Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>(Those of us in SB County are required by local law to make it very clear none of our cities, towns or unincorporated areas are in any way part of Los Angeles)<< You're in San Bernardino County too? Small world (and huge county)! What area are you in? I'm in Rancho Cucamonga, which I'm pretty sure is referenced on more random signs throughout DCA than any other city. It's always nice to be somewhere with a goofy name; it's just more memorable that way.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< >>(Those of us in SB County are required by local law to make it very clear none of our cities, towns or unincorporated areas are in any way part of Los Angeles)<< You're in San Bernardino County too? >>> You're obviously not a native Californian. She's obviously referring to San Benito County, not San Bernardino.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Is any SB County as snobbish about LA as Santa Barbara? We have issues . And in the interest of keeping it OT the founders of "Talk Like a Pirate" day lived here at one point.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>You're obviously not a native Californian.<< Correct! Where I'm from, we don't have counties with the same initials, and only refer to them by initials. Heck, we don't even really care about counties, since they're really not very huge. It still blows my mind just how big they are out here (San Bernardino is bigger than Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey combined)
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >>>But I'm sure Anthony Edwards will be enjoying that BW room in a few weeks! that's about what TDO can handle ...<<< <<Anthony Edwards or Anthony Daniels?>> Aren't they both the same, really?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >> At the risk of sounding Lutzian, Burbank has no faith in TDO being capable of handling an event of this magnitude. << <<Is this just your opinion?>> A very educated (elite even!) opinion based on personal knowledge and talking with other Spirits closer to the situation than I ... on an unrelated note, I am seeing PoC4 tonight at a screening and really looking forward to it. Cautiously optimistic that it will be much better than the bloated second and third films.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> A very educated (elite even!) opinion based on personal knowledge and talking with other Spirits closer to the situation than I ... on an unrelated note, I am seeing PoC4 tonight at a screening and really looking forward to it. Cautiously optimistic that it will be much better than the bloated second and third films. << That's what I was wondering. Speculation or inside knowledge. I'm sure 4 will make a bunch of money, and be critically panned.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> A very educated (elite even!) opinion based on personal knowledge and talking with other Spirits closer to the situation than I ... on an unrelated note, I am seeing PoC4 tonight at a screening and really looking forward to it. Cautiously optimistic that it will be much better than the bloated second and third films. << So when do you slip a review in somewhere?
Originally Posted By Westsider The Special Events team in Anaheim is epic and very well known for staging fantastic events. Example #548: They were all flown over to Shanghai early in the spring to plan and stage the Shanghai Disneyland opening ceremonies, for instance. I know several of the guys on that team who started as hourly CM's 15 years ago and are now salaried managers for Special Events. They aren't the big dogs yet, but just sort of the lower management guys who report to the big dogs in Disneyland Special Events. And they ALL tell very funny stories about how WDW management was trying very hard for over a year to get the Pirates IV Premiere; they got shot down initially by Burbank and then the WDW team circled their wagons and came back with several other proposals or bids, as it were. Still shot down. I also heard that when Al Lutz first leaked the news last January about the Pirates Premiere being planned for Disneyland there were still some in WDW hoping the decision hadn't been made yet on their latest proposal, and when they learned of it via an Al Lutz mention it stung even more. But Spirit is right in that Burbank just has no faith that WDW can pull off anything as massive and epic and complicated as a Pirates movie premiere. Did anyone read in the celeb media that about 36 hours after the Disneyland Premiere that all the stars and behind the scenes brass for the movie were loaded onto a chartered plane and flown to Moscow for another big premiere there for Russia? (Russia is an emerging market Iger has been developing in recent years) Disney could stage a movie premiere in Orlando if it wanted to, but they are afraid the WDW teams there would only screw it up. And the Disneyland Special Events team is quite knowledgeable of that, and very pleased with themselves over it. They were celebrating big a week ago, that's for sure. This latest Pirates Premiere was a huge success for them, for the park, and for the company. Everyone outside of Lake Buena Vista is very, very happy about it.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >> A very educated (elite even!) opinion based on personal knowledge and talking with other Spirits closer to the situation than I ... on an unrelated note, I am seeing PoC4 tonight at a screening and really looking forward to it. Cautiously optimistic that it will be much better than the bloated second and third films. << <<So when do you slip a review in somewhere?>> Check down on the Live Action film board and you'll read some Spirited pirate (but not pirated) thoughts.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I also heard that when Al Lutz first leaked the news last January about the Pirates Premiere being planned for Disneyland there were still some in WDW hoping the decision hadn't been made yet on their latest proposal, and when they learned of it via an Al Lutz mention it stung even more. But Spirit is right in that Burbank just has no faith that WDW can pull off anything as massive and epic and complicated as a Pirates movie premiere. >> Thanks for the backup, Westsider. And Burbank is quite right. As I've said before, sometimes I wonder how TDO is even able to just open the gates daily. I do have a question for you ... don't know if you've seen the thread here regarding the folks who have apparently made a cottage industry out of selling high-priced tours of WDW despite no 'official' endorsing/sanctioning by Disney. Many of these folks are online Disney personalities and have been 100% positive about anything/everything Disney does on their blogs/sites/podcasts etc and, in turn, they get invites to special events, free hotel stays, meals, tix, swag etc. It clearly is slimy, sleazy and has undercurrents of payola. It's the same thing that got Jim Hill shutdown at DLR years ago. My question is do you know whether anyone does this in Anaheim? And, if so, what Disney's policy is about allowing it (not asking you to speak for the company, obviously)? I just can't believe Burbank thinks its OK for private parties to come onto its property and sell tours that go for as much as $700 (maybe more) in its parks, while looking official and competing with its own tours ... clearly, there's some quid pro quo at the highest levels in O-Town because the guys that offer these tours are as loud and proud as can be. Thoughts?
