PHOTO - New ground clearing taking place behind Harambe in Disney's Animal Kingdom

[Master Yoda]

I'm surprised, though, that they don't at least do a better job of keeping white coatings on the roofs of all the massive show buildings. In a hot hot place like Florida, I'm sure the energy savings would pay for a coat of white paint everywhere.

If you take a look at Google earth you will see that most roofs at WDW are white to light gray where theaming allows. (eg non visible flat roofs)

 

[Master Yoda]

It doesn't matter why it failed that mission, even if it was down to popularity, it still failed, and had to adopt a new mission, so any new restaurant would have to take that into account before opening with a policy of 'open to everyone' that has proved unworkable at Be Our Guest.

I will make sure to let the management at Momofuku Ko in NYC or Prime 112 in Miami know that they have failed in their mission because you can't walk up and get a table.

 

[BrerJon]

I will make sure to let the management at Momofuku Ko in NYC or Prime 112 in Miami know that they have failed in their mission because you can't walk up and get a table.

I just looked at the website, I don't see those places advertise themselves as quick service walk-in restaurants with first come first served seating.

Yet that's what Disney does on its website and guide maps, even if it's a flat out lie, as you could get there at rope drop and still not get a seat, due to it being Fastpass only.

Some people here really seem to be misunderstanding my point - I never said Be Our Guest was a failure, but that the concept of a daytime regular quick service, and a night time table service, has been a failure, as the only way they've kept it going has been to close the quick service walk-up and wait-your-turn aspect, and turn it into a reservation only restaurant instead.

My point was anyone trying to do the same thing at DAK as Be Our Guest tried when it first opened should look at the things that went wrong, and what went right, and learn from it. Make it reservation only from the start, *then* open up to casual guests if capacity allows, but don't go the route of pretending you can walk-up when you can't.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

If you take a look at Google earth you will see that most roofs at WDW are white to light gray where theaming allows. (eg non visible flat roofs)

Yeah, but some of the gray ones used to be white, and they just let the paint peel. I think I remember looking at the historical images on Google Earth for Imagination.

 

[Master Yoda]

I just looked at the website, I don't see those places advertise themselves as quick service walk-in restaurants with first come first served seating.

Yet that's what Disney does on its website and guide maps, even if it's a flat out lie, as you could get there at rope drop and still not get a seat, due to it being Fastpass only.

Some people here really seem to be misunderstanding my point - I never said Be Our Guest was a failure, but that the concept of a daytime regular quick service, and a night time table service, has been a failure, as the only way they've kept it going has been to close the quick service walk-up and wait-your-turn aspect, and turn it into a reservation only restaurant instead.

My point was anyone trying to do the same thing at DAK as Be Our Guest tried when it first opened should look at the things that went wrong, and what went right, and learn from it. Make it reservation only from the start, *then* open up to casual guests if capacity allows, but don't go the route of pretending you can walk-up when you can't.

As to what went "wrong", Disney created an incredibly popular restaurant. BoG went FP for lunch out of necessity. Prior to that people were getting in line for lunch at park opening. Disney was having to hand out umbrellas and water to keep people from passing out in the summer.

Sure, Disney could have just doubled the lunch prices and solved the problem and made more money to boot, but they took a different approach.

I bet you dollars to doughnuts that Disney hopes to go that "wrong" with every other restaurant they open.

 

[Master Yoda]

Yeah, but some of the gray ones used to be white, and they just let the paint peel. I think I remember looking at the historical images on Google Earth for Imagination.

There is not that much difference between a light grey and a white roof. Well at least not enough of a financial incentive to be overly worried about it.

No matter what you do, a white roof will turn grey. When it needs to be fixed, you make it white again. Doing it before that tends to cost more than it saves.

 

[BrerJon]

As to what went "wrong", Disney created an incredibly popular restaurant. BoG went FP for lunch out of necessity. Prior to that people were getting in line for lunch at park opening. Disney was having to hand out umbrellas and water to keep people from passing out in the summer.

So why do they still tell hide that fact from guests and tell them that they can line up in the mornings when they can't? All the official sites and literature say that it's first come first served seating, when it isn't.

 

[Bolt]

You're the best! I wish I could inject your aerial shots straight into my veins

Feature creeping here; you wouldn't happen to have anything from Epcot? Just wondering if we can see something going on for the Soarin' expansion and Maelstrom -> Frozen conversion?

Same goes for DHS, I guess, to see if they have started clearing the old backlot tour area...

You'd see nothing.

Norway is indoors and Soarin just filed permits on Friday.

 

[Master Yoda]

So why do they still tell hide that fact from guests and tell them that they can line up in the mornings when they can't? All the official sites and literature say that it's first come first served seating, when it isn't.

Because Disney is an evil company hell bent on destroying the dreams of adults and children alike.

Either that or they have not changed the website because the FP+ lunch is still considered a test.

 

[MichWolv]

It doesn't matter why it failed that mission, even if it was down to popularity, it still failed, and had to adopt a new mission, so any new restaurant would have to take that into account before opening with a policy of 'open to everyone' that has proved unworkable at Be Our Guest.

Yes, they will clearly need to take steps to ensure the next restaurant attracts less customers.

 

[MarkTwain]

I just looked at the website, I don't see those places advertise themselves as quick service walk-in restaurants with first come first served seating.

