Spirited Spring Break News, Observations & Thoughts ...

[jlsHouston]

There is no rule requiring people to ask for autographs. Somebody in the family is asking for them.

Yes I know on many occasion we run out of the room without the dang books and if we do happen to meet characters because of no lines or short waits we skip the autograph part altogether since I am not buying extra books everytime we forget to carry ours.

 

[BrianLo]

It was funny... When we checked in to the hotel, the lady did a double-take and said "I'm sorry... You stay here 13 days??"

Ha ha, ya that sounds about right. I also feel 3-4 days is a good range for TDR, then spend several days -> week in Tokyo proper with some day trips. But, I certainly understand if that is the primary reason for traveling there to try and maximize it. Do they even sell 8 day tickets or did you just buy an AP?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Yes I know on many occasion we run out of the room without the dang books and if we do happen to meet characters because of no lines or short waits we skip the autograph part altogether since I am not buying extra books everytime we forget to carry ours.

But what about the other kids you claim are not very interested in the autographs? Somebody in the family wants that interaction. Disney wasn't unaware this time with popularity of Anna and Elsa, they could have hired more actresses, even just to have them meeting all day.

 

[wdisney9000]

forget the hand written autographs and opt for a stamp with their signature (like Buzz does).

Its this type of thinking that has already produced so many little cuts in the magic. Why not just buy an autograph book that already has every characters stamped autograph and save even more time. Then you can just walk up to the character, have a picture snapped and keep it moving. Or better yet you can just send Disney a photo of yourself and they will photo shop you into all the pictures you want with characters. Slippery slope. I understand that your simply trying to come up with a way to save time, and something should be done about the insane wait times, but not at the expense of the magic.

 

[jlsHouston]

But what about the other kids you claim are not very interested in the autographs? Somebody in the family wants that interaction. Disney wasn't unaware this time with popularity of Anna and Elsa, they could have hired more actresses, even just to have them meeting all day.

Well that is true too. Honestly I don't really care what the wait times are at the M&G's or if I get FP+ for them. It's not really an attraction of Disney me and my bunch are into so I am pretty neutral about the whole thing. If others want to use their FP+ for a M&G that's what it is there for. The only time I ever waited in a line exceeding 60 minutes willingly was the year the Wii came out and my son was fixing to deploy to Iraq. He wanted one. I got into a very long line and got him the Wii to take with.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Did you stay at a Disney resort at TDL? Do they have disney resorts in TDL ?

On this trip, we stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which literally has a monorail stop in front of it, and from our room we had a perfect view of the castle and space mountain. The resort is much like Disneyland in that there are great, economical hotel choices literally right outside the gate.

They DO have Disney resorts though. They have the Disneyland Hotel, which is beautiful and 200 feet outside the Magic Kingdom entrance... And they have the Mira Costa, which is an amazing hotel that literally sits INSIDE Disney Sea. We stayed at the Mira Costa in 2008, because we thought it would be a once in a lifetime trip... So we had to do it. But those rooms are $700 PER NIGHT.

We got TWO rooms at the Hilton (one for us, and one for the kids! ) for half that, plus it included what we thought was a great breakfast buffet every morning. We got "happy magic" rooms, too... Which our little one loved. Each room had a magic mirror, one wall had a key and lock that when you turned it would light lights and make noises, and the walls and ceiling were painted as if you were sleeping under a tree.

Disney also has the Ambassador hotel, which is the more "budget" choice... But it was still way more than the Hilton, and funny enough, a lot further from the parks than we were.

From our room, it was about a 3 minute walk to the monorail stop, then the first stop was Disney Sea. Two stops later was Disneyland. It was nice at the end of a long day to hop on at DL and go one stop and be "home".

EDIT TO ADD: I happen to have a pic on this computer of our view when we stayed in the Mira Costa. How about waking up to THIS view every morning of your trip??

 

[sporadic]

Its this type of thinking that has already produced so many little cuts in the magic. Why not just buy an autograph book that already has every characters stamped autograph and save even more time. Then you can just walk up to the character, have a picture snapped and keep it moving. Or better yet you can just send Disney a photo of yourself and they will photo shop you into all the pictures you want with characters. Slippery slope. I understand that your simply trying to come up with a way to save time, and something should be done about the insane wait times, but not at the expense of the magic.

