Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[HMF]

It's a shame too because Horn is quite good at making smaller budget single and doubles when he was in charge of Castle Rock Entertainment in late 80s/90s. I guess Iger really didn't understand why Horn was a good choice. He must have been too focused on his late involvement in Harry Potter, LotR, and the Dark Knight films.

Last I heard if Iger had his way Rich Ross would still be studio chairman. John Lasseter and the Board of Directors forced Horn on him and judging by the fact that Alan Horn can see the big picture makes him in my opinion more than qualified for his job and the fact that he does not like Iger just confirms that. He obviously is not from the in-house executive insane asylum that has provided us with the Iger,Ross,Rasulo,Staggs Strategic Planning contingent

 

[WDW1974]

Do you like what Disney is planning? Wondering what the club members think about the expansion and allowing more people to join. Seems like a big renovation.

Not really.

What they want to do is take advantage of the lifestylers living on family and government pay that want into a Club that they frankly have no business being in. Disney wants all those folks who somehow are winding up with 'invites' by members as members.

Disney loves to take advantage of the culture of mental defectives that it has helped create and nurture and they'll destroy Club 33 to get their money.

 

[SirLink]

Same thing they did with John Carter. They should have stood ground on both films and just simply stated that they're good films and they have faith the audience will find them.

By throwing in the towel, they effectively killed both films prematurely.

It had the Pixar name attached ... no shop wanted to buy the toys ... says to me at least that no one wanted to say Andrew Stanton produced one dud of a film ... a snooze fest ... kinda like After Earth. Main character is a character and by the end the character is like a 2 by 4.

 

[crispy]

Question about the Grand Floridian DVC - Are there any indications that this isn't selling as well as hoped or are all the marketing emails, calls, and brochures I keep getting the norm for DVC? I don't own DVC so I am just wondering!

 

[ParentsOf4]

it's not en vogue to me to bash disney. like some who are critical on these boards, it actually hurts me to do it. but what am i supposed to do? hand disney my money, close my eyes, and pretend it was the same guest experience as 20 years ago? it's just not. as a consumer, why would i pay more for an inferior product (whether you compare it to the disney of yesterday or the universal of today)?

Like you, I'm a multi-decade's long WDW vacationer. Loved the place for what seemed like forever. But noticed prices starting to go up more than usual in the mid-2000s. Noticed all these petty thematic and quality cuts to save an extra buck here and there. Noticed it became acceptable for rides to have non-functional animatronics. Noticed CMs who were mailing it in. (Don't blame them; the pay stinks.) Noticed WDW stopped building new attractions. (What's the last really good one? Expedition Everest in 2006 and even that had the god-forsaken Disco Yeti for years now reminding us what WDW has become.) Noticed across-the-board declines in food quality. Noticed a management determined to prop up WDW's numbers with gimmicks. "Room Only" discounts, "Free Dining", "Buy 4, get 3 free", Disney Magical Express so you're captured onsite. And now MyMagic+ so you've preplanned your entire vacation before you arrive in the hopes that it will keep you from driving up I-4 to experience some really exciting new E-ticket attractions being built.

More and more, it's Universal who's acting like the WDW of the 1970s to 1990s.

All of this hurts to type but WDW really has gone down hill in a short time.

I don't want to bash WDW but it deserves bashing.

Corporate Disney is just so lost when it comes to WDW.

 

[WDW1974]

I once stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek and had an EPOCOT view, we could even see the Contemporary Resort way off in the distance. It was just about like being on Disney property in that respect. Except I paid $800 for a week for a two bedroom suite with a full balcony as opposed to several thousand dollars if it was actually run by Disney.

Yes, but your villa didn't include MAGIC, did it?

Disney so loves to take advantage of people that think there is something MAGICal about a $200 motel room or a $500 3-star hotel room.

EDIT: THis thing is moving so quickly, but what in the world was so offensive in this post that it had to be removed? I really don't recall ... Can someone fill me in?

 

[Computer Magic]

Not really.

What they want to do is take advantage of the lifestylers living on family and government pay that want into a Club that they frankly have no business being in. Disney wants all those folks who somehow are winding up with 'invites' by members as members.

Disney loves to take advantage of the culture of mental defectives that it has helped create and nurture and they'll destroy Club ee to get their money.

I'm going to DL in Dec 2014 (yes, I meant 2014) and may have an opporitunity to get into Club 33. I was very excited about the potential opporitunity until I read the expansion coming.

 

[MattM]

You are correct, but it was better than a Hampton Inn. And I dont think you can say it is anymore.

I would agree with that.

 

[Sue_Vongello]

Let's see:

Yes on transport solutions, Yes on schedule except for Kong, which I still have no proof is happening. They expect to continue the pace at least thru 2020 when they will make a call on a possible additional expansion.
Don't think so on third gate. Demolish it and place something else there on Wet N Wild. MIdland willl totally be replaced and added to. No comment on LotR right now.

Comments to follow, more indepth and thought out, on UNI's exec team versus Disney and what they think about what's going down at The Timeshare Kingdom of the World.

Are you kidding? Are you saying they plan on adding major attractions (e-tickets) every year until 2020?!

That's just amazing ... So ...

Universal will open 7 E-tickets between now and 2020 and WDW will open ... what like 2-4 max?

