Running low on things to do, so ... Enchanted tiki room. Yes, it has come to that.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 16:45 (nine years ago) link
go on the monorail pub crawl!
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 16:46 (nine years ago) link
They forgot to charge us for an expensive character meal, so we get a bonus buffet feast.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 18:29 (nine years ago) link
don't knock the tiki room, it's a good place to rest for a bit and sing some goofy songs with singing birds and plants. Make sure to get a pineapple whip while you are there.
― Free Me's Electric Trumpet (Moodles), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 21:23 (nine years ago) link
the Tiki Room at Disneyland is easily in my top 5 park attractions
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 21:28 (nine years ago) link
xpost And I think they finally got rid of Zazu and Iago, which is another major point currently in its favor.
― Walking Feenicks (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 21:30 (nine years ago) link
I hate pineapple whip.
Back to Epcot in a bit for my daughter's 10th. We have so many leftover food credits I fear for my health.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 21:50 (nine years ago) link
xpost
Yes, Zazu and Iago and the whole re-vamped tiki room was a travesty and I'm glad they fixed this at WDW
― Free Me's Electric Trumpet (Moodles), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 21:56 (nine years ago) link
?? none of that shit at the Disneyland one, which has remained unchanged since time immemorial afaik
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 21:57 (nine years ago) link
Aerosmith and Everest and Dwarves all awesome additions, BTW. Epcot still sort of worthless, though they do update exhibits pretty often to keep them more timely.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:01 (nine years ago) link
has Test Track been Tron-ified yet
― Spirit of Match Game '76 (silby), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:03 (nine years ago) link
looks like that was a couple years ago.
― Spirit of Match Game '76 (silby), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:04 (nine years ago) link
Total Tron.
My kids love Soarin, but I think it's dumb. At least there is no 3d involved.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:05 (nine years ago) link
fire breathing sleeping beauty dragon at the magic kingdom parade was awesome.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:06 (nine years ago) link
best Disney genius idea by the way is to buy some Disney doo dads, t shirts and stuff, at Target before you leave, and give it to the kids at the park. Probably saves you hundreds of dollars.
another is to give your kids each a $20 gift card, and tell them they can spend it on whatever they want, but they are not getting more.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:07 (nine years ago) link
yeah my first Disney World trip in 1997 featured cracking open the owl-shaped coin bank we had been feeding change to my entire life (I was 8) and me and my sister each got $40 for spending there. I got a ceramic figurine of Mickey in the Sorcerer's Apprentice hat.
― Spirit of Match Game '76 (silby), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:10 (nine years ago) link
Does anyone have a good book on WDW? I'd love to learn how it works.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:17 (nine years ago) link
the DL tiki room hasn't added anything, but they did remove a full musical number from it during the nineties due to kids these days and their attention spans and their gameboys, etc.
― you little affront to god (reddening), Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:35 (nine years ago) link
it is amazing how many kids and tweens I have seen with their headphones on, staring at a screen.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 November 2014 22:46 (nine years ago) link
I say, as I type into my phone.
just a reflektor maaaaaan
― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 6 November 2014 01:57 (nine years ago) link
I learned so much this trip I will relate when I'm back to a computer.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 6 November 2014 02:38 (nine years ago) link
I have the Imagineering Field Guides for each of the four parks, and they provide a lot of interesting background info. Disney Editions has three big Imagineering books that I'm aware of, and a couple actual Imagineers have written their own books. Jim Hill's site is pretty decent for behind the scenes stuff. And if you want the seedier behind the scenes stories, check out the websites dedicated to the bitchings of people who've participated in Disney's college program.
― Walking Feenicks (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 November 2014 12:40 (nine years ago) link
There's a wonderful eye-opening book about the history of WDW published about six or seven years ago: a full history. I don't remember its name.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 6 November 2014 12:46 (nine years ago) link
actually, avatar land seems like a dumber use of resources that Marvel Comics land.right now there is virtually new Marvel presents at the park. Not even people dressed up as superheroes.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 6 November 2014 14:17 (nine years ago) link
No marvel, that is.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 6 November 2014 14:18 (nine years ago) link
Presence.
thread woefully short on parks gossip. You ppl want to pour your savings into a wretched conglomerate, be my guest, be our guest, be our guest....
― things lose meaning over time (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 6 November 2014 15:20 (nine years ago) link
About twenty years ago a guest jumped from the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort, crashing through the glass atrium below. As other guests gawked, Disney "cast members" chirped, "Nothing here, ladies and gentlemen...."
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 6 November 2014 15:30 (nine years ago) link
hey guys did you hear how anyone who dies in the parks is transported outside of the parks before they're declared dead so that no one ever technically dies at Disney World p gnarly huh
You're welcome, Morbs.
― Walking Feenicks (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 November 2014 15:33 (nine years ago) link
I die a little whenever I hear a Frozen song but I will do it nowhere near Orlando.
― things lose meaning over time (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 6 November 2014 15:36 (nine years ago) link
We've already established that WDW has been really slow to acknowledge Frozen's popularity so if you avoid the meet & greet, it's safe for now.
― Walking Feenicks (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 November 2014 15:42 (nine years ago) link
Frozen… that's the one with the snowman who's the lead character, right?
― pplains, Thursday, 6 November 2014 15:54 (nine years ago) link
Morbs, I have great gossip, for later. Meanwhile, please provide a list of OK conglomerates, thanks!
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:06 (nine years ago) link
This is fascinating, you guys, I have really been kind of dreading this trip and you make me feel like there might be something here to enjoy. I will be with my 9-year-old and 4-year-old, who have not been particularly pressing us to go to WDW but they seem into the idea now that we're going.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:22 (nine years ago) link
wdw is the best
― stop looking at me, quan (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:24 (nine years ago) link
"no gossip" when a ride literally caught fire within the last week, smh. morbs won't be satisfied until the streets of the magic kingdom are awash with blood.
― you little affront to god (reddening), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:42 (nine years ago) link
sorry, need toonville sex
― things lose meaning over time (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:44 (nine years ago) link
Harlan Ellison almost got disappeared by Disney for that, so be careful.
― Οὖτις Δαυ & τηε Κνιγητσ (Phil D.), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:45 (nine years ago) link
I'm sure a trip with kids can be a blast (albeit exhausting, I'm sure) but, yeah, going to WDW as an adult (of drinking age, natch) has been a revelation. And there's so much to do that you can go with a degree of regularity and focus on different stuff each time. I'm absolutely sure it isn't for everybody, but it's the perfect foil to my general travel/vacation anxiety.
― A Marvelous Pizza-Viewing Experience (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:47 (nine years ago) link
Seriously, Morbs, just Google "Disney World cast confessions" if you want to peel back the sunny corporate facade. There's plenty of scandal floating around out there.
― A Marvelous Pizza-Viewing Experience (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:52 (nine years ago) link
WDW really started to shine when in college I visited with friends; I took it for granted for years.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:56 (nine years ago) link
Because of Universal's Islands of Adventure there's some legal stuff with Marvel characters and the WDW parks. I think Disney can't use any Marvel stuff east of the Mississippi? Disney's doing a weird traveling Marvel theme park this winter and it's not getting any further east than Texas.
― GM, