Some musings.....

Originally Posted By leemac

I guess some of you know that I don't have to visit the swampland very often or work any more but I did decide to spend four nights at WDW prior to the maiden voyage of the Disney Dream. This was my first visit as a guest since February 2009.

MAGIC KINGDOM

Pooh Queue: Personally I loved the new marquee and the additions to the queue area like the Tigger bouncing spots and the gopher games. Guests didn't seem to quite understand that the adults could queue whilst the kids played which did seem to cause some confusion (and subsequent pushing and shoving) - but overall they are clever themed additions. I just hope that they all survive (the jumping Tigger at the bouncing spots wasn't working at all and neither was one of the gopher games).

Space Mountain: I hadn't ridden it since the renovation. The queue and load areas are all fine but the music addition was entirely pointless. I could barely hear it until the final helix - a waste of time and money. Still my least favorite Space Mountain.

Dream Along with Mickey: Great to see all of the Fab Five with the new mechanized faces - Donald in particular was excellent (especially his crazed half-closed eyes). I still think this is one of the best castle stage shows for a long time (but then I loved the music to TDL's Gift of Dreams even though that show was a little flat).

Fairytale Garden: The Rapunzel Meet 'n' Greet 'n' Play doesn't work for me. Either keep it a Meet 'n' Greet or go back to the storytelling. It is a nice little venue.

PeopleMover: Definite improvement. Much better all round.

Toontown Fair: I said my goodbyes to the land. Although it has long outstayed its welcome it does serve a function and it will be interesting to see how MK handles the character interactions in its absence.

Counter-serve: I ate at Columbia House and it was a definite improvement over previous times eating in MK. The pricing also didn't seem any higher than two years ago.

Move It!: I was surprised to see the Celebrate street party is still being run. I never particularly liked it (I always thought that the floats were ugly and that constant incitement to "scream" and "shout" was tiresome like Block Party) but it is great that MSUSA and the hub is full of entertainment for most of the day.

The Magic, The Memories, and You!: Where to begin with this drivel. A truly awful concept that is executed badly. The technology behind the high def projections is incredible (I saw first-hand how stunning it was at the opening of DLP's Tower of Terror) but it is wasted on this mawkish nonsense. The theme song is incredibly dull. You can barely see the photos unless you are right under the castle. The only two highlights are the turret rocket (the only sequence to get a "wow" from the crowds) and the streaking fireworks. This really could have been something incredible if it had been given to the right person like Steven Davison.

EPCOT

Still my favorite park.

Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure: Finally did the last two challenges (out of the 7). I love this technology and think it works perfectly at Epcot.

Sum of All Thrills (Innoventions): This was new to me and I thought it was great fun - granted it is similar to the old Cyber Space Mountain but the airtime on the Kuka arms was unexpected.

Little else new to report. Avoided EO - no way I was going to endure that again. IllumiNations still rocks.

DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Wild Africa Trek: This really bugged me. I understand why they have added it to the park (and when Shangri-la was ditched it was a foregone conclusion that some premium offering would appear at DAK) but I hated seeing all of the infrastructure on Kilimanjaro Safaris. It was particularly jarring to see all of the metal framing above the hippo pool. I also don't like the new spiel but it is what it is. I did like the slower pace though - and is the constant reinforcement of the "photo safari" on every jeep? Our driver kept stopped for great photo ops.

Nemo: Still the best stage show anywhere. I could happily watch it all day.

Dinosaur: Still underrated in my opinion. I can't fathom why some folks don't like it.

DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

A park in desperate need for help. It was rammed to the gills on Sunday January 23 to the point where an hour before the second Fantasmic! the line was already back to Hollywood Blvd.

Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun: A true embarrassment. I love Matthew Gerrard's song (we used it in Hong Kong and it is now in DCA's superior Pixar Pals Parade) but this parade is terrible. Short and lacking in anything like design or choreography. A cheap replacement. I'd take BPB back over this excrement. The three new floats look like they have been painted by toddlers. How this got approved is beyond me.

Fantasmic! I wish someone would upgrade this show. The lengthy bubble sequence to set up Pocahontas is still tedious and the show just pales into insignificance when compared to the original.

Citizens of Hollywood: I'll miss Francis Fluke forever I suspect but the rest of the gang did a decent job - it is good that they are still out for much of the day. I'd like to see some new skits though.

Tour groups: Thankfully we missed them at DAK and Epcot but that Sunday in DHS was probably the most crowded I've ever seen that park - it was very uncomfortable. CMs need to be empowered to deal with their pushing, shoving and queue jumping otherwise they will ruin the experience for other guests. I was shocked at how unruly the Brazilian teenagers were this time.

