Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts Tres

[CBOMB]

I see this has morphed into a roley coaster debate. I'd ask that we table that ... at least until I start raving about the great coasters just a short drive away in Tampa.

I was about to talk about a subject near and dear to most of us ... Starbucks. No, I was kidding. I was going to start talking about food. But first a trip back to the Wonder to talk about guest service and exceeding guests' expectations.

If you want to understand what I am talking about when I say that WDW is average at best in this area, then you have yet another reason for a Disney Cruise because the guest service they show is truly top notch, very close to what I would consider a true 5-star product.

Everyone cares. Everyone wants to make sure that you are happy and that you are having a truly MAGICal experience. Crew will approach you and ask how the voyage is going and what, if anything, they can do for you. They approach with eye contact and a smile and don't walk in the opposite direction or look down like they don't want to be bothered ... what I often encounter at WDW.

Whether it's having ice waiting in the cabin for you or knowing you like real Cherry Cokes with meals or simply your names, it is obvious these folks aren't going through the motion. No need to welcome you home or tell you to have a MAGICal day 56 times in 24 hours ... Nope, not when you provide a real top quality experience.

NOTE TO DISNEY: giving me a room at the All Star Music this summer for $107 a night isn't a deal, but an atrocity. (just a comment on my targeted banner ad here)

WDW has operated like this for so long it has become the new norm for them. It became where I had to overlook so many short comings on my vacation the Magic was just not there for me anymore. I never thought I would ever feel that way.

 

[Calvin Coolidge]

I keep reading rumors saying toon lagoon.

Does anyone have any insight/guesses about what would hypothetically be replacing Toon Lagoon? I've seen Skull Island rumors, but putting a jungle with wild dinosaurs next to a jungle with caged dinosaurs seems like a strange choice to me (in addition to the fact that the 2005 King Kong was thoroughly unmemorable to me, but maybe I'm in the minority there). I think I read about How to Train Your Dragon, but with such a big dragon/fantasy presence in the park already I'm not sure of the wisdom there (third gate, maybe?).

I hope that if something new moves into Toon Lagoon they're somehow able to keep Popeye's & the Sweet haven area, and find something to do with that usually-empty theater.

(I would, of course, love to see Amity, but I'm not holding my breath there.)

 

[tissandtully]

One time I was getting in the Dinosaur queue I saw a family say "oh this is just a museum" and leave, dejected.

 

[tissandtully]

Does anyone have any insight/guesses about what would hypothetically be replacing Toon Lagoon? I've seen Skull Island rumors, but putting a jungle with wild dinosaurs next to a jungle with caged dinosaurs seems like a strange choice to me (in addition to the fact that the 2005 King Kong was thoroughly unmemorable to me, but maybe I'm in the minority there). I think I read about How to Train Your Dragon, but with such a big dragon/fantasy presence in the park already I'm not sure of the wisdom there (third gate, maybe?).

I hope that if something new moves into Toon Lagoon they're somehow able to keep Popeye's & the Sweet haven area, and find something to do with that usually-empty theater.

(I would, of course, love to see Amity, but I'm not holding my breath there.)

I was assuming it would be the rumored Jurassic Park expansion.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Disney fans have a very narrow definition as to what counts as themed. They only deal with the singular art form known as "Realism". There is no room in their minds for the other art form that is often used in theming coasters and that is "Impressionism". Both forms will have their strengths and weaknesses. Realism is great because obviously things look realistic. But it's weakness is that your content is SEVERELY restricted. You end up with a lot of trains buried in Mountains. With the Disney fans strict rules of themeing, you will never get 2 flying dragons fighting, or Hulk rampaging from building to building. Disney did theme 2 of their coasters in the impressionistic style (RnR, and Space Mtn.), But they just use the cover of darkness from being inside. So, it's either Mtn./Train or Dark.
But the old famous Disney Fanboi "dig" about Coaster Track = Six Flags gets really old. It is not Universal's fault Disney fans aren't intelligent enough to "get" impressionism.

haha thta's non scents i am very inletignet and i have ridden many coasters with all of their bare impressionism exposed and they all still suck go back to ur tour group tsk

 

[Calvin Coolidge]

My thoughts exactly

I was assuming it would be the rumored Jurassic Park expansion.

Would it take up that much space, though? I can see a bigger ride requiring the removal of Dudley Do-Right, which would be reasonable. Do-Right seems to be broken/shut down for the day due to weather every time I'm there. That corner of the park is saturated (pardon the pun) with water rides, and JPRA and Popeye are much better rides, in my opinion. Maybe if it's just JP expansion, Popeye can stay!

