A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Funmeister]

Has this been addressed yet? From my last trip.
View attachment 99190

If anyone looks at this picture and is ok with it, then they have never experienced what Disney used to be.in years past.

 

[WDW1974]

Today's Spirited Why You Don't Rush Into Business With the Chinese Post:

The Bahamian media reported today on court filings related to Baha Mar and China Construction America. BTW, Thomas Dunlap, quoted below, spent 15 years as a senior Imagineer for Disney.

The key takeaway was that Baha went to Beijing to PAY OFF the CCP $54 million to get the resort open -- and still didn't get a damn thing.

When you do business with the CCP, whether it's in China, the Bahamas or even the good, old USA, ultimately you don't hold power.

And, yes, that's why it is 2015 and I've yet to hear from one single solitary Spirit that Bob Iger or Tom Staggs have ever been seen on-site at SDL.

But please, let's not have the media actually do their jobs.

<<Baha Mar yesterday accused its Chinese construction partner of demanding financial compensation that was more than four times’ greater than the sum verified by its financier’s project monitor.

Thomas Dunlap, Baha Mar’s president, alleged that China Construction America sought a collective $343.8 million for work carried out at Cable Beach between February to May 2015.

Yet he claimed that the independent project monitor employed by Baha Mar’s main debt financier, China Export-Import Bank, “countersigned” that its fellow Chinese state-owned company should only be paid $76.1 million - a sum almost 78 per cent less. >>

<<In November, 2014, in-person negotiations were held in Beijing with the CEXIM Bank, CCA and Baha Mar.
The (November) Meeting Minutes reflected the agreement of the Debtors to essentially “buy” dates certain for the construction completion of the Project in an effort to mitigate the impact of CCA’s breaches of its commitments to achieve such completion as required by the Main Construction Contract,” the affidavit read.
In exchange for receiving a total of $54 million of advances on disputed claims, CCA agreed that “upon January 19, 2015, except for the wedding chapel and elevator tower, the rest of the Convention Centre will be substantially complete and ready for operational start for paying guests,” and to achieve “operational start for paying guests in hotels including amenities” by March 27, 2015.
...
The March 27 opening was again confirmed in a January, 2015, Beijing meeting between Mr Izmirlian, Prime Minister Perry Christie and representatives from the CEXIM bank and CCA. >>

 

[VJ]

...the toilet didn't stop running...

Did you at least try to catch it? Toilets can be rowdy things!

 

[Shaman]

And here I was thinking it was Miami...

Huh?

The last major attraction to open in any of the 4 WDW theme parks was 9 years ago. And the next one is still 16 months out. 11 years between E-Tickets in 4 theme parks is ridiculous.

Please stop making silly excuses for a multi-billion dollar multinational corporation.

They didn't build because they didn't have too. Not only did people keep flinging money at them, they have an army of fans that go online and "explain" to us the Disney is an innocent victim of their Wall Street overlords.

"Disney is a business!"

I guess when I was a kid they were an NGO.

Pointing out the business realities is not making excuses. I sit here and hate a bunch of things about WDW, and I've said in the past that I've often picked alternatives when vacationing...but I recently renewed my AP. I recognize I'm part of the problem. The only way certain things like quality/pricing/crowd mgmt will get fixed is if it starts affecting the company's bottom line. How do you justify big investments to parks that have record attendance numbers? Iger and the BoD chose acquisitions instead.

And people can criticize investments such as bands, FLE, Avatar/DAK 2.0, Disney Springs, DVC expansions etc...but it's money that has been spent on WDW. Feel free to question the decision makers and their judgement...but it's not an opinion that those investments happened. What is an opinion is whether these investments were/are worth much...or if they add to the magic...or if they fall in line with Walt's vision...blah blah blah.

The purist, the nostalgia addicts are just as bad as the corporate apologists. They hold on to their extreme views and won't accept reality.

Rumor has it Iger pitched a 2.x Billion plan to the BoD and they bought it. Haters are already hating and they don't even have much of the details.

You can't please people these days...Walt would've been laughed off the stage by the same cynics that love to use Universal's rehabilitation to somehow bash Disney.

Yes, be reasonable. Things are far from perfect at WDW, but it isn't as bad as many here want us to believe.

 

[WDW1974]

Today's Spirited Flashback:

I came upon this little video a few days ago. It was filmed likely a few months after my first ever visit to The Happiest Place in Anaheim. It just made me happy to watch it because as great as DL is today, well, in many ways (most notably Tomorrowland) it is far lesser.

