WDW Awakens ...

[PhotoDave219]

I agree. I even have a few pics with characters. To be fair, though, they wanted themselves photographed with a celeb they loved -- me!!!

My issue is adults who make it a priority and act like there isn't a h-o-r-n-y, poorly paid 19-year-old underneath Pluto's costume. Sorry, shocked that word is filtered out, yet saw a very nasty t-word isn't.

Hey now, when I dated an entertainment girl, she was 20, not 19.

Alas your statement is otherwise accurate.

(That was 12 years ago)

 

[sporadic]

I'm also hearing that demand for free ice water has risen so much, QS locations are preparing cups in advance. Can anyone verify? If this is legit, paying customers—let's not call them Guests because they're treated like wh0res—are finally reacting to the nickel-and-dime mentality.

I saw that at many QS places last year when during our June trip. I don't think it's so much of a cost thing, just that is was hot and busy. Water's always my choice when grabbing a drink somewhere, stopped drinking sodas years ago.

 

[tirian]

No.......What's outrageous, is what you pay for food and beverages at the Ballpark or the Movie Theaters !

A business school professor at the University of California, Irvine analyzed how much the average movie theater charges for different food at their concession stand versus how much it costs . . . and it's really spectacular.

A large bucket of popcorn sells for an average of $8.15 . . . and costs them 90 CENTS.

A large soda sells for an average of $6.31 . . . and costs them 51 CENTS and that includes the cup, lid, and straw.

And a box of candy sells for an average of $4.25 . . . and costs them around $2.

So basically, pop your own popcorn, buy candy & soda at the store and sneak it in with the LARGEST purse you have.

A large bucket of popcorn is $8 at WDW, and a 12-oz refillable mug is $17.99. The prices aren't too far removed from a movie theater or stadium.

 

[Mike S]

BTW, since I really don't have an active Spirited thread right now thought I'd drop this here (especially since absolutely ZERO news came out of Disney's press event).

The UNI Wand Wavers won't likely be happy, but the Potter effect in California has not been anything like it was in O-Town thus far. Yes, no one should jump to any conclusions based on a month of soft openings and two weeks of the real deal but ... down in what was once orange groves in Anaheim ...

TDA is thrilled with attendance and spending the last two weeks since Harry Potter opened. DLR attendance since Potter had its grand opening is slightly higher than the already strong estimates, with both the tourist and locals demographics, and spending is very strong with the left coast Food & Wine event continuing to blow sales targets out of the water (that was even after they dropped the AP lanyard price by $6 after being embarrassed by Guy Selga and @WDWFigment AKA Tom Bricker ... yep, they really were behind the price drop whether they realize it or not since they are on a vacation in Japan now). The WWoHP hasn't had any impact on the Anaheim parks whatsoever, and attendance info leaking out of UNI to TDA contacts is that USH has had attendance MUCH lower than their optimistic estimates.

Please let me know what the UNI addicts say on the Tweeter ...

Hm. I didn't expect it to be exactly similar at all considering people have had 6 years to see the original by now and Diagon Alley might play a factor as well, not to mention the better overall resort here in Florida. How off were they with their estimates? Is it more than the Fast and Furious bump?

 

[sporadic]

i love the band wagoners that say Star Wars VII is a carbon copy of New Hope.

when all of the echoes of that movie (which is all they are, unless you were watching a different film)

JJ even said, it was delibrate.

do people really think they were gonna see a star wars film with no link to its former trilogy. thats silly.

i cant wait for people to be silenced with episode 8.

Bandwagon?? I saw it without a single spoiler and came to the same conclusion within 15min. I also felt like they tried to stuff too much into it, with no real character development. Rey was pulling off crazy Jedi stuff waaaayy too soon. It was a decent movie, but they could've done better. If I was Han, I would've just jumped on the lightsaber. All this battling the empire and then 30 years later, they're right back where they started... having to blow up a super-sized deathstar. I really hope Episode 8 starts on a frozen planet. On the other hand, really looking forward to Rogue One.

 

[Mike S]

Would you PLEASE post this somewhere in the Disneyland forum? Anywhere, you could post this in the DLR Picture of the Day thread. They just don't get it over there, I feel like I'm talking to a wall. The only one who understands is @Endor Sightseer.

Hey!!! I've posted there that I understand too. Wish I rode the Riverboat and saw Fantasmic! pre-Star Wars when I had the chance

 

[Mike S]

No.......What's outrageous, is what you pay for food and beverages at the Ballpark or the Movie Theaters !

A business school professor at the University of California, Irvine analyzed how much the average movie theater charges for different food at their concession stand versus how much it costs . . . and it's really spectacular.

