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Walt Disney World Rumor Mill for the week of January 6, 2008

Now of course, I would not expect all of these to come true, and when you hear them, you might even say NONE of them will. But without getting specific, I can tell you that some of these came from sources which I have found to be very reliable and reputable, despite just how wild they might sound.

Let’s start off with what we know first:

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I spoke about work being performed at the long-closed ABC Theater, although no details of what is going on inside have been released as yet. One thing that I have heard recently are rumors of a code name, or even a working title, for the Theater work. Known as “The Stars of Hollywood Hills” (the storied location of the Amphitheater that houses Fantasmic!), the theater MAY reopen as early as May or June, and speculation is that the new show will continue to allow Guests to interact and be a part of the magic – this time, in an “American Idol” style singing contest. I will of course let you know more as I hear anything further.

Another rumor that seems to be getting a lot of notice online is that there may be a change coming to the Butler and Maid’s Cast Member narration at the beginning of the Haunted Mansion. It appears as though deviations from the narration guidelines may be prompting Disney to create a Jungle Cruise-like script that the Cast Members must follow. While Cast Members have always had guidelines they must follow to stay in character, with recurring lines of dialogue being heard at different times in the foyer and stretching room, no specific script has even been used. Again, this is only a rumor and I am doing what I can to verify this. If this is true, depending on how the new script deviates from or stays loyal to the old dialogue, the casual Guest may not notice a change. In any event, hopefully this can be viewed as a positive addition and plussing of the attraction, and not the removal of the fun and excitement that the pre-ride areas gave to Guests.

The new building going up next to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which is believed to be the latest DVC Resort, is expected to be the same height of the main tower building, minus the California Grill restaurant. Speaking of restaurants, it is expected that the Concourse Steakhouse will be relocated to the new building when it opens. The old Concourse Steakhouse location will then be taken over by an expansion of Chef Mickey’s.

OK, so now that I hopefully whet your appetite with some of these, let’s get on to some of the rumors that are definitely on a little more of the wild side, but I think would be fun to talk and speculate about.

Let’s start off by talking not about what’s coming, but what’s rumored to NOT be coming to Walt Disney World in the near future: according to one of my sources, nothing new is going into the Magic Kingdom. One thing that my source had specifically inquired about was the old 20,000 Leagues Lagoon. He was told that due to diesel fuel leakage, the land there became contaminated and unusable, meaning that for the near future, Pooh’s Playful Spot is pretty much permanent. Additionally, rumors that something will take place where the Galaxy Palace Theater in Tomorrowland now lives are false.

Also according to this source, there is nothing planned for Disney’s Hollywood Studios park, other than what is currently under construction, as well. This includes anything new for the old Hunchback Theater and The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. For the Stunt show, because the theater is used by other events as well, there are no plans to remove it. In Epcot, there are no new pavilions currently planned. Additionally, nothing is currently set for the old Wonders of Life pavilion, although rumors about adding a third theater to Soarin’ are supposedly true to help with Guest throughput. They will also likely change the film at some point, probably to something akin to “Soarin’ Over the World.”

So basically, with the exception of Toy Story Mania and other general refurbs and minor construction, expect nothing MAJOR in Florida for some time. Much of the attention (and money) is going to be directed at Disney’s California Adventure.

Let’s talk about Resorts, as someone came to me with something that sounds a little odd, but is maybe something you’ve heard before. He tells me that not only will the unopened section (The Legendary Years) of Pop Century NOT open, but the unfinished structures will be torn down. This is odd for a number of reasons, including that reportedly, Walt Disney World hotels have been operating at 97% capacity for the past few months.

That being said, ANOTHER source has told me that a new Resort would be coming – and this one sounds just a little too wild to be true. You decide. You may know that when Walt Disney World was being constructed, there were plans to build three additional resorts – the Asian (where the GF now stands), the Persian and the Venetian Resort. In the 1990’s there was discussion about building another Seven Seas Lagoon Resort, the Mediterranean, to be located between the Contemporary and the TTC. While it was never built due to problems with the land and numerous sinkholes, believe it or not, a rumor that such a resort still may be built, but this time, near Disney’s Polynesian Resort. I told you some of these were wild!

And let’s save the wildest one of all for last. I won’t even bother mentioning the rumors of a 5th park being built in Walt Disney World that have come and gone every year. But what I will tell you is this: a source of mine told me that in 2003 he had heard about proposed plans for a park just past Animal Kingdom that was NOT Beastly Kingdom. Well, last week that same person, who has ties to Imagineering, said that designs for a park in that location were being considered. According to my source, he says that it will be on the very high end and operating in the evening only (4 PM to midnight). Plans included ziplines in the park and thrill ride attractions. Also that it would be an all-inclusive park, where food would be included in the approximate $300 price tag to get in. Could this be the “Project H” that I have heard spoken about? Who knows, but again, I just thought it would be fun to throw these out for the first show of the year, and see which, if any, we hear more about, or are just pure fantasy.

Discuss these in our forums or get on the air by calling in your opinions and thoughts to the voicemail: 206-202-4WDW.


If you have any news to report, email Lou here or leave a voicemail at the WDW Radio Show voicemail box: 206-202-4WDW (4939).

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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