R.A. Pedersen's Blog, page 8

Another Peek Behind Walls of the Renovation at Test Track

We spent some time in Epcot on Labor Day – because that’s work for us – and we took these lovely photos of what’s going on behind the walls over at Test Track. We’d didn’t get the standard “from the monorail” shot of the courtyard this time around, but we did catch a glimpse into the exit/post-show by chance in the evening (no camera handy) that we can describe to you. It explains why the maps now say Late Fall for the reopening.

Essentially the post-show area is nothing but bare walls and flo...

Disney Receives Gold Autism Award

Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts was awarded the Gold Autism Award earlier this month by The United Kingdom Autism Foundation for its efforts supporting and accommodating autistic guests.

The Gold Autism Award, accepted by Greg Hale, Chief Safety Officer and Vice President of Worldwide Standards and Auditing, was presented by Ivan Corea, father of an autistic child, Charin Corea. The award recognizes Disney’s initiatives to help guests with disabilities navigate the Walt Disney World Resort...

D23 Epcot 30th Anniversary Event Waitlist Has Reopened

If you were disappointed because you missed out on a chance to buy tickets to D23′s event to celebrate Epcot’s 30th Anniversary then you’re in luck – if you’re quick. The waitlist for the base entry tickets for the September 30th event has apparently been cleared or paired down and reopened for sales.

The waitlist puts you in line for the $65 admission for:

D23′s EPCOT 30th Anniversary Celebration

October 1, 2012, marks the 30th anniversary of Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort and D23: The Offic...

Radiator Springs Racers Coming to Walt Disney World

Very few details are known at the moment, but plans are in the works to bring the successful Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers to Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. In particular, the much maligned Lights, Motors, Actions Stunt Show will be replaced and that back section of the park will be reworked to incorporate the new attraction.For a detailed look at the attraction as it opened in California please see our recent coverage of the grand opening events.

Disney will neither confirm no...

Test Track Live Chat Transcript and New Marquee

Well, that was interesting.. not terribly informative, but interesting. Here’s the full transcript of the LiveChat (moreso an artful dodge-and-weave on the part of Imagineering) about the upcoming Test Track renovation that is said to reopen this fall at Epcot. Oh, and we also got this one piece of new concept art of the new marquee – enjoy!

1:12


Jenn Fickley-Baker:

Hello everyone! The live chat will begin shortly.

1:14






Comment From Scott

Thanks Dr, is there sound or just text?
















1:14


Jenn Fickley-Bake...

2012 Halloween Party Offers Happy Haunts for 23 Nights at Walt Disney World

Ghouls and goblins gather at Disney for a bewitching Halloween spooktacular during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party beginning Sept. 11 at Magic Kingdom.

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A pumpkin-orange glow and light fog along with ghostly silhouettes dancing atop the roofs of Main Street, U.S.A create lots of delight and not so much fright during this family-friendly, after-hours party. Guests are invited to dress up in favorite Halloween costumes for trick or treating and more from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. for 23 select nigh...

New Costumes Arrive Backstage at Epcot for American Adventure

Despite protests from both guests and cast members over the inappropriateness of the design of the new costumes, Disney has chosen to go forward with introducing “modern” redesigned costumes to the American Adventure attraction in Epcot.Reports have come in that the costumes have arrived backstage at Epcot and that the they will soon appear in the park itself. The exact date when the cast will be forced to wear them in unknown.

Longtime cast members of the pavilion sent an open letter to Disne...

Unannounced Coral Reef Restaurant Renovation Coming Soon

Permits filed today by Disney for Epcot suggest there is a pending unannounced renovation for the Coral Reef restaurant. The contractors on the various projects are the Grunau Company and SB&H Contractors who both specialize in work that typically wouldn’t be completed in a simple overnight process.

Grunau specializes in plumbing, electrical, HVAC and fire suppression systems, while SB&H is more focused on building renovations and weatherization/energy savings upgrades. Deadlines for work comp...

Fall Mickey Monitor Confirms No October 1st Events for Epcot 30th

The title pretty much says it all, but we’ll elaborate. Ever since Disney announced the D23 event for Epcot’s 30th anniversary occurring on September 30th with an up-charge to attend, guests have been wondering if Disney was going to do anything for park guests on October 1st, the actual 30th anniversary. With the latest release of the annual passholder newsletter, The Mickey Monitor, Disney essentially cements the suspicions that nothing is planned for October 1st.

The calendar sections of th...

A Retort to Disney Consumer Insight Justification

Disney recently launched a new overall corporate blog and one of the first posts is from, you guessed it, the parks and resorts division. Most interestingly, it’s about the Art of Animation (no that’s not interesting) with a focus on their consumer insight group and how it plays a role in determining what experiences they offer.

Well, the problem as we see it is that often this group is horribly out of touch with what guests actually want. In fact, right now Disney is actively recruiting for a...