Overall I was surprised at how much I enjoyed those three days as a regular guest. All four parks were relatively quiet until noon so I managed to get everything done that I wanted to do.

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***I guess some of you know that I don't have to visit the swampland very often or work any more***

That sounds bad.

I hope everything is okay! Take care, Lee.

I'm sure you'll bounce back, you're young and you still have the magazine and all that (right?).

Hoping for the best!

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<I hope everything is okay! Take care, Lee.>>

Eek! Didn't mean it to sound bad. It should also have read:

I guess some of you know that I don't have to visit the swampland very often for work any more.

Everything is fine - I just don't have any projects at WDW at the moment! Plenty elsewhere though. ))

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***I was shocked at how unruly the Brazilian teenagers were this time***

*this time*???

I can tell ya, those punks make trouble ALL the time, and I can remember back even 15 years or so when all they did was invade parks and annoy at the top of their lungs.

I'm surprised you only noticed them THIS time, it's nothing new.

Perhaps it has to do with your "regular guest" status?

Did you not ever stand in lines or walk around the parks back all those years when you were commenting about all things Disney here?

Seems kinda weird that you'd notice something like that, as though it's new or something.

<--just sayin

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

Sounds interesting Lee, thanks for sharing. It enforces some of the thoughts I have had as I read and see footage/reviews.

I must say where we really agree though is the streetmousphere at DHS. Thank goodness it is so good, it almost compensates for the rest of the park. But they are very entertaining indeed.

 

Originally Posted By ADMIN

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Originally Posted By leemac

<<I can tell ya, those punks make trouble ALL the time, and I can remember back even 15 years or so when all they did was invade parks and annoy at the top of their lungs.>>

Rarely used to visit during the Brazilian summer holidays so not encountered this number before. Even when I did used to go down there in January/February I don't ever remember seeing thousands of them.

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

Amazing how one letter can change the entire context!

or becomes For, and X looks like a jackass.

Again, sorry for my dumb comments based on a misprint. (>_<")

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***Rarely used to visit during the Brazilian summer holidays so not encountered this number before***

Back in 96-98 or so I was playing gigs at Universal, and they were out in full force.

Definitely in the thousands, though when I was over at Disney I didn't notice them nearly as much (the housekeeping staff did, though!).

I guess it depends on the package tours being set up, which places offer the best deals, etc...

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

As for the Disney housekeeping staff (no I was never ON the housekeeping staff, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I had a few friends that were working housekeeping duty at that time), they hated the Brazilians for the way they would trash their hotel rooms, and they hated the Japanese for the lack of tips (though they noted to me that the Japanese, and Asians in general, would tidy up their own rooms and make their own beds and I've seen THAT with my own eyes since Mrs X did it many times lol).

 

Originally Posted By HokieSkipper

<<Space Mountain: I hadn't ridden it since the renovation. The queue and load areas are all fine but the music addition was entirely pointless. I could barely hear it until the final helix - a waste of time and money. Still my least favorite Space Mountain.>>

Agreed all around.

<<PeopleMover: Definite improvement. Much better all round.>>

Eh, I'm indifferent on the change. Nothing really improved, nothing really detracted, IMO.

<<Wild Africa Trek: This really bugged me. I understand why they have added it to the park (and when Shangri-la was ditched it was a foregone conclusion that some premium offering would appear at DAK) but I hated seeing all of the infrastructure on Kilimanjaro Safaris. It was particularly jarring to see all of the metal framing above the hippo pool. I also don't like the new spiel but it is what it is. I did like the slower pace though - and is the constant reinforcement of the "photo safari" on every jeep? Our driver kept stopped for great photo ops.>>

Really disappointing to hear. KS is one of those special Disney rides.

<<Nemo: Still the best stage show anywhere. I could happily watch it all day.>>

I completely agree. This and FotLK are great. It's weird that DAK has better live stage shows than DHS.

<<Dinosaur: Still underrated in my opinion. I can't fathom why some folks don't like it.>>

It's okay, but the ride is mostly empty space. I can't be overly excited about a dark ride that's devoid of sets and AAs in too many places, along with a myriad of broken effects.

<<A park in desperate need for help. It was rammed to the gills on Sunday January 23 to the point where an hour before the second Fantasmic! the line was already back to Hollywood Blvd.>>

It definitely needs 2 nice sized additions. Without one of its biggest rides, the park suffers.

<<Citizens of Hollywood: I'll miss Francis Fluke forever I suspect but the rest of the gang did a decent job - it is good that they are still out for much of the day. I'd like to see some new skits though.>>

They're the best. Never get old. seriously the best hidden gem of WDW.

