Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks

[Eddie Sotto]

Was just reading Kevin's latest article on the closing of the Toontown Fair and it occurred to me that you might be able to relocate some of these elements to one of the on property 2 or 3 star hotels as something to enhance them. Maybe you re theme one of the All Stars or something and put the houses around the pool and make it fun to swim in Mickey's backyard pool or something. Or do picnics out back, mini golf, something that adds value.

http://miceage.micechat.com/kevinyee/ky021511a.htm

 

[T-1MILLION]

Was just reading Kevin's latest article on the closing of the Toontown Fair and it occurred to me that you might be able to relocate some of these elements to one of the on property 2 or 3 star hotels as something to enhance them. Maybe you re theme one of the All Stars or something and put the houses around the pool and make it fun to swim in Mickey's backyard pool or something. Or do picnics out back, mini golf, something that adds value.

http://miceage.micechat.com/kevinyee/ky021511a.htm

Good point. Perhaps they planned on moving some of the stuff to a more toony side of the Art and Animation resort?

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I don't usually comment on other threads, but this one WDW1974 launched about Michael Colglazer's interview on AK was worth adding one little thought. (To be fair- I do know MC and like him.) I don't want to debate dress code or anything like that, just what it is like to be an Imagineer being interviewed. It's scary.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=699593

When you do an interview with the press, they usually already know what they want the "angle" or "slant" of the article to be and are pretty much waiting for you to say something that they can use to support their point of view. It's usually slanted against you and of course, the company. This one looked like a "puff piece". When you see the finished article and it's what you said but supporting the wrong point of view, you want to crawl under a rock. No one wants or gets a bonus for leaking or discussing dirty laundry.

The reporter's job is to extract that or paint your words to make their point. You are taught to not answer questions and avoid that stuff. Not lie, just avoid it. My goal as an employee was to get out of the interview alive with as few dings as possible. I think MC answered the vague questions he was given very well albeit in marketing speak. WDW1974 wanted real answers to real issues like pricing and upkeep (good q's), but you'd never go there and if so you'd say something unsatisfying like "we are always looking at pricing and of course in these intimate experiences that are costly to mount, pricing is partially based on demand. So far we've seen little price resistance and the guest exit reviews give it high scores for value. In fact, we are experiencing such a great demand, the guests tell us we are undervalued, so there may be a price increase, so I'd book now".:fork: No way is he gonna ding the pricing or open those doors.

As fans we are always hungry for content and truth, but if you're the one being interviewed, unless you have a press release you avoid issues. Interviews are seen as free publicity, not town hall meetings. His job is to use it to sell tickets, the press wants to keep your eyeballs on the page. It's not a blog. The interviewer didn't ask him anything that mattered so he gave an interview that didn't. Just a thought.

 

[T-1MILLION]

I don't usually comment on other threads, but this one WDW1974 launched about Michael Colglazer's interview on AK was worth adding one little thought. (To be fair- I do know MC and like him.) I don't want to debate dress code or anything like that, just what it is like to be an Imagineer being interviewed. It's scary.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=699593

When you do an interview with the press, they usually already know what they want the "angle" or "slant" of the article to be and are pretty much waiting for you to say something that they can use to support their point of view. It's usually slanted against you and of course, the company. This one looked like a "puff piece". When you see the finished article and it's what you said but supporting the wrong point of view, you want to crawl under a rock. No one wants or gets a bonus for leaking or discussing dirty laundry.

The reporter's job is to extract that or paint your words to make their point. You are taught to not answer questions and avoid that stuff. Not lie, just avoid it. My goal as an employee was to get out of the interview alive with as few dings as possible. I think MC answered the vague questions he was given very well albeit in marketing speak. WDW1974 wanted real answers to real issues like pricing and upkeep (good q's), but you'd never go there and if so you'd say something unsatisfying like "we are always looking at pricing and of course in these intimate experiences that are costly to mount, pricing is partially based on demand. So far we've seen little price resistance and the guest exit reviews give it high scores for value. In fact, we are experiencing such a great demand, the guests tell us we are undervalued, so there may be a price increase, so I'd book now".:fork: No way is he gonna ding the pricing or open those doors.

As fans we are always hungry for content and truth, but if you're the one being interviewed, unless you have a press release you avoid issues. Interviews are seen as free publicity, not town hall meetings. His job is to use it to sell tickets, the press wants to keep your eyeballs on the page. It's not a blog. The interviewer didn't ask him anything that mattered so he gave an interview that didn't. Just a thought.

