I listened to Best Life & Beyond's blog on the first day in DCA. They were tearing up walking in. Being in a Disney park, all the views, familiar food, good memories, few crowds. $10 to park. I get it now.
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Downtown Disney District Extends to Buena Vista Street
- Thread starter VJ
- Start date
Askimosita
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
They stopped the virtual queue today at 6pm PT because the line was empty.
The after work crowd (like me) got into the Harbor entrance with no wait at 5:30, put our names down for virtual queue and got called at 6pm, only to find they just opened it to everyone. It look 16 mins from there to get through the line and into the park. It was fantastic and magical, and just way at a needed
the old time Christmas music played with the twinkling Christmas lights in the background. We waited in line for about 15 mins for trolley treats, got our gingerbread cookies, then got a hot cocoa with no wait at the Starbucks next door, and sat and ate around the fountain. It was so comfortable with no excessive crowds. I’m sure these lines would be even shorter to get into the stores if we didn’t go back to purple tier.
Someone else told us 5 hour wait before we got there, so we didn’t expect to get in let alone enjoy it like we did. I highly recommend.
The after work crowd (like me) got into the Harbor entrance with no wait at 5:30, put our names down for virtual queue and got called at 6pm, only to find they just opened it to everyone. It look 16 mins from there to get through the line and into the park. It was fantastic and magical, and just way at a needed
the old time Christmas music played with the twinkling Christmas lights in the background. We waited in line for about 15 mins for trolley treats, got our gingerbread cookies, then got a hot cocoa with no wait at the Starbucks next door, and sat and ate around the fountain. It was so comfortable with no excessive crowds. I’m sure these lines would be even shorter to get into the stores if we didn’t go back to purple tier. Someone else told us 5 hour wait before we got there, so we didn’t expect to get in let alone enjoy it like we did. I highly recommend.
Giss Neric
Well-Known Member
You listened to their vlog? Ain't it supposed to be the opposite. You watch them on mute cause her voice is annoying. Also, Youtube is vlog. Blog is websites.
Askimosita
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I actually love Best Life and Beyond; they’ve been doing a California series too, adventuring around the state, and as someone new here, it’s been fantastic to get ideas from. You can tell they are genuinely enthusiastic.
Stevek
Well-Known Member
I get the nostalgia...I can't see myself ever tearing up walking in to a theme park though. But that's just me.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Okay I watched the above mentioned vlog and may have teared up also.
So nice to see people happy and some normalcy amongst this crazy time.
So nice to see people happy and some normalcy amongst this crazy time.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
As a matter of fact, I do.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Three years ago it bugged me, but I didn't not purchase something because it was made by slave labor in Communist China. But a couple years ago something snapped inside me, and I just really did my best to stop buying stuff from them, one of the most repressive and evil political regimes on the planet.
Now full disclosure, I have gotten to a place in my life (thanks Marie Kondo!) where I no longer need to buy all the Chinese made crap they sell at Disneyland.
And really, it's all completely unnecessary and nothing but decadent waste: The spirit jerseys, the coffee mugs, the
That said, I am not without sin when it comes to buying cheesy decadent crap from Disneyland. Even after Marie Kondo entered my life, I am still the owner of a complete set of Kim Irvine's 50th Anniversary Castle Desert Plates.
You aren't the only one.
Earlier this year I refreshed my dinner party tablesettings at Crate & Barrel. The pattern I first liked was made in Communist China. The saleslady there was a complete doll and totally understood. She helped me find two great patterns that weren't made in China; one from Portugal and one from Japan. She said many shoppers nowadays are making the same request I was, and she was happy to find them products not made in China.
I chose the pattern made in Portugal and have received many compliments on it.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Great review, and good point on the Purple Tier.
Purple Tier required them to slash their indoor shopping capacity from 50% down to 25%. That's a small fraction of what you'd normally find in Elias & Co. or World of Disney.
The 25% of capacity mandate in the Purple Tier also means it won't take much of a crowd for them to stop allowing open entry and go to the Virtual Queue system this Christmas season ahead. And if they aren't doing the Virtual Queue thing, then you know there's hardly anyone there at all. Purple Tier stinks to high heaven for retailers trying to make a profit during the busiest shopping season of the year.
It does look and feel rather flat, kind of lifeless and boring. Especially compared to an actual Disney theme park.
