Gabe

That's correct; it is getting the DCA makeover, which is def good news. Pirates is slated to go under the knife soon after the end of the summer season in order to give it a proper rehab. It is slated for a couple of 2-3 day rehabs until then, but I'm told this extended rehab will continue until late December and will involve rehabbing everything from the boats on up. There are rumors that depending on what the Imagineers find when they really get into the ride, its rehab could last 6 months, along the lines of the BTMM rehab a couple of years back.

I actually did try and split my party of 4 up to meet the sisters into 2 overlapping times, but even when I logged in at midnight on the 60th day out, I could only get 2 together. I know you can try and add others to your FastPass, but I've had no success doing it. I've recently been able, through just checking again and again to add the 3rd member of our party to the meet and greet with an overlapping time. My last member has a time 2 hours after the other 3 of us (2 of us at 12:10-1:10, 1 at 12:00-1). If I can't get an overlapping time by the time I get there, I'm sure I'll be able to go into City Hall in the MK, explain my situation and receive 1 choice of attraction FP so we can all go together. I leave April 5, so I have some time left. I still check the site 5-6x a day.

I heard from someone who was just down there that the entire FP+ system crashed this past Monday resort-wide, causing lots of confusion and angry guests who lost their times. I believe Disney's backup system uses paper tickets similar to the old FP that are labeled "Choice of Attraction" and can be used in the park issued from park open to close for that particular day. Usually they're used when guests complain about being split up for a ride (different times; currently what I'm faced with for Anna and Elsa, but still have lots of time and I check the site several times a day to see if a time pops up in our other windows, which overlap) or other general complaints. I'm sure lots of those were issued.

The time has come for the annual ticket increase--As of Sunday, February 22 prices will be going up, so if you're interested in saving some money, now's the time. Rumors abound that the no-expiration option is going away and a separate waterpark only ticket will be introduced.

I recall with the former PhotoPass service, Disney automatically inserted some filler type pics (stock photos) as well as pics where, during the picture, you were asked to pretend something, after which some Disney character was added to your picture. Is this still the case? I noticed the presale price is $169, so the price has since gone up since last year.

I lost my then iPhone 5 at the park this past summer on FAAC while with my kids. KI was more than diligent in finding it (thanks to my being able to pinpoint the locale w find my iPhone) and since I lived 2 hours away, was able to pay for their 3rd party contractor to ship it back to me. To make matters worse, I needed the phone that day as I was expected to receive a job offer. Panicked, I went to Guest Services, who were very gracious in letting me use one of their interview areas w a phone so I was able to touch base with my (now) employer and, after explaining the situation, was able to get things straightened out. I saw Don once inside and I think he recognized me from past KIC events, so he sort of nodded to the customer service rep that I was honest and it would be ok to take me back. I wanted to thank him after I was done, but was told he had left for the day. I will be sure and thank him when I see him this summer!

From their website- "Snoopy's Barnyard Friends are friendly and highly interactive." Sounds like they're describing the latest animatronics On a side note, if this is a petting zoo, will Brian Fellow be making an appearance daily to talk about the animals?

Commish- I'm leaving for the World in just about 6 weeks and am considering purchasing the Memory Maker for our group. I assume it's possible to link the pictures taken in the park to your MagicBands or through the My Disney Experience? For the rides, do you need to stop by the photo booth at the exit to the ride to have your pictures linked? Does the package include unlimited ride photos? Can you give an explanation for how the whole process works and how you go about accessing your pictures?

Has it been officially announced the track is being removed specifically for parking? All the articles I've read only list "transportation improvements". That source is behind a pay-wall (although a very weak one... preventing the page from fully loading can still let you read the article). I believe the Florida Code is free and easily accessible online. You should be able to read the whole statute there. As for removing the track, no official announcement has been made, but Disney isn't exactly fast in announcing things (see Avatar). However, the facts speak for themselves-the MK and TTC need more parking and the track sits smack dab in the middle of where an entirely new area of parking can go. You will see the track being demolished, concrete being poured, lines being painted and lights being installed before you get an official announcement. The new northern gate is still a few years away, but the track occupies part of the spot where a road extension would go, so removing it clears the way for that portion of the project to be completed down the road.

