Review of WDW mini-changes in past three weeks, plus rumor/gossip rundown. http://miceage.micechat.com/kevinyee/ky011012a.htm

Rumor: Tom Sawyer Island Replacement

For some weeks now, rumors have swirled about a possible end to the Rivers of America and to Tom Sawyer Island. It sounds like sacrilege, but this is prime territory if you think about it, and a lot of land… and it’s not very highly used by visitors right now. If you took all of that out, you’d have a ton of space to work with. One rumor suggests a family raft ride (like Kali River Rapids) possibly themed to a frontier (Pocahontas?) design. If this happens, the Liberty Belle would be permanently docked, and the island might not be a destination unto itself (most of it would probably be demolished or repurposed). Nothing is announced, or in fact greenlit and funded, but that’s the rumor.


Mermaids

Speaking of rumors, we may see a minor addition to Pirates of the Caribbean soon, in the form of mermaids. Details are lacking, but maybe in the ‘beach’ scene at the beginning? A skeleton would fit right in.


Romance

The castle projections (The Magic, The Memories, and You) added a holiday sequence this past season, injecting several seconds into the middle of the show, and they apparently plan to do something similar in February with the theme of Romance (for Valentine’s Day, one assumes). Could they be planning to add something for every season? I’m in favor of that much variation. Stuff like this makes vacations memorable, and differentiates Disney from the competition. And it’s not that expensive.

More: http://miceage.micechat.com/kevinyee/ky011012a.htm