The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[WDW1974]

I can no longer get a villa at my 7 months out. I am wait listed for next month but doubt it will come through. As such, I overpay in points to stay DLH, PP, or GC. I'm assuming you've heard nothing about expanding DVC at DLR, as you haven't mentioned it.

DVC expansion at DLR isn't a priority. They are only interested in continuing to honor Walt's dream about the Florida project. Remember, Walt said, ''We have enough land here for all the timeshares we can possibly dream of.'' I know that's true. Gary Buchanan wrote it on the DBP!!!

Personally, while having a SO be an owner of DVC certainly makes planning easier for me, I like DVC's tiny footprint at the DLR. I can point to DVC as part of the Walmarting of WDW.

But as WDW 'owners', we certainly lucked out into being able to book into the GCV,

 

[WDW1974]

Apparently, to no one's surprise, Maleficent is bad movie.

I'm surprised. The extended preview I saw looked promising.

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974 have you heard anything else about this "Kaleidoscope" project at the old Communicore Plaza? Does it really go beyond the terrible new paint scheme?

No idea. I think paint is just paint.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I'm surprised. The extended preview I saw looked promising.

Just got back from a faux one percenter premiere of Maleficent (the real one was happening down the street from the one I attended as a guest of a press member) and while Brad Pitt was getting attacked on the red carpet by a crazed fan (don't worry, the beautiful one escaped unscathed), I was staring at the back of a woman's head who wore her own horns to the screening. Ugh.

Critics won't be pleased (but such films rarely please critics). Jolie is fabulous as all hell and the movie deserves to have been made just for her. Such perfect casting doesn't come along every generation - it's a tailor made part and she's clearly having the time of her life.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It rewrites the history of the animated film extensively, but it's clearly meant to stand alone and not be a Lion King 1 1/2.

Jolie is so good. It's not too violent, but there is one scene with her that is disturbing in a way that will get adults and fly over most kids' heads.

Thanks to the lame poster above who ruined several plot points, I won't go into details here. It's worth avoiding spoilers and seeing it for yourself. Looked great in 3D - visuals are above reproach.

For a Woolverton joint, I found the story to be stronger than I expected. The three fairies are presented as being pretty ditzy, but that's not a huge departure from the movie, where they served as incompetent comic relief in the cottage scenes.

 

[Mike S]

I know they have taken a lot of heat lately, but Miceage has largely been accurate and on top of things.

DL is getting an all-new original night parade, a new pyro show and plussed versions of all the classic dark rides for the 60th. There will also be lots of nostalgia and nods to history with some returning things (hopefully, Fantasia ice cream will be one of them!)

T-land will be getting a redo and, yes, Star Wars is coming ... but they are going to take their time. They have already thrown out plans for DLR and TPFKaTD-MGMS and started again.

And since we are talking about DL, one thing that they do soooooo much better out there is merchandise. Yet, they still suffer from the One Disney mentality. That can be seen in all the Poly and WDW Adventureland merchandise for sale that is being passed off as DLR. Or even a set of glasses where they have say WDW's BTMRR on one side and DL's RR on the other ... WDW's Space Mountain on one side and DL's Sub Voyage on the other.

It's weak. People do NOT visit Disney Parks. They visit DL OR the MK or DAK or EPCOT etc ... people don't want Disney BRANDed crap that can be sold all over.

Now, on a merchandise positive, what a great surprise to see loads of Frontierland merchandise that is themed to the era and, much, isn't Disney at all. What a shock to see Pendleton Mills shirts for sale in the same location they operated in from 1955-1984.

Also, Cars Land continues to see loads of themed merchandise that can only be bought there. Great to see.

Finally, thanks to the friend who took us shopping at Company D/Property Control. So great to see merchandise that is the exact same as currently in the parks at 50-75% off (couldn't believe all the Cars Land stuff, all that Marvel stuff, Tommy Bahama and, especially, Wonderground Gallery stuff!!!) That's what WDW used to offer before its PC largely became simply another version of the multiple outlet stores they operate in malls across Florida.

So Disneyland is getting all their Fantasyland rides plussed. Is there ANY chance that could happen here? I know it's been said our Mermaid is planned to get the same update as DCA eventually but it would be nice to see updates for Peter Pan and Pooh too, lord knows they need it. Also it's nice to hear that DHS is still included in the plans for Star Wars right now, even if it will take a while.

