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Category Archives: Orlando Sentinel
Signs of life at Disney World’s Pleasure Island
This article comes to us from Jason Garcia at the Orlando Sentinel.
Two years after Walt Disney World turned out the lights at the nightclubs of Pleasure Island, there are signs of life for the near-forgotten entertainment district.
Disney this week filed a pair of permits signaling the start of new construction at Pleasure Island, a once-popular dining-and-dancing spot that has since become little more than a cut-through between the two retail ends of Downtown Disney. The permits suggest that at least two old Pleasure Island venues — BET Soundstage and Adventurers Club — will be razed completely.
What’s more, Disney World President Meg Crofton last week publicly hinted that changes were imminent. In a ceremony honoring new Disney World ambassadors, Crofton listed the “reimagining of Downtown Disney” among a list of current construction projects at the resort, along with the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom and a new hotel dubbed Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
Disney declined to discuss the Pleasure Island work in any detail Tuesday morning. Spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez described it as “general refurbishment.”
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Photo credit Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel / September 18, 2008
Disney World unions vote Thursday on contract
This article comes to us from the Orlando Sentinel.
Thousands of unionized workers at Walt Disney World will cast ballots Thursday on a new labor contract, amid jockeying both by union leaders and the company.
Opponents of the proposed Service Trades Council contract have been distributing flyers urging workers to vote no on the contract, under the slogan “Send Disney a message: We’re worth more.” Disney, meanwhile, has hung scores of posters that state: “A vote to ratify = more money” — a reminder that Disney is offering each full-time worker a $100 bonus if the contract is approved on the first vote.
Results of the vote aren’t expected until late Thursday night.
Three of the six unions that make up the council have recommended no votes, two have endorsed it, and one is neutral. The council represents approximately 20,000 full-time workers at Disney.
Happy Haunting! Returns Oct. 30-31 to Downtown Disney
This article comes to us from Kristin Ford at The Daily Disney.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is sold out for Halloween, but that doesn’t mean you can’t trick-or-treat at Walt Disney World. Downtown Disney’s Happy Haunting! event offers free sweets and entertainment from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 30 and 31 again this year.
Families have a mile-long celebration — partying from the West Side through Pleasure Island and into the Marketplace. The Treat Trail includes about 20 stations, where treat bags and candy will be distributed to the young and young-at-heart. Last year, maps for the event were available in most stores.
The folks at Disney World describe this year’s entertainment as “slightly scary ghost storytellers, Halloween performers, a super freaky-cool DJ and a mega mix of world music makers fill the streets, all performing live.” In past years, the group of kids I have been with loved the storytelling — the performer was dressed as a witch and used a puppet; the magician’s tricks amazed them; and they couldn’t get enough of the dance party.
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Photo credit Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale man wins nighttime Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon by 13 seconds
This article comes to us from the Orlando Sentinel.
Anton Van Zyl was the top finisher the men’s division of the inaugural Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World on Saturday night.
Van Zyl, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, finished in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 51 seconds, pulling away from second-place finisher Matthew Dobson, 41, of Jay, Fla., in the final stretch. Van Zyl edged Dobson (1:15:04) by just 13 seconds.
“It was real close down the stretch,” Van Zyl said. “We were neck and neck. I put on a hard charge about a half-mile out. The crowd was fantastic, and it was a great finish.”
Melissa Wisner, 27, of Washington D.C., bested the women’s field in 1:32:22.
Wisner crossed the finish line almost 3 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Sheila Sullivan, 44, of Daytona Beach (1:35:16).
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Photo By Audrea Huff, OrlandoSentinel.com
Moving on up..Walt Disney World Hilton sells for $127M
This article comes to us from the Orlando Sentinel.
One of the official partner hotels of Walt Disney World has been sold by the building’s longtime owner for $127.2 million.
Tishman Hotel & Realty LP said Tuesday it “decided to take advantage of pent-up demand” for well-performing properties and sold the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort to Hilton Worldwide, which has been managing the hotel for nearly three decades.
“During our nearly 30-year ownership of the hotel, the Hilton posted strong returns and consistently outperformed its competitors,” Tishman stated. “We maintain a strong presence in the Orlando hospitality market and continue to own the Walt Disney World Swan and the Walt Disney World Dolphin.”
The sale price for the 814-room property, which was built in the early 1980s, equates to about $156,000 a room.
It’s not a steal, but given the hotel’s prime location near Downtown Disney and its popularity with meeting planners, it was probably deemed a good buy by Hilton’s owner, the Blackstone Group, said Scott Smith, a lodging professor in the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
“That’s definitely on the high side, but the thing to remember is it’s got the best location almost in the world,” Smith said.
Most hotel-management companies have typically shied away from being property owners, preferring instead to put their resources toward developing and managing hotels, he said. But he added: “I think, with Blackstone at the helm of Hilton, they’re looking for good investments.”
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