The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[TP2000]

I had to Google which US Presidents have visited Disneyland. Not counting a visit to the Disneyland Hotel, or a visit before they ran for or were sworn in as President, there were more than I remembered. Here's the list of US Presidents who have been to Disneyland during or after their Presidency;

Harry Truman, one 1957 visit
General Eisenhower, two 1960's visits
Richard Nixon, multiple 1960's, 70's and 80's visits (he loved the place!)
Jimmy Carter, see above
Ronald Reagan, 1990 visit (with extra credit for hosting the 1955 TV grand opening!)
George Bush I, 1988 visit as Vice President, which doesn't count really but I felt bad for him for some reason

And that's it so far. President's Clinton, Bush II, Obama, Trump 1.0, and Biden have not been to Disneyland. Also, JFK, LBJ, or Ford never went to Disneyland during or after their Presidency. No word on whether Trump 2.0 will make a trip before '29.

 

[chadwpalm]

The four day cruise includes 1 day on Catalina Island. The 4 day cruises out of San Diego/LA run the same itinerary on all the cruise lines. Day 1 leaving port, 1 day at Ensenada, 1 day at Catalina Island and 1 day parked out on the water. 3 of the days are interchangeable by the cruise line. Then you disembark in the early morning on Day 5 but its not included in the count.

I did a Carnival cruise back on 2011 out of Long Beach (they operate out of the old Spruce Goose hanger) and our days were ordered as Catalina, Ensenada, Day at Sea. That was a fun cruise.

Oh, Catalina! That makes more sense.

No disrespect meant to Ensenada, it's a lovely little town and anytime I've been there the locals could not have been more gracious and hospitable. But it's only about a 90 minute drive from Tijuana, so it seemed a bit odd to turn that into a 4 day cruise.

Technically they are 4 night cruises, not 4 day. It's 3 full days bookended by boarding and deboarding days.

Cruise ships only travel between 18 to 22 knots (20-25 mph) max speed. They also do all of their travelling at night when the passengers are sleeping, so you typically wake up in the morning docked at the next port of call.

San Diego to Ensenada would be about 70 miles at sea, so 3.5 hours of travel (if they go max speed), but Catalina to Ensenada is over double that, so about 7.5 hours of travel.

 

[TP2000]

Technically they are 4 night cruises, not 4 day. It's 3 full days bookended by boarding and deboarding days.

Cruise ships only travel between 18 to 22 knots (20-25 mph) max speed. They also do all of their travelling at night when the passengers are sleeping, so you typically wake up in the morning docked at the next port of call.

Ah, okay. The ferry service planned in '25 for San Diego-Ensenada is supposed to only take 2 hours from dock to dock. With four trips per day. There's also a cafe and cocktail lounge onboard. It's not a true hydrofoil that goes at 50+mph, but it's a modern twin hull ship that travels much faster than a cruise ship. It sounded like fun when I heard about it last summer.

This topic has reminded me of how excited we all were 15 years ago when Disney Cruise Line said they'd start SoCal cruises. Whatever happened to that? Does Disney Cruise Line even still have a dedicated cruise ship in SoCal? I think I've only seen a Disney ship once or twice last summer at the cruise terminal in downtown San Diego, and you never hear about them in conversation about Disneyland trips.

You'd think they would have all sorts of Disneyland-Cruise Line packages out of Long Beach, if not San Diego. But... nope.

 

[Phroobar]

Ah, okay. The ferry service planned in '25 for San Diego-Ensenada is supposed to only take 2 hours from dock to dock. With four trips per day. There's also a cafe and cocktail lounge onboard. It's not a true hydrofoil that goes at 50+mph, but it's a modern twin hull ship that travels much faster than a cruise ship. It sounded like fun when I heard about it last summer.

This topic has reminded me of how excited we all were 15 years ago when Disney Cruise Line said they'd start SoCal cruises. Whatever happened to that? Does Disney Cruise Line even still have a dedicated cruise ship in SoCal? I think I've only seen a Disney ship once or twice last summer at the cruise terminal in downtown San Diego, and you never hear about them in conversation about Disneyland trips.

