Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[GoofGoof]

For that kind of money I'd like to go somewhere nice such as Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon.

You can get a cabin right at the rim of the Grand Canyon for about $100 a night. We did it a few years ago and it was really cool. The place is totally different at night after the tour busses roll out.

 

[Clever Name]

You can get a cabin right at the rim of the Grand Canyon for about $100 a night. We did it a few years ago and it was really cool. The place is totally different at night after the tour busses roll out.

Another happy camper.

 

[GoofGoof]

It's no secret, reported on by every major news outlet, that DHS is stock piling ammunition in massive amounts.

Nice try though.

Hopefully some dynamite to implode the rides being replaced by Star Wars and Cars... Oh wait, not that DHS

 

[Kuhio]

Looking at the times for last year, it would look like the following would be possible (leaving out A'Lure and One Ocean - we were not impressed with them last time around)

10:00:00 Blue Horizons®
12:30:00 Pets Ahoy®
13:45:00 Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island

These three "regular" SeaWorld shows are all great, but if you need to skip one to see other attractions, the one I'd drop would be Pets Ahoy. It's cute and done well, but it's not quite as unique to SeaWorld as most/all of the other shows are. And, while it's amusing, it's probably not as amusing as the mime that entertains the audience before the sea lion shows.

And if your last visit to SeaWorld was in 2011, then Turtle Trek will be new to you as well. I thought it was OK, but not a must-see -- it's probably more appealing to children than to teens or adults. On the other hand, you do get to see manatees while waiting to enter the Turtle Trek theater, and who doesn't love manatees? They're like the pandas of the sea!

Tried the s'mores, too. Very rich is an understatement! Tasty, though. I think we ate at the Spice Mill, which I remember liking. They even had the inside of the restaurant decorated with Christmas trees, garland, and Christmas music. It was amazing how thoroughly the park was decorated.

I think I ate at the Seafire Inn last time. I had the fish platter -- which is very appropriate, very ironic, or both!

 

[Kuhio]

Am I really booked on three MAGICal cruises now? If I had my spread sheet out then I'd be able to tell you.

I just booked my first-ever Disney Cruise, and I'm very excited, to put it mildly. I'll be sailing on the newly-refurbished Magic, and I've been reading all sorts of trip reports (on all the DCL vessels) and reviews on the internet in preparation. I'm seriously counting down the days.

What's kind of sad is the fact that I honestly can't remember the last time I was so excited and so looking forward to visiting WDW. I had this same kind of excitement in anticipation of my first visits to DLP and TDR, but those were both over a decade ago. I think the last time I had that "just can't wait" feeling for WDW was probably when DAK opened 15 years ago (although anticipating EPCOT's 25th was close).

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you've taken your own DCL cruises. If they're as enjoyable as everyone says they are, I may be booking myself on multiple future cruises before the year is over...

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I always just like a good lobby bar. Drink, walk to room, bed. Takes a lot of bad variables out of the equation.

But Matt, you're a sharp pencil boy/bean counter/MBA! You don't have feelings or a soul!

 

[RSoxNo1]

One of the disappointing trends I've seen in recent years is to disproportionally increase prices on WDW's best customers. Annual passes, longer stay tickets, and DVC prices have increased greater than the average, restrictions to Tables in Wonderland continue to be added, while people who visit frequently often are the least likely to receive discount pins. It appears Disney has decided their more loyal customers will buy the product no matter what; it's the opposite of a frequent buyer program.

Rather than offer incentives, I've started wondering if Disney intends to do the opposite with MyMagic+.

WDW prices are governed by the principle of "price discrimination". Price discrimination, commonly represented in the phrase, “whatever the market to bear”, dates back centuries. It’s based solely on what someone is willing to pay, regardless of supply or demand. In an ideal price discrimination system, a company selling something is able to charge each individual consumer the maximum they are willing to spend. The price of something has no bearing on its cost or what someone else is paying for it.

In the traditionally demonized example, "whatever the market will bear" means charging someone thousands of dollars for a drug they need to survive, even though it costs only pennies to develop and manufacture that drug and the supply of that drug is plentiful.

Disney has been working towards price discrimination for some time and, with the information they are collecting from MyMagic+, would be in a position to move towards something called “perfect price discrimination”. In a nutshell, it means getting each person to spend the absolute greatest amount possible for their WDW vacation even if the person next to them is paying significantly less for essentially the same vacation.

To achieve perfect price discrimination, Disney needs as much information as possible about each person. MagicBand is designed to allow Disney to collect sufficient information so they can crunch this data and determine what each person's threshold of pain is. Since perfect price discrimination is illegal (WDW cannot, for example, charge you $200 for a ticket because that's what you're willing to pay while charging me $20 for that same ticket because that's what I'm willing to pay), Disney will have to modify this to offer slightly different packages to groups of consumers so it could legally argue that two different groups aren’t paying substantially different prices for identical vacations.