 

Originally Posted By HokieSkipper

<<CMs need to be empowered to deal with their pushing, shoving and queue jumping otherwise they will ruin the experience for other guests. I was shocked at how unruly the Brazilian teenagers were this time.>>

HA!

We were told just to let them be for how much they pay to be there. No lie. It was a joke.

Just build a freaking Disneyland in Brazil and be done with it. I'm tired of them.

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

>>>Fantasmic! I wish someone would upgrade this show. The lengthy bubble sequence to set up Pocahontas is still tedious and the show just pales into insignificance when compared to the original.<<<


I wish that they would just kill off the show. It's stale, old, contrived, and doesn't fit the park well. The ambiance is horrible in the amphitheater. Night shows should be something organic. Shoving you into a concrete dome isn't.


<<Space Mountain: I hadn't ridden it since the renovation. The queue and load areas are all fine but the music addition was entirely pointless. I could barely hear it until the final helix - a waste of time and money. Still my least favorite Space Mountain.>>

Agreed. I can hear the music more on the Peoplemover.

Speaking of the people mover.... How is this a improvement? It's a new script without any semblance or story ties to Tomorrowland. Now it's just descriptive.

 

Originally Posted By MousDad

Thanks for the candid and realistic observations.

 

Originally Posted By HokieSkipper

<<Night shows should be something organic.>>

Please. *rollseyes*

There's nothing organic about any of them. Having to line up 45 minutes to an hour beforehand isn't organic.

<<Now it's just descriptive. >>

So was the original. It's just paying tribute to the history of the park.

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

>>>Please. *rollseyes*<<<

They should. Ambiance is everything. What sounds better? Being herded into a concrete and metal jungle and sitting around and waiting or stopping by the waters edge, to dimmed lighting and music playing that is thematic and actually "introduces" the show?

One is thematic, and sets you up for a experience... the other? It puts you in a place and does something for you. Very cold and boring.


>>So was the original. It's just paying tribute to the history of the park. <<

Nice (lame) try, Hokie.

History of the park matters, of course, but not when it's going to make a thematic disjunction. History is keeping the ride around, and adding to it. Like with the Haunted Mansion. That ride till has the semblance of it's former self because they kept all those old effects intact.

WEDWAY? Not so much. Where the mechanics of the ride are the same, it's output, isn't. Again... a organic fit to the land. Whereas the old one provided for some peeks and hints to the overall story and theme of community for Tomorrowland, the new one doesn't. It's just flatline.

Not that it matters, as the whole idea of a "community" Tomorrowland has been killed off by the Toons.

 

Originally Posted By HokieSkipper

<<What sounds better? Being herded into a concrete and metal jungle and sitting around and waiting or stopping by the waters edge, to dimmed lighting and music playing that is thematic and actually "introduces" the show? >>

There's literally no difference for me. I'm waiting an hour either way.

<<Not that it matters, as the whole idea of a "community" Tomorrowland has been killed off by the Toons.>>

Exactly. There is no community of Tomorrowland. There is no overarching story. Therefore, the new script is fine.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<Speaking of the people mover.... How is this a improvement? It's a new script without any semblance or story ties to Tomorrowland. Now it's just descriptive. >>

Exactly - the old TTA script just didn't work as the various elements can't be tied together - easier (and better) to just deal with them as a hodgepodge of different attractions. Tomorrowland lost its coherence years ago - better to stop laboring it.

The spiel also sounded clearer - no idea if anything else was updated in terms o tech or whether it is my ears deceiving me.

Speaking of lacking in coherence - that Stitch stage complex is atrocious. Truly ugly.

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

>>>There's literally no difference for me. I'm waiting an hour either way.<<<

You put Fantasmic's ambiance on the same level as say, IllumiNations? Or Wishes? Where you are in REAL environments?


>>>Exactly. There is no community of Tomorrowland. There is no overarching story. Therefore, the new script is fine.<<<

That's basically like saying, "Therefore, all of this is terrible, and there's nothing to be done about it".

Not what Disney should ever do, but that's what they do, now, in this wonderful mindset that they have. "Let's not make new things work real well, let's just make them NEW! " See Block Party Bash's replacement, or whatever it is.

 

Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer

>>>Exactly - the old TTA script just didn't work as the various elements can't be tied together - easier (and better) to just deal with them as a hodgepodge of different attractions. Tomorrowland lost its coherence years ago - better to stop laboring it.

The spiel also sounded clearer - no idea if anything else was updated in terms o tech or whether it is my ears deceiving me.

Speaking of lacking in coherence - that Stitch stage complex is atrocious. Truly ugly<<<<


That's exactly what I mean, Lee... instead of fixing anything and making it NOT a hodgepodge, let's just put a bandaid on it. If it's new, people won't care.


And yeah, it got new speakers and lights.