jedimaster1227

http://www.universalorlando.com/Events/Mardi-Gras/Live-Concerts.aspx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDQpY7whD-Q Universal Orlando has also posted a farewell video for Jaws... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2MijJeShDs

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/01/minnies-fly-girls-charter-airline-to-take-off-at-disney-california-adventure-park-on-february-17/

http://www.lo-q.com/documents/ANNOUNCEMENTS2012.pdf One small step for Lo-Q, another giant leap for queueing-kind!

Darien Lake has updated the park's logo with a new look that is a major departure from the previous graphic... http://www.godarienlake.com/ Here is the old logo... And here is the new one!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/01/fall-into-the-rabbit-hole-at-mad-t-party-coming-to-disney-california-adventure-park/ http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-mad-t-party-disney-california-adventure-01201211,0,270733.story http://www.disneyauditions.com/

Six Flags has sent us a press release regarding the extension of their ticketing agreement with 'accesso'.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/65105--hk-disney-park-loss-narrowed-in-2011

^It is rumored that this will be the Ratatouille themed area that was hinted at in leaked concept art over a year ago. Plus there is a themed "gateway" to an expansion pad yet unused in the park that is accessible from Toy Story Land--this area includes bridge that is themed to Parisian architecture and even had a cornerstone that featured Chef Gusteau's face (but was later covered by a temporary stone-looking piece).

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/01/looking-down-the-street-in-disney-california-adventure-park/

http://corporate.disneylandparis.com/CORP/EN/Neutral/Images/uk-2012-01-10-ligne-de-credit.pdf So this basically means that Walt Disney Studios Park will be getting a major new addition as a park of a larger financially-backed expansion for the park. Sounds exciting!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-16474130 Councillor Clive Hart said Dreamland's plight was "heartbreaking" The landowners have set out an alternative vision for the Dreamland site, which includes housing

http://www.ocregister.com/news/mall-334910-voorhees-disney.html Just a little bit of speculation but could this be an opportunity for Disney to expand "Downtown Disney" by taking over GardenWalk?

http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/just-another-mammoth-monday

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=118690&sid=35015944&con_type=1&d_str=20120110&fc=1

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=334

Done!

I was actually really surprised to see the Mahiki Luau being held in the Seafire Inn. The offering has been around for many years, and I believe it predates the Waterfront expansion, meaning it wasn't always held at this venue. Now I'm curious to find out where exactly it was hosted before! Thank you for giving me one more thing to research...

Knott's Berry Farm has sent us a press release regarding their upcoming even celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the Calico Railroad and Ghost Town.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has sent us a press release regarding their new deal for the 2012 Preschool Pass!

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has sent us a press release regarding their new deal for the 2012 Preschool Pass! There was also a new article about Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's new ice skating http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/attractions/busch-gardens-new-show-includes-animals-helium-filled-puppets/1208902

SeaWorld San Antonio has posted a new Vlog on Aquatica. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytMNx5bCfRc

(Continued) There was no shortage of workers visible on site. It looks like we'll be seeing a completed facade for the new Dumbo interactive queue building soon. Time for an overview of the New Fantasyland/Storybook Circus expansion. Fastpasses for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh are currently being distributed at Mickey's Philharmagic. Exciting news? New from New Fantasyland has appeared in a corner by the Mad Tea Party. Notice the horseshoe prints and carriage tracks left behind. The caverns are still growing outward. Notice the rock work on the bridge from Prince Eric's castle is coming along nicely. If you look closely, you can see a few of the Dumbos that have been installed on the new spinner. The ride began very early testing this week. Scuttle's Scavenger Hunt will take place in the right side of the caverns. There should also be restrooms located here. The ride is far less ornamental than the version currently found in Fantasyland. Lots of work still to be done. The first stonework has appeared from behind the scrims of the castle retaining wall near the current Fantasyland Dumbo location. Timothy Mouse won't be returning as a part of the new Dumbo experience in Storybook Circus. A few 40th anniversary shirts for the Haunted Mansion are currently for sale. They feature elements from the new interactive queue as well as some more iconic images from the classic attraction. We also braved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad despite the crowds. Do not adjust your screens. For some reason, lights were on in the bat cave at the beginning of the first lift hill. Big Thunder Mountain is still an awesome coaster! What's not to love? It was a nice day at the Thunder Mesa. Yay for airtime! Take the Tunnel! We should see the railroad cross ties return following this ride's lengthy refurbishment. We can't wait to see how the ride looks when it returns on April 27th, 2012! The Mainstreet Bakery is currently open but behind tarps for a facade refurbishment. This awesome deal for Florida Residents has returned!

