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**** Reprinted without permission from The Orldano Sentinel ****
By Christine Shenot, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News
Feb. 7--The campus looks something like a New England town square, colored in
Florida pastels. You can hear birds chirping, but the sounds of children are
conspicuously absent.
On Friday, Walt Disney World will venture beyond the tried-and-true formula
of family theme parks with the official opening of the Disney Institute. The
brainchild of Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner, it's a new vacation
concept for the company that combines study of the arts, gardening and other
topics with a variety of entertainment and recreation.
"We're a little enclave within Walt Disney World -- a resort within a
resort," said Richard Hutton, vice president in charge of the Disney
Institute.
It's not the sort of place that people associate with the Sunshine State, and
it doesn't cater to the typical Disney audience. There are no programs for
kids under 10, although Disney is thinking of creating facilities and
activities for them. In the meantime, Disney will help parents arrange day
care for younger children.
But at the Disney Institute, the focus is mainly on adults, who can take
classes in such things as computer animation, Chinese cooking and "spiritual
inquiry," as well as special programs led by guest speakers and
artists-in-residence.
Visitors can mix and match courses, taking some that focus on a related topic
over several days and others that last only two or three hours. When they're
finished, they work out in the fitness center, swim laps or hit the spa for a
seaweed facial or an "aroma therapy" massage.
"It's adventurous, but you make of it whatever you want," said Chris Venn of
Chicago, who was one of several hundred people who visited the Disney
Institute during a "soft opening" last week to work out the kinks before
opening day.
The resort has some Disney staples, including an 18-hole golf course, tennis
courts and a shop called Dabblers that sells pricey souvenirs. But there are
no crowds, no lines and no costumed characters. Even the employees, still
wearing the standard Disney name tag, seem more laid back.
Though Disney's latest venture marks a departure from its traditional focus
on the mass market, travel experts give it good odds for success. They point
to the trend toward shorter vacations -- the Disney Institute offers
three-night, four-night and seven-night packages -- and a growing interest
among well-heeled baby boomers for educational travel.
"The intriguing thing about this (for Disney) is that it's a small niche,"
said James Cammisa Jr., a Miami-based travel analyst and publisher of Travel
Industry Indicators. "But the concept is a sound one -- that people want to
take something back from their vacation. All the demographics support it."
The idea of blending learning with leisure isn't untested. Cammisa points to
a 20-year-old, Boston-based program called Elderhostel that enrolled nearly
250,000 older adults last year in its short-term academic programs at
colleges and universities. There's also the Chautauqua Institution in upstate
New York, a summer program that inspired Eisner to create the Disney
Institute.
Disney's version of the concept focuses on areas in which the company has
special expertise or resources, such as animation, television production,
cooking and topiary gardening.
The programs stress hands-on experience. In a recent session on Mexican
cooking, for example, 13 students took up stations in a specially designed
kitchen and prepared seared Red Snapper, charred pineapple, tomatillo salsa
and Anasazi flat bread. Two chef instructors led the way, explaining the
influences on Mexican cuisine and offering tips on bread-making, the proper
way to use a knife and other culinary skills.
Some of the students agreed that Disney's newest resort isn't for everybody.
But, in a sign that the marketing is reaching the right people, many said
they'd come back.
"The opportunity to do things you wouldn't do at home is really exciting,"
said Michelle Reavis, who was sharing with her husband the Mexican lunch she
had prepared. He had just returned from a rock-climbing course.
"It's a good place for couples who have different interests," Reavis said.
Hutton said it may take a couple of years before the Disney Institute gets
very busy, given the resort's narrow market and the importance of
word-of-mouth advertising with any new concept.
Disney hopes to jump start that process with special rates good through May
18. In addition to offering a single day for $49, the resort has packages
that start at $349 per person for 3 nights, based on double occupancy. When
regular pricing kicks in, the rates will range from $582 to $1,986 per
person, depending on the season, the number of nights and the type of
accommodations.
"We had very conservative projections as we began the reservation process,
and we've tracked very close to those projections," said Bob Mervine, a
spokesman for the resort. "Business is good. We're not complaining. But
there's room for more."
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| On my recent (Aug. 29 - Sept. 3) visit to WDW, there were some brochures
about a "Day Visitor Program" at the Disney Institute. The literature I
picked up (available at the Guest Services counter at the Beach Club [and
presumably the other resorts]) listed only dates of Aug. 29 - Sept. 2. I
forgot to check whether there was new information on Sept. 3, so I don't
know whether it was a special program running only over an extended Labor
Day weekend, or whether it's ongoing. I also don't seem to have a sheet
with general information, though I recall seeing something saying the cost
was $44 - I don't know whether that was for an entire day or for just one of
the offerings on a day (which ran, from the schedule I have, anywhere from 2
hours to 4 hours, depending on the specific program). My guess is that the
price covered a day, but I don't know for certain.
There's also mention of a "Disney Day Camp" that "offers field trip
programs for children ages 7-9 in the areas of Art, Entertainment, Nature,
and International Cultures. You can take one half-day or two half-day field
trips."
The number for information or reservations for the Aug. 29-Sept. 2 program
is/was 827-4800 (407 area code, I assume). I imagine one could probably
call that number for general information on these "Day Visitor" programs (if
they're offered again or continuously or whatever), though I don't know for
sure.
Just passing this along fyi!
-- Nina
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