Kevin Yee- Airing of Grievances

[disney fan 13]

Good, because from Shark Encounter to Shamu feels like a dead zone.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Any truth to the rumor that Sea World has picked up Old Bay seasoning as a sponsor?

 

[WDW1974]

Uni has Steve Jayson, who is very talented in picking good people who care about the food served on the property, and then he actually walks around to check quality every so often. Universal is also good at making sure the kitchens are properly planned, and if not, they fix quickly. But mostly they can get away with buying a lot of mid-upper level filets and then serving them spot on, subsidized by the tons of pizza and chicken they serve to the masses. Universal's very proud of Mythos and that culture hasn't yet diminished, so the quality stays. Kind of like how Disney used to think of CA Grill and is now talking up BOG, but they aren't executing as well as they could. Disney's culinary division, of which the fine dining really looks down on the parks - it's like they're different companies - really needs a SQS group that actually goes out and samples, which they really don't any more. Disney now relies almost exclusively on surveys, which is never a good idea.

Disney can still do quality food, especially at the full serve locales. Victoria and Albert's is the best food I've ever dined on in Florida. But WDW's general price points are absurd to push people into the DDP and further streamline dining at the resort to a cruiseline type model.

I just don't understand why fans ignorantly defend them. I get full serve quality food at a price slightly higher than typical quick serve at WDW.

Oh, and I'd gladly volunteer to be VP of Quality for Food and Beverage!

 

[WDW1974]

Too bad mythos is like an island in a sea of mediocrity tho. I like Mels for what it is.. but honestly food in the park is nothing to pound their chest over at UNI IMO. I found Mythos nice for what it is in a theme park, but average compared to stand-alones.

Finnegan's is terrific pub food. Think Rose and Crown but take 30-40% off the prices. Lombard's Landing has always been excellent and Confisco Grille has been solid as well.

I generally don't do QS at UNI except for a desperation slice of pizza.

 

[WDW1974]

WDW has all of the capacity it needs. There's already enough entertainment (and more) to keep the average family 100% occupied during the average vacation. WDW, unlike its competitors, is a mature investment.

No, it doesn't have enough capacity inside the parks (meaning things to do). That's why the Fantasyland project was approved. The place is bursting at the seams because it has lost so much capacity in attractions, entertainment, dining and even retail since the mid-90s. Add in the fact that you have so many folks with ECVs and double-wide strollers and you realize that the MK is quite unpleasant most days to visit.

 

[articos]

Disney can still do quality food, especially at the full serve locales. Victoria and Albert's is the best food I've ever dined on in Florida. But WDW's general price points are absurd to push people into the DDP and further streamline dining at the resort to a cruiseline type model.

I just don't understand why fans ignorantly defend them. I get full serve quality food at a price slightly higher than typical quick serve at WDW.

Oh, and I'd gladly volunteer to be VP of Quality for Food and Beverage!

Agreed. It's that massive difference in quality between full and quick serve. There is absolutely no reason WDW cannot do decent fries or burgers at QS. None. Every fast food chain does it worldwide every day, at a fraction of the price. DLR does a better burger at Taste Pilots by a mile. It's just a lack of someone taking charge and fixing it at WDW.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Agreed. It's that massive difference in quality between full and quick serve. There is absolutely no reason WDW cannot do decent fries or burgers at QS. None. Every fast food chain does it worldwide every day, at a fraction of the price. DLR does a better burger at Taste Pilots by a mile. It's just a lack of someone taking charge and fixing it at WDW.

WDW intentionally serves less than stellar Counter Service to push people towards their many Table Service restaurants. But to be honest, I usually do table service at both WDW and URO. I LOVE Fennigan's. And I love that they have an actual Happy Hour. Universal's counter service is pretty hit or miss. The Chimichurri Skirt Steak at the recently reopened Cafe La Bamba is fantastic as are the Chipotle BBQ Ribs. And right now Universal is redoing 2 Counter Service Restaurants, Monsters Cafe to Transformers and the IFFF into multiple Simpson's based food options. I am very interested to see these new options.Also I am intrigued by the fact that Springfield will also include 2 Food Trucks. With the recent trend of getting unique high end food offerings at food trucks this could be really cool.

 

[articos]

WDW intentionally serves less than stellar Counter Service to push people towards their many Table Service restaurants. But to be honest, I usually do table service at both WDW and URO. I LOVE Fennigan's. And I love that they have an actual Happy Hour. Universal's counter service is pretty hit or miss. The Chimichurri Skirt Steak at the recently reopened Cafe La Bamba is fantastic as are the Chipotle BBQ Ribs. And right now Universal is redoing 2 Counter Service Restaurants, Monsters Cafe to Transformers and the IFF into multiple Simpson's based food options. I am very interested to see these new options.Also I am intrigued by the fact that Springfield will also include 2 Food Trucks. With the recent trend of getting unique high end food offerings at food trucks this could be really cool.

Glad to hear about La Bamba. Finnegan's will always be one of my favorites. And I can say that Simpsons is going to be very cool.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The whole "decling by degrees" concept is nothing more than a myth

Just like evolution.

