Disney, Lego ink multi-year licensing deal ----

Walt Disney Co., said it has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Denmark 's privately held Lego Group, giving the toy maker access to Disney and Disney Pixar properties. Disney didn't disclose how much the deal was worth but said Lego products are currently in development for three franchises -- Disney Pixar's "Toy Story" and "Cars," and "Prince of Persia" -- all scheduled to launch in 2010.

Analyst cuts earnings projections for Disney, ----

---- estimates 7 percent attendance decline at Disney World and Disneyland Morgan Stanley today lowered its projected earnings for The Walt Disney Co., in part because of concerns that the company's resorts could suffer worse than previously thought amid the global recession. MORE….

The Walt Disney Company 2008 Annual Report ----

---- is now available Do you own stock in The Walt Disney Company, do you plan to, or are you just concerned about the general health of the Walt’s legacy? Well then the 2008 Annual Report for the Walt Disney Company might interest you. You can see it now from the Disney.com investors website. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to download the report.

The Walt Disney Co. said it has offered voluntary ----

---- buyout packages to about 600 executives at its U.S. theme parks unit. The offer was made to employees with titles of director, vice president and higher, generally those with six-figure salaries, and gave them until Feb. 6 to opt in. The company did not provide an estimate of how much money it expected to save with them buyout. Disney did not disclose its targets for the program, but told executives in a letter that "an involuntary layoff with a lesser severance package will be required if our goals are not met.” MORE….

Walt Disney Co. shares fell more than 6%  ----

---- in early trading Wednesday after the company reported disappointing fiscal first-quarter results that fed into fears about the various impacts of decreased consumer spending. The Burbank, Calif.-based conglomerate reported a quarterly profit that fell substantially short of analysts' expectations on lower DVD sales and a drop in advertising sales at its broadcast and cable television networks. "I think what we're seeing with a lot companies this earnings season, media companies and others, is that when they miss, they're missing by a wide margin,", in an interview. "We're used to seeing surprises on the upside for Disney, but they're not immune to these economic times either," said Robin Diedrich, senior entertainment and communications analyst at Edward Jones.'

RUMOR Are you 23?----

---- The ‘Are you 23?’ posters (in both DL & WDW) are advertisement for a new Disney fan club that will be targeted to the die hard fan of the company. It’s rumored that the new club will have annual fee, special events and exclusive merchandise. The ‘Are you 23?’ is a reference to the year that the Disney company was officially founded.

You can be among the first to hear officially about this (or whatever it turns out to be) by signing up here on Disney.com

Pirate themed guest rooms debut ----

Landlubbers and scallywags alike can live like Captain Jack in a pirate-themed guestroom specially created for Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. More than 350 guestrooms are getting an "Extreme Makeover: Pirate Edition" with new décor and furnishings fit for a buccaneer. See the pics at:

http://land.allears.net/blogs/dnews/2009/01/piratethemed_guest_rooms_debut.html

If you want to do ‘The World’ in real style ----

---- then book the new VIP tour. At $295 per hour, with a six (6) hour minimum, it’s not inexpensive. It is somewhat intimate, as there is a cap of ten (10) people in a group per guide. This tour can be started at any time in the day, as long as there's at least six hours before parks close. From the moment you arrive, your personal VIP guide is there to take care of everything—from creating your ideal itinerary to getting you the best seats in the house for live shows, parades and nighttime spectaculars. It’s also the ultimate Fast Pass – even when the attraction is out of them for the day! Want to ride Want to ride Toy Story Mania three times without the line? Then do it! It's an indulgence, but if you have a group of three or four families it may be worth looking into. For more information call 407-560-4033 or visit:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/vip-services/

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge welcomed ----

---- the birth of two Ruppell's Griffon Vultures earlier this month. They are the first hatchings of this threatened species at Walt Disney World Resort. Each chick weighed less than six ounces and was about eight inches long when hatched. Over the past 20 years, the population of Ruppell's Griffon Vultures has been declining, which led the International Union for Conservation of Nature to raise the status of this species to threatened. When grown, each vulture could reach sizes close to three feet in height, with a wingspan of nearly eight feet, and weigh 15-20 pounds. They are also known for their high-flying skills, being among the highest-flying bird on record, once spotted at an altitude of more than 37,000 feet. Ruppell's vultures can fly more than three miles in six minutes and are able to stay in the air for as many as six to seven hours a day. The Ruppell's vultures pair up for life, which may be 40 or 50 years.  

