A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...

[yellowrocket]

I am going to be at DLR later this summer and I am ... so fearful that I will want to write the place off after seeing all of the destruction (and that is what it is, damn the SW at all costs lovers).

It may well be a beautiful themed area in three years ... but it won't make it belong any more.

I'm not opposed to the destruction and/or reduction of Tom Sawyer Island, Mark Twain/Columbia, and the DLRR (I love those attractions, but they have very little general appeal for today's nonAP visitors; a reduction is better than removal, as was floated about TDL's Tom Sawyer Island/Westernland), but that area should have been used for something that fit the theme of Disneyland - something like Discovery Bay or new Frontierland attractions or expanded ToonTown/Fantasyland - even better, something NEW and exciting that Imagineers used to be able to create. Star Wars doesn't belong back there.

 

[Cesar R M]

Disneyland's 60th also got those absolutely amazing new animated windows on Main Street... The WDW windows have not changed in like decades... Back in the 70s and 80s, they used to change with every new movie release...but now they are stuck n the "best Of" theme...totally lazy.

I still remember that Roger Rabbit's window that was never fixed too.

 

[Cesar R M]

If fate allows, there's always 2020 for the exciting new Star Wars attractions, right?

Werent they expected on 2022? I mean.. I remember reading that 2020 is the target date for Disneyland's.

 

[NobodyElse]

They had huge tracks of completely flat, empty land to the direct west of both parks and chose to squeeze Star Wars Land in the narrowest strip available.

I assume you're referring to the various parking lots? They would each present their own set of issues. What they have in common is (if they are to be included as part of an existing park) how are you getting people there in a seamless (and less expensive) manner?

And even of the location they chose, they had room to reroute or narrow the overly broad road (it's six lanes wide!) directly behind the backstage gates, which would have provided enough of the square footage they needed for Star Wars Land without having to consume Rivers of America. Cheaper too, rerouting a road as opposed to demolishing/relocating/regrading/rerouting that river. It's like some student who flunked the site layout course at architecture school got to head this whole thing.

Is the road you're talking about Disneyland Dr. (formerly West St.)? It was already re-routed during resort expansion, and those lanes going into and out of the parking structure are necessary at peak times. I don't see Disney and Anaheim reducing lanes or re-routing the road in the near future.

 

[Californian Elitist]

We considered both DL and WDW for vacation this year- and opted to tour Northern California instead. Not going until things get much better. Or at least until something new and great opens in Florida.

Northern California is a great option. Plenty of choices, like the Redwood Forest, the Sequoias, Yosemite, San Francisco (plenty to do in that city alone), etc.

 

[DrActorKJ]

I remember when you could go to the Concourse Steakhouse without a ressie, order a 10 oz sirloin of very high quality with a side and SOUP OR SALAD for under $15 before a 20% DDE (TiW now) discount ... oh, and a great hot loaf of sourdough bread too.

Disney steaks are a joke. Le Cellier is $51 for an a la carte lunch steak ... this isn't Ruth's Chris or Morton's or Shula's ... for cripes sakes it is a theme park.

When the cheapest burger you can get at Disney Springs is $10 (without a side BTW), you're just asking people to stay away, or at least eat off property. This business model is just absurd.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/16/will-a-999-cheeseburger-save-disney-world.aspx

 

[GrammieBee]

Since we had never been to the Food and Wine Festival, we were last at WDW this past late October and early November for a three week visit and did and saw just about everything there was to see and do. Dessert parties, shows, tours, whatever. We hadn't been there for five years as we were waiting for the Fantasyland expansion and then the central hub to be finished. ( I do not like to spend all that money to see a bunch of construction walls.) As usual, we had a fun time, although we do not like fast passes as they mess up our usual touring plans of the parks. Since we were there for such a long time, we had purchased annual passes and had already booked a another three week trip for the following (this) Spring. (At our age we sleep late and move slowly.) All reservations for hotel and restaurants were in place.

Now, here is the big HOWEVER. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, In January we cancelled the whole trip. It was obvious that, despite having annual passes, all other prices were going up, things were being cut and we would still be spending a boatload of money when the only new things to see were new construction walls. Instead, for crowds and noise we are spending five days in NYC to see some Broadway plays. For more crowds plus some relaxation we are going to a beachfront hotel on the Maryland shore for a week. And finally, for peace, tranquility and relaxation with minimal crowds we will visit Calloway Gardens in Georgia for another week..