Well put. It is important to note things like this with the media since their job is not to tell the news, but to sell the news and they definitely go in their viciously with their agenda whether it feels subconsciousness to some or not. It is all too easy to go from being part of a subject of an interview to a victim.

This is also why I found the travel channel like PR deals to always be more exciting than the Disney released ones. There is often a lot of natural enthusiasm in Imagineers but with those specials when they seem to have a little more free roam, theme park creative teams are just feeding that raw enthusiasm to the audience because they are excited to share.

 

[HMF]

This is also why I found the travel channel like PR deals to always be more exciting than the Disney released ones. There is often a lot of natural enthusiasm in Imagineers but with those specials when they seem to have a little more free roam, theme park creative teams are just feeding that raw enthusiasm to the audience because they are excited to share.

The problem is they constantly use the wrong stock footage . (I see Cinderella Castle in the Disneyland documentary and some of the DL Space Mountain shots are from the dark years when it was painted bronze.) and several factual errors.

 

[ChrisFL]

The problem is they constantly use the wrong stock footage . (I see Cinderella Castle in the Disneyland documentary and some of the DL Space Mountain shots are from the dark years when it was painted bronze.) and several factual errors.

Like the regular WDW commercials where they have rides from everywhere from Anaheim to Hong Kong :brick:

They were running a christmas commercial for WDW and ALL of the footage was from DL

 

[HMF]

Like the regular WDW commercials where they have rides from everywhere from Anaheim to Hong Kong :brick:

They were running a christmas commercial for WDW and ALL of the footage was from DL

Yeah' I remember that.

 

[dweezil78]

By the way.. A new chapter in Rivera history opened last night to a packed house. Playa Rivera. It is inspired by the original Rivera downtown, but more casual and in Hollywood.

I was not as involved in the design as at the original Rivera, but as mother said in the Carousel of Progress, "it's not exactly Disneyland, but it IS clean, bright and lots of fun". Enjoy it if you are down that way.

http://www.playarivera.com/

Congrats Eddie! Looks like a great place. Hope to try it out soon as I work just a few blocks away. Any plans to open for lunch? There's only so many times I can hit the food trucks. (Though some of them are pretty amazing!)

 

[Monty]

I don't usually comment on other threads, but this one WDW1974 launched about Michael Colglazer's interview on AK was worth adding one little thought. (To be fair- I do know MC and like him.) I don't want to debate dress code or anything like that, just what it is like to be an Imagineer being interviewed. It's scary.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=699593

When you do an interview with the press, they usually already know what they want the "angle" or "slant" of the article to be and are pretty much waiting for you to say something that they can use to support their point of view. It's usually slanted against you and of course, the company. This one looked like a "puff piece". When you see the finished article and it's what you said but supporting the wrong point of view, you want to crawl under a rock. No one wants or gets a bonus for leaking or discussing dirty laundry.

The reporter's job is to extract that or paint your words to make their point. You are taught to not answer questions and avoid that stuff. Not lie, just avoid it. My goal as an employee was to get out of the interview alive with as few dings as possible. I think MC answered the vague questions he was given very well albeit in marketing speak. WDW1974 wanted real answers to real issues like pricing and upkeep (good q's), but you'd never go there and if so you'd say something unsatisfying like "we are always looking at pricing and of course in these intimate experiences that are costly to mount, pricing is partially based on demand. So far we've seen little price resistance and the guest exit reviews give it high scores for value. In fact, we are experiencing such a great demand, the guests tell us we are undervalued, so there may be a price increase, so I'd book now".:fork: No way is he gonna ding the pricing or open those doors.

As fans we are always hungry for content and truth, but if you're the one being interviewed, unless you have a press release you avoid issues. Interviews are seen as free publicity, not town hall meetings. His job is to use it to sell tickets, the press wants to keep your eyeballs on the page. It's not a blog. The interviewer didn't ask him anything that mattered so he gave an interview that didn't. Just a thought.

Thanks, my post in that thread says basically the same about interviewers with "agendas". I tend to believe that the reporter had his story in mind going in and minor things like facts weren't going to cause him to stray far from it.

