The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[TP2000]

I also enjoyed her whole section about Star Wars Land... I know things were cut, but she had the clips going on and on and on about things that were CUT out of SWL some of which were added into the starcruiser. That section is what got me to look into the public statements and releases about Tiana's to go through what they were saying/pitching vs. what we actually ended up with.

I thought of you during that part! That makes sense that she inspired you to do that.

The Internet is deadly. You go out in 2017 and say you are going to do all this stuff, then by 2023 it's proven you were either lying, or you didn't have the leadership ability to get any of it actually funded or completed after you paid off all the Ritz-Carlton bills from your "research trips", and now the world knows the truth. And by 2024 your credibility with the fans is shot.

At this point, I'm surprised they're still going through with D23 Expo at all. Or at least a Parks Presentation at that event. Their track record has become embarrassing using only their own pre-approved and scripted words delivered publicly and recently.

A long video, but well worth the watch (I listened like a podcast myself).

Agreed. I can't wait to hear what she has to say about Tiana's Bayou Adventure, and what public statements from WDI executives that she digs up on it from 2021.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Weird


View attachment 789383

I think WDI needs a hug right now.

 

[davis_unoxx]

Thank you to @truecoat @davis_unoxx @Parteecia and @PiratesMansion for convincing me I needed to watch that Galactic Starcruiser 4 hour long video. I just finished a few minutes ago, and I'm so glad I did it!

About one hour in I looked up and realized an hour had already gone by. So I got resettled in, and watched...

That young lady had so many great and brilliant points, based on her own personal experience. A few that stuck out to me:

• I was infuriated when Disney would screw up her service or make a costly mistake, she would go through the regular and official channels for a correction, and Disney would shut her down and essentially say "Sorry, no refunds, nothing I can do, you should have read the fine print". Then she'd go on her Twitter and report on that and POOF!, suddenly a Disney rep is responding to her personally and refunding her money and sending her the replacement merchandise with a bunch of extra free swag because she has a lot of Twitter followers. That makes me so mad. Shame on Disney for behaving like that to the 99.98% of their customers who don't have Twitter followers!
• Her clip summation of all of those WDI and Burbank execs circa 2015-2021 bragging and outright lying at D23 Expo and on the Parks Blog about what would be in Star Wars Land and/or Galactic Starcruiser was hysterical. These execs are frauds. And liars. And shameless.
• The criticism of the crowded and slow check-in and boarding process in that Brutalist cement porte cochere with only one elevator shuttle up to the hotel was alarming. I hadn't realized it was that bad. How could they get that basic ride capacity issue so wrong after operating major theme parks for 65+ years?
• Her analogy using the circa 2000's Kim Possible game with flip phones was stark and troubling. So you are telling me the wealthiest and most successful entertainment company on the planet can make a free cell phone game in 2008 that is vastly better and more fun than a $3,000 per night theme hotel in 2023? Got it. Did I mention these execs are frauds?
• I gave her a Like, I Subscribed, and after the first hour I let every single ad run through its full cycle so she got every last nickel from Clairol and Carhart and Chevrolet. This young lady is sharp! What a treasure she is. Savvy, intelligent, well spoken, charming, witty, and cuttingly accurate with her insight. The costume changes just made me love her even more.

That was 4 hours of my life NOT wasted. A brilliant and insightful summary. I only wish all senior Disney execs would watch it, and learn. And then repent.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

My favorite part was how she went after the Disney influencers, who get free stuff from Disney and would compliment Disney for any reason possible.

What do you think the suits are thinking of this video blowing and the perception of their company as of late?

What was your favorite part of the video?

 

[TP2000]

What do you think the suits are thinking of this video blowing and the perception of their company as of late?

I'm sure at least a few of them were made aware of this video, but I can't imagine they actually watched it. They've probably had a one page summary of the video crafted for them that makes it seem less threatening and more positive.

Such is the way of Disney execs nowadays; surround yourself with sycophants, don't dare bother to use your own product as your paying customers do, and let a bureaucracy of Comms teams turn everything into "Amazing" for you.

What was your favorite part of the video?

I agreed with nearly everything she said, so I think my favorite parts of the video was where she brought up information or criticisms that I had never known or thought of before.

Like the fact that the Starcruiser was so thin on unique experiences, but what they had could easily be hyper edited into a 30 second TikTok video to look "Amazing!". Bob Chapek and WDI had oddly bragged a decade ago about creating "Instagrammable Moments" in the Parks, and the Starcruiser was really just a TicTok-able hotel. Which is a reason why it failed.

