Friday, March 31, 2006

New "Dreams on Parade" Official Page!

nempa 3-30-06 ddop new The new version of Disney's Dreams on Parade begins tomorrow and the official site is online now! It features the new sequence of floats and the new soundtrack (I LOVE IT!) for the parade. No word yet for a commercial CD release. Apart from those changes, the parade will no longer feature show stops with audience participation. It will be run through the Park starting in Fantasyland and ending in Toontown.

We'll have video and photographs of this new parade by the weekend. Also, expect a big update on the site very soon! Lots of things to come, join our Mailing List for updates!

The Spring Break Crowds Continue

nempa 3-31-06 crowded The other day we reported that the standy queue waiting times for many attractions hovered around 60 minutes. Well, as of yesterday, Thursday, ticket sales at Tokyo Disneyland were temporarily stopped from 11am and re-starting around 4pm. The trend is expected to continue throughout this weekend and until April 4th when two special events end and one attraction closes. Tokyo DisneySea had a larger-than-average attendance but the gates have remained open.

An unpopular policy is enforced during these overcrowding closures. Two-park Annual Passport holders are not allowed to enter. Only re-entry guests, hotel guests, guests with tickets specially marked for that day and TDL-only AP holders are allowed in. Needless to say, that is freaken unfair!

Always a Warm Place to Relax

nempa 3-30-06 warm toiletIt may be the end of March and on the calendar, it may say that it's spring time. But in the Tokyo area, strong and cold winds have been keeping the temperatures around 10-degrees Celsius (50-degrees Fahrenheit). At times like these, when nature calls, I like to pay a visit to one of my favorite toilet stalls.

The one pictured here is from the Hotel MiraCosta. It features a warm toilet seat, shower for your tush, and a bidet for the ladies. One can relax in comfort here. You do have to get into the hotel and find it right off the lobby. Unforunately, there are no heated toilets inside the Parks. The only other public toilets of this type found in the Resort are located inside the TDR Welcome Center near Ikspiari.

The Show Must Go On?

nempa 3-30-06 performer cutsAs Tokyo DisneySea is approaching its fifth birthday, there are plenty of changes coming to the Park which hasn't quite reached expectations in terms guest attendance and spending. According to a few Disney-fan message boards, MiceChat.com / LaughingPlace.com, one of the consequences is a reported pruning of the "Entertainment" department.

Sail Away will face staff cuts as well as losing all of its non-Japanese cast. Encore! will end by early July. Most of the Atmosphere positions at TDS will be eliminated. The new show replacing Porto Paradiso Water Carnival, Legend of Mythica, will have 70 fewer dancers than its predecessor. Over at TDL, the Tokyo Disneyland Band is losing 75% of its members. This Park has lost most of its Atmosphere performers over the years anyway. And last but not least, most Japanese dancers will get re-worked contracts and will face pay cuts. All is not well at the Resort.