Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

[WDW1974]

Yes indeed. Keep your eyes peeled on the Tokyo forum in the coming days...I'm very excited to talk about it. Can't start a new thread just yet because it's 3AM, I want to post pictures, and that's time I don't have right now or tomorrow either unfortunately. But suffice it to say...impressive. Most impressive.

I will look and look forward to reading your thoughts. But feel free to drop anything in here ... I'm sure you can do comparisons with WDW, which make it fit. Many people are too lazy to read or contribute to those forums and threads that are wondeful die quickly.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I think you're taking a huge leap in assuming that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.

Very true.
However, I think the leaking of the Disney Springs plans by CP to wannabe Lou and IgerWatch set a precedent here. It could also unfold as an insider info/SM clusterf*** organically as CP folks and others leak what they hear to SM whores who in turn leak anything they hear. There is a reason why spirit does not divulge all the info he is privy too, but the SM whores, desperate to stay on the Disney tab, will do whatever CP tells them to do.

CP approach to SM is so stupid, they need to find ways to justify it or they'll be out of a job. Burbank is watching.

 

[WDW1974]

Gotta keep the riff-raff out of the Manor.
Once a spirit gets in, it's damn hard to make them leave.
#thishouseisclean

Riff-raff?!?!

You best rethink those words. DD wouldn't be happy at that at all and we all know she's just waiting to get you in your sleep so she can run off to Asia with moi anyway!

Your pal Damon liked it, according to his tweet.
Very funny movie. I laughed much.

Well, while I greatly admire Damon and his opinions, there are many fanbois who think the man can do nothing right.

If World War Z turns into a disaster of a zombie film, then he'll get the blame much like he did for Prometheus (which I haven't seen) ... neglecting to realize that both films were disasters that he was brought in to at the 11th hour.

I disagree, but then I've done some reading up on the thought process behind the ending. It makes sense when you understand what actually happened and what David Chase was trying to say.

To be fair, I was not a regular viewer of the show. And the Writers Guild recently named it the No. 1 show of all-time, which I think is total BS. ... But I think when a show lets you decide how it ended that it's a cop-out by the writers/showrunners. It's sorta akin to watching WDW guests dancing in a parade or with their pics on the castle. I didn't pay to be entertained by other visitors (beyond the joy of watching people act badly while on vacation). So, I don't invest my time in a series only to be told to 'come up with your ending' or 'what you thought happened is what happened'.

Again, I didn't invest years in the series, but Lost took far more flack for an ending that while out there was clear and you knew what had happened.

 

[WDW1974]

If you do decide to eat at BOG you may want to avoid eating in the West Wing. There is so much foot traffic of people trying to get pictures of the rose and the painting that it is impossible to enjoy your meal. While you are eating you get to stare at peoples butts in line to get a photograph of the rose (which by the way the effect is destroyed when using a flash). Carts are too big and bulky to use when the restaurant is full in addition to the foot traffic. Another comment I hear from CM's and guests from time to time is that they thought the restaurant was going ot be more of an interactive dining experience. Not quite dinner show or character dining but more than what is offered.

I didn't dine in the West Wing, but it was the only part of the place that I really liked. And I peeked in, I didn't stick my butt in people's faces to snap photos but I could see that being an issue.

 

[WDW1974]

Sequioa wasn't so bad for what I paid (I'd stay there again), but Newport is in anything but ship shape.

Sequoia just received (2010-12) its first top to bottom renovation since opening in 1992. And I toured it last spring and the halls and rooms definitely are nicer ... but there are still issues because the work done wasn't exactly top notch.

Watching workers refurbing the Hotel Santa Fe I saw the same 'care' and 'quality workmanship' on display.

 

[WDW1974]

Thanks Spirit! I think you just made my honeymoon plans for me!

I think you should let your soon to be other half have some say too!

 

[Funmeister]

I didn't dine in the West Wing, but it was the only part of the place that I really liked. And I peeked in, I didn't stick my butt in people's faces to snap photos but I could see that being an issue.

The room was my favorite as far as the theming but logistically it was horrible.

