50 MAGICal Enhancements for the 50th ...

[GoofGoof]

Not sure if this has been asked before but is any of the large amount of money spread around the property being given to the water parks? Volcano bay while the theming will probably be on the scale of typhoon lagoon their seems to be quite a few more slides than the WDW water parks. Typhoon lagoon in particular could use another thrill ride and blizzard beach has never had an expansion.

They are due for a waterpark upgrade. TL is getting one new slide this year. They are also rolling out some form of FP for the waterparks to cut down on waits. I wouldn't be shocked to see additions to both waterparks. I don't think it will be in reaction to VB though. Disney marches to the beat of its own drum and despite what others insist they aren't always reacting to what Universal does. It could be a fatal flaw in their strategy long term. Time will tell.

 

[WDW1974]

Out of curiosity, when are you going that you are finding flights around $500? And any advice on finding cheap flights from the other coast?

I don't put my exact travel plans online for obvious reasons. And I am not flying from the west coast. That said, I regularly see very inexpensive fares out of LAX, SFO, SEA gateways.

I generally use Kayak, but also play around with many sites. (almost took an Asian discounter from Shanghai to Tokyo for a ridiculously low airfare that would have eliminated the cost of a hotel one night, which was also the bad thing too since it was a 1 a.m. departure and 5 a.m. arrival). But they absolutely are out there ...

 

[WDW1974]

To be fair, Body Wars was kinda cheesy from the day it opened. Cranium Command was awesome, though.

It still worked. The whole pavilion did ... and to have three major attractions, two minors, a QSR location and a small shop ... it was exactly what WDI did best in building that park. You literally could have spent four hours in the building if you wanted. Today, it's the "FIVE MINUTES?!??! NOO!!!! It has to be under three." deal ...

 

[Casper Gutman]

It still worked. The whole pavilion did ... and to have three major attractions, two minors, a QSR location and a small shop ... it was exactly what WDI did best in building that park. You literally could have spent four hours in the building if you wanted. Today, it's the "FIVE MINUTES?!??! NOO!!!! It has to be under three." deal ...

Oh, no doubt about any of this. That hulking closed pavilion grates on me every time I see it.

 

[WDW1974]

I see your point but I still disagree to each their own though! We all started somewhere a 25 year old could have a lifetime of other life experiences compared to you. But I'm probably just arguing at this point. Some say nostalgia can be a bit like hiding behind rose colored glasses. I don't quite consider myself either a millenial or a gen-xer. Stuck in-between and golly gee I can still remember riding Toad and the Subs. But I guess I don't know what the resort was like

Please don't take what I said personally. Again, I don't discount an opinion simply because it comes from someone younger (even if I admit that I'd love to shove iPhones into a few Millennials' behinds ... you know, to help remove the stick they have stuck up there!) ;-) ... But when a 25-year-old tells me that WDW has never been better (or an Internet troll or BRAND advocate) they do immediately lose me. Because I can point out in facts, so many ways that the product is less than ... and you say you are an inbetweener ... I didn't think there was such a thing. So, my guess is you are early 30s?

 

[WDW1974]

What about for someone like me who only lives about 3 hours from WDW? Tokyo would be a heck of a step up in price. Probably even over a trip to Disneyland.

I keep forgetting you are down here ... we should have a meet-and-greet (no groping) down at the lovely Disney outlet store on the edge of the 'Glades. ... And, even though I split my time now between FL and Europe, WDW will always be cheaper for me. Least expensive AP, either DVC or off-site hotels, won't eat a full serve meal at WDW unless it's 40% off or someone else is picking up the tab. Never buy anything without at least a 35% discount as far as merchandise goes. So, WDW is basically a bargain THE WAY I DO IT! ... But 99% of people do not do WDW like I do and spend vastly larger sums (as I did for decades). And Tokyo can be one great deal in real world terms.

 

[WDW1974]

Sounds like a job for Foxxy

Have we figured out whether Foxxy is a he or a she yet?

Oh, and whatever happened to Merfie? Is he gone from that world? I haven't thought about him in years now!

 

[WDW1974]

It's not the same, no, but you can still understand it. I just don't think you should dismiss someone simply because of age. Again, probably arguing to argue at this point ...

You are. ... I don't and wouldn't advocate ever doing so.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

@WDW1974 Did you ever get your AP Pandora: World of Avatar AP sneak preview invite? If not, why would Disney ignore people that have been long time AP holders? I've heard several people say they didn't get an invite too.

 

[WDW1974]

Wanted to say I know we're all talking about two different types of "experience" (I mean life experience as in actual life, but I know we're talking about living in the 70s, clearly a lot of us couldn't have but I still say you can understand the way it used to be without having been there) ... sorry for the thread derail! Long day ... don't mind me. Delete posts if need be ...

It's all part and parcel of the same thing.

There are 20-somethings that don't know how to use a real telephone or write in cursive and have never read a newspaper or taken a test in college without being able to totally cheat by using an electronic device in class. It is a different world.

