The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[wdisney9000]

or Ben franklin reference.

Many men in Atlanta have a penchant for young "ladies of the night", as Franklin did. (How's that?)

 

[Lord_Vader]

Agreed.

Last week our kids were at camp, so my wife and I took the opportunity to NOT eat at home most of the week. Sure, we ate at Tijuana Flats one night - but that was the only chain we visited. Since I work long hours - 14 + hour days some of the week - we really only had three nights to eat out (the rest of the nights we worked out...I did say in an earlier post we're in pretty decent shape!), so we took advantage of that to try out some of the local, higher-class restaurants, the type with a real Chef on staff or owned by one, places that hand-make mixers for their adult beverages, places where you can sit and enjoy each other's company with said adult beverages, then enjoy the food without feeling rushed. Wow...what have we been missing? Very, very nice way to dine - a couple of dinners, and a brunch. More expensive? Maybe a bit, but then we weren't drinking beer or wine-from-a-box. Worth it? Absolutely. Quality and service were so much better than the chains. Wonder if this is part of the reason for some of the chains beginning to fail, the small businesses? Combine that with the economic issues that are still hurting many....hmm...

Nailed it...

The chains, most of them anyway, have reduced quality hand crafted experiences for mass production foods that are consistent whether you are in Orange County, CA or Orange County, FL.

 

[wdisney9000]

KFC definitely not soul food, but Popeyes is!

Another favorite fast food restaurant we stop at driving down to FL is Zaxby's! It so good. It's a chix place that sells fried chix, all types of chix sandwiches, and wings too! OMG their wings r so good and they have 5-6 different flavors as well! It's a much better Chik Fil Let

No self respecting southerner goes to Zaxbys for wings. Lol. (No offense, they're good in a pinch, but far from a true "southern experience" )

 

[Absimilliard]

BTW, I recall mentioning a few weeks back that the fact that chains like Olive Garden and Red Lobster are largely in their death throes due to the death of the American middle class and it was met with either a sigh or folks telling me it was the chains and nothing at all to do with the economy (my house just went up another $100,000 in value for NO reason at all ... sure this isn't 2007-2008 all over again!)

Well, there was a story recently on the HuffPo talking about how the Olive Garden's issues were a serious warning about our economy.

And it isn't simply on the low end. High end chains, once just for the expense account crowd are also desperate to raise revenue quickly. Thursday members of the Landry's Rewards Club received an email from Morton's offering a $29.99 two-pound Maine Lobster dinner if people reserved for dinner tonight. A few weeks ago I got a similar offer for $40 off dinner at Fleming's and there isn't even one close.

Back to the middle, Macaroni Grill sends me daily emails with discounts for that day only. Usually, I don't pay attention, but they have gone from $5 off to $7 off to $10 off a $25 purchase to 20% off the check to $20 off a $40 purchase (would have easily used that one, but saw it at 10 p.m.)

Anyone who doesn't see these as desperate moves because folks aren't dining out and our economy is ready to crash again likely isn't seeing reality. These restaurants need people in their locations YESTERDAY and will offer anything to get them in.

Also, look at the increases in prices at McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco bell and Starbucks. The percentage change of former Dollar Menu items is telling you the companies are desperate to increase the bottom line at all costs.

Yep. I'd feel real good about the economy now.

OK, were we talking about Quiet Riot or Poison?

Restaurants in Montreal did find a interesting way to attract a non expense account crowd. Basically, if you go after 9 or 10 on thursday to saturday night at a few restaurants, they offer an exclusive "best of menu" of their selection at a great price. Like, I went to Moishes, a 75+ years old jewish steakhouse that is recognised as one of the best steak in town, on a saturday night at 09:30pm. Paid 25$ plus taxes and tip and got an amazing rib steak served the "Montreal Way" with an appetizer and hot beverage. It is a usual 75-100$ per person bill, but in order to keep the restaurant full, they found a solution. It is something that high end restaurants should explore in order to help their bottom line. The days of 75$ steaks is gone sadly.

 

[stevehousse]

No self respecting southerner goes to Zaxbys for wings. Lol. (No offense, they're good in a pinch, but far from a true "southern experience" )

All I'm saying is I wish we had it in Chicago!