I'm sure Disney doesn't give a flying fig that we are spending our money elsewhere. As I have posred previously, if we are still able, we will probably be back at WDW sometime after they open Pandora. For us, Star Wars Land and Toystoryland will almost certainly never happen. (Maybe our children can push us around in geriatric chairs.and we can point and smile.LOL)

 

[Jahona]

When the cheapest burger you can get at Disney Springs is $10 (without a side BTW), you're just asking people to stay away, or at least eat off property. This business model is just absurd.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/16/will-a-999-cheeseburger-save-disney-world.aspx

The price doesn't surprise me compared to some tourist destination pricing. Could I get a better burger for cheaper elsewhere? You bet I can. But can you get one there? Probably not. On a side note it's better than the McDonalds at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. They wanted $15 for a bigmac and fries.

Most people will submit to convenience over searching out a cheaper option most of the time, and that's what Disney is counting on.

 

[ford91exploder]

It continues to be a completely baffling decision. They had huge tracks of completely flat, empty land to the direct west of both parks and chose to squeeze Star Wars Land in the narrowest strip available. And for a company looking to save on costs, they chose the very expensive option of demolishing, leveling and regrading 14 acres that was being heavily used as attractions and backstage instead of building on land that was nothing but asphalt.

And even of the location they chose, they had room to reroute or narrow the overly broad road (it's six lanes wide!) directly behind the backstage gates, which would have provided enough of the square footage they needed for Star Wars Land without having to consume Rivers of America. Cheaper too, rerouting a road as opposed to demolishing/relocating/regrading/rerouting that river. It's like some student who flunked the site layout course at architecture school got to head this whole thing.

On a separate note, Harry Potter land has been open here in Hollywood for a little over a month now, and the reaction has been very muted. People I know who work there say it has been a walk on most days, and word-of-mouth has been almost nothing. I've only gotten a single non-employee anecdote about it (I haven't sensed any rush by Angelenos to go, it's almost creepy the lack of hype), and it amounted to little more than, "It's smaller than I imagined and the ride is like everything else in Universal Studios, you just move between simulation screens. It's kinda redundant."

Two words Tax Strategy explain this mystery because demo reduced the property value of the park and hence its OPEX during construction

Yes it's incredibly shortsighted but how does one expect a company with a quarterly mindset to act

 

[Bocabear]

Have they even broken ground on the StarWarsland at DHS yet? I have not seen anything posted except the demo of Catastrohe Canyon for the Toy Story Land section...Is the Light Motors Action theater gone? Anything cleared for any of the projects yet? I have seen lots of pictures of Disneyland's demo but not much of anything for WDW...and DHS is the park that needs the most love in the Disney Parks universe...

 

[hopemax]

On a separate note, Harry Potter land has been open here in Hollywood for a little over a month now, and the reaction has been very muted. People I know who work there say it has been a walk on most days, and word-of-mouth has been almost nothing. I've only gotten a single non-employee anecdote about it (I haven't sensed any rush by Angelenos to go, it's almost creepy the lack of hype), and it amounted to little more than, "It's smaller than I imagined and the ride is like everything else in Universal Studios, you just move between simulation screens. It's kinda redundant."

I have friends, who we took to experience Harry Potter for the first time in Orlando in February. They went to Hollywood, last week. They said adding the 3-D glasses turned Forbidden Journey into a terrible experience. The motion of the ride kept knocking their glasses off their head, and wearing them, made the set portions really dark and not as impressive.

I was surprised to hear that something that people might think would make the ride better, actually made the experience worse. But it goes to show, how thin the line is between attraction greatness, and not. The little things do matter, sometimes a lot.

 

[hopemax]

When the cheapest burger you can get at Disney Springs is $10 (without a side BTW), you're just asking people to stay away, or at least eat off property. This business model is just absurd.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/16/will-a-999-cheeseburger-save-disney-world.aspx

I've seen so many people gushing about the new burger place, but I looked at the menu and was disappointed. Usually, these types of places have a "build your own burger" option. Here in Colorado we have Smashburger, H Burger, Five Guys, and one location of Burger Fi. Since I found out about Burger Fi thanks to this forum, my Dad and husband have been all over it. I think if I'd ask them, they'd rather just drive the 20 minutes to the one in Windermere. Plus, my Dad just avoids eating at WDW on general principle.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I've seen so many people gushing about the new burger place, but I looked at the menu and was disappointed. Usually, these types of places have a "build your own burger" option. Here in Colorado we have Smashburger, H Burger, Five Guys, and one location of Burger Fi. Since I found out about Burger Fi thanks to this forum, my Dad and husband have been all over i. I think if I'd ask them, they'd rather just drive the 20 minutes to the one in Windermere. Plus, my Dad just avoids eating at WDW on general principle.

