Tidbits
March 2011



A Bear Change

3/22/11 Studios Cast have reported a change-over for one of the Magic of Disney Animation Meet & Greet locations in Late Spring 2011. The Lotso Meet & Greet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will cease operation April 20, 2011. The Meet & Greet location will then be closed for refurbishment May 1 – 15, 2011. The location will re-open May 16th, as a new Meet & Greet location for Winnie the Pooh.

Trade Embargo

3/22/11 In preparation for the May 20, 2001 opening of Star Tours II, the attraction’s gift shop will be closing for renovations in early April. It has been internally announced that Tatooine Traders will be closed for refurbishment April 4 – 17, 2011. It was not announced if the refurbishment will result in any changes to the store or the refurbishment will be to refresh/upkeep the existing store elements.

May More Force be With You

3/22/11 Studios Cast have reported that the Jedi Training Academy will be expanding showings on select days. On select dates, additional shows will be added at 9:15 am, 5:45 pm, 6:40 pm, 7:35 pm, and 8:30 pm. The scheduled dates for these expanded showings are March 29,31; April 3,5,7,10,12,14,17-24,26,28-30; May 3,6,7,9,12,13,15,17,20,22,24,26,28,29,31; June 2,5,7,9,11,12,14,16,19,21,23,26,28,30; July 3 5,7,10,12,14,16,17,19,21,22,24,26,28,30,31; August 2,4,7,9,11,14,16,18,20,21,23,25,28; and September 1,4-8,10,11,15,18,22,25,29. The expanded show dates currently coincide with the scheduled show dates of Fantasmic!, so it is anticipated that expanded show dates for October 2011 and beyond will coincide with future Fantasmic! show dates.

Cars 2 Tune-Up

3/22/11 To promote the upcoming Cars 2, the Hollywood Studios Cars Meet & Greet will undergo several changes this Spring. According to Character Cast; Lightening McQueen be on hiatus from April 8 – May 15, 2011, Matter will be on hiatus from April 30 – May 15, 2001, and Luigi’s Casa Della Tires Meet & Greet location will be closed for renovations April 15 – May 15, 2011. Matter will continue to appear at the Luigi’s Casa Della Tires Meet & Greet April 8 – 14, 2011 and will appear on the Streets of America April 15 – 30, 2011. A new Cars 2 themed Meet & Greet location will re-open on the site of Luigi’s Casa Della Tires on May 16, 2011.

MousekeMeets

3/22/11 A specific date has been set for the opening of the Town Square Theater. It has been internally announced that Town Square Theater will open at the Magic Kingdom on April 1, 2011. With the opening of this new Meet and Greet location; the Tomorrowland, Frontierland and Liberty Square Meet & Greet locations for Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will reportedly cease operation on March 31, 2011.

2/27/11 Since the Mid-February closure of Mickey’s Toontown Fair, the famous mouse and his best gal have been meeting in several locations around the Magic Kingdom. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse can be found near Space Mountain at the Tomorrowland Patio and in Frontierland near the Splash Mountain exit. Mickey Mouse is also appearing inside the Hall of Presidents. Currently, the Tomorrowland location is operating as the “main” Meet and Greet with the other two locations operating on an as-needed basis. The Tomorrowland Meet & Greet is typically operating intermittently through-out the park day. These Meet & Greet locations are temporary until a permanent location opens inside the new Town Square Theater in “Spring 2011”.

Downtown Closedown

3/12/11 Two Downtown Disney Westside locations have been announced to close later this Spring. Ridemakerz, located in the former Virgin Megastore building, has announced it will close April 30, 2011. Neither a reason nor a replacement was cited in the announcement. Mickey’s Groove has also been announced to close April 2, 2011. The Harley Davidson Store has been announced to re-open July 2011 in the space currently occupied by Mickey’s Groove and the (soon-to-be-former) LittleMissMatched location.

Eerie Additions

3/12/11 Construction work appears to be finishing on the new queue for the Haunted Mansion earlier than previously reported. Attraction Cast has reported that the new queue area elements should be open to Guests for previews “very soon”. To clarify earlier reports, three of the original tombstone epitaphs appear in the new section and the most of the remainder appear to be included the new graveyard going up the hillside.

2/27/11 Cast have now been able to report several of the changes coming to the Haunted Mansion queue. Three ornate mausoleum show-pieces, a section of busts, and a new larger graveyard are all being added to the queue. The three new mausoleum show-pieces are titled the Sea Captain Sepulcher, the Composer Tomb, and the Poetess Crypt according to those close the project. The new graveyard is sprawled up the hillside adjacent to the queue and is intertwined with some of the existing trees. Those close to the project have reported that the original tombstones will be included in this larger graveyard scene. Some of the work is now coming into view of Guests aboard the Liberty Belle as it passes-by the Mansion, so Guests interested in a sneak peak should consider taking a ride around the Rivers of America. The new queue is reported to be complete Mid-Spring 2011.

Epicurean Expansion

3/12/11 To better meet dining demand during the 2011 Peak Spring period, several Walt Disney World restaurants will be expanding their seating times or offering additional seating. From April 16 through May 1, 2011; Boma, Cape May Café, Chef Mickey’s, Garden Grill, Le Cellier Steakhouse, 'Ohana, and Whispering Canyon Café will offer extended seating hours. Interested Guests should contact Dining Reservations to find out the extended hours for a restaurant of interest on a specific day. Additionally, Mickey's Backyard BBQ will be offering additional seatings during this time period. Seatings have been added on April 19, 22, 26 & 29, 2011.

Nocturnal Nixing

3/12/11 It appears that Evening Extra Magic Hours have gone on an indefinite hiatus for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The last schedule offering was February 23, 2011 and no further offerings have been scheduled through September 2011. The park appears to have alternately increased its offerings of Morning Extra Magic Hour’s during this hiatus. During this period the number of Morning Extra Magic Hour offerings has (on-average) tripled per month.

A Slice of Italy

3/12/11The counter service window at Via Napoli has begun offering pizza-by-the-slice. According to Cast, this offering will last through May 28, 2011. This menu item has previously been offered for much shorter time periods.