A Spirited Perfect Ten

[the.dreamfinder]

An item of note: This week will likely mark the end of Alain Littaye's Disney and More blog. His site, as well as his must own book on DLP, have been a valuable resource on the European and Asian parks as well as long form interviews like the one @WDW1974 referenced earlier. Thank you Alain for your time over the past seven years!
http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2015/01/entering-last-week-of-disney-and-more.html?m=1
(And you know it must be good if Tony Baxter reads it!)

 

[the.dreamfinder]

https://twitter.com/ALittleWhistle/status/552611806888198144
Will the unbridled corruption of WDI be the ignorant destruction of Iger's legacy?

I sure hope so.

 

[Snowflake82]

Thank you for dropping in, Spirit. I hope that 2015 brings better things for you and yours.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Fantasy. In general, we found the service and overall atmosphere much nicer on the Fantasy than on the Dream. (I have theory as to why, but it might offend some folks.) We also had an outstanding experience at Remy.

I also think Big Hero 6 is somewhat underrated. Based on the trailers, I had zero interest in it, but one of my kids told a group of neighborhood boys that we would take them to see it. I was really surprised at how much I liked it. I just don't think the advertising was effective - didn't give me any reason to get interested.

 

[Kman101]

To be fair, the ads for Frozen weren't much better from what I recall. I remember them getting panned on here as well. Not sure why Disney markets things the way the do. Just terrible. It's like they want to sink their own product with shoddy marketing and promotion but then it succeeds anyway (them being shocked at Frozen's success speaks volumes).

 

[Smiddimizer]

An item of note: This week will likely mark the end of Alain Littaye's Disney and More blog. His site, as well as his must own book on DLP, have been a valuable resource on the European and Asian parks as well as long form interviews like the one @WDW1974 referenced earlier. Thank you Alain for your time over the past seven years!
http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2015/01/entering-last-week-of-disney-and-more.html?m=1
(And you know it must be good if Tony Baxter reads it!)

Not to be disrespectful, but departures from the internet are never announced, and he's made similar statements in the past. I'm not convinced that he's really joining Honor Hunter in the internet necropolis of former bloggers...especially as long as he's still selling that d*amn book!

 

[Sage of Time]

An item of note: This week will likely mark the end of Alain Littaye's Disney and More blog. His site, as well as his must own book on DLP, have been a valuable resource on the European and Asian parks as well as long form interviews like the one @WDW1974 referenced earlier. Thank you Alain for your time over the past seven years!
http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2015/01/entering-last-week-of-disney-and-more.html?m=1
(And you know it must be good if Tony Baxter reads it!)

Whatever for!? I hope he doesn't take down the site.

 

[Figments Friend]

Like:

WDI lost a truly great man over the holidays when Pat Burke passed away. Most folks here have no clue who he was, but you've experienced some of his great work if you've visited the Disney parks, any of them around the globe. From his work on all FOUR Big Thunders worldwide (he was passionate about mining and it shows in the attention to detail) to Indy at DL (I think he also did Tokyo's too!) to Pirates at MK and TDL to MSUSA at HKDL to the American Waterfront area of TDS, Pat helped create amazing environments that truly transported guests in the best tradition of Imagineering. While he was someone I met casually, I can't claim to have known him, but I wish I had. When you read or hear folks like myself talking about the amazing loss of talent that Disney has suffered over the past 10-15 years it is easy to jump on the big names, the ones who created the concept of a 'Celebrity Imagineer' ... but people like Pat were just as important.

BTW, the Disney and More blog has some fantastic interviews and history about Pat's contributions to Disney parks.

Egad...now i am just spooked.

I was JUST reading about Pat yesterday...and it was one of the articles you mention from D&M.
Quite informative...with some lovely photos of his work, particularly his great work on the Mountains.
Did not know he had passed on until now.
Wow.


First thing that pops into my head upon reflection is the prominently placed explosives crate i have seen many times at DLRs *Big Thunder Mountain Railroad* on the 2nd lift hill.
Painted with a large lettered *Burke*, it was a nice little reference to a man who helped bring this Attraction to life.

