As noted last week, Walt Disney World has signed a new agreement with General Motors that extends their founding sponsorship of the Test Track (originally World of Motion) pavilion at Epcot. As part of the agreement, GM's Chevrolet brand is appearing as the sponsor name instead of all brands under the GM umbrella. The attraction also undergoes a "re-imagining," adding a Chevrolet Design Center before the ride portion of the attraction.
At the Design Center, guests can create their own concept car design. They then move to the ride portion, where they test their design in a "SimCar" vehicle. The post-show area then lets them see how well their design fared in the tests. The pre-show Design Center is to feature a collection of Chevy concept cars, with current production models in the showroom.
The sponsorship has been in doubt for some time. While the site has been a positive promotional outlet for GM, there was uncertainty as to whether they would be able to justify the cost of renewal in light of the automaker's bankruptcy filing. After a year of solid growth, however, it appears that there is again money to cover the substantial cost of sponsoring the pavilion. There is no current word on the financial terms of this agreement, but it has been reported that the last 10-year extension cost GM $100 million. The contract had been extended in short-term intervals while GM regained its financial footing.
The Disney Fantasy cruise ship hit the water for the first time yesterday, as the newest ship in Disney Cruise Line's fleet left its construction drydock at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Paperburg, Germany. The ship was floated out at around noon local time (7 a.m. ET), and immediately towed to an adjacent dock for further work. Installation of the ship's bridge and communications mast took place shortly after docking.