The Spirit Takes the Fifth ...

[WDW1974]

Here's Variety's take on Indy possibilities: (nothing that really says anything)

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/wh...a-jones-could-look-like-at-disney-1200927252/

 

[WDW1974]

Variety also has a short piece on Small World as a web series. That has no interest to me, but it does say that Small World, which has been on virtually every rendering of SDL that I have seen but was NOT on the SDL planning menu from WDI that I placed online a few weeks back, will be opening at SDL in 2015.

I hope they are right because that does add another E-Ticket to the lineup. I also think every castle park should have this attraction at opening!

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/di...ld-goes-on-new-ride-as-web-series-1200926366/

 

[WDW1974]

Twitter has almost no value. However, the Epcot Centre account is incredibly funny. Here is the most recent "Epcot Centre" tweet from 3 hours ago - "We do not have & we never have had a mosquito problem here at Epcot. It sickens me when anonymous cowards make these perfidious claims." Here is an out take from the 12/4 Q and A session with fans - "Q. Can they accomodate a group of 16 at Coral Reef Restaurant? – Aoife (Athlone, Ireland) --- A. Good question."

I admit, I love reading the Lifestylers (I am laughing at them, though, not with them!) and the folks who think they are Card Walker and Dick Nunis are good for giggles too ... and the bronies who pretend to be girls, but are really just gay dudes ... and folks who hate me like one that sounds like willup ... oh, and the Disney low level Imagineers and CP talking heads. They are all hoots and make me feel much better about my grasp on sanity, but sadder about the Disney fan community as a whole.

 

[WDW1974]

Tangled's melodies are far more suited for Broadway. "Mother Knows Best" was probably MY favorite (for lyrics and melody) and the most Disney melody is "At Last I See the Light". A shame it didn't win the Oscar. Frozen would need a whole lot of work to work on Broadway. "Let it Go" is just a "Defying Gravity" wannabe.

I still would have loved to see Hunchback on Broadway ... and Hercules would have been fun.

 

[WDW1974]

Every five year old boy and girl wants to drive a car on the speedway. Why? Because they get to drive. Mom & dad (& mom's weird friend that she kisses in the bad place that I'm not allowed to talk about) all get to drive.... so thats what kids WANT to do.

So No, the speedway stays because thats what a five year old wants.

And when you say "I don't agree"... just suck it up.

I love how you put things!

The thing that fanbois who want to rip it out don't seem to get is that land is no issue at the MK. Both dead zones in the park and expansion areas. There's plenty of both. No need for many kids' favorite ride to depart.

Also, if you wanted to redevelop a wasted piece of real estate you could just remove Storybook Circus!

 

[WDW1974]

I agree mostly with @lebeau about The Walking Dead finale, although I have never read the comic, so my perspective is a little bit different. I'm used to shows dragging things out forever and/or making big promises in the promos, but having nothing really change. I liked the finale because it actually moved the story forward. No more prison. No more Hershel. No more Governor. I agree with Spirit that if they kill major characters off every week, it would get old fast... but this was within my tolerance for that sort of thing. It makes a lot of sense that the Governor's second family was actually his first family from the comics, but I didn't mind it this way. I took it as a sign that the Governor was an unredeemable character by that point. He finds a sweet little girl that must remind him soooo much of his daughter (that connection was obvious before I knew of the comic storyline), he's running his new group, and he should be in the "honeymoon" period with this new family, but he'd rather leave them alone so he can shoot up the prison. I was really worried that the return of the Governor was going to last the entire rest of the season (maybe more). I'm thrilled to see something new.

I'm thrilled to see something new too ... instead of just slaughtering beloved characters for shock value. If they don't do that, I'm back watching ABC's Revenge at 9 on Sundays!

 

[Bairstow]

WDW has the room for this attraction. They could certainly do it better (just look at Disneyland's), but there's no reason to get rid of it. Make the track layout interesting. Get the electric vehicles from HKDL. Put in some props and landscaping... it really wouldn't be hard to make it fit Tomorrowland.

Personally I can't stand the Speedway and would love to see it go.
The vehicles, track, and overall theme are all terrible.

It would be nice if it got an extensive overlay (Cars maybe, or even better, Sugar Rush), but I wouldn't shed a tear if the entire thing was removed in favor of something else, or even a nice forest.

 

[WDW1974]

Some news that may not interest fanbois, but does me so here goes: Bob Iger's reign has brought destruction and doom through many facets of TWDC beyond P&R. Two that hit close to home for me are the destruction of ABC Sports, so as to push the ESPN Brand (hey, remember when Monday Night Football was a happening ... NBC has that now on Sunday nights!) and ABC Daytime, which slaughtered two ground-breaking daytime dramas in All My Children and One Life to Live.

Well, the latter got quite ugly after Prospect Park bought the rights and tried to resurrect them online. After failing once, they came back in spring of 2013 with four 30 minute shows a week, later cut to two. Oprah's OWN network picked them up as well (why would Disney have wanted them on SoapNet, which it was killing again!)

Season 1 was relatively successful, but there was some bizarre actions on the part of ABC/Disney, which wouldn't surrender web domains or allow the new reboots to use vintage footage for flashbacks. Stranger still, three OLTL stars had migrated to play the same rolls on General Hospital (the only soap left on the network). Other characters came over and were quickly killed off resulting in a lawsuit that delayed a second season of OLTL. Both shows that shot in CT eventually threw in the towel last month and the lawsuit with Disney got even uglier.

Now? With the suit moving forward and ABC Daytime struggling everywhere EXCEPT General Hospital, which has returned to a recipe of quality and stars, word from a Spirited soap source (who throws amazing Christmas parties and has a collection of Emmys) is that ABC is working on trying to buy back the shows and put them on as 30 minutes (they used to be one hour long) five days a week. Katie Couric's disaster is leaving a gaping hole in the schedule when it goes and ABC does not want to give that time back to the affiliates.

I could write more, but there's probably little interest so ... I'll just leave that tidbit.

YOUR favorite company is run by idiots, truly.

 

[WDW1974]

Mitch Albom is not a talent. I don't care what he has done. He is a hack. Always has been, always will be.

Great hairpiece too!

 

[WDW1974]

I was organizing some paperwork and looking at the stack of 10-day MYW No-Expiration Park Hopper tickets I bought back in 2005. We have enjoyed using them for years and still have plenty of days left but our visits to WDW theme parks have really dropped off in the last few years. Every year, it feels as if there is less and less reason to return.

Our 10-day tickets were $378 back in 2005, $452 with inflation. Yet with stale theme parks, Disney charges $748 for those same tickets today. Doubled in 8 years; up 11.3% in 2013 alone. I just can't imagine paying Disney's prices anymore.

My family still enjoys the water parks but after this last Thanksgiving trip, DW and children all thought the WDW theme parks felt tired. We knew it was really bad when we got off the rethemed Test Track and were just so happy that something was different. As we exited, DW commented that she enjoyed it more than any other ride at WDW; that it actually felt good to experience anything at the parks that was both fun and not exactly the same as it was 5 years ago.

On the trip home, she commented it was an end of an era for us. This is the first time since the children were in diapers that we don’t have another trip already lined up even before we returned home and, after our disappointment, no one was in a hurry to plan another.

We have a trip to Southern California and Disneyland planned for next year but, after this year’s WDW disappointment, it feels like Disney has lost the magic. Really thinking about cancelling our 6 nights at the Grand Californian. I know, DLR is much better but WDW has sucked so much fun out of The Mouse that it’s soured us to all things Disney.

We’ve been going a lot lately to Universal and it seems every time we visit, there’s something new to see and experience. Not just a Tangled Toilet or Fantasmic benches but substantial additions. As a life-long WDW fanatic, it pains me to think of the contrast.

All this has made me realize that WDW has lost its way. I suspect decades from now these will be known as the lean years; when prices skyrocketed, quality declined, and attractions stagnated. When $2B was wasted on a project designed to squeeze pennies out of guests without making any substantial improvements to the parks. A project designed to line the pockets of Disney's executives, not to make WDW any more fun.

I really can’t wait for Iger to leave and fervently hope Rasulo does not replace him. I find myself wishing for a CEO who understands theme parks and who to actually wants to compete (and beat) Universal in the game of “Theme Park Wars”.

I’ll be back again for Avatarland and Star Wars Land. Until then, I don’t know. I just might be done with WDW for a few years.

Hoping the rest of you enjoy WDW till then.

I can't disagree with any of the sentiment above except what I bolded.

Using WDW's staleness and state of neglect to not go to DLR isn't a rational conclusion. Stay away from WDW by all means, but don't shortchange yourself and your family by staying away from a place that might remind you of what happens when Disney actually tries.

 

[englanddg]

I can't disagree with any of the sentiment above except what I bolded.

Using WDW's staleness and state of neglect to not go to DLR isn't a rational conclusion. Stay away from WDW by all means, but don't shortchange yourself and your family by staying away from a place that might remind you of what happens when Disney actually tries.

