reddening's thread of DISNEY PARKS gossip

My sister worked at WDW and can confirm that you're constantly under their watchful eye anyway unless you're like in a bathroom stall or something (and even then, who knows for sure, and maybe the true purpose of the Magic Bands is so they can finally gather important data on visitor BMs).

a sensible comment:

I went to Atlantis in Dubai, after it first opened. I noticed that all the kids had a wrist band. The hotel/park had every kid tracked and parents could check in with staff to see where their kid was.

I remember thinking, man that’s creepy as hell. Because, maybe child abduction was such a real problem that tracking bracelets were needed.But then I realized just how convenient and cool it was. Parents can track their kids, without having to be right beside them the entire time. Plus, for a water park, they place was like Fort Knox.

The reality is that many parks and resorts are going cashless, as is the rest of society. Sure, they want to track you to see what you like and don’t like. Makes deciding on the next improvement easier. Second, going cashless is a lot faster, meaning more transactions and shorter wait times. The last thing someone wants to do is wait in a line on their vacation. Have you ever been stuck behind a mother with three exhausted, hungry, and sensory overloaded kids? She’s trying to fish a wallet out of a purse to buy lunch, only to find she doesn’t have enough cash and then needs to decide which card to use. All while two of the kids are melting down like Chernoble. You only wanted to buy a bottle of water and in doing so, burned 20 minutes and then had to buy a drink, just to calm down. I’ve been there and it’s not a happy place.

My last two vacations were to places that only took room charge. So, you had to have your key every where you went. Judging from the bill, they were tracking the hell out of me. So, these tracking bracelets are just the next logical step. You won’t forget it, like you do your room key and it’s a heck of a lot more convenient.

redbox proves that people will generally still make you wait in line while they decide what to swipe their bracelet on

Oh dear

The main thing you notice when entering Pandora is that it feels like you’re leaving one theme park to go to another. Pandora feels separate from everything else in Animal Kingdom and, while you’re inside, the flora—even the land itself—differs to create the illusion. Every single employee working in Pandora is in character. They greet you in the native language; they swear you are on another planet, not in a theme park, and they refer to James Cameron’s Avatar as a documentary and tell you detailed stories about the animal life, plant life, and mostly, how the wars that raged on Pandora finally gave way to peace and understanding.

Even before you get on the ride, the narrative explains everything else going on in Pandora. How humans link with Avatars, what happened in the past, and why the Avatar program was restarted in the first place by its founder, played by Sigourney Weaver, in a nice nod to the film.

Like in the movies, before the ride can start, everyone has to be matched to an avatar in order to ride the banshee. A good chunk of time is spent creating that illusion and setting you up for the experience, which I won’t spoil. Then, in the attached gift shop called Windtraders, for $74.99 you can have your face scanned and actually have an Avatar of yourself made. This may sound weird and random, but it actually links back to the ride and everything else in Pandora.

As the employee scans you (an employee who, again, is totally committed to the idea you’re all on another planet) they explain that these scans help collect data that’ll improve link connections on the ride, making them stronger and faster. Obviously, this isn’t true, but the fact Disney has linked a little experience to the bigger one just enriches the whole thing.

Alfred can you go get your face scanned so we can see your avatar with a cocktail

It's too big a ship to turn around quickly once they come to their senses, so I'll give it maybe four years before they've changed that entire section of the park into something less stupid.

"And what's this?"

"The Groovy Rave Forest. We have smartdrinks!"

Either I have completely misjudged how the world sees Avatar, but I really don't understand why they are spending all this money to build an immersive land for a movie no one likes.

I love the detail about how it's a generation after the film(s). "Yeah there are a bunch of new films coming out." "Okay so will there be any tension as to whether the whole place survives?" "Well, um, no..."

Like people write multiple thinkpieces like this

http://screencrush.com/back-to-pandora-why-is-avatar-forgotten/
http://www.avclub.com/article/read-how-avatar-made-27-billion-and-garnered-almos-230327

Is that all just ELITE MEDIA BUBBLE BIAS nonsense?

There are four sequels coming. Avatar will be popular and remembered forever. I guarantee it. Nothing could possibly go wrong. This will be a success on every conceivable level. Cross my heart.

cmon whiney get yr blue on! dont be avatardy for the party!

sorry

Planning a DW trip for next year. Now I feel like I have to go to animal kingdom just to check out this nonsense

This will be a great addition to the Disney Parks...for me to poop and/or apply other bodily wastes on.

