The Spirited Back Nine ...

[WDW1974]

I think they should rename Gotham ''The Penguin Chronicles: The Early Years'' because that's all it really is ... or all that is worth watching.

Don't forget fall finale of the Blacklist tonight at 10 on NBC (c'mon, UNI fanbois, you should watch mindlessly just because it's your company ... not because it's one of the best show on teevee!)

 

[culturenthrills]

Walking by one of the downtown Disney food trucks and seeing prices, I honestly think they're missing the concept.

Food trucks are supposed to be inexpensive and good quality. Like the taco bus in St. Petersburg Florida. But when you're trying to sell me a grass fed slider for $9.50? You're clearly missing the conceptual idea of what a food truck is.

Whereas UNI seems to have it right because Bumblemans Taco Truck is one of the best deals for a meal at any Otown theme park

 

[BrerJon]

Interesting.

What are views/opinions on ICE at Gaylord Palms? I've never done that.

I've never done that either, sadly.

I just got this from the Celebration website. How much more fun does this sound than Disney's effort?

"Now Snowing, Central Florida’s original and premier “Snowing” event, offers a new snowfall program, an ice rink and a schedule filled with surprises. Now Snowing is a month long Winter Wonderland Spectacular featuring strolling Charles Dickens Carolers, community performers, photos with Santa, horse drawn carriage rides, the Celebration Express train, and nightly snowfall at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 and 9:00 PM."

Beat that Mickey's Very Merry $75 Rip-Off Party. Considering it's free, and designed to raise money for charity (and I don't mean Iger's 60M bonus fund), it's all the more admirable. And yet so many Guests visiting WDW this Christmas will have no idea it's just a few minutes drive away.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Interesting.

What are views/opinions on ICE at Gaylord Palms? I've never done that.

I haven't been to the one at the Palms, but I went to a corporate event at the one in National Harbor. The sculptures are beautiful, but it isn't very big. I would've been irritated if my ticket hadn't been paid for. I think it's also geared more towards little kids, not a bunch of hotel chain IT people. The ice slide was pretty fun though!

 

[FutureWorld1982]

I split my time between SoCal and SoFla for eight years last decade and I've also traveled extensively.

I've never been to a place with a more liveable climate than SoCal.

Again, I'm sure if you're in Minnesota then the current temp of 68.8 outside the Spirit Cave must sound great. But we had to deal with six months of largely wretched weather to get here.

Interesting, but I wonder if you would like actually living there for years on end. There's more than weather to consider when moving, and California is not exactly free of issues (prices in general are extremely high for everything and anything). Anyway, it is nice to have different views and opinions. To each his own!

 

[BrerJon]

Don't forget fall finale of the Blacklist tonight at 10 on NBC (c'mon, UNI fanbois, you should watch mindlessly just because it's your company ... not because it's one of the best show on teevee!)

I really want NBC and ABC to team up to do the Black-ish List.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Interesting opinion. I personally come from a northern state (live there for almost 20 years). I have been to Florida for years now, and I would never move (no, not even to California. The weather is not perfect there as some say). Is it too humid during the summer months? Absolutely. But if you are looking for a PERFECT place in this world, you are up for disappointment. Just enjoy what you have.

San Diego is pretty darn perfect. 70-80 and sunny with no humidity year round? You don't get much better than that. I'm really not sure why I don't live there...

 

[twebber55]

San Diego is pretty darn perfect. 70-80 and sunny with no humidity year round? You don't get much better than that. I'm really not sure why I don't live there...

might be because if that 1200 square foot house cost 500000

 

[OSUgirl77]

might be because if that 1200 square foot house cost 500000

Yeah, that's what I used to say. That and the traffic. Then I moved to the DC/Baltimore metro area where it is also expensive with awful traffic, but without the awesome weather. I think I chose poorly.

 

[stevehousse]

@WDW1974 Treasure Planet is awesome! Go see it!

As for Baymax, of all the new Disney infinity characters released in the last month (at least 15) for the new 2.0 version, Baymax was the only one sold out! Just got back from a Target run!

 

[TP2000]

might be because if that 1200 square foot house cost 500000

San Diego housing is that expensive because the climate is as close to perfect for humans as Planet Earth will allow. San Diego has even better weather than Anaheim or LA. Wealthy people who can choose to live anywhere often choose SoCal, and north San Diego County in particular.

Plus it's physically beautiful. And the citizens are fit and attractive and stylish and constantly smiling. And they stay classy. And there's some really good restaurants. And it's a 75 minute drive to Disneyland. So, yeah, houses are expensive there.

 

[twebber55]

Yeah, that's what I used to say. That and the traffic. Then I moved to the DC/Baltimore metro area where it is also expensive with awful traffic, but without the awesome weather. I think I chose poorly.

yeah DC has the worst traffic..i go there often

 

[TP2000]

San Diego is pretty darn perfect. 70-80 and sunny with no humidity year round? You don't get much better than that. I'm really not sure why I don't live there...

I think you might be too wide on your temp spread.

For about 10 months of the year the temp spread in San Diego is 70-77. There's about six weeks in September/October when it can get over 78 with brief heat waves in the upper 80's. Then there's about two weeks combined from December to March with the occasional rainy day where the high may be 65-68 and cloudy/showery. Then there's the other 44 weeks of the year when it truly is perfect.