 

[Longhairbear]

No. That is exactly how this boondoggle got sold. Funny, those folks at UNI have them ... And at BGT ... And at TDS ... And at Europa. But none of those parks feel the need to make an everyday tool, one that many people hate because it makes them on the clock 24/7 regardless of their role in life, an integral part of a vacation.

Disney is basically saying ''If you don't have an iPhone like the kewl kids than f--k you.''

Just how much information can a CM see on these IPads?

 

[WDW1974]

Same here, the NGE stuff is somewhat of a derail hiding the real gems of info in here... Which is that there sure are signs of some smoke on the entire length of Universal Blvd more so than ever. With the wet n wild land purchase, and other signs of city of Orlando activity along the road.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more land grabs either, either directly or indirectly (Ie by buying out the owning company instead of the land itself, or with easement agreements with companies like Lockhed) along the road.

Something like that would be unprecedented, but so is Hogwart's express.

There are HUGE goings on at UNI, while Disney sits back and assesses things. You should see the MAGICal George K: The First 100 Days pictorial in the current Eyes and EARs. Too bad he isn't actually doing much beyond that.

But UNI is acquiring g even more land and repurposing existing land. IN seven years, you won't recognize much of the resort or its footprint. All as Disney sells more land off.

Like I said, the paradigm is shifting. And all of those MK clicks are going to mean far less in 4-5 years than they do now. And, yes, TDO does realize this or you would see NOTHING coming to any WDW park. Disney does not want to build anything in any FL park.

 

[WDW1974]

Just how much information can a CM see on these IPads?

::
Honest answer: a lot more than you will be led to think. My exact answer will hopefully go up this weekend -- after it is vetted by someone with some knowledge of the law.

 

[ParentsOf4]

No. That is exactly how this boondoggle got sold. Funny, those folks at UNI have them ... And at BGT ... And at TDS ... And at Europa. But none of those parks feel the need to make an everyday tool, one that many people hate because it makes them on the clock 24/7 regardless of their role in life, an integral part of a vacation.

Disney is basically saying ''If you don't have an iPhone like the kewl kids than f--k you.''

No, Disney is saying "Stay onsite at Universal where you can take it easy, sleep in, get unlimited fast passes all day long, ride some really cool new attractions, dine at some really good & reasonably priced restaurants, go back to your hotel for a bit to enjoy the pool or nap, and then head out for some evening fun."

I wonder, is Disney really saying all of that?

 

[WDW1974]

Are you kidding? Are you saying they plan on adding major attractions (e-tickets) every year until 2020?!

That's just amazing ... So ...

Universal will open 7 E-tickets between now and 2020 and WDW will open ... what like 2-4 max?

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

But Disney has MAGICal datamining bands, addicts, social media whores and mommy bloggers ...

 

[manutdfan1]

Instead of worrying about Disney's response, try focusing on being excited about what's happening at Universal. It's a GREAT time to be a theme park fan regardless of whether Disney "responds" or not. Additionally, it doesn't really matter which resort is better. Just enjoy both.

 

[WDW1974]

I think that the sense of urgency is just being realized right about....now. Seriously. I don't think that anyone in a position of power at Disney felt that any kind of response to Uni's redo/expansion was necessary. Then, 2 things happened. Firstly, Disney execs have just started to realize exactly what Comcast is doing, and how it will affect their business, and secondly, the success of DCA after the makeover showed that spending money provides a great return on that investment. (That should have been seen from what happened at Uni with WWoHP, but perhaps nobody was paying attention.)

The fact that Disney Springs was announced this year and, as reported by Spirit and other reputable insiders, that additions are planned for the next 4-7 years (Star Wars Land? Cars Land? Pandora. Imagination redo. New parade) leads me to believe that some urgency is beginning at this time. I don't know how many of the aforementioned projects would have had any chance of being greenlit without competition from Uni.

I think I said this in my last response to you, but it isn't that what Disney will be adding won't be substantially better than what has been added in the last dozen years (not saying much at all), but it's my firm belief that it will be var too little, far too late.

Pixie Dust isn't intoxicating to as many people as you might think.

 

[fractal]

@WDW1974, A year ago all the talk was about how the success of Carsland was going to be a model for other Disney Parks ( if you build it they will come ). Why/how did that change? Is it all about NGE becoming over bloated?

 

[WDW1974]

Great point! What if Uni never got Potter and whimpered away ... Disney would have done less then they have done up until this point?

Seriously how much worse would the parks be without that little push?

Last post for a while as I can,t live here, but we already saw this.

WDW was ready for massive additions in the late 90s to compete with the new UNiversal Florida resort. Problem was that Universal's former management team bungled the opening and the marketing worse than a group of fanbois. AFter that came a recession and 9/11 and Disney never had to respond.

Unfortunately, that arrogance carried right over to the 2010 debut of WWoHP and since.

 

[PhotoDave219]

What has the average wait time for Transformers been? I'm going to ride it for the first time on Saturday after I buy my new Universal AP

Every time I walked fast it whether it be middle of the afternoon or the weekend, during peak hours you're looking at one hour or longer.

If it is at the end of the evening? You're looking at a shorter wait.

 

[The Mom]

Again, if people would stay on topic (and resist going off on a tangent every other post) it might be possible to "catch-up" in less than an hour. Might not be as much fun, but will make it easier to keep up.