A large bucket of popcorn sells for an average of $8.15 . . . and costs them 90 CENTS.

A large soda sells for an average of $6.31 . . . and costs them 51 CENTS and that includes the cup, lid, and straw.

And a box of candy sells for an average of $4.25 . . . and costs them around $2.

So basically, pop your own popcorn, buy candy & soda at the store and sneak it in with the LARGEST purse you have.

Pro tip: buy the kids box. Good amount of popcorn, small bag of candy, and a small soda to wash it down afterword for only $5.

 

[Nemo14]

Take the Star Wars debate elsewhere. This isn't about the film. Sorry I made an off the cuff response that the film wasn't all that and you just had to offer an alternate opinion. You loved it. Great. Let's move on ...

How about you come back when you understand spelling and grammar?

"Chow," indeed.

Bandwagon?? I saw it without a single spoiler and came to the same conclusion within 15min. I also felt like they tried to stuff too much into it, with no real character development. Rey was pulling off crazy Jedi stuff waaaayy too soon. It was a decent movie, but they could've done better. If I was Han, I would've just jumped on the lightsaber. All this battling the empire and then 30 years later, they're right back where they started... having to blow up a super-sized deathstar. I really hope Episode 8 starts on a frozen planet. On the other hand, really looking forward to Rogue One.

 

[sporadic]

Bang harder, I reply as I come across the posts.

 

[zooey]

No, what they are doing with D23 is most definitely bad. The folks that run it are smarmy twits. And it took all the unofficial fan clubs and the like and made it a profit and propaganda center for TWDC. Sure, it's all shiny and sparkles. I thoroughly enjoyed my six hours at the D23 Expo last August (nothing like watching the crazies like animals in a zoo ...) But it is all about manipulation and getting people excited over lower quality products in the parks as well as anything related to the many stable of BRANDS that make up TWDC. It is fascinating ... that's for sure. But the fans who eat it up absolutely are a huge part of the problem.

As one celeb Imagineer told me over drinks at Trader Sam's (the real one, not the one in the swamps) years ago now, "WDW fans get what they deserve."

I hear what you're saying and I even agree to some extent but this is more a philosophical conversation in the nature of consumer culture as a whole. How does someone know if they are being manipulated to love something or if they genuinely love it? I think a company can be manipulative but a consumer can also recognize and enjoy the manipulation if they're getting something out of it. I've been to a few D23 events and I've always enjoyed them. I've been to Trader Sams too, and I also paid overpriced drinks because I enjoyed it. I just don't like the idea of shaming anyone for enjoying anything. Whether they have been tricked into it or not. All the blame should be put on the company not caring about their company's legacy. Because all those feelings I was talking about are built on a foundation of nostalgia but that can crumble with a new generation who doesn't have that.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Hey!!! I've posted there that I understand too. Wish I rode the Riverboat and saw Fantasmic! pre-Star Wars when I had the chance

I should have been more specific, I was referring to the DL forum regulars/fellow Westerners. Sorry about that!

I haven't seen any of your posts! Do you post in the construction thread? I refuse to partake in that thread and glance through it, so that could be why I haven't seen your posts.

 

[ford91exploder]

People are insane. Water fountains are perfectly healthy and yet they now think they aren't (it's like the anti-vaxer movement) crazy, crazy, crazy. The idea that people spend countless millions on bottled water still proves to me that our species may not deserve to exist.

BTW, not sidetrack the discussion (especially with all the big news coming out of Disney's press junket today), but there have been recent stories in the REAL press about drinking fountains disappearing because people won't use them ... yet they'll text while attempting to drive. Oh yeah, we are moving in the right direction ...

Water fountains are perfectly fine if they are CLEAN which WDW's most assuredly are not especially when being used as baby changing stations as ive seen them used multiple times as I've said before I rather drink from the gardners hoses at WDW than the fountains there with the ones in the MK being the worst, At the office we have filtered water stations so we can fill up waterbottles which is just fine since they were installed bottled water sales went through the floor in the cafe.

 

[wdisney9000]

I hear what you're saying and I even agree to some extent but this is more a philosophical conversation in the nature of consumer culture as a whole. How does someone know if they are being manipulated to love something or if they genuinely love it? I think a company can be manipulative but a consumer can also recognize and enjoy the manipulation if they're getting something out of it. I've been to a few D23 events and I've always enjoyed them. I've been to Trader Sams too, and I also paid overpriced drinks because I enjoyed it. I just don't like the idea of shaming anyone for enjoying anything. Whether they have been tricked into it or not. All the blame should be put on the company not caring about their company's legacy. Because all those feelings I was talking about are built on a foundation of nostalgia but that can crumble with a new generation who doesn't have that.

