Rose and Crown is Down

Epcot's Rose and Crown restaurant is closed temporarily so that employees can receive some much-needed dental work.

Downtown Disney Resort Updates

It has been announced that the seven resorts in Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney resort area have spent more than $100 million upgrading themselves in the hopes that someone, somewhere will, some day, stay in one of them because they want to, and not just because it's all they can afford. Upgrades include new beds, better televisions, and baskets of cash for first-time guests.

Mothers' and Easter's Eatings

You can now make reservations for special Easter and Mother's Day brunches at the Disneyland Resort. Opportunities include:

• Disney's Royal Buffet for Mother's Day in the Disneyland Baby Care Center
• Cinderella's Mother's Day of Forgiveness at the Disneyland Hotel
• Chicken Little's Easter Disaster at the Paradise Pier Hotel
• Pocahontas' Easter Sunrise Breakfast at Big Thunder Ranch

Drink Up, California!

From April 27 to May 20, 2007, Disney's California Adventure will be hosting Disney's California Food and Wine Weekends. Look for the alcohol content to be kicked up in all edibles (including churros) and free refills on vino-filled souvenir sipper cups. Guests who have a little too much to drink will be encouraged to ride Mullholland Madness as an object lesson in the dangers of drinking and driving.

Ship Shape

Last Thursday, Jay Rasulo (a Disney employee) announced that the Disney Cruise Line would be adding three new ships to its fleet over the coming years. The first, Disney Cabillero will launch in 2010 and carry passengers to ports in Mexico. Soon after that, in 2011, Disney's Black Pearl will begin tours of the Caribbean. But most surprising of all, the Steamboat Willie will begin carrying passengers up and down the Mississippi in 2009, treating them to a Mark-Twain-Style voyage complete with boyish adventure and enforced cigar smoking for gentlemen.

Adios Alfredo!

Walt Disney World just announced that the Alfredo di Roma Ristorante, a fixture in the Italy pavilion in the sense that it never moved, will be closing permanently later this year. Although park spokespeople are short on details, rumor has it that the China pavilion has been complaining that Italy is getting all the big pasta business, when everyone knows that spaghetti was invented thousands of years ago in China.

Oscar the Grouch

Much to the surprise of everyone, Cars did not win an Oscar tonight. Not for best animated film. Not for best performance by an anthromorphized object. Not for best milage in its class. Nothing.

What one instead? Happy Feet -- the computer-animated semi-historical biography of Dr. Scholl.

Truly a travesty.