I also had no idea that your time onboard was so heavily managed and timed down to 5 minute intervals. That sounds miserable to me, but I guess if you are really invested in the Starcruiser story it could be fun? But then she described how poorly it all worked, how the timing was often off, and how many things you missed as you were rushing around as instructed on the App.

The heavy reliance on the App was also news to me, and also sounds miserable.

I think overall though, my favorite part was how she deftly wove clips of all the previous public statements and D23 Expo scripted brags by senior executives circa 2015-2021 into her criticism of the reality of 2023. That's a technique she needs to continue, and I hope she inspires more of that. There's a gold mine of bravado and lies from the Parks Blog and D23 Expo and curated interviews online for people to use.

Disney's senior execs should learn to reel in their lying sales pitches. Especially now that the fans are on to all of them.

 

[Misted Compass]

What do you think the suits are thinking of this video blowing and the perception of their company as of late?

Well, they did  try to respond with an article of their own.

I Worked At The Galactic Starcruiser, & I Can Tell You What Everyone's Getting Wrong About The "Star Wars Hotel"

What was the Starcruiser really like?

screenrant.com

The article tries to word it as an independent person, but stuff like this is a dead giveaway.

 

[TP2000]

One other part of Miss Nicholson's video I loved, and was laughing out loud in my family room over, was her hilarious and brilliant takedown of Disney's PR handling of bloggers and their own marketing.

The forced use of Legal approved phrasing and language and titles. Where they force some Mommy Blogger from Ohio to say "I really enjoyed our magical trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, and (checks notes...) the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience was so immersive!"

Disney has become so bogged down in its bloated and bland corporate culture, fed by endless cubicle armies and massive bureaucracy in both Florida and California, that it can't even hear how ridiculous it all sounds to normal people.

 

[CaptinEO]

Thank you to @truecoat @davis_unoxx @Parteecia and @PiratesMansion for convincing me I needed to watch that Galactic Starcruiser 4 hour long video. I just finished a few minutes ago, and I'm so glad I did it!

About one hour in I looked up and realized an hour had already gone by. So I got resettled in, and watched...

That young lady had so many great and brilliant points, based on her own personal experience. A few that stuck out to me:

• I was infuriated when Disney would screw up her service or make a costly mistake, she would go through the regular and official channels for a correction, and Disney would shut her down and essentially say "Sorry, no refunds, nothing I can do, you should have read the fine print". Then she'd go on her Twitter and report on that and POOF!, suddenly a Disney rep is responding to her personally and refunding her money and sending her the replacement merchandise with a bunch of extra free swag because she has a lot of Twitter followers. That makes me so mad. Shame on Disney for behaving like that to the 99.98% of their customers who don't have Twitter followers!
• Her clip summation of all of those WDI and Burbank execs circa 2015-2021 bragging and outright lying at D23 Expo and on the Parks Blog about what would be in Star Wars Land and/or Galactic Starcruiser was hysterical. These execs are frauds. And liars. And shameless.
• The criticism of the crowded and slow check-in and boarding process in that Brutalist cement porte cochere with only one elevator shuttle up to the hotel was alarming. I hadn't realized it was that bad. How could they get that basic ride capacity issue so wrong after operating major theme parks for 65+ years?
• Her analogy using the circa 2000's Kim Possible game with flip phones was stark and troubling. So you are telling me the wealthiest and most successful entertainment company on the planet can make a free cell phone game in 2008 that is vastly better and more fun than a $3,000 per night theme hotel in 2023? Got it. Did I mention these execs are frauds?
• I gave her a Like, I Subscribed, and after the first hour I let every single ad run through its full cycle so she got every last nickel from Clairol and Carhart and Chevrolet. This young lady is sharp! What a treasure she is. Savvy, intelligent, well spoken, charming, witty, and cuttingly accurate with her insight. The costume changes just made me love her even more.

That was 4 hours of my life NOT wasted. A brilliant and insightful summary. I only wish all senior Disney execs would watch it, and learn. And then repent.

She did such a good job showcasing how embarassing and clueless these executives are. It's a really well made video even if you take out her trip experience it has a lot of valid points. Glad millions of people are seeing it too, WDI and Iger should be embarassed.

 

[davis_unoxx]

One other part of Miss Nicholson's video I loved, and was laughing out loud in my family room over, was her hilarious and brilliant takedown of Disney's PR handling of bloggers and their own marketing.

The forced use of Legal approved phrasing and language and titles. Where they force some Mommy Blogger from Ohio to say "I really enjoyed our magical trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, and (checks notes...) the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience was so immersive!"

