A Spirited 15 Rounds ...

[WDW1974]

Why does Disney springs not count, that's certainly not behind any paywall. You're obviously just creating arbitrary rules now. But regardless you still have Holiday illuminations, the candlelight processional, holidays around the world, castle dream lights, frozen holiday wish show, jingle bam....

I want to like this post and agree, I really do, Peter ... but ...

Disney Springs is a mall. Anyone can go there. What they offer or don't for the holidays should not be included in the same discussion as what theme parks offer.

I am sure I don't have to tell you that Holiday Illuminations hasn't been offered for many years. The show presented is RoE with a holiday tag 'borrowed' from EPCOT's old holiday show. Candlelight might as well be an upcharge event since it now basically requires buying a dinner package to guarantee a seat.

The other items, I will give you.

But the MK still extorts Christmas out of its Guests, by not offering the Christmas parade, pyro and shows with regular admission starting on Thanksgiving weekend, something that was once done. No other castle park extorts Christmas from Guests like this.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm already looking forward to Spirit's Sweet 16...

OK, with that emoji, I'm detecting a little sarcasm. ... Shame as I'd like to argue with you for going soft on the Bobs just because they are FINALLY spending money on WDW (not wisely, maybe, but that's another subject ...)

 

[WDW1974]

Can't wait to hear @WDW1974 deliver some hot takes on pizza.

Blaze is so overrated.

Or when I want pizza near WDW, I go to Uno's in Crossroads ... Happy?

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit please materialize and tell us about D23 / DCA @WDW1974.

In particular, what can I answer?
I'd rather talk about how amazing TDR is first ...

 

[IanDLBZF]

But the MK still extorts Christmas out of its Guests, by not offering the Christmas parade, pyro and shows with regular admission starting on Thanksgiving weekend, something that was once done. No other castle park extorts Christmas from Guests like this.

They've been doing this since the 80s/90s IIRC...

 

[WDW1974]

Think the BGM has been changed for the summer promotion. It's usually music from Fantasia and a few other Disney tunes mixed in.

That's interesting and might make sense ... because why else would you have "Under the Boardwalk" playing in the park?

Been back recently? Did you catch the new Summer Blast show?

 

[peter11435]

I want to like this post and agree, I really do, Peter ... but ...

Disney Springs is a mall. Anyone can go there. What they offer or don't for the holidays should not be included in the same discussion as what theme parks offer.

I am sure I don't have to tell you that Holiday Illuminations hasn't been offered for many years. The show presented is RoE with a holiday tag 'borrowed' from EPCOT's old holiday show. Candlelight might as well be an upcharge event since it now basically requires buying a dinner package to guarantee a seat.

The other items, I will give you.

But the MK still extorts Christmas out of its Guests, by not offering the Christmas parade, pyro and shows with regular admission starting on Thanksgiving weekend, something that was once done. No other castle park extorts Christmas from Guests like this.

I absolutely can't disagree that Disney has drastically reduced its offerings over the years. It truly is a far cry from the holiday enhancements they offered in the past.

But Fords implication that Disney no longer has any holiday offerings for day guests and that Universal never resorts to up charges and special ticketed events needed to be called out.

 

[WDW1974]

I'd say having a cocktail here and there is much more healthy than chugging big gulps every day.
Especially say, on your flight to Shanghai or Tokyo. #OnTopic

I dunno. I drink plenty of carbonated beverages (most that I don't even steal from the WDC!) and I know if I have two cocktails and step on the scale the next day it always goes up. Always. ... But I don't have Big Gulps and did have cocktails on my flights to Shanghai and Tokyo ...

 

[IanDLBZF]

But Fords implication that Disney no longer has any holiday offerings for day guests and that Universal never resorts to up charges and special ticketed events needed to be called out.

Bear in mind Disney does do the Holiday offering offered during MVMCP from the day AFTER the last party to NYE.

 

[BrianLo]

First, I know you have been negative about Tokyo's slow progress and even compare WDW favorably (something I absolutely don't share as TDR has never allowed parks to go stale and always is offering something new, even if it is entertainment or merchandise).

Thanks for the reply! You are right, most of my angst stems from a park offering a certain bounty of new offerings for me to justify the trip. I'm eager to return to Tokyo, but I also know they really haven't added anything and I don't want to burn myself out by redoing a great product too frequently. I acknowledge I'm the weirdo exception on these boards. I'm not even Bricker who at least has a home park!