So yesterday Robb and I trekked out to the Magic Kingdom to send off Dumbo which ceases operation in its original location this coming Sunday to be refurbished and readied to join its counter-clockwise counterpart in the Storybook Circus later this year. While there, we also paid a visit to Snow White's Scary Adventures, which closes later this year to make way for the Princess Fantasy Faire meet & greets as a part of the New Fantasyland expansion. We even took the time to ride Big Thunder Mountain (with a fast pass) as it also closes for a near four month refurbishment this coming Sunday as well! A minor construction fence has been put up near the exit of the former Fantasyland Skyway building, which more recently has served as stroller parking for the area. Construction should pick up soon on the creation of a new path between the exit of the Haunted Mansion and the Skyway building to help reduce the bottlenecking of crowds under the Columbia Harbor House bridge. So this was our main reason to visit today! For Larry. Again, for Larry. Some of the first pieces of ornamental stonework on the castle retaining wall near Dumbo's current location have arrived. D23 recently confirmed that New Fantasyland will have The Little Mermaid, Be Our Guest, Gaston's Tavern and more opened in time for Summer 2012, though Storybook Circus is expected to open a little earlier than that. The Dumbo queue has a few little pieces that I guess were placed to entertain the young ones while waiting. It is a little weathered. Maurice's Cottage has less scaffolding now, indicating that workers are nearing completion on this experience's facade. Back to thinking of Larry. Framing of the lift tower at the Barnstormer continues. This will be the last time we see Dumbo operating in this corner of Fantasyland. This spinner will return later in 2012 with a similar look to the one already being installed in the Storybook Circus. These pinwheel spinners won't survive the move. The finished "control tower" for the Barnstormer has emerged from behind scaffolding with a new look and paint scheme. Robb was ejected from the game. In case you were wondering how not to sit. While Mr. Stork will return on the new version of the ride, he won't be found in the form of a hanging ornament. In case you forget what we were covering today. Dumbo is a classic like Jaws... It'd never get removed. I may need to rethink that statement for future use. Filming the awesome video you see above! A more recent benefit of riding Dumbo in this location? It provides an amazing view of the work going in to bring New Fantasyland to life! I think I just encountered a paradox. I'm riding Dumbo, looking at Dumbo. Our world just might implode. See that giant trench they're working on? That will eventually be the Snow White Mine Train Coaster! Are you still mourning the loss of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or of Pooh's Playful Spot? Based on this, I'd say we're getting something a bit more grand. Beast's Castle is still looking good as the scaffolding is slowly lowered. The inner seal of the two Storybook Circus tents has been completed. Now they'll begin work on the interior as they also work to raise the exterior tent. So, there is at least one more casualty to Fantasyland thanks to New Fantasyland. The original focus of Snow White's Scary Adventures was to put the guest in Snow White's role. The title character's appearances in the ride were added later on to reduce confusion from guests looking to see her in the ride. Could you see yourself in Snow White's role? The things we do for you all... Belle's Village is looking great! It looks like the cavern doors of the Be Our Guest Restaurant are currently being framed. It is still hard to believe that this castle was one of the first pieces of theming added to the new land. Snow White's Scary Adventures features a classic loading station mural like many of Fantasyland dark rides. I'm hoping they'll find a way to preserve it once the ride is removed. So much Disney detail... Let's take a ride for ourselves! Rounding the wishing well... I spot a jealous witch! Mirror, mirror on the wall... The ride's classic finish. Is it time to say farewell? Maybe... Dopey waves goodbye from the top of the bridge you pass under before exiting the ride. Time for a closer look at this corner of New Fantasyland. The external framing that was added to the Toontown tents is now complete. This is definitely a new mountain range for Walt Disney World! This corner of the Be Our Guest Restaurant has received a little more work. Rockwork finishing continues on the facade for the The Little Mermaid. Not much new over at Prince Eric's castle...

^^One thing to remember is that this attraction has not had a major refurbishment of this scale or scope since it first opened. One of the biggest issues of running a year round park is the more limited option for maintenance periods on rides. Space Mountain was closed for nine whole months during the last major refurb it received, missing out on several busy periods, as well as the entire Grad Night block (which moved to Disney's Hollywood Studios for that year) and yet the park still held up. Guest complaints are inevitable when a major attraction like this goes down for refurbishment for any period of time, but these maintenance periods ensure that the rides can continue to operate for years without major downtime. Like I said before, the last time Test Track had a refurbishment of this magnitude it was first opening, and aside from minor seasonal maintenance periods which every ride receives at some point, that is all this ride has gotten. The ride will be getting a major thematic update, but will also be refurbished so that it can run much like it has for the last thirteen years, without major downtime for the foreseeable future.

http://wdwnews.com/releases/2012/01/06/disney-and-general-motors-renew-alliance-continue-the-drive-to-create-magic-for-guests-at-a-re-imagined-test-track-experience-presented-by-chevrolet/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/01/re-imagined-test-track-will-put-guests-in-the-designers-seat-this-fall-at-epcot/