Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Is this how they always decorate for Halloween at WDW??? If so, then I'm embarassed for them.<< Yup! There is only you can with with the same hay props when they have been in use for a decade... Compare with DL and TDL's decor this year (you will find links to photos in those sections of LP) I will be at DLP and HKDL later in Oct and hope to bring you halloween decor pictorials/happenings from those parks as well. Should be fun.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 No problem. ... This discussion is moving very quickly -- in two different directions.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>at night the MK actually looks very nice with the decorations and effects for MNSSHP.<< But only for patrons who paid for the priviledge to attend the Halloween Party. The day guests be darned. >>it's not like YOUR park has even acknowledged the holiday/season for the past decade!<< C'Mon Spirit.. you gotta admit, they are fixing this situation at DL this year, and the fans are raving about it and I agree based on what I've seen so far. >>I guess if you want real decorations you need to head to Tokyo or Paris because those countries invented Halloween (yes, that was sarcasm for those sarcastically challenged.)<< While I got the sarcasm, since I taught you all you know... Tokyo cannot take credit for Halloween being invented. To be honest, I do not recall ever seeing anything remotely Halloween in Japan, until TDL introduced the concept 7 yrs ago. Now? It's HUGE all over. Check the Halloween events at Universal Japan... much more elaborate than anything WDW does for day guests about Halloween... which is nothing.
Originally Posted By Westsider "C'mon some slack Westsider ... it's not like YOUR park has even acknowledged the holiday/season for the past decade!" True. But if you are going to celebrate something and label it as a Disney product you better darn well do it correctly and with good taste. What WDW has for its Halloween decorations are just embarassing, and they shouldn't be putting that level of Show out on display in the Park. Disneyland doesn't celebrate St. Patricks Day. But if we did, you can bet we would do it correctly and with good design sense. Disneyland wouldn't put out a few 8 inch tall shamrocks wired to a railing on Main Street and call it decorated. If WDW can't decorate with a proper budget and with a modern design sense, then they shouldn't try and should just let Halloween go by without them. I've seen the sad stuff WDW does for Christmas and it pales considerably to the effort Disneyland puts forth for Christmas. But this Halloween stuff is really, really bad. It's almost like someone is trying to make it look pathetic on purpose to embarass a Vice President into approving a bigger budget next year or something. The WDW Halloween stuff is so bad, it's a little suspicious. There has to be a story behind why it's so pathetic looking. There just has to!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Disneyland doesn't celebrate St. Patricks Day.<< No point in doing so. They don't sell beer at DL. But oh..those St. Pat pins sure are pretty, with a gay rainbow on them..
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<But only for patrons who paid for the priviledge to attend the Halloween Party. The day guests be darned.>> True. But this is still one great event. And, unlike the Christmas Parties, they never took away anything from the day guests and charged extra. WDW never 'celebrated' Halloween before the parties began and all you'd ever see for fall decoration were pumpkins in Town Square and the same puny ones that are up now. <<C'Mon Spirit.. you gotta admit, they are fixing this situation at DL this year, and the fans are raving about it and I agree based on what I've seen so far.>> I haven't seen pics yet. But I'm thrilled they are doing that. Both Disney and Universal on the west coast are jumping back into the Halloween business this year and I think it's terrific. From what I've heard, this is just the tip of the iceberg for the holiday at both parks in the years ahead. Wish I could be out there. <<While I got the sarcasm, since I taught you all you know... Tokyo cannot take credit for Halloween being invented. To be honest, I do not recall ever seeing anything remotely Halloween in Japan, until TDL introduced the concept 7 yrs ago. Now? It's HUGE all over. Check the Halloween events at Universal Japan... much more elaborate than anything WDW does for day guests about Halloween... which is nothing.>> Trust me. I learned the fine art of sarcasm at a very young age. Why do you think I like you? (No, that wasn't sarcastic!) And that was just my point. Halloween didn't really exist in those countries until Disney brought it over. Now, look at how Disney's resorts celebrate it.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<True. But if you are going to celebrate something and label it as a Disney product you better darn well do it correctly and with good taste. What WDW has for its Halloween decorations are just embarassing, and they shouldn't be putting that level of Show out on display in the Park.>> You been to WDW recently? Show went out the window about a decade ago and it doesn't appear to be coming back. I can't complain about things like Halloween decor because I can give you a few hundred examples of much worse show. Why do you think I love spending time at DL so much?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>And, unlike the Christmas Parties, they never took away anything from the day guests and charged extra.<< Would taking away extra evening hours away from day-guests count???
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Would taking away extra evening hours away from day-guests count???>> Not this time, my friend. I have operating schedules that go back decades. The MK used to regularly close EVERY day of October at 6 p.m. thru much of its first 15-20 years. So I can't complain here ... even with all the party nights there are still plenty of nights when the MK is open quite late (heck, we even have a midnight Saturday closing upcoming, which is almost unheard of) ... and even 8 or 9 closings with fireworks are much better than what used to be done.