 

[WDW1974]

Interesting reading likely for tonight ... this week's THR arrived today and has a cover piece on Ant Man and Paul Rudd and the relationship between Disney and Marvel. I will be reading that instead of what I'm sure are fascinating Tweets from Disney Twits.

 

[Omnispace]

Today's Spirited Flashback:

I came upon this little video a few days ago. It was filmed likely a few months after my first ever visit to The Happiest Place in Anaheim. It just made me happy to watch it because as great as DL is today, well, in many ways (most notably Tomorrowland) it is far lesser.

Thanks! I'm waiting for the live action Peoplemover movie to hit the theaters. There has to be an IP in it somewhere. That and Motor Boat Cruise.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Thanks! I'm waiting for the live action Peoplemover movie to hit the theaters. There has to be an IP in it somewhere. That and Motor Boat Cruise.

I'm all about that motor boat cruise.

 

[Shaman]

Assuming the additional completed areas of the hub are similar to those that were completed while we were there in early June, can you point out the concrete wasteland you are referring to?
View attachment 99181

I find that is the best view. The Tomorrowland side is horrible in comparison. I like most of the changes, but a couple more trees would help.

 

[WDW1974]

How rude do you want me to be? I can explain exactly why this "doesn't work", and why thinking it doesn't work is stupid.

Well, I wasn't being rude to you, so I'd appreciate the same. ... I really don't want to waste my time discussing towel animals. By doing so, I sorta feel like I'm legitimizing the whole topic as something worth talking about.

Ultimately, I couldn't care less whether housekeepers make them or not. I do care whether or not rooms are properly cleaned.

 

[WDW1974]

What about the $1 billion for Disneyland Resort expansion is that safe or no? CA really needs it

As safe as a baby in his mother's arms.

 

[englanddg]

Well, I wasn't being rude to you, so I'd appreciate the same. ... I really don't want to waste my time discussing towel animals. By doing so, I sorta feel like I'm legitimizing the whole topic as something worth talking about.

Ultimately, I couldn't care less whether housekeepers make them or not. I do care whether or not rooms are properly cleaned.

Sorry about that, there should have been a smiley or wink at the end to clarify my tone. It was typed with a smile and not meant to be rude or cause offense. There was context in delivery lost to text. My fault!

 

[Nemo14]

That video was awesome - thanks for sharing it!

 

[WDW1974]

Cute come back, however, we were talking about the Skyway. You mentioned that it was a show problem. I only connected that to the statements made previously that they always were concerned about the show "back in the day". But, apparently they weren't. They put up those gondolas up back when there was what you would have called Disney purity time. So, I again ask... did they care back then or didn't they? And if they did, why did they build something that would show backstage and roof tops if they were that obsessed with it. Get your pipe and slippers and see if you can answer that without your traditional sarcasm.

Goof, I truly had no clue what you were talking about. Sorry, but the thread moves quickly and I didn't recall. I can't speak for Disney management back then. I can say that SQS weren't a quaint old notion from 1971-1999 when the Skyway operated. In other words, I don't believe they felt seeing roofs took away from the MAGIC of gliding high above the MK. I'd agree with that view.

Well not exactly. What I do is NOT focus on minor little things unnoticed by most Guests. I do NOT focus on the importance of one's memories about trees when it does interfere with what is currently "the show". I do not focus on what my childhood memories are because I have lived long enough to know that those are probably the most distorted memories that we have in life.

Good for you. I feel that at least one out of every two people is largely a total schmuck, so I don't care whether minor things are noticed by most guests. It doesn't matter if a detail is only noticed by 1-2 out of a hundred. It matters that they exist. That was one of the core principles at WED/WDI in designing parks, attractions and resorts.

And drop the ''distorted memories'' BS. I practically lived at WDW from the late 70s to the late 90s, I'm also paid professionally to observe things in DETAIL. It's a dumb defense of WDW was really never that good, so it can't really be that bad now. It was and it is.

What I am asking more is why are all those things fighting mad important to you, and something as personal as the towel animals are not. Is it more because they have no significance to you personally or is it because they really aren't important? Is it or is it not another very obvious cut back on the guest experience that otherwise you would be all upset about? It just seems to me that if anything is important (regardless of when it started) as those personal touches, then why are those other things important. Also, why, when it is so easy to fix, not a situation where we don't have to lose anything. The amount of time that it takes to do those things is so miniscule that how they clean the rooms will not be affected at all. Dirty rooms are a symptom of a bigger problem and that is with supervision and job description. I would think that you , of all people, would be on that like flies on those fake AK poop cups. This is a situation where the guest can and should be able to have both. Probably without costing Disney an extra nickel.

No, it's because they were NEVER part of the show. Like picnic tables full of bored CMs coloring with kids. Or handing out Mickey stickers. Or being told to ''have a MAGICal day!'' All of this crap started in the late 90s and with the rise of the Internet came to signify to many people, who didn't know TRUE Disney quality, what set Disney apart from dumps like UNI and SW. ... I have no idea how much time it takes to make animals. I do know that rooms are not cleaned to proper standards. I know where the focus should be.

Of course, clean rooms are more important in this scenario, but it is a completely different issue then towel animals. In other words, one has nothing to do with the other. It is more of a, we don't want to hire anymore people to make sure both happen so screw the guests. They're just tourists anyway.

I just don't care ... sorry, argue it with some of the schmucks here!

 

[WDW1974]

More like...

• Guarantees have no teeth when you can't enforce them and have little leverage over your partners (note in the bankruptcy how much they own the construction firms.. money isn't enough leverage alone.. )
• When your investors partners are 'in bed with' your construction partners you need to control -- you are marginalized a lot
• When your partners are owned by a world superpower state known for corruption and 'me first' - you have little recourse and leverage against them
• When your partners are a world superpower -- they do what they want and you are at their mercy

What you have here is the people in charge... being unable to really make the China portion budge... you may be Mr CEO... but you are still at the mercy of the China-lead contingent and what are you going to do... shakedown China??

It's a tale of be careful of who you invite into your bed... and who really holds all the cards.

That's just it. When you do business with the Chinese, their
Sovereignty travels along with them. THEY determine the rules and who gets to break them. Again, what is happening with Baha Mar is just miles from Florida's coastline. Not on Chinese land a world away.

And people really want to argue with me about how much power The Weatherman had when he wasn't allowed at his castle's topping off ceremony or at the opening of his company's flagship store. You take face away from the Chinese (and Disney made the same issues with construction quality that has happened on Cable Beach) and they take your tongue out. I truly can't wait for SDL to open!

 

[TalkingHead]

Today's Spirited Flashback:

I came upon this little video a few days ago. It was filmed likely a few months after my first ever visit to The Happiest Place in Anaheim. It just made me happy to watch it because as great as DL is today, well, in many ways (most notably Tomorrowland) it is far lesser.

First ride I did when I visited DL in the mid-90s, and it was one of the best. Really like how the track wasn't covered as it is in MK. Too bad it was closed by my next visit (grumble, grumble, Rocket Rods...).

Not too far off topic, but a couple of weeks ago I watched some of my home videos from DL and WDW around 1995, and it was eye-opening. I had tape of the Mulan parade running at night at DL, the Toy Story parade at MGM, a few ride-throughs at Horizons, the Lion King puppet show in Fantasyland (one of the great unheralded D-tickets), and video of the newly refurbished Carousel of Progress. How embarrassing that the Carousel's final scene is the same as it was 20 years ago -- I mean, my memories of filming in the parks feels like a lifetime ago and the show is the same today?! I wish some money would be thrown Tomorrowland's way.

Anyway, the moral of the story is don't watch old park footage or you'll really start to resent the current state of affairs.

 

[WDW1974]

Yeah, just like the other theme park resort that's expanding at a nice rate but went bankrupt recently Oh wait..........

You visit what's left of The Disney-MGM Studios or walk into attractions at EPCOT where it's 80-something degrees inside because it's 90-something outside and they're making you sweat and ask ''Is WDW going bankrupt?'' because for much of the 21st century it's had that vibe. Again, that goes all the way to the top -- Robert.A.Iger@disney.com ...

 

[PhotoDave219]

You visit what's left of The Disney-MGM Studios or walk into attractions at EPCOT where it's 80-something degrees inside because it's 90-something outside and they're making you sweat and ask ''Is WDW going bankrupt?'' because for much of the 21st century it's had that vibe. Again, that goes all the way to the top -- Robert.A.Iger@disney.com ...

Studios had a good quarter, but theyre still leaps behind all the parks in pulling a crowd ... http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/fun-with-numbers-first-six-months-2015-edition.901340/

 

[WDW1974]

Has this been addressed yet? From my last trip.
View attachment 99190

Great show! Truly!!! What a MAGICal vista!

 

[Shaman]

Interesting reading likely for tonight ... this week's THR arrived today and has a cover piece on Ant Man and Paul Rudd and the relationship between Disney and Marvel. I will be reading that instead of, what I'm sure, are fascinating Tweets from Disney Twits.

Supposedly it's one of the better Marvel films...positive early reviews. I'm skeptical, but I'll probably be there opening weekend.