Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...

[asianway]

This may be a silly question and I know I'm rather behind... But I was hoping someone could explain to me why EMH have been reduced?

To slowly ween the public off of them in preparation for elimination-of the evening ones anyway. If they can better spread the load to the existing capacity during the day, there's no reason for extended hours. X number of attractions per day = MAGIC

 

[PhotoDave219]

This may be a silly question and I know I'm rather behind... But I was hoping someone could explain to me why EMH have been reduced?

Labor costs. TDO said that not as many people were using the third hours (IE 2-3 AM at MK)

 

[George]

Excellent article.

Agreed. Here's another good quote - "While the bracelets will be optional, it may become necessary to have a quality experience."

 

[George]

And I love this - "One highlight of our last Disney trip was when my son got spontaneously picked to have a sword-fighting lesson with Jack Sparrow outside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That is a bit of magic for the kid -- and the parents. If my kid had been picked because he had the fancy-level bracelet, that would have been a lot less magical."

 

[RSoxNo1]

Now, common Disney! Announce Pixar Land so we can discuss something else!

That's actually interesting, I wonder if they'll take that strategy of burrying the lead by announcing new attractions sooner than expected.

 

[GrumpyFan]

Simple... They are 'trackers' - not reporters or investigative journalists.

I'm not defending them, but aren't most of the executives "shielded" or guarded and avoid them when approached? I know most of the time they will have an entourage with them, so it's kind of hard to do a "on the scene/live" report, but I think most of them are pretty well trained at dealing with media, even if the ones who might approach aren't real journalists.
While some of them may be spoon fed, I appreciate the information they do provide. It's not like the real journalists are lining up to do an actual story on these topics. So, in some sense it fills a gap that we might not otherwise get.

(Okay, maybe I was defending them.)

 

[flynnibus]

I'm not defending them, but aren't most of the executives "shielded" or guarded and avoid them when approached? I know most of the time they will have an entourage with them, so it's kind of hard to do a "on the scene/live" report, but I think most of them are pretty well trained at dealing with media, even if the ones who might approach aren't real journalists.

I don't think anyone is suggesting they try to ambush the execs or put them on the spot (we've talked about this in the past in these threads). But when they are in town, given the timing and proximity, wouldn't that be the opportune time to challenge the company to make them available? Given the things unfolding, wouldn't that be the opportune time to push for access to ask these pertinent questions?

That's what reporters really covering the story and beat would be pressing for.. to get new info, push for it.. not just wait for what can be found by being passive and just waiting for the next PR item.

While some of them may be spoon fed, I appreciate the information they do provide. It's not like the real journalists are lining up to do an actual story on these topics. So, in some sense it fills a gap that we might not otherwise get.

Oh I certainly appreciate the tracking of change in the parks - it provides a view I can not get myself being far away with Disney only being a personal interest, not a job But that tracking shouldn't be confused with actual journalism. And that's what ties back to @WDW1974 's complaints about how they are handled by the company as if they were covering media... vs say... how theme parks treat groups like.. coaster groups. They give them access, but more like 'fan appreciation' stuff.. not replacing journalism.

 

[MattM]

MiceChat insiders are saying something similar. They're saying that "retiring" is not the correct term and there will be some conditions announced tomorrow that will make this seem less devastating. Hmmm.

But Ricky Brigante has known for months... (because he said so on the internet, it has to be true)

 

[flynnibus]

But Ricky Brigante has known for months... (because he said so on the internet, it has to be true)

Rumors of Baxter 'leaving soon' have been going on for ages.. fueled mostly by our local spirit. It's always been a question of 'when' and under what terms.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Lets play a game, how many E Tickets does it take to make us forget about MyMagic+?

 

[Jakester]

Am I the only one who thinks the Super Bowl preparade for limited time magic isn't bad for TDO?

 

[rael ramone]

Rep. Markey certainly has an agenda. He’s the Democratic front-runner to replace Kerry. With Kerry confirmed as Secretary of State, Markey’s wants that Senate seat badly. Politically, that’s what he cares about the most. If it’s in his best political interest to let Iger’s letter pass, Markey will let it pass. If Markey decides he can use Iger’s letter for political gain, Markey will do that at the time most advantageous for Markey. The special election is tentatively set for June. Rep. Lynch already has announced he intends to challenge Markey for the seat. Does Markey want to score points with the voters before the election or is this something he wants to take up if he wins the election? With challengers in the primary and special elections, does Markey have the time to even bother with Disney?

I’m sure backroom deals are being made but haven’t a clue by whom or for what. For all we know, Markey’s letter was an attempt to extort political donations from Disney and Disney has already bought him off. Conversely, Markey might already have had a set agenda against Disney no matter what their response was. Politics is a dirty game, with friend and foe often changing sides. I don’t know where this is headed; only that Disney has to do damage control on NextGen’s less than stellar initial reception.

Imagine what happens if Markey suddenly declares “I think MyMagic+ is great”. It would put Disney in a strong position against other critics. Disney would be beholden to him for it. Politics is complex and stranger things have happened.

No matter what happens politically, Disney has to overcome the problem of “guests” simply not wanting to wear those bracelets. On this point, perhaps it would have been smarter to hold off on these until later and advertise them as an upgrade. “Sure, we have MyMagic+, but only our really cool special guests get to wear MagicBands!” Instead, Disney put them front-and-center. People started asking, “What makes them so special?” Perhaps more than anything, it was MagicBands that opened up the can of worms for Disney.

