| Halloween's already got one foot out the door as it's already snowed on the castle
in Disneyland. Wow, is the Holiday Season already just around the corner? It's
also time for another MiceChat Round-Up. Today we have some fantastic trip reports
from all over the world. Before we start decorating the tree though, I hope your Trick
or Treating this weekend is full of fun and candy! - CakvalaSC
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EDITOR'S
PICK(S)
WDW
Invasion - A Rootin Tootin Good Time!
While
the Invasion is still going on, we already have the beginnings
of the first trip report. See SummerInFl share
with us her quick trip with the MiceChatters, and be as
jealous as I am of the great time they're having!
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Q. A couple of years back, I recall a flurry of talk about a Disney (DVC?) project at the National Harbor development outside of Washington, DC. But I fly into National Airport regularly and, after some initial clearing of land, I haven't noticed any kind of construction activity. What's the status of this project? - Wayne
A. The company did make a rare statement to the Washington Business Journal last July on this project:
Here's the official word from Disney, sent via email from spokeswoman Anna Varnon-Grier: "We remain in the early stages of planning and design work and no final decision has been made on if or when the project will move forward. We will follow the appropriate channels to bid out work associated with the project at the appropriate time." (From: No new details on Disney National Harbor | Washington Business Journal)
Colleague Werner Weiss (the curator of Yesterland, and who assisted me with this answer) also noted "I looked at the Prince George's County Online Permit Services to see if I could find any permits associated with the Disney site. I could find none." (Werner's terrific article on National Harbor can be accessed via this link.)
Most of these regional developments are in the deep freeze, along with the national economy. The National Harbor project (with a big DVC component that was included but never officially acknowledged) is that rare breed of Disney project that actually gets announced publicly, but then gets put back on the shelf and forgotten if not outright cancelled.
From the National Harbor website
Officially Disney still has an arm of WDI that is in charge of designing and building these projects; either the DVC resorts once planned for major tourist centers around the country, or the smaller indoor centers with a smattering of attractions and retail that were being developed for second-tier global cities like Singapore where a full-fledged Disney theme park wouldn't be in the cards. But for the most part, that small group at Disney responsible for these regional developments is just burnishing their plans and waiting for the economic numbers to improve.
The recent news isn't good though, back in June Disney shut down the ESPNZone chain in big cities nationwide, except for the sole remaining location in Anaheim and the newest location in downtown Los Angeles. With that move, Disney has now abandoned any entertainment concepts beyond the theme park properties. The only reason why the ESPN dining still exists in LA and Disneyland is because the corporate office can play a shell game with the rent paid between the various divisions for Anaheim (via "Zone Enterprises of Anaheim, LLC"), and a deal was cut with Anschutz Entertainment so they could continue to run the LA location to avoid any legal issues that Disney's exit might have raised.
And quite frankly, there is no other tenant willing to take on the big ESPNZone facility in Anaheim right now. This situation could last a year or two more, until the plans to expand Downtown Disney into the existing surface lots to the north finally move forward like they were close to doing in 2007. Or, like the DisneyQuest facility in WDW, the current setup with ESPNZone at Downtown Disney could stretch indefinitely while Disney waits out the economy.
And that's about where the National Harbor project is too, in major limbo and on the back burner. The one ray of hope comes from Hawaii, where Disney decided to move forward with the Aulani hotel and DVC project there based solely on the plan to open up DVC sales to the lucrative and Disney-crazed Japanese market. While the DVC market in the western US will help fuel the sales there as well, it was the extra Japanese numbers that helped Aulani's big DVC component pencil out and got the entire resort the greenlight. Unfortunately, the Japanese demographic is not in the cards for any of the proposed East Coast projects.
If Aulani's first year or two can pull in great numbers from both DVC sales and the regular hotel side of the house, proving that the Disney brand name can stand on its own at a property not attached to a theme park, then Burbank may select a project or two from their regional developments to push towards the starting gate while they wait for the economy to improve measurably. Washington DC may very well be one of those that make Burbank's revised short list, as it was the one they were ready to move forward with as recently as 2007 before the economy began to quickly weaken. In the meantime, keep your eye to the west and hope that Aulani does well next year and in 2012. - Al
Got a question for Al or any of the MiceAge
columnists?
Email them at [email protected].
Your question may be featured in a future MiceChat Round-Up!
We have several great Mickey's Halloween Party trip reports this week. A
new show premiered on the outdoor stage in Hollywood Pictures Backlot,
to, um... "interesting" reviews. And with Halloween this coming weekend,
Christmas decorations are already starting to appear around the resort! ~
Aladdin
Another
Super-Excessive Melonballer Trip Report: A Bold New Epic Tale of
Amazement
Mellonballer has photos
of Main Street, Villains, ElecTRONica, Tikis and more! The
full extravaganza is here!