 

[Alektronic]

I don't usually comment on other threads, but this one WDW1974 launched about Michael Colglazer's interview on AK was worth adding one little thought. (To be fair- I do know MC and like him.) I don't want to debate dress code or anything like that, just what it is like to be an Imagineer being interviewed. It's scary.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=699593

When you do an interview with the press, they usually already know what they want the "angle" or "slant" of the article to be and are pretty much waiting for you to say something that they can use to support their point of view. It's usually slanted against you and of course, the company. This one looked like a "puff piece". When you see the finished article and it's what you said but supporting the wrong point of view, you want to crawl under a rock. No one wants or gets a bonus for leaking or discussing dirty laundry.

The reporter's job is to extract that or paint your words to make their point. You are taught to not answer questions and avoid that stuff. Not lie, just avoid it. My goal as an employee was to get out of the interview alive with as few dings as possible. I think MC answered the vague questions he was given very well albeit in marketing speak. WDW1974 wanted real answers to real issues like pricing and upkeep (good q's), but you'd never go there and if so you'd say something unsatisfying like "we are always looking at pricing and of course in these intimate experiences that are costly to mount, pricing is partially based on demand. So far we've seen little price resistance and the guest exit reviews give it high scores for value. In fact, we are experiencing such a great demand, the guests tell us we are undervalued, so there may be a price increase, so I'd book now".:fork: No way is he gonna ding the pricing or open those doors.

As fans we are always hungry for content and truth, but if you're the one being interviewed, unless you have a press release you avoid issues. Interviews are seen as free publicity, not town hall meetings. His job is to use it to sell tickets, the press wants to keep your eyeballs on the page. It's not a blog. The interviewer didn't ask him anything that mattered so he gave an interview that didn't. Just a thought.

It also depends on what context that interview is used for. This was used on the 3rd page of the Central Florida Business section where they have a quick interview with various business leaders around town. He might have asked a lot more questions and the editor just picked the ones he wanted for the article.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Congrats Eddie! Looks like a great place. Hope to try it out soon as I work just a few blocks away. Any plans to open for lunch? There's only so many times I can hit the food trucks. (Though some of them are pretty amazing!)

Rivera downtown does lunch, so I'm sure in time Playa will too. Ask them when you stop in. BTW- Try the Barbacoa cocktail with Beef Jerky in it. Top rated drink.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Tagging the parks. Ohio style

It looks like they ended the "magical driveway pavers with your name on it" program. What will happen to them? Will they be there forever? Will they be relocated to the All Star resort pool area? Or the dog run at the pet care center?

I always "saw dead people" when waiting around and noticed them. "The Farkles from Deerstank Ohio" etc. A cool idea but en masse they seemed to be overwhelming. Just my take as it felt like tagging. I'm sure guests love them and visit them like a gravesite. Exec Paul Pressler's paver was pretty abused so they are a kind of symbol. EPCOT had the picture thing.

What do you think of that program or any of those guest driven "your face or name in the park" things?

 

[T-1MILLION]

What do you think of that program or any of those guest driven "your face or name in the park" things?

They always seem to have good intentions behind them in the sense of being a neat way to remember a visit as well as being very easy money, but as you said and others as well as myself mention...it is like a graveyard. Whether or not a body is there or not (dun dun dunnnn) a memory marker of any sort is going to become that sooner or later because we are all mortal beings.

I don't ever see myself paying for any sort of representation like that but clearly people do. I can appreciate home videos, images and mementos that I can keep near me and always know what condition they are in as well as peace in mind that my memories are not in any danger or contract obligation of suddenly disappearing. At the end of the day that individual family are the ones who care if they are there, no one else is going to notice or care if they go missing.

People have walked all over others for free, there needs to be no price for it.

And Leave a Legacy at EPCOT is another topic completely in my opinion. I find that to look bad and distract from the design it was intended to have in that entrance plaza of the park.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

They always seem to have good intentions behind them in the sense of being a neat way to remember a visit as well as being very easy money, but as you said and others as well as myself mention...it is like a graveyard. Whether or not a body is there or not (dun dun dunnnn) a memory marker of any sort is going to become that sooner or later because we are all mortal beings.

It is really fun for those who want to leave and revisit their memory. I respect that. Are there are better ways to make money? I'm not sure they needed to do this.

I guess that's why I have mixed feelings in that the parks are their own "world" and more neutral. IMO, they are "everyone's" and allowing WDW to be personalized in some way bothers me as only that family finds it interesting. To me it's like going to a national park and when I get close, finding lots of names carved into the trees or white rocks formed into names on the Hawaiian lava fields. I know it's tastefully done at the parks so it's not on the rides. Those are extreme examples.

