News and Rumors Rundown

Despite a great deal of slowdown thanks to our economy, there are still plenty of projects going on in the Disney theme parks. I thought I'd do sort of a recap of everything happening, or at least planned to happen in the not so distant future.

Disneyland Resort

Disney's California Adventure

Right now, DCA has begun its billion dollar makeover. Many projects are underway, with many more to follow soon.

Current projects:

• Disney's World of Color- to debut June 11th, 2010.
  
• World of Color viewing area- to debut around the 1st of April.
• The Little Mermaid Ariel's Adventure- opens 2011.
• Cars Land- to open 2012
• Red Car Trolley- to open 2012
  

Future projects:

• Goofy's Sky Skool
• Paradise Garden
• Buena Vista St. all starting later this year.
  

Disneyland

• Star Tours- The original attraction will close in October and will reopen in 2011 with new destinations.
• New Tomorrowland- sometime after DCA is done in 2012.
• New e tickets are also on the horizon.
  

Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom

• New Fantasyland- Includes meet and greets with Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle, a new restaurant in the beast's castle, the Little Mermaid ride from DCA, and a duel Dumbo relocated to the former site of Mickey's Toontown Fair. A Pixie Hollow area will be added later. To be completed by 2013.
  
• The new ticket technology will eventually be used for many more things such as ticketless fastpass distribution, keyless room entry, and more. Some crazy stuff is afoot.
  

Epcot

• New eateries in Italy and Mexico, and that's it! This park needs help.
  

Disney's Hollywood Studios

• Ratatouille attraction- rumored for Pixar Place.
  
• Star Tours II- 2011

Disney's Animal Kingdom

• Absolutely nothing. It baffles me that Disney's weakest Florida park has absolutely no plans for expansion. It's as if they thought Everest fixed the park. Actually, Everest is the thing that needs fixing. The yeti is broken, and it's an embarrassment.
  

Downtown Disney

• Ride Makerz is moving into the first floor of the former Virgin Megastore. D-Street, a Vinylmation store, is also opening soon. Sadly, that's it. Pleasure Island remains a ghost town.