JoWiJo
Longing to go back
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2009
- Messages
- 203
Good afternoon, everyone. Bob and John will be along shortly to speak, but I have the honor to outline this afternoon's discussion and let you in on several bits of news almost as big as the Mouse himself.
I'd like to lead off by announcing that later this year, construction will begin on the Disney Sparrow, which will be the newest addition to the Disney Cruise fleet. She will accommodate 2,500 guests and has an expected launch date in early fall of 2017. Cruises will be dedicated exclusively to the Caribbean.
The Sparrow's exterior will be designed to mimic the stylings of the mythical Black Pearl. Although main propulsion will be the same as her sister ships, the Sparrow will come with fully-functional sails, reducing the amount of fuel needed to complete a voyage. That means that on the Sparrow, a cruise on the blue will be green. The interior of the ship will have travelers saying, "Shiver me timbers," as the hallways and staterooms will have a very convincing faux wood décor.
We will tell you more about the Sparrow later this afternoon, but the biggest news item is that as much as we would like to expand the monorails at Walt Disney World, we have decided to retire the entire monorail system instead. The monorails will go offline on October 1, 2019 and existing pylons and beams will be removed.
But don't let that get you down, we are replacing the monorails with a far more exciting system that is much closer to what Walt Disney had envisioned for The Florida Project, perhaps even better. We call it the Disney Maglev Highway, or the DMH, and it will debut for the 50th anniversary of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 2021.
The way it will work is that there will be pod stations at the resorts, where onsite guests can safely board a Disney Maglev Pod waiting in a pod slot. The guests can then use a touchscreen to tell the pod where they want to go. For instance, a family staying at Disney's Contemporary Resort will be able to walk up to their pod station, find a slot with an available maglev pod, climb aboard and select "EPCOT," and off they'll go directly to EPCOT atop an electromagnetic track, without the need to transfer at a second station. Meanwhile, another family at Disney's Animal Kingdom is planning to go over to the Magic Kingdom. So they will approach the pod station at the Animal Kingdom, step into an awaiting pod, select Magic Kingdom Park on the touchscreen, and their pod will float its way to the Magic Kingdom. When that family has seen Wishes, they'll be ready to go back to their room. So they'll return to the Magic Kingdom pod station, scan an adult's MagicBand, and select "Resort" to take them to the pod station at their resort.
The destination possibilities of the Disney Maglev Highway will include the four theme parks, both water parks, and all resorts, except Saratoga Springs. Disney Springs will not be served, either.
Offsite guests can also take a Disney Maglev Pod from one park to another, but cannot take a pod to a resort without an advanced dining reservation for the day tied to their MagicBand, and even then only if that resort has their ADR.
Back when the classic WEDway Peoplemover was first designed, the idea was that the cars would be constantly moving so you'd never have to wait for the next car because the next car would always be there. The problem with that is that a person had a finite amount of time to board a vehicle. If someone had a severe mobility issue, they had to forget about accessing the Peoplemover.
But the DMH will meet ADA requirements. Guests with mobility impairments will not have to feel rushed boarding their pod, as all DMPs will be parked at the pod stations, and they will remain parked until the occupants are ready to move. If a handicapped-accessible DMP is not immediately available at a given station, a cast member at the pod station can summon one from dispatch or a surplus accessible pod from another station, and any wait would be minimal.
The visually impaired won't have any trouble on the DMH, as the pods can also respond to voice command. Riders can simply tell the pod "go to Grand Floridian" if they have a dinner reservation there, and the Disney Maglev Pod will follow their command. Upon arrival to their destination, the pod will tell the riders that they have arrived.
While the startup cost will be significantly high for the Disney Maglev Highway, because the only moving parts will be the maglev pod doors, maintenance will be substantially lower than what's required to sustain the bus fleet. There also won't be the road hazards and liabilities that busses have, and guests won't have to wait 20 minutes or more for a DMP to arrive just to pick them up from a resort to their destination. Under normal circumstances, a guest will be able to make it from their resort to any theme park in under ten minutes after first arriving to their resort DMP station. This will make things a lot less stressful for resort guests trying to make it to their ADRs.
If you're following along and thinking ahead, yes, the this means that the DMH will not only replace the monorail, it will also replace the current bus system. And we think Walt would be proud of what we've developed.
And while we will find it absolutely delightful that we will simultaneously improve guest experience while cutting daily costs, it is also so relieving knowing that by eliminating the bus fleet in 2021, we can stop bus drivers from spreading insider news leaks to guests. It's estimated that 80% of tightly guarded information leaked to guests comes from our bus drivers, and we are really beyond sick and tired of them doing that, especially since we don't know where they are getting their information.
Speaking of busses, in the interim, while we are still using the busses at Walt Disney World, starting this June we will provide FastPass Plus for guests leaving a park heading back to their Disney resort. Instead of using the FastPass Plus system on a ride or attraction, onsite guests can use FastPass Plus to board resort busses ahead of those fellow resort guests standing in a benchless line with very achy feet.
