Jim Hill on XPass attraction line-up

[the-reason14]

I'll even go further and say it's the best animated movie from the post Walt era. The Lion King is the one modern Disney movie that can hang with the classics from the 40's and 50's IMO.

Personally I think a majority of the 90s movies could hang with the classics. But to me, the lion king is just on a completely different level. I think it does have to do with nostalgia as I grew up with the film. It takes on a whole new meaning as an adult as there were parts in it that I didn't get like I can now. It's even more impactful now I think because it's a movie I loved as a kid, but still has a lot of themes that adults can relate to and is just the *hush.*

 

[bullsforthewin]

or recycled Kimba The White Lion:

http://www.kimbawlion.com/rant2.htm

Lol so wrong it is funny...

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

I enjoyed Bolt, and I was relatively indifferent towards Meet the Robinsons, Tangled, Princess and the Frog, and Lilo and Stitch. I didn't see Emperor's New Groove or Treasure Planet. It's possible my indifference towards Lilo and Stitch is tied to pre-existing negative thoughts rooted in the theme parks, and I understand I wasn't the target market for Tangled or Princess and the Frog.

If I may, you should definitely give The Emperor's New Groove a viewing. If you're even a modest fan of the classic Looney Tune shorts you will LOVE the movie. It does everything right in terms of comedy and animation and surpasses every effort made by WB in capturing the "loony" cartoon vibe. It's one of my favorite animated classics. Treasure Planet is really a hit-or-miss with people but it's also up there in my opinion. It has a lot of heart and a great message.

And in attempt to steer things back on topic, does anyone have a clue as to how Disney would handle the whole preferred viewing area? Would it be clear to the casual goer that certain spots are considered advantage spots for X-Pass? I'm curious because it could really become an inconvenience to the uninformed. Moreover I'd hate to discover by surprise that my favorite viewing spots were taken..

 

[RSoxNo1]

How old were you when you saw it, just out of curiosity?

If I may, you should definitely give The Emperor's New Groove a viewing. If you're even a modest fan of the classic Looney Tune shorts you will LOVE the movie. It does everything right in terms of comedy and animation and surpasses every effort made by WB in capturing the "loony" cartoon vibe. It's one of my favorite animated classics. Treasure Planet is really a hit-or-miss with people but it's also up there in my opinion. It has a lot of heart and a great message.

And in attempt to steer things back on topic, does anyone have a clue as to how Disney would handle the whole preferred viewing area? Would it be clear to the casual goer that certain spots are considered advantage spots for X-Pass? I'm curious because it could really become an inconvenience to the uninformed. Moreover I'd hate to discover by surprise that my favorite viewing spots were taken..

My netflix list is 530 deep, Emperor's New Groove is on there somewhere. I actually have the Disney Nature film "African Cats" at home right now. Normally around Oscar time I'm trying to crank out the Oscar movies that are available, but they all have long delays. I've heard good things about Emperor's New Groove so I'll bump that up my list.

 

[HMButler79]

What if X-Pass is REALLY....??? (Theory)

Ok, now I know there has been lots of drama and doom (justified) over X-Pass but now we have been hearing different theories on the real reason for this other than the obvious untapped profit center.

Now, some on here think, that putting unnecessary FP and Xpass on things like SSE, GMR, et al, that it will "trick" guests into getting a FP/Xpass for something they don't need and get them away from the FP lines of E-Tix like Soarin and TSMM. Now.......what other Disney system from Yesterland had guests "force" to choose from one attraction to another???

..................

THE TICKET BOOKS.

Could X-pass, NOT JUST be a profit center and datamining (which it IS), but could it also be a 21st Century system of the A-E Ticket Books??? I mean, if TDO is going to force you to choose only 2 of 3 mountains at MK, that means that one mountain will be easier to get on lines. Likewise, once New FL opens you will have to choose between Mermaid, Seven Dwarfs, Pooh, Pan, Dumbo, and Philar. to get FP and/or XPass. And since you can only get ONE at time ...usually only every 90min to 2hrs....Well......I am now seeing a setup where TDO is, IN THEORY bringing back the A-E books but using FP and XPass as the "Book". As in, "Either you get and waste a FP/Xpass on something like SSE, GMR, Imagination, OR you need to decide whether you want it for an E-Ticket that has long waits"......What do you all think? :veryconfu

 

[Disney05]

The more I read about it the less I like it. Love the idea of interactive queues, but this whole making reservation for an attraction before I leave home is too much. It's bad enough I have to think about what restaurant I'll be eating at months in advance. I think it's taking away from someone nonchalantly exploring the park at your own pace. Technology and innovation is great but I think there is a limit.