In answering this I'm going to try to not get into politics (just where it could affect the Mouse):

First off, I don't suspect that Markey is going to embrace the program, for the simple reason that he asked important questions, and Iger didn't answer them. Markey may not pursue (due to campaining), or his efforts to pursue in the House might get shot down by the majority party. But for him to publicly embrace it gives the appearance that he was bought. Something that his challengers (or a PAC) would certainly bring up.

As far as the election, it looks like Brown is going to run. That means this race will get national attention (only senate race in the country), and it won't be a layup. Lots of PAC money spent on both sides. And all this attention will bring up, yes, Markey/COPPA vs. Disney. Money will be spent to see that it is.

As far as bracelets go, logic suggests that (at least for the business convention guests) there will have lanyards for them. They have no problem wearing them at Coronado (once when I was there it was a 85/15 convention/family mix). And IIRC, I've even seen people at F&W wearing lanyards (and they definitely weren't CM's). There is a *very large* convention complex up I-4 that is convieniently located to other attractions.

 

[rael ramone]

Lets play a game, how many E Tickets does it take to make us forget about MyMagic+?

Real E Tickets or Mermaid/Dwarf mini-coaster "E tickets"?

 

[Rasvar]

I was just looking at the videos in this thread. I know the WDW leadership get a lot of the blame for "dumbing down" Disney World, but I wonder how many people would go to the MK in these videos. No roller coasters, no 3D movies, no meet and greets. I remember it as being an unbelievable place where anything was possible. Even if the technology had been kept up and The Mickey Mouse Revue had been updated to the latest and greatest AAs on a regular basis would today's guests would really prefer it over Philharmagic. I certainly miss it, but is that just nostalgia on my part? Would the idealism of 1971 play today? Nothing Disney showcased in what amounted to an hour long infomercial about WDW would be considered an E Ticket today, but they were the best of the best at the time. How much do we blame Iger (or Eisner) and how much do we blame Honey Boo Boo?

Yeah, the parks are always improving but I was there in 1971. You had meet and greets. it was just a little more spontaneous. No specific place to go. No real lines to queue up in. At the same time, all of Main Street wasn't a store. There were tons of surprises. Surprises now are all advertised or listed in a program. I may be one of the few who sorely misses all of the old style games in the Penny Arcade. I miss the Mickey Mouse Review and at the same time recognize that it would have gone the way of Flight to the Moon by now. WDW as a whole seems to lack that little bit of magic that anything could happen instead of something that seems regimented and corporate. I also know, that a kid can still experience that magic. Maybe not being a kid changes something but I was still able to feel some of that intangible magic in the 80's and 90's when I was no longer a kid. It just seems like going to WDW is now more like planning a corporate meeting than going to a place where the unexpected happens. Maybe that is where the "dumbing down" seems to be. In making the trip a check list of things to do instead of going and seeing what happens. Well, that and all the lawyers. The bombarding of safety signs, system and spiels (just look at the joke the parking lot trams have become) make it more annoying and a reminder of the real world. I guess I just liked the simpler days when a 12 year old boy could just wander WDW resorts and parks with money and tickets in his pockets as long as he was back to the campsite/hotel/meeting spot at a certain time. Not sure how many 12 year olds are free to roam these days. Too many worries.

 

[MattM]

Rumors of Baxter 'leaving soon' have been going on for ages.. fueled mostly by our local spirit. It's always been a question of 'when' and under what terms.

Right. I just think its funny when after something happens someone on the interwebs tweets they've known about it for months, even though you can go back and see that nothing has ever been posted about it.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Real E Tickets or Mermaid/Dwarf mini-coaster "E tickets"?

Real E Tickets like RSR or JTTCotE or Pirates.

 

[Lee]

Right. I just think its funny when after something happens someone on the interwebs tweets they've known about it for months, even though you can go back and see that nothing has ever been posted about it.

To be fair, sometimes you have to sit on information that eventually comes out. I can't say that is the case there, but if you wanted to give the dude benefit of the doubt....

A search would probably reveal that it's been discussed here for a while.

 

[Genie of the Lamp]

Lets play a game, how many E Tickets does it take to make us forget about MyMagic+?

At the very least, 2 at each park. Esp. for DHS, DAK, EPCOT, and MK. Also wouldn't mind seeing some more E-Ticket water rides go into the water parks as well.

 

[ParentsOf4]

That's actually interesting, I wonder if they'll take that strategy of burrying the lead by announcing new attractions sooner than expected.

I'll be disappointed if Disney doesn't come out with a major expansion announcement before the end of MagicBand beta test.

For several reasons, MagicBand has not been received as warmly as Disney had hoped. Like anything in advertising, you put together what you think will be a winning ad campaign but, no matter how many surveys and focus groups you conduct, it's still difficult to gauge how a product will be received by the mass market.

IMHO, Disney needs to change the story and refocus public attention on something else. Disney needs to take a lesson from the movie Up and get the public thinking:

Squirrel!​

.

 

[MattM]

To be fair, sometimes you have to sit on information that eventually comes out. I can't say that is the case there, but if you wanted to give the dude benefit of the doubt....

A search would probably reveal that it's been discussed here for a while.

I absolutely agree. I wasn't referring to anyone here, just a certain "tweeter" on the interwebs.