 

[WDW1974]

Spirited Late Night Musings:

Guys (both Twits and here in the PML), why do you read me if you have issues with me, my information or all of the above? Are you just looking for shoutouts in my book on Mental Illness and the Disney (should include UNI at this point) Fan Community? It's really not the kind of attention you desire, trust me.

And will someone tell Sean he can use his Parkscope account and I won't call him out, unless he continues his infantile crap attacks on me.

So Michael Crawford is combining his 'essays' into a book and got $1500 in under an hour using Kickstarter. I've always thought Foxxy wrote better stuff and never held his/her Brony fascination against she/he.

BTW, I wonder what I could get ...

Strong signs point to soft openings of Diagon Alley tomorrow/Sunday, not the least of which is packages UNI sold that start tomorrow were sold with DA as a highlight. I think they can easily get away with not opening Gringotts, but the area is another matter.

One way this new UNI era has already harmed yours truly: those $50 TM rooms I got so used to at Portofino Bay and the Royal Pacific?

Um, yeah, they are history. Memo went out announcing new rate structure and the 'deluxe resorts' will be $100 a night now for TMs and their guests. The 'other resorts' will be $75 a night. Now, notice that the word was RESORTS, not singular. I doubt very much UNI will toss Royal Pacific in with Cabana Bay, so methinks this is simply talking about a future resort ... or two. BTW, those resorts are still a steal at those price points, so make friends with UNI TMs and maybe they'll be nice to you ... or you could luck out and get a $277 a night CM rate during summer value season at the Grand Flo (most basic room, most basic view) if you have Disney pals.

Saw a nice, if short, piece on the UNI expansion in my print version of Entertainment Weekly (can you believe some of us actually like to read magazines that are paper based?)

The more I hear about the Frozen Summer, the more half-assed and desperate it sounds (almost tempting to take a visit just to see!)

I would expect to actually hear some Disney new attraction news soon, just not for this continent (think Asia!)

On boring summer nights in paradise, watching the antics of fish in a pond can be exciting!

 

[WDW1974]

I wish my group had gotten a taste of that 4 star service at the Royal Pacific this week. Maybe my expectations were too high after all the rave reviews, but three bad experiences (one at check in, one at the fitness center, and one at the pool side restaurant) over two nights seems excessive. It was our first trip to UNI and first time staying at one of their resorts. It has me thinking I won't stay in one again when we go back in a couple of years.

What were the issues? Did you bring them to management's attention?

 

[Sped2424]

Is this for all TM's including those working at the lowes resorts? if so then crap lol but honestly no harm done really. 100 dollars a night isn't that bad when you really look at the luxury of the resort not to mention the location near universal.

 

[WDW1974]

My very first post. Why, as a faux 1% blogger, are you on Landry's or Macaroni Grill's email lists? You seem to have very good connections @ DW and WDW and maybe the other parks. You obviously are a world traveler and seem to have some familial connection to the parks? When you blog about all your fantastic trips, i just can't understand why you would be spending time looking for discounts at cheap chain restaurants.

You joined this site just to make this comment? You have no ulterior motives? You aren't a former member who was kicked to the curb? You aren't a Lifestyler ?

OK, suspicious as I may be, I'll take this at face value.

I wouldn't say I'm a world traveler. I've only been to two dozen plus nations. But I guess compared to the average American I do get around. Familial connections to WDW? Um ... ah ... nope, I am not a Disney nor am I related to the family.

As far as dining, the day I am too good to eat at a McDonald's or a Macaroni Grill or a Cracker Barrel (you doing Sunday chicken? @Lee) or a Five Guys (that was yesterday's lunch) or any chain you can think of, please shoot me. I know people who are worth billions of dollars and they dine at those places from time to time. The only thing worse than snobs who will never eat at a chain restaurant because they think that they are too pedestrian for them would be the folks who say ''I don't have a TV. We like to read books.'' (God, I truly can't stand those pompous people!)

If the closest Friendly's wasn't 40-plus miles away, I can tell you where I would have gone for ice cream tonight!

 

[WDW1974]

OK, I like @WDWFigment ... I have made no secret of that. But reading his account of his Memorial Day visit to WDW did give me pause as to whether he might deserve a mention in my upcoming book!

(but he is quite right about Marrakesh being a fine restaurant ... it is still a gem of EPCOT dining and, yes, most people ... most American people are afraid to dine there)

 

[WDW1974]

Short version is some more SE Asian destinations I've not been to before, Sydney, road trip in New Zealand, South America (Incan trail, biking in Ecuador etc.).