 

[RSoxNo1]

4th- fastpass- Kevin cannot possibly have children or he would never besmirch the wonderful joy that is fastpass. With kids that need to potty, eat, diaper change constantly, etc., being able to walk on popular rides is priceless. I can't wait for fastpass plus so I can pre-reserve wait times- this was the second trip where Toy Story Mania was not an option- we just can't get the kids to HS in time to get a regular fastpass.

Yes, it's unfortunate that you were unable to ride Toy Story Mania, but it's high demand Fastpass is much more a function of a lack of family friendly rides in DHS than it is a Fastpass issue. The same attraction in Magic Kingdom might have a Peter Pan level Fastpass demand, but not a "gone by 11 AM" level demand.

The solution to the Fastpass problems at Toy Story Mania and to a lesser extent, Soarin' is the same solution that we're all saying for pretty much everything else. Improve the existing offerings with refurbishments and regular maintenance, and add new offerings that drive attendance. I think anyone on here could better allocate the $1.5 billion Next Gen investment (or even just the fraction that is the Fastpass+ component) because anyone on here would put that money into a new attraction and/or maintenance.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I've been on both sides and I agree with you on some of your points. I've posted many times regarding the hacks at WDI that produce mostly unimaginative, dull and trite work because the HR idiots hire them due to their education credits rather than their actual talent. WDI is full of them and it's obvious looking at the WDW projects from the past 15 years. I've worked on big budget projects as well as low budget attractions and sometimes the lower budgets force you to be more creative. A good example I use a lot is Cranium Command. In my opinion that was a brilliant theme park show and its development was certainly marked by a low budget and tight schedule. While this is a valid point that's not what I'm focusing on in this thread. I'm focusing on the Disney Company philosophy of today vs. the "golden age."

Every attraction goes through some value engineering and other changes. The difference is that Horizons still ended up with about a $55 Million budget which in today's dollars equals approximately $122 Million. That's a nice hefty budget for an elaborate omnimover. Back then most attractions were in that range and most of those were higher. Im not sure where you got the idea that they were working with severe budgetary restraints for EPCOT.

WDI has shown that they can produce top quality product but it requires hefty budgets to do it. The payoff is obvious looking at Tokyo and Cars Land but TDO is unwilling to give up their short-term thinking and they are running the property into mediocrity.

According to this post, the price of Horizons was $85 million

 

[RSoxNo1]

It's really a pity the way strollers crap up the landscape at WDW. I don't see the equivalent at Universal. Why is that?

Because the biggest weakness of the Universal Parks is a lack of family friendly attractions.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

TSMM is the only fun and suitable ride in DHS for kids under 6. Sure they can ride the GMR, but how many 5 year olds want to ride it?

This is simply a HUGE mistake on TDO's part. You design a vacation resort aimed squarely at the toddler crowd where they know that the majority of the families are going to include toddlers. Then build an entire park with only one ride that caters to them. And then are surprised when that ONE ride gets Capacity Maxed. TDO really are idiots.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Too bad mythos is like an island in a sea of mediocrity tho. I like Mels for what it is.. but honestly food in the park is nothing to pound their chest over at UNI IMO. I found Mythos nice for what it is in a theme park, but average compared to stand-alones.

I'm a big fan of Confisco Grill

 

[drew81]

You do indeed.

Antarctica opens next summer. An E Ticket reason to pay a visit!

Though its more than worth it already.

I think Sea World has something else up their sleeve after Antartica. Just an intuition

 

[whylightbulb]

According to this post, the price of Horizons was $85 million

A few years back I had a copy of the project budget spreadsheets. I'm not sure if it was the final post mortem but if I remember correctly it was dated sometime in 1983 so most likely it was late in the project at least. Unfortunately that was one of the things I lost when I last moved so I can't look at it to verify. If Martin got that number from what the company has made public it may be exaggerated. Regardless if the number is closer to $85 million it shows even more that the company used to spend more for top-grade attractions on a regular basis.

 

[djlaosc]

I think Sea World has something else up their sleeve after Antartica. Just an intuition

Do you have any more information on this?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Do you have any more information on this?

Whatever it is, it's going into the former hospitality house plot.

 

[djlaosc]

Whatever it is, it's going into the former hospitality house plot.

Yeah, that's where I read that it was going - just interested on whether it will be another ride, a show, an animal location or a mixture (like Manta), or any other information available.

 

[WDW1974]

Agreed. It's that massive difference in quality between full and quick serve. There is absolutely no reason WDW cannot do decent fries or burgers at QS. None. Every fast food chain does it worldwide every day, at a fraction of the price. DLR does a better burger at Taste Pilots by a mile. It's just a lack of someone taking charge and fixing it at WDW.

Disney can do decent burgers. I find the Angus burgers at Pecos Bill's to be quite tasty. But fries have always been an issue. They're like Burger King, they just can't ever get them right. ... I was talking to a friend yesterday and we actually talked fries and Disney (I know, what an exciting Christmas Eve I had!) and I recall when DAK Lodge opened and The Mara had these great crinkle cut fries that weren't the usual WDW fries. I think they lasted for about 4-5 years before they switched to the typical across property crap.

I still try and avoid burgers at Disney. I'd rather have Fuddrucker's before heading to a park if I want a decent burger at that price point.