A Spirited 15 Rounds ...

EPCOTCenterLover

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
I was at the world last week. Studios was a mess. DAK swamped with people as was MK. Epcot was- different. I just posted a trip report from DAK. Since this was our first trip to the world in almost ten years, so many things were different. Not all good and not all bad. Very different though. (Welcome back, WDW1974! Miss your posts...)
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
RSoxNo1 said:
Curious to hear @WDW1974's opinions on Black Panther, Infinity War and Solo. Also looking forward to arguing with @WDW1974 about his opinions on Black Panther, Infinity War and Solo.
Click to expand...

Now, you just be trolling! ... Mr. WDW1974 to you has not seen two of the three films you list. The one he saw, he enjoyed. One of them, he has zero interest in seeing.

He really wants to see the Incredibles 2, though!

No, he'd rather talk about if SDL was such a smashing success and Bob 'Darth' Iger such a genius ... oh, and Chappie the Guru of Merch too ... why is it that since March the Disney outlet stores in FL have been full (my local store is probably a good 60% SDL merchandise, 25% Star Wars and 15% everything else) of SDL Grand Opening merchandise at prices up to 80% off? Two years later? So much product that even after all the bloggers and eBay sellers have come in and taken boxes out, it just keeps coming. Plush, pins, pens, stamp sets, mugs, back packs, drinking bottles, notebooks, stationary, tote bags, umbrellas, key chains etc. Seems like someone(s) grossly misjudged the amount of Disney crap the average Mainlander was going to buy. BTW, these stores have basically never had product from Paris or Hong Kong. I do recall one set of vinyls from TDR's TSM attraction winding up there a few years ago, but that was it. ... This stuff is made in China for the Chinese. It costs Disney so much to ship this stuff to the USA ... and even here, it isn't selling.

BTW, anyone find it odd that the only resort/park in the world with no projects being built right now and absolutely nothing announced yet is SDL?

BTW, want to be clear, I am NOT saying the park is failing. It is a huge success. ... It just continues to have issues.

But still it could be worse. It could be the (what do the cool kids call it?) dumpster fire that UNI-Beijing is right now.
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
mandstaft said:
I was at the world last week. Studios was a mess. DAK swamped with people as was MK. Epcot was- different. I just posted a trip report from DAK. Since this was our first trip to the world in almost ten years, so many things were different. Not all good and not all bad. Very different though. (Welcome back, WDW1974! Miss your posts...)
Click to expand...

Thanks. Will attempt to check out your report. Interested in the take of someone who hasn't been at WDW in a decade. ... BTW, no one congratulated me on making it a decade here. I thought there would be a party with balloons and strippers and plush ...
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Absimilliard said:
How has attendance at DAK been then? Is Pandora still pulling guests in or did it already run out of steam?
Click to expand...

Pandora is absolutely doing the job of pulling Guests into the park and keeping them there. DAK is still the gem of WDW parks ... and it's not even close. Lines for the attractions can be crazy, but really die down the last 50-80 minutes of the operating day. ... In March, I saw a 20 minute wait listed for Nav'i River and it was a walk on ... at 8:45 on a 9 p.m. close FoP was listed at 120 minutes. I had never done it stand by before and wanted to see the queue, so got in line. From the time I entered the queue to the time I left the attraction building it was 60 minutes (BTW, Guests are pigs and I saw everything from the bioluminescent stream covered in coins and crap to a cup of urine left on a wall near where you enter the lab to coins be shoved under and over the plastic of the lab exhibits ... people are pigs, but you can't allow it to go on.) The point being that much like FEA at The Corpse of EPCOT showing waits of 70 minutes at 845 when the real wait is 20 minutes, WDW is actively posting false wait times to discourage Guests from entering lines in an effort to clear the parks quicker.
 
Astro Blaster

Astro Blaster

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
Pandora is absolutely doing the job of pulling Guests into the park and keeping them there. DAK is still the gem of WDW parks ... and it's not even close. Lines for the attractions can be crazy, but really die down the last 50-80 minutes of the operating day. ... In March, I saw a 20 minute wait listed for Nav'i River and it was a walk on ... at 8:45 on a 9 p.m. close FoP was listed at 120 minutes. I had never done it stand by before and wanted to see the queue, so got in line. From the time I entered the queue to the time I left the attraction building it was 60 minutes (BTW, Guests are pigs and I saw everything from the bioluminescent stream covered in coins and crap to a cup of urine left on a wall near where you enter the lab to coins be shoved under and over the plastic of the lab exhibits ... people are pigs, but you can't allow it to go on.) The point being that much like FEA at The Corpse of EPCOT showing waits of 70 minutes at 845 when the real wait is 20 minutes, WDW is actively posting false wait times to discourage Guests from entering lines in an effort to clear the parks quicker.
Click to expand...
Nice to see you around here again. We might’ve been there the same time in March because I went on FoP at 9:15pm with a 9:30 park close, it had a 120 minute wait time and I walked out of the ride at 10:15.

Another wait time anecdote - I was at MK last night at 10pm with an 11pm close, the fastpass line for Jungle Cruise stretched beyond the entrance and was at least a 15 minute wait. The standby line said 40 minutes but there were literally seven people on it, I walked right on.
 
Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
Batman said:
I was at Epcot yesterday (6/11), and witnessed a father helping his son try to land coins on the track just right at the German miniature railroad display, so that the train might hit it and "derail". :rolleyes: This was the father's (you know, the mature adult / guardian) idea.

Of course, I'm just as guilty for not speaking up on how idiotic this was. I was just in bewilderment that such attempts at minor mishappery would be considered entertainment for some (allegedly) civilized folk.
Click to expand...
You should have derailed his caboose!
 
Nj4mwc

Nj4mwc

Well-Known Member
WDW1974 said:
Yup. Just amazing to watch bloggers breathlessly brag about a children's dessert being a reason for visiting what are supposed to be world class theme parks. Sad.
Click to expand...
I watch every day in DC as people line up at Georgetown cupcakes for hours instead of visiting anything worthwhile here
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
the.dreamfinder said:
Or how about how successfully Cathy Powell has brainwashed DLRP fans?



Click to expand...


BRAINWASHED DLP FAN HERE! :D

One of the comments made last year on this site was that DLP had a long way to go before it was really up to par refurb wise. Even in my trip report, I used the word "ghetto" to describe the then-current state of the teacups.

However, the resort has not given up on refurbs yet. Off the top of my head, these are the things they've either started or finished in recent months:

Studio 1 (not far from Aladdin spinner)
Tower of Terror exterior
Phantom Manor
Last Chance Cafe
Chapparal Theatre (demo and rebuild)
Teacups (finally!)
Cool Ship
Casey's Corner
Walkway around Lake Disney

This does not include minor things I see on twitter like the painting of railings, or announced works like the return of the Mark Twain or the remodel of Hotel New York.

So are things perfect? No. Are they still getting better? Yes. I could easily point to the poor state of Toontown or the Castle at DLR to show that not all Disney resorts are in tip top shape (and that resort doesn't have the excuse of dealing with winters affecting outdoor rides).

Whether or not you think upcharge AP Euro-Blogger Foamhead Dessert Parties and Brand Events (Marvel, Pirates/Princesses) are good or bad is a separate discussion. Cathy Powell is obviously the face of the resort trying to put a positive spin on everything despite years of neglect and recent terrorist attacks harming the nation's tourism business. She does that job good enough IMO, though I'm skeptical of how much real influence she has over the resort's future.

I would also agree that general hours and service of the resort could also use improvements. Fast food at DLP is still anything but fast, if the restaurant is even open when you get there.
 
the.dreamfinder

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
Cathy Powell is obviously the face of the resort trying to put a positive spin on everything despite years of neglect and recent terrorist attacks harming the nation's tourism business. She does that job good enough IMO, though I'm skeptical of how much real influence she has over the resort's future.
Click to expand...
Rteetz said:
While there are still many issues that need to be fixed under her leadership a lot has changed for the better.
Click to expand...
That’s the problem here, she’s doing what was put in place by Burbank years ago. Some of it, like the refurbs, are good, but the other problems, like the second gate and the shift towards branding instead of substance, should give folks pause I don’t see in fan spaces. Take, guest experience for exampl. You mention the dining hours and it’s like, does anyone realize how inconvenient it is for guests to try and find a place to eat in the park? Do you really want to drive guests out to McDonalds, Earl and Five Guys for decent QSR? With the money going into reskins and clones for WDSP, where’s the money to expand DLP’s capacity and bring some of your most popular characters like Jungle Book and the Ducks into attractions and lands? (That last one is nuts, it’s like Dick Nunis screaming for a flume ride obvious)

Cathy’s packed her bags for SoCal and the Burbank vision for resort will continue. Where are we going after all these refurbs and Brand projects? How will DLRP, now free from debt, develop the crucial skills it needs to advocate for its own self interest? I guess they’ll find someone Chapek likes and/or someone from Consumer Products to run the ship for a year or two.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom