The Spirit Takes the Fifth ...

[TP2000]

But, like everything at WDW, it all comes down to capacity. WDW simply doesn't have enough good ride capacity to achieve NextGen's goals. They have 3 theme parks that don't have enough popular attractions to keep guests occupied for an entire day.

With Carsland, Disney achieved a pretty good balance between DLR's two theme parks. However, WDW is a mess.

Iger still doesn't understand that WDW has 1 theme park that's equivalent to DL and 3 theme parks that are equivalent to the old DCA.

WDW needs to seriously invest in Epcot, DHS, and DAK, not be distracted by MyMagic+.

Thank you for that brilliant summation of WDW's current problems. It's capacity. And what capacity that is there is too often aging badly and/or underwhelming to 21st century audiences.

But Iger or Rasulo and even Staggs, men that only rarely visit the parks in pre-planned itineraries with handlers at their sides, would never know that. And no PowerPoint show is going to tell them that either.

 

[Figments Friend]

Brilliant! This made my day!

So, does anyone have any suggestions on writing letters to corporate bigwigs? Or an proof the letters actually reach their intended addressees?

Thanks, but i cannot take the credit for that image.
One of our own here at WDWMagic created it for the 'Give Me Your Best Disney Meme' thread and i stumbled across it recently.
Made my day too, when i saw it.

As far as writing letters, yes...they do have a way of getting to who they are intended to get to if they are written in a intelligent way expressing general or serious concern. Also it helps if they are addressed to a actual individual, instead of just a general mailing to Guest Relations.

I had a friend mail in a note to the VP of EPCOT a few years ago about some concerns regarding the 25th Anniversary Event.
She did'nt tell me she was going to do it...just wanted to know where to mail something if one wanted to get in touch.
Next thing i know, a few days later he is calling me on the phone at my workplace to talk about what she had concerns about..!
Talk about a surprise....

Yeah......totally did not expect that...but we had a nice chat!

 

[aladdin2007]

Thanks, but i cannot take the credit for that image.
One of our own here at WDWMagic created it for the 'Give Me Your Best Disney Meme' thread and i stumbled across it recently.
Made my day too, when i saw it.

As far as writing letters, yes...they do have a way of getting to who they are intended to get to if they are written in a intelligent way expressing general or serious concern. Also it helps if they are addressed to a actual individual, instead of just a general mailing to Guest Relations.

I had a friend mail in a note to the VP of EPCOT a few years ago about some concerns regarding the 25th Anniversary Event.
She did'nt tell me she was going to do it...just wanted to know where to mail something if one wanted to get in touch.
Next thing i know, a few days later he is calling me on the phone at my workplace to talk about what she had concerns about..!
Talk about a surprise....

Yeah......totally did not expect that...but we had a nice chat!

Exactly, and in the case of Imagination I would send letters directly to George K and Staggs, moreso than Crofton or just general guest relations. The more the better, in a professional tone of concern. The main point here is not really trying to save the current ride, but saving the pavilion and getting that planned redo they have in place but dont want to pay for. Shutting it for good is not the answer, and would be downright lousy for Epcot to have yet another not in use. Yet they will sell off a lie to the public that a new film for soarin and a princess meetngreet will fill the void.

 

[Goofyernmost]

You really do not see the difference of specificity?

No, not really. I want to see something that I can relate too that knocks my socks off. I want to see originality in design and imagination. If that attraction also has a relateable subject matter it will make me go to it sooner then if it is something I never heard of. IP's are not evil or even the problem unless one tries to make them one. They are just the vehicle for the venue. What they do with that vehicle is what is important.

Carsland is a good example. They took a familiar IP and made it awesome through design and imagination and commitment. Would the same thing have happened if they re-themed autopia with "Cars" designed vehicles? Would that be an appeal for everyone or just a youth?

IP's are unimportant as far as the creation is concerned. It is a thing to base something on, not much different then basing it on something that no one ever experienced and then having to explain it. Both make good shows if done right. That is the key!

