A Spirited Perfect Ten

[WDW1974]

Both require a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. Disney fans see screens everywhere. Universal fans see either small scale vignettes with moving mannequins or low lit warehouses with cheesy effects.

Gringott's has it's problems. It is NOT Universal's best attraction ever. That would be The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man. But Gringott's problems are not that is uses screens. Clunky storytelling and horrible pacing first and for most. The cutting of the rock work tunnel after the first drop makes it feel out of context. But all in all, it is still a solid E Ticket attraction. Parts quite spectacular. That is more than can be said for the NEW AA Extravaganza known as UtS:JotLM.

Oh, I largely agree with that.

But you can't compare a lazy, cheaply executed Mermaid ride to a highly themed E-Ticket Potter ride ... well, unless you're Lou Mongello or a Mommy Blogger.

 

[WDW1974]

For the record, I got an $11 per month raise this year - that's $121 per year!!

Don't spend it all at once!

 

[WDW1974]

I was just at Disneyland Paris last sunday and it is remarkable the work being done in the parks right now. Long gone smoke effects have reappeared, the Hitchhiking Ghost at Phantom Manor has reappeared after over a year and a half of hiatus and more audio-animatronics are being refurbed.

I was on the last public train for Space Mountain: Mission 2 and it was surreal: nearly all the effects inside were working! The ride was smoother than usual as well. It is sad that over at DLP, a "resort with bad upkeep", Space Mountain there is going into refurb in better of a shape than the mess I rode after a rehab at WDW!

The future is looking very bright indeed at Disneyland Paris.

DLP is getting top to bottom (or bottom, if you look at the new restrooms, to top) work all over the resort. It's a great thing for those of us who love the place. In two years, the place is going to look spectacular.

But you know ... the place was in danger of shutting down!

 

[Nemo14]

Don't spend it all at once!

I'm thinking of blowing it all on a one-day ticket to MK.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

That's for sure, although I'll argue (and have) that DCA 1.0 could have been successful had they gone all in on what was done, had they not cut corners almost everywhere, slashed budgets when projects were underway, cut attractions, cut detail. Yes, 2.0 is markedly better than 1.0.

But they didn't go 'all in' on the vision for the park as it was created. They set themselves up for failure and I recall thinking just that as I got private tours in fall and winter of 2000 and kept thinking 'Is this all that's here?''

Yes, now that you bring it like that, that would be some of my main criticism of all the parks of that period. DAK, DCA, WDSP. All failed parks. But in many ways, they are thematically not incoherent nor unappealing, at least in principle. It is in their execution that they fail. It is always sadder to watch something come frustratingly close to the mark but fail, than to be rubbish outright. Maybe if any one had been build with the budget of that other park of this period, DisneySea, they could've claimed their place in the pantheon of great Disney parks.

 

[bhg469]

Tacos al Pastor are honestly not that good.

You're crushing my dreams!

 

[BrerJon]

I can't bump into a researcher to get surveyed. It's like they go out of their way to avoid me. I don't know if they have a picture of me that says, "do not survey" like you used to see for, "do not accept personal checks from..."?

I have that problem, even if I walk slowly and hover around trying to be asked, they're just not interested.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Of course, if you look like you want to be surveyed they won't talk to you. You obviously have an agenda.........that will probably conflict with their agenda.

 

[George]

Of course, if you look like you want to be surveyed they won't talk to you. You obviously have an agenda.........that will probably conflict with their agenda.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I don't get surveyed much since my rancid flatulence technique that I use to shorten line waits also creates a "circumference of solitude" around my person.

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm sitting one floor up from an 8-track player.

With a Best of Elvis tape in it?

 

[Nemo14]

With a Best of Elvis tape in it?

No, Harry Chapin and Peter,Paul, & Mary

 

[Darth Sidious]

For those of you who are interested, Disney released its 2015 proxy statement today.

Total Compensation:

• CEO Bob Iger: $46.5M, up 35%
• CFO Jay Rasulo: $16.2M, up 51%

Anyone care to calculate the CEO-to-CM pay ratio on that one?

Jay is getting paid more than what 90+% of CEOs make.

Assuming glass door's $9/hour average CM pay Iger is getting 2,483 times that per hour.

 

[ford91exploder]

Jay is getting paid more than what 90+% of CEOs make.

Assuming glass door's $9/hour average CM pay Iger is getting 2,483 times that per hour.

And for unspectacular financial performance as well, Looks like Disney has it's own Nardelli.

