George K to Replace Meg Crofton as WDW head in early 2013

[TP2000]

I prefer Buca de Beppo in Garden Grove myself if I'm going for Italian chain food ... although I still am not happy that in 2001 Jason decided to put our food on someone else's table when it obviously wasn't their food and they sorta looked at it and touched the plates and let it sit there before they called him back and then he came over and dropped it off at ours. Well, we weren't going to eat food that spent a few minutes on a stranger's table and told him.

He wasn't happy and went back to the kitchen, but decided he could just return with the same food. Needless to say, he wasn't tipped a penny.

Odd thing about that was within the same month we had the exact same thing happen at the Olive Garden in Westwood and that waiter was also a 20-something hipster named 'Jason' ... and, yes, it is strange that I can remember these things.

Actually, I think all twentysomething waiters at mall parking lot chain restaurants are named Jason. Or at least the corporate office saves money on nametags by renaming them all as such.

When it comes to chain Italian dining, my heart belongs to Maggiano's at South Coast Plaza.

But lately after Disneyland visits I have been heading over to old town Orange and the Haven Gastropub, or up Harbor to the new Umami Burger in Anaheim's old Packard dealership (shares space with the Anaheim Brewery). Both offer great post-park food and cocktails without an ECV in sight.

http://www.umami.com/ or http://www.havengastropub.com/index.html

Just because the Prez and lead creative of DL happen to be two of AL's top sources doesn't mean he needs either of them to break real news. The truth is, if he worked for a legit news outlet, he would be considered a bulldog reporter with a top rep. ... Much like other Spirits, there is a reason why he is a must read in exec suites, Disney cubicles and places all over the globe.

Yup. There aren't hot scoops every month, but when Al Lutz scoops something he generally scoops big. And he's been doing that for well over a decade now, which is lost on some folks who have only been following Disney parks online for three or four years.

What's frustrating to me is the East Coast fans who get all huffy and puffy because Al doesn't think too highly of WDW's operation and has the guts to say so. If they only realized that if Orlando had an Al Lutz who could get quoted by the Wall Street Journal and get national exposure to TDO's shortcomings the way he exposed TDA in the late 1990's and early 2000's, some of WDW's problems would get addressed. Lutz has sources in both TDA and WDI, and he uses them to great advantage. WDW needs that type of online setup, in my personal opinion.

 

[HMF]

From Blue Sky Disney
http://www.blueskydisney.com/2013/01/a-whole-new-world.html
Now, I don't pretend to be n insider but I have a strong feeling if George indeed comes to Florida then the presidency of DLR will likely go to current DCA VP Mary Niven. It will be well deserved too.

 

[RunnerEd]

I wouldn't expect that much unless we're lucky.

But that's it.

Now, China is another matter.

Epcot China? Expansion of Asia in DAK? It's own mini land in DAK? Just curious but I would be fine with any of the options. Thanks!

 

[SirLink]

Epcot China? Expansion of Asia in DAK? It's own mini land in DAK? Just curious but I would be fine with any of the options. Thanks!

I think Spirit is on about Star Wars expansion in either Shangai Disneyland or Hong Kong Disneyland.

 

[SJN1279]

What about the updated Jedi Academy? Does WDW still have a chance for getting that attractiom?

 

[cba]

Star Wars isn't going into DAK. ... UGH!!! ... I love social media, just think of the rumours one could start if one wanted to (ask my friends in the Celebration Place Social Media Cabal) and how easy they spread and how once the genie is out, you simply can't grab the lamp and pull an Aladdin.

The only reason that a SW land would be in DAK is if it were run by Ewoks.

 

[aladdin2007]

Actually, I think all twentysomething waiters at mall parking lot chain restaurants are named Jason. Or at least the corporate office saves money on nametags by renaming them all as such.

When it comes to chain Italian dining, my heart belongs to Maggiano's at South Coast Plaza.

But lately after Disneyland visits I have been heading over to old town Orange and the Haven Gastropub, or up Harbor to the new Umami Burger in Anaheim's old Packard dealership (shares space with the Anaheim Brewery). Both offer great post-park food and cocktails without an ECV in sight.

http://www.umami.com/ or http://www.havengastropub.com/index.html



Yup. There aren't hot scoops every month, but when Al Lutz scoops something he generally scoops big. And he's been doing that for well over a decade now, which is lost on some folks who have only been following Disney parks online for three or four years.

What's frustrating to me is the East Coast fans who get all huffy and puffy because Al doesn't think too highly of WDW's operation and has the guts to say so. If they only realized that if Orlando had an Al Lutz who could get quoted by the Wall Street Journal and get national exposure to TDO's shortcomings the way he exposed TDA in the late 1990's and early 2000's, some of WDW's problems would get addressed. Lutz has sources in both TDA and WDI, and he uses them to great advantage. WDW needs that type of online setup, in my personal opinion.

While I agree with that, he doesnt have to have such a haughty attitude about it. He never ever says anything nice and or positive about WDW, its always negative and thats a turn off. Its true what he says about TDO etc and those things need to be called out for sure, but it wouldnt hurt him to inject positives into his WDW can only do wrong articles.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

While I agree with that, he doesnt have to have such a haughty attitude about it. He never ever says anything nice and or positive about WDW, its always negative and thats a turn off. Its true what he says about TDO etc and those things need to be called out for sure, but it wouldnt hurt him to inject positives into his WDW can only do wrong articles.

