A Spirited Valentine ...

[George]

Well @George let's go for a twofer.

There is so much beauty in the world, just this morning there was a beautiful sunrise which I took the time to fully appreciate. Too often we let small moments of beauty pass unappreciated.

Careful...people won't know it is you.

 

[ford91exploder]

Careful...people won't know it is you.

Enioy your Sunday @George

 

[FigmentJedi]

I've been reading rumors all morning about Pop Century being turned into a AoA expansion? Also saw a tweet making rounds claiming that 70% of the resorts are going to be receiving a facelift

I've been expecting something like that since AoA opened. Would be really easy too considering it already puts a lot of focus onto giant character statues from movies.

 

[whylightbulb]

Regarding your statements on Mark Woodbury, I don't find this to be true, at all. In any of my interactions with Uni Creative personnel, no one has said they think he is Satan (or even anything close). With regard to attraction choices, I will agree that there are a preponderance of screen based or screen inclusive attractions, however most are successful. I too would like to see some more non screen based attractions.
What have you seen of Universal Beijing? Is there a new piece of concept art that has been released?

I can chime in here from personal experience. There is an old saying that you can either rule by stick or carrot - Mark carries a big stick most of the time. His management style unfortunately trickles down to some of the directors below him and permeates the atmosphere at Creative.

The story I usually use as an example involves a poor, innocent woman that had only been working there for about 4 months. Mark was walking down the hall and some artwork caught his eye that was hanging up in a cubicle. He looked at it, ripped each one in pieces literally and figuratively, and then made comments such as "who the bleep expletive put this ***** out," and, "I'm still trying to figure out why we pay you people." The girl was sitting in her manager's office right across the hall when this happened. I have witnessed several Woodbury rants like this and it is by no means an isolated incident. I was also in a meeting when a very talented designer pitched a new ride concept. About a quarter of the way through this person was abruptly interrupted with, "Too much story...they get in, they ride and they get off...we don't need all that Disney crap."

I have been accused of having an axe to grind but in all honesty it is nothing personal against Mark other than I can't stand the surplus of "hacks" that populate the industry and waste precious resources with subpar product like Fast and Furious as well as dumb down what could have been amazing attractions as I've illustrated in the past. Woodbury is a great example of someone that doesn't belong in his position in my opinion and just happened to be at the right place at the right time. He may have been a decent architect when he was designing hospitals and shopping centers but he was never the right guy for theme parks considering he had no interest or knowledge in them before being offered the right salary.

 

[BernardandBianca]

Enioy your Sunday @George

Why not go enjoy a day at the Park?

 

[DznyRktekt]

I can chime in here from personal experience. There is an old saying that you can either rule by stick or carrot - Mark carries a big stick most of the time. His management style unfortunately trickles down to some of the directors below him and permeates the atmosphere at Creative.

The story I usually use as an example involves a poor, innocent woman that had only been working there for about 4 months. Mark was walking down the hall and some artwork caught his eye that was hanging up in a cubicle. He looked at it, ripped each one in pieces literally and figuratively, and then made comments such as "who the bleep expletive put this ***** out," and, "I'm still trying to figure out why we pay you people." The girl was sitting in her manager's office right across the hall when this happened. I have witnessed several Woodbury rants like this and it is by no means an isolated incident. I was also in a meeting when a very talented designer pitched a new ride concept. About a quarter of the way through this person was abruptly interrupted with, "Too much story...they get in, they ride and they get off...we don't need all that Disney crap."

I have been accused of having an axe to grind but in all honesty it is nothing personal against Mark other than I can't stand the surplus of "hacks" that populate the industry and waste precious resources with subpar product like Fast and Furious as well as dumb down what could have been amazing attractions as I've illustrated in the past. Woodbury is a great example of someone that doesn't belong in his position in my opinion and just happened to be at the right place at the right time. He may have been a decent architect when he was designing hospitals and shopping centers but he was never the right guy for theme parks considering he had no interest or knowledge in them before being offered the right salary.

This is unfortunate. In my experience, an Architect with a blalanced ratio between heart and ego is difficult to find. When one rules with an iron fist, those below (many who have excellent ideas) are afraid to share them and the final product is less than what it could have been. Thanks for sharing these stories. It was my dream back in the day to work for Imagineering or Uni Creative but I did not pursue that path. At times I wonder if some of the magic would have been lost if I knew and lived the interworkings of the design process.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Any word on why Cinemagique is closing?

It came out yesterday after an internal meeting at Disneyland Paris it appears. I have seen the date of March 31st mentioned for the closing date.

As to why? I had heard whispers of a new attraction between the old Disney Channel building that now house Stitch Live!/Playhouse Disney and Cinemagique... so maybe it is the reason? On the other hand, the technical side of the projection show on the Tower of Terror was installed on that land, requiring them to move that if they do build something there.

https://twitter.com/ed92live/status/835810601532342274

Something Marvel related it sounds like. Most likely a stage show or 4D attraction in the same building.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It is interesting that both Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative have Architects at the helm. Architecture is an area where both Disney and Universal very often make use of third party firms. The larger profession of architecture very much looks down upon themed entertainment as "fake." There is also a bit of an image of the architect in themed entertainment as a necessary obstacle, a sort of code review functionary and not a creative designer who must be engaged because drawings need a stamp.

 

[matt9112]

Sadly we did the same. We did 3 days at the parks followed by a Disney Cruise Nov 2016. The Cruise Line for now is the Gold Standard that Parks and Resorts or for that matter old school Disney use to be ... but you pay for it. But I will gladly pay extra for that level of quality, not the garbage they are trying to pass off in O-Town as 'Quality'.

