Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[Jane Doe]

But they want to prop up room load levels by pushing people into staying on property as opposed to doing what I did (pay $86 for TWO deluxe caliber rooms 15 minutes away).

If, as some have suggested in previous posts, that the value and moderate resorts will allow you one, two at a push, FP+, do they really think that this is going to draw people into their hotels? I'm over there in four weeks and will be spending seven nights in the Springhill Suites @ Seaworld which entitles me to a large room in a location which is convenient to all of Orlando's parks, free breakfast and front of the line at Seaworld, all for a lot less than any Disney offering. Couple that with a Flexticket for those with a limited amount of time and you have a far better, and far cheaper, package than anything WDW can offer.

 

[articos]

It really does feel a bit like you're riding through a bunch of preschool toys...

Right?! Exactly. It's rides like these where I go "With everything we can do in parks now, they did this????"

 

[Magenta Panther]

They look that way because Disney doesn't spend the money on them. In TDR, the AAs are silent, life-like and look like they were just installed.

I agree that WDW's look old and dated largely ... that's what purposeful neglect will do.

As to the future, I have no problems with projections/holograms, but not as an entire attraction. It's like most movie-based attractions, they get old very quickly.

And they're not terribly convincing. The Haunted Mansion's new Hitchhiking Ghosts look like what they are - projections and CGI animation - the kind of stuff you see every day at the movies. The original Ghosts looked like they were really there sitting in the Doom Buggies with you (when you looked in the mirrors, of course). THAT part of the HM refurb is a total bust in my opinion.

 

[GeorgiaPinesRJB]

They do. ... To a point.

When Captain Jack first makes his appearance, it's almost like he's in the room with you. But it gets tired quickly. I still think I enjoyed it more because of Depp than Mermaid.

What I enjoyed more was the weirdness of having the guy who plays Geoff Peterson (Craig Ferguson's gay skeleton robot sidekick on CBS's Late Late Show) do the voice of the talking skull ... it was very, very bizarre for someone who loves watching the show.

Throw beads, swim naked...

Thanks for your post, Spirit. As always.

 

[EpcotFanForever]

Actually, the DL dark rides have regularly been plussed and cleaned -- their Pan has a great fiberoptic star effect, which they've had for years (maybe since the 80s) that MK has never received. Their Snow White ride had a nice upgrade in effects a couple years ago and the MK version...doesn't exist anymore, but it never got the upgrade in effects, either.

Well, the WDW version has the glowing saliva effect, from all the idiots who spit on the walls and curtains.

 

[EpcotFanForever]

They do. ... To a point.

When Captain Jack first makes his appearance, it's almost like he's in the room with you. But it gets tired quickly. I still think I enjoyed it more because of Depp than Mermaid.

What I enjoyed more was the weirdness of having the guy who plays Geoff Peterson (Craig Ferguson's gay skeleton robot sidekick on CBS's Late Late Show) do the voice of the talking skull ... it was very, very bizarre for someone who loves watching the show.

Wow, I would have gone in had I known that!

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

I thought what I've thought for years now, which is that it is a thematic mess. I only rode the Peoplemover ... some of my entourage rode Buzz Lightyear as well.

Just wanted to add that I hope you were able to get a good luck at the Progress City model on the PeopleMover. We got stuck there for about ten minutes and had a chance to really soak in the fitting/ironic amount of neglect this very simple piece of WDW history has. Whole thing is covered in a layer of dust ala Mansion, wallpaper peeling off, Hot Wheel toy cars out of scale, broken structures, and knocked over figures. If this isn't the biggest indication to fanboys that TDO just doesn't get it, the model that arguably sparked Uncle Walt to break ground in Florida, well I don't know what is.

 

[HMF]

I just found this...
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/blog/
Should we be concerned? (Japanese Lou coming soon?)

OLC has shown us they are trustworthy unlike WDC.

 

[HMF]

Completely agree. Holograms sound cool, but the lack of quality updates to AA technology is no reason to cast them off completely.

You are talking about the Company that killed off traditional animation because of a few poor-quality films.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

You are talking about the Company that killed off traditional animation because of a few poor-quality films.

There were willing coconspiritors; the egos of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg as well as execs at WB and Fox that made disney photocopies like Quest for Camelot and Anastasia.

 

[marni1971]

the lack of food options late in the evening at MK is a major peeve of mine.

And early in the morning.

Remember when you could just walk into Crystal Palace for a reasonably priced, family breakfast each day?

Even Disneyland has QS breakfast platters in Tomorrowland.

 

[marni1971]

But holograms are probably cheaper...

Please.... Not holograms. Projections.

Holograms imply a healthy budget.

Incidentally, the worlds largest hologram actually was installed in Journey into Imagination in 1982.

Of course, it was removed in 1998.

 

[marni1971]

But BGM is very important and there were some issues at EPCOT with that. Basically, it was dead from Canada until you hit the International Gateway one day and dead on the bridge (some would say appropriately so) from FW to the tree at night. Certainly something I noticed immediately.

Still? Two years back the gateway plaza area couldn't kill it's BGM for RoE. For Epcots 30th, the FW bridge, plaza (tree) area all the way to Mexico was silent. At noon.