If he didn't care about WDW, he wouldn't say anything at all. I think he has some fanboy homerism; he wants DLR to be better than WDW, but he wants WDW to still be a quality product. As far as the negativity... if there's a dead body in the middle of your living room, no one's going to mention how nice the drapes are.

 

[flynnibus]

The problem with al and wdw is his lack of integrity and tact. He goes for drama and shock jock. He's worse than a geraldo. He uses back hands and innuendo to try to build drama. He drops something in passing as if its common knowledge as a creative writing gimmick to make you do a double take and go 'wait... What?'

He's not a journalist he's a creative writer

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The problem with al and wdw is his lack of integrity and tact. He goes for drama and shock jock. He's worse than a geraldo. He uses back hands and innuendo to try to build drama. He drops something in passing as if its common knowledge as a creative writing gimmick to make you do a double take and go 'wait... What?'

He's not a journalist he's a creative writer

Yeah, but he's just one guy online trying to shame TWDC into mending itself. I think the situation calls for shock, not carefully-formatted footnotes.

 

[TP2000]

He's not a journalist he's a creative writer

I don't believe Lutz has ever, once, tried to pass himself off as a journalist. He's just a guy at his computer blogging about a theme park, like so many guys at their computers blogged about the hobbies that interested them back in 1998.

The difference with Lutz is that people actually started to pay attention to his blogs and he got some great sources along the way. But a professional journalist? No, Lutz has never claimed that, and as someone who has been happily reading him for over a decade I've never considered him as such.

 

[flynnibus]

I don't believe Lutz has ever, once, tried to pass himself off as a journalist. He's just a guy at his computer blogging about a theme park, like so many guys at their computers blogged about the hobbies that interested them back in 1998.

That's always the defense of al - he's above standards because he's not REALLY 'something'. Well I'm no journalist either, yet I hold myself to some standards of accountability and candor.
My comment was more towards wdw1974's comment about al could be in traditional media. Which I highly disagree with.

Al, is a combination of dedication and access. A position he created no doubt... but pay attention to what you really go to him for. insider info - not self created analysis.

 

[TP2000]

Al, is a combination of dedication and access. A position he created no doubt... but pay attention to what you really go to him for. insider info - not self created analysis.

Insider info. That is exactly what I go to Al Lutz for, and have been going to him for since Bill Clinton was in the White House and I had a 54K dial-up modem.

Insider info is what made him so famous.

What else would you go to Al Lutz's blog for? Cookie recipes?

 

[flynnibus]

Insider info. That is exactly what I go to Al Lutz for, and have been going to him for since Bill Clinton was in the White House and I had a 54K dial-up modem.

Insider info is what made him so famous.

What else would you go to Al Lutz's blog for? Cookie recipes?

Don't you get it - if the value is who you know.. The value is them - not YOU. His connections are what make him. And many if those are setup to serve the leaks interest. People share stuff with him as a way if manipulating things.

The value is in what goes through him - not what he creates.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Insider info. That is exactly what I go to Al Lutz for, and have been going to him for since Bill Clinton was in the White House and I had a 54K dial-up modem.

Insider info is what made him so famous.

What else would you go to Al Lutz's blog for? Cookie recipes?

Al steals his info. Take LotR for example. Orlando United dropped the info first, and they get little to no respect for it. Now that Al dropped it everyone claims he was the first to find it. In fact, HE COPIED OU's paragraph into there.

 

[TP2000]

Don't you get it - if the value is who you know.. The value is them - not YOU. His connections are what make him. And many if those are setup to serve the leaks interest. People share stuff with him as a way if manipulating things.

The value is in what goes through him - not what he creates.

Err... um... I guess I just don't get it. I like Al Lutz because he has insider info and spills the beans on future projects and dishes the dirt on funny or interesting TDA rumors. If his sources are leaking stuff to him on purpose as part of wacky corporate espionage, then so be it.

It's certainly more entertaining than reading yet another thread about refillable mugs or transferring DVC points.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

And I don't mean to make Al sound like he's infallible (he's not, of course). I remember he bagged on TDO for not spending money on minor upgrades to ST 2.0 to help load speed, either forgetting or ignoring that Orlando has six simulators to Anaheim's four. The numbers ended up proving TDO right. If there's one example that I can recall, there are certainly others. Find me a better source of park insider info, though. If he copied a paragraph about LOTR, it's the exception. More often than not, he's been driving the beat of the fan community. Not like a podcaster I listened to recently who took credit a few months ago for "breaking" the indoor Jedi Academy and area enhancements rumor that popped up here at least a year ago. Al is the real deal.

 

[SirLink]

Al steals his info. Take LotR for example. Orlando United dropped the info first, and they get little to no respect for it. Now that Al dropped it everyone claims he was the first to find it. In fact, HE COPIED OU's paragraph into there.

No it wasn't Al it was Eric Davies who posted the news on MiceAge not Al.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

No it wasn't Al it was Eric Davies who posted the news on MiceAge not Al.

Whoops, sorry for the mix up.

 

[TP2000]

Whoops, sorry for the mix up.

It's okay. Al Lutz gets blamed regularly for just about everything on the Internet related to a Disney theme park. That little mistake you made won't make much difference, and it's nice of you to apologize so graciously.