 

[ford91exploder]

No, not really. I want to see something that I can relate too that knocks my socks off. I want to see originality in design and imagination. If that attraction also has a relateable subject matter it will make me go to it sooner then if it is something I never heard of. IP's are not evil or even the problem unless one tries to make them one. They are just the vehicle for the venue. What they do with that vehicle is what is important.

Carsland is a good example. They took a familiar IP and made it awesome through design and imagination and commitment. Would the same thing have happened if they re-themed autopia with "Cars" designed vehicles? Would that be an appeal for everyone or just a youth?

IP's are unimportant as far as the creation is concerned. It is a thing to base something on, not much different then basing it on something that no one ever experienced and then having to explain it. Both make good shows if done right. That is the key!

Very well said, The IP is not the issue here - it is the creation of attractions based on IP, For example Mermaid is Disney IP, The attraction could have been mindblowing if the level of thought that is evident in the queue had been continued in the actual ride itself, There are 3D projection systems (without glasses) that could have made you feel like you were a merperson yourself in many of the scenes. That WOULD have been an E-ticket right there.

Instead we got the least inspiring omnimover attraction to date which makes current incarnation of 'Imagination' look like a masterwork.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Never forget that WDW was slated to get Pooh's Hunny Hunt before it was built at TDL.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Never forget that WDW was slated to get Pooh's Hunny Hunt before it was built at TDL.

Pretty sure this just caused my horrible heartburn.

Anyone got an antacid?

 

[Jakester]

Just saying, wouldn't it be awesome if you could have your photo taken on classic Magic Kingdom Attractions? Even with the "hitch hiking ghosts"?

 

[britain]

Themeparkinsider.com has a great 3 part interview with Tony Baxter. Part three was posted today and discusses IP's. Baxter comes off as a fan of IP's and should be noted sans Big Thunder and Journey Into Imagination he mostly worked on attractions that are IP based.

Although rides like Pirates and Haunted Mansion were not specific IP's, Disney had explored these subjects before the attractions came about. Treasure Island was made more than a decade before Pirates opened at DL. Every land at DL's opening except TL had IP's associated with it and Walt Disney worked hard to develop IP's for TL.

Also of note: He alludes to the mistake by Disney of missing out on Harry Potter. He calls it a once in a generation IP.

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201311/3782/

beat me to it!

 

[TP2000]

Never forget that WDW was slated to get Pooh's Hunny Hunt before it was built at TDL.

Really?!? You're kidding! If you aren't kidding, that's the most depressing thing I've heard in a long time.

Hunny Hunt is one of those rides that just leaves your jaw open through the whole thing the first time you ride it. When I first rode it, I had to get back in line to confirm that what I'd just experienced actually did happen. It's an amazing ride with jaw-dropping technology. And it's almost 15 years old now.

And there are Disney Lifestyle Bloggers who have never traveled more than 500 miles from their parents basement who would have no idea and think the overdue remodel at California Grill was something to really be excited about.

 

[TP2000]

Just saying, wouldn't it be awesome if you could have your photo taken on classic Magic Kingdom Attractions? Even with the "hitch hiking ghosts"?

Al Lutz on Miceage talked about this three or four years ago in an update. I believe that's the update when Lutz broke the phrase "NextGen" public and that's when people started referring to this concept as such. That's also when Lutz said something with a working title called the "XPass" was looped into NextGen, and the XPass became the MagicBand.

I'd have to Google to find the exact year and update from Lutz, but it's rattling around in my brain.

Anyway, part of that update where he introduced the NextGen concept to readers was an idea where photos would be taken of you on all sorts of rides that don't currently have photo-capture tech. The Haunted Mansion, with your hitchhiking ghost sitting next to you, was the idea Lutz mentioned specifically.

It would probably sell well. But they'd need to be careful with how many photos and opportunities you can buy. Mansion would be novel, maybe Pirates. But do you really need your photo from Jungle Cruise? Pooh? Mermaid? Hall of Presidents? It would get hokey after awhile.