If Walt had built Disneyland in San Diego County, maybe near Carlsbad where LEGOLAND ended up in the 1990's, it would have been a theme park heaven on earth. Anaheim can be hotter in summer and colder/wetter in winter than San Diego can.

 

[unkadug]

Oh, now just because I might drive considerable traffic here ... and just because I often break news here ... and just because I have a VERY unique perspective on Disney and the folks who run it, doesn't make me special.

Nah, it's my great looks, amazing wit and the ability to get fanbois I have never met to do all sorts of things for me!

(And on a serious note, or more serious, I have never paid a penny to be a part of any online community that I contributed to and I don't believe in it on principle.)

But you certainly never shy away from taking cheap potshots at those who support this site.

 

[GoofGoof]

San Diego housing is that expensive because the climate is as close to perfect as Planet Earth will allow. San Diego has even better weather than Anaheim or LA. Wealthy people who can choose to live anywhere often choose SoCal, and north San Diego County in particular.

Plus it's physically beautiful. And the citizens are beautiful and stylish and constantly smiling. And they stay classy. And there's some really good restaurants. And it's a 75 minute drive to Disneyland. So, yeah, houses are expensive there.

I would love to have some snarky, East Coast comeback, but all of this is true. It's pretty close to perfect. Even Tupac was far superior to Biggie

 

[flyerjab]

Interesting.

What are views/opinions on ICE at Gaylord Palms? I've never done that.

Last Christmas my family went to the Gaylord Palms ICE in Washington DC. The decorations and atmosphere in the Palms were outstanding.

As far as ICE is concerned. We donned the protective clothing, went in and looked at all of the sculptures. While I can admire the amount of work it must have taken, we will not be returning. After exiting the tent, my one child looked at us and said "thank goodness...why would anyone want to do something like that?" Apparently the cold was too cold for too long a time. There was a room that actually had two ice slides. The steps and everything were ice (well everything is ice inside). I mean, we had coats, gloves, scarves, hats, and we were still literally freezing.

So yeah, we spent a nice chunk of change to freeze our a$$e$ off.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Again, I'm still waiting on an opening date for SDL!!!

I want to know who will get that lifetime pass on opening day, you, @Lee or @WDWFigment ?

 

[TP2000]

Yeah, despite it being in fashion to rip Dusty and the gang since Al's retirement, they do seem to nail it still on all the big stuff and most of the little stuff they write about.

Agreed. Their longevity speaks for itself. They really did win the Disney Geek Internet War by outlasting all their critics over the last 10 years.

I can't say how (or even if) it translates to WDW this winter. I guess we'll see. I've put out all that I care to right now based on Disney's track record. I'm not confident of any major announcements coming soon, meaning TPFKaTD-MGMS will be a mess of construction walls and shuttered facilities well before we officially find out what is happening.

Okay, that's good to know. I think we'd all understood that from your various posts, but it's a good reminder for myself and likely others. Thanks again for all the info and entertainment! It's much better than what's on Network TV nowadays.

 

[BernardandBianca]

Interesting, but I wonder if you would like actually living there for years on end. There's more than weather to consider when moving, and California is not exactly free of issues (prices in general are extremely high for everything and anything). Anyway, it is nice to have different views and opinions. To each his own!

We moved from upstate Illinois next to Wisconsin (where the wind chill the winter before we left reached minus 75) to So. Cal. beachside south of LAX, and agree that the weather can't be beat. Especially near the beach, where we didn't have, nor need, air conditioning. That was nearly perfect.

But then we moved to Florida. Why? State income tax of 12%. About 14 million people in the same area as Brevard County with about 500 thousand people. Concrete everywhere; the only trees were imported, and didn't do shade. The insane traffic, where half the drivers were doing 20 mph over the speed limit, while another 25% were doing 20 mph under the speed limit. In the left lane. The fact that the first time I ever heard of a jumbo mortgage was when we were looking for place to live.

All in all, you can't beat the weather in So. Cal., and especially San Diego, but everything else was going to lead to an early grave. The stress levels are just unbelievable.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Local Disney Store has one tiny corner devoted to BH6 merchandise. Shelves and shelves of Planes ****. Honest to God, when will these people learn? They have now been burned twice in the past year - coming up shorthanded for Frozen and Guardians merch.

But last year, plush was made for virtually every single character in Monsters U, including nameless background characters no one cares about.

Common. Sense.

When I was at WDW in April, I had a fairly long conversation with a woman who had previously worked in purchasing for WDW, but had moved to a new role a few years prior. She was going off on how badly they had dropped the ball on Frozen merch, and how that never would've happened "back in the day." As Spirit has alluded to many times, she confirmed that there was absolutely no faith that Frozen would be successful, and no one was willing to take a chance.

Cars had been successful, and kids like planes, so it was assumed Planes merch would sell as well. Same with Monsters U, as Monsters Inc was already popular. It was a fascinating conversation, she was extremely ticked at the state of her previous department. I was surprised at her candor, especially since she barely knew me and still worked for the company!