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The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia

Category Archives: Resorts

RFID Room Key Card Payment Rolls Out in December at Walt Disney World Resort

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Over the course of the next month the Walt Disney World Resort will be installing “touch to pay” RFID readers at all of its merchandise and sales locations which accept the Disney Resort room key charge (except valet, laundry, and arcade locations in the resorts.)

Beginning in December a phased roll-out of the program will begin with select resorts having their guests create a pin-number at the time of check in. By the end of January all resorts are expected to be live on the program with touch-to-pay capabilities on all room key cards with charging privileges.

This is the first step in the RFID NextGen integration, which will be followed by conversion to the wristband system replacing room keys cards and ticket media in the coming months.

 

First Look at the New Mermaid Wing and Ursula at Art of Animation

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We muscled our way in early (not really) and we set down our tripods (not really) and took these lovely photos exclusively for you (not really). We are proud to share the lovely first-look shots of the new Little Mermaid wing of the Art of Animation Resort opening on Sepetember 15th with you (really).

Ultra Exclusive Nowhere Else in the World First Look Lion King Art of Animation Photos

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We are absolutely positively sure there are no photos anywhere on the WHOLE interwebz of the new Lion King wing that opens soon at the Art of Animation resort at Walt Disney World. So we are bringing you our ultra-exclusive one-of-a-kind first look photos of the Tropic-of-Jaundice in its full glory.

Because it’s not like we and everyone else on the web just took the same free photos from Disney’s PR department and said “sure, we’ll publish that if you give us a cookie – and you want us to call it an ‘exclusive first look?’ Umm.. ok? Another cookie? Alright..” And it’s not like Pumba totally has jaundice thanks to bad lighting…Click to enlarge and check for symptoms yourself.

Remaking the Riverside Resort

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Since the introduction of the Royal Princess Rooms at the Port Orleans Riverside resort at Walt Disney World, the folks at Disney have been quietly working to upgrade and rework much of this older resort in general. Recently they unveiled a renovated and newly appointed lobby and will continue work on the grounds and guest rooms in the coming months.

Elsewhere in the resort the plan is to reshape the common areas and paths for a more modern guest experience, include new walkways between the buildings and new landscaping. Alligator Bayou Building 27, Building 15, and Building 25 recently completed refurbishment.

The remaining building refurbishment schedule:

  • Now – July 24, 2012: Magnolia Bend building 85 will undergo exterior repair and repainting.
  • Now – August 20, 2012: Alligator Bayou Building 80 will be undergoing refurbishment.
  • Now – Aug. 1, 2012: Alligator Bayou – Building 26 will be undergoing refurbishment
  • Now – Aug. 3, 2012: Alligator Bayou – Buildings 14 & 15 parking lot resurfacing

 

Up Up and Away in the Best Kept Disney Secret?

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As we were scanning the twitterverse today, we stumbled across an interesting image from @brkgnews that perked our eyebrows a bit in regards to the forthcoming Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground DVC at the Walt Disney World Resort. Perhaps Disney is trying to float some ideas, so to speak, if only we look close enough…

OK, so admittedly it’s not that interesting of a photo… just a bunch of trees on an island in the middle of Seven Seas Lagoon. But there’s something there in that picture. Let’s zoom in a bit and see what we can find.

Zoom on in to the full size picture to see it better. It’s a balloon… a shiny white beautiful balloon floating there in mid-air. But we’re not talking about a wayward Mouse-eared balloon that slipped the surly bonds of earth. Nope, this is a big one. Not necessarily like a hot air balloon (though we do see our fair share of those around Orlando), but more like, well, an architectural height test balloon.

You see, when large, tall projects are being planned, sometimes the planners will send one of these balloons skyward and tether it at the approximate height of the new building that they’re planning. This lets them test sight lines and easily determine whether the new building will be visible from other areas. Maybe you’ve seen one floating above your neighborhood in the area where a new cell phone tower is being constructed. Now granted, normally these balloons are some obnoxiously bright safety orange color so it’s easier to see them on the horizon. But maybe we’re not supposed to notice this one so easily.

The reason we think that maybe this one is such a “look-away” color is because of its location. According to the original tweets…

The ballon [sic] is generally in the direction of fort wilderness and wilderness lodge but I cannot accurately judge distance

Now we certainly don’t have any concrete proof that this balloon is related to that long-rumored and now in-progress Fort Wilderness DVC property… but this new development certainly does let the imagination soar, doesn’t it?