Welcome
Foolish Mortals: Halloween Party 10/22/10
ladollhouse and her friend have
a short report from the Halloween Party. And their costumes were
inspired by a couple of portraits in the Haunted Mansion.
Our
Honeymoon of Sorts Trip report. (All scrambled!)
Congratulations to the Robinson's, well at
least that's who Cakvalasc and his new husband appeared as,
at Mickey's Halloween Party! Here are a few photos from their time
at Disneyland!
*Insert
Cute TR Title Here*: Halloween Party 10-22-10
lobeboann and friends were also
at Mickey’s Halloween Party and her photos are here!
Mickey's
Halloween Party 10/12
karebear286 and family brought
a little of Star Wars to the Halloween Party. Here's their short
report!
FanaticFangirl's
Birthday Trip Oct. 17-18, 2010
fanaticfangirl celebrates her
birthday with a trip to Disneyland!
Christmas
tree
Christmas decorations have started to appear
around the Disneyland Resort. Ryosh808 has a photo of the Tree backstage, and snow has appeared on the castle!
Disney
Dance Crew Show Debuts Tomorrow 10/22
The Disney Ninja was first to
report on the new Disney Dance Crew show in DCA's Hollywood Pictures
Backlot. Video included! However be warned that the reviews so far,
are nearly unanimously negative about this gansta mouse show. Do you think
Disney is just trying to scare us for Halloween?
I'm
still working on my trip report (I promise I'll finish it soon!),
but in the meantime, see what else is happening in Walt Disney World
in these threads! ~yoyoflamingo
Where
can I find Rapunzel and Flynn at WDW?
While
the meet and greet area was delayed and the pair have been spotted
in EPCOT, it seems it has finally opened. What is the experience
like? Read here to see, bring your crayons, and offer suggestions
for other character meet and greet locations in this thread.
Phase
2 Fantasyland
While
previously posted, it always is welcome to come back to the Fantasyland
expansion project, especially since it's in flux. See the latest
rumors and voice your opinions. Will these changes, if they come
true, be for the better or worse?
Mickey
Mouse breaks into our hotel room
Dustysage
himself breaks the news of the rodent that sneaked into his room
during the Invasion and the damage he did. See the video here!
2010
Christmas Merchandise Preview
DuffyDad
was gracious enough to share with us the upcoming holiday merchandise
for Tokyo Disney Resort! A lot of these items look really cute
and fun (and makes one wish we could see more stuff like this
at the US parks). Check it out and start planning your holiday
shopping!
TDR
Harrison Hightower Costume at MNSSHP
lurkyloo
and her husband went to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
in Orlando, but dressed as two Tokyo Disney Resort characters...and
the results are pretty impressive! Take a look!
A
Sparkling Christmas 2010 'A Storybook Fantasy
michaeliw
has shared with us a flyer for Hong Kong Disney's holiday celebrations.
Check it out!
Jimmay's
hastily cobbled Universal Orlando, WWoHP, and HHN trip report!
Jimmay has a terrific report from all over Florida and
a fantastic run through Universal Halloween Horror Nights! Check
it out!
Thrill
the World, Bret Michaels, and the Deep Fried Butter of the Arizona
State Fair
Tamasurvivor had taken a trip to the State Fair where
Halloween runs a muck! Check out this great trip report!
Best Thrill Coaster at Magic Mountain
DisneyDude12 starts a new topic on which is now
the best Thrill Coaster in Magic Mountain.
Kevin Yee:
Throw the Book at 'em
Kevin has a book-themed update for you today. Many of
you are like him– you have a special shelf on your bookcase
dedicated to Disney books. He's an extreme case – he has
about 220 Disney books – but you don’t have to be
a completist to appreciate these titles.
Dateline
Disneyland: Getting ready for Christmas, Mickey dances, Sunset,
California construction, +MORE!
Disneyland's Christmas Tree can now be seen backstage from the
Mickey and Friends Tram Route as it's assembled for the upcoming
holiday season, but its not just backstage where the holidays are
popping up. Seasonal merchandise is hitting store shelves throughout
the Resort and the first Christmas decorations are now up in a
far corner of New Orleans Square.
Weekend
Update: Haunted Theater; Universal Singapore; Arizona State Fair;
Volcanic Island
Halloween
seems to be on everyone's mind for some reason, so our lead story
this week features a tour of a haunted theater. SummerInFL
shares her trip to to Tampa Theater in her hometown. TDLFAN
is back with part six of his series on Universal Studios Singapore.
Those of you who have been to Universal Studios stateside will
see some familiar sights. Pratt55 provided photos
from her recent visit to the Arizona State Fair. Some things will
be familiar to those of you who have read our other county fair
reports, but this is the first time I have seen the giant hamster
balls! Floating on water, no less. Ian Parkinson and
Richard Williams share another chapter in their Canary Islands
adventure with a trip to a volcanic island.
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