 

[lebeau]

That really doesn't have anything to do with it. I watched it a few months ago.

No, it has a lot to do with it. I was 7 when I saw Star Wars and I will love it forever. If I never saw Star Wars as a kid and I watched it for the first time today as an adult, I would probably wonder what all the fuss was about. You can't separate yourself from that first viewing experience. If you saw it for the first time as a kid and you fell in love with it, your view will always be tinted by nostalgia.

Based on your refusal to give a straight answer, I will assume this is the case.

 

[flynnibus]

People really should read Jim Hill's latest article..

According to him.. Xpass will not be 'months out' but more like weeks. And it will be open to all guests (still imagine they may test this with a smaller audience first) and you will have pretty tight restrictions on how many xpass reservations you can make.

 

[Scuttle]

No, it has a lot to do with it. I was 7 when I saw Star Wars and I will love it forever. If I never saw Star Wars as a kid and I watched it for the first time today as an adult, I would probably wonder what all the fuss was about. You can't separate yourself from that first viewing experience. If you saw it for the first time as a kid and you fell in love with it, your view will always be tinted by nostalgia.

Based on your refusal to give a straight answer, I will assume this is the case.

I was 10, but seriously I just watched it recently and the movie is perfect IMO.

 

[KevinYee]

I was 10, but seriously I just watched it recently and the movie is perfect IMO.

Well, that definition most certainly depends on who shot first! :lol:

 

[RSoxNo1]

Well, that definition most certainly depends on who shot first! :lol:

Scar shot first.

People really should read Jim Hill's latest article..

According to him.. Xpass will not be 'months out' but more like weeks. And it will be open to all guests (still imagine they may test this with a smaller audience first) and you will have pretty tight restrictions on how many xpass reservations you can make.

I just read the article and it does appear that in some capacity, this will be free to all park guests. I wonder if this is a function of the negativity amongst us fans, or something else.

Here's the article: http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...orld-s-new-xpass-system-supposed-to-work.aspx

I expect this to be something like 2 xPasses for high demand rides, 2 xPasses for shows, parade, and lower demand rides. If this is possible for DVC/Annual Pass holders as Jim speculated, I would view this as a positive. I would love the ability to schedule a ride on Toy Story Mania for 1 PM and not have to worry about being in the park at 9:30. This has a significant advantage.

I would also guess that a byproduct of this may be the elimination of third party ticketing, which is unfortunate. I know that I will often get discounted tickets through my office, and then upgrade them to Annual Passes when I'm in Florida. I would guess that I will not be able to use xPass on that first visit as a result.

 

[KevinYee]

I certainly do hope they let annual passholders NOT at Disney hotels have at least one xpass per day. That would be great.

But for the majority of visitors, to get on the same ten rides you did in 1986 (when there was no FastPass) or 2010 (when you truly used the beejesus out of fastpass), by 2014 you will have to be staying at a Deluxe resort. Otherwise you'll get fewer xpasses, and thus fewer top-tier rides by the end of your day. That's my guess, anyway.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I just read the article and it does appear that in some capacity, this will be free to all park guests. I wonder if this is a function of the negativity amongst us fans, or something else.

I'm guessing "something else".

I'm guessing this is getting people hooked on the product before they start to charge for it.

 

[wm49rs]

I'm guessing "something else".

I'm guessing this is getting people hooked on the product before they start to charge for it.

Well, they've gotten quite a few people hooked on FastPasses, and have yet to charge for it. Let's just wait and see how the whole program gets rolled out first....

 

[flynnibus]

I certainly do hope they let annual passholders NOT at Disney hotels have at least one xpass per day. That would be great.

But for the majority of visitors, to get on the same ten rides you did in 1986 (when there was no FastPass) or 2010 (when you truly used the beejesus out of fastpass), by 2014 you will have to be staying at a Deluxe resort. Otherwise you'll get fewer xpasses, and thus fewer top-tier rides by the end of your day. That's my guess, anyway.