Cruise prices seem to be better than say a WDW vaca...the entry cost is higher but a week on site at WDW tickets and rooms gets up there....cruise line quality aside seems like a better raw value. As far as cruises go its a bit pricey but compared to a full blown WDW vacation? A great value.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Enioy your Sunday @George

Why not go enjoy a day at the Park?

And if you're visiting DL Paris, may I suggest the Island of La Grande Jatte?

 

[CanadianGordon]

That's a lot of thread to go through... Wow.

Speaking from experience, I know I wouldn't be able to stay at Disney if the prices rise above 200 a night, at least not for a while longer.
Especially for the "cheap" "value" resorts.... The Canadian dollar isn't very nice right now, so advance planning a trip is pretty brutal.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

That's a lot of thread to go through... Wow.

Speaking from experience, I know I wouldn't be able to stay at Disney if the prices rise above 200 a night, at least not for a while longer.
Especially for the "cheap" "value" resorts.... The Canadian dollar isn't very nice right now, so advance planning a trip is pretty brutal.

That's an interesting factor I haven't considered- the value of the almighty dollar.

I wonder if this is the year we see less overseas traffic in Orlando.

 

[Princess Leia]

https://twitter.com/ed92live/status/835810601532342274

Something Marvel related it sounds like. Most likely a stage show or 4D attraction in the same building.

Wow there was absolutely no emphasis on the Marvel there at all
While I haven't seen the show, I've read that it's original and popular (though I never understood why Martin Short was in it). I hope that this Marvel show is just as good, and it isn't a cheap way of getting the brand into the park.

 

[ford91exploder]

That's an interesting factor I haven't considered- the value of the almighty dollar.

I wonder if this is the year we see less overseas traffic in Orlando.

Probably not as there is lots to do in Central FL without a stay at the stale and overpriced WDW. Nicer hotel rooms and better food for far less money

 

[brb1006]

Sad news today out of Disneyland Paris: Cinemagique will close by the end of March 2017. Another part of it is that backstage redevelopment mean that every show cast members will be reassigned to other areas.

While I hadn't seen the show Mickey The Magician in person. It has to be one of the best shows featuring Mickey Mouse in years.

 

[brb1006]

It came out yesterday after an internal meeting at Disneyland Paris it appears. I have seen the date of March 31st mentioned for the closing date.

As to why? I had heard whispers of a new attraction between the old Disney Channel building that now house Stitch Live!/Playhouse Disney and Cinemagique... so maybe it is the reason? On the other hand, the technical side of the projection show on the Tower of Terror was installed on that land, requiring them to move that if they do build something there.

Or something Marvel related

 

[brb1006]

Wow there was absolutely no emphasis on the Marvel there at all
While I haven't seen the show, I've read that it's original and popular (though I never understood why Martin Short was in it). I hope that this Marvel show is just as good, and it isn't a cheap way of getting the brand into the park.

Here's this video that also celebrated Mickey's birthday at the end.

 

[peter11435]

Here's this video that also celebrated Mickey's birthday at the end.

Your video is not of Cinamagique its of Mickey and the Magician which replaced animagique.

 

[Phil12]

You bring up a good point about the prices. A fairly obvious point that many are in denial about for whatever reason. I wonder about this at the macro level a lot. In particular, I wonder at what point price hikes can affect an negative effect on attendance. I'm starting to wonder if the price point is so high that it would be viewed as absurdist by the average person (you could argue that they are already there). I think there are two effects that help mitigate the effects each change in pricing structure (besides the hikes there have been countless rule changes and additional charges added over the years). There is some fraction of people who will mortgage their house and dip into college funds for a Disney World vacation ("Sorry, Johnny, in lieu of Princeton you'll need to help me run my haberdashery.")...but I don't think that is a big enough effect to not see a bigger attendance dip (I know it was 1% last year, significant but not world changing). I wonder if the bigger effect is that we're the biggest of the rich countries and for every person who decides it is not worth their money, there is another person to take their place. Now I do think this is bad for the long term, but it is hard for a big entertainment conglomerate to look at the long term.

The price point for Disneyland and WDW has been absurdly high for as long as I can remember. I've been going to Disneyland since the 60's and WDW since about a year after it opened. The room rates, the parking fees and the admission price (and in the old days the ride ticket prices) have always been more than an average income earner could reasonably afford. However, the key factor here is that Disney has always offered substantial discounts but you've got to search for the bargains.

Some of you may remember The Magic Kingdom Club. If you worked for the government, certain large corporations, or were/are a member of the military, Disney discounts were ubiquitous. In addition to The Magic Kingdom Club, other discounters got in on the action as well. And when The Magic Kingdom Club shut down in 2000, there were plenty of other discounts available (although you had to spend more time hunting for them).

Had it not been for significant discounts (50% off and better on accommodations and admission media) I never would have even considered visiting either Disneyland or WDW. Does anyone recall back when the Courtyard By Marriott at Downtown Disney offered room rates based on the year? For example, they ran a special during October and November during 1998 that the per night room cost was $19.98. You could stay there for a week and the cost was only $139.86 plus tax. They ran that same promotion in 1999, 2000 and 2001 as I recall. Some other hotels had similar promotions as well.

I also remember that The Disney Store had a promotion many years ago in which they would give you a $50.00 gift card for every $100.00 you spent. I bought every annual pass voucher they had in stock and drove to another Disney Store the same day and bought out their inventory of annual pass vouchers as well.

In short, without big discounts I never would have known the pleasure of seeing Stitch toilet paper Cindy's castle.

Or see Cindy's castle as a beautiful birthday cake:

 

[brb1006]

Your video is not of Cinamagique its of Mickey and the Magician which replaced animagique.

I got the name of the shows confused okay. Plus I'm not that familiar with french names for Disney attractions.