 

[ford91exploder]

No, Harry Chapin and Peter,Paul, & Mary

But the important thing is it connected to a Quadraphonic system

 

[ParentsOf4]

And for unspectacular financial performance as well, Looks like Disney has it's own Nardelli.

As a whole, Disney had a great year. Company wide gross margin was 26.6%, its highest in 25 years. (Parks & Resorts was 9% below that.)

 

[Nemo14]

But the important thing is it connected to a Quadraphonic system

Stereo baby!

 

[lazyboy97o]

Maybe Star Wars Land could be that catalyst for change like Harry Potter was for Uni? You never know. Then again Cars Land was also a big success and that doesn't seem to have inspired much change unless its success is the reason we're getting the DHS redo. Hmmmmm................ Could it be?

Star Wars is not the sort of thing I am talking about. It is part of a multi billion dollar synergy effort and will have plenty of attention. It is also stupidly obvious. Every half witted Armchair Imagineer has been suggesting Star Wars attractions since the purchase was announced. The films, while showing a large universe, never greatly flesh out the different worlds. We see this in rumors where a Star Wars Land is not a specific location like Hogsmead, Diagon Alley or Radiator Springs, but a smattering of various locales supposedly light years apart. The popularity of Cars and moreso Star Wars means that plenty will argue the same argument that won the day when Disney's California Adventure was being built, that the brand alone will attract people.

I will add that when Eisner joined, it was by no means obvious that the parks were "highly under valued and ripe for aggressive expansion". I recall conventional wisdom on Wall Street being that Disney had overextended itself with Epcot, which opened in October 1982. Sentiment had not changed appreciably a few years later when Eisner launched the period of aggressive expansion.

Eisner was taking a big risk, a risk I strongly suspect corporate Disney's current management would never have taken if they were in Eisner's shoes.

It was the Bass Brothers, who bought up large quantities of Disney stock to help prevent the greenmail threats at Roy Disney's behest, that demanded the management aggressively expand Walt Disney World.

 

[BrianLo]

I don't think this has been brought up here that I've seen, but definitely worthy of discussion...

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1679533/live-cy-leungs-2015-policy-address

"Both theme parks are pressing ahead with expansion plans. The operating results of Hong Kong Disneyland are improving, and we will commence discussion on the Phase 2 development of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort with the Walt Disney Company.

I'm fairly certain HK will be the next park to open after Shanghai at this point. Perhaps ground will even be broken before the end of the decade!

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hey ... Sugar ... and you know you all are my sweets ... but can we not have 7-8 pages on the merits of various sugar substitutes and the what constitutes the real stuff? There's just no way people can wade thru that.

I am on Page 48 and I know I've likely missed posts I'd like to read/discuss. That's what happens when a totally off the rails tangent happens.

Or people intentionally derail a conversation.

 

[Absimilliard]

On the subject of Ratatouille at the Walt Disney Studios, the exterior area is gorgeous and finally provide a nice area to the Studios. The shop is pretty and the restaurant looked good, but on the expensive side:

Bistrot Chez Remy copies the famed "Entrecote de Paris" restaurant where they only sell set menus. For 30 euros (which includes tax and service, like everywhere in France), you get an appetizer (a salad) and one of those 3 choices:

- Rib Steak with Ratatouille and Fries
- Roasted Cod with Ratatouille and Crushed Potatoes
- Vegetable, Tofu and White Bean vegetarian casserole.

For 40 euros, you also add a dessert and one non alcoholic drink.

They also offer a more expensive 60 euros formula where they replace the set menu with more gourmet food. I did not try it, as it was popular and I did not see the value. I had better food coming later that week!

The ride itself is very popular. We're talking Toy Story Mania fast pass popularity where on weekends, within an hour, fast pass are sold out. They also offer an efficent single riders line, which I used and the full single riders queue took 35 minutes. Stand-By was over 2 hours at that point.

The indoor waiting line is pretty, with a cool projection of Gusteau on the rooftops of Paris. The loading is very efficient, as they have a double load and load 3 6 person rats on each side. The trackless rats are the best part of the ride, as they smoothly navigate the ride and add a lot to it.

The ride itself? Meh to be honest. There is zero integration between the screens and scenery. At least Gringotts for all its faults was perfect in that aspect. Effects wise, the heat effect when you go under the oven was missing, making the scene a miss. Rest of the ride had a lot of pacing and I don't think the 3-D added that much to the ride.

All in all, it is not a solid E-ticket, but finally the park has a good high capacity family dark ride.