I believe the law change is from 2013, reflected in section 849.0935 F.S. regarding games of chance by nonprofits, Very broadly-written law. Several lawsuits pending dealing with the language, but Disney decided to be proactive in the meantime. DQ will remain open, minus the redemption games.

For those interested or going soon, a few updates worth noting: 1. Due to changes in Florida law, all arcades resort-wide will be closing by Monday, Feb. 16. The changes deal with redemption based games and basically require a lot more oversight than they currently have, Disney isn't interested in throwing resources at a small money maker, so they're shutting them down. 2. Starting this week, you may now skip the check in desk at your Disney resort. Simply set up your Magicband ahead of time at home (w charging privileges, etc.) and set up texting alerts. The hotel will text you a room number when your room is ready and you can then use your Magicband to enter. A few resorts are being added each week, but every resort will be doing this by 3/1/15. 3. June 30, 2015 is the last day for the Richard Petty racing stuff at the WDW Speedway. The park is removing the track to create more parking for the MK, since those lots and the TTC ones fill up fast, esp. on busy days. A couple of other backstage buildings are being removed this summer as well. The removals are related to the creation of a new northern gate to the Mouse which will be located just north of the MK. The new road would take you around the backstage areas, before curving around near the Floridian and Poly before emptying into the new MK lots. Progress!

Sigh..due to budget cuts, the park removed the Country Bears Christmas show some years back. It was just as hokey, though slightly less subdued than the original show still playing (though in somewhat edited form..kids these days cant be expected to sit through a 20 minute show...better cut it down to 15!)

1. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (MK WDW. Curse you Pooh!) 2. ExtraTerrorestrial )MK WDW-but only in its original, far more intense incarnation, before Eisner ordered it toned down bc the kiddos were leaving the ride in tears) 3. Funtastic World of HB (Universal Orlando; briefly KI; zippy, trippy fun!) 4. Jaws (Universal Orlando-in its halcyon days before it fell into disrepair) 5. Snow White's Scary Adventures (MK WDW-i'm excited to ride the new mine train in a couple months, but this was a rare Fantasyland ride which clearly warned young ones that it was intense..and it was! the evil Queen popping up in unexpected places!) Honorable Mention- Body Wars (Epcot). One of the first great motion simulator rides. Re-imagine the Wonders of Life! (even if its to something like Big Hero 6. Let's face it-Epcot has slowly given up the ghost of Walt's original intent over the years, so why not just continue the trend? A good D or E ticket ride in there would be great!) Honorable Mention 2-Horizons (Epcot) mmmmmm oranges! When my family and I went to DisneyWorld, when we went and rode Stiches Great Escape, kids were crying on that too, its a ride based ona cartoon, but I can see why kids were scared on it when we rode. I watched videos of ExtraTerrorestrial and I can really understand why kids cried on the ride, I would love to go back in time to ride it, great technology! It was fantastic! The alien was very scary and when all the 4D effects were firing properly it was one heck of a fun ride. I really believe that during the Eisner era, he tried hard to bring adult-type D and E ticket attractions to the parks in order to draw more adults.

1. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (MK WDW. Curse you Pooh!) 2. ExtraTerrorestrial )MK WDW-but only in its original, far more intense incarnation, before Eisner ordered it toned down bc the kiddos were leaving the ride in tears) 3. Funtastic World of HB (Universal Orlando; briefly KI; zippy, trippy fun!) 4. Jaws (Universal Orlando-in its halcyon days before it fell into disrepair) 5. Snow White's Scary Adventures (MK WDW-i'm excited to ride the new mine train in a couple months, but this was a rare Fantasyland ride which clearly warned young ones that it was intense..and it was! the evil Queen popping up in unexpected places!) Honorable Mention- Body Wars (Epcot). One of the first great motion simulator rides. Re-imagine the Wonders of Life! (even if its to something like Big Hero 6. Let's face it-Epcot has slowly given up the ghost of Walt's original intent over the years, so why not just continue the trend? A good D or E ticket ride in there would be great!) Honorable Mention 2-Horizons (Epcot) mmmmmm oranges!

