The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[Finallyinflorida]

MC's part three of Diagon Alley coverage has been posted.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but that level do detail, with all the itty nooks and crannies is mind blowing.

Universal is going to make unbelievable amounts of money.

@PhotoDave219 you had mentioned they fed you...what did you try and how was it? The photos on MC's article literally made my stomach growl and mouth water.

Hate to sound stupid, but whose article and where can I read it?? Thanks

 

[TeriofTerror]

So, wait; so far in this thread, we've debated Disney, argued sports, discussed politics, and corrected grammar. If I can just get the chance to make fun of some religious nut-jobs, it'll be perfect. Forget raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens - these are my favorite things!

 

[AEfx]

So, wait; so far in this thread, we've debated Disney, argued sports, discussed politics, and corrected grammar. If I can just get the chance to make fun of some religious nut-jobs, it'll be perfect. Forget rain drops on roses or whiskers on kittens - these are my favorite things!

I haven't been to Epcot in awhile - is that nutjob still trying to write his message in the sky before the first letters start to disappear?

I don't care what anyone believes, that's not what makes him a nutjob - what makes him a nutjob is that he thinks that anyone is going to be proselytized by reading skywriting over a theme park, not to mention lacking the faith in those that already believe don't need it literally written out in the sky (and if they do, they didn't have much faith to begin with).

That help?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hate to sound stupid, but whose article and where can I read it?? Thanks

Mice chat.

 

[bhg469]

Two entirely different articles. I'm actually more interested in reading the one from the financial perspective… I'm interested in Wall Street's take.

I'm not sure if they are unaware or simply failing to grasp the idea that this new expansion will result in parents taking their kids they're implying more merchandise then you could imagine. Remember the old days, when the old joke was you would walk out of Magic Kingdom with Mickey Mouse everything… Armfuls of merchandise in the whatnot? Well kids will be walking out of universal studios with there. Potter robes and magic wands and novelties from the joke store and the butter beer cups and anything else you could imagine that's merchandised is… there's only one place in America you can get this and it's at Universal.

Universal has taken merchantainment to a level that Paul Pressler would lose his **** over.

What everyone does fail to grasp is that this isn't about rides, it isn't about butter beer, it isn't about the shops. It's about transporting the guest to a fantasy world that immerses them entirely. It's a world these kids are growing up with and learning about in school.

In my opinion? It's going to be more successful than the first.

Well said. The fantasy of being in a different world is something that doesn't seem to hold much water at the other place anymore. I really hope they take this success and make them give us the best star wars experience imaginable.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I'm cool with that - as long as you are cool with them including a boy. I don't think they will have a hard time finding a guy in WDW entertainment who can cover that. (Preferably that really good looking brunette guy who does stilts at Lion King, haha.)



And isn't that...something?

That's what I think some folks are missing. That was UNTHINKABLE up until a few years ago. Even the most hardened cynic would have said it never would have gotten this far.

And if Universal keeps expanding at this rate? If they add a third gate at some point? And if Disney doesn't get off it's behind and throw some real money down in Orlando on something other than bracelets? If things continue as they are, they very well could turn into Universal being the high-end of the market in terms of dollars even if they never overtake Disney in overall attendance (which, with four parks, isn't likely to happen).

Yeah, sounds crazy - but these are crazy times.



I somewhat agree, most of it was related - but the entire Jedi Rocks sequence was added to make Jabba's Palace less threatening, less bleak. Apparently I was irreparably scarred as a 5 year old by seeing such a sight, LOL. In truth, the tone and mystery helped inspire a life long love of movies and amazement in me.

I don't want to get too deeply into this, but I don't actually mind a lot of the "fixes", or even things like Ewok's blink now in the Blu-ray versions (and I think Cloud City is actually BETTER now - it always felt so claustrophobic for a sky city), but I think you will agree with me - the biggest issue with the SE's to begin with is that the CGI just wasn't very good and the technology not there to do what he was trying to do.

Thankfully, it looks like by the end of next year we will have the unaltered originals on Blu-ray, so we can shut-up about this topic for all time.

Kinda sorta not related but yes. My friend ..borrowed a really cool "movie" that was made from splicing the first three episodes (phantom menace, attack of the clones, and revenge of the sith) together, cutting all the unnecessary bs out. It was so much easier to watch than watching each alone. And jar jar had about 15 seconds of screen time. ( and I highly recommend a trip to your favorite pirates liar to see that, it really is rather cool)

Hate to sound stupid, but whose article and where can I read it?? Thanks

Yep, PhotoDave beat me to it. Wasn't sure if using miceChat by name was allowed or not, so I went with MC. but if you're going to read it, start with part one! It's one of the better multi-part articles they've done in a long while.

