The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[danlb_2000]

I sure hope they got the 'extended' version. I can't imagine the capacity issues that ride will face in Shanghai in it's current state.

You can see the basic track layout in the aerial views of the construction and it appears to be an exact copy of the MK layout.

 

[ford91exploder]

Mizers--the only lounge in the signature WDW resort--stopped serving complimentary bowls of mixed nuts this weekend as a cost-cutting measure. Apparently bulk nuts were cutting into the margins from the 800% mark-up on liquor.

Only 800% Disney needs a new liquor vendor, They already have the Vegas style auto mixers so the Bartenders are not losing profits that way...

 

[aladdin2007]

So AK has a new vice president, a former resort manager,(how is a resort/hotel ops person right for being part of running a themepark.)

 

[ford91exploder]

Yes.

Count me as Gobsmacked that Iger would greenlight this.

 

[ford91exploder]

So AK has a new vice president, a former resort manager,(how is a resort/hotel ops person right for being part of running a themepark.)

It's easy - just say NO to every budget request and cut the ones Burbank forces on you by 50%...

 

[Rteetz]

They will have a version of PotC but it won't be a copy of the existing ones.

It will be located in what they will call treasure cove and is supposed to be a very advanced version of pirates.

 

[PhotoDave219]

You are the free nut

I would've said sweaty.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I would've said sweaty.

If you've been using the thesaurus as instructed, that would've read:

I would've said diaphoretic.

 

[WDW1974]

@WDW1974 , is this an early tease for a UNI based meet-n-grope at their new water park?

Yes. ... The eager line of fanbois is longer than the queues UNI set up for Diagon's opening day!

 

[WDW1974]

So some observations...

When is a special assistance pass NOT a Fast Pass? When it is!

I traveled with a family that legitimately needed and used the new "Special Assistance Pass." First, I applaud the "strict" stance the guest relations CM took however did not appreciate the fact that he blatantly lied that it even existed. As another CM was giving one to another family my friends GRCM looked over and kind of smiled with a "I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar" look and got a manager involved. The manager issued the pass and we were on our way. This is where it gets strange and confusing...

Some attractions do not accept the pass and instead issue a time stamped printed "voucher." The voucher is used for various reasons in addition to those who need legitimate assistance. Throw in the entire MyMagic system going down, causing he parks to go back to the old fastpass system and all hell breaks loose. For a system that prides itself on efficiency of line management it is horrible when it goes down. How often does it go down? Once a year would be WAY too often for a system with that kind of price tag. We literally were stuck for an hour and a half and not able to really do anything. They were giving out traditional FastPasses like candy to a limited number of attractions on a pre-determined list. This overwhelmed those attractions and the park began to feel more and more crowded as the minutes ticked. People had no place to go. It was a cluster and the Magic Kingdom was not so magical.

Oh...on top of this...guest relations was giving out "No Strings Attached" vouchers to each guest. THREE VOUCHERS PER GUEST FOR THE TOTAL NUMBER IN THE PARTY. (MyMagic wristband required.) So...let's recap...at any given time you can have:

- The scheduled FastPasses through MyMagic
- Traditional FastPasses due to the system being down
- No Strings Attached FastPass vouchers due to system being down
- Attraction specific vouchers used for whatever the hell they feel like using them for at that time
- Special Assistant Passes

The system has too much pressure on it for it to work the way they intended. On slow days I can see it working better but the days of just going to the park and waiting in lines are over. Done. Never again.

That's an issue I have had with the system (one of many). There just isn't one system that covers everyone ... there's always all these 'exceptions' ... that doesn't even count talking yourself in and people are still getting CMs to simply let them in.

The people who suffer the most from this? Cast Members visiting the park. There was a loophole in the system (since has been "fixed") where CM's could get FastPasses for the total number of comps they had available even if they were not in use. THis was something else that put additional pressure on the system. BTW when I say "pressure" i mean extremely long waits and lines that sit there. Even the FastPass lines not moving was a problem. Maybe this was the perfect storm. I personally feel it is "Welcome to the Walt Disney World Resort" in 2014 and beyond.
Is Disney really a world-wide leader in service or resting on their laurels?

Sure many will say that service at Disney is still better than most other companies. I am beginning to disagree. What caught my eye were the number of Cast Members literally standing around talking to each other. Dozens and dozens of Cast Members in teal/blue shirts in clusters ignoring guests. I asked a few basic questions just to test and 10 times out of 10 they instructed me to go ask elsewhere because they did not know.

I knew a different Disney in a different time where you were not only required but you had the passion to want to help people. If you did not know the answer...you found the answer for the guest. It was never...NEVER..."well, you can go pick up the house phone over by the restrooms and they might have an answer." What?

All Dining Plans are not created equal

Yes, I realize that there is a "quick service" version and a "sit down" version but depending where you stay access is an issue that does not allow you the same benefits if you were on the plan staying at another resort. If you ever use it...really do your homework to get the most out of your money.

Thank you so much for the insult!

Dear GMR CM,

There may have been a place and time where taking a pot shot at Universal in your spiel would have made guests laugh. With recent developments in the theme park industry, mainly Universal, I would be careful bringing up the competition in what you consider a negative light because you just reminded a ride vehicle full of guests that they just wasted $94+ when they could have gone to see the boy wizard down the street.

Sincerely,

Guest who will go to Universal next time

By the way...no one laughed at the joke and we continued our journey into the golden age of Hollywood...with a little dust and non-working effects.

Best attraction by far is sitting in City Hall with a box of popcorn right after MyMagic goes down. Panic like you have never seen it before in your life! I would definitely consider it an "F" ticket for what the "F" is going on?

