Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

[Californian Elitist]

...Cloudy with a Chance for Meatballs 2 (What can I say? I loved the first one!).

Same here! My favorite character is the mayor.

"A pizza, stuffed inside a turkey, the whole thing deep fried and dipped in chocolate!"

Classic line.

 

[HenryMystic]

That's not what I've heard at WDW at all, especially the deluxe level properties. Unless you are talking going forward.

Mr. Bricker stayed at WL this week. Perhaps he could shed some light on this...and post some pics of that stunning resort.

 

[MattM]

Not true at all. Boutiques do exist, as do some awesome neighborhood hip/trendy restaurants in various great 'hoods in Orlando. Just have to look in the right places. Winter Park, Baldwin Park, Thornton Park, Downtown...it might be a bit harder to find them, but they're definitely there. And Umami rocks.

Exactly. My beloved Park Ave in Winter Park is full of them.

 

[dhall]

Same here! My favorite character is the mayor.

"A pizza, stuffed inside a turkey, the whole thing deep fried and dipped in chocolate!"

Classic line.

Never saw the first one, but I liked the trailer so much I'll probably see the second. But I'm also really looking forward to Thor2 (liked the first one a lot), so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[MattM]

Okay, I trust your judgment. But a couple years ago when I thought "Why don't I try and find a fun boutique hotel in Orlando?" instead of the usual Mega-Corporate Anonymous Theme Hotel I usually stay in while at WDW, I could only find two things that even came close. One was a Marriott Autograph Collection property in a sterile cement canyon downtown; The Grand Bohemian. And one was a semi-promising boutique near Eola Lake called the Eo Inn, but whose stated claim to fame was being built on top of a Panera Bread; as if having breakfast at Panera Store #3314 each morning was some sort of exotic travel experience.

Note To Aspiring Boutique Hotel Owners: Don't attach yourself to corporate chains as a claimed "amenity".

Stupid thing is, I love a Panera sandwich at the mall when I'm out running errands. But not when I'm 2,500 miles from home on vacation looking for local culture. I had a cousin that lived in Winter Park a decade+ ago, and had mixed reviews there. Perhaps it's worth a second look in the 2010's?

What Orlando needs is an Ace Hotel type offering. Or at the very least something from Joie De Vivre. But an Ace like in LA, Portland, Seattle or Palm Springs, that would be... ace.

What winter park lacks in lodging it makes up for in dining. We rarely venture from park ave on the weekends when we are just staying home.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Got back from Lone Ranger. I will post my thoughts in a bit, but I was happy to see "Walt Disney Pictures" on the post credits castle title. Hopefully a good sign.

WALT DISNEY IS NOT BETTY CROCKER BOB IGER!!!!!!

 

[MattM]

The Grand Bohemian is a fantastic hotel (it was a privately owned boutique hotel before Marriott came in to manage the place), and Downtown Orlando is NOT a ghost town after 5pm. But whatever. So Orlando isn't as cool as your major metropolitan homeplace. I have a suggestion.....

Anyway, I love people who come from well established metropolitan cultural centers and then go to someplace like Orlando looking for that eclectic LA feel.

You are looking for "local culture" in a town that was less than 60K people 40 years ago. Temper your expectations.

The whole "I want to Orlando and it wasn't New York City" thing gets old and seems a bit arrogant and ignorant to me.

Thank you. I love that Orlando isn't NYC or LA. Love visiting those places but seems like it would be hell to live there, IMHO.

And to the Grand Bohemian, I don't think you really see any signs of the Marriott brand anywhere in the hotel. All I can recall seeing is Kessler Collection. Marriott just lends its name/booking access to its autograph collection hotels and take a share of the rate. They do not actually run the hotels.

 

[WDW1974]

So ... there is an eight page thread on refillable mugs going on ... and no one told me?!?!?

@Lee!!!!!!!

 

[asianway]

Spirit, catching up from a few pages back and yes, I've eaten at the Pueblo Room - I highly recommend the gator fritters

 

[WDW1974]

Not really relevant, but I can't help but think back to the days that didn't have WiFi, didn't have cell phones, didn't have Fastpass and so on and I can't help but wonder how we managed to love Disney so much when it was so blatantly unable to provide a 24/7 connection to the outside world. Maybe that is what we loved about it. Ok, go back to your topic, I've reminisced enough.

Why did I love WDW in an era with no meet and greets or foamhead meals or pintrading? How could that be ... no dining plans, no ressies for meals (except for us special FL residents and that was only 48 hours out originally), no EMHs, very little bus transport ... how did I love WDW so?

