The following Articles are some of the latest news updates regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort and other Disney vacation destinations. Many are "Hot-off-the presses" !!

Refurbishment Updates for Walt Disney World® Resort
The following locations are scheduled for refurbishment:

New Service Lets You View/Purchase Theme Park Pictures Online
 

An innovative new service now available at all four Walt Disney World® theme parks lets you link tyour vacation photos together into one online account for easy viewing, sharing and purchasing.

With Disney PhotoPass, Disney photographers take photos of guests throughout the theme parks and instead of receiving a paper claim ticket, and waiting in line at a Photo Center for photos, clients can access and order their photos online at www.DisneyPhotoPass.com. Guests will also still be able to view and buy vacation photos at Disney Photo Centers throughout the Walt Disney World® Resort.

For more information about Disney's PhotoPass, check out www.DisneyPhotoPass.com.

The undersea world that charmed audiences around the world in the Disney-Pixar smash-hit film “Finding Nemo” hascome to life in an all-new musical stage show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. 

Featuring original songs by Tony Award-winning "Avenue Q" co-composer-creator Robert Lopez and a cappella musical "Along the Way" co-creator Kristen Anderson-Lopez, "Finding Nemo - The Musical" will immerse Walt Disney World® Guests in the story of Marlin and Nemo - an overprotective clownfish father and his curious son - through a dazzling production that combines puppets, dancers, aerialists and animated backdrops.

The visually inventive show represents the first time Disney has taken a non-musical animated feature, as well as the first Pixar film, and transformed it into an original musical production.  It will be presented in the newly enclosed 1,500-seat Theater in the Wild, completely redone to accommodate first-class theatrical productions.

"In ‘Finding Nemo,’ directors Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich and the talented team at Pixar created a film filled with unforgettable characters and a story rich with honest emotions that resonated with audiences everywhere," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.  "The movie was a worldwide box-office success and an Academy Award winner.

"We are truly excited to bring this beloved story to life at Disney's Animal Kingdom in this live musical spectacular."

During "Finding Nemo - The Musical," Theater in the Wild will become a colorful, "coralful" undersea world through innovative lighting, sound, special effects, animated projections, and the theatrical puppetry of Michael Curry, who co-designed the richly detailed character puppets seen in the Broadway version of Disney's "The Lion King."

Principal characters such as Marlin, Nemo and Dory will be represented by live performers operating animated puppets.  Some puppets are larger-than-life - such as Crush, the cool sea turtle, who is nearly the size of a Volkswagen, and Nigel the pelican, who stands 22 feet tall.

Other characters will be portrayed by a diverse array of puppetry styles, including rod, Bunraku and shadow.  Tap dancing sharks, puppets riding bicycles, and a punk rock routine by Bruce the shark create theatrical magic and fun throughout the big blue world.

"It is our goal to bring the undersea 'Nemo' characters to Disney's Animal Kingdom in a live setting in a way that captures what is truly special about the film," Rasulo continued.  "This production will meet that challenge in a dynamic and wholly original way to bring us into the fantastic ocean world."

"Finding Nemo - The Musical" is a 30-minute show, performed several times daily.  Admission to Theater in the Wild is included with regular Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park admission.

The new show is just one of many surprises you can enjoy during The Year of a Million Dreams - a first-of-its-kind celebration with more than one million very special dreams being granted to Guests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland® Resort.  Your Clients will also find Disney Cast Members delivering an unprecedented level of guest service, as well as the debut of innovative Disney attractions and entertainment spectaculars.

Inspired by Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Nemo”

'Wishes™' Fireworks Spectacular to Delight Magic Kingdom® Park Guests
The power of a wish combines with magical moments from cherished Disney films and dazzling pyrotechnic effects to create
Wishes™, a new story-in-the-sky fireworks spectacular  at Walt Disney World® Resort.

The new Magic Kingdom® show tells a thrilling, heart-tugging story about making wishes come true. At several times the size of Fantasy in the Sky, Magic Kingdom® Park's previous fireworks show, Wishes™ is the biggest, boldest pyrotechnic
display ever staged in the theme park that celebrates fantasy and the fantastic. The 12-minute spectacle takes guests
through treasured tales of adventure and romance from classic Disney films, accompanied by brilliant bursts of color and light
above -- and around -- Cinderella Castle.

Walt Disney World® Dining Reservations Now Standardized to 90 Days in Advance
You can benefit from a new policy implemented for priority seating at Walt Disney World® Resort dining locations. The window for booking Priority Seating reservations has now been standardized to 90 days in advance for anyone who wants to
dine at most Walt Disney World® restaurants. This standardized booking policy is a benefit to you and your clients because multiple phone calls for different dining locations are no longer necessary for most locations.

Exceptions to the 90 day booking window are as follows;
Pioneer Hall Hoop Dee Doo ...................... 2 years advance booking
Disney's Spirit of Aloha ............................ 2 years advance booking
Bistro de Paris ....................................... 30 days advance booking
Lunch with a Disney Artist ....................... 30 days advance booking
Victoria and Albert's Chef's Table ............ 180 days advance booking
Mickey's Backyard Barbecue ............... when available

Also, noted below for reference is the booking window for other Walt Disney World® Resort entertainment and recreation venues:
Cirque du Soleil® --  up to 180 days in advance
Golf tee times --  up to 120 days in advance
Selected recreation -- up to 90 days in advance
(Includes guided fishing excursions, horseback riding, parasailing, tubing, water-skiing and wakeboarding)
Walt Disney World® Tours --  up to one year in advance
Children's Activity Centers -- ) up to one year in advance

Walt Disney World® Resort Accommodates Clients Without English Fluency
Walt Disney World® Resort is expanding the availability of personal translation units for clients with limited English fluency.

The newly designed Ears to the World Disney’s Show Translator will be introduced in all four Walt Disney World® theme parks on July 14. Guests will be able to use these new light-weight, integrated, digital headset devices in more than 30 attractions across the four theme parks. This complimentary Guest amenity translates key narrative attractions into French,
German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

          
Walt Disney World® Resort
New Interactive Toy Keeps Walt Disney World®Resort Guests Entertained and Informed During Theme Park
Trips

He’s the ultimate insider at Walt Disney World® Resort, a cheerful friend who helps enhance a theme park visit with timesaving tips and fun facts. Who is he? Pal Mickey!
Available for rental or purchase beginning in April, Pal Mickey is a talking Mickey Mouse toy that will keep guests entertained and informed by recommending theme park attractions, offering reminders about parades and show times, sharing stories, playing games and helping locate Disney characters in the parks.

The interactive toy will be available to all guests as a daily rental for $8 per day plus tax and a refundable deposit, or as a $46.94 purchase plus tax at merchandise locations in each of the Walt Disney World® Resort Hotels starting in April.
Pal Mickey will be offered at select locations in Magic Kingdom® Park, Epcot®, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney’s Animal
Kingdom® .

Check Out Our Newest Character Dinner at the Walt Disney World
Resort

A new character dining experience has debuted at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Cinderella's Gala Feast will be held at 1900 Park Fare restaurant and will offer a Cinderella Character dining experience. This Disney character dinner is $23.99 for guests ages 10 and over, and $10.99 for guests ages 3-11.

    The "Grand" buffet includes carved prime rib, pork loin, fresh fish, ham, pasta, fresh vegetables, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. Any combination of the following Characters may appear with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare : Fairy Godmother, Suzy mouse, Perla mouse, Prince Charming, Stepmother - Lady Tremaine, Stepsister - Anastasia,
Stepsister - Drizella. Reservations are currently available 120 days ahead of time.

                                                                                                              Page last modified on March 13, 2004