Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan And so a nice little "bonus" such as Seasons of the Vine isn't "Disneyized." Whatever that means. I guess Adventures Through Inner Space wasn't "Disneyized" since Mickey didn't go floating by in scuba gear or something. Seasons of the Vine is similar to the Main Street Cinema or the Tiki Room pre-show -- not a reason to go to the park in and of itself, but a pleasant little surprise once you're there, rounding out and adding to the overall experience. I dont see why it's so easy to lose perspective on this sort of attraction, nor why some people hold them in contempt.
Originally Posted By jonvn Yes. Precisely. "I dont see why it's so easy to lose perspective on this sort of attraction, nor why some people hold them in contempt." Because it's easy to complain about everything all the time. It's not about standards or what is actually good or bad for what it is, whether something was done with care or quality. It is just easier to say it's all bad all the time, no matter what. I thought it was a nice little thing. But kind of didn't go anywhere. It would have been a nice preshow to something bigger. But as it was on its own, it was a nice little addition. It was a nice little classy thing. It's unfortunate that such things are just not the thing the do much of anymore. It just gets louder and brighter and harsher all the time.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 When I saw it, they also had this "wine girl" (for lack of a better term) outside with glasses of various wines and various foods that gave the wines their "tones." You sniffed each. Sniff some butter, sniff a glass of white wine and fine the butter "tone" in there. Sniff some chocolate, sniff a glass of red that has that tone. It was really pretty neat, she was charming, and she explained it as well as a winery worker would have. Between that demo and the film, it probably took half an hour, and it really was kind of like spending half an hour at a winery. Nice, relaxed, good atmosphere. The kind of thing, as 2oony said, that rounded out your day and added to the overall experience. It's just this kind of thing I'd like to see more of, not less.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I remember during one of our first visits to DCA in 2001, they had that entertainment troupe 'Three Bags Full.' A trippy group of three performers, each performer encased in a stretchy fabric bag -- almost like a pillowcase. [In fact, the magic carpet in the 'Aladdin' show is the same type of costume] Three Bags Full ran around the San Francisco area -- interacting with guests -- posing for pictures -- doing silly things -- freezing like a statue -- just adding some life and fun to the area. We found them charming and fun. I recall a guest standing and looking at them. 'I don't get it' -- he muttered under his breath. I guess that's the demographic Disney listened to when they started cutting everything.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan It would have been a nice preshow to something bigger. But as it was on its own, it was a nice little addition.<< Yup. It was just a little thing that made you feel a little smarter after experiencing it, gave you appreciation for what it takes to produce wine. Plus, you learned how to properly pronounce the various types of wine in the soothing tones of Jeremy Irons. We went wine tasting in Sonoma this past weekend. I'm hoping Seasons of the Vine somehow finds a second life in one of the wineries or a visitors center somewhere.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 "Between that demo and the film, it probably took half an hour, and it really was kind of like spending half an hour at a winery. Nice, relaxed, good atmosphere." I wish we'd had the same experience when we saw it. They had some kid working the show who couldn't seem to remember his dialogue, and was just stumbling over most of his pre-movie speech. The film was great, but it was hard to get over the bad performance of the “cast member†running the show. Overall, I really liked the atmosphere of the winery area – very EPCOT-like, but they really should have followed through and made more of an attraction out of this. Still, I’m sorry to see it go.
Originally Posted By jonvn "I guess that's the demographic Disney listened to when they started cutting everything." You would think that they would WANT to go after the more educated higher end crowd with their offerings. People like that generally have more money to spend. Instead, they're going for the LCD approach, getting more people in the door, and having them spend less per person. They are making it up via volume. I would rather they go for fewer people, but have them spend a bit more per hour. Because I got to tell you, there are a lot of other places in the world people with disposable income can go to besides a dumbed down amusement park. These sorts of people can take their cash elsewhere. And if Disney isn't careful, they'll end up with a WalMart group of customers who aren't going to be spending a whole lot of money in their parks for much of anything.
Originally Posted By jonvn "We went wine tasting in Sonoma this past weekend." Which wineries did you go to?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>'I don't get it' -- he muttered under his breath. I guess that's the demographic Disney listened to when they started cutting everything.<< I think so. Toy Story he'll get. Something a little on the offbeat, "artsy" side, no. Disney's Cartoon Adventure!
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Which wineries did you go to?<< Viansa, Jacuzzi, Gloria Ferrer, Sebastiani, Ravens Wood and Schug. Wonderful day! (I was the designated driver this time, so I didn't taste much, but I enjoy visiting these places with or without the vino.)
Originally Posted By plpeters70 "I think so. Toy Story he'll get. Something a little on the offbeat, "artsy" side, no. Disney's Cartoon Adventure!" What I find odd is that these sorts of entertainments seem to work great at EPCOT, but weren't successful at DCA. I would think the crowds at each park would be similar, but maybe the expectations at DCA are different than what people are expecting in the World Showcase at EPCOT.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I'm heading to EPCOT in a couple weeks for the first time. I'm looking forward to it!
Originally Posted By jonvn "Viansa, Jacuzzi, Gloria Ferrer, Sebastiani, Ravens Wood and Schug. " Oh, how is the Jacuzzi winery? I've been to all of those except that one because it just opened. Schug is teeny tiny. I recall them having a good Pinot. I know EXACTLY where you went. Did you eat at Viansa? Did you buy any wine at any of these places? Gloria Ferrer is really great champagne. But I like Domaine Carneros down the road a bit more. Both have lovely settings. Oh, I bet the vines are all growing leaves right now, too. Must have been great. You must go when they pick the grapes in sept/oct. Usually they will have grapes there to taste, and they are really good things. Next time, try the Cline Winery, which is right across the street from Jacuzzi. It's beautiful, and they have a nice tour. They also have all the CA missions in miniature there. Nice people. Wine is good, and NOT expensive at all.
Originally Posted By jonvn "I'm heading to EPCOT in a couple weeks for the first time. I'm looking forward to it!" You'll love it. It's so fun. I drank around world showcase. Had a beer or wine from each country. It is so cool. And it has so many things to shop and look at. Some of it is crappy but really, it's still very nice. Each country has a little something to offer that's great. One of my favorite things is the taiko drummers in Japan. Amazing to listen to. Ok, I guess I like epcot, too.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I'm heading to EPCOT in a couple weeks for the first time. I'm looking forward to it!> You'll enjoy it. If you've never been, you'll probably want to spend a couple of days there. A lot of people spend one day in Future World and another in World Showcase. But since several of the FW attractions are kind of similar (less so now than when it opened, though, with a couple of the big omnimovers gone), and there are only two real RIDE-rides in WS (plus films, plus American Adventure), I find I enjoy doing half-a-day at FW and half at WS on EACH day. It makes for more variety. Just a suggestion.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 "I'm heading to EPCOT in a couple weeks for the first time. I'm looking forward to it!" That's great - you'll have a wonderful time. EPCOT is my all-time favorite Disney park. (Though I must admit, that's probably because I grew up with the EPCOT Center of the 1980s.) But even today - it's still an amazing place. Be sure to have a meal somewhere in World Showcase (like France) and catch Illuminations - it's not to be missed. Oh, and be sure to catch the World Showcase films -- all are amazing, and if you like Seasons of the Vine, you'll love these even more!!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<One of my favorite things is the taiko drummers in Japan. Amazing to listen to.>> It's almost time for the Cherry Blossom Festival here in D.C. The last few years they have been inviting this championship taiko drumming group from a university there. That pretty much ruined the tiako drumming at Epcot for me.
