The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[wdisney9000]

No surprise there, the best spots for watching/photographing the Studios' fireworks are outside the park. Thanks for the heads up, though.

Disney has long struggled with the style/design of its hotel rooms, especially at the Deluxe level. I think part of this is the inherent tension between theme and luxury. Part of it is just awful design choices, like the continued use of wallpaper border.

With that said, I think the refreshes at the Deluxe resorts in the last year or so have largely been improvements. Gone are the visually busy and cheap looking bedspreads and going for a cleaner look with the white bedding and runners. The new bedding is actually fairly nice (nicer than what they were using), and this style is becoming the industry standard for luxury hotels. I could go for a nice duvet, but it's an improvement.

In general, I think the re-designed rooms have better balanced theme with a design fitting of hotels at these price points (the Villas at Wilderness Lodge are especially well done). I feel like a lot of this might be trickling down from Aulani, which I think crushed it when it came to tackling the combination of theme and luxury, but maybe the timing is coincidental.

Disney still has a long way to go when it comes to its rooms being on par with real world hotels at comparable price points (realistically, they likely will never be at that caliber), but I think things have improved with the recent re-designs.

Couldn't agree more about the bedding. Dreadful, especially in some of the DVC rooms. Would it kill them to put another picture or painting on the wall either? I think my first apartment had better decor than a few of the rooms, and all i had was a futon from wal mart and and a lamp.

 

[flynnibus]

Disney has long struggled with the style/design of its hotel rooms, especially at the Deluxe level.

?? Disney popularized the idea of the themed hotel to take you somewhere else and bringing their concepts of themed design to hotels.

I think you confuse stale product with bad design.

I think part of this is the inherent tension between theme and luxury. Part of it is just awful design choices, like the continued use of wallpaper border.

With that said, I think the refreshes at the Deluxe resorts in the last year or so have largely been improvements. Gone are the visually busy and cheap looking bedspreads and going for a cleaner look with the white bedding and runners.

This is about a shift in contemporary tastes. The recent updates have modernized the styles used... And of course in turn will generally more liked than the dated concepts that had fallen out of favor. Simple example... Wallpaper vs paint.

However in many of these updates they have also marginalized the identity and theme of the properties.

I think you confuse your appreciation of the recent hotel amenities refreshes with Disney design improvements.

Disney is finally catching up with hotel basics... But in many ways is far behind where it used to be in offering unique experiences.

IMO it's about the rest of the world catching up to Disney... And Disney failing to keep advancing.

Some of the suite designs of recent years have been interesting... But besides the dl hotel... Nothing in the deluxes have been attention grabbers in a long time.

 

[StageFrenzy]

It bothers me. Jk Rowling is not Ian banks, or Isaac Asimov, or frank Herbert, or Jules Verne or hg wells. She's more cs Lewis, Kelly Armstrong, or terry pratchet. It's fantasy. That's not science fiction.

A nerves been hit, I apologize. But there's a vast difference between the two. And Harry potter is not science fiction.

Hey man leave Pratchett out of this, He has multiple books about the science of his world. His thoughts on treacle physics alone qualify him as scifi.

Test: Is The Dragonriders of Pern scifi or fantasy?

 

[71jason]

Since when is Elsa the vain cheerleader queen? She's a depressed shut-in afraid of being unable to live up to the expectations her parents or society have for her. That's a description of people on the internet right there.

Please, she's a hot blonde. #DemHips And that reserved quality would come off as snooty aloofness in high school (in fact, basically how Anna reads it in the movie initially).

As for the appeal wearing off (sorry, already deleted that part of the post)--only on the interwebz. Merch is still selling out, meet & greets still get impossibly long lines, spontaneous applause breaks out whenever "Let It Go" gets played in the lobby of the Grand Floridian.

 

[71jason]

A nerves been hit, I apologize. But there's a vast difference between the two. And Harry potter is not science fiction.

I agree. But replace "sci fi" with "genre" and I think it would be generally accepted.

