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Breaking Updates
After posting this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast and just about ready to put it live, I received calls from 2 of my sources in WDW with new updates
Breathless is now in the water at the Yacht & Beach Club Marina. She is known as "Breathless II", and appears to be slightly wider than the original Breathless, although will seat less Guests. One Cast Member was quoted as saying after opening the cover that "this thing is all engine". Should have photos on the web site by Monday or Tuesday
Important news which will affect all Guests - Disney has been upgrading the computer systems for many months, and the upgrade and conversion is now complete. What does that mean to you? A lot, actually, as it will allow Disney to change the way they book reservations . As of June 23, Disney will be enforcing date-specific rates for all rooms in 2008. This move, which brings Disney pretty much in compliance with what is now the industry-standard, means a few things:
Disney already has determined what the rates are going to be for all rooms and seasons throughout 2008
Guests will no longer be able to take advantage of the previously-available benefit in the exiting system. For example, if you book a room and your first night is during Value season, but the rest of your stay was during Peak season, your room rate would be made at the value season rate for the duration of your stay. So for example, if the first night of your stay was Dec. 19, 2007, but continued into the Holiday Season which started the next day, your entire stay would be at the Value Season rate. Now, your first night would be at one rate, and the next nights would be at the Holiday rate. A
Also, much like the DVC, where weekend nights are more points than weekday nights, the same will hold true for WDW Guest rooms. For example, a room at Wilderness Lodge from July 1-11 has the same rate for each night. Now, you will pay a higher price for weekends, much to the dismay of all Guests, especially Florida residents, who often come in for weekend visits.
Disney has not formally announced this, but look for it on June 23
At the Contemporary, a temporary quick service restaurant location called Tempo Grab and Go will open near the Outer Rim lounge on the 4th Floor on July 30, 2007, and will operate through August 14, 2008. The Food and Fun Center will be closed during this timeframe as the space is being converted into a new table service restaurant called The Wave which will open in late March or April, 2008. Concourse Steakhouse will at that time close to make way for a new, permanent quick service restaurant which will open in mid-August, 2008.
This is notable for a number of reasons - this change to the 24-hour quick service restaurant location is directly related to the construction of the new building where the old North Wing once sat. This building will be connected via a breezeway which, you guessed it, will take Guests directly into the Grand Canyon Concourse on the 4th floor.
Speaking of the new building, the rumors of DVC vs. normal guest rooms and suites continues to go on - even to Disney´s own CMs. As shown earlier, documents and plans filed by Disney made reference to a new DVC resort in paper filed in August, 2006, while docs filed in November of 2006 referred to the building as the Contemporary Suites. This has sparked much debate, controversy and anticipation of what Disney is planning to do. In fact, I have heard from a number of sources that they swear each has heard conflicting stories that they swear to be fact.
Well let me add another wrench into the mix. My source tells me that while Disney will not even confirm to CMs internally, the new building WILL be a DVC resort. In fact. I have been told that a Contemporary DVC mockup has been or IS being installed in the Preview Center over at the Saratoga Springs Resort. It is expected that on or about October 1 of this year, the formal announcement will be made.
However, it should also be noted that Disney is definitely trying to keep the resort´s designation under tight wraps, as a sign at the construction site along the service road near Space Mountain reads CONTEMPORARY SUITES CONSTRUCTION SITE.
With regard to the Oct 1 announcement date, a source has also told me (again, this is just RUMOR), that at or around that same time, Disney will announce that they will start work on completion of the Legendary Years at Pop Century . It appears as though the post 9/11 slump has pretty much righted itself, and there is more demand for value rooms than ever. In fact, Disney has actually given some people who book Value rooms a PIN code which will allow them to upgrade to rooms at places like Saratoga Springs (not a bad way to introduce them to DVC as well, right?)
Again, I am reporting these AS RUMORS until addition details or confirmation come to light.
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