PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Hopefully they'll plant some damn trees as theres no shade in that park either.
Except outside ABC commissary.
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The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
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Hopefully they'll plant some damn trees as theres no shade in that park either.
Except outside ABC commissary.
Oh, one last thing before I head off to other pursuits. This concerns the SW filming on location in the UAE and Alan Horn's efforts to secure the same with promises of softening the UAE's image to the world using Disney's family-friendly BRAND.
The actress Rose McGowan tweeted on June 3rd, ''Many films are funded by Abu Dhabi. Sharia Law used there. Maybe you should protest your entertainment. #thinkbigger''
Couldn't agree more.
The actress who is a big Disney nut went on to say, ''Protest Hollywood financing movies with Abu Dhabi $, they stoned a woman recently. Where is the outrage for her?''
On another subject, another serious (but largely unrelated) subject, I may need the community's help with finding out some information that some here may have knowledge of, or be able to unearth it. Serious topic, serious business.
Have a great Sunday!!!
The actress Rose McGowan tweeted on June 3rd, ''Many films are funded by Abu Dhabi. Sharia Law used there. Maybe you should protest your entertainment. #thinkbigger''
Couldn't agree more.
The actress who is a big Disney nut went on to say, ''Protest Hollywood financing movies with Abu Dhabi $, they stoned a woman recently. Where is the outrage for her?''
On another subject, another serious (but largely unrelated) subject, I may need the community's help with finding out some information that some here may have knowledge of, or be able to unearth it. Serious topic, serious business.
Have a great Sunday!!!
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
I've stayed at Dolphin before, and would again, but not for $279/night + resort fee + tax.
WendyTinkerbell
Active Member
I agree it's sad, but some interesting trust law in the article. Thanks for sharing!
The reason why people get upset is because of the way these questions are posed. They don't appear to be simple questions, but rather ones with a rather judgmental and condescending tone to them. And let me be clear, your question did not upset me at all, but I can see why some people would get upset, especially with your critical background when it comes to WDW. Also, tone in type is nearly impossible to comprehend so I can see why people think your questions aren't simply just questions.
Of course it's people that make the memories, but your particular chosen location is just as important. And of course nostalgia is also a big part of the draw to WDW. I remember going as a 5 year old child with my parents and how much I loved it, which translates into why I love going as an adult. How is a WDW vacation any different than going snow skiing, hiking in the Ozarks, etc.? It isn't. But, I also have emotional attachments to those locations as well because I have fond childhood memories of going with my family to. So guess what, I take vacations there as well. Your childhood memories, especially the good ones, will no doubt influence your choice of vacation destinations. WDW is no different.
Again, it's as if you're agreeing with yourself on these points. WDW is a vacation destination like all of the places you listed. If you and your family had a great time at any of these locations, wouldn't that influence your choice in the following years? Of course it would, just like any normal family.
I don't think it turns anyone into anything that they aren't, but it surely does help bring forth the inner child in some people. It's not just WDW for me though, I get giddy every time I take any vacation. But for WDW, the nostalgia part of it definitely comes through when I think back on my childhood trips with my mom and dad. There's no doubt an emotional attachment to the place.
I have a friend who I have tried to get out of her comfort zone for probably 20 years now (yeah, you can see how successful that's been!) and her answer always is ''I love chocolate ice cream, so why should I try any other flavor?'' That is what I see with SOME of the WDW chronics. Before you start a nasty reply, please realize I am not talking about anyone here. I am speaking in general of a mindset ... a mindset that may be ''Vacation for us is two weeks at the BW every July and 10 days at VWL every third December too.'' There's a whole world out there. A world of amazing places, some even include theme parks. And one does themselves no service by repeating the same thing every year, even if they enjoy it because they are precluding the opportunities to enjoy what else is out there.
Anyway ... that's just my opinion. I'm enjoying reading yours. Maybe I'll turn them into a book?