You'd think they would have all sorts of Disneyland-Cruise Line packages out of Long Beach, if not San Diego. But... nope.

The Wonder leaves out of San Diego for 3, 4 or 7 day cruises to Mexico. It's expense but there are far better options for the same cruise.

 

[mlayton144]

The problem with consistently running cruises from SoCal is that there really isn’t anywhere to go. The Mexican riviera? Where else ?

 

[mickEblu]

The problem with consistently running cruises from SoCal is that there really isn’t anywhere to go. The Mexican riviera? Where else ?

Pretty much. Maybe San Francisco? Or a two week Hawaiian cruise but I can’t imagine the demand is high enough for 2 week cruises. With that said Royal and Carnival do the Mexican Riviera year round if I’m not mistaken. Now that Disney is expanding the fleet maybe they’ll do the same.

 

[TP2000]

A tale of Anaheim of Yore, or... How can we get back to the Anaheim of Yore?....

Over in the DTD thread yesterday, I said I was going up to South Coast Plaza today and would go find the new Nectar beauty bar place that is opening a new shop in Downtown Disney. I did drive up to South Coast Plaza today and spent the afternoon at Nordstrom with my old favorite personal shopper who still knows me better than I know myself (Scary!) and then I was going to go meet OC friends for dinner at the Capital Grille. But South Coast Plaza is a HUGE mall, and is always very busy, and the Nectar place was sort of nowhere near either Nordies or Capital Grille.

And you know you're old when you valet park twice in one visit to the same mall, instead of walking.

But after all that shopping, and a valet re-park process, I finally crashed into the bar at the Capital Grille before friends arrived. Phew! And what did I find as I was flirting a bit with the hostesses in the lobby?...

Like many good steakhouses or fine restaurants, the lobby and bar are full of lockers belonging to local businessmen, prominent families, or successful local firms. They keep their favorite spirits in the lockers, so the barman never has to worry about running out of key supplies. Who do we have here, right next to the elevator and the hostess stand?...

No, not the Ferguson's, whoever they may be, nor Boom Aviation and their noisy supersonic jetliners... It's Curt Pringle, former mayor of Anaheim!

He's now a successful PR guy in OC, and is known as an all around good man with a solid head on his shoulders. But he's also known now as the last sane and normal mayor Anaheim had, who was able to work easily with Disneyland management to the benefit of both the park and the taxpaying citizens of Anaheim. Mayor Pringle served two terms in the 2000's, and was replaced by Mayor Tait, who eventually went to war with Disneyland only because the supremely inept and douchey Michael Colglazier forced him into that war. Then came Mayor Sidhu, and then came an FBI investigation and multiple resignations or removals from office around Anaheim City Hall. And that leads us to today, where Anaheim City Hall is sort of a basketcase of inept governance and TDA is a simultaneous basketcase of inept corporate leadership (or lack thereof).

Mayor Pringle was the last competent, sane and stable Mayor that Anaheim had when it came to working with, and benefitting from, the presence of the Disneyland Resort within their city boundaries. Disneyland, as you can image, is a golden goose that keeps on giving immense tax benefits. For at least those who, like Mayor Pringle, can manage a golden goose.

What does Mr. Pringle have in his bar locker at the Capital Grille? The mesh hides it a bit, but Mayor Pringle has surprising tastes...

As for me, my tastes during the cocktail hour are rather simple. After I'd finished flirting for a few moments with the hostess (ALWAYS smile and wink at and be very kind to the restaurant hostess; that young lady can easily make or break your whole evening!) I took my seat at the bar to await friends' arrival. And I ordered a humble martini, and thought of Mayor Pringle, and how Disneyland used to operate so seamlessly with Anaheim, and then also thought of my friends here and wished you all a Happy New Year and a rewarding and enjoyable 2025!

 

[Phroobar]

Pretty much. Maybe San Francisco? Or a two week Hawaiian cruise but I can’t imagine the demand is high enough for 2 week cruises. With that said Royal and Carnival do the Mexican Riviera year round if I’m not mistaken. Now that Disney is expanding the fleet maybe they’ll do the same.