 

[marni1971]

Just saying, wouldn't it be awesome if you could have your photo taken on classic Magic Kingdom Attractions? Even with the "hitch hiking ghosts"?

Funny you mention that. Specifically that....

 

[Jakester]

Funny you mention that. Specifically that....

Let's say that I got to do some testing last night at MK

 

[RunnerEd]

You dont want email, you want real mail. Email is easy to dismiss... people who actually take the time to write a letter are taken very seriously.

Which is exactly why I did just that to every member of the Board of Directors (except Iger). Disney is a publicly traded company, board members names and positions are listed. A quick search for business addresses is all it takes to find them. I was very respectful but expressed my lack of enthusiasm at the languishing state of Walt Disney World.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Let's say that I got to do some testing last night at MK

I heard the same thing from others...

 

[flynnibus]

Never forget that WDW was slated to get Pooh's Hunny Hunt before it was built at TDL.

?? The combination that lead to the trackless system Eddie Sotto has said here on this very forum was a combination of factors specific to Tokoyo. Maybe they had planned a Pooh ride here first.. but it wasn't the attraction as we know now.

 

[omurice]

Let's say that I got to do some testing last night at MK

And a playful spook will follow me home? (or at least to the photopass website?)

 

[lazyboy97o]

Never forget that WDW was slated to get Pooh's Hunny Hunt before it was built at TDL.

Are you sure you are not thinking of the water ride that was proposed for Disneyland?

 

[WDW1974]

If the Shanghai World Expo is any indication, there is certainly a demand for theme park-type attractions in mainland China. I'm a little apprehensive about how insane the lines at SDL are going to be, and I certainly hope Disney has carefully considered crowd patterns and capacity issues well in advance of opening day.

I wonder this as well. I also wonder how the park is going to be priced and whether attendance will be capped. There was talk about this park being more of a hybrid between a full MK and a Discovery Cove/boutique type experience and, thus far, we don't have an answer.

BTW, our pal @WDWFigment seems to be enjoying his first visit to HKDL. Hopefully, he'll drop in here with some comments when he returns.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirited Wednesday Musings:

Anyone out there still watching S.H.I.E.L.D.? ... Other than @Lee? Yeah, didn't think so.

How come it's Christmas everything at DLP, but Holiday everything at WDW and DLR? Are they really so effing politically correct that they are trying to pretend Christmas isn't also a religious holiday in addition to being a consumer orgy in the USA?

So sad to hear of Diane Disney Miller's passing. I had always hoped to get to meet her and have been near her on a few ocassions, including DL's 50th. She was always Walt's biggest defender and wasn't afraid to speak up to big time execs -- or family members -- when things needed saying. The world is a lesser place without her presence and the company her Dad founded is lesser without her looking over things from her beloved vineyard.

Don't confuse the MK's ridiculous 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. schedule (starting this Sunday) and one 7 a.m. EMH and one 3 a.m. night EMH with huge crowds or the growing trend in the USA to take the entire Thanksgiving Week off and vacation. It all comes down to capacity, something the park severely lacks even with Fantayland's 'expansion' ... there simply isn't enough to do when it gets crowded and guests aren't hitting the MAGICal nine attractions in a day.

Want some good news about WDW? You'll have to make it up because I don't have it.

At the risk of burying news, there have been delays in the Studios Star Wars project for multiple reasons, but understand the biggest one is the same thing that has kept Pandora in BLUEprints only: cost overruns on MM+. The BoD will not OK any new project for WDW (see Imagination) until NGE starts to earn back its billion dollar spend. Absolutely nothing has been OK'd beyond Pandora and that was greatly delayed -- and may well be further pushed back -- because of this boondoggle. So, those of you who love your MAGIC Bands? You can ride them instead!

Let me repeat there are two kinds of WDW fans: Those who experienced EPCOT Center and the rest.

So, is it just me or is no lifestyler going to print my Shanghai news because their hate for me is greater than their cconcern for their flocks and doing a good 'job'?