Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

[the.dreamfinder]

It could probably be twice the size and pull off the effect much better.

Actually, I'm not sure if you remember, but the Euro Disney special that J** H*** mentioned on your show had a model of the BatB ride facade and it looked so much better than what we got for FLE. Similar because it featured the facade of Beast's castle, but better executed. I'll add a screen grab of it later.

EDIT: Facade is at 0:49
[media]

 

[WDW1974]

Enjoy it while it lasts. As soon as Disney realizes their 'honor system' self service is costing them money because people aren't paying and just taking, they'll rip that right out.

No, they won't because that syrup costs them pennies a cup. That's why they've added the get your own drinks to locations at EPCOT. I bought a drink with lunch at Sunshine Seasons, walked a friend out and was just about dry when I walked by the Electric Umbrella and 'freshened' the Coke. Theft? I don't think so and if Disney did you wouldn't be able to do so. That's why after a brief test of RFID tech at the food court two years ago, Disney opted to not go in that direction .

The company looks the other way when folks shoplift. You really think they care about folks taking soda?

 

[englanddg]

No, they won't because that syrup costs them pennies a cup. That's why they've added the get your own drinks to locations at EPCOT. I bought a drink with lunch at Sunshine Seasons, walked a friend out and was just about dry when I walked by the Electric Umbrella and 'freshened' the Coke. Theft? I don't think so and if Disney did you wouldn't be able to do so. That's why after a brief test of RFID tech at the food court two years ago, Disney opted to not go in that direction .

The company looks the other way when folks shoplift. You really think they care about folks taking soda?

Not to mention, if their contract with Coke was anything like ours was, machine maintenance and parts are free, provided by Coke.

And Disney has a LOT more buying power than my company did...

 

[WDW1974]

You HAVE to school me on how you get all these deals. I mean, I'm a nice guy. People know me. And I'M not getting these kinds of deals!!!!

Not to derail, but...

You made a point that I had forgotten we discussed while on the cruise... That on the Oasis, you sometimes had to LOOK to find the ocean. It wasn't a big deal for us, because we spent most of our time on the top decks and had a balcony. But I could have easily been frustrated if I would have had an inside cabin and didn't spend much time on the top decks. The size for us was great. And I tend to not sit still, so surfing and rock climbing, etc, was perfect.

Now back to your thread.

Ah, you want to be schooled in the dark arts. That can be arranged. Just ask @Lee, he used to be a nice guy. Now, he'll do anything for me except share Mrs. Lee or keep a thread from being run off the rails. I will buy him Subway at the location nearest his office to thank him for his loyal service. But we were talking deals ...they exist. You gotta search them out and can't be picky. DCL is offering some great deals out of Galveston this fall, but you have to be willing to go from there ... I expect great deals from Miami this winter. They will never discount the Dream because they don't have to and rarely anything decent on the Fantasy unless you are a CM. But the older/classic ships can be had for great deals.

As to the Oasis point, I don't want to forget I'm at sea when I'm on a cruise. I also don't want to travel with the equivalent people that might be at a Marlins game on a typical night. I always felt RCCL's ships were too big before the Oasis. Just like an A380 doesn't appeal to me in the air, a mega-liner doesn't at sea.

 

[WDW1974]

How am I making excuses? I said I saw a lack of maintenance during the 24 hour event (and in most recent visits) and I also said that they should know what their staffing levels should be. I work for Universal and they do an excellent job at this, Disney could learn a thing or two. But BGT is a completely different story. A friend of mine who works at BGT and gets attendance numbers on a daily basis has told me They only get 7,000 TOTAL Monday-Friday. Around 15-18,000 on the weekend total. So comparing the two is ridiculously lopsided.

That's still not me saying MK does a great job. They don't. Both Universal parks are exponentially better and the TM's actually care. Maybe next time you'll actually read my comment instead of pushing an agenda.

Excuse me, but what agenda am I pushing?

You said MK was dirty when you went last weekend, but then you said BGT was clean because it got a fraction of the attendance ... That's making excuses in my book. The MK is the No.1 attended park in the world, so it should have a custodial team that can keep up with that. MK is the dirtiest park in O-Town on a regular basis. That's a management issue.

 

[WDW1974]

They don't need more custodial, but they need to be better trained. Everytime I go into a breakroom there is at least four Haitian custodial women hiding in the corner just chatting or sleeping.

True or not, intentional or not, that reads like a racist sexist stereotype.
Maybe Disney shouldn't import slave labor on essential worker visas from one of the poorest nations in the hemisphere, pay them next to nothing and expect them to keep the MK looking like fresh-faced Southerners did in the 70s and 80s. You think those women even know what a Walt Disney was? It always starts and ends with management.

 

[WDW1974]

Haven't tried LTT yet. I was gonna a few years ago but the line was too long.

I have had nothing but great lunches at LTT over the decades.

 

[WDW1974]

Keep it down, will ya? S/D is one of the few places left out there that have decent restaurants and you can still decide on Friday morning you want to eat there Friday evening and have no issue getting a reservation. We don't need the masses realizing this.

They won't go. They aren't Disney. They are more upscale and cater to more sophisticated clientele. You have no DDP locations. Where else can you walk into a character dinner with only 10 tables occupied and the characters can stay and play as long as your kids or you want them to? And what Disney signature locales will seat you at 11 p.m.?

Relax, Matt, most folks are afraid of these places. That's one reason why I've been going for years.

 

[WDW1974]

I just watched the video of Mickey and the Magic Map on YouTube. So I guess every Disney park in the world is getting cool stuff now except for Orlando. Is that the plan?

Kinda, sorta, mostly.

Just listen to Mongello, he'll tell you everything's great ... Although Loveable Lou is starting to anger folks at Disney for (imagine this!) promoting himself over the BRAND. Shocking!!!