Disney's Online Check-In service ----

---- which will allow guests to go online and enter check-in information up to 10 days before they arrive at a Disney resort for their vacation, is scheduled to launch in late February 2009. A welcome folder with a Key to the World Card will be waiting at a designated Disney's Online Check-In area in the resort hotel lobby. Guests will need to present valid photo ID to pick up the folder and complete check-in. This service is expected to streamline the check-in process in most cases.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the environment ----

---- Disneyland Resort announced two innovative environmental initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The Resort has begun using compressed natural gas to fuel its guest trams and recycled cooking oil to power its Disneyland Railroad steam trains and Mark Twain riverboat. MORE….

Disney Cruise Line was recently named ----

---- the top large cruise ship experience by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine in the 9th annual "Reader's Cruise Poll." The Cruise Poll recognizes the best cruise ships as voted on by Conde Nast Traveler readers. Winners were determined by a survey of more than 11,000 participants who rated 400 ships. Participants were asked to rate ships based on specific criteria including: staterooms, activities, service, design and layout, dining, itineraries and shore excursions.

Traveling with infants and toddlers ----

---- on Disney Cruise Line will soon be easier than ever thanks to a cruise industry-first service that delivers baby supplies directly to guest staterooms and a host of child-friendly offerings onboard the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.

 Beginning March 15, families preparing to sail on Disney Cruise Line with little ones will have access to an online service that allows them to order baby supplies in advance of their cruise and have them delivered to their stateroom. The new service is exclusive for Disney Cruise Line guests and provided by Babies Travel Lite, an online retailer offering more than 1,000 brand-name baby products including diapers, baby food, infant formula and specialty travel items.   MORE….

Disney Cruise Line will operate ----

---- a new storage facility that stores select items Guests have shipped prior to embarkation for delivery to the Disney Cruise Line terminal at Port Canaveral, Florida. Guests wishing to mail items prior to embarkation should direct their packages to the Disney Cruise Line Warehouse at 8633 Transport Drive , Orlando , FL 32832 .

Disney Vacation Club has begun selling ----

---- interests in the 60 Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Each three-bedroom, two-bath villa will sleep nine, with a queen bed in two bedrooms, a pair of bunks in the third bedroom, and a cathedral-ceiling living room furnished with a queen-size sofa bed and twin sleeper chair. Other planned features include an open kitchen equipped with an island sink and bar area offering seating for three, a separate dining table with seating for six and flat-panel TVs. Walt Disney Imagineering's Interior Design team is outfitting the homes with what it calls a "cabin casual" style. The treehouses are tentatively scheduled to open this summer.

If you’re a member of the Disney Vacation Club ----

---- or planning on renting some points for your next vacation, you’ll want to see how your typical vacation pattern is affected by the recent reallocation in how points are used in the DVC. Disney is prevented by state law from changing how much it costs to stay for a week, but they’re allowed to make some slight changes to parts of a week.If you like to stay around weekends, you’ll find your points stretching just a big further, but if you prefer those mid-week stays, then you might find it just a bit more expensive. All part of an effort by Disney to maximize the value of their DVC Resorts for weeklong visits. MORE….

Disney's Doorway to Dreams ----

---- scheduled to open later this summer, will offer Roosevelt Field visitors and Long Island, N.Y.-area residents a convenient and exciting way to learn firsthand about Disney Vacation Club, Disney's vacation-ownership program. Located at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, NY, Disney's Doorway to Dreams will feature a full-scale, two-bedroom model of the vacation home accommodations Disney Vacation Club members and their families can expect to find at Disney Vacation Club resort hotels., Designed to create a fun and immersive experience, this convenient mall location will provide a glimpse of all the DVC choices available. Disney's Doorway to Dreams is planned to also offer an interactive family vacation discovery zone, comfortable discussion areas and a supervised children’s play area within approximately 6,900 square feet of retail space. For more information about Disney Vacation Club and the new Disney's Doorway to Dreams preview center, visit www.disneyvacationclub.com.