There's no doubt that becoming more cultured by exploring places in America and other countries is something people should do. I love history so I enjoy Charleston, Savannah, Philadelphia, etc. and go to these historical cities every chance I get. However, I don't bemoan and get upset because someone chooses to stay within their safety net at WDW. It's ultimately their loss and their money. I've always looked at WDW as a safe place, free of the outside world. I don't turn a tv on, and basically get lost in my own world while there. WDW has changed for the worst in that area, which has caused me to cut back on my trips (I haven't been since 2010). I no longer feel that disconnect from the outside world like I used to.
And for the record, you can read through my posts here and see that I'm every bit as critical and concerned about the future of WDW as you and other posters here. Again, I think people got upset with your question simply because they associated it with your previous posts here. It's hard to fault them for that. After all, you are the "spirited" one.
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Why do you think Universal is in Orlando?
thats a little disingenuous, isn't it? You skewed the question hard to get the answers that you were fishing for.
His dad mentioned it to him. Just because some guy that you supposedly knew once didn't mention it to you doesn't change anything.
Don't forget about Mat Damons movie "Promised Land" about anti-fracking was mostly funded by the royal family of the UAE. Companies likr WB, Paramount, and Universal are all cashing in as well. WB signed a multi-billion dollar contract already with the UAE
The new Four Seasons hotel in Orlando is coming along nicely and It will no doubt be extremely lavish but the money is coming from heavily UAE connected Prince Alwaleed who is a co-owner of the hotel chain. His partner is Monsanto loving Bill Gates. The Beverly Hills Hotel and The Hotel Bel-Air are already under fire from protesters due to the owner being the Sultan of Brunei who's country is under sharia law. It's funny how the LA Clippers fiasco received so much attention for weeks yet the Hotels being owned by a ruler who allows gays to be jailed and killed gets very little coverage. Such fair and balanced news. Donald Sterling may be racist, but he's got nothing on the Sultan.
There's all kinds of dots to be connected here and the rabbit hole goes quite deep. I guess the UAE is hoping their image and "brand" will come out cleaner looking on the other end if they give enough people money
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acishere
Well-Known Member
If you ever find yourself in New Jersey (Something no one really intends to do), Great Adventure has a surprisingly smooth wooden coaster called El Toro. That is the only wooden coaster I will ever defend. In fact, I would list it as my favorite roller coaster so far.
tamotu99
Active Member
300m from me is a church that has parts from the 900s over a thousand years old, we have ruins of an abbey in the next town that are 6th century, we have an iron age site about 10 miles away, an English Civil War battlefield nearby, and an hour up the road, the oldest dwelling house in Europe
But you guys enjoy your 'historic monuments and sites'
Hell we have the original Lincoln, Boston and New York in our county
But you guys enjoy your 'historic monuments and sites'
Hell we have the original Lincoln, Boston and New York in our county
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
300m from me is a church that has parts from the 900s over a thousand years old, we have ruins of an abbey in the next town that are 6th century, we have an iron age site about 10 miles away, an English Civil War battlefield nearby, and an hour up the road, the oldest dwelling house in Europe
But you guys enjoy your 'historic monuments and sites'
Hell we have the original Lincoln, Boston and New York in our county
That's one thing that really impressed us in Germany - the deep and rich history. My family history here dates back to the Mayflower, which always seemed so ancient to me until we walked on a road built during the days of the Roman Empire and visited sites that dated back more than a thousand years ago. We truly are "still just a youngster" as Mark Twain says in The American Adventure.
Radok Block
Well-Known Member
Chiming on the discussion of visiting 'real' places on vacation-- rather than continuing to mourn what's happened to Original Recipe EPCOT Center (my sister wanted to take me there for my landmark birthday this year, and we decided 'what's the point?') and Future World, my family has now made an informal goal of going to places where research, learning, exploration and discovery are really happening. We're hitting our first site this summer and we could not be more excited.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah, wasn't it great?! Of course I'm sad to hear Mr. Lutz isn't feeling well enough to do his own updates now. But selfishly, I sure miss the glory days of 2000 to 2005, when he was tracking the Pressler/Harriss/Ouimet trajectory and the fall and phoenix-like rise from the ashes of Disneyland USA. Amazing stuff Al Lutz did for Disneyland back then. He scooped the DCA Extreme Makeover a few months before Jay Rasulo and Iger announced it in October, '07 too, and then tracked the stunning turnaround in DCA fortunes from 2010 to 2012. Simply amazing for those that were there, and remember it.