Yet that's what Disney does on its website and guide maps, even if it's a flat out lie, as you could get there at rope drop and still not get a seat, due to it being Fastpass only.

Some people here really seem to be misunderstanding my point - I never said Be Our Guest was a failure, but that the concept of a daytime regular quick service, and a night time table service, has been a failure, as the only way they've kept it going has been to close the quick service walk-up and wait-your-turn aspect, and turn it into a reservation only restaurant instead.

My point was anyone trying to do the same thing at DAK as Be Our Guest tried when it first opened should look at the things that went wrong, and what went right, and learn from it. Make it reservation only from the start, *then* open up to casual guests if capacity allows, but don't go the route of pretending you can walk-up when you can't.

Although the concept has seen its difficulties, in fairness I think it's only because it's a restaurant as insanely popular as Be Our Guest. It's very possible that it's currently the most sought-after dining reservation in WDW, and Disney has little idea how to handle that level of demand without using a reservation-based system.

It's actually a concept I would like to see implemented MORE often, albeit at less-demanded restaurants. MK has the odd problem that it has trouble meeting demand specifically for QSRs at lunchtime, and for TSRs at dinner time. Places like Pecos Bill and Cosmic Ray's are always overloaded at lunch but less so at dinner, and guests have told me that they wish there were more TSR options in the park when looking for a place to eat dinner. I think that reflects people's general eating habits, but restaurants with giant dining areas designed specifically for one type of meal experience don't accommodate that well, resulting in many restaurants that are closed for all or part of the day.

If Disney were to decide to, say, reopen the Adventureland Veranda for dining service, I would love to see a model where they serve counter service meals for lunch, but offer a more casual, budget friendly TSR experience for dinner. I feel like it would be a huge hit, especially for guests just wanting a sitdown dinner without the hassle of character greetings or expensive fine dining entrées.

 

[BrerJon]

Yes, they will clearly need to,take steps to ensure the next restaurant attracts less customers.

Or just steps to ensure customers who've paid a lot of money for a vacation are given correct information might be a nice start.

 

[BrerJon]

If Disney were to decide to, say, reopen the Adventureland Veranda for dining service, I would love to see a model where they serve counter service meals for lunch, but offer a more casual, budget friendly TSR experience for dinner. I feel like it would be a huge hit, especially for guests just wanting a sitdown dinner without the hassle of character greetings or expensive fine dining entrées.

I'm not against the concept, I too think they should do that at the Veranda, if they can prove it works first before publicising it. What I'm against is advertising a restaurant as being one thing to draw guests in, but bait-and-switching them to it being something completely different once you've got their money.

In the real world, people complain about companies that use false advertising, but when it comes to WDW it seems most people line up to say how marvellous Disney is for doing so, and defending them at every turn.

 

[MarkTwain]

I'm not against the concept, I too think they should do that at the Veranda, if they can prove it works first before publicising it. What I'm against is advertising a restaurant as being one thing to draw guests in, but bait-and-switching them to it being something completely different once you've got their money.

In the real world, people complain about companies that use false advertising, but when it comes to WDW it seems most people line up to say how marvellous Disney is for doing so, and defending them at every turn.

I agree completely, the reservation QSR is a terrible system. It's not really "quick service" anymore if you have to reserve it weeks or months in advance…

If the restaurant can't meet up with lunch demand to the point they feel reservations are necessary, they should just switch it to TSR. Then at least it would be honest and straightforward, and a system guests are used to using.

 

[MichWolv]

Or just steps to ensure customers who've paid a lot of money for a vacation are given correct information might be a nice start.

Now that one I'll give you. The restaurant is a success. The lack of communication about its lack of availability is terrible.

 

[MichWolv]

I agree completely, the reservation QSR is a terrible system. It's not really "quick service" anymore if you have to reserve it weeks or months in advance…

If the restaurant can't meet up with lunch demand to the point they feel reservations are necessary, they should just switch it to TSR. Then at least it would be honest and straightforward, and a system guests are used to using.

Quick-service in this case refers to the way you order and receive your food, not whether there are walk-ins available. Even table-service doesn't mean you need a reservation. I would have no qualms if they decided that BOG, despite being a QS restaurant, would start taking reservations like the TS restaurants do. I think that having a separate system for BoG QS is ridiculously confusing.

 

[Cesar R M]

Aside from solar panels, how exactly would this be green?

Building a parking garage would use vast amounts of steel and concrete not to mention cost 20 times or more to build than a parking lot. Producing steel and concrete have one hell of a carbon footprint.

Then what do you do with the lots that are already there? Rip them up and send a few million cubic feet of asphalt to a landfill?

The only reason US or anyone else for that matter builds a parking garage is when they have no other choice.

well, you can add tons of planters on the sides of parking garages.

 

[Cesar R M]

Because Disney is an evil company hell bent on destroying the dreams of adults and children alike.

Either that or they have not changed the website because the FP+ lunch is still considered a test.

 

[raymusiccity]

What's the topic of this thread again? ......

 

[RSoxNo1]

Nov 2014 update of ...the mystery area...

Click to enlarge...

Thanks for sharing this. Looking at the pre-construction photo on wikimapia we can see the changes to the area:
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=28.358807&lon=-81.591425&z=19&m=b

Has anyone ridden the train recently to get a peak at the area as well?