Walt Disney World Fort Wilderness DVC Files to Start Construction Soon

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Disney filed recently for permission to construct the necessary massive staging complex they need on the site of the former STOLport for their next planned Disney Vacation Club Resort at the site of the Fort Wilderness Campground. Disney has been slowing working in phased permits for the project over the course of 2011 and 2012.

The STOLport staging complex will house several single, double, and even a few quad-sized trailers (eleven in total) for third party contractors, Imagineering, and Hardin – the project’s master contractor. Hardin also recently oversaw the construction of the new Art of Animation resort as well as the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort.

The first phases of the project are to prepare the Fort Wilderness area for the forthcoming DVC resort and recall permits that were filed late last year that have now faded into relative obscurity. First the stables and blacksmith area of the campground will be relocated to make room for whatever design they have for the forthcoming resort buildings – those plans specifically haven’t been filed and released (they’ll show up later this year or early 2013) – and then the shoreline will be reshaped as a parking area is added near the existing boat dock and a large dining hall will be added on the waterfront as pictured below.

So when will construction begin? Soon-ish, as Disney expects permission to begin installation of their trailers within the next 30 days and to begin prep work on the site. Then the horses and stables are going to move out and then the shoreline project will begin. How long until Disney admits this project exists? Probably not until sometime well into 2013.

The EPCOT Center is Alive and Well and Relevant to Boot

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If you were wondering if Disney was still sticking to the whole “Walt Disney World as a whole is EPCOT and we use the EPCOT building codes to maintain this pristine EPCOT Center….” despite having dropped that name from the theme park you’re in luck.

Slated for deployment in early 2013, the new GIS-enriched Accela Automation system will enable RCID’s Building & Safety, Fire Prevention and Planning & Engineering departments to more efficiently manage their projects within Walt Disney World and the EPCOT Center, including communicating EPCOT building codes.

Aren’t wordy hyper-technical press releases fun? The long and short of it is that Disney is upgrading their computer systems that flow the data processes that allow them to manage the workflow for regulating and building stuff: permits, approvals, etc… for the Reedy Creek Improvement District and of course the Epcot Building Code. Don’t know all about that and what it means for the Walt Disney World Resort? By golly, I wrote a book that explains all of it – you should go read it.

Once you’re done with chapter one, you can come back here and read the handy press release below from Accela that explains why Imagineering was expanding their backstage permitting offices so dramatically at Epcot (they doubled them in size – and even widened the sidewalks too!) If you’re wondering about the tech mentioned in the release itself, GIS just means “geographic information system” and the “citizen access” only covers a whopping 20 citizens per the release so it’s not that revolutionary. Really, Accela is leveraging the deal with Disney as a giant marketing opportunity  to sell itself to other government entities more than anything.

Permits: They're a Good Thing.

Here’s the full release for your viewing pleasure:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL, Mar 28, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Accela, Inc. today announced that the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) will deploy Accela Automation(R) web software to streamline key permitting and inspection services to its residents and businesses, and provide 24/7 online permit submission and tracking capability.

As a special taxing district, RCID is responsible for managing utilities, land use regulation and planning, building and construction code enforcement and inspections, and emergency medical services, as well as communicating with local, regional, state and federal regulatory agencies. Though the 39-square mile district spans two counties and encompasses the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, RCID’s jurisdiction contains fewer than 20 permanent residents. The land is primarily owned by subsidiaries of the Walt Disney Co., so that RCID-managed development projects serve an average daily population of 250,000 visitors to local attractions.

Cloud, Mobile and Citizen-Engagement Capabilities Optimize Service

Slated for deployment in early 2013, the new GIS-enriched Accela Automation system will enable RCID’s Building & Safety, Fire Prevention and Planning & Engineering departments to more efficiently manage their projects within Walt Disney World and the EPCOT Center, including communicating EPCOT building codes.

Accela Automation’s tight GIS integration will make it possible for RCID to create and manage specific parcel numbers within its unique and extensive address system. In addition, RCID will also be able to automate the hundreds of steps involved with issuing a building permit, including application check-in, plan reviews, corrections, fee calculation and collection, inspections and task lists, and much more. Accela Automation will empower RCID to define and manage workflows that are unique to the infrastructure services needed to support a huge transitory population of hundreds of thousands of visitors each day.