But those "Noon Meets" at the Hub? Yikes. I went to one, around 1997. Never again, never looked back. Middle-aged virgins creep me out.
You know, I've made that argument here several times, backed up by archival images from WDI circa 1966 to 1971, and it all shows that Walt had no input whatsoever in the creation of MK. Unless you count clones of Disneyland rides that Walt actually did supervise in Anaheim from 1953 to 1966. But some folks here just shriek in horror at that thought, and their history knowledge is so bad they can't even fathom that. I don't know there's anything we can do to help that, except to just say WALT DISNEY HAD NO INPUT WHATSOEVER INTO THE CREATION OF THE MAGIC KINGDOM THEME PARK.
I took a Keys To The Kingdom guided tour once at MK. The tour hostess gushed and gurgled all sorts of lies and propaganda and falsehoods about "Walt" and his wants and desires and interest in a theme park he never had any input into. And Walt did all this in 1968 from beyond the grave!
It would be great if the Magic Kingdom's Guest Relations Tour Guides actually gave a factual tour that talked about the hard work and dedication and brilliant insight people like Dick Nunis and Card Walker put into the creation of the Magic Kingdom Park from 1967 to 1972, but those guys names never came up on the tour. It was just "Walt", and I'm standing there gritting my teeth thinking how horrified the knowledgeable Tour Guides at Disneyland would be to hear that tour spiel of made-up drivel and outright lies.
At least I got to see the parking lot behind Tomorrowland where middle management parks their Hondas and Fords.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
Fares to Japan are brutal. Especially when you want to splurge on Business for the 12 hour flight.
But whatever you do, don't fly an American carrier to Japan; with their battle-tank stewardesses in polyester potato sacks and a bad attitude serving microwaved slop. Fly Japan Airlines or All Nippon Airways and you'll think you went to heaven with gracious, attractive stewardesses in elegant uniforms serving edible food with an intense focus on the passenger experience and hospitality. No request is too small, the plane is immaculate, and the staff is pitch-perfect. If you can swing a Premium Economy seat on JAL or ANA, you'll get a domestic first class seat, free booze, and more courtesy from your cabin hostess than you ever thought possible.
But man, they sure don't offer any deals on the routes to Tokyo or Osaka!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Yes.
I've been to Tokyo's parks several times, and I'm a big white guy of Scandinavian descent. I look like an American from a mile away (but I'm not fat).
You walk in to a Tokyo Disneyland restaurant or bar or whatever, and the CM's there get you an English menu immediately. If the CM's in the vicinity don't speak good English, they quickly replace themselves with a CM who does speak English. Learn some Japanese pleasantries though. The Japanese know their language and culture is a dying one, and demographically they may not be there in 50 or 60 years. So when someone has learned a few Japanese words, they trip over themselves to help you and do whatever they can for you.
The Tokyo parks are immaculately maintained and expertly Imagineered. But it's the service from the uniformly gracious and hard working CM's that pushes it to an entirely higher level than any of the American parks.
tribbleorlfl
Well-Known Member
So you're calling my father a liar? I may not "be good friends w/ Georgie K," but I'll take the word of a man who served our country for 20 years in the Coast Guard, actually worked on and repaired the attraction in question and helped inspect and catalog said foundational damage over your well-infomed opinion every day of the week.
FutureWorld1982
Well-Known Member
Not to be rude, but, what's the big deal?
Isn't the Magic Kingdom Park a great park? Isn't it the most visited theme park in the world? Isn't it one of the favorite places for families to visit on the planet? THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS.
Walt Disney was a fantastic person. Without him, we wouldn't have Disneyland, the Walt Disney World Resort (which will always be my favorite, even though many things need to change). That said, I can't understand why some people are so focused on who built this, what year it opened, etc... I could personally care less if Walt actually had a part on building the Magic Kingdom Park or not. All that counts is that the park captured the essence of what Walt believed in. It perfectly reflect Walt's dreams of having people step in a different world, where they can put their worries aside. Again, that's all that matters.