But in their defense, @Darkbeer1 has explained how stringent the state inspectors have been on what's allowed in the way of entertainment and extras; in short, nothing is allowed. Especially indoors.
Also, the way DCA is set up I'm not sure what kind of "circuit" they could have created. To do a circuit eastbound from Carthay Circle, you'd have to let people walk through Marvel Land, and they aren't about to do that even once it's finished. To do a circuit westbound, you'd make people walk all the way to Little Mermaid and around Grizzly Mountain, and what would be the purpose of that?
This is a cute little 1920's themed shopping street mandated by Sacramento to operate at only 25% capacity. I don't think we can expect them to try and be anything more than that.
Just watched a few of the video vlogs today for the opening of BVS and man I have to admit it was really nice to see open again. Dave from FB sounded like he was going to cry a few times. But I was shocked to see people lined up at 6 a.m. lining up to basically walk around a few stores and shops. It was hundreds of people out there. But once again it just shows the power of Disney! And it has been 8 months.
I was also happy to see it wasn't just BVS (even though that's how its advertised) but a bit of Hollywood Land and Grizzly Peak. So its enough space to spread people out more and like others I do hope they expand it out more. Clearly they are not just designated to one area but I guess that's as much as they willing to do to keep it free.
Would like to do this but considering we still haven't gone to DTD yet and we live 20 minutes away, I'm still in no rush.
I was also happy to see it wasn't just BVS (even though that's how its advertised) but a bit of Hollywood Land and Grizzly Peak. So its enough space to spread people out more and like others I do hope they expand it out more. Clearly they are not just designated to one area but I guess that's as much as they willing to do to keep it free.
Would like to do this but considering we still haven't gone to DTD yet and we live 20 minutes away, I'm still in no rush.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Good question. I haven't heard a word on that in a while, and that was before Covid. I can't imagine this year has helped that in any way. I mentioned info in another thread from two well placed sources that TDA is planning to keep both the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel closed indefinitely into 2021 because they can't trust anything Sacramento says about ever being able to reopen at more than 25% capacity.
Knowing that, why would you invest your limited capital into expanding a mall towards two hotels that are closed indefinitely.
I'd imagine it will take until the middle of this decade before those plans rise from the dead again. The Billions in profit that Disney has lost just this year alone will take several years to recover from.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Noticed on my commute that the buckets have been removed from the ferris wheel. Makes it seem more depressing.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah... this is evidence they suddenly realize they aren't opening anytime soon.
Check back for the 61st Anniversary next July.
I have a theory as to why Disney did not go the food festival route like other parks are doing (and is likely not going to IMO). I do believe that Disney crunched the numbers, considered the guidelines that would need to be put in place and ultimately decided that they would gain more financially in the long run by slowly but surely opening the parks back up as a free access mall.
A food festival in the midst of COVID comes with greater limits. They would not be able to open the regular restaurants but only have kiosks that could have restrictions of their own (mainly pricing). Disney decided the restaurant revenue (esp from Carthay Circle) would give them back more than just having only food stands available. In addition, they would not have to spend money to hire back all the entertainment they've just laid off.
It does seem strange and illogical but this is just what I think is likely the case, but then I'm not fully familiar with all the new state guidelines.
A food festival in the midst of COVID comes with greater limits. They would not be able to open the regular restaurants but only have kiosks that could have restrictions of their own (mainly pricing). Disney decided the restaurant revenue (esp from Carthay Circle) would give them back more than just having only food stands available. In addition, they would not have to spend money to hire back all the entertainment they've just laid off.
It does seem strange and illogical but this is just what I think is likely the case, but then I'm not fully familiar with all the new state guidelines.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
So......
Who wants to wager how long it takes before TDA decides to open Main Street USA in a similar way at some point in the coming months?
Any guesses?
I will wager one Mickey Bar and two pressed pennies it happens early next year, post Xmas season, to entice locals to visit during the 'slow season'.
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Who wants to wager how long it takes before TDA decides to open Main Street USA in a similar way at some point in the coming months?
Any guesses?
I will wager one Mickey Bar and two pressed pennies it happens early next year, post Xmas season, to entice locals to visit during the 'slow season'.
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1HAPPYGHOSTHOST
Well-Known Member
I don't think it will ever happen.