A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Cesar R M]

I have a feeling I'll be using this several times.
View attachment 94120

saved.. thank you!

 

[Hakunamatata]

Its a shame. It was a good idea, good concept... but the execution was a pile of doggie.

Kind of like John Carter.

 

[AEfx]

Apparently it has to do with debt. Others can explain it, financing is not my forte.

That, and I assume how lavishly they spent building the place set them out on the wrong foot financially to begin with. It may not have opened until the 90's but it was the last breath of 80's park spending.

They really have superior versions of a lot of the classic rides - I mean, they have some real animatronics in their Fantasyland rides.

There was a recent article about it that says a big part of it was labor - the operating budget for labor was calculated to be like 14% and has been more like 26% or something similar. They totally miscalculated the ongoing costs.

They also just famously misjudged a lot of cultural aspects of operating in France, such as food service, etc. - I'm sure those miscalculations were like the labor thing - they thought they'd have the same huge profit margins on food that they have in the US where they can serve acceptable quality food at premium prices. That doesn't fly in one of the cuisine capitals of the world.

 

[Mike S]

Yes, we saw the Raptor Encounter yesterday. It was impressive, even in broad daylight.

Throughout IOA and USF, I noticed lots of little things throughout the parks. Unexpected street shows, a well done parade, little odds-and-ends shops opened, several in locations I've never seen before, unique merchandise in stores, lots of crowds but lines always under an hour on even the most popular attractions. CMs handing out little perks. (We received a free dessert at the Leaky Cauldron; saw someone else get a free Express Pass for one attraction of their choice.) CMs genuinely being friendly and helpful. Twice I overhead CMs saying, in effect, "I used to work at Disney but I like it here so much more."

We had no problems walking up to restaurants without reservations and getting seated almost immediately. No need to plan our vacation months in advance.

Animatronics and show elements seemed to be fully working on every ride we experienced.

Diagon Alley truly is an impressive land, the best in all of Orlando.

The King Kong ride is huge with construction going on throughout the Memorial Day weekend. No dragging their feet on this one.

Complaints? I had several.

The Express Pass lines at Spider-man and Minion's Mayhem ran 20 minutes; Rip, Ride, Rockit was 30 minutes. So much for "express".

No ice at the refillable coke machines for much of the day, plus we encountered 2 that were difficult to work. (Had to hit buttons several times for them to react.)

I twice picked up empty paper cups. No idea how long they were on the ground.

The men's bathrooms were well-kept but my DW and DD mentioned a couple of the women's bathroom didn't have soap in the dispensers.

We skipped a bunch of attractions. Having done them many times before, they had no appeal. I'll ride Peter Pan's Flight for the 100th time before I see the Terminator show for the 20th time. When are they going to get rid of Fear Factor Live and Twister?

Overall though, Universal has out-Disney'ed Disney.

Glad you liked it At Universal they're called Team Members though, not Cast Members. Twister could be leaving soon but it doesn't sound too promising. Jimmy Fallon, New York, and the same ride system as Despicible Me according to the latest on Orlando United. Good thing though is that this is Universal, not Disney, so we have multiple other attractions coming. King Kong, Marvel expansion with an Avengers ride, Fast & Furious replacing Disaster with similar enhancements as Kong made for its move from the Hollywood Tram Tour to Orlando, and the coup de grace (imo anyway), Nintendo Not to mention a whole new Water Park.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Kind of like John Carter.

Sorta. It was infinitely better than John Carter.

I expected better from Brad Bird. Coming from Pixar where they know whether or not something is going to work before its filmed, you'd think he'd know better.

I have no problem with the mystery of Tomorrowland, just......

Spoiler

Show me what Tomorrowland is and lets explore it!

Don't tell me we need to save it because something happened. Exposition! Show me this amazing world! And if it needs saving, Show me why! Dont wait until the Third Act to show me this world that needs saving!

Such is my main criticism.....