In my experience, I think you'll find that (outside of the size, that will SHOCK you), there's a lot of the old "magical feel" at DLC. I was thoroughly impressed. Characters wandering and interacting, a Main Street USA that doesn't feel like a walmart, MSUSA vehicles (not just the horse). Cars Land is extremely well done (be sure to slow down and catch the details!).

The hotels are amazing, the Monorail is actually more interesting (I think), even though it's smaller. Mr. Toads is still there! I enjoyed their Haunted Mansion (though I still prefer WDWs), but their Pirates is vastly superior. And, while the ride system is practically the same as Dinosaur, the Indy ride puts Dinosaur to shame. The queue there is amazing as well, easily among one the best queues ever built!

I agree with Spirit. Don't let WDW make you skip DLC. The energies at both are completely different at the moment. The magic is certainly still alive there!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Personally I can't stand the Speedway and would love to see it go.
The vehicles, track, and overall theme are all terrible.

It would be nice if it got an extensive overlay (Cars maybe, or even better, Sugar Rush), but I wouldn't shed a tear if the entire thing was removed in favor of something else, or even a nice forest.

It is not good in its current incarnation, but there's no reason it can't be good... you just need someone to care about it. There is a plot of forest north of Space Mountain; even if you wanted to build a new miniland where the Speedway is now, you could have a new Speedway load sort of where the Storybook Circus-Tomorrowland trail is now. Have the ride vehicles transport guests outside the berm like you would on any other ride that needs a lot of space; I"m told HKDL does something like this.

I wrote this about the DL Autopia earlier in the thread, and it genereally applies to the Speedway, as well:
"Autopia bugs me a little bit, because if they cared, it could be taken into the "interplanetary spaceport" concept that WDW's Tomorrowland '94 has/had. They made Tomorrowland into its own futuristic city: a convention center, expo hall, SM was the airport, Buzz is the recruiting center for Star Command, the TTA was the local mass transit, etc. Some of that works better than other parts, but it was there. Autopia could be a drive out in the country on whatever crazy planet you're on. Get weird looking real plants and trees. They can dye artificial turf any color you want and it looks much more like real grass than the old Astroturf. Have broken down flying saucers on the side of the road, interstellar tourist traps, local fauna, etc. It can all be static figures; it would still work. Autopia is a drive out in the country... just on another planet."

 

[danlb_2000]

Yes, which is why the people involved are so important. A good 'solid' in the space is TWIT. It's technology focused, but the reason it works is because the core guy has a long history in radio and TV. The production quality, along with his anchoring, and good guests with meaningful insight and analysis has kept the show going on for many years now. They have a few stinkers.. and there is some 'inside baseball' - but it's a great show that illustrates how to use 'the week's news' as a stepping stone and not just read the news.

I love the TWIT network, definitely an example of how to do it right. I listen to TWIT, TWIG and TNT on a regular basis and have recently gotten into Triangulation which has great interviews with people from tech industry both past and present day.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I still would have loved to see Hunchback on Broadway ...

You may still get a chance a few years from now.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I was organizing some paperwork and looking at the stack of 10-day MYW No-Expiration Park Hopper tickets I bought back in 2005. We have enjoyed using them for years and still have plenty of days left but our visits to WDW theme parks have really dropped off in the last few years. Every year, it feels as if there is less and less reason to return.

Our 10-day tickets were $378 back in 2005, $452 with inflation. Yet with stale theme parks, Disney charges $748 for those same tickets today. Doubled in 8 years; up 11.3% in 2013 alone. I just can't imagine paying Disney's prices anymore.

My family still enjoys the water parks but after this last Thanksgiving trip, DW and children all thought the WDW theme parks felt stale. We knew it was really bad when we got off the rethemed Test Track and were just so happy that something was different. As we exited, DW commented that she enjoyed it more than any other ride at WDW; that it actually felt good to experience anything at the parks that was both fun and not exactly the same as it was 5 years ago.

On the trip home, she commented it was an end of an era for us. This is the first time since the children were in diapers that we don’t have another trip already lined up even before we returned home and, after our disappointment, no one was in a hurry to plan another.

We have a trip to Southern California and Disneyland planned for next year but after this year’s WDW disappointment, it feels like Disney has lost the magic. Really thinking about cancelling our 6 nights at the Grand Californian. I know, DLR is much better but WDW has sucked so much fun out of The Mouse that it’s soured us to all things Disney.

We’ve been going a lot lately to Universal and it seems every time we visit, there’s something new to see and experience. Not just a Tangled Toilet or Fantasmic benches but substantial additions. As a life-long WDW fanatic, it pains me to think of the contrast.