Swipe your magic band and get your virtual badge and signature!! I could sadly see them doing this....

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Ha ha, ya that sounds about right. I also feel 3-4 days is a good range for TDR, then spend several days -> week in Tokyo proper with some day trips. But, I certainly understand if that is the primary reason for traveling there to try and maximize it. Do they even sell 8 day tickets or did you just buy an AP?

It was cheaper for us to buy 2 4-day passports than it was to buy an AP. We were sure we wouldn't get back again in the course of a year. With two kids in high school our window to get over there is pretty limited.

 

[WDWDad13]

Its this type of thinking that has already produced so many little cuts in the magic. Why not just buy an autograph book that already has every characters stamped autograph and save even more time. Then you can just walk up to the character, have a picture snapped and keep it moving. Or better yet you can just send Disney a photo of yourself and they will photo shop you into all the pictures you want with characters. Slippery slope. I understand that your simply trying to come up with a way to save time, and something should be done about the insane wait times, but not at the expense of the magic.

IMO "magic" from writing a barely legible name on a piece of paper with a pen they can barely hold while holding up the line for others who want to experience the magic is debatable. It's funny, but it you think about it... more adults would likely have a problem with this being changed than the kids who the interaction is mainly with.

 

[jlsHouston]

On this trip, we stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which literally has a monorail stop in front of it, and from our room we had a perfect view of the castle and space mountain. The resort is much like Disneyland in that there are great, economical hotel choices literally right outside the gate.

They DO have Disney resorts though. They have the Disneyland Hotel, which is beautiful and 200 feet outside the Magic Kingdom entrance... And they have the Mira Costa, which is an amazing hotel that literally sits INSIDE Disney Sea. We stayed at the Mira Costa in 2008, because we thought it would be a once in a lifetime trip... So we had to do it. But those rooms are $700 PER NIGHT.

We got TWO rooms at the Hilton (one for us, and one for the kids! ) for half that, plus it included what we thought was a great breakfast buffet every morning. We got "happy magic" rooms, too... Which our little one loved. Each room had a magic mirror, one wall had a key and lock that when you turned it would light lights and make noises, and the walls and ceiling were painted as if you were sleeping under a tree.

Disney also has the Ambassador hotel, which is the more "budget" choice... But it was still way more than the Hilton, and funny enough, a lot further from the parks than we were.

From our room, it was about a 3 minute walk to the monorail stop, then the first stop was Disney Sea. Two stops later was Disneyland. It was nice at the end of a long day to hop on at DL and go one stop and be "home".

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I love the Hilton brand too. I've only stayed onsite when visiting WDW, but years ago when we lived in CA, our first trip to DL we stayed in the Sheraton which was nearby and then after that we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel since we attended conference there and got the discounted rate.
AHHH...I went to Seoul once...long flight...Japan sounds beautiful

 

[WDWDad13]

I've seen birthday cards delivered in your room or at a restaurant that have Mickey and friend's signatures (that were printed like that). I didn't go to guest relations and it didn't ruin the magic in any way

again, people are going to complain regardless of what Disney does or doesn't do... if everyone is happy something is probably wrong lol

if more people (kids especially) get the trill of seeing their favorite character (which may be their only opportunity in their lifetime in some cases), I'm all for giving up a real handwritten autograph

 

[marni1971]

Edit: oops. sorry forgot this was the spirit thread. Sorry mods.

Try the delete button, jt?

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

On this trip, we stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which literally has a monorail stop in front of it, and from our room we had a perfect view of the castle and space mountain. The resort is much like Disneyland in that there are great, economical hotel choices literally right outside the gate.

They DO have Disney resorts though. They have the Disneyland Hotel, which is beautiful and 200 feet outside the Magic Kingdom entrance... And they have the Mira Costa, which is an amazing hotel that literally sits INSIDE Disney Sea. We stayed at the Mira Costa in 2008, because we thought it would be a once in a lifetime trip... So we had to do it. But those rooms are $700 PER NIGHT.