 

[WDW1974]

An ugly Saturday night in paradise and I am in an ugly, ornery mood. Perfect time to log back onto MAGIC and see what kind of fun has been going on.

But one thing I forgot, it seems that a newish member of our community has been blathering on about WDW's hotel count and claiming that WDW has 35K rooms. If he/she/it is doing so because WDW is like a town and a town many have 35K hotel rooms, then he is accurate.

BUT ... you can't include Swan/Dolphin/DD Hotel Plaza/SoG etc in any resort stats because they are not owned and operated by the Mouse. Well, you can, but you look like a fool with an agenda.

 

[AEfx]

Well said. The fantasy of being in a different world is something that doesn't seem to hold much water at the other place anymore. I really hope they take this success and make them give us the best star wars experience imaginable.

It's the only thing that has a remote possibility of Disney stepping up the game as opposed to just continuing to slide downhill.

Universal and Disney took two entirely different approaches, both of which seem to have cost about the same amount of money (Next Gen vs. Everything Universal has added in the past few years).

Universal had a vision of a non-"saturated" Orlando, took the aggressive approach, and proved - if you build it (something folks want to experience), they will come. They pumped a ton of money and resources into attractions, and the cash registers are proving how wise that investment is every day. Folks WANT to dump their money. Universal gave them a wonderfully themed, immersive, and satisfying way to do so.

Disney decided to take the passive-aggressive approach, trying to worm folks into spending more because they presumably would be more disassociated from their spending if they scan a bracelet and enter a PIN vs. using their credit cards.

It's much more obvious which one has been more successful, for roughly the same investment. When some of us were predicting this a couple of years ago, we got all kinds of folks who said, "But it's so much more than bracelets!" and aside from a few rumors about Characters knowing your name, I'd love to know where those folks are now - now that we know, no, really, to the average park guest, the only evidence they are really going to see of his massive investment is going to be those damn bracelets.

When you compare that to he massive number of D- and E-ticket attractions Universal added with similar resources (and, probably, less, if Next Gen has really hit the absurd sum of 1.5B, I bet Universal is hovering around the 1B mark, for EVERYTHING), and the fact that Universal is not slowing down - we know of quite a few attractions that are still to come, it's just something so obvious that Joe Sixpack could understand. One resort got tremendous bang for their buck, and another just dumped a ridiculous amount of money on a pit of infrastructure that no one needed to begin with, just to try to lull folks who already came into spending a few percent more with what amounts of psychological trickery.

 

[WDW1974]

Well, the lands. I think it's safe to assume the films will be balls out from a cost perspective.... as far as the story telling aspect.......well, let's not rush conclusions just yet.....

I want to believe they will be very, very good, but nothing WDW has created in the 21st century has come close to wowing me in the way they did in the 70s, 80s, 90s.

And there seems to be a 'tude amongst some of their top leadership that they still have the best product in Orlando, which is really laughable. It's sorta like a fanboi who just sticks his fingers in his ears and screams 'Pixie Dust' over and over again.

They have got a very steep hill to climb and they've packed on quite a few extra pounds. I can't logically bet they're going to make it back up that hill.

Ask Mongello.

 

[WDW1974]

would a star wars cantina in DTD be a possibility?

No.

 

[WDW1974]

Tamara Lush. Know her?

Have heard the name. And have likely read some of her work, but I don't recall.

I do find it interesting that so many 'real' reporters spend way too much time Tweeting with fanbois and interviewing Internet 'names' as sources.

Someone needs to tell USA Today that Lou Mongello is akin to Al Lutz only if you are admitting to paid placement of stories.

 

[The Crafty Veteran]

Disney maybe the more attended theme parks, but Uni is proving to be creating the bigger margins.

Don't be so impressed with margins on paper. Here is a quick story I used to tell people about margins, it was true then and its true now.

Say you owned a store and had items, like a light bulb for example, that you sold as a store brand. Those store brand items are extremely high margin items dollar for dollar compared to a national brand.

Now say that store brand light bulb has a fifty percent margin, but since its a store brand your only selling ten a week. Compare that to a national brand light bulb with twenty percent margin but you're selling over two hundred a week. Businesses are chasing money not margins. Like I said earlier, margins look good on paper but that's all.

 

[WDW1974]

You have made fun of the overweight guests at WDW, and you recently called certain lifestylers um...flamboyat.

Yes, I have. WDW has the largest amount of morbidly obese people in one location that I have ever seen and I believe that Disney makes things easy for them and helps facilitate a lifestyle that will result in illness, early death and higher healthcare costs for us all. There really is nothing funnier in a black comedy type of way than a 500-pounder riding an ECV while chomping on a turkey leg or holding a giant burger and fries basket.