 

[WDW1974]

On this point with Nick Franklin, I must do the same.

This guy left on his own and all corporate gossip that speaks to the contrary is being thrown out there intentionally.

I have no disagreement with Spirit on any other point, but on this one I do know the full story is not being circulated. And I DO NOT believe Spirit is the person leaving information out at all. The gossip going around is wrong.

We shall see. And rarely does the full story ever come out.

I am sure Nick has his own spin machine going. He also isn't well liked because of how much money his project has eaten up, so I am sure there are those looking to knock him.

 

[WDW1974]

By the way- any comments about what they're doing to the Polynesian lobby now? Not for news and rumors I mean (we all know what's happening now), but just your thoughts and opinions.

Not really. ... I think this project will fundamentally alter a unique part of WDW, much like when they demolished Contemporary North and built the BLT. It won't be the same place after this.

I am also beyond tired of Disney's smarmy way of manipulating fanbois into thinking it cares about history (see: the Orange Bird) by making passing references to it while destroying it at the same time (see: new/old name).

Also, the homogenizing of experiences worldwide is troubling ... how much of the DLH will be used here? How much of Aulani? How much of the new Explorer's Hotel at HKDL? ... When does it become so bland ...so BRANDED? Probably too late to get my point out clearly and it has been a long night. And I even missed my hero Edward Snowden with Brian Williams too!

 

[PhotoDave219]

Not really. ... I think this project will fundamentally alter a unique part of WDW, much like when they demolished Contemporary North and built the BLT. It won't be the same place after this.

I am also beyond tired of Disney's smarmy way of manipulating fanbois into thinking it cares about history (see: the Orange Bird) by making passing references to it while destroying it at the same time (see: new/old name).

Also, the homogenizing of experiences worldwide is troubling ... how much of the DLH will be used here? How much of Aulani? How much of the new Explorer's Hotel at HKDL? ... When does it become so bland ...so BRANDED? Probably too late to get my point out clearly and it has been a long night. And I even missed my hero Edward Snowden with Brian Williams too!

It was a good interview. Snowden revealed a lot about his past.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Oh, did I mention that, in my view, Sleeping Beauty is a terrible film that relies far too much on pretty animation and art direction rather than character development and story.

 

[WDW1974]

BTW, when Disney announced the Harambe Nights hard ticket event, did anyone here think about me?

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974 do you think they will keep the Star Wars character meals all year round?

Not sure. They'll look at the numbers and if they think it will help the bottom line, then they'll say that 'due to guest demand' they are making them a regular offering. ... Considering how much they are trying to move money around to make NGE look like it is on budget and a success, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[englanddg]

BTW, when Disney announced the Harambe Nights hard ticket event, did anyone hear think about me?

What's that? I can't hear...

 

[Cosmic Commando]

So Escape from Tomorrow is streaming on Netflix now... interesting that Netflix would pursue the movie, considering their deal with Disney. I wonder what will happen if a bloody Mickey glove starts showing up under a "Because you watched Lilo & Stitch" category? I have to imagine the viewers of the movie will be strongly correlated with those who watch the official TWDC product already on there.

 

[WDW1974]

Gotcha. I dunno. When I was just there it seemed like a lot of people to only be 1 per car. On our final night we ditched the parks early because it was pretty crazy crowded in DL and the lines at the turnstiles to hop to DCA were obscenely long as well. We opted to throw in the towel and go to bed early. I was pretty bummed considering it was our last night and that's not at all how I envisioned leaving the wonderful west. If there's no real "off" season anymore (even during the week) it shows attendance is driving towards a need for more capacity in the existing parks or another park. There was even an article (perhaps OC Register?) that had someone from Disney saying the curbing of the SoCal APs was out of concern for the guest experience. Also mentioned other APs could be affected as well. I don't think they're just worried about enough parking. Does Disney expand their capacity or try to curb the masses and stick with what they have? I wonder if @WDW1974 might have picked up any hint at what Disney is feeling about their attendance and possible direction in CA.

