The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[PhotoDave219]

Spoiler

Diagon Alley is stunning. The queue for Gringotts is stunning, the entire expansion just looks amazing... I watched Mrs. Ricky's videos, and the Hogwarts Express is beautiful, the projections on the doors was very cool, adn something I did not expect.

I just found the STORY of both rides to and from Diagon Alley to be fairly boring... No big thrills per se. Now I still plan on visiting, and I am sure just being on the train and feeling the motion is great and adds to it -- but the fact is the big thrill going to DA is the Weasley brothers fireworks and a spider on the door. And going to Hogsmead there is a dementor (which is cool), but it's gone in a flash and immediately after there is a gag with chocolate frogs... like the dementor thing was EH NO BIG DEAL, LET'S LAUGH AT FROGS? I guess i was expecting more from the story telling...

JUST MY OPINION gang, not pixie dusting or UNI bashing... the expansion is a full forced grand slam. I cannot wait to visit in November.

Hey can you throw spoiler tags around your original post?

Also the videos dont do it justice.

 

[bhg469]

Curiosity and amusement. Theme park regulars make for one interesting subculture.

You should check out twitter.. it's fascinating and infuriating at the same time.

I can't resist punching something when someone says "I cant even"... it's a phrase overused beyond belief. Like "frack" in Battlestar Galactica... I'm not that nerdy I swear.

 

[Cesar R M]

And yet the thing I hear whenever the sequels come up on various discussion sites is "They're making more Avatar movies?"

Sounds like Harrison Ford during his interview with Coco about the sequels of Star Wars.

Yes and they will all make a lot of money

We will have to see.
Transformers ran thanks to the huge hype train despite the sequels being pretty mediocre (very good effects and action but that's it).

 

[StageFrenzy]

I'm assuming you want better than Valiant and Valiant or Quentin Tarantino?

Yeah hard boiled dectective walking down a dark alley or even better a Sherlock or Foyle's war shout out.

 

[AEfx]

You should check out twitter.. it's fascinating and infuriating at the same time.

I can't resist punching something when someone says "I cant even"... it's a phrase overused beyond belief. Like "frack" in Battlestar Galactica... I'm not that nerdy I swear.

After re-watching BSG last month I have started to use "frack" more often, since it gets the point across (even if you don't know BSG) and most filters don't care about it.

Total side note, but one funny you said "beyond belief" and overused, haha - though I have to say my personal pet peeve is when someone argues that a point is "mute". It happens more often than not when you see that word on the internet. And, some folks have even come to believe that it actually means mute, as in, a quiet point I guess, and don't get it when you explain it. I really fear that this will become like David Letterman popularizing films "entitled" instead of titled, where it actually becomes half-way legitimately recognized.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Yeah hard boiled dectective walking down a dark alley or even better a Sherlock or Foyle's war shout out.

Noir would be too easy given that the setting is London.

And i cant do wizard noir, might creep myself out.

 

[71jason]

Tonight Show is just taking the park back to what was it was planned for, but hasn't been used for in a long time.

I realize The Tonight Show relies on access to guests, so it wouldn't be an ideal option in comparison to NY/LA, but someone needs to figure out how to do a regular show from Universal. The soundstage looked incredible,and it's hard to top the energy of the musical performances on the outside stage.

 

[bhg469]

I realize The Tonight Show relies on access to guests, so it wouldn't be an ideal option in comparison to NY/LA, but someone needs to figure out how to do a regular show from Universal. The soundstage looked incredible,and it's hard to top the energy of the musical performances on the outside stage.

They have been doing great for sure.

 

[71jason]

Rhetorical question:

What's going to be the bigger seller for the next 12 months: MyMagic+ and SDMT or Diagon Alley?

There's more money to be made in Orlando if Disney simply would invest wisely.

Buzz around Radiator Springs or Arrendale would dwarf that around Potter Land 2.0, the Somewhat Improved Version. Even Star Wars might, if done right. Heck, even a Little Mermaid land properly done probably could have.

 

[Cesar R M]

Sorry. The issue isn't Disney doing this or you reporting it. ... The issue is when fans inevitably start making a big deal about it. A parking lot is just a parking lot. And I don't find them MAGICal at any theme park I have ever visited (no, they aren't special at TDR either!)

one thing Mr. WDW1974.. adding M&G TO PARKING LOTS.. THAT IS THE FUTURE.. YOU HEARD IT HERE FOLKS!!!

 

[articos]

I realize The Tonight Show relies on access to guests, so it wouldn't be an ideal option in comparison to NY/LA, but someone needs to figure out how to do a regular show from Universal. The soundstage looked incredible,and it's hard to top the energy of the musical performances on the outside stage.

Agreed. And there are a lot of people who have been trying to make this happen. There are a lot of issues working against regular production, unfortunately, with the top of the list being the legislature not renewing production incentives. You'd think Universal would be a prime location for audiences, but it turns out they would rather ride rides and they're very unreliable. In order to deliver full audiences, you need to have a staff working to make sure that happens.

Universal's stages are great facilities, but the support facilities are not in place any longer - they used to be, but have since gone to Louisiana, Atlanta and Miami. And unfortunately the tv stage (former Nick space) was never retrofitted for high definition. At one point, Central FL could support 3-5 high end productions at once. Right now they can support 2.

With this week, maybe they'll be able to sell themselves more as a destination. Have to wait and see.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Buzz around Radiator Springs or Arrendale would dwarf that around Potter Land 2.0, the Somewhat Improved Version. Even Star Wars might, if done right. Heck, even a Little Mermaid land properly done probably could have.