Plus DLR midway and UOR at the end.

You do realize for most Americans you have about five or six trips of a lifetime there, right?

 

[Sped2424]

While the frozen additions are no doubt a desperate grab to kindle something for frozen fans I have to say I am quite happy with these little experiences as they are. Better to use space that they have shuttered for something then let it remain empty, and the sing along sounds a little interesting but the part that has my interest is the oaken shop, as well as the fire works. I am a sucker for fireworks in tangent with disney soundtracks, part of why I love wishes so much.

 

[WDW1974]

Across every industry you've seen companies squeeze money out of their segments. It leads to layoffs though and that leads to less people earning wages and in effect less people in the market for goods/services. That's why you see double dip recessions (not that simple but it's fun for the high level argument tons of things cause double dips).

The only difference between 2007 and the issues popping up now is that banks are significantly more deleveraged than the last time. Regulations have clamped down on banking and will continue to do so with Basel 3 regulations over the next few years.

The problem is you can only squeeze so much out of the consumer ... something has to give. I know very few people who have the same or more credit now than they did 7-8 years ago. And let's not even talk about wages. Although I keep seeing certain cities and states raising minimum wages in significant ways. Hell, there was a blurb that our local IKEA was going up to almost $11 an hour to start (yes, for all the righties, I do believe starting wages in the state of Florida for ANY job should be about $11-12 ... so that tells you how far back WDW Co is).

I don't trust our banks at all now. If this weren't going out to the world I might say I have accounts in Asia and Europe, but, obviously that isn't true. USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! (gonna lose to Belgium this week!)

 

[WDW1974]

Touched a nerve Richard?

I have an uncle named Richard. He goes by Dick. The name fits him quite well.

As Scottish entertainers go, you aren't half bad. But you are no Craig Ferguson either ...

 

[WDW1974]

BTW, all these Muppet avatars are way kewl. I may have a special one myself coming soon!

 

[WDW1974]

You don't become or stay a 1%er buy not using coupons or taking advantage of deals. Hell my parents still use the original tv they bought when they got married. Lol

So true. I know billionaires who use coupons. Anyone who grew up with generational wealth usually has a respect for money. In other words, they wouldn't spend $48 for a Star Wars breakfast at WDW. ... I always use the example of Ted Turner when the Braves then-new ballpark was opened and he saw a Coke was over $4 (this was mid-90s) and he said quite pointedly in an interview that he would never pay that because Coke wasn't worth that.

The new-money folks are the ones who spend recklessly, along with youngsters from money who don't wear tight enough leashes.

 

[WDW1974]

I avoid sit down restaurant chains at all costs unless I have no choice. Why would I eat at a chain when I can eat at a local restaurant with freshly prepared, better tasting and not loaded with sodium food and prices that are usually less expensive than chains.

That's all well and good when you have better options available. But many mom and pop places are crap and don't have certain chain-wide standards they need to maintain. In my community, there are only a few mom and pop places I will dine at. (Had a great cheesesteak at one today! Don't let @PhotoDave219 see this post, please!)

 

[WDW1974]

I don't necessarily disagree, but the picture that this book painted of him was a whole lot less then flattering. That is why I stated that even 'if half of this was true' he may have been "passionate" about the Disney company just as many tyrants of the world are passionate about their goals as well. That's not always a good thing.

True enough. But would I rather have a CEO who is passionate and gets the creative processs and likes to get involved in it like Michael? Or would I rather have a CEO who is simply the top manager at the company and passionate about very little? I know my answer.

Maybe I place to much emphasis on honesty, integrity and loyalty. It's possible that I live in a Pollyannistic world where people don't have to be butt-holes to accomplish greatness. I also feel that considering that the courts backed up the claims of a number of his "people" that he was inclined to play footloose with promises, contracts and agreements that he made. That, in spite of many accomplishments makes him less then a roll model for how to run a business or treat a fellow human beings.

Those are important traits. I do think you are likely too Pollyanna like, though. ... Michael conducted himself like every Hollywood heavyweight of his era (and this one largely). As to the courts ... well, this is the system we have and ... I don't even want to start, especially since I need to wrap this up soon.