Easiest way to avoid things like the "Is Star Wars soft sci fi or fantasy?" debate.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

SciFi is a sub-genre of Fantasy Fiction. Just like Theme Parks are a sub-genre of Amusement Parks.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Are you one of those Crabtree mall walkers? They will run you over!!!

No, I hang out in Cary actually. I use the Mall there because it is just the right size and has stairs that I use to work my knee. I do occasionally go to Crabtree but not often.

 

[danlb_2000]

Which is completely wrong.

SCIFI refers to science fiction ( Based mostly for future, science, space, aliens, tech..etc..)
Fantasy is of created lore and fantasia.
I dont see how they are dumped together.
They have very specific differences.

It may be wrong, but I have also known people who lump them together. There are some people who aren't interested in things that are not "real", so they tend to lump Sci-Fi and Fantasy together since they both deal with things that don't exist in the "real" world.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Not to defend stupidity, but I think people who aren't fans of fantasy or sci-fi literature generally tend to lump them together. The genre's do have some similarities. I personally am not a fan of fantasy literature which is why I've never been keen on reading Harry Potter (and never made it through The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia either). Honestly, people who haven't read it just may not know enough about to know what type of literature it is.

It's not stupid to not know that information. In fact, one can cruise quite easily through life and never know the difference, but, it isn't the cleverest thing one can do to make a statement like that without being sure of what they are talking about. Yea, I realize I have done that more then once, but, still!

Spoiler

I might even have done it with this post.

 

[crispy]

I didn't mean to start a debate about sci-fi versus fantasy. I just wanted to make the point that it can be confusing!

 

[dhall]

You fly through the gift shop!

That's how you know it's not a Disney ride -- kinda hard to spend money from up there

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

That's how you know it's not a Disney ride -- kinda hard to spend money from up there

Zing!

 

[mgpan]

Please, she's a hot blonde. #DemHips And that reserved quality would come off as snooty aloofness in high school (in fact, basically how Anna reads it in the movie initially).

As for the appeal wearing off (sorry, already deleted that part of the post)--only on the interwebz. Merch is still selling out, meet & greets still get impossibly long lines, spontaneous applause breaks out whenever "Let It Go" gets played in the lobby of the Grand Floridian.

Spontaneous applause...in a hotel lobby...for a recorded song....from an animated movie...

Guys, seriously, is this and the stories of tears being shed upon the first sight of DA not VERY troubling to more people? I understand fascination with the latest thing, but geez. I can feel nostalgic going to WDW, US and heck even the place where I "parked" with my first girlfriend for the first time (just me or were cars MUCH roomier in the 80's?? SO glad I'm outta the dating scene, and Lebeau isn't the only one with a smoking hot wife!) This is why humans can spend their last dime on things that in a few years time will be meaningless to them. The rush to be part of the "in crowd" and follow the latest "popular trends" is why we fall for anything put in a pretty package and sold as making you one of the cool kids, even when those cool kids are adult soccer moms and dads taking the SUV to Target for the latest widget, or not stopping to think how applause in a hotel lobby for anything less than a major suite upgrade is a little nuts.

 

[71jason]

Spontaneous applause...in a hotel lobby...for a recorded song....from an animated movie...

Well, it's live, not recorded. And it is a Disney hotel lobby that hosts a princess dinner. So some polite golf applause is expected. But nothing gets the uproar of reaction like that song. Nor does anything else get a circle of little girls in princess dresses surrounding the piano singing along.

Guys, seriously, is this and the stories of tears being shed upon the first sight of DA not VERY troubling to more people?

Yeah, this one troubles me more. Just because it's predominantly a much older crowd; weren't a whole lot of kids on #Potterwatch.

 

[Mike S]

Spontaneous applause...in a hotel lobby...for a recorded song....from an animated movie...

