A Spirited Perfect Ten

[WDW1974]

I see lots of Black Widow talk ... and, even worse, Agent Carter ... is SHIELD next?

I can only assume that everyone isn't all that psyched by this summer's long hot stale offerings at WDW, right?

I can't believe there isn't a 31-page thread on a new WDW bar at Disney Springs that should appeal to the Indy crowd (I really had no idea that Disney was actually going to own and operate the location).

It don't matter none to this Spirit ... I am bound for Dollywood and DL and DCA and Knotts and UNI-Hollywood and maybe even HKDL later this summer (in SoFla. summer pretty much started in March and should end in November).

OK, Susan Sarandon looks better on the Late, Late Show than when I saw her last in 'the real world' (namedropping done entirely for @Lee's benefit ... @Lee who never acknowledges tags and feels they are about as important as 'likes' ... even though we all know he whores for them!)

 

[WDW1974]

Did some quick research and yes, the Concierge lounge now sits where the old Top of the Park bar used to be located.

Thought so. Thanks for confirming.

 

[WDW1974]

But that's just it... no such adjustments have been made or compensation offered.

Its pretty sad because Disney used to be THE model for customer service... now, it's middle of the pack at best.

At best.

I had a friend once who stayed at WL and was awakened in the middle of the night by major work being done in the lobby. A bunch of folks got up and went down in their jammies and complained. They got a whole 10% off that night's stay.

I had an issue about 11 years ago at Pop Century when I had a family placed in the room next to mine who were erroneously told their family members were located in my room (as they had apparently checked in at different times). About 5:30 a.m. they started banging on the connecting door and trying to open it. Even with me yelling, it didn't stop ... well, after about five minutes when I unleashed some f-bombs, it did. I had to argue with a smarmy little twerp 'manager' when I checked out to get 25% off that night's stay. He had the nerve to point out I was paying ''only $69 a night with a FL resident's rate'' as if that should have paid any factor at all.

Contrast that to a new Homewood Suites by Hilton in CT that I stayed in a number of years ago. At 2 a.m. their fire alarm system went off and they couldn't get if off, people wound up out in the cold (albeit for only 10-15 minutes) until the FD arrived and reset it. The hotel was 100% occupied. EVERY guest was comped the entire night with no one having to ask or demand a thing.

 

[WDW1974]

I think one of the first signs of Disney service decline was years ago (around 2000or before I believe) the Grand Flo started charging for valet parking. It's a business. Sure. I get it.

The reasoning was given that Disney was just following the trends of the resort industry and charging for valet parking had become common.

I remember a time when Disney used to set trends for the industry instead of following it.

Disney was special because it did business to the beat of it's own drum that others copied.

Valet was free at all WDW resorts until the same point (it may have been 2000 or around there). Then, when they started charging it was a token $6 and a DDE member could get free if they were dining at said resort.

But you are right. Disney decided to be just another hotel chain charging for something at industry levels instead of offering more, especially since they charge such obscene premiums for their resorts.

Sort of like how the DDE Card used to NOT ever be blocked out. You could eat Christmas dinner at LTT and get 20% off (I know, I did in 1999). You could eat a buffet at the Yacht Club Galley on NYE 2000 and get 20% off (I know, I did). You could have Easter brunch at Spoodles and get 20% off (I know, I did in 2003). You could dine at the Grand Floridian Cafe on July 4th and get 20% ... etc etc.

Now, Disney not only blocks out all discounts on every major holiday (and even things such as Mother's Day), but they also do 'seasonal pricing' (or dynamic pricing as the industry would call it) where they raise prices at select restaurants on holidays just because ... yeah, because they can.

 

[WDW1974]

Disney is no longer a leader.

I remember the change with valet parking. And that is only one small thing. Let's not forget they were also "following the trends of the industry" when they

• Decided to change sheets on every third night (for the environment, of course!)
• Outsourced overnight cleaning at resorts
• Outsourced bell services at resorts
• Charged for internet access until a couple years ago, long after access was no longer a novelty
• Changed their resort pricing structure to variable pricing for specific nights (rather than season by season...they even used to let you keep your discounted rate for your entire stay even if it overlapped pricing seasons!)

Yet for other "industry trends" (basically the ones that actually cost them money) they took forever to update bedding, towels, sheets, higher quality toiletries, removal of bedspreads for duvet covers, upgrading to flat-screen tv's etc.