Looking at this simplistically, Disney is not going to offer you (for example) “Free Dining” if you are willing to book your vacation without it, even if every other person in the park is receiving “Free Dining”. We already see this principle at work, with many receiving "Free Dining" PINs for times that are not available to the general public. As Disney collects more data through MyMagic+, they will be able to target this sort of incentive more effectively, making sure the only "guests" who receive these discounts are those who would not visit WDW without them.

If the current trend continues, it seems likely that Disney intends to use the data it collects through MyMagic+ to effectively "punish" its most loyal customers.

This was essentially what we thought all along though wasn't it? If guest one has $1000 to spend and guest two has $3000 to spend the aim to get all $4000

 

[MattM]

But Matt, you're a sharp pencil boy/bean counter/MBA! You don't have feelings or a soul!

I'm sure there are some ex's in my past who woudl agree with you.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Disney is not trying to save customers; it's trying to identify price points on an individual customer basis. It's trying to identify each buyer's reserve price.

Listening to Iger and Rasulo talk about MyMagic+, it's obvious (at least to me) that their goal is not to increase the number of guests at WDW. (New guests means more cost for Disney.) Instead, their goal is to get their existing customers to spend more for what's already there.

Figuring out ways to get me to spend more for the same old same old is "punishing" me.

Luckily for me, I simply have been going to the Universal theme parks lately, the ones where they are building exciting new attractions instead of trying to figure out alternate ways, as Rasulo said, to "get a bigger share of [my] wallet."

The problem with this thinking is that Disney still believes theme parks in Florida as mature in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

 

[WildcatDen]

Luckily for me, I simply have been going to the Universal theme parks lately, the ones where they are building exciting new attractions

If that is your criteria, you should consider Cedar Fair properties. New stuff nearly every year. King's Island just announced Banshee. It will open in the Spring of 2014. Cedar Point ups the anty nearly every year. Come spend your money in Ohio where you will not be forced to wear an RFID bracelet but you may be forced to wear an "I love the Buckeye's" t-shirt. . .

 

[culturenthrills]

Now that's puzzling. Don't conventionEARS want someplace to go at night? Right now there's nothing save the BoardWalk, which isn't much of an option unless you're staying at one of the Epcot resorts or have a car.

I just don't get it. I sure like CityWalk though! Rising Star is a blast.

My wife and I love Rising Star. It is so much fun. We went on a weeknight and actually got to sing. It is really cool to do karaoke with a live band.

 

[Turtle]

insiders! (@Lee @WDW1974 @marni1971 @Tim_4 @articos @pheneix )


Is there any way non-Cars Pixar attractions would come to DHS down the road?


And if only a Cars dark ride comes, would it still be "Cars Land" or still "Pixar Place"?

 

[Disneyfan_76]

... but you may be forced to wear an "I love the Buckeye's" t-shirt. . .

I'll wear a Go Bucks shirt any day!

 

[DCLcruiser]

I just booked my first-ever Disney Cruise, and I'm very excited, to put it mildly. I'll be sailing on the newly-refurbished Magic, and I've been reading all sorts of trip reports (on all the DCL vessels) and reviews on the internet in preparation. I'm seriously counting down the days.

What's kind of sad is the fact that I honestly can't remember the last time I was so excited and so looking forward to visiting WDW. I had this same kind of excitement in anticipation of my first visits to DLP and TDR, but those were both over a decade ago. I think the last time I had that "just can't wait" feeling for WDW was probably when DAK opened 15 years ago (although anticipating EPCOT's 25th was close).

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you've taken your own DCL cruises. If they're as enjoyable as everyone says they are, I may be booking myself on multiple future cruises before the year is over...

I've been on the Magic and Wonder. You will love it. It's just as much Disney as the parks. They have taken care of every detail.

 

[WildcatDen]

I say Snowden is a hero and patriot

Amazing comment. I think Treason pretty much stomps the patriot title. A hero? To some, sure. To those potentially in harms way due to leaked TS information, I am thinking not.

 

[MattM]

you may be forced to wear an "I love the Buckeye's" t-shirt. . .

Funny because of my disdain for OSU and Urban "Esophageal Spasm" Meyer and I because I thought Anchorman was hilarious.

 

[WildcatDen]

Well, you can tell by my name, WildcatDen, I am not necessarily a Buckeye fan. I am a Kentucky fan first and foremost. Being here in Cincinnati, the Buckeyes are not as big as UC, IU, Louisville, or UK. But, venture to Middletown and it is like you cross the invisible "Woody" line named after our friend Woody Hayes or a certain morning phenomenon. . .

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Amazing comment. I think Treason pretty much stomps the patriot title.

