UPDATE: President's Visit to MK Confirmed

In regard to my post on Tuesday, the White House has confirmed that President Obama will be visiting Walt Disney World, specifically Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, on Thursday, January 19. His speech begins at 12:35 p.m. and he will introduce a new strategy to improve travel and tourism, as well as elaborating on his "We Can't Wait" initiative for creating jobs.

But here's the catch: if you're visiting the MK and hoping to catch the Prez's speech, you're out of luck. In fact, without an official White House invitation, you can expect to be routed around Main Street altogether (Disney will use Cast backstage areas to enter the Park) from prior to open until after the President makes his departure. Guests who enter the MK with a single-day, single-park ticket and are unhappy with the closure will be offered entrance to another of the Disney Parks.  All tours in the Magic Kingdom have been cancelled, as have Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) for Tony's Town Square on Main Street. And while Disney expects to honor most other ADRs,guests should be prepared to change any and all plans.

If you plan to be at WDW on Thursday, my official recommendation is to visit another Park. There is little to no chance of catching a glimpse of the President, and you will likely loose a lot of time jumping through the hoops required by his security detail.

Wenesdays with Walt

In order to make good in your chosen task, it’s important to have someone you want to do it for. The greatest moments in life are not concerned with selfish achievements but rather with the things we do for people we love and esteem, and whose respect we need. -- Walt Disney

Well said, Walt.

Do DHS Fireworks Have a Presidential Connection?

There is a special, one-night-only fireworks display, "Rock the Night", coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios on Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m., and rumor has it that a certain resident of the White House may be responsible--in a roundabout way. You see, President Obama is scheduled to be in Orlando on Thursday, where he will discussing the economy. Now, no one knows exactly where this discussion will take place, but Disney has made changes to its schedule--most notably, cancelling evening Extra Magic Hours for the Magic Kingdom and scheduling them for all three of the other major Parks--that would essentially divert crowds away from the Magic Kingdom for the evening, leading to speculation that he may be visiting the MK on Thursday.

We know that the President has another engagement in New York on Thursday, so his visit to Orlando will likely be a brief one. It is possible that  he will give his economic talk at one of the Disney Resorts--there has been precedence, as he and other political leaders have done it in the past. And diverting crowds away from the MK could mean that one of the monorail Resorts is the most likely site. Still, this is all just speculation, and we likely won't know until after the fact exactly where President Obama visited.

Regardless, there will be fireworks at the Studios--a rare treat for guests!

DHS Testing New Opening Procedure

I'm hearing rumors that Disney's Hollywood Studios is testing a new Park opening procedure that essentially allows guests into the Park a half hour earlier than before. This "rope drop without a rope," as they're calling it internally, will allow all Park guests with valid tickets through the turnstiles at 8:30 a.m. (previous "normal" opening has been at 9:00 a.m.). The only three attractions that will open at 8:30 are Toy Story Midway Mania!, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror. All other attractions will open at 8:45. FastPasses will be distributed for all attractions that use the system beginning at 8:30, and signups for the popular Jedi Training Academy will also begin at 8:30 near the ABC Sound Studio that formerly housed Sounds Dangerous.

My guess is that they hope to alleviate some of the backup and harriedness that occurs when guests are rushing to the three big attractions--whether to ride or to retrieve a FastPass--at rope drop. Perhaps this will keeps guests with--how shall I say it?--less aggressive touring plans out of the fray. Whatever the reasoning, I can only guess that this will make the mad rush for FastPasses--particularly for Toy Story Midway Mania!--even more competitive, as they will likely be gone even earlier in the day than before.

Spring/Summer Room-Only Discount

There is a new room-only discount of savings up to 30% off, available for most travel dates from February 21-June 14, 2012 (with April 1-12 blacked out). This discount must be booked by January 22 for travel dates through March 31, and by February 28 for dates April through June. Discounts vary wildly among the resorts, but I believe this list is accurate:

• Pop Century, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, Fort Wilderness Cabins, Port Orleans French Riverside, Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian: 20% off


• Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom Villas: 25% off


• Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, Wilderness Lodge, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West: 30% off

As you can see, a few resorts have been left off the list entirely. You may find that a meager 5% discount is offered for these resorts, but some may be excluded entirely.

To book this discount, you can visit the Special Offers page of the WDW website here.

Refurbishment Schedule Changes

There have been a few changes to the most recent refurbishment schedule that I shared with you in this post. Most notably, Dumbo the Flying Elephant will not be reopening on February 17 as expected. The new re-open date has been pushed back nearly a month to March 12.

In addition, I have a minor edit to the refurbishment for Epcot's Tutto Italia Ristorante. The eatery will actually reopen on April 28 (not May 1, as I had said), and it will include a new wine bar, Gusto.

A new addition to the schedule: Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show at Disney's Hollywood Studios will close on April 29 for a brief refurbishment, reopening on May 3.

And while Disney hasn't officially added this to its refurbishment schedule--probably because the attraction will not be closed--I hear that the queue to Peter Pan's Flight is now undergoing a refurbishment that will last until March 6. Expect to see interactive elements that have now become the norm for Disney queues. The work isn't expected to have any major effect on the attraction, although it's safe to say that guests can expect some minor inconvenience or confusion as FastPass machines, stand-by lines, and FastPass return lines sometimes relocate overnight during a refurbishment.

Friday Photo

Did you know you could get this close to Space Mountain without ever entering the Magic Kingdom? This photo was taken on Disney property from a road that runs along the back side of Tomorrowland. While Disney doesn't encourage guests to travel these back paths, they are not in a restricted area and are open to all vehicles.