RCID will also use the accompanying Accela Mobile Office(TM) software to enable field personnel and inspectors to file reports and upload GIS and other files to a centralized database while working on-site, using portable touchscreen devices. Meanwhile, Accela Citizen Access(TM) will web-enable key back-office applications, giving citizens and contractors 24×7 online access to government services from their PCs and mobile devices.

Grand Floridian DVC to Add Water Play Area to Resort

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Disney has filed additional paperwork for the forthcoming Grand Floridian DVC resort at Walt Disney World. In addition the 147 villas scheduled to be erected in the t-shaped building built out into the lagoon we told you about in our previous update, there are now plans to construct a children’s water-play area as well.

The water play area, though part of the DVC expansion, will be situated between the main pool and the main building of the existing Grand Floridian Resort. It will essentially replace the landscaping a beachfront in that area. Here’s some helpful ground plans from the paperwork:

Be sure to click the images to see them full-size. The Grand Floridian DVC should begin selling its Disney Vacation Club points in May of this year, with a grand opening scheduled for March 2013.

Video Preview of Disney Royal Guest Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside Resort

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Disney is rolling out a second offering in their “Disney Story Rooms” offerings at the Port Orleans Riverside resort in early March. The new Royal Rooms join the ever-popular Pirate Rooms, the first of “Disney Story Rooms” that debuted at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort in 2009.  Those 384 themed rooms offer pirate ship beds, buccaneer accessories and swashbuckling décor.

As for the new Royal Rooms, the 512 re-themed rooms offer ornate beds trimmed with dazzling crystals and gold accents, and “magical fireworks” swirling above. Dazzling fiber-optic effects create the magical surprise on the headboard, and even the bathroom sink design incorporates Genie’s magic lamp from Disney’s Aladdin as the faucet. Characters from beloved Disney films can be spotted in the wallpaper border, plus richly appointed décor, drapery and custom linens fit for royalty. The rooms are priced from $189 per night and sleep four.

“We are excited to build off the highly popular ‘story room’ concept by offering another very immersive and richly themed accommodation for our guests,” said Kevin Myers, Vice President Resorts, Walt Disney World Resort.  “Storytelling is what Disney does, and these new room offerings clearly provide a great new Disney Resort option for our guests.”

From Around the Interwebz

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The truth is, we’re all over the internet. We visit other sites and we even occasionally guest blog. Also, there’s a lot of talented people out there who write great stuff and seemingly never get enough attention for the hard work they do. So, in what we hope will be a weekly round-up of sorts, we present a collection of awesome stuff we’ve come across From Around the Interwebz! First off, a few of our own side projects…

As for things you ought to be reading, here’s some highlights from the more critical minds behind the Disney fandom and some of their most thought provoking musings. We know that sometimes in this fandom people just.. well.. don’t like to think. But thought is good!

  • Foxxy, On Integrity over at Passport to Dreams Old and New:

What Walt Disney World is doing is it’s being drawn towards the center of the storm like it’s the eye of a tornado, or maybe, a hurricane. That eye is Disneyland. Disneyland has become the officially sanctioned, corporate approved, regardless-of-all else Norm. And in that process, these California kids are gradually sucking the unique culture out of Walt Disney World.

The real reasons for this perceived shift are hard to single out; there’s certainly not a lack of artistic talent or technical wizardry at Imagineering, even after several waves of layoff and attrition. There are a variety of opinions out there as to why things are the way they are, and at what level the responsibility lies. And the blame doesn’t all fall squarely on Imagineering’s shoulders either; after all, they can only build what they are asked by the parks division to build, and only with the budget they’re allotted by Disney corporate.

As the Fantasyland expansion project at Florida’s Magic Kingdom inches toward completion, you’d think that it would be the main topic of conversation in the online Disney fan community. And you would be wrong. Fantasyland is already old news. No, the big topic of conversation these days is the NextGen initiative, which encompasses things like interactive attraction queues and parkwide games like the new Sorcerers Of The Magic Kingdom and is moving implacably toward a new system called XPass.

And finally, we’ve got a few fun videos from the Disney Parks Blog:

  • John Gidding talking about the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival:

  • A First Look at New Fantasyland’s Be Our Guest Restaurant:

  • The Disney Fantasy Arriving in Port Canaveral: