A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...

[gmajew]

On a movie note, Finding Dory opens to largely positive reviews and a 55 million first day.

Guess it proves yet again that Pixar and Andrew Stanton know how to please crowds.

Two back to back animation hits with zootopia.... Heard mixed reviews from people,that saw it today. All said not as good as original.

 

[WDW1974]

A SDL review from that Theme Park University blogger:

http://themeparkuniversity.com/disney/critical-analysis-shanghai-disneyland/

 

[WDW1974]

On all the coverage over those Poly DVC Bungalow Guests feeding gators and being responsible for the tragedy this week, all I can say is it was likely just a matter of time.

And one wonders if this is changing any aspect of the design elements of the WL DVC expansion ongoing now ... it should. It probably won't but ... hey, someone tweet at Soup and Salad Sandra that maybe she's missing the point yet again (and tell her the 20-something kid/cub reporter is 100 times the reporter that she is!)

 

[WDW1974]

People/customers are idiots but in today worlds business are so afraid to say anything or stand up for what they should. People complain to get something for free usually. And are now trained to do it. As they know what they will get. So when a business needs to be firm on there rules they are scared to do it because they will get s complain s butt chewing by guest and end up handing stuff ove to them even if the business is right.

some Things just cannot be accepted. Sorry if people feelings get hurt.

Disney is reaping what it sowed. They used to put safety first. But now ... it's all money. They simply are afraid to confront bad Guest behavior, even when dangerous, even when illegal. And that is bull--it that simply must stop. The more I read and the more I talk to people who work at WDW, the more convinced I am that this could have been prevented ...as fluky and bizarre as it was. ... Guests need to be held accountable. And management that improperly trains CMs and/or is unwilling to back frontliners up when there are confrontations with Guests also need to be held accountable. This again all speaks to a management style and one that goes all the way up to George Kalogridis. And now a child is dead.

I'm more likely to have Disney come after me, despite 35 years of owning an AP and spending countless $$$ due to my loyalty, because they don't like me criticizing how the company operates here on a fan forum then a Guest who is on trip No. 4 and feeding a gator is. There is something very screwed up about that.

 

[Nickels5]

I don't think it was supposed to move the needle. But it will do what it is intended to do. It added a major E Ticket on new land. It didn't replace anything. It brought Kong back. It's another IP revenue stream. It provides more balance to IOA, particularly that side of the park, which is all water rides.

And it is the definitive Universal attraction. And it's a good attraction. I like it more than Gringott's and Transformers.

Yes. the story has serious issues. But the pacing is better than Gringott's. And the transition from the 360 tunnel to the AA scene is wonky. The lack of detail opposite the bug screen needs fixed. $1000 of fake plants would help inside also.

So you don't think a major e ticket attraction is supposed to move the needle? If that's the case why build a major e ticket?

 

[WDW1974]

If this is true, it's a damn nightmare.

It is.

And the nightmare for the family of that boy will never truly end. I don't feel bad for Disney. I feel sad because this shouldn't have happened, but they brought it on themselves. As a friend asked today over lunch ''Do you think wildlife was ever brought up when they built those units?" and my answer was "of course not" ... you have to hire better people, people with vision, people who understand the behavior of the dirty, ragged masses of humanity that want to visit WDW.

They simply don't. They don't hire the best and the brightest at all. And they have a smug attitude like the one Bob Iger showed when he arrogantly brushed past the BBC reporter asking about SDL and graft the other day. An "we're above this" 'tude. Right now, it is biting them on the collective arses quite a bit.

 

[BrianLo]

A SDL review from that Theme Park University blogger:

http://themeparkuniversity.com/disney/critical-analysis-shanghai-disneyland/

That article does an excellent job of encapsulating my feelings as well. @Nmoody1 had great thoughts and @lazyboy97o 's intellectual analysis brought a thing or two to my attention.

I'll be back with an essay soon, but need to sit down on my laptop to do it.

 

[gmajew]

Disney is reaping what it sowed. They used to put safety first. But now ... it's all money. They simply are afraid to confront bad Guest behavior, even when dangerous, even when illegal. And that is bull--it that simply must stop. The more I read and the more I talk to people who work at WDW, the more convinced I am that this could have been prevented ...as fluky and bizarre ... Guests need to be held accountable. And management that improperly trains CMs and/or is unwilling to back frontliners up when there are confrontations with Guests. This again all speaks to a management style and one that goes all the way up to George Kalogridis. And now a child is dead.

I'm more likely to have Disney come after me, despite 35 years of owning an AP and spending countless $$$ due to my loyalty, because they don't like me criticizing how the company operates here on a fan forum then a Guest who is on trip No. 4 and feeding a gator is. There is something about that.

Will say for the today brought in the typical Florida summer storms and they were beyond strict with guest on what they could do and where we could walk. Cannot remember them ever being like that. So maybe they are getting a wake up call and things will change.

 

[WDW1974]

Definitely an interesting take, and reiterates a few of the points @lazyboy97o made with regard to Tomorrowland and the visual intrusion of Disney Town from within the land. That one is a real head scratcher. I'm also a little perplexed that they built, not only a train station at the front of the park, but at least one shop that pretends to be a train station as well.

Why even include those train related items if they felt it wasn't appropriate to incorporate a railroad into the design of the park? Just seems a bit bizarre. There appears to be a lack of kineticism in general within the park. Any idea if that will change?

Seems to be a common criticism. No movement in the park whatsoever.

I have no idea. I did speak with a former Imagineer this past week, who did work on the park but wasn't in Shanghai for the debut, who said that as far as he knew they never had plans for a railroad there. Of course, Disney has been killing kinetics in other MKs since the 90s ...

 

[71jason]

And management that improperly trains CMs and/or is unwilling to back frontliners up when there are confrontations with Guests. This again all speaks to a management style and one that goes all the way up to George Kalogridis.

Agree with you on this issue 100%--convinced the feeding from the bungalows was a contributing factor, just based on the timing.

W.r.t. management--it's because you have 23-year-olds managing a "4-star" resort. They're petrified of not making their margins and having to leave their happy place, and they have zero real world experience.

Not to make light of a child's death, but a far less tragic example: Blizzard Beach has started upcharging for premium parking. $15 to make sure you park in the first two lanes, in a lot with maybe 20 lanes. Don't get me wrong, I understand the order has come down from on high to nickle and dime guests this Summer. But is that truly the most creative way you can think to nickle and dime??? Just copying the main parks, rather than brainstorming some new service that might actually be useful at a water park. It shows a creative bankruptcy.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Hey, turns out if you're lucky, Jack sings A Pirates Life for Me at the end of Battle for the Sunken Treasure

 

[asianway]

Agree with you on this issue 100%--convinced the feeding from the bungalows was a contributing factor, just based on the timing.

W.r.t. management--it's because you have 23-year-olds managing a "4-star" resort. They're petrified of not making their margins and having to leave their happy place, and they have zero real world experience.

Not to make light of a child's death, but a far less tragic example: Blizzard Beach has started upcharging for premium parking. $15 to make sure you park in the first two lanes, in a lot with maybe 20 lanes. Don't get me wrong, I understand the order has come down from on high to nickle and dime guests this Summer. But is that truly the most creative way you can think to nickle and dime??? Just copying the main parks, rather than brainstorming some new service that might actually be useful at a water park. It shows a creative bankruptcy.

Don't some Wal-Marts have bigger parking lots than Blizzard?

 

[BrerJon]

W.r.t. management--it's because you have 23-year-olds managing a "4-star" resort. They're petrified of not making their margins and having to leave their happy place, and they have zero real world experience.

It's also a culture where troublemakers are terminated at the earliest opportunity, and nothing says troublemaker like questioning authority, so people who value their jobs don't, and that leads to things slipping under the radar.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I genuinely love Marty, but the best park that Disney has ever done?!? Spreading the PR on a bit thick for free trip.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/disney-719240-shanghai-park.html

Tom (@WDWFigment ) was there at opening, perhaps he can shed some light on this. I find it hard to believe that it's better than DisneySea but I'll defer to Tom.

 

[Mike S]

On a movie note, Finding Dory opens to largely positive reviews and a $55 million first day.

Guess it proves yet again that Pixar and Andrew Stanton know how to please crowds.

It was good but not close to their best. It's still my belief that WDAS has been overall doing better the past few years.

So you don't think a major e ticket attraction is supposed to move the needle? If that's the case why build a major e ticket?

Big Grizzly Mountain, Ratatouille, and Iron Man Experience are what I would consider E Tickets that don't move the needle but serve a purpose for the parks they were/are being built in.

 

[RSoxNo1]

If Disney bought the Kong IP and the attraction was at DHS it would be 'The Greatest Evah'

I haven't been on the ride, but at DHS it would only be the second largely screen based attraction. At Universal all of their recent additions have been largely screen based. As independent attractions that's not a problem, but as a complete experience during the day that can get redundant.

It's the IP vs. Original concept argument as well. We're just looking for variety and quality.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Seems to be a common criticism. No movement in the park whatsoever.

I have no idea. I did speak with a former Imagineer this past week, who did work on the park but wasn't in Shanghai for the debut, who said that as far as he knew they never had plans for a railroad there. Of course, Disney has been killing kinetics in other MKs since the 90s ...

It's one of the things that make DisneySea so good. There are kinetics in every land. Water does that, but boats and/or the electric railway are in every land.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

The Qaraq looks pretty awesome but yeah, what's up with so much sunlight shining through near his tail? The rest of the ride looks utterly boring and devoid of anything to really look at. I have a feeling this one isn't/wasn't fully ready to open.

Yep...that.

Good to see you back, Lee. Welcome

The AutoNation IMAX theater in Fort Lauderdale, by me. I saw a matinee of Finding Dory that included admission to the Museum of Discovery and Science. The movie was better than Good Dinosaur but nowhere close to their classics or the first one. I loved the short "Piper"

I'm going to see it tomorrow. I heard Piper is worth the cost of admission by itself.... Very interested in seeing both. Will report back with my thoughts

If Finding Dory does well does anyone think we will get an upgrade for the ride in Epcot?

 

[Mike S]

I haven't been on the ride, but at DHS it would only be the second largely screen based attraction. At Universal all of their recent additions have been largely screen based. As independent attractions that's not a problem, but as a complete experience during the day that can get redundant.

It's the IP vs. Original concept argument as well. We're just looking for variety and quality.

Since you said attraction and not ride technically it would be the sixth, not second Also it would be the third ride. TSMM and Star Tours are the first two.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Since you said attraction and not ride technically it would be the sixth, not second Also it would be the third ride. TSMM and Star Tours are the first two.

I can't count.