Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

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Wikkler

Wikkler

Well-Known Member
PhotoDave219 said:
I beg to differ. IOA cant handle crowds whatsoever.

Plus If i want a Ginger Ale after riding a roller coaster, its going to cost me $11 dollars at Universal. Their food sucks (except for Mythos) and everything is more expensive....
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Nope everything Universal does is perfect and beats Disney in every way... :rolleyes:
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
BrianLo said:
-Although I think people may hate the idea of Toy Story miniland, I kind of like it. Like Storybook Circus it's fairly harmless. Although it really, really should have TSMM (same goes for WDS, but that is clearly not happening based on recent posts). I do dislike, not hate mind you, but dislike Toontown. At least RC Racers better captures the teens/young adults crowd who grew up on Toy Story.
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You're not alone in thinking this and I agree it needs TSMM to really sell it as a land, but the themeing and vegitation help place it above the level of typical amusment park visuals. What kind of view do you get from the parachute drop?

Also, what kind of weird placement issues are there at HKDL? I know Centre Street has been ruined with an ugly green shed unfortunately.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
Sue_Vongello said:
Wait a min ... @WDW1974 was conducting a "test" recently, he said, on influencers in social media. He also said he has a background in social media. And now we have this "personal" "transformative" news that fanboi nation will hate?

Are we looking at Disney's new social media director?

I can't imagine fanbois hating anything worse!

Wouldn't that be crazy/great? I know I'd love to see some blogger's revenue streams severed!
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Either that or they are bringing him back as CEO of TWDC.
 
K

Kuhio

Well-Known Member
BrianLo said:
Promised an update! Went to HKDL a few days ago and was really impressed with the massive changes in a little over a years time since my first visit.
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Thanks for this update! I'm planning a return visit to HKDL in the near future, and I've been itching to read TRs for HKDL for months now. My first and only visit was in 2007, so the changes have really been enormous.

BrianLo said:
-Does anyone know the actual cost comparisons between the HKDL expansion and New Fantasyland? Really in essence the two have similar make-ups. Instead of Snow White you have Grizzly Gulch Mine Train and Instead of Mermaid you have Mystic Point. Not that I think I dislike or likely will any of those four rides, but I'll give you one guess at which two I think were/will be better.
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Regardless of cost, HKDL got by far the better deal with Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point. Even though I think the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will be a fun little ride, it can't compare to Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars... and Mystic Manor simply crushes Mermaid in every way -- something that would true even if Mermaid were wholly original and not just a clone of a walk-on attraction at DCA. And, as much as I think Be Our Guest is nice for what it is, the Explorers Club at Mystic Point also looks fantastic, despite being "only" a counter-service eatery.

BrianLo said:
-Although I think people may hate the idea of Toy Story miniland, I kind of like it. Like Storybook Circus it's fairly harmless. Although it really, really should have TSMM (same goes for WDS, but that is clearly not happening based on recent posts). I do dislike, not hate mind you, but dislike Toontown. At least RC Racers better captures the teens/young adults crowd who grew up on Toy Story.
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I'm one of those people who doesn't think Toy Story Land is an utter waste of space, but I'm still not sure it belongs in a "castle park." To me, Disneyland-type parks are entirely about bringing to life adventures in the past (whether historical or imagined) or the future -- modern-day diversions just seem better suited to a studios or other type of park. And, even though the Toy Story movies are fantasies, they still take place in a contemporary setting. For this reason, I've always been a bit ambivalent about Toontown -- although one could argue that it's set in the '40s or '50s, and thus technically not "modern day."

BrianLo said:
-I was really excited to ride Mystic Manor, and really did the best to temper my expectations, readying myself to be disappointed. I also never watched a ride-through knowing I was going in a few months, so while I knew enough about it, it was mostly a surprise for me still. I am afraid to admit that I might have watered up just a little bit once I got off the ride... I liked it that much. Stupid Disney Pixie Dust... ... It is one of my top all time favourite Disney rides already. I think that is a very fluid list, but in the moment I felt like it was a contender for number one, and that is saying a lot!
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So happy to hear this. To me, the hardest part about waiting has been refraining from watching a ride-through. But I refrained from watching a Radiator Springs Racers ride-through as well, and was very glad I did when I finally made it to DCA. I don't think ride-throughs can capture the essence of a dark ride, where things are happening all around you, rather than an attraction like a roller coaster, which is mostly forward-focused. And I'm confident that MM will be very close to number one on my favorite Disney attraction list as well.