Guys, seriously, is this and the stories of tears being shed upon the first sight of DA not VERY troubling to more people? I understand fascination with the latest thing, but geez. I can feel nostalgic going to WDW, US and heck even the place where I "parked" with my first girlfriend for the first time (just me or were cars MUCH roomier in the 80's?? SO glad I'm outta the dating scene, and Lebeau isn't the only one with a smoking hot wife!) This is why humans can spend their last dime on things that in a few years time will be meaningless to them. The rush to be part of the "in crowd" and follow the latest "popular trends" is why we fall for anything put in a pretty package and sold as making you one of the cool kids, even when those cool kids are adult soccer moms and dads taking the SUV to Target for the latest widget, or not stopping to think how applause in a hotel lobby for anything less than a major suite upgrade is a little nuts.

I was very excited and happy the first time I walked into Diagon Alley but nothing close to tears, that's just nuts. What's your opinion on the spontaneous applause every time the dragon breathes fire in Diagon Alley?

 

[GoofGoof]

Spontaneous applause...in a hotel lobby...for a recorded song....from an animated movie...

Guys, seriously, is this and the stories of tears being shed upon the first sight of DA not VERY troubling to more people? I understand fascination with the latest thing, but geez. I can feel nostalgic going to WDW, US and heck even the place where I "parked" with my first girlfriend for the first time (just me or were cars MUCH roomier in the 80's?? SO glad I'm outta the dating scene, and Lebeau isn't the only one with a smoking hot wife!) This is why humans can spend their last dime on things that in a few years time will be meaningless to them. The rush to be part of the "in crowd" and follow the latest "popular trends" is why we fall for anything put in a pretty package and sold as making you one of the cool kids, even when those cool kids are adult soccer moms and dads taking the SUV to Target for the latest widget, or not stopping to think how applause in a hotel lobby for anything less than a major suite upgrade is a little nuts.

Is it any more troubling than people crying hysterically over a soccer game? People are passionate about a lot of different things.

I agree with your point about popular trends. Nothing beats seeing a family with 3 or 4 kids boarding their Suburban (which to me looks like a giant refrigerator on wheels) because mom and dad were too cool to drive a minivan. Ironically, they could have bought more "popular trend" items if they weren't spending $100 to fill the gas tank twice a week because their vehicle gets 8 miles to the gallon. Then again, who am I to judge anyone. Life's too short, do what makes you happy

 

[GoofGoof]

I was very excited and happy the first time I walked into Diagon Alley but nothing close to tears, that's just nuts. What's your opinion on the spontaneous applause every time the dragon breathes fire in Diagon Alley?

It's new. If people are standing there applauding in 6 months or a year, that's a different story.

 

[RadiatorSpringsRacer]

Then again, who am I to judge anyone. Life's too short, do what makes you happy

Well said!

 

[mgpan]

Not good with the multi-quote function, so here goes.

Great responses and viewpoints to all. I understand applauding a live performance, but was applause also given for any other Disney songs the trio (I'm guessing) in the lobby played? Including Disney standards that built the empire to begin with? And I agree, an older crowd, and past 6 months out or so and it's really troubling. And the little girls singing along, ugh, I really hope the 6 year old girls who don't know the song by heart aren't being bullied because of it. Better learn it quick, just another instance of youth peer pressure. A soccer match with emotion for a team you've probably followed for years compared to a new movie isn't comparable to me, nor is an actual explosive element of an actual attraction versus the "Don 5 Trio from Clearwater".

My whole point here everyone, is that while I think the movie is very good, it doesn't live up to the hype and hoopla surrounding it just because it's the most recent offering. AND, this type of reaction for anything but the absolute best says to Disney and others, "Don't worry about giving us the best, just good is ok, and if you help hype it correctly, we'll open our wallets just as wide as if you'd really given it your best shot.

 

[Lee]

think thats something, check out Dreamflight in the Netherlands

Wow.
I'm trying to think of a Disney dark (non-thrill) ride that's more impressive....

Mansion, maybe Mystic Manor.....otherwise....it crushes every other one, IMHO. Mermaid and Pan need to go sit quietly and have a moment of reflection about their place in the world.