 

[Matt7187]

An item of note: This week will likely mark the end of Alain Littaye's Disney and More blog. His site, as well as his must own book on DLP, have been a valuable resource on the European and Asian parks as well as long form interviews like the one @WDW1974 referenced earlier. Thank you Alain for your time over the past seven years!
http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2015/01/entering-last-week-of-disney-and-more.html?m=1
(And you know it must be good if Tony Baxter reads it!)

First CapGeek (hockey fans will know), now D&M. What is going on with websites I like stopping production?

 

[GoofGoof]

You don't hear much about Disney's Vero Beach Resort, except perhaps in DVC forums. We spent a night there, a VERY frigid late fall night, prior to driving to Port Canaveral.

It was Angie's first visit there. It was my first visit since the late 90s and my first stay since the summer of '96 ... I still remember the DVC rep having breakfast with me on my last morning (I actually stayed on a special package for three days and two nights because in those days Disney offered those to showcase the product much like companies like Hilton do to this day!) putting her hand on my leg under the table. Yep, I miss those old sales days.

The interesting thing about Vero Beach or Disney's resort there isn't the beach, which actually is pretty lousy by Space Coast standards. No, it's the quality of the experience ... from CMs to food to theme to upkeep, the resort reminded me of how WDW's resorts USED to be run.

Now, there are some things that need serious upgrading. The resort hasn't ever had a hard goods (that's top to bottom) renovation in its almost two decades of existence. You wouldn't know that by looking at the resort. Again,it is being maintained. It isn't the Beach Club or the Villas there. But the bathrooms look like 1995. And beyond the removal of comforters for the now standard in the industry of basic whites with a runner and lots of pillows, the rooms look like very little has changed. Having TINY (19 inch?) flat screens stuck into the original cabinets just aren't acceptable in 2014-15.

But a hard goods redo is scheduled for next year, so that will change.

The food and drinks were wonderful. And the prices are noticeably more reasonable than WDW locales. They even have character breakfasts on weekends that are not gouges.

Not much more to say beyond the fact that Vero is a wonderful place to visit if you just want to escape to a very quiet, classy, well-run resort for a long weekend or even a week IF you are going to do other beaches in the area or possibly take a day trip to Cape Canaveral and or Palm Beach. But there isn't very much to do there at all, which is part of its charm.

I had a similar experience at Hilton Head DVC last summer. It really felt like old school WDW. I witnessed someone make a pretty ugly black mark with a luggage cart on the white wall next to the elevator when checking in. When we went out the next morning to go to the car the wall had been repainted. They had just gotten the hard goods refurb treatment a few months before we visited and the rooms looked really good. Vero Beach is on my list of places to visit.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Not really, its a sole WDAS production and Marvel have distanced themselves from any real involvement in the making of the film beyond giving Disney free reign to make the film they wanted.

Its inspired by a very obscure Marvel property in any event so comparing it to their crown jewels is a bit unfair.

Agreed, but if we're going to go with that kind of thinking than BH6 has still done better than both the first Thor and Captain America movies.

It's also in the top 10 for this year, a year where only two movies have made more than $300 million domestically, and one of those was a sequel to a proven brand.

It amazes me that an animated move cost $165m (per box office mojo), while Into the Woods was $50m and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 cost $125m.

The real cost of an animated feature is time in labour. It takes longer to make an animated movie, therefore you have to pay people over a longer period of time to get it done.

Lots of people took pay cuts to keep Into the Wood's production budget at $50 million. Too bad Disney wasn't as strict about so many other of their bloated tentpoles.

 

[StageFrenzy]

Merch
Did you happen to see the atrium statues, besides the ornaments (which are better than the classic ships) those were the nicest looking souvenirs to me on the boats. The models of the ships look cheap though badly painted and not intricate enough.
Remy
I really enjoy my Remy experience from the cocktail in the lounge before dinner and service that is extremely rare these days. Did you have the steak? I did not enjoy the way it was sliced vs a whole piece of meat.
Layout
The adult area is very disjointed with the upper bar and shaded areas. In addition the kid traffic above as they trek to the front of the ship. On the fantasy they supposedly fixed the dead area behind the aquaduck by making it a splash zone vs an underused bar.
Rainforest
Did you make it into the rainforest or use any spa services?

 

[WDW1974]

I'm actually happy this thread is moving at a normal pace. There's a first time for everything.

