Originally Posted By ChiMike >>Have you ever stayed at Portafino Bay Hotel? It's one of my favs.<< I have, multiple times. I agree Dad, it is top on my list of places to stay. For what you get for the $ it surpasses Disney's value for their Deluxes.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>When we visited on a Saturday night, we were shocked at how many partiers there were. I have never noticed this before. Lines for EVERYTHING were long, long, long. Folks were holding and drinking two drinks while waiting in line for another, and the bathrooms were blech! It wasn't like this at all when we visited on the weeknights, so maybe this is a weekend thing.<< Hey, Thanks for the feedback! While it's a sad result, I am glad I am not the only one noticing this. You described things that sound all too familiar from my last visits to the festival.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>ood thing it was done for a quarter under rehab.<< That sounds bad. Good thing it was address for the 3 months when it was being rehabbed.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <One great thing at the Studios is on Monday nights, the current EMH night, they really have a party atmosphere as they turn up the pop Disney music, add characters around and turn up the special lighting ... it makes the park feel so alive and joyfull ... at least until one looks at the BAH. < Kinda like when Star Wars Weekends are there, adding life to the streets in the Studios really helps one look past so many attractions in need of help - upgrades - changes ( Backstage Tour / Star Tours / Indy ) - and the missing attractions/empty buildings... I also couldn't agree more on GMR - I love that attraction, but the endingmovie is so grainy in appearance on many of the cuts now, it takes away from the ride rather than completing the trip on a high note --
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <>>What was a great event has simply been ruined by having a Frequent Fear Pass for locals that ensures an incredibly packed park overrun by drunk 20-somethings and cursing teens.<< Even worse to hear. Too bad. Really too bad. I haven't done this for 4 years.< sounds like my last trip to Great America here, for a "Fright night" - they couldn;t have been more accurate in the name....no hurry to return
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Nice trip report Spirit. I am sure the highlight was meeting me and the other wonder kid.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Speaking of Paris, any idea when Soaring is going to reach the Studios?>> Best guess? Late 2008.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<The attraction stopped half a dozen times while we were on it, and then I was disappointed to see just the new scenes inserted. It actually made the other clips look granier by comparison. Keep older clips, just restructure the thing.>> That's what I was getting at. Some of the old footage looks so old and grainy ... then you see Narnia or Nemo and everything looks crisp. It makes for a disjointed film ... kind of like the cheap job they did on Reflections of China. <<The Boo to You parade is AWESOME! >> Yep. It really is. I remember when all MK parades were that caliber ... a long, long time ago.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<shhhh! Let the stroller brigade have their Magic(TM).>> OK. I won't mention the premium lounge chairs and expensive towels you get either. Or the fact that I have never seen one of these pools closed for a brown-out. <<I can't agree more .. Especially how out of place Tubbi's used to be. Good to hear.>> I was shocked by how nice the rehab is. It's so yellow and blue and bright, airy and tropical feeling now, when it used to be dreary and depressing. I'd only go there late at night when I wanted a snack and didn't feel like driving. >>Food and Wine Fest at Epcot was a fun excuse to eat, drink, eat, drink, eat, drink, eat, drink, and drink some more. But it is starting to feel tired.<< <<Not only that but I have (and hopefully will not this year) notice more and more of a bar-hopping presence for this. While other changes have come to this once top-notch festival the thing most changed are a larger Pleasure Island contigent. Maybe I see this because in recent years I have been there on a weekend.>> I've noticed the same percentage of drunks the last few years. But now it's mixed with the exact same booths, selling the exact same samples that are just smaller and more expensive. Sure they add 1-2 new booths ... but it's not enough. Worse, F&W has become an excuse to sell expensive, elaborate dinners and wine pairings and Partys For the Senses etc .. <<Some Kind Soul E-Mailed me when they saw my attempt to extract the info out of Lee. Take this for what it's worth, but they claim (along with some other sites) that the plan is close to what I hoped for. That the initial ascent and entire descent will be targeted for the refurb.>> Same thing I've heard from my peeps.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >>And Trail's End at FW is one of the best, hidden gems of Disney dining for basic comfort foods in peace and quiet. Great salads and soups and cafeteria quality entrees.<< <<Darn IT Spirit! SHHHHHHH!! You know what you're doing, right? Soon it will be a Jack Sparrow M&G for 29.99 per person. If you want to avoid the high price you can head right over to Will Turner's Tavern.>> Oh ... yeah, you're right. I must have been drinking when I wrote that. Trail's End sucks. It's awful. Food is terrible, servers nasty ... don't go there unless you want your plates to be carried away by cockroaches!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Nice trip report Spirit. I am sure the highlight was meeting me and the other wonder kid.>> Of course ... of course It's always nice to hang out with Disney fans that get what the place used to be and what it still can be.
Originally Posted By danyoung >Some of the old footage [in the Great Move Ride finale] looks so old and grainy ... then you see Narnia or Nemo and everything looks crisp. It makes for a disjointed film ...< I mentioned this on another site, but I'll repeat for those here. The original film was made by the great film and video editor Chuck Workman (my hero!), and was a wonderful way to end the ride. Now that some hack has chopped out some scenes and sliced in others willy nilly, the film has no more flow or fluidity to it. They need to budget a few bucks and get Chuck to do a new one that would be worthy of the term "grand finale".
Originally Posted By ChiMike Great point Dan, I can't imagine anyone obecting to the idea of doing a new one from scratch rather than sticking with the poor presentation currently there. It's a testament to Chuck that after it has been altered and viewed so many times moments in it can still can cause people to get tingly.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Agree wholeheartedly at both of the above posts. The dice and splice budget-based model of 'reworking' or 'updating' films needs to stop. You either do a new film or not.
Originally Posted By Socrates Okay, I'm willing to accommodate. Sorry to hear about the GMR movie. I haven't been on it in ages, but I do remember it had a definite - & logical - flow. Speaking of which, has anyone else ever noticed the difference in AA programming between the animators Walt picked and the later Imagineers who (apparently) knew little about animation? Socrates "The unexamined life is not worth living."
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Thanks, oh wise one. Apparently, when I post a very positive review of a WDW visit, it doesn't seem to attract the same attention as when I write about things that are wrong. I really hadn't noticed a difference in AA-programming perse. For instance, the Wicked Witch in the GMR is one of the most realistic AAs I've ever seen. The one thing I notice with all AAs, at least at WDW, is they simply aren't kept in top show quality anymore. I wonder how many CMs, who actually specialize in them, even remain on the WDW payroll. I just know that 20 years ago, most of the MK AA attractions wouldn't be allowed to open with the figures in their current state.
Originally Posted By Chelledun ^^I really thought the wicked witch was a live actor until I was like 16 .
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Apparently, when I post a very positive review of a WDW visit, it doesn't seem to attract the same attention as when I write about things that are wrong.<< Same here. Have you any idea of how many positive topics I have posted about WDW that ended up going to the bottom of the list faster than you can say "Titanic"? Yet, the negative ones go on to become Gold status.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I wonder how many CMs, who actually specialize in them, even remain on the WDW payroll. < like many companies, the skilled artisans are leaving, ( retiring or being forced out) and few behind are either trained in their same skills, or have the same passions for their work - wouldn't surprise me if that was true here also