 

[WDW1974]

I disagree. The ending was just as definitive as the rest of the show. Expertly written. It was all there and carefully crafted. People were just upset because it a actually didn't show Tony's blood sprayed everywhere.

The silent 10 seconds was his point of view for those that haven't seen it in a while. Such an amazing end when re examined.

People were upset because it didn't show anything ... maybe Tony got what was coming to him or maybe he just another order of rings and some chili cheese fries. No one knows.

And unless I missed it, nobody came out when it was over and said 'Yeah, Tony got blown to bits and what you're seeing is him fading to black as the series did.''

If I'm wrong, please correct me. Again, I was not a Sopranos regular.

 

[WDW1974]

You just made my day

Doesn't mean plans haven't changed ...

 

[Funmeister]

I was most excited about staying at Sequoia Lodge until I realized unlike the Wilderness Lodge and Grand Californian it was more like a wilderness themed Coronado Springs with internal entryways. Love the lobby area the (30's and 40's art deco nothing more) of Hotel New York...Hotel Cheyenne was closed mostly for weeks during the time I was there. Newport was underwhelming. I think one thing that was an injustice was Davy Crockett Ranch. Too far away from the main resort...out of sight out of mind imho. Liked it though for what it is. Planning to stay in the area? Remember Paris is only a quick train ride away.

 

[WDW1974]

Have to say that I disagree with some of this.

That's allowed, Tom. You aren't @Lee ...

First, Tokyo definitely doesn't have the romantic, European charm that Paris has. That said, there are plenty of undesirable parts of Paris, and with the exception of some weird stuff in Shinjuku, Tokyo is gorgeous, fun, incredibly clean, and efficient. Very nice people, too. Kyoto is a relatively short bullet train ride away, and it's absolutely breathtaking.

There are plenty of undesirable parts anywhere, including just outside both DLR and WDW. Paris is a major world capital for so many reasons that have nothing to do with having a Disney resort located nearby. I loved Tokyo, don't get me wrong. It's just not a place I'd call romantic. Can't speak about Kyoto as I didn't make it there.

The Disney hotels at TDR are very pricey. We stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay (which, along with the Sheraton, is on the monorail loop) and paid $150/night. I would call it a WDW Deluxe-level hotel. With off-season pricing and a very favorable exchange rate now, that hotel is a bargain. I also checked out all of the hotels, and I'd say that both Disneyland Hotel and MiraCosta are incredibly nice (if you shell out the money for WDW Deluxes, you should have no problem doing it for either of these--they're both significantly nicer than the nicest WDW Deluxe). Ambassador seemed okay--I wouldn't stay there.

You got a very good deal. It was $180 when I went in late 2010 and I was going to book it before getting a Good Neighbor hotel in Odaiba for $61 a night (in Tokyo, that's like free!)

I also would caution against the DLH unless you know exactly what your room looks out on as some rooms look out at the ugly industrial area (including freeway and subway lines) that TDR borders. I'd only do Mira Costa myself ... but if I did, I'd be tempted to spend much of my time there (akin to what I just did at DAK Lodge).

At Disneyland Paris, we stayed off-site and on-site (Sequoia Lodge). Our off-site hotel was 1 or 2 stops away from DLRP on the rail, and I thought it was a pain to get to and from it. Sequoia Lodge was more expensive, but it was much more convenient, and pretty nice. I checked out the other hotels at DLRP, and probably wouldn't stay at any of them. Disneyland Hotel was nice, but way overpriced for what it was.

How much did you pay for SL? As to DLH, rooms can cost $800-1000 with the exchange rate and the normally obscene prices. And I know that as of last year, the rooms still hadn't had their first real rehab. I always wanted to stay there, but not at those prices.

Still, a hard decision...Europe in general might be better "honeymoon material" for most. If it were me, I'd do Tokyo without a second thought.

I would go to either place tomorrow in a heartbeat. BUT ... one is certainly more of a honeymoon destination -- there's nothing like having a bottle of wine under Eiffel's little tower as the sun goes down with a SO -- while the other is more of a fanboi theme park fantasy come to life.