If so, perhaps Geauga Lake would be interested... After all, they already have a great coaster on site that's just waiting to...oh wait, never mind .

Nevertheless, the hospitality industry is riding high. The economy has rebounded and $2-$2.50 a gallon gas will likely prompt more families to hop in the car for a vacation this season. Around here in Indy, there have been a flurry of hotel announcements in the past couple of months (rehabs of old buildings into hotels plus new construction). This is probably a good time to unload Great Wolf. Perhaps Hyatt, Marriott or Hilton are interested in acquiring a stable of waterpark hotels with good brand recognition?

One would be surprised to learn what the Grey Stuff actually is . It's not on the menu; you must ask for it. Even if you have a late reservation, it's always worth a shot to see the host/ess at the entrance to the foot bridge to see if they can move you up. The ADR and FP+ systems are dynamic and change on a dime. The issue with the old BOG system was that only certain resort guests were getting the lunch email. Of course, once various Disney sites began posting the link, everyone jumped on board, prompting the change.

When I attend a Colts game at Lucas Oil, its wifi network can handle 63,000 people being online at once. Why wouldn't KI's wifi be able to do the same, when average daily attendance is far less than that of an NFL game? As for charging your phone at Disney, they offer at least one, if not more free charging areas in each park. They blend in, of course, but they're there. The charging stations at MK could accommodate about 20 phones, assuming everyone used one plug (but of course people bring devices which allows multiple charging from one plug). Finally, last year, Disney tested free charging lockers in the gift shop located at the exit to Space. They were a hit, but I believe Disney wanted to promote an area featuring multiple stations, rather than 10-12 lockers holding 1 device each.

I would think this is good news for fans of WDW (sorry Terpy ) since he brings firsthand knowledge of park ops to the front office. Perhaps he will give the greenlight for some of the blue sky projects thrown about recently (Monsters, Inc. doors coaster, etc.).

Yes it is! Standby is still available for both lunch and dinner, so even if you don't have an ADR and want to go, it's still possible, esp if you opt for an earlyish dinner or lunch.

Maybe the 4 hour window is necessary because that's how long it takes some of their food service employees to get the food out! (I'm looking at you Subway in Coney Mall!)

As of Feb. 25, Disney is changing the reservation system for BOG. Up until now, only resort guests could make a reservation for lunch 60 days out and only if they received a special email invite from Disney. Starting Feb. 25th, lunch reservations can be made for everyone (Not just park guests) and are treated as a regular Advanced Dining Reservation. When you make your reservation, you will also pre-select your meals. Of course, you can change those selections once you're there) For those of you going to the resort and are looking to eat at BOG, lunch is your best option, as dinner reservations are still very hard to get. I've eaten there for both meals and found lunch to be much more enjoyable and affordable.

With the 4 hour wait between meals, those coming later in the afternoon or evening will likely only get 1 meal prior to park closing (aside from the 12 or 1 AM closings), so it's a perceived loss of value. I would still advocate for either a 2 hour wait like last year, or simply give passholders 2 meals, and eliminate the time requirement. If they want to eat twice within a short period, great. If not, great. Give people the greatest flexibility in terms of when they can redeem things and you're likely to see happy park guests.

Note the entity giving it to him. Louisville has a vested interest in keeping the park open. How long until Mr. Hart receives his KY Col Honorarium? (which can be bought for a small sum unlike here in Indiana where only the Governor has the power to bestow the State's awards for service to the community)

Why can't Ouimet use a variation of his former employees' dining plan? Offer up a plan that includes quick service and snacks and offer up a plan that includes the above plus a sit down meal at Reds HOFG. forget telling people when they can dine. That way, people can pay one price up front and know what they're entitled to eat at the time of their choosing.