I will say that Michael Eisner was an idol of mine for years before I ever met him. And, after meeting him (first as a fanboi and after as a media pro), that didn't change. Over time, though, I realized that having idols or heros was largely folly because people are human and they act out from time to time.

But I was always treated with the utmost respect and kindnesss by Michael. His successor has never met me, but has still treated me with scorn, disdain and disrespect, which is why I do enjoy it when I can get in a shot that bothers him and lets him understand that I am out here and I am not going anywhere (except maybe to Diagon Alley). I am going to try to meet the man before he leaves Disney.

For many of them, it was their blood, sweat and tears that got him to that place at the top of the mountain. Then he burnt the ladder that got him there and the only way down was to fall. That he did. Granted he fell into a very large and soft pile of money, but that only serves to show the injustice that is also part of our world.
I said in one of my posts that I didn't want to "take away the accomplishments of what was the incredible start that he had with Disney" (I also cannot say it without saying that Frank Wells was responsible for a lot of the proper decisions that were made back then). As sure as I'm sitting here though, had he not died in the helicopter crash, he would have been pushed out at some point along the way, if for no other reason then it was becoming widely known that Michael had to share the accolades with Frank.

That is bull$hit. Michael had the utmost respect for Frank and was devastated by his untimely passing. You may think that Michael would have pushed him out, but that is pure conjecture on your part. I can also tell you that Frank was as fierce and passionate as Michael. There was a reason why they worked so well.

I get that the fanboi narrative paints Frank as the martyr since he died (albeit doing something incredibly dangerous that folks at Disney tried to dissuade) because he isn't here to talk. ... It is almost as crazy as the whole Walt-Roy Fanbooi Equation. You know it well. Walt was a dreamer with his head in the clouds and older bro Roy was the banker who had to bring Walt down to reality. It fits so neatly that way, except life isn't neat. Walt was a cunning businessman who understood he had to make money, lots and lots of money, to finance his dreams. And Roy understood the creative process and how important it, and quality, were to the Disney name. But that isn't how history likes to portray things.

And we all know how faulty history books can be, especially if they are bought for schools in Texas.

You have mentioned that you had met or had some business connection with Mr. Eisner, so I am anxious to get this thread back to something more interesting and pertinent, then whether or not Apple coming to Disney Springs is a life changing event. I would like to get your opinions honest opinions on Eisner and the "Disney Wars" book. Why do you think it is accurate and inaccurate and what parts are you referring to as being "wrong".

I haven't picked up the book in many moons, although I do recall going through my copy and highlighting segments and making notes (much like the Kim Masters novel) . It is packed away somewhere, so I can't go point by point ... but if there are things you read in particular that you'd like my take on, then I'd be glad to offer it.

 

[WDW1974]

As promised thoughts on HKDL!

For context this is my third visit (although fourth time in HK). The first time I was on a short trip (which included TDL) and therefore HKDL really wasn't appealing. I surmised (fortunately correctly) that I'd have the opportunity to return someday. Didn't think it would be so frequently though!

Hong Kong has been simmering for quite some time, lots of development and fantastic infrastructure installed in the 90's/early 2000's, but there was a definitely lull thanks mostly to SARS. With that more than a decade behind us though, the growth is absolutely explosive. Very interesting to see the progress on the Macau-Zhuhai-Lantau mega bridge, tons of land reclamation is active at the airport for their new terminals and the high speed rail station is coming right along in Kowloon. I didn't even notice the former two projects a year ago, but crazy amounts of mega projects we really don't see these days in North America. Cranes, cranes and more cranes.

Why is that important? Because they are all massive projects to get bodies into the region. It represents the explosive growth in tourism that is coming (China proper is descending on the region). For the WDW faithful we are seeing investments that are 100x the size of the WDW monorail expansion that is never coming. HKDL's opening was marred by a terrible drop in tourism, but things have changed and the hordes are about to come in droves.

China is the land of the (construction) crane. I have never in my life (even during the booms on the Vegas strip) seen the amount of cranes that can be seen in any large city, and certainly HK. That bridge is amazing, although the visa situation is odd at best (typical of CCP rule, they often don't get little thigs that are really huge ...much like Disney execs). And I'm not even sure I saw any construction on the Kowloon rail project when I was last there in 2010.

Of course, many (especially among the ex-pat communities) wonder if all of this is too much ... and let's not forget how many Hong Kong residents headed back to the west soon after the 1997 handover by the UK.