Originally Posted By SuperDry IIRC, there are a few differences between Jim Hill's tours and the ones now being offered by certain folks at WDW: IIRC, Jim Hill's tours were not private, but operated like the official Disney ones: they started at an announced time and place, and up to X people could sign up that may or may not know each other. Because of the potential size, it was obvious to other guests that it was a guided tour of some sort, with a designated guide and a group of perhaps a dozen or more being led around. Strike 1. In addition to the above, Jim Hill reportedly really got into the spirit of things by wearing a tropical print shirt, khaki pants/shorts, a straw had, and carried a clip board. I seem to remember that he remarked that he thought it was funny that he was often mistaken for a cast member when in this role. What he thought was funny was probably Strike 2 AND Strike 3 as far as Disney was concerned. For these new tours that you're describing in WDW, I get the sense that they are for just a single group of guests plus the guide. As such, they will probably not appear to be a tour group to other guests but just an extended family in the park. That alone might allow them to fly just underneath the radar. However, even with that, I was somewhat surprised when I found out that these new tours were going on. I wonder if any informal vetting of TDO's acceptance of them was done beforehand by those involved?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<IIRC, there are a few differences between Jim Hill's tours and the ones now being offered by certain folks at WDW:>> Yes. The biggest being Jim was not all pixie dust and MAGIC ... and he was only charging $25 a head ... unlike these dudes who are getting over $100 each. <<IIRC, Jim Hill's tours were not private, but operated like the official Disney ones: they started at an announced time and place, and up to X people could sign up that may or may not know each other. Because of the potential size, it was obvious to other guests that it was a guided tour of some sort, with a designated guide and a group of perhaps a dozen or more being led around. Strike 1.>> As far as I can tell, these aren't different at all. They all have a group of people with a guide at a designated time and place. From pics on websites (which I won't link to because I want these people out of business, not gaining business) these folks are looking 'official' ... everything from lanyards to official shirts and clipboards etc. <<In addition to the above, Jim Hill reportedly really got into the spirit of things by wearing a tropical print shirt, khaki pants/shorts, a straw had, and carried a clip board. I seem to remember that he remarked that he thought it was funny that he was often mistaken for a cast member when in this role. What he thought was funny was probably Strike 2 AND Strike 3 as far as Disney was concerned.>> See above ... there's no doubt that some of these individuals (if not all) are quite obvious that they are 'official-looking' guides ... and most guests would have to believe they are Disney-sanctioned because again ... how else could they possibly not be by doing what they are doing on private property? <<For these new tours that you're describing in WDW, I get the sense that they are for just a single group of guests plus the guide. As such, they will probably not appear to be a tour group to other guests but just an extended family in the park. That alone might allow them to fly just underneath the radar. However, even with that, I was somewhat surprised when I found out that these new tours were going on. I wonder if any informal vetting of TDO's acceptance of them was done beforehand by those involved?>> I believe these people are being allowed to do what they do from a very high level in O-Town, but do not have Burbank's blessing. Again, what is to stop anyone from doing likewise? And think of all the legal issues Disney is opening themselves up to? And all for what? Do the idiots at TDO really believe that these small-time grifters with a few thousand followers online are significant enough to WDW Co's bottom line to be allowing themselves to be open to all sorts of things? The answer is apparently yes ... although I do suspect you're going to see some changes.