First, a few corrections passed on by my beloved 'Angie' ... apparently, I had my decks confused when discussing the adult pool issues on the Fantasy. But as one Imagineer once told me ''If you've seen one deck, you've seen t...''' Oops, I think I may have gotten that wrong.

I've also been told that the menu we experienced at Remy was new (hence the chef's appearance) but that he had a menu on said ship before.

What can I say? I ain't perfect and not really in typical posting mood.

BTW, alcohol on DCL is actually served with alcohol. This isn't the typically crappy and weak drinks that are the norm at Dizzy World. These are real adult beverages ... and at downright cheap prices (most especially the $5 drinks of the day).

Before I discuss some of my WDW/UNI musings would it be inappropriate to say how excited I am by what Disney and UNI have planned on the international front? If I were a UNI fan (wait, I am so I guess I mean online BRAND advocate) I might muster a bit more excitement about what is being blue-skied for Beijing than a screen intensive Kong ride ... I might be more excited ... well, let's leave it there for now.

And, please, don't send links to me with threads involving individuals describing why Disney shouldn't give free water to guests without a purchase because ... I just honestly can't take opinions like that and I'd rather not know as it isn't entertaining to me any longer (and I know you meant well!)

 

[WDW1974]

Any news on when we might get some sort of announcement on whats going on at DHS? The writing is on the wall with attraction closures and the rumor mill going into overdrive and it's getting kinda ridiculous to be honest. There's no need for specifics but a general idea would really help cool off some of the more vocal- it's not going to happen folks.

I don't want to play the 'net/fanverse speculation game because there is no winning that as the Micechat bois found out when they put out the TRUE story about the original plans for SW at DL. Remember that? Subs and Autopia and Innoventions all going away. Attractions largely based on original trilogy?

That was true at the time. Things changed and they got hammered for making up a story. Only they didn't.

Look, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs have both publicly gone on the record numerous times and said SW is coming. The product will be going into/replacing Toontown in Anaheim and into whatever you want to call TPFKaTD-MGMS. I've been told that Disney has no active plans for SW in the international parks (weird because Disney has prominent billboards for The Force Awakens in Hong Kong RIGHT NOW!) beyond ST 2.0 and Jedi Academy and shopping/dining at DLP. This stuff all goes to DL and WDW.

They have to announce something at D23. Or you'd sure think. But I'm not sure they won't tease.
Maybe they wait until after the film debuts (almost a year from now). I just don't know.

I do know that Disney is saving a lot on labor by closing half a park (including labor intensive attractions) and that a whole lot more that SW will be coming. I just see no reason to get excited that Disney decides in May to invite blogging whores to an event celebrating flat rides themed to Toy Story coming and their newest DVC property and a few new dining locales ... that's what Dr. Blondie and Crazy Gary get paid for.

Help any?

 

[RandySavage]

Hi Spirit,

Any clarification or comment on SDL's opening/progress... There have been some mixed signals from the Company in the past few months with Iger saying in a live Oct/Nov 2014 CNBC interview "SDL will open a couple of years from now", e.g. 3rd Quarter 2016. But, the recent Iger Fortune cover story seems to be sticking to the original "Late 2015" opening. My guess from looking at the progress pics is late 2015 is too optimistic.

There's been rumors on sites like MiceChat of "massive delays", with MC citing Chinese red-tape (I thought one reason the Chinese build so quickly was the minimizing of red tape).

Am hoping for a lot more official info soon since the late 2015 date has been circulated for several years now.

Cheers,

 

[roj2323]

I don't want to play the 'net/fanverse speculation game because there is no winning that as the Micechat bois found out when they put out the TRUE story about the original plans for SW at DL. Remember that? Subs and Autopia and Innoventions all going away. Attractions largely based on original trilogy?

That was true at the time. Things changed and they got hammered for making up a story. Only they didn't.

Look, Bob Iger and Tom Staggs have both publicly gone on the record numerous times and said SW is coming. The product will be going into/replacing Toontown in Anaheim and into whatever you want to call TPFKaTD-MGMS. I've been told that Disney has no active plans for SW in the international parks (weird because Disney has prominent billboards for The Force Awakens in Hong Kong RIGHT NOW!) beyond ST 2.0 and Jedi Academy and shopping/dining at DLP. This stuff all goes to DL and WDW.

They have to announce something at D23. Or you'd sure think. But I'm not sure they won't tease like a fanboi who isn't sure whether he wants an Imagineer in his bed who is older than his Daddy.

Maybe they wait until after the film debuts (almost a year from now). I just don't know.

I do know that Disney is saving a lot on labor by closing half a park (including labor intensive attractions) and that a whole lot more that SW will be coming. I just see no reason to get excited that Disney decides in May to invite blogging whores to an event celebrating flat rides themed to Toy Story coming and their newest DVC property and a few new dining locales ... that's what Dr. Blondie and Crazy Gary get paid for.

Help any?

Yes, thank you. I'll share this with my DHS cast friends and hopefully they will leave me alone.

 

[StageFrenzy]

Hi Spirit,

Any clarification or comment on SDL's opening/progress... There have been some mixed signals from the Company in the past few months with Iger saying in a live Oct/Nov 2014 CNBC interview "SDL will open a couple of years from now", e.g. 3rd Quarter 2016. But, the recent Iger Fortune cover story seems to be sticking to the original "Late 2015" opening. My guess from looking at the progress pics is late 2015 is too optimistic.

There's been rumors on sites like MiceChat of "massive delays", with MC citing Chinese red-tape (I thought one reason the Chinese build so quickly was the minimizing of red tape).

Am hoping for a lot more official info soon since the late 2015 date has been circulated for several years now.

Cheers,

They have nothing but red tape in china, however with enough green you get a big pair of red scissors.

 

[WDW1974]

Well to bring the rest of us back down to reality, Big Hero 6 has made $211 million in the US so far. As I said in the last thread, that's higher than Tangled's adjusted total and second only to Frozen among Disney animated features released since the year 2000. It's also close to topping Box Office Mojo's pre-holiday forecast of $215 million total gross. If it makes $225 million, it will pass Wall-E to become the highest grossing animated sci-fi release ever (unadjusted, but still notable for a sub-genre with a less than steller track record). Considering it's a non-sequel to an obscure property, it has done very well.

Worldwide it has made $378 million, has "yet to open in 6 major markets", and is still making money in places where it has been released, Japan in particular. Going past $500 million is a given at this point.

In short, it's doing fine. I hope one day it will be considered justifiable to produce as sequel, as this is a very rare Disney animated release that actually demands one be made. Even a Marvel-weary Spirit would have to agree it's an entertaining film.

Again, I'm just the messenger. Don't shoot. I haven't even seen the film yet, so I can't comment on it in any real sense (I can talk about A Muppet Christmas Carol, which I saw for the first time in years on my cruise ... or any of the Mickey shorts that Disney put out in 2013, since I saw them all on my cruise).

But my news comes from high up the food chain in Burbank. And if you look at the numbers, they aren't as glowing as you might think.

The film has made $211 million in the USA (domestic box office is far more important than global as I'm sure you know ... international isn't insignificant, but it is far less important to the bottom line). It cost $165 million to produce. It probably cost another $75 million (or more) to market. You do the math.

When the info was passed to me, the film had made about $170 million here and it isn't hard to believe that Iger and Rasulo and Co would have wanted a number north of $300 million.

Being that it made $4.8 million last week (the last of the holiday movie season in the USA) to finish tenth, I think it's pretty safe to say the film is going to struggle to hit $250 million here. Now, maybe that should be a huge hit, but that isn't the reality with costs and marketing.

And having a VERY slow roll out and opening in January in the UK (for example) when kids are back in school just is head scratching.

I'll let you know what I think of it when I am able to see it.

 

[WDW1974]

I have to admit, for a studio that just put out one of the most successful releases of the decade, releasing a non-musical, sci-fi, obscure property film was a pretty risky movie. I feel that a lot of the disappointment with Big Hero 6 definitely has to do with the fact that it isn't pulling in Frozen numbers (that might change when it hits Japan, if it hasn't already. I know that particular opening is supposed to boost the numbers). And why should it? It's the polar (sorry) opposite to Frozen in every way. However, in terms of marketing, you can tell this one is getting the short end of the stick because people are still snapping up Frozen anything (trust me, as someone who had to try to find an Olaf plushie for my little sister, the hype/merchandise blitz is still there). That kind of shoots the success they were looking for in the foot. That's just my two cents. Sorry if this doesn't make any sense. It's late here but I wrecked my sleep schedule beyond all repair over winter break.