 

[JenniferS]

Again - that's what the park maps are for.
I know the parks like the back of my hand (except DHS, for some reason), but I never neglect to pick up a fresh map every day.
And I use them; because there are always "little" places I lose track of - like Sleepy Hollow.
Read the maps people.
Oops - quoted the response, rather than the post. Referencing the folks who thought Everest was a museum.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

One time I was getting in the Dinosaur queue I saw a family say "oh this is just a museum" and leave, dejected.

like duh of course they left who wants to visit a musuem at disney they shouldv'e built a ride in sted (but without impressionism that is for six flags)

 

[HMF]

Slightly off topic from the current dragon coaster/ AAA talk....

Wanted to post this earlier but couldn't get photobucket to cooperate with my work computer.

Outside of BoG, a kid having a complete and total meltdown because it was a restaraunt and not a ride as he (and apparently, his Dad) thought it was.

I'd hate to stand in that ridiculously long line only to realize it's not a ride. Nobody told them?

This is what happens when TDO decides to build a glorified restaurant in what should have been the locale for a dark ride. All I can say is I saw this coming a mile away.

 

[JenniferS]

This is what happens when TDO decides to build a glorified restaurant in what should have been the locale for a dark ride. All I can say is I saw this coming a mile away.

It only SEEMED like a mile away. You know, because of the forced perspective.

 

[misterID]

Does anyone have any insight/guesses about what would hypothetically be replacing Toon Lagoon? I've seen Skull Island rumors, but putting a jungle with wild dinosaurs next to a jungle with caged dinosaurs seems like a strange choice to me (in addition to the fact that the 2005 King Kong was thoroughly unmemorable to me, but maybe I'm in the minority there). I think I read about How to Train Your Dragon, but with such a big dragon/fantasy presence in the park already I'm not sure of the wisdom there (third gate, maybe?).

I hope that if something new moves into Toon Lagoon they're somehow able to keep Popeye's & the Sweet haven area, and find something to do with that usually-empty theater.

(I would, of course, love to see Amity, but I'm not holding my breath there.)

The Kong ride on the tram tour in USH is hugely popular, so really, at the end of the day, the coolness of the ride will still be the thing that drives thinking, not so much how memorable people think the movie is.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Maybe the boy and dad had just returned from IoA. Where they also have a castle on a hill that you enter via a cave at the bottom through a door guarded by two mythical winged beasts.

Sorry laddie, no Forbidden Journey at the MK, just a girlie restaurant!

 

[flynnibus]

... And maybe this has changed since we did our DCL a number of years ago, but the whole ship was DEAD right after the main show at night. There was very little in the way of later activities or even just available areas playing music and offering drinks. Every evening I was upset that it was 9PM and I felt like I had nothing better to do than scroll through the channels on the TV in the stateroom.

I didn't feel that way at all on our cruise on the Dream. In fact, I can honestly say I never watched the TV the entire cruise. My kids were busy and had to be pulled in with curfews... we'd enjoy the bars or deck movie, etc.

 

[nytimez]

Maybe the boy and dad had just returned from IoA. Where they also have a castle on a hill that you enter via a cave at the bottom through a door guarded by two mythical winged beasts.

Sorry laddie, no Forbidden Journey at the MK, just a girlie restaurant!

I wish I could hit the "like" button on that post again and again.

 

[SirNim]

Maybe the boy and dad had just returned from IoA. Where they also have a castle on a hill that you enter via a cave at the bottom through a door guarded by two mythical winged beasts.

Sorry laddie, no Forbidden Journey at the MK, just a girlie restaurant!

How dare people be conditioned to expect E-ticket wonders beyond portals guarded by stone griffins.

I'd like to see a replica of the Ishtar Gate built (maybe in Anandapur, the style might work there) merely as an entrance to a DVC kiosk.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Both of those were done in the setting of great theming however. Today the world's largest coasters need to be of sizes that make proper theming extremely difficult, and are typically very low capacity and not suitable for the family - which of course is Disney's area.

I still think Disney could make a thrilling 4th Dimensional Coaster that thrills as much as Six Flags, but still has high quality theming.

 

[ChrisFL]

I still think Disney could make a thrilling 4th Dimensional Coaster that thrills as much as Six Flags, but still has high quality theming.

How big do you want the show building to be?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Gee, this might be where actually reading the park map might come in handy.

You mean the park map that now has both attractions and restaurants numbered? Honestly, I think this is a really easy mistake to make right now. There's always a line out the door, it's a highly themed building next to another highly themed building. To the uninitiated, I can definitely see this being confused for a ride. Just like the Tangled bathrooms.

 

[luv]

Putting a coaster indoors immediately removes a lot of the thrill. It's just more fun outside.

 

[BryceM]

I surely hope Skull Island doesn't replace Toon Lagoon. I'd rather just Toon Lagoon stay than have that happen. It would be terrible to have too such similar islands next to each other (Jurassic Park and Skull Island).

I actually can't think of anything worthwhile to replace Toon Lagoon. Maybe the long rumored Monster Island? Jurassic Park surely doesn't need to be expanded. It's already a HUGE island.