Additionally, MM in DL was pretty useless even during the week. Wait times were the same or longer than during the day. APs don't get MM unless they're staying on-property. This seriously points to a bigger attendance impact than just local APers. Wouldn't you think?

Disney is concerned about the way APers visit (1-2 people a car, pour in on Friday nights and all day Sundays, generally don't spend as much as a family from Utah or Texas or Australia will). They aren't looking to eliminate them at all. They are trying to change the patterns of how they visit. That's why sales of new SoCal APs were halted last week. They will renew them. They won't sell new ones right now.

I just can't get over the fact that 11-12 years ago I was paying $199 for a PAP (top of line, 365 days a year, parking included) is now $699. There's inflation and there's insanity.

And all those poor lifestylers (you know, the ones who a few years ago were crying about living in their cars), how will they afford $1,029 Premier Passes, so they can snap pics from coast to coast. Hey, @WDWFigment, do you know of folks in the Twitverse who are giving them up? (BTW, missed you in Anaheim last week ... think you picked the wrong resort for the event, but whatever ...) ... I am sure they will all write them off their taxes as a 'business expense'

As to expanding, DLR will be adding capacity to both parks moving forward. The question will become whether a third gate is legitimately looked at and whether it is even smart.

BTW, they finally broke ground on the Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove last week for all those familiar with that project ... and Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt all have thousands of rooms planned for the resort area in the next 2-4 years.

 

[WDW1974]

I know the Port of New Orleans were in talks trying to get a Disney ship here in New Orleans. They just redid and added to the port within the past few years and were trying to get another ship here besides the Carnival and Norwegian we have now. Have you heard anything about DCL and New Orleans?

More interest on the part of city officials than on the part of DCL. Don't think they'll go there.

 

[WDW1974]

In regards to NGE, when people say things like, "it was a much needed infrastructure/I.T. upgrade". They say it as if they knew there was some kind of madness behind the scenes with server admins banging their head against the wall with systems crashing, FP machines going offline, overloaded circuits, rides going down and so on. Was the system really that bad? Were there constant problems that REALLY required an "upgrade" at the cost of whatever they have spent? I dont get it. I never recall on any of my visits seeing or experiencing anything that made me feel like they system was in dire need of being repaired.

I dont see anything that has vastly improved my visits either since NGE has been online. I know there is more to it than FP+ and MB's. What im asking is, what did they "upgrade" that was in such bad shape? Is life better now for the behind scenes guys in the computer rooms? Can they pull up data on how many people rode Space Mtn that day much more quickly now? Whats the soup and nuts behind all the infrastructure aside from the tracking and data collection that was "much needed". People make it sound as if the parks would have crumbled within a year if they hadnt done this.

The biggest improvement I have heard folks crow about is 'much better wi-fi' ... well, guess what? That connects you to the REAL WORLD. I thought the whole point of theme parks was ESCAPE. I don't care that Disney has better and faster Internet because I have no intention of using it.

Your point above, though, is very well taken. I don't recall Disney's antiquated (to hear the techies tell it) tech causing guests to have less than MAGICal times.

 

[WDW1974]

A cheap overlay to an existing attraction and a new movie constitute 'major' additions now?

If what is happening to Epcot is major, exactly what word do you use to describe the additions happening at Universal?

MAGICal, naturally!!!

 

[Sped2424]

Spoiler: spoiler for maleficent.

In order to make Maleficent a more sympathetic character, they made all the good guys from the original film either evil or incompetent.

King Stefan is the main villain and metaphorically rapes Maleficent by drugging her and cutting her wings off to gain political power
The three good fairies are now a bunch of incompetent morons that can't take care of a baby at all, with Maleficent actually watching over Aurora from the shadows over the 16 years and keeping her from not dying.
There is a Prince Phillip in the movie, but he's just a red herring plot device in the third act

some of us actually wanna see the film. If you could learn how to use the spoiler option that would be fantastic.

 

[Magenta Panther]

HEY! We have a goddammed SPOILER tag for a reason!

Use it next time! Thanks for ruining the whole movie, jackass!

Well, I'm kinda glad he did. 'Cause now I know the movie SUCKS!!!

The FEH, Disney???? Why did you do this? WHY!!!!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

common sense should prevail

I think the last time that happened was the Cuban Missile Crisis. We're all out of common sense.