We got TWO rooms at the Hilton (one for us, and one for the kids! ) for half that, plus it included what we thought was a great breakfast buffet every morning. We got "happy magic" rooms, too... Which our little one loved. Each room had a magic mirror, one wall had a key and lock that when you turned it would light lights and make noises, and the walls and ceiling were painted as if you were sleeping under a tree.

Disney also has the Ambassador hotel, which is the more "budget" choice... But it was still way more than the Hilton, and funny enough, a lot further from the parks than we were.

From our room, it was about a 3 minute walk to the monorail stop, then the first stop was Disney Sea. Two stops later was Disneyland. It was nice at the end of a long day to hop on at DL and go one stop and be "home".

EDIT TO ADD: I happen to have a pic on this computer of our view when we stayed in the Mira Costa. How about waking up to THIS view every morning of your trip??

I love how your family rolls.

 

[WDW1974]

OK, let's play UNI news afternoon (besides, not talking about pedophiles who worked or work for WDI will give those following the thread here a chance to exhale ... but that won't last long!)

Here's the 'official' news on Comcast's first quarter:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-universal-comcast-earnings-20140421,0,4481897.story

And here's the 'unofficial' news on Gringotts that you won't read in the Sentinel or see on the Today show, but will likely leave the Parkscope bois taking cheap shots at moi.

Gringotts has some major design flaws that, barring some miraculous 11th hour fix, is going to result in a lesser AND LOUDER experience than what was intended.

The bottom line is Grongotts' ride system is extremely noisy. And the folks making decisions apparently didn't get just how loud and attempt to mitigate it.

As a friend explained, the attraction has over 300 AC drive motors in an enclosed building and very little care, concern or attention was considered acoustically to what happens when everything is going. With vehicle propulsion using tires it sounds like a construction zone/factory when just one or two RVs are moving through the show building.

So what is UNI doing to fix the situation?

Thus far they have been trying different materials on the bottom of the vehicles AND TURNING THE AUDIO UP! Seriously? They are trying to remedy a situation where it is TOO LOUD BY MAKING IT LOUDER!!! Yes, those UNI guys are geniuses, not like those Disney geniuses.

As near as I can tell, the lack of forethought shows just how the inexperienced newbies (much like at Disney, given too much authority without the cred to back it up) are not being watched. As my friend said, ''This is a major issue that is being shoved under the rug. Let's hope the new materials make a difference because as it stands now the show will be affected if this remains''

Now ... back to Disney pervs ... and other fun stuff!

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I love how your family rolls.

It's aight.

 

[WDW1974]

The only thing shocking about this story is that it didn't happen sooner. Even more shocking would be if it didn't happen again.

Disney knows full well about their 'bad boys' and has been silently cleaning up their messes for decades. But for whatever reason, they've chosen time and time again to keep these oversexed stallions in their creative stable instead of cutting them loose and saving themselves plenty of Disney Dollars in hush money.

If Burbank has a problem with these lawsuits, they have only themselves to blame.

Yep ... and if this blows up bigger, one wonders who might be caught in the collateral damage.

I doubt having Brooks Barnes on the payroll will keep this one buried.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

OK, let's play UNI news afternoon (besides, not talking about pedophiles who worked or work for WDI will give those following the thread here a chance to exhale ... but that won't last long!)

Here's the 'official' news on Comcast's first quarter:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-universal-comcast-earnings-20140421,0,4481897.story

And here's the 'unofficial' new on Gringotts that you won't read in the Sentinel or see on the Today show, but will likely leave the Parkscope bois taking cheap shots at moi.

Gringotts has some major design flaws that, barring some miraculous 11th hour fix, is going to result in a lesser AND LOUDER experience than what was intended.

The bottom line is Grongotts' ride system is extremely noisy. And the folks making decisions apparently didn't get just how loud and attempt to mitigate it.