Tokyo is to be commended for having the best product out there and very successfully keeping it fresh. But in no way have they moved the meter in any significant way for an entire decade. They've just kept the meter rock steady.

It is the microcosm of time that has WDW looking currently favourable only. Just so I don't come off a total hypocrite - I should note that I've now been to WDW a grand total of 3 times this millennium (2005, 2012, 2017). It's not exactly like I'm running back to WDW over and over to reward them for the stagnation.

I don't want to make it a comparison between WDW, because that is like the age-old Universal versus Disney trick. Just because one sets an obscenely low bar in a certain metric doesn't mean the other is exceeding expectations. The only two real standouts for new investment this decade are Hong Kong and Disneyland resort (depending on the level of disdain over what they are choosing to do in 2019).


There is no denying that the trajectory of investments at Tokyo is currently glacial. Glacial compared to their friends down in Osaka even. The third biggest thing they did ride-wise this entire decade was Nemo... (TSMM and forthcoming Soaring being the highlights). I hope Olympics are the big blame and we see them start to pick up the pace next decade again.

I saw a rumour circulating that the Scandinavia expansion was penciled for 2026, I really hope that was a joke. Or a cherry on top of a bunch of things we don't know about.

 

[WDW1974]

lol

Even I said they'd find a way to charge for FP. No one should be surprised by this.

No, they shouldn't ... and while people have said it would happen since FP became a thing in 1999, I will just say that Chappie is the first head of P&R to basically make it a mandate. That is why you have the $10 (soon to be $20 or more) app at DLR. That is why you can buy a set of FPs in SDL that cost more than the ticket to get in the park.

 

[WDW1974]

The Neverending Disney VS Uni Debate. Tonight's topic, Non-Park QS Pizza.

Blaze VS Red Oven.....GO!

What is the Non Park QS Pizza like in Shanghai?

Didn't have any pizza in Shanghai, at SDL or in the city, so can't help.
But I have had both Papa John's and Pizza Hut in the mainland before and they, frankly, blow away the crap they serve here. Pizza Hut, in particular, has a menu that rivals Cheesecake Factory in size and variety.

 

[Kman101]

Isn't it amazing how much better fast food is in anyplace but the US?

 

[WDW1974]

This thread was in the wrong place to begin with. We have both a Trip Report forum and an Asian Parks Forum, either of which would have been more appropriate.

Then, why are you even reading? Why are you here?
At the risk of having a lovely flame war, I'll just tell you to go have a MAGICal night!

 

[IanDLBZF]

No, they shouldn't ... and while people have said it would happen since FP became a thing in 1999, I will just say that Chappie is the first head of P&R to basically make it a mandate. That is why you have the $10 (soon to be $20 or more) app at DLR. That is why you can buy a set of FPs in SDL that cost more than the ticket to get in the park.

And DLP had Paid FP previously but was discontinued since 2009.

 

[WDW1974]

I've never really understood the Disney vs Uni argument. Can't we love them both for what they are.

Anyway, I haven't been to Shanghai yet but I have spent a few days at TDL and I can confirm that is definitely worthy of all the praise it receives. And it is so clean that it sparkles! Several times at TDL a cast member ran up and literally took the trash out of our hands as soon as we unwrapped whatever we were eating or as soon as we finished a drink. It was crazy how they would show up at exactly the right moment and ask for our rubbish. I might have been offended that they didn't trust me to not litter but they were just so dang polite about it that it just made the place even more magical for us.

People who have only been visited WDW for the last 15 years or even 20 have no idea that WDW once was like that too!

They have been conditioned to pay more for less and lower quality all the time.

I loved the GMR and UoE (not Ellen's version). Maybe I should go buy tees to thank Disney for taking them away. THAT is what today's fans are all about!

 

[mickEblu]

In particular, what can I answer?
I'd rather talk about how amazing TDR is first ...

Haha you are going to keep teasing all of us interested in what's going on stateside aren't you? I just want to know if they have finally decided on where they are putting Marvel Land? I'm guessing the vague D23 announcement means NO, or that the project has been delayed. Latest Micechat rumors have it going in Bugs land (most likely because of the eastern gateway issues) and talk of a Spider-Man attraction in the ITTBAB building. So has Marvel Land been delayed because of the eastern gateway project?