And, I am sure you never noticed this, but many fanbois are ... well ... flamboyant. Nothing at all wrong with that, it's just a fact.

You do on occasion break stories, and your posts are fun to read, however, I would say your threads are more for venting and entertainment than actual news. Frozen was the big news in this thread, and it was originally posted by Jim Hill back in January. You were also the second poster to mention Frozen for Maelstrom on WDWmagic as an insider.

Thanks for realizing that. My threads are to educate, entertain and provoke thought and discussion. Really. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don't know what Jim Hill has said or not. He stopped being a relevant 'name' in the fan community about a decade ago. And my information came from TWO WDI sources on the left coast, one who was named here. So, folks may have mused about it or said it was coming, but I confirmed it by sourcing it ... like a real reporter would.

You did break Potter though. However, what happened to the noise issue? Is that settled?

No, it isn't. They have made it less of an issue by turning up the volume of sound. ... I need to check if they actually are trying anything else or are just going to leave it as is.

I don't have a blog, travel agency, or anything of the like. Just a fan.

That's nice. I'm just a fan too!

 

[WDW1974]

But I hear you can buy tickets to Knotts at the DL ticket booth.

Really? I don't think so. Never heard that one.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Frozen is coming to DHS.

 

[SJN1279]

Yes, I have. WDW has the largest amount of morbidly obese people in one location that I have ever seen and I believe that Disney makes things easy for them and helps facilitate a lifestyle that will result in illness, early death and higher healthcare costs for us all. There really is nothing funnier in a black comedy type of way than a 500-pounder riding an ECV while chomping on a turkey leg or holding a giant burger and fries basket.

And, I am sure you never noticed this, but many fanbois are ... well ... flamboyant. Nothing at all wrong with that, it's just a fact.



Thanks for realizing that. My threads are to educate, entertain and provoke thought and discussion. Really. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don't know what Jim Hill has said or not. He stopped being a relevant 'name' in the fan community about a decade ago. And my information came from TWO WDI sources on the left coast, one who was named here. So, folks may have mused about it or said it was coming, but I confirmed it by sourcing it ... like a real reporter would.



No, it isn't. They have made it less of an issue by turning up the volume of sound. ... I need to check if they actually are trying anything else or are just going to leave it as is.



That's nice. I'm just a fan too!

Thanks for responding. I don't always agree with your posts, but I do enjoy reading the threads you create.

 

[WDW1974]

I absolutely agree that Uni has many top notch attractions, which is why I have shared my vacation time with them as well as Disney, SeaWorld and the 57 other varieties of entertainment in the area. You are preaching to the choir. It's a little bit extreme to say that Disney hasn't had anything built since Bush was president. The proper wording would have to be...that Disney hasn't built anything that you have liked since Bush was president.

If I recall the comment precisely, it was that no MAJOR (like an E-Ticket) attraction has been built at the MK since Bush the Elder was our Prez. That is quite accurate and quite damning for what is supposed to be the Disney flagship park and the No. 1 attended park 'ahem ... cough ... cough' in the world.

No, you didn't have to ask. The fact is that unless people agree with the opinions of you or your fanbois, they are labeled as bloggers, lifestylers or Disney associated. It would certainly be justified to ask if you are a Uni blogger, lifestyler or associated with them, because of your negative stance on all things Disney. I know, I know... it's your love of Disney that makes you be critical of everything they do. Well, the old saying, "with friends like you, who needs enemies" applies here.

Goof, old, old pal, we both know that I attract my share of kooks, crazies, hot young fanbois, AND folks with agendas who don't want to come right out and put them on the table. So, when someone keeps rambling down a path toward the Insanity Freeway, I like to stop and ask them a few questions, to see where they are coming from.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I haven't been to Epcot in awhile - is that nutjob still trying to write his message in the sky before the first letters start to disappear?

I don't care what anyone believes, that's not what makes him a nutjob - what makes him a nutjob is that he thinks that anyone is going to be proselytized by reading skywriting over a theme park, not to mention lacking the faith in those that already believe don't need it literally written out in the sky (and if they do, they didn't have much faith to begin with).

That help?

Yes that ..... Finger sniffing chimp .... Is still doing that.

 

[Astro Blaster]

Frozen is coming to DHS.

Interesting...better than Epcot. Speaking of, know if that impacts the Maelstrom plans?

 

[lazyboy97o]

But I hear you can buy tickets to Knotts at the DL ticket booth.

Really? I don't think so. Never heard that one.

I don't know about Knott's Berry Farm tickets, but one can purchase the Southern California CityPass at the Disneyland Resort that bundles a day's admission to Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld SanDiego with a 3 Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper.