A Spirited Perfect Ten

[WDW1974]

It gets old real fast, believe me. There's zero charm to palm trees and 91 in the middle of October.

You can repeat that again. Unless there are health concerns, weather is a terrible reason to make a major life move. Living here is a whole lot different than visiting for a week's vacation. Unless one has a truly great job lined up or is just plain loaded, I would not tell anyone that Florida is a place they should move to. The paradise of my childhood was paved over entirely by the mid-late 90s and we've just been building on top of that.

It's a place you move if you're looking for a place to die or are rich (which means you can leave at any time -- especially from say June-October) or want to be a Disney or UNI Lifestyler. I'm sure Governor Voldy might not like that, but that is the truth.

 

[WDW1974]

The first half looks like an exact clone of MK's original version. That changes however when you reach the cottage scene, it veers off into very different sequences. Tokyo's ends similarly to Disneyland's with the witch atop the cliff and the dwarfs trying to get to her, though she still crushes riders with the boulder. MK's ended inside the mine (a much longer mine sequence). The witch appeared atop a mineshaft beam at the end and crushes riders with a giant emerald Instead of a boulder. I'd say it's easily the weirdest and least like the movie of any movie-based Fantasyland dark ride.

We got killed on both Snow White and Mr Toad, and Mr Toad sent us to hell... What a coddled generation we are now witnessing.

MK original-

Alternate version for visibility purposes (cameras sucked at capturing dark rides back then)-


Tokyo's-


When MK's was redone in the 90's, it was REALLY redone. Scenes apparently were moved around entirely (new ones added and old ones subtracted) and everything was repainted (brilliantly with very talented artists) and such. I'd guess Tokyo's basic show building is pretty similar in size and layout to MK's at least, even if the scene contents were somewhat different in the second half.

I do wonder if Peter Pan and Snow White will be receiving alterations in Tokyo's New Fantasyland project. They definitely need it, their Snow White is presently the oldest and most outdated at the moment, and their Peter Pan is identical to WDW's. Does anyone know anything?

The one reason I feel Tokyo and Paris have had superior SW attractions is they didn't pull a 1994 'let's take all the scares out' deal like WDW did. They are dark. The witch pops out often. She is loud. The lightning and thunder are loud. There is an ominous tone, much like the film. It was the only Disney attraction that sorta scared me as a young Spirit (but as my fans here will tell you, I turned out fine just the same!) DL suffers from not having enough space to do the attraction full justice. But I love the Tokyo and Paris versions.

I believe both attractions at TDL will be receiving love in the next two years.

 

[WDW1974]

Ant-Man was great. Really recommend it. I liked how it really felt like the ending to Phase 2

Going to see it this week. Hope it is as good as some say. I don't give two vinylmations about any Phase crap ... that's all Kevin Feige and his ego and masterplan for 126 films, which will totally die when Marvel has two films that bomb and whomever the Disney CEO is says 'let's reboot Spiderman again'' ... yep.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

When in top shape, many of DLP's attractions are as good if not better than those in DL.

 

[WDW1974]

Standing in DTD/DS because my cousin has never been. Packed beyond belief and 12 Brazilian groups later - I'm in HELL.

Now, now, that sounds awful ... I'm sure it's better than that!

 

[truecoat]

Snow I don't mind. It's the lake effect madness that I've grown up with that drives me crazy. We occasionally have bad storms, and rarely even a tornado will blow through but a blizzard that no one really expects, it's just unreal, and we are tough to crack. We aren't NYC or Boston that just has no way to deal with it either.

It sounds terrible but every bad hurricane I've ever heard of had lots of warning . Our last two major storms left every metrologist scratching their heads.

If you are younger, the melting of Greenland should be your biggest worry. Everyone will have beachfront property...in Georgia.

 

[WDW1974]

Snow I don't mind. It's the lake effect madness that I've grown up with that drives me crazy. We occasionally have bad storms, and rarely even a tornado will blow through but a blizzard that no one really expects, it's just unreal, and we are tough to crack. We aren't NYC or Boston that just has no way to deal with it either.

It sounds terrible but every bad hurricane I've ever heard of had lots of warning . Our last two major storms left every metrologist scratching their heads.

Hurricanes are NOT the biggest weather issue with living in Florida. They are a natural disaster that happens VERY infrequently. I've lived in SoFla for most of my life (let's just say decades). In all that time we've gotten hit by two major hurricanes (Andrew in 1992 and Wilma in 2005). Andrew was devastating, but hit a very concentrated area mostly south of the Miami area with Homestead being Ground Zero. Wilma was less severe, but hit us from the west and actually gained strength while passing over the Everglades. We were very lucky both times to not even lose electricity and beyond some roof and tree damage, nothing to sweat about.

Central Florida is even less likely to see hurricanes. 2004 was just a bizarre year where they got hit multiple times ... but no different from the late 90s when one year they had killer tornadoes and another bad brushfires.

The climate in general is the issue. The wretched heat and humidity and rain and wind of living in the swamps.

 

[WDW1974]

The Improv is in the Pointe Orlando shopping mall, so lots of places.
http://www.pointeorlando.com/dining/

Maggiano's is great, probably the best Italian in Orlando (or at least in tourist land) and good for a group, but there are so many options around there.