Of course, I thank you for reminding us about this fact, historically speaking. Because to me, it has no other value.
I hope you won't take this as a message directed to you. It is just what I think every time I hear this same discussion.
TarzanRocked99-
Well-Known Member
What's the week in question? Most likely they have a full complex convention in house, plus their inventory is down this fall as they are fully renovating the guestrooms and doing 300 at a time. They are stripping them down to the studs including the bathrooms, the new guest room product is going to be much improved.
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Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Yes, but it is not the world that I traveled in. The world now is a very dangerous place to wander around in. The news media, like your take on WDW, is blasted 24/7. It is a combination of convenience, economics and fear that keep many people away from international travel. Most of my experiences in Asia were while I was a participant in the Vietnam War. I had very little to lose and was not even conscience of danger. Today's media hammer that home every single broadcast. Things we never used to hear about are now "headline" news. On top of the people with families are not as able to just jump on a plane and take the crew for a cultural experience. It's different being single (a situation that I think you lose sight of once in awhile).
Agreed, but, it is in a comfortable, kind of know what to expect, excitedly anticipated surrounding. A place that, for Americans at least, speaks their language, has the same power grid as home and is much more easily accessed then foreign travel. Foreign travel is a luxury item and is far more enjoyable to those that have experienced it before than to those that haven't. They don't know that you don't have to fall into that trap and that all it involves to avoid it is being offsite. We, you and I and others, speak of it often, but the fear of being out of the cocoon of safety that staying onsite provides causes many to just go that route. Not everyone was born with an adventurous spirit.
You have to ask yourself just how much influence that you ACTUALLY have by having that voice. Yours is just one of many voices that are heard by Disney. What has ever happened based solely on your voice in the matter. If anything, and you have admitted to this yourself, you are looked upon by Disney as a royal PITA. You have inside sources, so do many others, but what you advocate has to fit in with the company mission before it is going to get more than a casual glance. They are inside getting major bucks (real 1%er rates) for what is perceived as their skill at running the company. They are never going to think that they should change their outlook because you don't agree with it. Just plain old human nature.
In the grand scheme of life a theme park owned by anybody, is a momentary diversion. All it has to do is entertain to whatever degree it sets itself to do. It is no longer a status symbol to be attained, it's almost automatic in the 21st century. Stating the facts about what exists is useful. The what's, the how's and the why's. But it doesn't stop there does it?
I'm sure that, as a whole, I will enjoy it, but I am basing my expectations on my current inner feelings enforced by experiences. Some of the parts of that kind of travel no longer appeal to me and that will not go away. That is what bothers me the most. Insisting that Disney is mismanaged, unable to see into the future, work only for Wall Street or no longer invest at the same rate they did while they were growing, may all be true. It, however, has nothing to do with an individuals personal experience based on their life not someone else's. They, sadly, are unable to walk into WDW with the same untainted view that we were able too. Would you have liked to have that taken away from you?
In your mind it is BS. But you read your posts in the inflection that you wrote them. Others do not have that privilege. Your posts, a lot of times, come across as pompous, egotistical, holier then thou proclamations of your greatness and your selected spot hovering high above the common folk. You shaped your online personality in a manner that asking a question like "Why do you still spend thousands to go to WDW" is the same as "What the hell is wrong with you dummies"? Like it or not, that is the persona that you have created for yourself.
I have, in fact, read your comments concerning your support of the "peasants" or as the rest of us respectfully refer to as CM's. That doesn't make you a hero to the "little" people that you are so often inclined to name in less then flattering terms. I'm talking about the people that come on these boards because they like WDW and are looking for a little happy conversations about the place that they either already love or are planning on experiencing for the first time. You have stated many times how much you enjoyed your early visits to WDW. How excited you were and how enamored you were by everything that you saw, or think you remember exactly what you saw. Now, in this age of instant world wide communication you are able to come on here and repeatedly point out every little flaw that you happen to notice as an adult. Suppose that previous to your first experience people were able to point out the realities that live in the world of fantasy. Might that have altered your first impression, maybe dampened your enthusiasm just a little.
Well, based on your position in life, I have now, by association, been given a voice so, I will be expecting my residual checks to start showing up in my mail.
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