I honestly don't get Disney and Frozen merchandise. Last year, was bad enough since they had no idea the film would touch the cultural zeitgeist of little gals and fanbois everywhere. So, you can sorta explain away the Toy Story (go back to 1995 if you don't get the reference) choice in not producing merchandise last year.

But now? Sure, you can get plenty of Anna and Elsa costumes (I wore one on formal night on the cruise and Angie said my looked big!) and talking Olafs ... but what else? There seems to be much more Frozen merchandise at Target or Publix than at WDW or on the DCL or at Disney Stores. There just isn't a variety at all ... now, they're desperately having all their licensees (think Jim Shore's line) throw out pieces well over a year after the film opened.

Sure, kids (and adults) are singing 'Let it Go' now ... but they sang a lot of 'Hakuna Matata' in 1994. But it didn't go on for years on end.

 

[WDW1974]

well he went to Vero Beach and on a Disney Cruise...so..... I don't how well he tans and all but you might not be far off lol

Weather wasn't conducive to tanning largely, although our day in Castaway Cay may have been the best weather I have ever had there. 80 and sunny with light breeze and no humidity ... unfortunately, I picked up a bit of a cold that I woke up with on that day so I'm not sure I got as much out of the day as I would have. ... Vero was just crazy miserably cold in that 'only in FL' way ... 40-something degrees with stiff NW winds.

 

[WDW1974]

Thanks for stopping by @WDW1974. Here's hoping that things settle down enough for you to continue to stop by more than you think you will. Maybe you can be a little birdy on @Lee 's shoulder from time to time, because the info you have should be shared . . .

I'll echo your sentiments on the Dream, with a heavy sigh of regret that we didn't do Remy while on board. I guess that's a reason to return . .

Despite the cost, I will never cruise the Fantasy again without dining there. Easily the best meal I have ever had at sea in 19 or 20 cruises (six with DCL). And one of the best I have had anywhere,

And Big Hero 6 was a delight and a surprise, but for some reason, I even had to cajole my family over Thanksgiving to see it. That's something of the issue right there, intangible marketing issues that for whatever reason didn't attract in the way they needed to. To a person--everyone was very positive about the film, and came out saying it was much better than they thought it would have been. Baymax is a great, breakout Disney character.

What I didn't get was how Disney gave up on it, at least in Florida, after Thanksgiving. No advertising whatsoever. It was like they spent it all in the lead up and the first two weeks of release and then, with kids getting out of school and the holiday season coming, just relied on word of mouth.

I am at heart, a parks nut, so will miss your hints n' bits about upcoming things. I am excited to have three days at Disneyland upcoming, unfortunately on the cusp of Spring Break, so I cringe at the crowds. First time I will have my family with me at Disneyland, and I'm anxious to show them a different kind of magic out there. Here's hoping we don't get suffocated--I always plan our Disney trips around low crowd levels, this one will be the necessary exception.

I don't see any reason to go to WDW until at least Avatar and Rivers of Light are complete, and I'm really hoping for something significant with Star Wars.

That said, I think at this point, what I'd really love to hear about are better conditions and service standards for CM's at WDW. That's how you'd get Disney Dream like service. One would hope.

I think DL with crowds is still more pleasant than WDW with them. You don't have double wide strollers. You have fewer ECVs (wait until I tell my hate tale involving them!)People are more laid-back.

Though, I have a faux-five percenter Hawaii cruise approaching on the NCL Pride of America, and have been told that because of American staff, to not expect anything remotely resembling good service on the ship. Our entitled society may prevent that from happening at WDW ever again.

Anyway. Probably too much to ramble on about with your limited time, but thanks anyway . . .

I went on the PoA in 2005 (Full Spirited Disclosure Even Though I Am Not A Blogger So One Isn't Needed: I went for free because a friend worked for the cruise line!) and absolutely loved it. Sure, there were a few less than enthusiastic workers, but most were really good or great. The ship was beautiful, if a bit over the top in places, the food was terrific and the ports were ... well, I love Hawaii. ... Americans absolutely can deliver not only good guest service, but world class if they are trained and have the right 'tude. It's just a convenient myth that Americans don't like to work in the service sector.