And then of course there is the "incredibly" cheesy (pun intended) sounding Pixar Pier. Is the Incredibles overlay to Screamin permanent? What is the fate of the park icon -Mickeys Fun Wheel?

Lastly is anything non IP safe anymore? This tying movie releases to attraction overlays is really not sustainable and not great for the long term health of the theme parks. If we ll still be able to call them theme parks in a few years. I worry that when they run out of attractions to retheme at DCA they ll start looking at DL.

 

[IanDLBZF]

Maybe I should go buy tees to thank Disney for taking them away.

For what? Ellen's Energy Adventure? I'm sure you'll make "some" folks mad.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit - to try and get this back on topic. Where would you say SDL biggest failure was? Sounds to me instead of keeping things tightly together and easy movement from land to land and allow expansion to happen on outside they left hugh pieces of land in middle of park to transverse.

Well, the biggest failure was building it without getting the Disney Channel in ... but once it was built, design choices.

Lands don't flow. Things are just dropped in. I had a long discussion with a friend about this, he has been there too, and he is more forgiving than I am. The entry is just dumb. A train station sans a RR? I will say this forever, as our current Prez threatens war with two nations at once, but Small World is part of the DNA of a MK park. It is a universal message as well as a people-eater and cheap for an E-Ticket and I can't believe they left it out and are not planning on adding it, unless something changed drastically.

You have a giant castle, but there is no obvious way to get to it from the GoI. Fantasyland wastes land and vistas with Crystal Grotto (which also has some show quality issues and is exactly what I told people it would be years ago, an updated take on Storybook Land). There is no berm, so Disney Town flows into Tomorrowland and totally reminds you that the story being told is "I'm in a theme park."

I truly would have loved to have been in concept and planning meetings for this project.

 

[TangledUpInKnots]

Sorry, for the absence. Didn't mean to leave you hanging where you might have to discuss pizza or fight the UNI vs. DIS battle yet again or even read a book. Life called. I answered.

But I also realized something I've been tossing around. And that is I need a forum that I control where I can put content out at my pace and not have to come back to a disaster or worry that I might hurt a white supremacist's feelings etc. So, this will be my final Spirited thread here. I have a plan for a new project for where I can take my thoughts and get them out on a regular (by my life) time table. No, I am not leaving this site. But this 15th round will be the last. No Sweet 16 as cute as I look in my dress and heels. Much like people like Len Testa and Tom Bricker that have their own money-making enterprises, but still take part in this great and vibrant community, I'll do likewise. I just won't break news here for people to steal. I'll do it elsewhere and actually go after people if they decide they are breaking something two years after I did.

I didn't come to this decision easily. If I did, I would have made this move years ago. But I think you'll enjoy what will come this fall.

And with that, I will attempt to answer some posts and then move on to other subjects here. Won't leave y'all hanging.

Just want to say thanks for the 88% of you have contributed positively, whether you agreed with me or not. The rest of you? I am sure you'll enjoy the threads started by my 'fans' here ... they always have so much of value to add!

Sad day...hopefully you'll tell us where you are going/posting. I'm going to look like a rather new poster because as everyone can see I have very few posts, but I have been reading here since 2011-12 and only last year decided to get a user name. It's always been your posts I look forward to (as well as martin's that I daily stalk) and that often bring me out of the woodwork. (This being an example) I always show restraint and only comment when I feel ultimately necessary, because of my more reserved nature of not wanting to post without actually adding much to the conversation. Question: do you feel the way that all that WDW is changing (charging for FP, changing resorts into non-categories making them possibly less affordable, etc) will affect attendance and fanboi morale at all? As someone who was always taken to Disney World as a child every few years and is now the mommy to two very little girls I find it frustrating that they want to milk every last bit of money out of me when I scrape and save to take them on vacation. I am aware I shouldn't probably reward their bad behavior, but I confess that I enjoy the memories and want to enjoy seeing my kids faces light up and I'm able to go there without flying which is why I haven't gone to another Disney park. At this juncture, I continue to save and do what I can to go but they are pushing the button as far as what I'm willing to do/able to do. So I just want to know, will it just continue to get worse or at some point do you think they'll hit a wall where nobody wants to pay extra for every little thing?