Originally Posted By Westsider I do know a bit about that in fact, from friends who are Leads in Guest Relations and some who work in Disney Special Activities (DSA). DSA is the office run out of the Grand Californian that organizes and manages top celebrity visits or higher profile government visits through the State Department, and DSA also handles the swag and comped Resort amenities doled out to anyone through Government Relations and Press & Publicity. The DSA staff is made up almost entirely of former Guest Relations Leads or managers and VIP Tour Guides. The short answer is that Disneyland does not permit anyone to conduct a tour on property that mirrors or emulates any product or service offered by Guest Relations. Period. Outside guided tour groups are allowed in to Disneyland, obviously, and so long as they stick to a tour guide leading what is usually a foreign tour group through the park and handling language-barrier issues and keeping them to a schedule, it's no problem and they are welcomed with open arms. But once you start charging money for a guided tour on our property and you are offering history lessons like Walk In Walt's Footsteps, then there's a problem. There's also a greyer area that DSA and Guest Relations are aware of with outside tour guides that run around the park scooping up Fastpasses and acting as concierge for a family. Guest Relations is keeping an eye on that activity, but it's something that is still allowed. There has been a recent attempt to head that off (and reclaim that service legally) with the newly available pay-to-play VIP tours now offered through Guest Relations, and they can still offer stuff that even the pushiest tour operator wouldn't be able to get (extra Fastpasses, priority/backdoor entrance, otherwise sold out reservations, better view rooms, intra-property transportation, etc.) Some outside tour operators that overstep their bounds, use propietary material in their tours, or get pushy with park CM's to get something their client wants have been banned from the park with Security issuing Tresspass Warnings via the Anaheim city attorney. But those cases are rare, and the offenders are notified in writing of their inappropriate behavior before it gets to that point. I hadn't seen that other thread you mentioned, and I honestly don't even know how I got over here in the WDW section this weekend, but scanning that thread it appears to be examples of stuff that would never fly in Anaheim.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Some outside tour operators that overstep their bounds, use propietary material in their tours, or get pushy with park CM's to get something their client wants have been banned from the park with Security issuing Tresspass Warnings via the Anaheim city attorney. But those cases are rare, and the offenders are notified in writing of their inappropriate behavior before it gets to that point. >>> There must really be some folks that "don't get it." I would think you'd have to be quite a Disney fan yourself to put together materials and otherwise have the wherewithal to organize a business around tours. What must it be to be such a fan and then find oneself permanently banned from even stepping foot on property, under penalty of arrest? Assuming that Disney notifies the offenders in writing before things escalate to that level, I can't say that the people involved don't deserve it, but still. My prediction for Florida is that things like this will continue to escalate until they get out of and a stop is put to them. Also, if this really is something that has been vetted only within TDO, then all it would take is the right person at Burbank to get upset about it for the word to come down from on high.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Also, if this really is something that has been vetted only within TDO, then all it would take is the right person at Burbank to get upset about it for the word to come down from on high.>> I'm now of the belief that this is precisely what's happening at WDW. These third party tour groups are allowed to exist because suits in TDO allow it, without Burbank's permission or acknowledgement. I wouldn't be surprised if Burbank hands down an edict soon which puts the kibosh on all of these groups across all parks and resorts. There's no way that WDW will be allowed to continue with this when DLR has put its foot down. Burbank will never stand for that indefinitely.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros As far as logistics of big special events go, how was the D23 event handled? I've read that the content may have been lacking, but the WDW team wasn't responsible for that. I don't know what sorts of similarities, if any, there were to a premiere, but they were both big one-time-only events that were highly publicized. Was the D23 thing even handled by the general special events team, or was it just through the Contemporary staff?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I hadn't seen that other thread you mentioned, and I honestly don't even know how I got over here in the WDW section this weekend, but scanning that thread it appears to be examples of stuff that would never fly in Anaheim. >> I'm glad you did get over here. I always respect your opinions and perspective. I'm not sure how this stuff has flown under the radar in Burbank for so long (and according to someone who doesn't work all that far away from Tom Staggs, it has) ... although to be fair, WDW management is so bereft of basic intelligence that I could easily see Inovererheadmeg or Al etc being walked over by a Thomas Smith or a 'Snarky' Gary Buchanan to some geeky podcaster (complete with credentials and official looking crap adorning himself) and do an interview without the slighest idea of the legal liability the individual may represent to the company. I watched a partial podcast tonight that was painful and embarrassing and the dude (we'll leave names out) was making a CM at the Main Street Cinema very weirded out by himself and his entourage as they pranced around the store like they owned it and suggested they sell his trivia book (what is the CPer gonna say? ... I'd say she should have called security, but those dangling credentials make someone look official) ... before they finally left (after the store had been shuttered). A front-line CM (unless policy has changed) isn't allowed to just be interviewed on the spot by anyone. Again, I think TDO has no idea the can of worms it has opened to whore itself out to a tiny audience THAT IT ALREADY HAS IN ITS POCKET! Dumb and bad business at the same time.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<As far as logistics of big special events go, how was the D23 event handled? I've read that the content may have been lacking, but the WDW team wasn't responsible for that. I don't know what sorts of similarities, if any, there were to a premiere, but they were both big one-time-only events that were highly publicized. Was the D23 thing even handled by the general special events team, or was it just through the Contemporary staff?>> The event was run and coordinated by the D23 staff as far as the large scale stuff. Obviously, the Contemporary team worked their convention roles ... and I know some CMs from other areas that came in and helped with things like merchandise.