Originally Posted By TP2000 After staring in slack-jawed awe at the WDW picture TDLFAN had up on his picture updates, and then seeing the new Disneyland Halloween decoration for myself and through the MintCrocodile upates over on Mouseinfo.... I find this new picture update of WDW Halloween decorations. Wow. Just... Wow. These LP pictures of WDW Halloween are even more unflattering than the ones TDLFAN took and posted recently. I had to blow up the picture of the Main Street Train Station and peer at the screen before I could see the tiny wreaths and impotent garlands strung up. And that's what is most striking to me at the difference between Disneyland Halloween and WDW Halloween; SCALE. The scale is totally out of whack at WDW. These WDW displays are tiny little decorations all presented on a small scale that would look good in the front yard of a 3 bedroom ranch house. In 1978. The Disneyland decorations, on the other hand, are all scaled for a WOW! and COOL! factor, and all designed with a modern, fresh, zingy, 2006 design sensibility. WDW has fake bales of hay that should have been retired five Halloweens ago, decorated with the cliche' scarecrows and tiny gourds bought on sale at Piggly-Wiggly. When I look at the WDW decorations I can't help but think... "Somewhere in Orlando there's a musty senior citizens home missing the Halloween decorations they normally have in the dining room". They aren't even done with the Disneyland Halloween decorations, and already it's a bazillion times better than what is at WDW. Wait until the construction walls come down on Saturday around the train station and all of the pumpkins get installed all over the place. This entire topic just fascinates me. Who knew WDW could do something so poorly?!?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<WDW has fake bales of hay that should have been retired five Halloweens ago, decorated with the cliche' scarecrows and tiny gourds bought on sale at Piggly-Wiggly.>> Nope. WalMart ... I think Piggly-Wiggly closed up shop in the O-Town area years ago. <<When I look at the WDW decorations I can't help but think... "Somewhere in Orlando there's a musty senior citizens home missing the Halloween decorations they normally have in the dining room".>> That is a CLASSIC line. We really need a Hall of Fame for them here on LP.com. <<This entire topic just fascinates me. Who knew WDW could do something so poorly?!? >> Any WDW regular with half a brain.
Originally Posted By Westsider Hey Spirit, go over to Mouseinfo and check out the Disneyland Halloween thread. About the last five pages of that thread have pictures inserted of the decorations that are being installed at Disneyland this week. I checked 'em out today after my shift, and they look really good. I know a couple guys who work for Tech Services and they still have a bunch of stuff to install Thursday night and Friday night during 3rd shift, but a lot of the stuff is up and the pics are at Mouseinfo. I think if you see the recent Disneyland pictures the comments in this thread will make more sense.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros "Nope. WalMart ... I think Piggly-Wiggly closed up shop in the O-Town area years ago." I believe they got them at K-Mart when they went shopping for the mrechandise display for the Pop Century store.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Hey Spirit, go over to Mouseinfo and check out the Disneyland Halloween thread. About the last five pages of that thread have pictures inserted of the decorations that are being installed at Disneyland this week. >> Thanks ... I will do that.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>When I look at the WDW decorations I can't help but think... "Somewhere in Orlando there's a musty senior citizens home missing the Halloween decorations they normally have in the dining room".<< ...And this year's best sarcastic Line prize goes to (drum roll) ^^^THAT quote! Last year's winner: "Who needs Shrinks?!? All you have to do is Poll the Internet!" now presents the award to this year's winner. Congratulations. >>Wait until the construction walls come down on Saturday around the train station and all of the pumpkins get installed all over the place. << I am particularly eager to see how the new Halloween Flower Mickey motif outside DL's train station turns out. >>This entire topic just fascinates me. Who knew WDW could do something so poorly?!? << Excuse me, but where have you been since I started posting about WDW lower standards on the internet years ago?!?!? "But no... TDLFAN is biased and can't be trusted..jada jada.." *sighs* The job of a disney fanatic is never done and comes with great risk and sorrow. Not to mention.. lack of acknowledgement.
Originally Posted By irishfan I forgot what a beautiful structure Main Street Station is, especially viewed from Town Square. I need to get back to WDW, it's been too long.
Originally Posted By marion leaving for wdw Sat. sept 30th. tomorrow! very excited ! csr here we come!
Originally Posted By TP2000 Thank you all for your kind words. I accept the LP Cynically Funny Post Of The Year award with heartfelt appreciation! I'm sad to learn there aren't as many Piggly-Wiggly's around as there used to be. When I lived in the South it was a personal favorite just for the name alone. Although I was more of a Harriss-Teeter or Publix shopper myself.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^It's funny to see how times change ... I recently came across an Orlando newspaper (the whole paper) from my second WDW visit in 1975 ... there were huge ads for Piggly Wiggly, A&P, Pantry Pride and one other grocery chain I can't recall right now. But the one thing they allhad in common is they've been gone from Central Florida for many years ... decades in some cases.