Maggiano's is great chain Italian (and I'm not a snob like some here who just wouldn't do a chain, I find that 'tude ... well, let's just move on). That said, it isn't the best Italian in O-Town at all. Just in that area, there's a place I've been meaning to try at the Westin behind the OC CC that friends love. And at WDW, I highly recommend both Il Mulino at the Swan and Portobello at DD. Looking forward to trying the new place at CityWalk that all the UNI Lifestylers were raving about last year (hope it's more Antojitos and less Cowfish).

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Now, now, that sounds awful ... I'm sure it's better than that!

Ok... Purgatory.

 

[WDW1974]

Add ugly urban sprawl, traffic as bad or worse than around major North American cities, high crime, low wages....There are exceptional pockets but they are extremely expensive.

Yup. If I were a true Top One Percenter, then I might enjoy a place in the middle Keys (maybe a key of my own!) or a mansion on Key Biscayne or Coconut Grove on the water. ... Maybe a hideaway on Captiva.

But even 'nice' places (and I live in one very, very nice one) are just not all that. People have this Florida Fantasy in their heads when it's the second week of March and is snowing again ... but the thing is that's all it is ... fantasy.

 

[WDW1974]

FL isn't for the faint of heart. It is really tough feeling like you are on vacation everyday when you get off work. Starting your weekend with Mimosas by the pool takes some getting used to. I know, it's hard making that adjustment. It's right up there with getting used to wearing shorts to 4 star restaurants.

I have lived miserable places. Orlando isn't one of them.

Trying very hard to not make a West Virginia hillbilly crack ...

 

[WDW1974]

Mannino's in Davenport was the one good slice I found within 30 minutes of me in three years of searching. And the guys who ran it were transplants from New York. The Chinese food situation was even worse.

I've never had a problem getting very good (no, not NYC good ... but often better than Italy!) pizza in the Boca Raton-Fort Lauderdale-Miami areas. Can't really comment on O-Town.

But Chinese food as a rule in this state is damn near inedible ... I don't get it with so many transplanted Jewish people from NYC and Boston, but it is true. I've long since given up trying to find decent Chinese here ... and it's only been made worse by living in China multiple times now.

 

[WDW1974]

Oh, and from the R-E-S-P-E-C-T Department, former Disney CEO Ron Miller (also Walt's son-in-law) showed up at DL on Friday for the 60th Anniversary.

From what I've been told, DL Prez of The Moment Michael Colglazier (to be replaced by Mary Niven next year in case you were playing the at-home game of Disney Exec Shuffle) had Miller, whose wife Diane died after a fall late in 2013, and a group of other luminaries up on the stage with him, but didn't bother to single Ron out or simply name all of them as he should have done. Nope, instead he said something about "Disney Legends'' and moved on ... the O.C. Register has a small story on it.

But for someone who meant so much to the company -- and Walt himself -- and is now 82 years old, it would have been classy and expected to be given some proper loving by Colglazier. Bad form. Very bad form.

 

[Mickey_777]

Scuola Vecchia in Delray, Manhattan Joes in East Boca, Sal's Italian, Andiamo! in the north part of Miami, Piola in Hallandalle... hell even Blaze isn't half bad. SoFla does pizza VERY well. The only good pizza I've found in Orlando is Flippers and while it's not the best it is very good.

Giordianos has thin/traditional crust as well as Chicago style. All ingredients are very quality.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I have to say. I believe WDW's capacity issues are greatly exaggerated. I just walked through AKL lobby. And it was a ghost town.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I have to say. I believe WDW's capacity issues are greatly exaggerated. I just walked through AKL lobby. And it was a ghost town.

Sounds like a wonderful time.

Sounds much better than a Kingdom of Magic.

 

[Cody5294]

Going to see it this week. Hope it is as good as some say. I don't give two vinylmations about any Phase crap ... that's all Kevin Feige and his ego and masterplan for 126 films, which will totally die when Marvel has two films that bomb and whomever the Disney CEO is says 'let's reboot Spiderman again'' ... yep.

Going to see it this week. Hope it is as good as some say. I don't give two vinylmations about any Phase crap ... that's all Kevin Feige and his ego and masterplan for 126 films, which will totally die when Marvel has two films that bomb and whomever the Disney CEO is says 'let's reboot Spiderman again'' ... yep.

The fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Infinity War part 2 will definitely be interesting because most of the main cast willl probably be departing

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Sounds like a wonderful time.

Sounds much better than a Kingdom of Magic.

1:30am is the best time to tour a WDW hotel.

 

[Captain Neo]

Going to see it this week. Hope it is as good as some say. I don't give two vinylmations about any Phase crap ... that's all Kevin Feige and his ego and masterplan for 126 films, which will totally die when Marvel has two films that bomb and whomever the Disney CEO is says 'let's reboot Spiderman again'' ... yep.

'kept that Disney isn't the rights holder of the Spider-man films that would be Sony

 

[BrerJon]

'kept that Disney isn't the rights holder of the Spider-man films that would be Sony

It's more complicated than that, but essentially although Sony still has the rights, they've pretty much conceded they don't know what they're doing so are now happy to let Marvel call the shots, Sony just makes the pictures. It's why we're getting Spider-Man in Civil War, his own movie, and he's in Infinity War too.