Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2025 Edition

[OKW Lover]

$5 million (or more) and I don't even get a fully detached house?!

For that you can spend $10+ million for a resale there in Golden Oak.

 

[only hope]

Exactly, especially the condo nightmares that have come about in Florida after all the new rules were put in place after the Champlain tower collapsed. No thanks!

New properties should be ok as they will be saving for repair funds from the start and not playing catchup. Especially new million dollar properties.

 

[mickey916]

2025-2026 RunDisney Dates Revealed

 

[birostick]

2025 Festival of the Arts Foods Menu is out!

 

[sherlockmiles]

Epcot is the best food court ever!

 

[sherlockmiles]

2025 Festival of the Arts Foods Menu is out!

WOW - for some reason this menu list seems SO much better than normal with SO MANY new items!! I'm jealous of anyone who gets to eat this......

 

[wabbott]

Posted this in the fire thread, and thought it needed to be put here, too.

https://www.presstelegram.com/2025/...disneyland-lost-their-homes-in-altadena-fire/

Disney Imagineers who built Disneyland lost their homes in Altadena fire

'Most of the places where we all lived burnt to ashes last night,' writes former Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde.

\By Brady MacDonald | bmacdonald@scng.com
PUBLISHED: January 9, 2025 at 11:22 AM PST

Generations of Walt Disney Imagineers who conceived, designed and built the attractions and lands at Disneyland and Disney theme parks around the world lost their homes in the Eaton Fire that destroyed large swaths of Altadena.

Former Imagineer Joe Rohde took to Instagram on Wednesday, Jan. 8 to remember his time in the Altadena neighborhood and mourn the loss of countless homes owned by his fellow Imagineers.

“Most of the places where we all lived burnt to ashes last night,” Rohde wrote on Instagram. “The homes of many Imagineers who worked on many of the parks and attractions that Disney fans know and love are gone. Homes filled with memories, care, love and the expression of the same creative talent that went into the parks and films. Fire, when it comes, comes so fast that we must leave that all behind.”

Rohde is best known for his work on Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Florida park’s Pandora — World of Avatar themed land, the Aulani resort hotel in Hawaii and the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout attraction at Disney California Adventure.

“Pacific Palisades and Malibu are more famous and their equally devastating situation easily captures the nation’s eye,” Rohde wrote on Instagram. “But Altadena was our home and home base. And as of this evening much of my old neighborhood of Altadena has vanished and with it the homes of many of my dear friends and colleagues. Send a prayer.”

Rohde was born in California in 1955 — just two months after Disneyland opened in Anaheim.

The son of a Hollywood cameraman, he spent his spare time as a kid hanging out at studio backlots and movie ranches. After high school in Northridge, he studied art at Occidental College where he met his wife before landing a job at Walt Disney Imagineering in 1980 working on the upcoming Epcot theme park.

The couple soon settled in Altadena where they raised two sons.

“Way back when Imagineering was hiring for Epcot, one of the few places we young Imagineers could afford to get a house was Altadena, a sleepy, little foothill community full of wonderful old houses that needed some love and attention,” Rohde wrote on Instagram.

Rohde and his wife Mel both worked at Imagineering — headquartered in Glendale about 15 miles from their Altadena home. Many of their neighbors were fellow Imagineers making the same short commute.

“First, a few of us moved up there, and then more, until there was quite a population of Imagineers living in the Altadena foothills,” Rohde wrote on Instagram. “Over the decades new generations joined us. Our children grew up there, went to school, learned to drive, even got married where the palms and pines came together.”

Rohde retired from Imagineering in 2021, left Altadena and relocated further north to explore other passions. The family owns a cabin in Ojai.

Disney CEO Bob Iger also took to Instagram to document the wildfire devastation while driving through the Pacific Palisades.

“My heart goes out to everyone who has lost homes and businesses, and to all whose lives have been impacted, including thousands of Disney employees,” Iger wrote on Instagram.

Disney has closed offices in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Friday, Jan. 10 to all nonessential employees due to the wildfires.

 

[Genie+]

WOW - for some reason this menu list seems SO much better than normal with SO MANY new items!! I'm jealous of anyone who gets to eat this......

Absolutely!

I was already getting less enchanted with Food & Wine when a couple years ago 2 booths ‘added’ were mac&chz and french fries. The nail in the coffin for my family. F&W stopped being exciting. We stopped making lists and spending extra time to try them out. Felt sad.

At least there’s still Art Fest!

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Looks like the shops on the Boardwalk are undergoing staggered renovations for the first half of the year:
https://blogmickey.com/2025/01/boardwalk-merchandise-locations-refurbishment/

Its one of my favorite resort shopping areas, so I hope it isn't too noisy

 

[jade1]

Looks like the shops on the Boardwalk are undergoing staggered renovations for the first half of the year:
https://blogmickey.com/2025/01/boardwalk-merchandise-locations-refurbishment/

Its one of my favorite resort shopping areas, so I hope it isn't too noisy

Maybe include Big River and Jellyrolls.

 

[OKW Lover]

Its one of my favorite resort shopping areas, so I hope it isn't too noisy

I'm only recalling one shop there. How much shopping can you do in that one shop?

 

[Suger Mag]

I'm only recalling one shop there. How much shopping can you do in that one shop?

I remember going once and expecting an entire boardwalk of shops.... I was a bit disappointed...

 

[jlundeen]

For a long time, it seems that almost every store, whether at resorts or parks, carries the very same merchandise... they may have a few "specific to location" things (like in Pandora), but in the "olden days", there were differences, and the big Disney Store in Disney Springs (then Downtown Disney) carried mostly all of it... The last several years, I have done very little shopping at any of the stores, unless I'm looking for something specific, and haven't gone to DS at all.

 

[LKing]

I'm only recalling one shop there. How much shopping can you do in that one shop?

Thanks for posting that. I haven't been to WDW in 15+ years. I am planning a trip for next year and added the boardwalk to my list of shopping areas in addition to Disney Springs. I will remove it now.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Maybe include Big River and Jellyrolls.

Had not considered that. I assume shops meant the existing retail spaces, but maybe not

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I'm only recalling one shop there. How much shopping can you do in that one shop?

There are two spaces and, really, three shops. There is the art gallery/shop. There is the food/candy/sundries/ snack shop. That one is also connected to the more standard retail shop. How much shopping you can do in those spaces really depends on the person doing it. But the retail side of the larger space (which I assume is the space you are thinking of) has a good variety of items, especially for adults, and plenty of Boardwalk specific items.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Dates announced for 2025 Swan/Dolphin Food and Wine Classic:

https://mickeyblog.com/2025/01/11/d...ney-world-swan-dolphin-food-and-wine-classic/

 

[BayTower2010]

For those who do not already know, yesterday Disney announced they will be adding 4 cruise ships. Three of which will be a new class of ship.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For those who do not already know, yesterday Disney announced they will be adding 4 cruise ships. Three of which will be a new class of ship.

New class will be smaller than recent ships. Excited to learn new itineraries eventually.

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/2025/01/disney-cruise-line-shares-details-on-expanding-fleet/

 

[wabbott]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1878200248943685911