All this has made me realize that WDW has lost its way. I suspect decades from now these will be known as the lean years; when prices skyrocketed, quality declined, and attractions stagnated. When $2B was wasted on a project designed to squeeze pennies out of guests without making any substantial improvements to the parks. A project designed to line the pockets of Disney's executives, not to make WDW any more fun.

I really can’t wait for Iger to leave and fervently hope Rasulo does not replace him. I find myself wishing for a CEO who understands theme parks and who to actually wants to compete (and beat) Universal in the game of “Theme Park Wars”.

I’ll be back again for Avatarland and Star Wars Land. Until then, I don’t know. I just might be done with WDW for a few years.

Hoping the rest of you enjoy WDW till then.

I know exactly how you feel about WDW, but don't let it sour you on DLR. Though not perfect, DLR is lightyears beyond WDW right now in almost every conceivable way, especially if you haven't been here recently. I don't know what time of year you're planning on coming, but Christmastime is now beyond belief good with the addition of World or Color Winter Dreams and Viva Navidad on top of the other offerings.

Come see us at Walt's original park, you'll have a great time!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

You may still get a chance a few years from now.

I was so thrilled to see that this show is on track for production (casting calls just happened I believe), but mortified to learn of how it will be staged. Holding out hope it doesn't turn out to be a trainwreck.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I appreciate that. And you know I think highly of you. I also wouldn't want to comment specifically on what you do without listening.

On the larger point of podcasts:

In general, at the end of the day, it's sorta like four Yankees or Bears or USC (or Saints or LSU for you!) fans talking about their teams. Passion and enjoyment are great, but it doesn't mean it's a conversation that I want to hear.

There are the occasional podcasts (speaking in general terms) that focus solely on the positives of their niche and still work. However, for the most part the ones that work function more as an afternoon drive type radio show where there's debate.

 

[mahnamahna101]

It is not good in its current incarnation, but there's no reason it can't be good... you just need someone to care about it. There is a plot of forest north of Space Mountain; even if you wanted to build a new miniland where the Speedway is now, you could have a new Speedway load sort of where the Storybook Circus-Tomorrowland trail is now. Have the ride vehicles transport guests outside the berm like you would on any other ride that needs a lot of space; I"m told HKDL does something like this.

I wrote this about the DL Autopia earlier in the thread, and it genereally applies to the Speedway, as well:
"Autopia bugs me a little bit, because if they cared, it could be taken into the "interplanetary spaceport" concept that WDW's Tomorrowland '94 has/had. They made Tomorrowland into its own futuristic city: a convention center, expo hall, SM was the airport, Buzz is the recruiting center for Star Command, the TTA was the local mass transit, etc. Some of that works better than other parts, but it was there. Autopia could be a drive out in the country on whatever crazy planet you're on. Get weird looking real plants and trees. They can dye artificial turf any color you want and it looks much more like real grass than the old Astroturf. Have broken down flying saucers on the side of the road, interstellar tourist traps, local fauna, etc. It can all be static figures; it would still work. Autopia is a drive out in the country... just on another planet."

Agreed! If it was actually futuristic and had electric cars, I wouldn't care about its existence. And Spirit makes a good point that Magic Kingdom has plenty of expansion... just that TDO refuses to open up those plots

 

[George]

@ParentsOf4 - True DLR fun fact from the end of July. We were staying at one of the good neighbor hotels for 6 days (Desert Palms or something) and were hitting Disney for 4 days and checking out local scenery for two. Anyhow, I had booked a couple of meals (Blue Bayou and Ariel's Grotto). Despite the closeness of the parks, we opted to not get park hoppers. Anyhoo, I realized on the first day that I had confused the dates on a couple of things and had to re-book the meals. I was able to get the same eateries, at reasonable eating times, after my trip had started. In fact, I think we may have eaten at Blue Bayou the night I called to re-organize. Whilst I am babbling about dining, all the counter service restaurants seemed to have silverware and real plates. I swear, I am not making this up.

 

[George]

I admit, I love reading the Lifestylers (I am laughing at them, though, not with them!) and the folks who think they are Card Walker and Dick Nunis are good for giggles too ... and the bronies who pretend to be girls, but are really just gay dudes ... and folks who hate me like one that sounds like willup ... oh, and the Disney low level Imagineers and CP talking heads. They are all hoots and make me feel much better about my grasp on sanity, but sadder about the Disney fan community as a whole.

Look, we all know about your alter ego - super cynic and harbinger of doom on this message board and inane, vapid,super fan commenter on tens of well read blogs across the vast expanse of the internetz - "Do you think I'll get in trouble if I post a picture of myself in front of the skillets in the Rapunzel Rooms?!?!?! I'm so excited for my next trip. BTW, my secret plan to depress attendance is working!".