They do the Mexican Riviera from San Diego. They don't do Hawaii or Alaska though.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

I did the Ensenada cruise out of San Diego a couple years ago at xmas time. It was nice, but made relaize I'm not really a cruiser though.

The wonder has recently been spending its winters in Australia. My understanding is right now the Wonder comes down from Alaska in September, does only a couple Mexico cruises out of San Diego, and then repositions to Australia for the winter doing cruises there. She's currently off Tasmania right now-

 

[lazyboy97o]

Pretty much. Maybe San Francisco? Or a two week Hawaiian cruise but I can’t imagine the demand is high enough for 2 week cruises. With that said Royal and Carnival do the Mexican Riviera year round if I’m not mistaken. Now that Disney is expanding the fleet maybe they’ll do the same.

The Disney Cruise Line ships are foreign vessels and thus prohibited from transporting passengers within the United States by the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.

 

[Communicora]

A tale of Anaheim of Yore, or... How can we get back to the Anaheim of Yore?....

Over in the DTD thread yesterday, I said I was going up to South Coast Plaza today and would go find the new Nectar beauty bar place that is opening a new shop in Downtown Disney. I did drive up to South Coast Plaza today and spent the afternoon at Nordstrom with my old favorite personal shopper who still knows me better than I know myself (Scary!) and then I was going to go meet OC friends for dinner at the Capital Grille. But South Coast Plaza is a HUGE mall, and is always very busy, and the Nectar place was sort of nowhere near either Nordies or Capital Grille.

And you know you're old when you valet park twice in one visit to the same mall, instead of walking.

But after all that shopping, and a valet re-park process, I finally crashed into the bar at the Capital Grille before friends arrived. Phew! And what did I find as I was flirting a bit with the hostesses in the lobby?...

Like many good steakhouses or fine restaurants, the lobby and bar are full of lockers belonging to local businessmen, prominent families, or successful local firms. They keep their favorite spirits in the lockers, so the barman never has to worry about running out of key supplies. Who do we have here, right next to the elevator and the hostess stand?...

View attachment 833826

No, not the Ferguson's, whoever they may be, nor Boom Aviation and their noisy supersonic jetliners... It's Curt Pringle, former mayor of Anaheim!

He's now a successful PR guy in OC, and is known as an all around good man with a solid head on his shoulders. But he's also known now as the last sane and normal mayor Anaheim had, who was able to work easily with Disneyland management to the benefit of both the park and the taxpaying citizens of Anaheim. Mayor Pringle served two terms in the 2000's, and was replaced by Mayor Tait, who eventually went to war with Disneyland only because the supremely inept and douchey Michael Colglazier forced him into that war. Then came Mayor Sidhu, and then came an FBI investigation and multiple resignations or removals from office around Anaheim City Hall. And that leads us to today, where Anaheim City Hall is sort of a basketcase of inept governance and TDA is a simultaneous basketcase of inept corporate leadership (or lack thereof).

Mayor Pringle was the last competent, sane and stable Mayor that Anaheim had when it came to working with, and benefitting from, the presence of the Disneyland Resort within their city boundaries. Disneyland, as you can image, is a golden goose that keeps on giving immense tax benefits. For at least those who, like Mayor Pringle, can manage a golden goose.

What does Mr. Pringle have in his bar locker at the Capital Grille? The mesh hides it a bit, but Mayor Pringle has surprising tastes...

View attachment 833827

As for me, my tastes during the cocktail hour are rather simple. After I'd finished flirting for a few moments with the hostess (ALWAYS smile and wink at and be very kind to the restaurant hostess; that young lady can easily make or break your whole evening!) I took my seat at the bar to await friends' arrival. And I ordered a humble martini, and thought of Mayor Pringle, and how Disneyland used to operate so seamlessly with Anaheim, and then also thought of my friends here and wished you all a Happy New Year and a rewarding and enjoyable 2025!

View attachment 833828

Nice cufflinks.

I hope you have a very Happy New Year!

 

[Phroobar]

Happy New Year everyone!

Hopefully 2025 doesn't turn into 2020.

