I am not a huge fan of Disney’s Pleasure Island but I like to know what is going on with the local theme parks.  According to the local news Disney’s Rock N Roll Beach Club one of the older clubs on Pleasure Island is going to be closing on 2/2.  If you are a fan of the club or want to see it before it closes you better go soon. 

If you were planning a family dinner at Disney’s Victoria & Albert’s restaurant you best leave the kids at home. Kids under 10 are now banned from the restaurant. This is probably a good thing. What kid would want to sit in a restaurant for three hours while the parents eat a seven course dinner. I might have trouble sitting still that long.

Full Story

I just read that the Rix Lounge is going to be the newest lounge at Walt Disney World.  It will be located at the Coronado Springs Resort and will have 300 seats.  They will have a band and a DJ and some tapas.  On one hand this makes sense.  That hotel caters to a lot of convention visitors and now there is something to do when the convention is over.  On the other hand the resort clubs have not always been that popular.  Atlantic Dance is a prime example of that.  In its day it was busy but the business slowed down.  The have tried changing themes and it works for awhile but it has never really taken off.  I guess we will just have to see how this does. 

Full Story

Disney announced today that it is building a resort in Oahu in the Ko Olina area. I have been to Ko Olina and it is a great area. It is a bit of a drive to Waikiki about 40 minutes or so but I liked being away from the main tourist areas.

Full Story

Epcot turns 25 today.  Happy Birthday Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

This is an interesting article about how the leader in theme parks was influenced by the leader in adult magazines.

Full Story

The Haunted Mansion at WDW has opened again with some all new features.  Theme Park Rangers has a detailed list of the renovations and upgrades.

* A new room that is a collection of upside-down staircases with ghostly footprints. It’s a fascinating, distinctive look, the kind of presentation that puts you on the edge of your doom buggy to get a better view.

* New images in the hallway of portraits. (The originals are now in the loading area).

* Floating Leota is definitely more spooky — and more colorful. The woman’s head in the crystal ball is no longer fixed; it floats and circles above the table.

* The attic has added detail the story of Constance the black widow bride. The devil is in the details, according to Imagineer Kathy Rogers, who took a spin with me Wednesday. You glide through her belongings and wedding presents, you can see how she married up as the years went by. The bride’s “physical” location has moved from the right side to the left side, and a weapon has been added to her arsenal. (One detail to look for is the bride’s pearl necklaces — one for each husband, each strand getting bigger.)

* The wallpaper with a spooky eye motif is more dominant than before, and some of those eyes glow/blink.

* The sound of the mansion is improved, from the near-echo-chamber effect of our ghost host to the “little Leota” at the end.

If you have been to a Disney park going on the Haunted Mansion is a must. There is a scene in the ride where you go through a portrait gallery and the eyes follow you. Wouldn’t it be great to have one of those portraits for your own Halloween party? Here are step by step instructions on how to make your own Haunted Portrait.

DIY Haunted Portrait

Want a wake up call from one of the stars of Disney’s High School Musical 2? Come on you know you do. Here is the link. Disney’s High School Musical 2 Wake Up Call

Disney has gone fairy crazy. Tinker Bell and all of her fairy friends even have their own web site now.  I find it strange that Tinker Bell is considered a heroine.  After all she did try to murder Wendy.