 

[AEfx]

Good thing though is that this is Universal, not Disney, so we have multiple other attractions coming. King Kong, Fast & Furious replacing Disaster with similar enhancements as Kong made for its move from the Hollywood Tram Tour to Orlando, and the coup de grace (imo anyway), Nintendo Not to mention a whole new Water Park.

What's the deal with F&F? Does that mean the actual ride portion will finally go bye-bye, or is it just being rethemed?

Side note, it's sad that I can't even keep up with all the attractions Universal has coming because there are so many and they open so quickly...no wonder we pick apart the things we do about Disney, because comparatively Disney is at a complete standstill.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Sorta. It was infinitely better than John Carter.

I expected better from Brad Bird. Coming from Pixar where they know whether or not something is going to work before its filmed, you'd think he'd know better.

I have no problem with the mystery of Tomorrowland, just......

Spoiler

Show me what Tomorrowland is and lets explore it!

Don't tell me we need to save it because something happened. Exposition! Show me this amazing world! And if it needs saving, Show me why! Dont wait until the Third Act to show me this world that needs saving!

Such is my main criticism.....

Spoiler

I absolutely hated the Hugh Laurie character and his obvious monologue. The elitist sentiment is right, but what if Casey had spent more time in Tomorrowland and that sentiment innocently spilled out of the mouth of a kid her age. THAT would send chills down your spine and SHOW you how TLand has lost its way.
A more charasmatic villain would have been a better fit because then you could actually kick Casey out of the real Tomorrowland for rocking the boat and have the remainder of the film be her, Frank, and Athena trying to break back in.

 

[Mike S]

What's the deal with F&F? Does that mean the actual ride portion will finally go bye-bye, or is it just being rethemed?

Side note, it's sad that I can't even keep up with all the attractions Universal has coming because there are so many and they open so quickly...no wonder we pick apart the things we do about Disney, because comparatively Disney is at a complete standstill.

I'm not entirely sure but I think Disaster is going the same way as Jaws to make way for F&F. Leveled. That's what I think I remember reading anyway.

 

[PhotoDave219]

What's the deal with F&F? Does that mean the actual ride portion will finally go bye-bye, or is it just being rethemed?

Side note, it's sad that I can't even keep up with all the attractions Universal has coming because there are so many and they open so quickly...no wonder we pick apart the things we do about Disney, because comparatively Disney is at a complete standstill.

F&F? Ask @marni1971. He apparently has some details that I forgot. (FYI, FF7 has made $1.49B worldwide. Yes, that could top the Avengers money.)

And you hit the nail on the head. Disney doesn't have enough in development. They seem content with "the guests will always come" as well as "no need to redevelop when they're mainly one-time only guests." Pretty sure West Baltimore dealers could teach the good folks at Disney Marketing a thing or two about strategies on getting your audience hooked for life. And make a few sales, too.

 

[AEfx]

I'm not entirely sure but I think Disaster is going the same way as Jaws to make way for F&F. Leveled. That's what I think I remember reading anyway.

On one hand, a bit sad...but Earthquake/Disaster was always kind of a dud aside from the finale. No where near as sad as losing Jaws.

Was just reading a bit about Kong - catching up so I don't have to keep asking stupid questions, LOL - I didn't realize how big the scope of the ride really was with indoor/outdoor portions and such. It seems like it's going to be more than just a stretched out version of the California ride through.

I don't dare wish for an animatronic, but I went from casually interested to "Wow, I really can't wait to see that" after reading a few articles.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Spoiler

I absolutely hated the Hugh Laurie character and his obvious monologue. The elitist sentiment is right, but what if Casey had spent more time in Tomorrowland and that sentiment innocently spilled out of the mouth of a kid her age. THAT would send chills down your spine and SHOW you how TLand has lost its way.
A more charasmatic villain would have been a better fit because then you could actually kick Casey out of the real Tomorrowland for rocking the boat and have the remainder of the film be her, Frank, and Athena trying to break back in.

I completely agree.....