That's not all! Due to popular demand, one restroom at each of the four theme parks will be soon available exclusively via FastPass Plus. This will be most welcome news to those guests who compulsively plan their potty breaks.
And for guests annoyed with the FastPass Plus kiosk lines, we have certainly heard your complaint. So also starting this June, we will have a FastPass Plus line for the FastPass kiosks. Guests will be able to jump ahead of the people in line for the kiosks by being willing to burn one of their three allotted own FastPasses in the process.
There's a lot more to tell about FastPasses, but let's talk about park development. As you probably have heard, Walt Disney World will soon break ground to add the India Pavilion to the World Showcase in EPCOT. We would like you to know that in keeping up with sticking to the World Showcase theme as perfectly as possible, just as we are currently adding Arendale to the Norway Pavilion, the India Pavilion will feature an Outback Steakhouse.
But the even bigger news is that the rumored plans for Disney's Dark Kingdom park as a fifth gate at Walt Disney World that bus drivers told you about were at one time true. Those plans have since changed. The park still will be built, but it will be built northwest of Houston, Texas. It will be an all-indoor park so that guests will constantly feel like it's night inside, perfecting the gloomy feel of a park of villainy. And being indoors, Pluto will won't faint in the Texas heat.
Near the Dark Kingdom park will be Houston's version of Downtown Disney. The same kinds of stores and restaurants that you are familiar with at Downtown Disney will be there, but like the Disney's Dark Kingdom park, it will be entirely indoors. We are also dropping the name Downtown Disney and sticking with the villain theme of Dark Kingdom and will call Houston's new indoor shopping experience Disney's Darth Mall.
We also have news coming from our own film industry. Marvel and Lucasfilm have teamed up for a reboot of Howard the Duck. That's right, our friend Howard will be on the silver screen in his own trilogy of live action films. Additionally, we are adding an extra Star Wars stand-alone film to the mix, based on the ever-so-popular character Jar Jar Binks, and what Jar Jar did to get himself banished before he met up with a certain pair of Jedi. And for the people that want something a little more realistic, you'll be pleased to hear that Disney Nature has already sent out a camera crew to begin production of a more accurate portrayal of the lemming, while another crew remains at Disneyland to document the nightlife of the feral cat.
Ok, next we are going to hear from the security department so would everyone please stand up and greet these four security officers as they make their way to the stage to discuss the dangers of selfie sticks at Disney parks. Be sure to shake their hand if you are within reach. Toodles.
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I hope someone out there enjoyed reading this as much as I did making it up. Happy April's Fool Day.
I'd like to lead off by announcing that later this year, construction will begin on the Disney Sparrow, which will be the newest addition to the Disney Cruise fleet. She will accommodate 2,500 guests and has an expected launch date in early fall of 2017. Cruises will be dedicated exclusively to the Caribbean.
The Sparrow's exterior will be designed to mimic the stylings of the mythical Black Pearl. Although main propulsion will be the same as her sister ships, the Sparrow will come with fully-functional sails, reducing the amount of fuel needed to complete a voyage. That means that on the Sparrow, a cruise on the blue will be green. The interior of the ship will have travelers saying, "Shiver me timbers," as the hallways and staterooms will have a very convincing faux wood décor.
We will tell you more about the Sparrow later this afternoon, but the biggest news item is that as much as we would like to expand the monorails at Walt Disney World, we have decided to retire the entire monorail system instead. The monorails will go offline on October 1, 2019 and existing pylons and beams will be removed.
But don't let that get you down, we are replacing the monorails with a far more exciting system that is much closer to what Walt Disney had envisioned for The Florida Project, perhaps even better. We call it the Disney Maglev Highway, or the DMH, and it will debut for the 50th anniversary of the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 2021.
The way it will work is that there will be pod stations at the resorts, where onsite guests can safely board a Disney Maglev Pod waiting in a pod slot. The guests can then use a touchscreen to tell the pod where they want to go. For instance, a family staying at Disney's Contemporary Resort will be able to walk up to their pod station, find a slot with an available maglev pod, climb aboard and select "EPCOT," and off they'll go directly to EPCOT atop an electromagnetic track, without the need to transfer at a second station. Meanwhile, another family at Disney's Animal Kingdom is planning to go over to the Magic Kingdom. So they will approach the pod station at the Animal Kingdom, step into an awaiting pod, select Magic Kingdom Park on the touchscreen, and their pod will float its way to the Magic Kingdom. When that family has seen Wishes, they'll be ready to go back to their room. So they'll return to the Magic Kingdom pod station, scan an adult's MagicBand, and select "Resort" to take them to the pod station at their resort.
The destination possibilities of the Disney Maglev Highway will include the four theme parks, both water parks, and all resorts, except Saratoga Springs. Disney Springs will not be served, either.
Offsite guests can also take a Disney Maglev Pod from one park to another, but cannot take a pod to a resort without an advanced dining reservation for the day tied to their MagicBand, and even then only if that resort has their ADR.