 

[WDW1974]

Hey, hey, hey... I think you've spent more days in WDW this year than I've spent in DLR, WDW, and TDR combined!

And yes, it is.

Thought so!

And we travel differently. I may have actually been to WDW more days this year (I think I was in the parks for parts of 16 or 17 days), but a visit for me might be from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. or from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. ... I am never up at dawn to catch a sunrise, that's for sure.

I guess we're just both Faux Top One Percenters when you look at it!

(WDW1974 Spirited Prediction: WDWFigment hits both WDW and DLR BEFORE 9/1)

 

[WDW1974]

High five to Theme Park Insider for outing in some detail how many attractions Disney is about to take down at DHS at the same time.

There is going to be some disagreement on the interwebs on exactly what and when everything will be closing in DHS, but by this time 2015 when Disney's two tier pricing structure has widened the gap between MK and 2nd tier park tickets it is going to become very clear why these sub parks are not carrying the price premium.

BTW. Re: Attraction closures. If I were a fan of the Muppet Show, the Backlot Tour, Indiana Jones, or anything that's not Toy Story that happens to reside behind great movie ride, I would go ahead and be making up reasons to get some rides in. If I were a fan.

I'm not ready to jump on the Niles bandwagon although I do believe much of it may well happen. I just don't think it's all been decided yet and I doubt Disney would shut everything down all at once ... if they make the Studios into a DCA-like (or even UNI-like) wall land, that park is going to just die in attendance. There is barely anything to do there as is. Good luck to future WDW Prez Danny Cockerell!

 

[WDW1974]

74 Posted about this in early October 2011. I don't recall any other sources posting about it until early Dec 2011.


Edit: Just re-read the posts and realized you were talking about who posted the plans first and not about who first posted the info. My Mistake.

Yes, that is how I recall the situation as well ... I NEVER post plans (even if I have them). I post information.

 

[ChrisFL]

$61 a night in Odaiba? awesome. I love Odaiba

 

[artvandelay]

After reading some of the posts about the Sopranos finale, I found this explanation (more like a doctoral thesis) of the final episode. A great read.

http://masterofsopranos.wordpress.com/the-sopranos-definitive-explanation-of-the-end/

 

[pheneix]

I'm not ready to jump on the Niles bandwagon although I do believe much of it may well happen. I just don't think it's all been decided yet and I doubt Disney would shut everything down all at once ... if they make the Studios into a DCA-like (or even UNI-like) wall land, that park is going to just die in attendance. There is barely anything to do there as is. Good luck to future WDW Prez Danny Cockerell!

The park already has died in terms of attendance and the corpse is starting to stink. 2012 theme park attendance estimates for DHS and DAK that were discussed last week are pure works of fiction. Like an White House talking point memo.

Just about everything inside DHS that is not Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Toy Story does not have much of a future. I don't expect them to be even holding up a pretense that DHS is a movie studio or even a "movie studio themed park" when they are finished either.

None of this work that's greenlit even stands a chance of competing against Universal either, which is the most deliciously ironic part of this construction project. Draw attendance back to DHS? Yes, of course. Grow WDW's overall visitation and stop the outbound flow of guests to Universal Studios? Not a chance.

 

[GoofGoof]

None of this work that's greenlit even stands a chance of competing against Universal either, which is the most deliciously ironic part of this construction project. Draw attendance back to DHS? Yes, of course. Grow WDW's overall visitation and stop the outbound flow of guests to Universal Studios? Not a chance.

What's been greenlit?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Universal has announced a play area themed to Super Silly Fun Land from the film Despicable Me will go adjacent to Minion Mayhem, which is expected to open sometime next year at Universal Studios Hollywood. The new "land" will include a water area, a dry area and a ride that will "soar and spin guests aboard a fleet of imaginative ride vehicles for a view of Super Silly Fun Land." It will be interesting to see USH's attendance after this.

Super Silly Fun Land:

http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/06/11/4938019/universal-studios-hollywood-announces.html

 

[yoyoflamingo]

(WDW1974 Spirited Prediction: WDWFigment hits both WDW and DLR BEFORE 9/1)

Even I'm hitting both before 9/1. I feel special.