The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[flyerjab]

It sure sounds like UNI is going to be raising the bar on water parks in the next few years and considering that O-Town has three great ones already, I'll be sure to be there on opening day wearing my Ariel two-piece.

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

 

[phillip sugarman]

What is the timeline for when Monstropolis gets done at dca?

 

[WDW1974]

Not looking to get into a ing match with you in your own thread--to be vague, last week has put a lot of things in life into perspective--but I'll stand by what I posted, and add not everyone in Orlando wants to be a lifestyler.

I'm not looking to get into ing matches with anyone (I have much higher ambitions in life!), let alone someone whose contributions here I respect. Maybe I wasn't clear. Not sure.

I just would be shocked if BOTH of UNI's parks outdrew every WDW park that doesn't have Cindy's Castle every day of July. That sounds astounding and the type of numbers that UNI would hype. They haven't.

Do I think they've had a better July than Disney? Absolutely. They'd have an epic fail as the kiddies like to say on their hands if they haven't. I'm just not sure to what degree.

I don't know any of them--with the possible exception of Mongello who I'm convinced is on the Disney payroll--who are making real money at it. (Some of them seem to be be making money some other way, but I digress.) But for every wannabe blog/Twitter star in this town, there's at least two young professionals who want nothing more than to move somewhere they can actually be successful.* It's hard to do that on an Orlando salary tho.

There are Lifestylers of all types in O-Town (not simply the Internet bloggers/photogs/podcasters) ... from 74-year-olds who moved from Springfield, Mass. and drive boats in their retirement and bleed Disney pixie dust ... to gay teens from small-town USA who are looking to be themselves in a friendlier atmosphere ... to fanboi geeks who never fit in and could likely run the parks better than the people who do, but will never get the chance, yet visit 4-5-6-7 days a week and literally study the parks in a way they weren't created for etc.

O-Town is loaded with Disney and, now, UNI Lifestlyers.

Besides, the big boy parks seem happy with the inflated TEA numbers being accepted as gospel, as they generally overinflate everyone's numbers. Would harass any site with credible real numbers out of existence.


* One friend managed to move to Dallas last year--instantly doubled his salary; another moved to Connecticut and quickly found a job with over a 50% pay bump.

Well, Florida is a Right To Work For Slave Wages State. You can't expect to make what you are worth in this state in just about any vocation/career.

 

[Funmeister]

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.

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?

 

[WDW1974]

He did an interview on Lou's podcast, as well. He even got in some subtle digs at Disney... I'm assuming they either went over Lou's head or he forgot to edit them out. He's making the rounds on the podcasts, but he forgot to write a book to shill; I wonder what's up?

No book so soon is probably why he has a Window on Main Street, USA and is a Disney Legend. He was definitely more forward with his remarks than last year. Maybe he'll be even more blunt next year.

I'd love to collaborate with Tony. Just being the Disney guy he is, I doubt he'd want to tell the tales that I'd like to see told.

But I can almost guarantee you that the Legend and window were both given to him before he stormed out on his last day at WDI. No way was Bruce and Co going to have him leave angry. That's just never good!

 

[WDW1974]

Eisner's DAK:

Iger's DAK:

Eisner's DCA:

Iger's DCA:

Epcot Pre-Eisner:

Epcot Post-Eisner:

Pre-Eisner Epcot:

Eisner Epcot:

Final Analysis:

Winner: Bob Iger

You are touting something that hasn't even been built yet? A single piece of concept art?

And Horizons isn't part of Michael's Disney? Really? Because I was alive back then and I know it opened on EPCOT's one-year anniversary and was about 11 months old when Michael took over Disney.

And Imagination? You mean the ride MDE rode and asked 'What did you do with my (blanking) $57 million?!!' And, yes, I know someone who was there for that memorable ridethru.

And you show Tony Baxter getting shown the door by Bob Iger as something good?!?! Iger inherited the guy ... a creative genius ... and he kept him doing NOTHING of note for far longer than he sat under MDE.

Why? Why am I wasting time with this?

EDIT: Thanks to all who understood what I meant even with the typo ... you really do understand me!

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

.

Spirited Tuesday Musings:
Troubles in Shanghai? As my beloved Sarah would say, 'You Bectcha!'

This is the part m most interests in. So what's going on in shanghai? I'm anxious to hear anything that'll distract from the terrible loss of Robin Williams.

And I never expected you to have an Ariel two piece suit. I always pinned you as more of a Cinderella type. Who knew?

 

[TalkingHead]

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.)

 

[Goofyernmost]

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.)

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.

 

[TalkingHead]

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.

According to this article, Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, George Burns, Bette Midler, Kevin Costner, and others were there. Granted, that list is slanted toward the earlier days -- which was the theme for the park, but Costner was quite a big star in 1989, wasn't he?

http://articles.philly.com/1989-05-...he-canyon-monster-sound-show-animation-center

Outside of Star Wars Weekends, does DHS have "celebrities" in the park at all anymore? (Scare quotes, because most of the SW "celebrities" are D-listers at best.)

 

[TalkingHead]

Funny quote from that 1989 article I linked:

Disney officials barely acknowledge Universal's existence. 'I honestly don't think we have competition in Orlando," Tom Elrod [WDW's senior VP for marketing] said.

How times have changed.

 

[Goofyernmost]

According to this article, Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, George Burns, Bette Midler, Kevin Costner, and others were there. Granted, that list is slanted toward the earlier days -- which was the theme for the park, but Costner was quite a big star in 1989, wasn't he?

http://articles.philly.com/1989-05-...he-canyon-monster-sound-show-animation-center

Outside of Star Wars Weekends, does DHS have "celebrities" in the park at all anymore? (Scare quotes, because most of the SW "celebrities" are D-listers at best.)

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.

 

[Mike S]

Funny quote from that 1989 article I linked:



How times have changed.

This quote is also interesting

"We never expected anything like this," said Allan Gutierrez as his family made appearances on national television and harvested gifts including lifetime passes to Disney attractions worldwide, silver-colored Mickey Mouse ears and a 9-inch statuette called Mouse-ker and patterned after the Oscar.

Does Disney still do this at the opening of a new park?!?!?!?! If so I may need plane tickets to Shanghai next year Or just wait for that mythical 5th gate

 

[Fe Maiden]

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

It's going to be one hum-dinger of an In Memoriam at the Oscars next year.

 

[aladdin2007]

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.)

Maureen O'Hara, Doris Day....

 

[PhotoDave219]

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.

 

[aladdin2007]

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.

Yeah because they are closing everything and forcing everyone onto hollywood boulevard like a herd of cattle. From what I have read.

 

[dstrawn9889]

they are closing attractions that get fallout from the pyro... wouldn't do to light honey boo boo's bouffant, what with the flammability of aquanet...

 

[aladdin2007]

they are closing attractions that get fallout from the pyro... wouldn't do to light honey boo boo's bouffant, what with the flammability of aquanet...

ah ok true makes sense,,,,as for honey boo boo, LOL

 

[Darth Sidious]

I mentioned that here months ago.

#FantasylandExpansionStrategy