Disney has set McG to direct ----

---- "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo," a family film that is being fast tracked by the studio. Scripted by Bill Marsilli, the film is an origin story of Nemo as he creates his warship, the Nautilus. MORE….

Comcast offers Disney on Demand Service ----

---- Comcast cable company is now offering an on demand video service: Disney Family Movies. Families can subscribe for $5.99 a month and get 20 hours of viewing: 10 movies and 2 short films. The list of films available per month will be in rotation. Some of the initial offerings include: George of the Jungle, The Parent Trap, Eloise at the Plaza, and Treasure Planet. RUMORED are the return of ‘Vault Disney’, including the original Mickey Mouse Club, and Zorro!

The Walt Disney Co.'s motion picture arm ----

---- says it has agreed to a long-term exclusive distribution deal with Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG movie studio. Walt Disney Studios said Monday it will handle distribution and marketing for six live action DreamWorks films a year. The company did not disclose any financial details of the agreement. The deal comes after talks with Universal Pictures, part of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, on a similar agreement broke down and gives rival Disney access to one of Hollywood 's most successful directors. The first DreamWorks movie under Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand will arrive in theaters next year.

The "Buy Four, Get Three Free" offer ----

---- at the Walt Disney World Resort will feature travel dates through Aug. 15, 2009 ! This Offer includes park tickets and you can add the meal plan to it. The offer is good for longer trips as well.

The "Buy 4, Get 3 Free" promotion ----

---- that Disney World was offering earlier this year has been extended. Now the promotion is valid for travel most nights February 15 - March 9, March 17- April 4, and April 19 - August 15, 2009 . (some black-out dates apply). There is a five-night minimum stay required for this package. Travel between March 1-8, 2009 or March 22 -29, 2009 and get a $200 Disney Gift Card, too (while supplies last). Select Disney's Old Key West or Saratoga Springs Resort and travel on select dates, and get a $100 Disney Gift Card. The number of rooms for this offer is limited.

2009

Disneyland , Walt Disney World,

Disney Movie Premiere & Other

Feb 27 - March 1

ESPN The Weekend

March 7 - 12

Pirate Cruise on the Disney Wonder

March 18 – May 31

Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

April 22

‘EARTH’ - the first film from Disney’s new green film label DisneyNature, opens nationally

May 22-24, 29-31

June 5-7, 12-14

Star Wars Weekends at WDW’s Hollywood Studios

May 29

UP – opens nationally

June 19 –

August 9

Disney Summer Pin Festival 2009

June 20

Haunted Mansion O'Pin House - Summer Pin Festival Kick-Off Event

June 26 - 28

WDW Disney's Pin Celebration 2009, The Museum of

Pin-tiquities. EPCOT. Registration will open for this event in February 2009 on DisneyPins.com

July 14 - 18

NFFC 25th Anniversary Disneyana Convention, Show and Sale

July 19

NFFC All Disneyana Show and Sale – Anaheim , CA .

August 8

SHAG "Spirited" Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary Cocktail Reception

Sep 11 & 12_

Night of Joy - WDW

Sep 13 - 17

Disney Vacation Club's Member Cruise 2009. Reservations begin on November 2, 2008 by calling Member Services at 800-800-9800. Visit the DisneyVacationClub.com member website for more details.

Sep__ – Nov__

Dates TBA

International Food and Wine Festival – EPCOT

October

Dates TBA

East Coast NFFC Disneyana Convention, Show and Sale

Nov __ - __-

Dates TBA

Festival of the Masters – Downtown Disney - WDW

Various TBA

Nov __ – Dec __

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Call (407) W-DISNEY (934-7639) to order

December

The Princess and the Frog – opens nationally

2010

Disneyland , Walt Disney World,

Disney Movie Premiere & Other

2009:

Paris, Hong Kong & Tokyo

Thru April 14, 2009

Tokyo Disney’s 25th Anniversary Celebration

 Jan. – Feb.

Chinese New Year Celebration

 Mar 6-8

St. David Welsh Festival

Mar17

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

April 22 – June 30.

Tokyo DisneySea Spring Carnival

July 8 – Aug 31

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Summer Programs

July 14

Bastille Day

Sep 10 –

October 31

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Halloween

Nov 7 – Dec 25

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea Christmas Programs

2010

Paris, Hong Kong & Tokyo