 

[AJFireman]

Pretty much. Maybe San Francisco? Or a two week Hawaiian cruise but I can’t imagine the demand is high enough for 2 week cruises. With that said Royal and Carnival do the Mexican Riviera year round if I’m not mistaken. Now that Disney is expanding the fleet maybe they’ll do the same.

To tag onto what Lazy said because of the Passenger Vessel Service every cruise needs to make have a foreign port. There are cruises from So Cal that are 10 to 14 days to Hawaii with one stop in Ensenada to meet the requirement. I know Disney Cruise lines have one way cruises from Hawaii to Vancouver and vice versa. I have seen repositioning itineraries that include San Francisco but its one way not roundtrip from/to Southern Ca.

 

[TP2000]

The Disney Cruise Line ships are foreign vessels and thus prohibited from transporting passengers within the United States by the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.

Post-Covid, I recently started doing some cruises with Viking (which is a fabulous operation, it turns out!). This topic came up and was discussed a bit in an onboard lecture one day, and they explained routes that could open up within the US if it ever was repealed. It made sense in 1886, but it's a relic from a time when no one could have imagined what we now call a "cruise ship". Much less imagine a containerized cargo ship weighing 100,000 tons or more.

I have half a mind to write my congressman about this in the New Year! It's a law that needs to be repealed and rewritten for the 21st century. It could, and should, benefit Americans and coastal city economies. Disney Cruise Line, especially, with its two resorts in California and Florida that would benefit.

As a reminder for how old this law is, and why it makes almost no sense today, here's what the skyline and harbor of New York City looked like in 1886. I Googled, and the tallest building in town had just opened, and was eleven stories tall...

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

All this recent talk about cruises lately, I just booked my next cruise for 2026. It's an Uncruise through the Prince William sound roundtrip from Seward. It is a small cruise (American flagged) and we will spend most days anchored in a fjord with glaciers to do kayaking, hiking, and wildlife watching (alcohol included of course). That is my found love of what I want a cruise to be... with a glass of wine or gin and tonic in hand while sitting in the spa staring at a glacier after a day of bushwhacking.

Prince William Sound Explorer with Cordova

Included Highlights: Tidewater glaciers: Chenega, Columbia, Meares, and more Visit the unique towns of Whittier and Cordova Navigate along some of the least-visited shores in coastal Alaska Thrilling kayak expeditions near actively calving glaciers Hike and bushwhack in some of the most...

uncruise.com

 

[mickEblu]

To tag onto what Lazy said because of the Passenger Vessel Service every cruise needs to make have a foreign port. There are cruises from So Cal that are 10 to 14 days to Hawaii with one stop in Ensenada to meet the requirement. I know Disney Cruise lines have one way cruises from Hawaii to Vancouver and vice versa. I have seen repositioning itineraries that include San Francisco but its one way not roundtrip from/to Southern Ca.

Right. I do remember seeing some Disney cruises to Hawaii out of SD in the past. So by that standard you could also have a cruise ship stop in SF if it’s on its way to Vancouver. I wonder why are modern cruise ships required to follow those laws from 1886 especially when you can just “cheat” your way around it by spending one night in Ensenada on a two week cruise to Hawaii. Seems outdated and irrelevant to me but I could be wrong.

Regardless the main point of my post was that with Disney increasing the size of its fleet they may be considering more West coast cruises which most likely would be comprised of more Mexican Riviera cruises. I’d imagine 2 week cruises (to Hawaii) where you have to fly back to SD or LA are much less in demand. The same with one way cruises to Alaska. Although if it left out of SF maybe it would be a round trip?

 

[TP2000]

Nice cufflinks.

Thank you! I had an appointment with the personal shoppers at Nordies, still a polished and complimentary (free!) service after all these decades, so I needed to look pulled together. Is it bad my first instinct was to look squared away for the Nordstrom staff, instead of the friends I was meeting for dinner???

Speaking of that, I had another Deep Thoughts From The Mall yesterday that involves Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company...

One of the Nordstrom managers came to say hello as she's known me for decades, and we both lived in Seattle in the 70's, know some of the same people, etc., etc. We got to talking about the exciting news that the Nordstrom family is taking their 120+ year old firm private in a stock buyback worth over $6 Billion. Needless to say, the Nordstrom staff who measure their tenure in decades instead of months or a few years are THRILLED with this prospect.