As far as not replacing building lighting that has been out for years, not cleaning mildew from showers, and hardy ever steam cleaning hallway carpets (often filthy), maybe they're trying to set trends again (for poorly managed resorts?)

I'm sure there are lots more examples I'm not thinking of at the moment.

Love the post. All great and true points. All things I'm glad I don't have to type.

Hope more people read it again. It's worth it. It's why I don't stay at WDW resorts, except when using our DVC points (and I still have complaints then too!)

 

[WDW1974]

So we get a Disney Springs bar "themed" to Indy's pilot friend who factors into 3 minutes of Raiders, but we still don't have the Indiana Jones ride twenty years after it opened in Anaheim.

Well done, TDO! Brilliant troll job.

We don't need that particular ride (as much as I love the versions in Anaheim and Tokyo) as much as we need attractions of that caliber, scope and quality.

As I was telling a friend recently, they don't appear to be trying often. Mission Space could have been a bar-raising attraction. Everest could have been a great attraction. The SDMT could have been a very good attraction. But it's like they weren't trying for anything beyond 'good enough for the budget brief' ...

As to the bar in Disney Springs, just more fodder for the Lifestyler Brigade. Although it still will likely be a net positive for the mall.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

In the early 90's during one of our stays at the Grand Floridian, they were rehabbing some of the rooms near us. The noise kept us up all night and we couldn't really tackle the parks effectively the following day due to it. Mom complained angrily to concierge and they moved us to a different area away from the noise AND gave us free night(s) as an apology. Yes free, not just discounted. I also think I recall it being an upgraded room over what we had as well. Though i'll have to ask her to refresh my memory on the specific details such as how many nights it was. I also don't remember the exact price we were paying for the rooms to begin with, I know we got heavy discounts for being AP holders (and possibly something AAA related, though unsure), but I don't know whether these rooms were discounted due to construction work in the area. Keep in mind that even without heavy discounts from being an AP, this was during a much more reasonably priced (and better maintained) era at WDW in the first place.

While it took some major complaints at the front desk along with speaking with some higher ups, this sort of compensation I feel positive would never be allowed anymore.

At the end of the day though, they were lucky to have customers like us and almost certainly knew this. We had pretty much constant annual passes, stayed at the deluxe resorts commonly and spent heavily on food/merch back then. Back when we thought the food and merch was of good quality and worth what it was priced. I still adore and use my old Main Street mugs (I own numerous of these treasures), another nice reminder of the lovely trees we've since lost as well-

 

[Cesar R M]

Hmmmmmm.....


Very astute... several "Heroines" have been featured in dystopian movies of late. The Divergent series latest offering is an excellent example. Disney brands are not without their "Heroines". Marvel just doesn't appear to be capitalizing on Black Widow as a "Super Heroine". Perhaps they look at previous female "Super Heroines' like Elektra (and Cat Woman) and think it's not a well supported at the box office.

I know that I would be keenly interested in a Black Widow movie. I am also interested in Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and many other super heroines. If Disney/Marvel chooses not to milk every dollar out of their IP, that's for them to defend on Wall Street. I think with their constant visits to the "Frozen" well after initially missing the boat shows that they haven't learned much at all and are destined to repeat history ad infinitum.

*1023*

BTW... The Ruffalo tweet is telling. He's not getting his "hulk solo act" either.

Cat Woman was a terrible movie and a horrible example of a "Heroine" movie.

All this being said, Disney ignoring that Black Widow would make a great toy on the basis that they already have that Demo locked up with their princess line seems pretty.... well it seems just ignorant to me.

It being a business and all, you'd want to max sales and profits. Sure you've got Frozen & Princess lines, but girls like Marvel too.

Its like Kevin Fergie has his own "No MAAM" club or whatever it was from 'Married with Children'

agree

 

[Cesar R M]

Though I don't see a doll/action figure, there is some Black Widow merch currently available on disneystore.com

http://www.disneystore.com/black-wi...earchTerm=black+widow&catalogFromSearch=10002

The issue is the disparity.
Let's say that theres like 300 Iron Man figurines of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe.
and only 1 of Black Widow.
Even Hawkeye had like 20.

So Marvel Studios is supposed to cater to your ridiculous whims?

*he really thinks only photodave would want that movie*

are you serious? lol

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974 @Lee Hate to tell you this, but DL removed its trees from town square last night. View attachment 92741

That is horrible. Must have something to do with Princess Davison's latest night spectacular, although that location is suspect. But they do intend to have projection mapping all up and down MSUSA, so that could explain the slaughter. Or it could be the WDW Effect with Colglazier running the show out west.