To the side committing said act of rebellion- it's patriotism (see the Americans in the Revolution)
To the side that the act of rebellion is being committed against- it's treason (see the British in the Revolution)



If you've got high tier NSA members or politicians who had a major hand in setting this system up and keeping it running (with political and/or monetary gain involved), they're obviously going to scream treason. But that's pretty much always the label any government uses when it gets caught red-handed stealing from the cookie jar and abusing their people. But many every day US citizens consider such a thing an invasion of their privacy. This NSA business itself could be considered "treason" against the public by some interpretations of US law and the Constitution. Or some politician or NSA member could consider invading privacy to "prevent terrorism" and whatnot to be "patriotism" (or even if used for corrupt means they could find a way to justify it).

I personally never put it past our government to abuse this system and use it for other means not related to terrorism. I would expect any powerful government to abuse their power without being reprimanded and put into their place. The US government is transparently corrupt even without hiding many of the facets of the corruption, one can only imagine what nasty things go on behind closed doors (heck this is almost certainly just the tip of the iceberg). So i'm more in the "patriot" opinion in regards to Snowden.

 

[71jason]

Spirited Musings (Weekend Edition):

Even with 92 degree heat and humidity to match, Florida feels so much lighter this week. Oh, wait ...all those Disney bloggers and lifestylers are in SoCal desperately trying to prove they are significant life forms.

Seriously, how can D23 not be a slap in the face to fans? You largely pay a ridiculous fee to get a chance to wait in lines where you pay ridiculous prices for merchandise created to take advantage of your addiction (much that I'll likely see in Anaheim's Co D next month).

OK, no offense to Brandon Kleya (he seems like a nice enough fella even if he isn't significant enough to have ever been in my presence!), but boy did his answers or non-answers about Pandora to softballs lobbed by the lifestylers he tweets with really get on my nerves. No, Brandon, even my fanboi side doesn't want to play let,s pretend we took a trip to Pandora (obviously before our military committed genocide there) with you. If I'm playing with fanbois I would probably want to OBTAIN something.

To me, this D23 feels like the first time where you can unequivocally say TWDC is taking advantage of its "lifestyler" fanbase. The company recognizes they have a mental illness, and are exploiting that. If somebody pulled that Pandora act to a member of the legit media--or even a shareholder--they would be crucified.

I know one of the deeper themes in this thread is how Disney is competing (or not competing) in the Central Florida Theme Park Wars, but does anyone in their right mind think this strategy is correct? That data mining and trip planning apps and MAGIC bands in any UNIverse beats investing a few billion dollars in actual product? It really is that simple, guys and gals and bronys. You invest and reinvest in your parks and keep the quality high and people flock to your products. Why has Disney forgotten it? They wrote the book on it. A book that has proven from Tokyo to up I-4 to be as true now as it was 20 years ago.

I alluded to this before, but today I bought three $7 (!) glorified Yuenglings and a $3 donut in Springfield--a theme park addition that couldn't have cost more than a couple hundred grand (including the carnival ride). While there, I counted at least 30 lagoon-side tables. Uni is selling seats there for its nighttime show--$15 for a seat, a Coke (basically free to Uni) and a cupcake (has to be under $1 wholesale). Free money, essentially, from real estate that was doing nothing a few months ago.

Let's not forget how relatively little they spent on WWoHP--which still made JK Rowling happy, even tho TDO found her "impossible to make happy." And it's been a money tree since Day 1.

Uni knows how to make money; TDO doesn't. As I've said before, a hotel company that needs to offer EMH and Magic Express and free dining isn't a very good hotel company--plenty of others fill up hotels without those perks. Apparently they aren't that great a theme park operator, either.

Yes, I did almost puke a bit when reading @EPCOT Explorer 's tweets.

Never met EE in person, tho we've interacted online, have at least one or two mutual real world friends. I do think there's a certain amount of peer pressure on anyone in his position--a well-known Disney commentator visiting the "mother park" for the first time. He's supposed to react the way he did. Catch-22 almost--if he didn't, people would be on him for not fawning over DLR.

Me, being almost twice his age and far less well-known in Disney fan circles--went to DLR for the first time in April after a lifetime at WDW. Was blown away by Cars Land, the Cathay Theater bar, and the Storybook Canal boats. Was impressed by the rest of Fantasyland and Toon Town and Autopia. Nothing else--including Pirates--would inspire me to make the effort to get back to Anaheim. But saying you like Orlando PotC over Anaheim's is akin to heresy--and when far too many fans make Disney their religion, that's a dangerous thing indeed.

 

[ChrisFL]

Good (but brief) article about how short term investing and quarterly profits killed the economic recovery (big shock, I know)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevede...dumbest-idea-killed-the-us-economic-recovery/