Radiator Springs has been done before, a Florida Carsland would lose that impact. And I'm pretty sure people would want to see Elsa's ice palace more then Arendelle.

Star Wars done right could totally curbstomp Potter though.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Buzz around Radiator Springs or Arrendale would dwarf that around Potter Land 2.0, the Somewhat Improved Version. Even Star Wars might, if done right. Heck, even a Little Mermaid land properly done probably could have.

At this point in time, I think Arrendale would create more hype than Star Wars. They already have a Star Wars ride plus plenty of related merch, food and events. They hardly have anything for Frozen yet.

Just think what might have been with a real Arrendale expansion announcement. They could have had counter-programing of their own on Good Morning America to combat the Today Show. Maybe Adele Dazeem singing "Let it Go" in front of a chorus of construction workers led by Josh Gad?

 

[71jason]

People think Ricky looks creepy in some of his photos, and his interactions so when he covers the M&Gs.. they've joked/labeled that he's stalking them, etc. Fueled by a joke about where your hands are when they aren't seen in a photo in a M&G, etc.

So you don't think a man in his 20s taking extraordinary lengths to visit and take photos with "princesses" by himself is by definition creepy? You didn't find his semi-public joke creepy either?

Just trying to get a sense of how you calibrate your Creep-o-Meter. [For the record, 8.0 and 9.5 on mine.]

 

[WDW1974]

They may not be magical, but it is sort of impressive to see the size of the Tokyo Disney Resort parking lots and structures and then see all of the people also pouring out of JR Maihama Station.

Have you been there? I forgot (since there are so few of us here!)

 

[AEfx]

I realize The Tonight Show relies on access to guests, so it wouldn't be an ideal option in comparison to NY/LA, but someone needs to figure out how to do a regular show from Universal. The soundstage looked incredible,and it's hard to top the energy of the musical performances on the outside stage.

I think the simple reason why is pretty much the same thing Disney-MGM never really took off as a working studio: the center of Florida might as well be in Topeka, KS it's so far from the entertainment hot spots of LA and NY. It's more difficult to do than it's ever worth long-term.

* Crew and Talent all have to be shipped in - that means every single guest, too, on a talk show. When Channing Tatum is on his press junket for his new film, he can hit 6 or 7 shows/appearances in a day in NY or LA - he's not going to fly all the way to Orlando in between.

* While theme parks do attract a lot of people, TV shows (again, particularly talk shows, but really any live audience production) don't really want tourists as perpetual audiences and have Joe Schmo from Arkansas on his once-in-a-lifetime trip and all excited about being on the tee-vee shouting because he had too many shots added to his Butterbeer and his tongue is a bit lazy.

* Theme park guests do not have the patience for television production. Going to Letterman is a three-hour experience, going to see a Sitcom taping can take six hours.

I've told the story before, but I was at the MK one day when Beyonce was filming for the Christmas parade, and even this mega-superstar (she was that "white hot" at the time that is so elusive), standing ten feet away from folks, working the audience, and being spot-on the most professional entertainer I've ever seen, had Disney pages almost harassing people into staying in the hub because after you've heard Beyonce sing "Silent Night" four, six, or eight times, out of the 20 or so she did it - folks want to move on and enjoy the next "attraction".


It works for week-long stunts, but beyond that it would cost twice as much to produce, and really in the end be lucky to be half the quality.

 

[AEfx]

So you don't think a man in his 20s taking extraordinary lengths to visit and take photos with "princesses" by himself is by definition creepy? You didn't find his semi-public joke creepy either?

Just trying to get a sense of how you calibrate your Creep-o-Meter. [For the record, 8.0 and 9.5 on mine.]

It depends on if he is gay or not.

And I'm saying that as a gay man, before someone gets offended that I think it matters, LOL.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I would guess it has more to do with the fact that they used to have guests park in the cast parking lot at particularly busy times and have cast members park in an overflow area which is now a construction zone.

Respectfully, there's another way to look at the issue of theme park parking.

WDW averages over 5000 empty hotel rooms per night. Maybe if they priced their hotels so that those rooms were full, fewer people would stay offsite and there wouldn't be a need for an overflow area?

 

[WDW1974]

Enjoying Fallon's last Tonight Show in O-Town. It's so refreshing to see genuineness ... and I have seen that in local reports too. People having a good time and no Disney like handlers watching over everything like the corporate overlords that they are. But I don't want to rip Disney. I'd rather cheer UNI.

But anyone who crows in this thread about something big and exciting that is new to Disney better be talking about the Ratatouille ride/restaurant/area at DLP or Harrison's hospital bills. This is a 'no crowing about kiddie coasters, Orange Bird merchandise, upcharge events or parking lot/structure construction' zone, please.

 

[Cesar R M]

Why are those larger parking lots needed in 2014 when Pandora doesn't open until 2017?

Let's see, Iger talked about record crowds at the theme parks and yet, over the last few years, WDW onsite hotel occupancy has declined from 90% to 79%.

There are more people at the parks yet over 2 million empty hotel rooms last year. What gives?

This summer, the Grand Floridian's cheapest 'Standard View' room starts at $567/night on a weekday night.

I wonder if that has anything to do with the need for larger parking lots?

Probably.... because they expect visitors to start sleeping in the parking lots? (so they can AFFORD the parks?)