Disney Building Employee Health Center

WDWNT Author on December 12, 2007

Disney announced plans Wednesday to build a $6 million health facility on its property for the use of its cast members and their dependents who participate in the company’s health plans.

The 15,000-square-foot facility will give cast members access to primary care doctors and other medical professionals, as well as a pharmacy, lab, basic radiology and wellness and behavioral health resources.

The facility will open in 2009 and will be operated by a health management company to be chosen in the coming months.

The new health center will provide:

  • Longer-than-average visits with health care professionals
  • Convenience through extended operating hours, weekend availability and its close proximity to work-coordinated treatment

More than 40,000 Walt Disney World cast members and dependents are currently eligible for benefits.

Football Teams Get The Boot

WDWNT Author on December 10, 2007

A group of young athletes was kicked out of Walt Disney World in the middle of the night Saturday.

Disney made the decision to kick out three teams participating in the Pop Warner Superbowl competition — two from Hawaii and one from Baltimore — because of a fight between some of their athletes.

According to Disney, it is written into their policy for group packages that everyone will be forced to leave if even one member of the party is involved in a violent act on property.

However, parents said the way they were treated just wasn’t right.

“They could have handled it so much better, you know? They really could have. They could have said look you know what? Fine, you guys have to leave in the morning. Then our babies. We have one year old, two year old, three year olds, that we had to just jerk out of bed and they were just crying. You know it was just a bad scene. It was really a bad scene,” said Labryanna Kubo, a parent traveling with the Hawaii team.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident.

SSE Preview in the Orlando Sentinel

WDWNT Author on December 7, 2007

Disney makes changes to Epcot’s Spaceship Earth attraction

Dewayne Bevil |Sentinel Staff Writer 6:38 PM EST, December 6, 2007
Epcot enthusiasts will have a ball again soon. Construction walls near Spaceship Earth, iconic sphere of the theme park, will fall sometime next week, after five months of refurbishment, Walt Disney World officials said. Inside are changes in content, new interactive components and enhancements of items that have marked the attraction since day one.

Its theme has shifted from communication through the ages to one of inspiration and innovation. The most recent script, read by Jeremy Irons, has been scrapped — the new narrator is Oscar winner Judi Dench, whose words guide riders through the generations.

“The story is those building blocks that got us to today,” said Bob Zalk, show producer. The plot winds through several scenes familiar to Spaceship Earth fans: the Egyptians, the burning of Rome (that smoky aroma remains), the Renaissance, the switchboard and more. All scenes up through the 1960s living room remain, but elements have been repositioned and upgraded. Each have new lights and costumes. Some Audio-Animatronics are increasingly lifelike.

“We’ve technologically updated the figures so they can move around more than before,” said Eric Jacobson, senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering. “That’s something we couldn’t do in the ’80s.” Especially striking are a Greek teacher and a Roman soldier.

Fresh content is most apparent as riders near the top of the sphere. New sets representing the invention of the computer mainframe and the garage where the personal computer was developed lead to the darkened, downward second half of the experience. As the cars coast down the rail, passengers answer seven questions about their future on a touch screen. (Do you prefer the journey or the destination? While away, do you worry more about your home or your pet?) Answers are melded into a customized piece of retro-yet-futuristic cartoon for each row.

Other changes blend old and new. The revised living room steers attention to the 1969 moon landing on TV — featuring reports from Walter Cronkite, a former narrator of Spaceship Earth.

“We think the traditionalists will be happy,” Jacobson said.

Finishing touches continue, but a few Epcot visitors may get a peek before the official opening. Elements to come later include language options selected by passenger (a Disney first) and more post-show goodies, including a game called Power City and a big globe pinpointing where each day’s visitors live.

Insider Video Here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/video/?slug=orl-wn-disneyvideo1207067

Third Death at WDW

WDWNT Author on December 6, 2007

From Mickeynews.com:

Walt Disney World suffered a third death late last week but unlike the two previously reported deaths the third was immediately ruled natural. A 71-year-old man died after having a heart attack on a Disney bus, according to officials.

The man’s name has not been released. Shortly before 5 p.m. Friday afternoon he fell unconscious while riding a bus toward Magic Kingdom. A Disney spokeswoman said the bus pulled over at the Magic Kingdom toll plaza and Reedy Creek paramedics arrived but were unable to revive him.

In a previously-reported incident on Friday a 72-year-old man who fell at the Magic Kingdom on Thursday died of his injuries, according to Disney officials. The day before a Disney employee, Karen Price, 63, died from injuries she sustained when she was hit by a Primeval Whirl roller coaster car at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Note: An earlier version of this posting had unfortunately drawn from an earlier report that the 72-year-old man who fell at the Magic Kingdom had slipped. Disney officials said the family advised them that the man did not slip, but had lost his balance and fallen.

Epcot’s 25th Officially Happening

WDWNT Author on July 27, 2007

I was informed today that a ceremony rededicating Epcot on October 1st, 2007, is most certainly happening. The Orlando Sentinel has picked up the story and Epcot’s 25th will be officially recognized by the Walt Disney Company. There is still no chance of a  few month long celebration of the anniversary, but at least something is happening. It is a nice change to see Disney recognize such a meaningful anniversary after the snub Walt Disney World’s 35th anniversary recieved last year.