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| The Disney Dream |
It seems that in April, the same can be said for news, rumors and announcements in the "Land of Disney." A saturation of announcements and rumors had produced a garden of possibilities and promises for the Disney fan. There were so many things going on it would take a record long post to mention them all. I will, however, touch on some of them. Especially the one that directly effects me.
If you want all the details on all that went on with Disney during April, I would suggest checking out "WDW Radio.com" , "Inside The Magic.net" and "allears.net" for the scoop on all the rumors and look to the official Disney blog at "disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog" for a review on the news.
Some of the news that doesn't interest me very much is the premiere of the Star Tours 2 attraction later in the month during the first of the annual Star Wars Weekends. I'm not a Star Wars fan so this isn't all that interesting to me. Don't get me wrong I'm excited that there will be a new attraction at Disney World to ride next time I visit. There's also been rumors of an expansion of the Hollywood Studios Park to create an entire Star Wars section of the park.
Speaking of adding to a Disney Park, there's been a report in a South American newspaper that Disney has begun working with the Brazilian government to prepare to add a Brazil pavilion in Epcot. This is just the most recent in a long line of rumored World Showcase additions over the last couple of decades. So far none of those rumors have turned out to be true. Disney fans will have to wait this one out as well.
In April came the announcement that the construction phase of the Aulani DVC resort in Hawaii has been completed. The theming and the interior decorating can now begin in preparation for its opening in the fall of this year.
Also in the world of the DVC is a rumor that there is going to be a new DVC section at the Grand Floridian resort. This is based on permit requests, plans and other documents filed and submitted by Disney with local governments. There has been no public announcement.
Since I am not, nor will I ever be, a DVC member these stories have no direct effect on me.
A change at Disney's Port Orleans: French Quarter resort, which could possibly have an effect on my future visits to Disney world, has been announced. Some of rooms at this popular moderate resort will be changed to "Royal Guest Rooms".
This means that some of the rooms will be part of Princess Tiana's Guest House. They will be decorated for specific guests the main character from the "Princess and the Frog" has invited to stay there. Along with the announcement came the information that these rooms will cost extra.
After staying in the Pop Century value resort last September I don't know if i would ever pay the extra to stay at a moderate again. And I doubt very much that I'd pay extra just to stay in a themed room. But you never know. If we do decide to stay at a moderate on our next trip Port Orleans: French Quarter will be my choice. So depending on what the new "storybook" rooms have as a theme and how much extra they are I may consider staying in one.
I think that this is a good idea for families with children who are making a "once in a lifetime" trip to Disney. The kids will love staying in these types of themed rooms and it will created a lasting memory for them.
The other resort announcement made in April was the themeing of several suites on the 14th floor of the deluxe Contemporary resort hotel into "health and wellness" rooms. This means nothing to me because I will never pay the price for staying at a deluxe resort. In addition when I'm on vacation I want to focus on fun and not anything else.
Finally, the one announcement that has the greatest effect on my future Disney vacation plans. In the first week of April the Disney Cruise Line announced their 2012 Itineraries. These include excursions for all 4 of their ships that will be sailing by then: The Magic, The Wonder, The Dream and the, yet to be launched, Fantasy.
Paula and I have been discussing a Disney Cruise to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary at the end of 2012. The announcement of cruise dates, destinations and choice of ships was something I'd been waiting to see for about a month.
As I have stated in a previous post the December 2012 voyage of the Disney Dream is the cruise that will fit into our plans. I have already started to save in anticipation of our decision to book our reservations for this trip in the near future.
So there you have a brief recap of some of the news, rumors, and announcements in the "World of Disney" officially released in the month of April. It truly was a "shower" of information and changes.
As Disney is a company always in a state of progress and development I'm sure there will be more news during this month. Other than the opening of Star Tours 2 in Walt Disney World and the start of Star Wars weekends the most anticipated event coming in May is the opening of the movie: Pirates Of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides. That happens on May 20. This film promises to continue the successful momentum of this very popular Disney franchise.
With the summer tourist season on the horizon I'm sure there will be more happenings and announcements and, as always, more rumors bursting onto the scene before Memorial Day.
If any of them have an effect or prove exciting to me I promise I'll post about it when it happens.