Disney has become so bogged down in its bloated and bland corporate culture, fed by endless cubicle armies and massive bureaucracy in both Florida and California, that it can't even hear how ridiculous it all sounds to normal people.

I love that!

From what I've noticed, people have started talking about how annoying these bloggers are in the last 6 months more than ever, even before her video people started to become sick of them... Especially under posts of DisneyParks promoting the tower at the Polynesian on Instagram, you see all these influencers commenting how they can't wait and it's beautiful and it's going to be the best resort ever!

The most liked comments on those videos are people imitating Disney's taste or lack of, while all the influencers all gleaming in delight hopeful to get a free room for their channel. In these comments you can actually see some of the most liked ones, are people imitating the influencers for being tacky and sucking up to everything Disney comes out with. I've never seen people react so vocally against Disney's decisions as I have lately. Here is a link to a post about the new tower at POLY, and can see the comments saying this looks like a Hilton Garden Inn and if you scroll long enough you will see the lovely influencers.

 

[CaptinEO]

I love that!

From what I've noticed, people have started talking about how annoying these bloggers in the last 6 months more than ever, even before her video people started to become sick of them... Especially under posts of DisneyParks promoting the tower at the Polynesian on Instagram, you see all these influencers commenting how they can't wait and it's beautiful and it's going to be the best resort ever!

The most liked comments on those videos are people imitating Disney's taste or lack of, while all the influencers all gleaming in delight hopeful to get a free room for their channel. In these comments you can actually see some of the most liked ones, are people imitating the influencers for being tacky and sucking up to everything Disney comes out with. I've never seen people react so vocally against Disney's decisions as I have lately. Here is a link to a post about the new tower at POLY, and can see the comments saying this looks like a Hilton Garden Inn and if you scroll long enough you will see the lovely influencers.

Guess we are in unique times. The era of paid off influencers is finally being seen for what it is. I wrote off anyone that got a preview ride on Tiana. Spoiler alert, they all thought it was amazing! What a shock!

People in this fandom have been lied to for a long time and are waking up and seeing things with a more discerning eye. The criticism and skepticism people have now reminds me of first going on Disney fan sites in the mid 2000s and everyone's dismay with Pressler and Eisner.

 

[davis_unoxx]

Guess we are in unique times. The era of paid off influencers is finally being seen for what it is. I wrote off anyone that got a preview ride on Tiana. Spoiler alert, they all thought it was amazing! What a shock!

People in this fandom have been lied to for a long time and are waking up and seeing things with a more discerning eye.

Jenny Nichols has millions of views, bloggers won't even come close. Disney + shows don't even get that kind of viewership.

Yep!

And as my time as a Disneyland CM, I had to deal with a lot of these folks firsthand!

In my first position working at a bar in DCA, I remember one time it was a group of the Disneyland Tiktok/Instagram influencers at my bar. A mom and son came up and asked to take a photo saying they were so excited to meet them! 20 seconds after they stepped away they imitated the little boy in front of all of us.

In my next position I worked at the hotels, and I saw that when they were opening up the Palm Breeze Bar, one of the infliencers from the prior incident was there making a review. The sleazy manager of that restaurant kept talking to her, and kept bringing out every food item in full size for her. This meal was comped by Disney so she could "make a review."

For a company that "cares about the environment," it does seem like a big waste to give full portions of food out to a blogger. And I mean like 10 different entrees for her to take a bite out of each one.

What would the socially conscious, employee owned workers of Tiana's Foods think of this @TP2000 ?

 

[TP2000]

Well, they did  try to respond with an article of their own.

I Worked At The Galactic Starcruiser, & I Can Tell You What Everyone's Getting Wrong About The "Star Wars Hotel"

What was the Starcruiser really like?

screenrant.com

The article tries to word it as an independent person, but stuff like this is a dead giveaway.
View attachment 789476

And then there's this little nugget of hilarious puffery in the lead-in to the article...

"Despite its closure, the legacy of the Starcruiser lives on through the community it created, impacting lives in a profound way."

Oh for gosh sakes, you've got to be kidding me.

Who the hell comes up with crap like that? And just how drunk on the job are they exactly?

 

[SuddenStorm]

I love that!

From what I've noticed, people have started talking about how annoying these bloggers are in the last 6 months more than ever, even before her video people started to become sick of them... Especially under posts of DisneyParks promoting the tower at the Polynesian on Instagram, you see all these influencers commenting how they can't wait and it's beautiful and it's going to be the best resort ever!

