of April in the year two thousand and nine, and you know that the months to come will be filled with all sorts of progress as we watch in anticipation as these five new projects begin to develop. Of course, you know that you can always turn to none other than yours truly for the latest updates as all corners of Walt Disney World scramble to accommodate these latest creative mind storms to flow from Walt Disney Imagineering – you might say that we’d be foolish not to keep tabs on these exciting developments as they make history at the Place Where Dreams Come True!
Happy April, everyone…