 

[WDW1974]

I like the new ...kinder, gentler @spirit74.....seems he needs to spend more time with the lady spirit... less time with @Lee...not there is anything wrong with Lee.....I like him too. But it looks as though the time with someone other then Lee and fanbois has....shall we say.....made you a little little less ridgid

I haven't changed one bit. Just a little more tanned and about 5-7 pounds heavier.

And ready for the Spirited Faux Top One Percent Summer Holiday!

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Kinda, sorta, mostly.

Just listen to Mongello, he'll tell you everything's great ... Although Loveable Lou is starting to anger folks at Disney for (imagine this!) promoting himself over the BRAND. Shocking!!!

Disney just getting upset over Lou reinforces the feeling that Disney will do too little too late to combat UNI.

 

[marni1971]

WDW hates DL for Glow with the Show.

Dunno..... the longer they keep it out the MK the better....

(which won't be too long)

 

[WDW1974]

Man I read your posts 74 and its like a book, I try to imagine who you are. Perhaps I'll get a mouse job and our paths will cross. Anyway, welcome back... Any news Avatar? Some are suggesting some strange inflated budget plans... Are we still looking at $400-500M?

Are you suggesting that I write a book using these threads as the basis a la what Sotto is doing? And I love meeting MAGICal members, so if you're ever traveling to WDW and want to meet the scary, vile, fanboi loving, Disney hating uncensored (unless The Mom or my Mom is around) Spirit, just drop me a note.

Most who do live to tell the tale!!!!

As to Avatar, I haven't heard anything in months, so I don't know.

 

[englanddg]

Dunno..... the longer they keep it out the MK the better....

(which won't be too long)

I agree, it doesn't belong at MK, but I think it would be amazing at EPCOT!

Last year, when I had lunch with Diego Parris, he pretended he hadn't even heard of it...which I didn't buy for a minute.

I even passed around my EVO phone to the rest of the people at the table playing a video of it...and after visiting DL, I can say...very impressive. Very impressive!

 

[WDW1974]

He doesn't have a mouse job and if he's saying $400-$500M he's either got crap sources on this one or he's lying to further some agenda.

Well, it only took 35 pages of one of my threads for someone to attack, so things are improving by degrees around here.

What do you know about Avatar @Tim_4 and why should we believe you? When last I heard that was the budget for Pandora and was what Disney widely publicized. Now what should we believe? That one of the cheapest companies has upped the budget to $1.2 billion and is building multiple E-Ticket attractions?

Please, tell me what you know and I'll try and confirm it ...unless you have crap sources or are lying to further some agenda.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Excuse me, but what agenda am I pushing?

You said MK was dirty when you went last weekend, but then you said BGT was clean because it got a fraction of the attendance ... That's making excuses in my book. The MK is the No.1 attended park in the world, so it should have a custodial team that can keep up with that. MK is the dirtiest park in O-Town on a regular basis. That's a management issue.

Please point me to where I have denied any of what you just said. I have said their staffing being low is not acceptable as they should have a clear understanding of the levels they need. I also specifically mentioned in the quoted post that on recent visits (besides last weekend) the parks have been dirty. DHS does a decent job, but I specifically mentioned Uni tops all four WDW parks. The WDW-BGT thing isn't an excuse as much as it's just a bad comparison. I've fully admitted multiple times that the parks are dirty and there are problems there.

Again, I may have missed something, but please point me to where I denied any of this.

 

[Darth Sidious]

He doesn't have a mouse job and if he's saying $400-$500M he's either got crap sources on this one or he's lying to further some agenda.

I know he doesn't have a mouse job.... I think he's open to that fact.

 

[lebeau]

No, they won't because that syrup costs them pennies a cup. That's why they've added the get your own drinks to locations at EPCOT. I bought a drink with lunch at Sunshine Seasons, walked a friend out and was just about dry when I walked by the Electric Umbrella and 'freshened' the Coke. Theft? I don't think so and if Disney did you wouldn't be able to do so. That's why after a brief test of RFID tech at the food court two years ago, Disney opted to not go in that direction .

The company looks the other way when folks shoplift. You really think they care about folks taking soda?

This is why I don't get the intensity of the refillable mugs debate. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I worked for Sony Theaters. We had a contract with Coke that made the syrup practically free. If Disney pays anything for their syrup, I'm sure it's not much. They are only taking a hit if people would have bought a drink otherwise. But they are also engendering good will by using the hassle-free honor system. And let's face facts, they are going to get your money eventually anyway. Better not to make everyone jump through hoops.

I'm sure Disney knows exactly what this is costing them. The fact that they haven't cracked down on drink refills shows you, it's not worth it to them. If anyone was going to nickel and dime their customers, it would be Disney. Clearly, they don't think it's worth it in this instance. That speaks volumes.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Because Time-Warner no longer owns Six Flags and they have specific deals, not a blanket deal that gives Six Flags the rights to all Time-Warner properties.


Not quite. The deal for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is between Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Inc. and Universal City Development Partners, Ltd.

My bad... You know what they say when you assume lol! I should have known it was more complex. The HP franchise is ridiculously profitable for TW... Good decision by them to scoop it up.

 

[Tim_4]

Well, it only took 35 pages of one of my threads for someone to attack, so things are improving by degrees around here.

What do you know about Avatar @Tim_4 and why should we believe you? When last I heard that was the budget for Pandora and was what Disney widely publicized. Now what should we believe? That one of the cheapest companies has upped the budget to $1.2 billion and is building multiple E-Ticket attractions?

Please, tell me what you know and I'll try and confirm it ...unless you have crap sources or are lying to further some agenda.

No, not $1.2B. More like $0.8.