Any of our DLR's know what's up?

 

[WDW1974]

Heard it here first. Indy prequel about Jock Lindsey's origins and how he started in an airplane hanger in a sleepy Florida town called Disney Springs. Will be a perfect double-bill with the Boba Fett prequel.

Well, I had never in my life of being a Disney nut and very knowledgeable about the early history of the family EVER heard that Flora and Elias Disney owned a farm in Kissimmee prior to moving north and having children.

But when Disney Springs was unveiled that suddenly was being talked about in the fan community ... like Disney Springs was going back to the very roots of Walt's family and folks. It all sounded like BS to me. But I never researched the subject. The timing was just odd ...of course, we also have the house Walt was born in in Chicago being suddenly important when every Walt historian points to two places that influenced the man greatly: Marceline and Kansas City.

Now ... what we're we talking about ... oh yeah, J.R. Daddy ... Jock Ewing. He sure loved Miss Ellie, even if he had a wife before her.

 

[WDW1974]

They used to.... I forget the time frame but one of the mods (I want to say Riverside) was closed for a makeover.

Actually, CBR and then PO (the real one, not Dixie Landings) were both closed for some time (not at the same time) in the years after 9/11. I believe both resorts had work done, maybe soft good replacements etc. PO was closed for longer, but the main reason was WDW couldn't fill rooms.

Much like how Euro Disney shuttered Newport Bay Club for a few winters early in the resort's history, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[WDW1974]

Surrell is taking credit for this like a terrorist

That psycho is claiming this is his work?

 

[Bolna]

Much like how Euro Disney shuttered Newport Bay Club for a few winters early in the resort's history, if I'm not mistaken.

This is correct. But I think it was only one or two winters.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I see lots of Black Widow talk ... and, even worse, Agent Carter ... is SHIELD next?

I can only assume that everyone isn't all that psyched by this summer's long hot stale offerings at WDW, right?

I can't believe there isn't a 31-page thread on a new WDW bar at Disney Springs that should appeal to the Indy crowd (I really had no idea that Disney was actually going to own and operate the location).

It don't matter none to this Spirit ... I am bound for Dollywood and DL and DCA and Knotts and UNI-Hollywood and maybe even HKDL later this summer (in SoFla. summer pretty much started in March and should end in November).

OK, Susan Sarandon looks better on the Late, Late Show than when I saw her last in 'the real world' (namedropping done entirely for @Lee's benefit ... @Lee who never acknowledges tags and feels they are about as important as 'likes' ... even though we all know he whores for them!)

Yeah. We're discussing sexism and disparity within Marvel Studios and disproportionate representation of the only female character as compared to the audience. One female character vs 40% female audience.

If anything, Ike Perlmutter looks really bad in an email from the Sony hacks. I mean they green lit "Ant-Man" before even giving a female superhero a look.

I'd call sexism within the upper echelons of Disney Studio's cash-cow to be relevant.

 

[PhotoDave219]

The issue is the disparity.
Let's say that theres like 300 Iron Man figurines of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe.
and only 1 of Black Widow.
Even Hawkeye had like 20.


*he really thinks only photodave would want that movie*

are you serious? lol

Well Marvel's audience is 40% female and you see what Ashley Eckstein is doing with HerUniverse. There's money to me made, not excuses. Exploit the interest and cash in on them!

 

[phillip sugarman]

Hopefully the announced 60 year exhibit at the D23 Expo isn't the only presentation for the parks this year at the expo especially for Disneyland. We have waited long enough, something new needs to be announced for Disneyland and/or Walt Disney World.
https://d23.com/the-walt-disney-archives-to-present-disneyland-the-exhibit-at-d23-expo-2015/

 

[Next Big Thing]

The Hulk is by far the best steel roller coaster on the East Coast. (I'd put Apollo's Chariot at #2). Please don't screw with it.

Bizarro at Six Flags New England would like to have a word with you on that...

 

[PhotoDave219]

Bizarro at Six Flags New England would like to have a word with you on that...

You lost me at Six Flags.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hopefully the announced 60 year exhibit at the D23 Expo isn't the only presentation for the parks this year at the expo especially for Disneyland. We have waited long enough, something new needs to be announced for Disneyland and/or Walt Disney World.
https://d23.com/the-walt-disney-archives-to-present-disneyland-the-exhibit-at-d23-expo-2015/

Keep waiting.

They'll drag their feet for WDW's 50th. I can see them tying The studios makeover into that.