Happy Summer 2017, y'all.
Just a quick drive-by, although I have some DLP thoughts to come after a recent visit and will try to make time to get them here and out.
What an exciting time it must be to be ... to be ... um ...ah ... yeah ... Joe Rohde. You thought I was going to say a theme park fan (not in an age where theme parks are becoming BRAND/IP parks)? Nope. JR is literally flying coast to coast so many times a week now that one wonders if Zenia is making him donate his UAL miles to TWDC.
It really looks like Disney got Pandora right. Well, right if you excuse the fact that Flight of Passage was supposed to be 'the other' big ride and the Nav'i River ride was going to be small scale, peaceful experience that everyone could do. Don't worry, they're making a similar mistake with the Star Wars Experience.
I do feel bad for Joe in only one small way and that is that everything that is right about Pandora appears to be what's wrong with Guardians Tower in Anaheim. And he has to come out and give a convoluted explanation as to why it fits because he can't tell the truth ''Bob Iger spent $4 billion of buying Marvel and he wants their stuff all over, wherever we can use it!'' So, he spins and then the huge blogging whores pick up on what he says and go back to the "DCA's Tower sucked, dude. If they touched Orlando's, different story. But what a terrible ride and now we have a great one because someone stuck one of the 120 Figment AAs removed from Orlando out of a warehouse and into a queue."
Then, we have UNI's online whores (some of the bigger names are also Disney whores as well) who are trying to spin Volcano Bay's disaster of an opening (something UNI has had down pat in FL since 1990!) into something that it isn't. The last time I heard so much spinning, Spicey was at the podium.
But let's not spoil Disney's moment in the sun (did anyone get Tom Staggs' reaction at the Grand Opening, you know being that Pandora was his baby and all? ... God, sometimes, I can't even take my sarcasm!) For the first time in the entire almost dozen-year tenure, Bob Iger has finally added significant new product to his flagship in the swamps. And now a long hot summer descends on the swamps. Can't wait to see how this plays out attendance wise and operationally at DAK. Me? I'll visit when the weather cools down and I can scout out the area of Dinoland that is very likely going away.
Yes, I admit it. I saw Pirates 5 and I liked it. Didn't fall asleep on the broad shoulders of the EPCOT Explorer like I did for Pirates 4 (think my snoring annoyed some fanbois on that one).
Anyone here notice that Disney-owned ABC is bringing American Idol back ... you know, the same Idol they built a pricey Studios attraction behind, only to dump it?
And SDL's Toy Story Land went vertical in my absence here. You know, Phase 1B of the park. It will have the three attractions that I told you about back in 2013. And the QSR and restrooms that are in. There will also be retail. BTW, have we talked about how the Chinese really don't care about Star Wars? Oh, yeah, my bad.
Someone told me that Soup and Salad Sandra is going away. She was weak even in a position where that is part of the job description. Maybe one of the bloggers who thinks they know what journalism is should apply for the job. It will make reading the Tweeter even more entertaining.
Back on Pandora, I've heard fanbois whine that the food, which looks amazing, locations use generic WDW cups. Well, of course they do. Just like by the winter 85% of that Pandora specialty merchandise will likely be at outlets stores and you'll be able to buy Jack Skellington tees, BB-8 toys and Ariel plush instead. That is what Disney does.
Nice to see Disney add the Pixar concerts and the pre-pyro projection show at The Construction Wall MAGIC Park. I still predict a very ugly rest of the year at Guest Relations.
Anyway, did visit DLP, did enjoy the place (nope, not replaced by a Super Walmart and condos, after all ... who knew?), but I seem to have a lot more issues with the place than the blogging brigade that has decided it will try and 'cover' that resort with 1-2 trips a year. Way too much sparkle and 'Look here, don't look there' going on. ... But an old European favourite is returning in the future and the trajectory of the resort is solid. Will post more on Paris, soon.
Now, time to book FP's for Pandora!