I'm glad the government seems so concerned with Shanghai Disney as we the foreign travellers benefit but having two very unique and different castle parks. I'm not in the least concerned about its future growth. It's also why unsurprisingly the 2nd gate talk and massive investments should continue to flow.

I actually have a very small list of legitimate criticism. The castle is sun-bleeched something fierce...

Not sure it is really bleached that much. They went with a lighter palette there as DL's castle progressively had gotten more pink and frilly. I think it looks fine above.

The Golden Mickey's show is a bit dated, the parade is actually pretty good (but they are on top of that with a replacement). They could use an update to projectors for the night show and Philharmagic (both of which I imagine are coming), in the latter case though they noticeably improved the film, it was really bad last year but was much better this time. Not sure if it had to do with where I sat in either case. They would really, really benefit from the what Tokyo is doing to Jungle cruise, they offer three language options and the English one leaves something to be desired from the skippers.

It really depends on the skipper. I have had some English speakers who were clearly quite fluent and you got the idea they had gone to English prep schools in HK. I've also had others who remind me of calling the local mom and pop Chinese restaurant where they have numbers on the menu for a reason.

I love the Golden Mickeys at HKDL more than the updated Iger and Pixar-fied DCL version that I just saw last month. Boy, those two shows are very different.

The expansion though is pretty much fantastic across the board. Grizzly Gulch is an actual family coaster and packed more of a punch then I remember. It's a nice build up with the final launch segment actually being rather thrilling. It also features the appropriate AA treatment that DCA should have received years ago.

Heck, I even like Toy Story Land. It feels better executed than Paris and crowds really lapped it up. I heard a lot of audible excitement from everyone when they first approached the land. Yes, it's two B tickets and a C, but with the inevitable TSMM it will be a nice little land that in my opinion offers a lot more value then Toontown or the Fantasyland circus do. It's fun and surprisingly can be photogenic.

The Grizzly Gulch Runaway Mine Train Cars really look great. It looks like a totally different take on a western-themed coaster (BTMRR).

If Toy Story Land is hidden well, it doesn't bother me. It basically replaced the value engineered Toontown that was going in there originally and I think (sadly) the whole Toontown concept is tired since they let the Roger Rabbit franchise wither and die. I hope they don't do TSMM, although it does seem likely to be coming soon.

There seems to be way too few of you who've had the chance to experience Mystic Manor, but I can't overstate how wonderful it is. It feels like an attraction designed and built for Disney Sea, and not ten years ago either. Something they had waiting for OLC before HK Gov swooped in. That's the highest honour I can bestow on it. Fantastic AA's, sets, a storyline that is perfectly paced beginning, middle and end. Really top notch integration of projection mapping too, everything just works well together!

It wasn't for OLC. But I get why you might see it that way. I so want to experience that ride.

HKDL still needs to grow. A water ride of some sort is sorely missing in the hottest castle park on Earth. If they continue the trend to reimagining classics I hope a flume is coming soon near Grizzly. As mentioned there is a need for a better headliner than RC Racers to make Toy Story Land more complete.

Then there is Fantasyland, which for the hatred WDW seems to get, this is by far HKDL's weak spot. Small World is well done, but really it was short sighted to only feature Winnie the Pooh when first built. SDL's fantasyland on paper already seems 2-3x better, so I really wouldn't be surprised if this is the next land that gets addressed after Iron Man.

Alright... I've blathered on long enough for now.

Nope. I love the park. It was my 'home park' for many months in 2010 and I just love how it keeps growing and getting better. And I liked it plenty on my first visit in 2008.

 

[Cesar R M]

I never had Pancheros. I agree on the guacamole. Other than homemade it's unrivaled. I have a few local Mexican places that are superior to Chipotle overall, but for a chain it's as god as it gets. I'm in Florence SC right now half way driving home from my not at all Spirited, not even close to faux 1% summer vacation with the kids in the minivan. Guess what we found right off of I-95....Chipotle. Beats McDonalds or a bunch of snacks from the Pilot gas station plus truck stop.

as a Mexican.. I tried guacamole in a few places in Houston.. and I was horrible disappointed. Most have the guacamole all watery or diluted in cream.

Unsure if these restaurants you guys mention are any good ( Chipotle's or Moe's)