The Walt Disney Company took the next step toward it's planned resort hotel / Disney Vacation Club timeshare on Oahu with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony and groundbreaking.  The following press release details the ceremony, and shares a few new details regarding this eagerly-anticipated development.

The groundbreaking ceremony for Disney's Hawaiian resort was set to occur today at 10:30am (3:30pm eastern) and local station KGMB was on-hand throughout the day to cover the event.  Some of their early coverage including a 3 min, 30 second video clip can be found HERE.

Stay tuned for additional details.

Thanks to DVC Mike for the link!

We recently got a look at some of the permits for Disney's new resort hotel / Disney Vacation Club complex at Ko Olina.  The permits provide some interesting new details regarding the Hawaii resort project. 

It has been over a year since Disney announced plans to build an 800+ resort hotel / timeshare on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.  Despite rumors suggesting the project may be delayed, physical construction is set to begin on November 19, 2008.

In his latest article related to Disney's Hawaiian resort on Oahu, Yesterland.com's Werner Weiss examines the construction model which was recently unveiled for the first time.  The article features close-up looks at many proposed design elements of the new resort, along with some of Werner's own photos of other resorts and scenery on the island.

Check out Yesterland's "Disney Goes Hawaiian, Part 3: A Closer Look."

Today representatives from The Walt Disney Company shared their resort plans with Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann.  Among the details revealed for the first time are the make-up of the new resort--350 hotel rooms and 480 Disney Vacation Club villas.

(Photo: Disney shares plans for Hawaii resort with Honolulu Mayor: Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo (right) shared plans for its future resort in Hawaii with Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (second from right) today. Also pictured (from left) is Djuan Rivers, Vice President, Disney Vacation Club and Resort, Hawaii and Councilman Todd Apo.)