The goal of this blog series is to factually prove or disprove rumors, myths and mythconceptions in the Disney-verse. This week’s TMSM Mythbusters tackles two question we keep getting asked and cover a topic that is relevant to history in the US this week.
Tower Guardians
We constantly are getting asked the following here at TMSM, so much so I felt it was hitting mythconception level. “Is it true they are changing the them of the Tower of Terror in California and Florida?”
Sadly it seems that some sites and/or Facebook groups have made it out that the changes coming to the California Tower of Terror would effect the Tower in Florida as well, while oddly forgetting the Towers in Paris and Tokyo even existed.
In June, at San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that “A new ride will take the place of The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror and also will serve as the foundation of a new superhero universe coming to Disney California Adventure. The new attraction will be called Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout and will debut sometime in the summer of 2017.”
This change currently has only been confirmed as coming to California Adventure, quite possibly because of the “Marvel/Universal” agreement that only effects Walt Disney World, or because of the huge differences in the two rides. Many don’t realize that the California version of the ride does not have the “ride through” of the Tower’s history that the Florida version has, making a redo of the ride’s theme in California much easier to do.
So Florida Disney Tower of Terror fans, you can take a breath and relax because as we announced on July 23, only the California Tower of Terror will become Marvel themed!
Food and Wine Is Extra
Another mythconception, or point of confusion I have seen on the Disney social media-verse lately is that Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival may not be included with park admission. This interestingly is busted and confirmed!
While access to the booths and festival center is in fact included with your park admission, certain classes and tasting events are in fact extra ticket items that you can book through Disney Dining’s website and phone number.
And of course to clear up any additional confusion, yes any one can use gift cards, credit cards and cash to pay at the festival booths, and resort guests can use MagicBands. You can also use Disney Dining plan snack credits on select food items.
More information on Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival can be found here!
Disney Channel Movies Are Never “Real”
This week was the anniversary of 9/11 and it always oddly reminds me of a question I heard quite often when the Disney Channel released the movie “Tiger Cruise” and that was “That didn’t really happen did it? I mean there weren’t really KIDS on a US Navy ship on 9/11 right?”
For those unfamiliar with Tiger Cruise, Wikipedia explains the plot of the August 2004 released movie as follows:
“Maddie Dolan, an artistic teenager from San Diego, is on a mission to convince her father Gary Dolan, a U.S. Navy Commander (O-5) and executive officer of the USS Constellation (CV-64), to throw aside his career and come home, where she believes he belongs. In order to accomplish this, Maddie accepts her father’s offer to participate in Operation Tiger, a week-long cruise for military families and their friends aboard his aircraft carrier. Along the way, she meets two other teenagers boarding the Tiger Cruise: Tina, who’s fascinated by military life, as well as her older sister, Grace (a naval aviator under Commander Dolan), and Anthony (whose older brother is a sailor), a carefree drummer who much prefers to have nothing to do with military life… On September 11, 2001, two days into the cruise, the passengers, to their horror, learn of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. The ship goes into high alert, with many of the passengers in fear and confusion, but also showing mental strength.”
Well Main Streeters, I am going to tell you that not only is this “confirmed” because it did in FACT happen, I actually had a friend who is a Parachute Rigger (PT) on the ship when it happened that I was emailing back and forth with when communications were up. While the story line of the movie (the events between the daughter and father) was of course made up, the story is inspired by the actual event of the USS Constellation on 9/11.
On Tuesday 9/11/01 the aircraft carrier USS Constellation was under way from Hawaii with a Tiger Cruise (a group of usually sailors children and sometimes spouses) on board at the end of six month long deployment. The Connie had left port in Hawaii on 9/9 and was due back in San Diego Saturday 9/15, she actually ended up making it to port on Friday. Despite discussions about turning the battle group around, it was decided that they would continue the cruise and get the children home to their “on shore” parent or guardian that return to Hawaii as the cruise was midway between the two ports.
The Constellation (CV-64) was a Kitty Hawk class carrier, that was decommissioned in August 2003, before filming of the movie took place so what you see when you are watching the film is actually two ships. The USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), both of which are Nimitz class carriers, which is the class of nuclear carrier than came after the diesel powered Kitty Hawk class. If you watch the movie, pay attention to the fact that all three ship’s hull numbers can be seen at various times and that Stennis issued uniform ballcaps are also see on crew members that were used as extras.
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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