I did skim this thread this afternoon and saw a very intelligent post by @sshindel (who I thought had left this forum for some reason) about everyone having a different 'baseline' for their view of WDW. That is so very true. Even people who visited in the 70s and 80s might not love the past like I did because maybe Mom and Dad were about to go on the 7-years to divorce plan and the trips were miserable or their cousins got to spend a week at the Poly and they were at the Days Inn on 192.

That said, my life, my professional life has often been about observing and extrapolating data based on what I witnessed, experienced, felt, etc. So, I tend to jump for someone's jugular when they suggest I have rose-colored glasses and the past wasn't really good at all (I mean, who really wants to go back to driving a Taurus, right?) or want to argue facts with their 'alternative facts' (just bless Kellyanne).

Anyone can have an opinion about how good WDW really was in 1987. But if you weren't even born, please don't insult those of us who were by telling us that the place is better today. Join Disney Twitter instead!

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974 Did you ever get your AP Pandora: World of Avatar AP sneak preview invite? If not, why would Disney ignore people that have been long time AP holders? I've heard several people say they didn't get an invite too.

No. I didn't.

Have no idea why. If I could attend, I might be a bit more peeved than I already am.

 

[WDW1974]

Did you go to school to be a botanist?

No. Do you think I should have?

Do you have a problem with trees?

 

[IanDLBZF]

There are 20-something that don't know how to use a real telephone or write in cursive and have never read a newspaper or taken a test in college without being able to totally cheat by using an electronic device in class.

 

[WDW1974]

Body Wars always made me nauseous while Star Tours gave me no problems whatsoever. Go figure.

A lot of people were like you. I wasn't ... but there was definitely something with BW that caused nausea and the like.

 

[IanDLBZF]

but there was definitely something with BW that caused nausea and the like.

Could it have been them showing the inside of a human's immune system what caused nausea?

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

No. I didn't.

Have no idea why. If I could attend, I might be a bit more peeved than I already am.

Too bad. There are a couple of people I want to hear their take on the new land. You are one, along with @flyerjab @twebber55 @Mike S would be others.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

It still worked. The whole pavilion did ... and to have three major attractions, two minors, a QSR location and a small shop ... it was exactly what WDI did best in building that park. You literally could have spent four hours in the building if you wanted. Today, it's the "FIVE MINUTES?!??! NOO!!!! It has to be under three." deal ...

Too bad upper management doesn't let WDI swing for the fences and come up with a pavilion like this now adays.

 

[WDW1974]

Time to replace that 15 year old photo. Before you ask, my first visit to WDW was in October 1982, after my husband and I moved down to Florida. I took my now deceased parents, who had come down for a visit. My mother's observation "EPCOT is the MK for grownups." I'm not sure that's true anymore, except for the alcohol. We had to actually go to a restaurant and order food to get a drink!

Yeah, your mom's comment is one that was heard a lot in the 80s and 90s ... And Disney Parks and booze, where to even begin? You can't walk 20 feet without walking into an ODV cart or pop-up bar now. Disney's big push going forward is interactive bars like Trader Sam's where you can sell geeks weak drinks and then get them to add hundreds of dollars on 'collector's' mugs. There are multiple in the pipeline for both WDW and DLR right now.

 

[sshindel]

It's all part and parcel of the same thing.

There are 20-something that don't know how to use a real telephone or write in cursive and have never read a newspaper or taken a test in college without being able to totally cheat by using an electronic device in class. It is a different world.

I did skim this thread this afternoon and saw a very intelligent post by @sshindel (who I thought had left this forum for some reason) about everyone having a different 'baseline' for their view of WDW. That is so very true. Even people who visited in the 70s and 80s might not love the past like I did because maybe Mom and Dad were about to go on the 7-years to divorce plan and the trips were miserable or their cousins got to spend a week at the Poly and they were at the Days Inn on 192.

That said, my life, my professional life has often been about observing and extrapolating data based on what I witnessed, experienced, felt, etc. So, I tend to jump for someone's jugular when they suggest I have rose-colored glasses and the past wasn't really good at all (I mean, who really wants to go back to driving a Taurus, right?) or want to argue facts with their 'alternative facts' (just bless Kellyanne).

Anyone can have an opinion about how good WDW really was in 1987. But if you weren't even born, please don't insult those of us who were by telling us that the place is better today. Join Disney Twitter instead!

Not left, just VERY little time to read/post. Barely can keep track of things these days.

Still, being tagged and then reading your post that was quoted in the post I was tagged in, which I agreed with strongly, got me back in to respond.

 

[WDW1974]

Oh don't get me wrong, I am very much looking forward to Alaska. I was supposed to go last year, but plans fell through. My aunt suggested that I look at Alaska Airlines this week, and it would cost $350 for a roundtrip ticket That's way cheaper than Delta (I was looking at prices between upper $600s and lower $900s).

What airline do you typically fly when you go to Asia?

I have flown to Asia more for work than pleasure and therefore I don't get to choose. I've wound up on far too many ancient UAL 747s. ... My advice would be to avoid American carriers if at all possible. You'll get a better experience on virtually any foreign airline. But if you have to take an American, I'd go with Delta.