The past five years of lowering standards for staff, changing appearance codes for staff, making tacky nickel-and-dime cuts like removing the piano players, and a general lowering of the professionalism and polish that made Nordstrom famous is a topic near and dear to those highly tenured folks hearts. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Nordstrom experience, especially at their big flagship stores like South Coast Plaza, in the next couple years now that the company is going private and will be controlled by the Nordstrom family again.

And I thought.... what if the Walt Disney Company went private like Nordstrom, bought back massive amounts of stock, and delisted themselves from the NYSE? What changes might we see in the operation of Disneyland and the other parks?!? What could be quickly spun off (TV and networks) what could be shut down (niche studios, weird pet projects, Hilton Head DVC, Yellow Shoes, corporate bloat in Celebration and Burbank, etc.) and what might be bolstered and reinvigorated (WDI? Parks?)

It's probably gotten to the point where the modern Walt Disney Company is far too big to go private and delist from the NASDAQ. About the only people who could come up with that kind of cash and financing are Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos, and maybe Apple. But never say never, I guess.

The thought of the changes that could/would be made by taking the Walt Disney Company private are fascinating!

Nordstrom family secures $6.25 billion deal to take company private

With El Puerto de Liverpool, the Nordstrom family will take full ownership of the US retailer after proposing a bid in September.

www.voguebusiness.com

 

[lazyboy97o]

Right. I do remember seeing some Disney cruises to Hawaii out of SD in the past. So by that standard you could also have a cruise ship stop in SF if it’s on its way to Vancouver. I wonder why are modern cruise ships required to follow those laws from 1886 especially when you can just “cheat” your way around it by spending one night in Ensenada on a two week cruise to Hawaii. Seems outdated and irrelevant to me but I could be wrong.

Laws don’t expire unless an expiration is written into them. Like the Jones Act, the underlying motivation is protectionism. Seeing as a bunch of people just voted for aggressive protectionism it’s doubtful that the interest is in doing otherwise.

 

[TP2000]

All this recent talk about cruises lately, I just booked my next cruise for 2026. It's an Uncruise through the Prince William sound roundtrip from Seward. It is a small cruise (American flagged) and we will spend most days anchored in a fjord with glaciers to do kayaking, hiking, and wildlife watching (alcohol included of course). That is my found love of what I want a cruise to be... with a glass of wine or gin and tonic in hand while sitting in the spa staring at a glacier after a day of bushwhacking.

Prince William Sound Explorer with Cordova

Included Highlights: Tidewater glaciers: Chenega, Columbia, Meares, and more Visit the unique towns of Whittier and Cordova Navigate along some of the least-visited shores in coastal Alaska Thrilling kayak expeditions near actively calving glaciers Hike and bushwhack in some of the most...

uncruise.com

View attachment 833925

That itinerary looks heavenly! It also looks like the itinerary has you on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward, which is a treat unto itself. The town of Girdwood at the end of Turnagain Arm is worth a day too; great restaurants and a few art galleries, and the big Alyeska resort with the aerial tram to the top of the mountain that runs year-round (for skiing in winter, sightseeing in summer).

If you have time in Anchorage before or after, I'd recommend a seafood dinner at Simon & Seafort's downtown, brunch or dinner at The Rustic Goat, and/or a stroll through the Alaska Botanical Garden just outside of town. The garden is an interesting display of the various flora that survives and thrives in that climate, with fun and striking art installations placed throughout the garden trail.

Anchorage is not a very attractive city itself, but it's surrounded by natural beauty, and has a few very good restaurants. The Anchorage Art Museum downtown is also very impressive, and punches way above its weight class in style and substance and size thanks to generous donations and lavish funding by the various oil companies that operate in Alaska. A fun afternoon is found there, with stunning exhibits of native arts and culture especially!

 

[Figments Friend]

Happy New Year everyone!

Hopefully 2025 doesn't turn into 2020.

View attachment 833913

Is it wrong for me to WANT to see this movie now…?

Oh the hilarity that would insue….



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