Spoiler

Just if you're going to hold the payoff until the third act? Make the payoff worth it. Also, Why both having the 64 Worlds Fair in it if you're just going to cut all references to Walt DIsney?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Overall though, Universal has out-Disney'ed Disney.

It's out Disney'ed WDW at least. I'd say Vegas has too at this point.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Its a shame. It was a good idea, good concept... but the execution was a pile of doggie.

I wouldn't call it a total pile. It's certainly no Black Hole. If anything, Tomorrowland's the live-action equivalent to the cult classic sci-fi stuff Disney was making in the 2000s (Treasure Planet, Atlantis and Robinsons). They all have a lot going for them, but they were missing something that kept them from hitting those marks or the timing just screwed them up.

It's certainly sad that the movie's speech about our dangerous obsession with the apocalypse is being proven correct.

 

[Mike S]

On one hand, a bit sad...but Earthquake/Disaster was always kind of a dud aside from the finale. No where near as sad as losing Jaws.

Was just reading a bit about Kong - catching up so I don't have to keep asking stupid questions, LOL - I didn't realize how big the scope of the ride really was with indoor/outdoor portions and such. It seems like it's going to be more than just a stretched out version of the California ride through.

I don't dare wish for an animatronic, but I went from casually interested to "Wow, I really can't wait to see that" after reading a few articles.

Animatronics are rumored for Kong.

Expect these

These

And this

But that's just a rumor

 

[doctornick]

Everyone that says Iger is just avoiding the spotlight due to his nature, or simply strategically laying low, is so missing the obvious it is laughable. If the above reasons were truly the case, he and Tom and entourage could have taken the long, exhausting, trip to Asia a couple of weeks from now, or a couple of weeks ago if all they wanted to do is take the pulse of how things are going, not back-to-back-to-back with a big movie premier and the Disneyland 60th kickoff. No, they chose to make that long trip specifically to coincide with the store opening and topping off ceremonies. Being no-shows screams that things didn't go as planned.

How do you know the "plan" wasn't to witness stuff privately and to meet with their Chinese partners behind the scenes to celebrate the happenings and discuss the progress of the park build? Why should we assume that Iger and company were "ambushed" into something other than what they expected?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Everyone that says Iger is just avoiding the spotlight due to his nature, or simply strategically laying low, is so missing the obvious it is laughable. If the above reasons were truly the case, he and Tom and entourage could have taken the long, exhausting, trip to Asia a couple of weeks from now, or a couple of weeks ago if all they wanted to do is take the pulse of how things are going, not back-to-back-to-back with a big movie premier and the Disneyland 60th kickoff. No, they chose to make that long trip specifically to coincide with the store opening and topping off ceremonies. Being no-shows screams that things didn't go as planned.

Now in fairness, none of this means that Disney's entry into the mainland is ultimately doomed to be a financial disaster. But would Wall Street be quite as bullish about Disney if they realized the extent to which their golden boy wasn't calling the shots?

Why would Wall Street be surprised that a minority interest holder is not calling all the shots?

 

[lazyboy97o]

makes you wonder, what the hell are they doing with the money?

Serving debt is a chunk. Euro Disney SCA also pays Disney for management services as well as licensing fees to use the Disney name and characters.

 

[PhotoDave219]

How do you know the "plan" wasn't to witness stuff privately and to meet with their Chinese partners behind the scenes to celebrate the happenings and discuss the progress of the park build? Why should we assume that Iger and company were "ambushed" into something other than what they expected?

I wouldn't suggest there was an "ambush" by any stretch of the imagination.

I sure hope there was behind the scenes negotiations but it seems weird, the insanely low profile.

 

[truecoat]

Well the 24 hour party in California was also Disneyland's 60th. From local reports, it was a disaster outside with it being at phase four from 4pm onwards.

Basically, if you didn't get there early.... You simply didn't get in.

Such is the issue of having 1 Million pass holders.

Most of the pass holders were blocked out on Friday.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Most of the pass holders were blocked out on Friday.

So you're telling me that my pass holder friends inside Disneyland were lying?