I dont think anyone is being shamed for paying too much. We are all guilty of that. Nothing wrong with it either. However, in terms of Disney bloggers or Tweeters or any facet of their social media prostitutes, they are to blame as much as the company for the lack of respect to the legacy and even present day mindset. I dont care if a person has 5 followers or 5,000-- if they accept freebies as payment to constantly gloat about how amazing everything on property is, then they are a sell out. Not only to themselves, but to the legacy they pretend to give a poop about. They do absolutely nothing to make the product better if they all do is praise every decision be it good or bad. And for what? A free meal? A free room for the night? Cupcakes? The ability to wear a lanyard that says "Press"? Disney uses them for strength in numbers and they dont care.

 

[ford91exploder]

Just use the water fountains people. Barely any line, free, and unlike what some think they're not riddled with death.

If you have watched the MK fountains being used as baby changing and baby wash stations you would not drink from them either....

 

[wdwgreek]

A large bucket of popcorn is $8 at WDW, and a 12-oz refillable mug is $17.99. The prices aren't too far removed from a movie theater or stadium.

Having lived in NYC for a four years, I can attest the prices at Disney, Disney restaurants, and shops are very similar to your tourist prices in Midtown Manhattan and food wise across all of the city. 7.50 for a Burger at Shnippers or five guys is a good value, similarly the burger at Pecos's Bill's is around the same price. Its more expensive then McDonald's but you are paying for the location of the food more then the food itself.

 

[ford91exploder]

I couldn't stop laughing, myself. Hmmm. Where have I seen all of this before? An orphan in the desert, a droid carrying a secret, a baddie with a mask (used to disguise the fact that he looks nothing like Han and Leia?), a bar filled with strange creatures, (orange) Yoda, father-son conflict over an abyss, a bigger Death Star that—30 years later—still has the exact same weakness. Hilarious!


As Episode IV v2.0, calling it a good/great script would still be a stretch, but as Episode VII? Ridiculous!

Was the death star designed by Intel (you know the math processor bug which showed up in 3 generations of chips)

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Would you PLEASE post this somewhere in the Disneyland forum? Anywhere, you could post this in the DLR Picture of the Day thread. They just don't get it over there, I feel like I'm talking to a wall. The only one who understands is @Endor Sightseer.

Yeah, I haven't fought the cause in a few months. I pretty much stopped going over there after they created a new SWL thread that made discussion of opinions on the land forbidden.

 

[ford91exploder]

It sure looks that way. They can -- and will -- spin this any way possible. I already see record profits for the quarter being announced.

But take a look at the 'crowds' in March. They were way down.Take a look at all the blockouts being lifted for Florida residents and cast. Take a look at all the high-priced upcharges added of late ... just in time to add to the bottom line.

I think WDW is experiencing softness in the market because you can't full most of the people all of the time.

My worry is how this ends, I've seen this before in other industries and this scenario never ends well, The scenario is a few 'record' quarters while alienating customers with policy changes and price increases and charging for what used to be free. Then suddenly 'Boom' the wheels come off and the 'No one saw this coming' press stories come out.

 

[asianway]

I dont think anyone is being shamed for paying too much. We are all guilty of that. Nothing wrong with it either. However, in terms of Disney bloggers or Tweeters or any facet of their social media prostitutes, they are to blame as much as the company for the lack of respect to the legacy and even present day mindset. I dont care if a person has 5 followers or 5,000-- if they accept freebies as payment to constantly gloat about how amazing everything on property is, then they are a sell out. Not only to themselves, but to the legacy they pretend to give a poop about. They do absolutely nothing to make the product better if they all do is praise every decision be it good or bad. And for what? A free meal? A free room for the night? Cupcakes? The ability to wear a lanyard that says "Press"? Disney uses them for strength in numbers and they dont care.

I told Ricky's wife the same thing not so bluntly on here one night. Funny how that all worked out

 

[ford91exploder]

Normal?!?!

What exactly do you mean by that?

Because WDW can't ever go back to the glory years of the mid-70s-mid-90s ... and they steadfastly refuse to go back to the mindset of quality that gave people the Vacation Kingdom of the World.

Are you saying that in five years, assuming ISIS doesn't kill us all or global warming doesn't make WDW all swamp again, that things will be better at WDW than now? That may well be true. But I really don't see how they could possibly be worse.

One thing i've learned is things can ALWAYS get worse. In my dystopian nightmares I never imagined the crap that WDW is pulling right now.