BrianLo said:
-Love their small world! Other castle parks have their charms, but they seriously need year long refurbs when the clicking of the dolls eyes produce better audio than the speakers. No problem with the Disney character infusions, but I am sure there are purists that hate it. We went on it twice, which I'd never do in one day at any other castle park...
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OK, I'll admit to having watched a ride-through (several, actually) of HKDL's small world, which was still being built during my first trip. And although riding it in person might change my mind, from what I've seen in ride-throughs, HKDL's small world looks clearly superior to the other parks'. It has some amazing lighting effects. I know many people are partial to DLP's small world (which I've ridden a number of times), but the reason I don't like it as much as others do is the fact that the design of the sets isn't truly in the Mary Blair vein -- they're not stylized, as in the other small world versions. To see what I mean, just compare the Eiffel Tower in DLP's small world with that in any other version -- DLP's looks like a cartoon depiction of the landmark, rather than one that employs a stylized aesthetic. It does make DLP's small world lusher and more colorful, but also a bit less sophisticated, IMO.

And I completely agree about souvenirs from HKDL vs. those from TDR. I did find some nice things when I was there a few years ago -- like a Shiriki Utundu statuette, a New York City Preservation Society towel, and a Nautilus model made of LEGO-type bricks -- but it's my understanding that many of those unique items have since been discontinued in favor of more Duffy and Shellie Mae merchandise. When I visit HKDL, I'm going to make sure I have plenty of room in my suitcase for the return trip... almost every piece of the Mystic Point merchandise alone looks like it was well conceived with Disney fans in mind.
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stevehousse

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
Going back to movies, we just watched Brave for the first time.

Thought it was cute, nothing too special though...my biggest pet peeve with the movie was merida's hair!!! I thought it was gross to look at!
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Bolna said:
While Paris itself might do fine, Marne-la-Vallee and the surrounding area will not. There was a reason why the French government gave Disney such a great deal. DLP was built in a rural area outside of Paris and has brought a lot of prosperity to that region. If you drive around a little bit, you will see how much was built there since 1992. All the hotels in that area will certainly get into huge trouble if the main reason why people come and stay at a place that is a 40 minute train ride from Paris, suddenly disappears.
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This is exactly why I think ending investment in/loans to Euro Disney SCA is an attempt to acquire the entire Company. Part of the agreement with the French government was Disney divesting itself of a majority interest. The area, and all those jobs, need the Resort and nobody else in Europe drives the traffic Disney does. Buying up the remaining shares of Euro Disney SCA won't be cheap, but it removes headaches like treating investment in the Resort as owed debt.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
This is exactly why I think ending investment in/loans to Euro Disney SCA is an attempt to acquire the entire Company. Part of the agreement with the French government was Disney divesting itself of a majority interest. The area, and all those jobs, need the Resort and nobody else in Europe drives the traffic Disney does. Buying up the remaining shares of Euro Disney SCA won't be cheap, but it removes headaches like treating investment in the Resort as owed debt.
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No, no, buying up the shares is pocket change.

40 million outstanding shares at a share price of €4,50. Of which forty percent are already owned by Disney.
I've got that kind of money lying around in a few old socks.

Really, if you have some family fortune to spare you could own a Disney resort.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
jensenrick said:
I spent ten days in Paris last July, rented a lovely apartment that looked over the Pont Neuf bridge, and no thanks. I mean, I might see it someday, but when you are in Paris . . . you are in PARIS!
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Many Parisians (minus the more pretentious ones, of which, granted, there are quite a few) have come to embrace DLP. Disney is considered part fo the fabric of the city, one of its treasures. Just like the Prater or Tivoli are city amusement parks of Vienna and Copenhagen.

It would be a shame if a Disney fan visits Paris without hopping over to DLP.
 
Darth Sidious

Darth Sidious

Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
nor'easter said:
Funny, I thought that of New York, a city I also love.

I guess if you you're used to your SUV, fast food and WalMart, you might not like Paris. I did think Disneyland Paris is worth a visit, but only if you have more than 4 or 5 days in Paris, or are a return visitor.
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I work in New York and I must say the filth is sometimes stomach churning. There have been mornings where certain streets have a foul stench due to their lack of cleanliness. Subway stations are mostly this way as well... They spend so much money and raise fares and we don't even get cleanly subway stations.
 
lazyboy97o

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
No, no, buying up the shares is pocket change.

40 million outstanding shares at a share price of €4,50. Of which forty percent are already owned by Disney.
I've got that kind of money lying around in a few old socks.

Really, if you have some family fortune to spare you could own a Disney resort.
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I doubt a deal to allow Disney to buy upthe shares will be discussed quietly, which will send prices up. Disney will also have to buy out the Prince who is going to want a return on his having bailed out the Company in the mid-90s.
 
TalkingHead

TalkingHead

Well-Known Member
Scuttle said:
Considering his age and his performances so far I don't think it's that crazy to say.
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By the age of 40, De Niro had done Mean Streets, Godfather Pt 2, The Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The King of Comedy.

DiCaprio is almost 40 now. Has he done anything as good as Jake La Motta and Travis Bickle?

And that's just DeNiro. There are a number of other actors I'd choose for "best of all time" before DiCaprio would even cross my mind.
 
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