As a friend explained, the attraction has over 300 AC drive motors in an enclosed building and very little care, concern or attention was considered acoustically to what happens when everything is going. With vehicle propulsion using tires it sounds like a construction zone/factory when just one or two RVs are moving through the show building.

So what is UNI doing to fix the situation?

Thus far they have been trying different materials on the bottom of the vehicles AND TURNING THE AUDIO UP! Seriously? They are trying to remedy a situation where it is TOO LOUD BY MAKING IT LOUDER!!! Yes, those UNI guys are geniuses, not like those Disney geniuses.

As near as I can tell, the lack of forethought shows just how the inexperienced newbies (much like at Disney, given too much authority without the cred to back it up) are not being watched. As my friend said, ''This is a major issue that is being shoved under the rug. Let's hope the new materials make a difference because as it stands now the show will be affected if this remains''

Now ... back to Disney pervs ... and other fun stuff!

That's interesting. This is the kind of thing that I can forgive to a point because they're trying something revolutionary. Sometimes you've gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette, as they say. I'd rather pick a few shells out of my omelette than not have an omelette at all.

Mmmm... Omelettes.

I've got to imagine they'll come up with some sort of fix, and then hopefully learn from this mistake.

 

[Tigger1988]

All Ears Deb just posted a pic of the Mine Train running with guests.

 

[Gabe1]

OK, let's play UNI news afternoon (besides, not talking about pedophiles who worked or work for WDI will give those following the thread here a chance to exhale ... but that won't last long!)

Here's the 'official' news on Comcast's first quarter:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-universal-comcast-earnings-20140421,0,4481897.story

And here's the 'unofficial' new on Gringotts that you won't read in the Sentinel or see on the Today show, but will likely leave the Parkscope bois taking cheap shots at moi.

Gringotts has some major design flaws that, barring some miraculous 11th hour fix, is going to result in a lesser AND LOUDER experience than what was intended.

The bottom line is Grongotts' ride system is extremely noisy. And the folks making decisions apparently didn't get just how loud and attempt to mitigate it.

As a friend explained, the attraction has over 300 AC drive motors in an enclosed building and very little care, concern or attention was considered acoustically to what happens when everything is going. With vehicle propulsion using tires it sounds like a construction zone/factory when just one or two RVs are moving through the show building.

So what is UNI doing to fix the situation?

Thus far they have been trying different materials on the bottom of the vehicles AND TURNING THE AUDIO UP! Seriously? They are trying to remedy a situation where it is TOO LOUD BY MAKING IT LOUDER!!! Yes, those UNI guys are geniuses, not like those Disney geniuses.

As near as I can tell, the lack of forethought shows just how the inexperienced newbies (much like at Disney, given too much authority without the cred to back it up) are not being watched. As my friend said, ''This is a major issue that is being shoved under the rug. Let's hope the new materials make a difference because as it stands now the show will be affected if this remains''

Now ... back to Disney pervs ... and other fun stuff!

All righty then...how disappointing. Time for airline ear muffs.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirit- you are spot on when you talk about how those who suddenly can stay at deluxes could go to Tokyo but they are afraid to leave the country. They are really afraid to leave their "Walmart comfort zone". How dare the people in Tokyo or Osaka or Kyoto not speak English fluently? Don't they know that the language gap is ruining our trip? Don't they realize that the crowds are ruining our vacation? Why don't the locals come back another time and let us enjoy ourselves? It is American arrogance showing through once again.

In Tokyo there are sacrifices that an American guest must make in order to experience a far superior product to WDW. Sacrifices I would be more than happy to make. I am fortunately not part of that deluxe crowd(more a moderate family by socio-economic class) and I am trying to convince my family that if we wait until 2016 and skip our 2015 WDW trip we could afford to go to TDS and TDL instead.

Wish me luck!

I won't just wish you luck. Anyone who is going to the Ukraine to adopt deserves a REAL vacation. If you need any tips, advice or help -- yes, I am willing to write you a list of reasons why you should skip WDW and head to TDR that you can use to convince the family -- just ask.

I can't say enough great things about the resort or the country and its people (although there are some unique cultural phenomenons that make you go hmmm ...) and can't wait to go back.