The most liked comments on those videos are people imitating Disney's taste or lack of, while all the influencers all gleaming in delight hopeful to get a free room for their channel. In these comments you can actually see some of the most liked ones, are people imitating the influencers for being tacky and sucking up to everything Disney comes out with. I've never seen people react so vocally against Disney's decisions as I have lately. Here is a link to a post about the new tower at POLY, and can see the comments saying this looks like a Hilton Garden Inn and if you scroll long enough you will see the lovely influencers.

Let's not forget that in Anaheim, the new Pixar Place rooms look like your run of the mill Courtyard by Marriott.

And people were acting like it was the next great thing.

 

[Pacnw]

Well, they did  try to respond with an article of their own.

I Worked At The Galactic Starcruiser, & I Can Tell You What Everyone's Getting Wrong About The "Star Wars Hotel"

What was the Starcruiser really like?

screenrant.com

The article tries to word it as an independent person, but stuff like this is a dead giveaway.
View attachment 789476

Sweet Moses! pure corporate speech in the only way Disney can

 

[TP2000]

Let's not forget that in Anaheim, the new Pixar Place rooms look like your run of the mill Courtyard by Marriott.

And people were acting like it was the next great thing.

You Guys!!! There's two framed Pixar artworks on the wall!!! This is AMAAAAZING!!!

Don't forget to smash that Like button and Subscribe for new content. Ring that bell!

.

 

[CaptinEO]

Yep!

And as my time as a Disneyland CM, I had to deal with a lot of these folks firsthand!

In my first position working at a bar in DCA, I remember one time it was a group of the Disneyland Tiktok/Instagram influencers at my bar. A mom and son came up and asked to take a photo saying they were so excited to meet them! 20 seconds after they stepped away they imitated the little boy in front of all of us.

In my next position I worked at the hotels, and I saw that when they were opening up the Palm Breeze Bar, one of the infliencers from the prior incident was there making a review. The sleazy manager of that restaurant kept talking to her, and kept bringing out every food item in full size for her. This meal was comped by Disney so she could "make a review."

For a company that "cares about the environment," it does seem like a big waste to give full portions of food out to a blogger. And I mean like 10 different entrees for her to take a bite out of each one.

What would the socially conscious, employee owned workers of Tiana's Foods think of this @TP2000 ?

Wow. This is gross on so many levels. Them mocking the children and then getting VIP treatment with free food. No wonder bloggers always say how "amazing" the 18 dollar chicken tenders with food coloring are.

 

[truecoat]

I'm sure at least a few of them were made aware of this video, but I can't imagine they actually watched it. They've probably had a one page summary of the video crafted for them that makes it seem less threatening and more positive.

I think more than a few of them have seen it now....

The âSpectacularâ Failure Of Disneyâs âStar Warsâ Hotel Is Going Viral

The failure of Disney’s "Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser" is under the spotlight thanks to a viral video by YouTuber Jenny Nicholson.

www.forbes.com

 

[disneyC97]

You Guys!!! There's two framed Pixar artworks on the wall!!! This is AMAAAAZING!!!

Don't forget to smash that Like button and Subscribe for new content. Ring that bell!

.

And Pixar ball bolster pillows! Don't forget those!

 

[chadwpalm]

And Pixar ball bolster pillows! Don't forget those!

I thought those were to roll under your calves after a long day of walking in the parks.

 

[mickEblu]

Mini rant but last time I was at the park I couldn't help but stare at the artificial grass at on the Story Bookland Canal boats and remember the article I read where MC reported it being the first installation of artificial grass at DL and that it was done as a test run. If true, that was a terrible experiment. That's a very high traffic walk way and stroller parking area. People aren't stopping there to smell the roses. Apparently nobody cared or noticed so they moved forward with their plans. If they wanted to do a test they should have started with Mansion, or the Mickey Floral planter. Seems like someone set it up to get the results they were looking for. Further muddling things up, the execution and quality of the artificial grass at Storybookland is much higher quality than the other mentioned areas.

 

[mickEblu]

I’d like to see a temporary Soarin overlay (although I’d probably prefer this to Soarin Around the World) of all of Disneys famous animated flights.

“You can Fly”
“Whole New World”
Dumbo
Scene of Baymax and Hiro flying from Big Hero 6
Treasure Planet
Rescuers or Rescuers Down Under
Swinging with Tarzan or Quasimodo to sweet Philly Collins or “Ring the Bells.”
Mary Poppins (transition from live action to animation might be jarring)

Up
Toy Story 1
The Incredibles

I’ve said it a few times but some of these scenes and songs are the heart of the Walt Disney company and it’s a shame we can only experience them from a parade or spectacular (or dated 3D show). Where we have to camp out for hours or fight the crowds. I think the Soarin ride system with some of these scenes would be a match made in Heaven. Threw in some Pixar options too.