I don't see a "build your own burger" option at Burger Fi either. I'm sure you can ask for any kind of topping on any burger they have at the D-Luxe.

 

[ChrisFL]

I have friends, who we took to experience Harry Potter for the first time in Orlando in February. They went to Hollywood, last week. They said adding the 3-D glasses turned Forbidden Journey into a terrible experience. The motion of the ride kept knocking their glasses off their head, and wearing them, made the set portions really dark and not as impressive.

I was surprised to hear that something that people might think would make the ride better, actually made the experience worse. But it goes to show, how thin the line is between attraction greatness, and not. The little things do matter, sometimes a lot.

That's interesting. I wonder if they're using different 3D glasses than Osaka who have had theirs for a while now.

 

[ProfSavage]

Since we had never been to the Food and Wine Festival, we were last at WDW this past late October and early November for a three week visit and did and saw just about everything there was to see and do. Dessert parties, shows, tours, whatever. We hadn't been there for five years as we were waiting for the Fantasyland expansion and then the central hub to be finished. ( I do not like to spend all that money to see a bunch of construction walls.) As usual, we had a fun time, although we do not like fast passes as they mess up our usual touring plans of the parks. Since we were there for such a long time, we had purchased annual passes and had already booked a another three week trip trip for the following (this) Spring. (At our age we sleep late and move slowly.) All reservations for hotel and restaurants were in place.

Now, here is the big HOWEVER. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, In January we cancelled the whole trip. It was obvious that, despite having annual passes, all other prices were going up, things were being cut and we would still be spending a boatload of money when the only new things to see were new construction walls. Instead, for crowds and noise we are spending five days in NYC to see some Broadway plays. For more crowds plus some relaxation we are going to a beachfront hotel on the Maryland shore for a week. And finally, for peace, tranquility and relaxation with minimal crowds we will visit Calloway Gardens in Georgia for another week..

I'm sure Disney doesn't give a flying fig that we are spending our money elsewhere. As I have posred previously, if we are still able, we will probably be back at WDW sometime after they open Pandora. For us, Star Wars Land and Toystoryland will almost certainly never happen. (Maybe our children can push us around in geriatric chairs.and we can point and smile.LOL)

Calloway Gardens is fantastic. I also suggest looking into Barnesly as well.

 

[MKCP 1985]

When the cheapest burger you can get at Disney Springs is $10 (without a side BTW), you're just asking people to stay away, or at least eat off property. This business model is just absurd.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/16/will-a-999-cheeseburger-save-disney-world.aspx

While not serving burgers, Earl of Sandwich never seems outrageously priced to me, featuring a good selection of $7 sandwiches. There is always a line and an indoor seating challenge to deal with, but always seems to work out. Menu: http://allears.net/dining/menu/earl-of-sandwich/all-day

 

[ProfSavage]

I've seen so many people gushing about the new burger place, but I looked at the menu and was disappointed. Usually, these types of places have a "build your own burger" option. Here in Colorado we have Smashburger, H Burger, Five Guys, and one location of Burger Fi. Since I found out about Burger Fi thanks to this forum, my Dad and husband have been all over i. I think if I'd ask them, they'd rather just drive the 20 minutes to the one in Windermere. Plus, my Dad just avoids eating at WDW on general principle.

We have a Burger Fi in Kennesaw and it is amazing! My favorite is their Breakfast All Day Burger - Angus burger with American cheese, hickory bacon, drizzled with maple syrup, fried egg, hashbrowns, grilled diced onions, and ketchup (I ask for no ketchup because I don't like it on my burgers). It's like 730 calories but I don't care haha

 

[ProfSavage]

I don't see a "build your own burger" option at Burger Fi either. I'm sure you can ask for any kind of topping on any burger they have at the D-Luxe.

You can. You can get whatever toppings added to your burger at BurgerFi

 

[invader]

If you're willing to go off property check out Shake Shack on I-Drive (or Winter Park location of you don't like all the tourists). Probably the best burger joint in existence.

Back to Disney, I don't think 9.99 is too terrible of a price for a burger. You're more than likely getting what you pay for - an upscale burger. If they were the same burgers they're serving in the parks, I'd totally understand. I'm happy they're offering a new selection.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

You can. You can get whatever toppings added to your burger at BurgerFi

And my point was that I'm sure you can at D-Luxe as well.