I doubt it - I already got on more attractions per day in 2010 then I did in the 80s. And it sounds like this system will again cut out major blocks of wait for probably incremental waits elsewhere.

Saving me an hour of time takes a LOT of incremental add-on to offset.

 

[lebeau]

I was 10, but seriously I just watched it recently and the movie is perfect IMO.

If you think ANY movie is perfect, your judgement is suspect.

The Lion King is a good movie, but clearly your childhood experience has clouded your judgement. Like I said, I feel the same way about Star Wars. I know it's a goofy sci-fi movie. But it brings me back to when I was 7 and I loved it.

I just read the article and it does appear that in some capacity, this will be free to all park guests. I wonder if this is a function of the negativity amongst us fans, or something else.

Here's the article: http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...orld-s-new-xpass-system-supposed-to-work.aspx

I expect this to be something like 2 xPasses for high demand rides, 2 xPasses for shows, parade, and lower demand rides. If this is possible for DVC/Annual Pass holders as Jim speculated, I would view this as a positive. I would love the ability to schedule a ride on Toy Story Mania for 1 PM and not have to worry about being in the park at 9:30. This has a significant advantage.

I would also guess that a byproduct of this may be the elimination of third party ticketing, which is unfortunate. I know that I will often get discounted tickets through my office, and then upgrade them to Annual Passes when I'm in Florida. I would guess that I will not be able to use xPass on that first visit as a result.

I read the article too. Thanks for the link.

Hill's reversal of his previous position gave me whiplash. I was amused that he berated people for complaining about the death of spontinaity after he started those fires burning with his initial articles. Could it be someone at Disney slapped his wrist?

This latest info sounds like a step in the right direction. Perhaps they used Hill to guage the reaction to the most extreme ideas about xPass (or whatever it will be called). They had to know the reaction would be negative. Especially with the spin Hill put on it. Or perhaps they wanted the negative reaction so people would be accepting when it came out and was free to all resort guests. Who knows.

All I know is I'm glad that the worst case scenario isn't going to play out. I'm back in "wait and see" mode.

 

[lebeau]

I'm guessing "something else".

I'm guessing this is getting people hooked on the product before they start to charge for it.

If they introduce it as free, they know they can't charge for it later.

But I do think there were some shenigans in all this. Someone is pulling Hill's strings. They wanted an initial negative reaction either to convince someone of something or to make the final product more palatable by comparisson.

Something was up.

 

[lebeau]

I doubt it - I already got on more attractions per day in 2010 then I did in the 80s. And it sounds like this system will again cut out major blocks of wait for probably incremental waits elsewhere.

Saving me an hour of time takes a LOT of incremental add-on to offset.

If this is free to all resort guests, I'm for it depending on how it plays out. Right now, guests need more of an incentive to stay on property. What you get for your money is hardly worth the extra $$$. xPass (or whatever) could be just that. It will probably allow them to stop discounting which I assume is the end game here.

 

[71jason]

Hill's reversal of his previous position gave me whiplash. I was amused that he berated people for complaining about the death of spontinaity after he started those fires burning with his initial articles. Could it be someone at Disney slapped his wrist?

But I do think there were some shenigans in all this. Someone is pulling Hill's strings. They wanted an initial negative reaction either to convince someone of something or to make the final product more palatable by comparisson.

Something was up.

This does sound like a completely different program than Hill initially described. Didn't he release a list of xPass rides already? Now the article says they aren't set. And, with 20,000 rooms, everyone in them (and possibly APers too) is going to get a shot at a limited stretch of parade route real estate? That just seems insane.

I know shooting down the credibility of JHM is a favorite online sport but Hill doesn't help himself when he contradicts himself within a week.

BTW, the teaser about pre-ordering food months in advance has to be a joke, right? Right????

 

[lebeau]

BTW, the teaser about pre-ordering food months in advance has to be a joke, right? Right????

He did say it was from your smart phone. So I assume that's not months in advance. I'm guessing Disney will want payment up front before preparing a meal you may not show up for. I'm actually cool with this one. Those counter service places can be a mad house!