Either I have completely misjudged how the world sees Avatar, but I really don't understand why they are spending all this money to build an immersive land for a movie no one likes.

― Jay Elettronica Viva (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, May 26, 2017

nine years later!

Hollywood Studios, which was dead when I visited in December save for the (admittedly impressive) Imperial stormtrooper march, is supposed to transform into a Star Wars park iirc

I think they're just building a Star Wars subdivision.

yes Paris Disney is adding a new Star Wars section in the regular (non studio) park, replacing the star tours thing.

Avatar thing sounds crazy

~$75~ to be turned into an Avatar? Jesus. May as well pony up for actual plastic surgery

Trump may get silent treatment in Hall of Presidents

~$75~ to be turned into an Avatar? Jesus. May as well pony up for actual plastic surgery

esp considering the avatars in the movie looked nothing like the real people (blue Sigorney Weaver avatar not exactly a dead ringer for Sigorney Weaver) and this probably has all the sophistication of a Skyrim character creator

I request Alfred to buy one of these spots so we can all visit and stay for free.

https://www.disneygoldenoak.com/

I'm so obsessed with that fucking singing Na'vi shamen animatronic. It's horrifying and sexual and beautiful and sickening

We need you to go to Florida and create the unauthorized sequel to Escape From Tomorrow, except, you know, good.

It's horrifying and sexual and beautiful and sickening

I've been called worse

Tower of Terror was always a pretty lame ride, but the new GotG reboot of it is even worse.

#realdisneytalk

i liked tower of terror, because we got on it with our 5 year old, not realizing what it was like, because there was no line, and then my wife and kid almost died from screaming while on it.

I rode it for the first time since '94 in January and it scared the shit out of me.

I liked ToT, sad to see it go.

The ToT was worth it for the gorgeous queue

True

Okay Alfred, if you could handle the booking

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-star-wars-theme-park-in-florida-will-include-a-comp-1796952453

For example, you may see Chewbacca around talking to Hondo. They’re up to no good and could be recruiting a group of people to go on a mission. So then you’d go on the Millennium Falcon ride, one of two in the park. Based on how you and your crew does on that ride (the ride will allow each individual person to have their own job aboard the Falcon), you could get some extra republic credits afterward, or maybe a stern talking-to. If you’re really, really bad though, bounty hunters might hunt you throughout the park, like a new one named Harcos.

There will also be a Cantina—it was a hinted there may be booze there—and the music will be courtesy of a new DJ. It’s Rex, the former pilot of Star Tours.

That’s just one example of how things will work. However, another major announcement has to do specifically with Galaxy’s Edge in Walt Disney World in Orlando. There, it was announced, Disney is planning a 100 percent immersive Star Wars hotel. That means everyone there will act like they are in Star Wars. You become a citizen once you check in, and every minute of your experience will be Star Wars. You may even have the option to dress up as the character you want to be.

As someone asked:

Can I threaten a kid and get my arm cut off in the cantina?

Plus a slew of other Orlando things

https://io9.gizmodo.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-ratatouille-and-tron-are-all-1796952726

Meanwhile out here

A new, completely immersive Super Hero universe coming soon to Disney California Adventure park https://t.co/CmbXxoV5m7 #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/0R5aj186mO

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) July 15, 2017

My 50th birthday is in 2023. Might head for Orlando with a fistful of acid and start looking for droids.

Maybe they'll let it cross over into that Avatar thing and bounty hunters can burn the place down.

Hmm. I return in November!

Huh to a lot of those things. Immersive experiences with cast in character reads a little Renn Faire.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DLto4rwW0AAaSsH.jpg:large

currently plotting trip to Disneyland in February, kids are reaching ideal age-range

kinda dreading Star Wars land though. Do Stormtroopers walk around carrying guns cuz if so I am so not into that.

Star Wars stuff won't be open in February

awesome

the pirates have guns, though

right, but that's in the ride, which I'm less concerned about

it's the "armed guys walking around while we all have fun" dynamic that feels fundamentally un-Disneylike to me

kinda dreading Star Wars land though. Do Stormtroopers walk around carrying guns cuz if so I am so not into that.

― Οὖτις, Monday, October 9, 2017

I saw the stormtrooper parade at Hollywood Studios – it's pretty good! My nieces loved it.

you might still see stormtroopers. I would treat the whole park as a ride.

it's called March of the First Order or some shit

that ramones pic is a photoshop but here's a real pic of them at the park!

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/ac/e0/ccace0e2865061c4b037e22bed4731eb.jpg