 

[Goofyernmost]

And most importantly, they have Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Toad is easy to maintain. All they have to do is dust off the cardboard cutouts and change the black lights occasionally. A low budget carnival fun house ride that for some reason inexplicable to me, people have turned into a god like status. But I am probably holding back on how I really feel.

 

[flynnibus]

I'm tempted to say how shocked I am that you have a Mrs. but instead I'll just wish you both a MAGICal time in Anaheim.

Tsk tsk.. you know so much about the O-town cliques but haven't looked at moi?? I'm crushed. Ask some of the online personalities from out west.. they love my Ms and family

I am too lazy to check, but I am almost 100% sure that all WDW hours, except for MK, go back to relatively normal on 1/1. That just blows my mind with the holidays being late.

Yeah, DLR is going until the 7th. I'm hoping for a good balance of things available.. and lesser crowds. I still have a battle in front of me trying to convince my mother not to head to WDW for the grandkids.. which is a trip she's been trying to do for 6+m now which I really have limited interest in.

 

[George]

Toad is easy to maintain. All they have to do is dust off the cardboard cutouts and change the black lights occasionally. A low budget carnival fun house ride that for some reason inexplicable to me, people have turned into a god like status. But I am probably holding back on how I really feel.

There's truth to this, but it was a fun ride. I much preferred the MK version to the DL version. If they would occasionally just add something like this, it would go along way to appeasing hard core fans. Could you imagine how pleased people would be if they opened the Rhine River Ride and Western River Expedition in the next year? All the parks need capacity and hidden gems.

 

[Alektronic]

But BGM is very important and there were some issues at EPCOT with that. Basically, it was dead from Canada until you hit the International Gateway one day and dead on the bridge (some would say appropriately so) from FW to the tree at night. Certainly something I noticed immediately.

I can help to explain that, in World Showcase evrything is divided into audio zones, sometimes a country is one zone and some have two zones but the holiday season is the worse. Because of the entertainment going on in the pavilion they mute in the audio in that zone for the entertainers. Like the British Revolution plays in UK they mute all the BGM for UK so even if they playing in the back of the Rose Garden, all of UK is muted including the promenade . When Off Kilter is playing all of Canada is muted. Then throw in the extra storytellers for each country and the BGM is muted for their performances and some of them are one after another so BGM hardly ever comes back on sometimes for 3-4 hours at a time.

 

[brentl1127]

I did not read all the posts, but let me sum up and see if I have what many are saying:

1) Keep making more hours available to us, heck why not just say open 24 hours.
2) Stop adding new attractions that do not meet what I want to see in the park, New Fantasy Land, who cares.
3) Pay people more
4) People on this message board could run the parks better than the folks who do now
5) Screw the kids, make everything geared more to us needy adults.

This about sums it up right? There are so many flaws in most of your positions, but let me name a few...

first, the FP+ rather than the EMH...hmmm lets see, Disney can give a benefit to resort guests (who are contributing to the bottom line in a big way) a benefit without spending a ton of $'s on staffing, and that is a bad thing. Well, first and foremost, Disney is a corporation, they are in it to make $'s, if you can give someone a benefit that is comparable to what they get now, but save money doing it, it is a win win situation. Also, with the costs of benefits and other HR related expenses going up, those costs get passed along to all of you in the price of the tickets...so...sure, lets increase hours, but your ticket price will keep skyrocketing faster and faster.

Next, you all want more maintenance, but you want them to do it in less downtime, and god forbid an attraction is down when you are visiting, it would be terrible. there is give and take here. Think about what you are all saying, increase hours, but keep things in better condition. Those two cannot happen at the same time.

Third, so everyone wants new attractions, well when they get them what to they do? Complain. Little Mermaid is not my cup of tea, but little ones love it, and it adds to the fantasy land area, so I think it is a good addition. Do we miss Mr. Toad and what not, sure, but when a kid who is now used to all the technology that is out there, and has no sentimental history for a ride, goes on that ride, disappointment would be an understatement.

Lastly, everyone who talks like they know what is best for Disney needs to realize that WDW has been and will continue to be a destination vacation spot and one of the best Theme Park areas because the people who are running it actually might know what they are doing. Sure things might perfect, but I have to say Disney is HEAD and SHOULDERS above 95% of the other parks around.

Ok, I'll get off my rant, but people, enjoy WDW for what it is, and realize that first and foremost it is a business, so things might not be how you want, but I'll take Disney over just about any other resort area around.

 

[thehowiet]

Think about what you are all saying, increase hours, but keep things in better condition. Those two cannot happen at the same time.

Those two things can absolutely happen at the same time, and did for decades. Back in the 80's both MK and EPCOT were open until midnight every night during the summer. The whole resort was in great shape. Those two things can happen at the same time, TDO just chooses not to spend the cash to do so.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

There's truth to this, but it was a fun ride. I much preferred the MK version to the DL version.

Sacrilege!

I absolutely hated the MK version. The cars were too big and the turns were too wide in order to accommodate them. The smaller cars and tighter turns in DL make the ride seem more wild, which is the whole point of the story.

Besides... the trip to hell in the DL version totally makes the experience!