It's like when they did that promotion where they let guests in street clothes dance and wave as part of the Main Street Parade. That really bothered me. I didn't pay to see them, I paid to see Disney. I guess I want as little of the "real world" in the picture as possible. I know that sounds selfish, but It's kind of how I feel. Thoughts?

 

[flavious27]

It looks like they ended the "magical driveway pavers with your name on it" program. What will happen to them? Will they be there forever? Will they be relocated to the All Star resort pool area? Or the dog run at the pet care center?

I always "saw dead people" when waiting around and noticed them. "The Farkles from Deerstank Ohio" etc. A cool idea but en masse they seemed to be overwhelming. Just my take as it felt like tagging. I'm sure guests love them and visit them like a gravesite. Exec Paul Pressler's paver was pretty abused so they are a kind of symbol. EPCOT had the picture thing.

What do you think of that program or any of those guest driven "your face or name in the park" things?

it is a cute idea and makes the parks feel more like home.

 

[T-1MILLION]

It is really fun for those who want to leave and revisit their memory. I respect that. Are there are better ways to make money? I'm not sure they needed to do this.

I guess that's why I have mixed feelings in that the parks are their own "world" and more neutral. IMO, they are "everyone's" and allowing WDW to be personalized in some way bothers me as only that family finds it interesting. To me it's like going to a national park and when I get close, finding lots of names carved into the trees or white rocks formed into names on the Hawaiian lava fields. I know it's tastefully done at the parks so it's not on the rides. Those are extreme examples.

It's like when they did that promotion where they let guests in street clothes dance and wave as part of the Main Street Parade. That really bothered me. I didn't pay to see them, I paid to see Disney. I guess I want as little of the "real world" in the picture as possible. I know that sounds selfish, but It's kind of how I feel. Thoughts?

Oh yeah don't get me wrong I feel the same way. It is almost like an elitist thing to me too. It kind of makes the resort areas feel tacky when that is done.

Gah, that kind of parade stuff. Can't agree with that more. I don't want to be entertained by guests, I want to be entertained by the entertainers paid to do it. I think that is a good example of the interactivity going too far and impairing other guest's experience.

 

[flavious27]

I was blown away the first time I rode Hunny Hunt in Tokyo. The friends I was with got right back in line to do it again because our jaws were dropped open the entire time and we had to re-ride to actually feel like we'd done it.

I was interested to see in the latest exhibit installed a few weeks ago in DCA's Blue Sky Cellar Preview Center that Mermaid's design progression had a period in '07 where it would have used the Hunny Hunt ride system. The Under The Sea room would have been like the Heffalumps scene where the vehicles go randomly shooting through that scene in different directions. Around early '08, from the dates on the blueprints displayed, they landed on an Omnimover system for the ride instead of the GPS trackless vehicles.

I would still like to see that Hunny Hunt ride system show up somewhere in the American parks. But it would need a really good story that could play up the possibilities of that system. Pooh was a great story to use with it, but maybe there is something even better out there waiting?

lightcycles?

 

[ChrisFL]

That reminds me, I watched the new castle show over the weekend...the technology is cool (but isn't new) but I thought seeing random pictures of other guests detracted from the experience...and many of the pictures didn't work too well due to the way the castle is built.

I think it would have been just fine without the pictures, but I know it's in their promotion now.

 

[T-1MILLION]

That reminds me, I watched the new castle show over the weekend...the technology is cool (but isn't new) but I thought seeing random pictures of other guests detracted from the experience...and many of the pictures didn't work too well due to the way the castle is built.

I think it would have been just fine without the pictures, but I know it's in their promotion now.

I agree in some instances but the show overall is a welcomed thing because it seems to only be a plussing experience at night time and it does not replace or remove anything. I think it is a nice preshow or separate entity to Wishes and armchair imagineering for a moment, it would be really neat to see them try something at Animal Kingdom. I keep thinking that the animals coming to life on the Tree of Life would be amazing for a night time speciality. Also with Everest a harsh snow storm and avalanche could appear to happen before our very eyes. This would be safe for the animals as it inolves no pyro and could be a great idea for that upcoming special event.

 

[RunnerEd]

I've seen the brick pavers/tiles done at High Schools and Colleges as a fundraising idea but I never understood it at a Disney Park. I'm a huge fan of the parks and try to look beyond the obvious but this one, I never understood. It just seemed like a very expensive way to say that "I was here" but, especially in the case of Leave a Legacy in Epcot, a distraction from what was intended.

By the way, I've lurked on this thread for a while and have greatly enjoyed it. Thanks for your insight, Mr. Sotto!