It is better today ... ask Lou Mongello.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Love visiting those places but seems like it would be hell to live there, IMHO.

It's not. LA isn't for everyone but it sure ain't hell.

But, I kind of wish everyone thought it was hell and stop moving here.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm not sure "The Producers" theory applies to $250 million summer tentpoles.

I would be more apt to agree if they hadn't of done this last year with John Carter. ... and if they did nothing to make this film fail, they certainly have done nothing to make it soar.

The folks at Marvel seem to get it. I think a lot of the layoffs and consolidations could be beneficial for the Studio. They have a lot to learn from their acquired properties.

Marvel is well run, no doubt. But like I've said before, just wait until a one of their films bombs ... and I could see it happening with Thor 2. ... But I still look at Marvel like the red-headed stepchild ... they don't fit into Disney in any way. They are just there because Iger wanted them.

 

[asianway]

Why did I love WDW in an era with no meet and greets or foamhead meals or pintrading? How could that be ... no dining plans, no ressies for meals (except for us special FL residents and that was only 48 hours out originally), no EMHs, very little bus transport ... how did I love WDW so?

It is better today ... ask Lou Mongello.

The days of wandering characters as atmosphere entertainment...and not part of a parks attraction count in the guidebook sigh

 

[MattM]

It's not. LA isn't for everyone but it sure ain't hell.

But, I kind of wish everyone thought it was hell and stop moving here.

I know it's not really. But just seeing clips on the news of your traffic is enough for me to stay away (though I'm sure they usually show clips recorded from the worst possible jams). LA and California in general is beautiful. Love going out there.

 

[WDW1974]

FYI, the Celebration Place Social Media Cabal has been pushing "free dining" for the Fall pretty hard the past few days.

I really need to get on their arses. I've been too busy and all, but I sure don't want the pressure off of them ...and I may even like one or two of them.

But collateral damage and all ...

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Marvel is well run, no doubt. But like I've said before, just wait until a one of their films bombs ... and I could see it happening with Thor 2. ... But I still look at Marvel like the red-headed stepchild ... they don't fit into Disney in any way. They are just there because Iger wanted them.

And Studio Ghibli, who totally fit into Disney, were left for dead.

 

[WDW1974]

Free Dine was introduced late this year because they were hoping to not need it at all. They're playing catch-up in that regard.

Yes. And watch them extend that and offer other 'deals' for fall ...

 

[Kuhio]

My girls were just glad to be able to see two movies in a month - that rarely ever happens but then again there are rarely two quality movies out at the same time to take them to. Case in point, most of the trailers for the upcoming animated movies look terrible especially Turbo, Free Bird, and the Lego Movie. I had to go read about the plot to Frozen because they trailer gave no indication of what the story was about and wasn't really that interesting. The only trailers that looked decent were for Airplanes (I know, I know) and Cloudy with a Chance for Meatballs 2 (What can I say? I loved the first one!).

I never saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but the trailer for the sequel looked clever and really entertaining. I'm definitely planning to see it now -- and I'm going to try to see the first one as well (the power of a good sequel or prequel -- it can make public interest "backward compatible").

And despite the fact that each new trailer for Planes makes it seem more and more like the movie is just one big collection of cliched characters and situations (scrappy underdog, colorful cultural stereotypes, beautiful international settings, big race, etc.), for some reason the movie is still flat-out appealing. Considering the fact that it's opening relatively late in the summer with little direct competition, Planes could do surprisingly well.

Frozen is a tale of two trailers: the American trailer seemingly has nothing to do with the main plot of the movie or its primary heroes, and the goofy snowman is a really poor fit to hook you on the movie if you otherwise have no idea what it's about. On the other hand, even if you can't understand the language, the Japanese trailer gives you a good idea of the general storyline, and showcases the movie's action and all of its characters to good effect. Given the quality of Tokyo Disney generally and the new additions to HKDL, this kind of invites the question: is Disney just better in Asia?

 

[asianway]

I really need to get on their arses. I've been too busy and all, but I sure don't want the pressure off of them ...and I may even like one or two of them.

But collateral damage and all ...

I truly think SAM "gets it". The rest of them...

 

[Californian Elitist]

I know it's not really. But just seeing clips on the news of your traffic is enough for me to stay away (though I'm sure they usually show clips recorded from the worst possible jams). LA and California in general is beautiful. Love going out there.

Hahaha, yes, please stay away! And tell your friends, too.