Back when the classic WEDway Peoplemover was first designed, the idea was that the cars would be constantly moving so you'd never have to wait for the next car because the next car would always be there. The problem with that is that a person had a finite amount of time to board a vehicle. If someone had a severe mobility issue, they had to forget about accessing the Peoplemover.
But the DMH will meet ADA requirements. Guests with mobility impairments will not have to feel rushed boarding their pod, as all DMPs will be parked at the pod stations, and they will remain parked until the occupants are ready to move. If a handicapped-accessible DMP is not immediately available at a given station, a cast member at the pod station can summon one from dispatch or a surplus accessible pod from another station, and any wait would be minimal.
The visually impaired won't have any trouble on the DMH, as the pods can also respond to voice command. Riders can simply tell the pod "go to Grand Floridian" if they have a dinner reservation there, and the Disney Maglev Pod will follow their command. Upon arrival to their destination, the pod will tell the riders that they have arrived.
While the startup cost will be significantly high for the Disney Maglev Highway, because the only moving parts will be the maglev pod doors, maintenance will be substantially lower than what's required to sustain the bus fleet. There also won't be the road hazards and liabilities that busses have, and guests won't have to wait 20 minutes or more for a DMP to arrive just to pick them up from a resort to their destination. Under normal circumstances, a guest will be able to make it from their resort to any theme park in under ten minutes after first arriving to their resort DMP station. This will make things a lot less stressful for resort guests trying to make it to their ADRs.
If you're following along and thinking ahead, yes, the this means that the DMH will not only replace the monorail, it will also replace the current bus system. And we think Walt would be proud of what we've developed.
And while we will find it absolutely delightful that we will simultaneously improve guest experience while cutting daily costs, it is also so relieving knowing that by eliminating the bus fleet in 2021, we can stop bus drivers from spreading insider news leaks to guests. It's estimated that 80% of tightly guarded information leaked to guests comes from our bus drivers, and we are really beyond sick and tired of them doing that, especially since we don't know where they are getting their information.
Speaking of busses, in the interim, while we are still using the busses at Walt Disney World, starting this June we will provide FastPass Plus for guests leaving a park heading back to their Disney resort. Instead of using the FastPass Plus system on a ride or attraction, onsite guests can use FastPass Plus to board resort busses ahead of those fellow resort guests standing in a benchless line with very achy feet.
That's not all! Due to popular demand, one restroom at each of the four theme parks will be soon available exclusively via FastPass Plus. This will be most welcome news to those guests who compulsively plan their potty breaks.
And for guests annoyed with the FastPass Plus kiosk lines, we have certainly heard your complaint. So also starting this June, we will have a FastPass Plus line for the FastPass kiosks. Guests will be able to jump ahead of the people in line for the kiosks by being willing to burn one of their three allotted own FastPasses in the process.
There's a lot more to tell about FastPasses, but let's talk about park development. As you probably have heard, Walt Disney World will soon break ground to add the India Pavilion to the World Showcase in EPCOT. We would like you to know that in keeping up with sticking to the World Showcase theme as perfectly as possible, just as we are currently adding Arendale to the Norway Pavilion, the India Pavilion will feature an Outback Steakhouse.
But the even bigger news is that the rumored plans for Disney's Dark Kingdom park as a fifth gate at Walt Disney World that bus drivers told you about were at one time true. Those plans have since changed. The park still will be built, but it will be built northwest of Houston, Texas. It will be an all-indoor park so that guests will constantly feel like it's night inside, perfecting the gloomy feel of a park of villainy. And being indoors, Pluto will won't faint in the Texas heat.
Near the Dark Kingdom park will be Houston's version of Downtown Disney. The same kinds of stores and restaurants that you are familiar with at Downtown Disney will be there, but like the Disney's Dark Kingdom park, it will be entirely indoors. We are also dropping the name Downtown Disney and sticking with the villain theme of Dark Kingdom and will call Houston's new indoor shopping experience Disney's Darth Mall.
We also have news coming from our own film industry. Marvel and Lucasfilm have teamed up for a reboot of Howard the Duck. That's right, our friend Howard will be on the silver screen in his own trilogy of live action films. Additionally, we are adding an extra Star Wars stand-alone film to the mix, based on the ever-so-popular character Jar Jar Binks, and what Jar Jar did to get himself banished before he met up with a certain pair of Jedi. And for the people that want something a little more realistic, you'll be pleased to hear that Disney Nature has already sent out a camera crew to begin production of a more accurate portrayal of the lemming, while another crew remains at Disneyland to document the nightlife of the feral cat.
Ok, next we are going to hear from the security department so would everyone please stand up and greet these four security officers as they make their way to the stage to discuss the dangers of selfie sticks at Disney parks. Be sure to shake their hand if you are within reach. Toodles.
-------------------------
I hope someone out there enjoyed reading this as much as I did making it up. Happy April's Fool Day.