Changing my avatar as a tribute to @WDW1974 . Why you ask? Why the hell not?

Thanks for the observations. ... As for the tribute, I'm not sure I deserve that. I may be a Spirit, but I can assure that, much to the chagrin of many, I'm not dead yet!!!

 

[ford91exploder]

I would've said sweaty.

"Get yer hot salty nuts here" - Obligatory Austin Powers reference..

 

[WDW1974]

And now Lauren Bacall -- what a week for the movies.

She was one of the last links to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Kirk Douglas and Olivia de Havilland are still alive. Who else from that era?

(And I googled it on a hunch, and Bacall was at the grand opening of Disney-MGM Studios. Amazing the star power they were able to draw back then.)

Yes. They even had me there.

 

[Nemo14]

It never failed when we'd visit the Star of the Day was either John Davidson or Florence Henderson.

 

[njDizFan]

Only a matter of months before the chain is sold off, either as a whole or in pieces, right? After the reported mess at BGW last year and all?

I just returned from a trip to BGW and had a grea time. The park was spotless and everyone was friendly. The scary part was that there was no waits for anything. The longest wait I had was like 10 minutes for Verbolten. The Sesame characters were walking around and we walked right up and got pictures. Now granted it was mid week but the place was dead. It was great for us who just walked onto every ride but sad that a great little park was not seeing any attendence.

They now started their version of a Magic Band but only for purchasing power and have a front of the line pass option but I was told when inquiring about this option that it was not worth it because there are no lines anyway.

 

[WDW1974]

Star power at some point but not when DMGM was opened. By then Bacall, was just an aging ex-superstar with nothing else to do, along with most of those that showed up to a Disney opening. Well, known names, but, at the end or past the end of their careers.

Goof why are you always so damn negative? You need an IV of Pixie Dust ... maybe with some meth added.

Seriously, they had plenty of big names ... and as to them being 'aging ex-superstars' well what's the point? That the cast of Dynasty would have been more relevant then? Or maybe the cast of Roseanne or Cosby? Or just Tome Cruise and Bruce Willis and Arnold? 'Cause they were A-listers at the time (missing the point that many at the opening were still considered MAJOR stars) ... By your definition, Robin Williams would qualify as ''an aging ex-superstar'' if he were still alive ... Paul McCartney most definitely.

Geez, just because someone wasn't at the peak of their career didn't mean they were a has been. I met Bob Hope at the event and he was quite old ... and still quite relevant for millions and millions of people.

 

[marni1971]

What is SDL total Phase 1 cost?

3.7 billion

Not a small number by any means until you factor in everything from planning to site clearance, surveys, security, design, R&D, WDI budgets, roads, sewers, power supplies.... and then you start building the resort.

Not to mention the Magicbandfastpassreserveanything system cost about half the entire project.

 

[WDW1974]

I don't know why Costner was there, but Bette Midler had just done a movie which was featured in the backlot tour of "how they make a movie" when DMGM opened. The rest named were well past their prime. They were also there because back then Disney promoted the parks. They could get some needed face time by being at the opening.

Do yourself a favor ... just check wikipedia for all of the hit films Bette was in, most Disney, in the 1980s ... Does Down and Out in Beverly Hills ring a bell? How about Beaches? Or Ruthless People?

Golden Globes ... Emmys ... yeah, she was a has been. ... Just like Costner and the rest ...

 

[WDW1974]

Here's something that's probably going to be unpopular and irritate several of you…

So I finally checked out the frozen fireworks spectacular summer fun shindig. The crowd? Easily two or three times bigger then the Star Wars fireworks crowd.

It's pretty ridiculous… on the other hand? I can't say the last time I saw the studios that crowded on an average Tuesday night in the summer.

I don't think it is ridiculous at all.

I brought up on this very forum that there were some inside Disney that were pushing against large Star Wars based expansions in the parks based upon the fact that SWWs appeal to a very limited demographic and that they have studied who attends and why.

In the end, I don't see it making any difference. My parents have never read a Harry Potter book or likely have seen an entire movie. They loved the WW at IOA.

IP love can only help a project in themed entertainment, but it doesn't necessarily hurt if people aren't overly familiar IF you do an area or attraction right.

The Frozen phenomenon is just that. And anyone who disses it because it isn't their thing is just being ignorant of what the masses like (much like Potter). Now, it doesn't mean that what the masses love is all that, but that isn't the subject here.

Having the Frozen summer has helped the Studios greatly (largely at the expense of EPCOT).

 

[Nemo14]

I don't think it is ridiculous at all.

I brought up on this very forum that there were some inside Disney that were pushing against large Star Wars based expansions in the parks based upon the fact that SWWs appeal to a very limited demographic and that they have studied who attends and why.

In the end, I don't see it making any difference. My parents have never read a Harry Potter book or likely seen an entire movie. They loved the WW at IOA.

IP love can only help a project in themed entertainment, but it doesn't necessarily hurt if people aren't overly familiar IF you do an area or attraction right.

The Frozen phenomenon is just that. And anyone who disses it because it isn't their thing is just being ignorant of what the masses like (much like Potter). Now, it doesn't mean that what the masses love is all that, but that isn't the subject here.

Having the Frozen summer has helped the Studios greatly (largely at the expense of EPCOT).

yes, but will it stand the test of time the way Snow White, Cinderella, and all the other classics have?

 

[Nubs70]

3.7 billion

Not a small number by any means until you factor in everything from planning to site clearance, surveys, security, design, R&D, WDI budgets, roads, sewers, power supplies.... and then you start building the resort.

Not to mention the Magicbandfastpassreserveanything system cost about half the entire project.

I'm sure there is a fair premium involved with transfer costs.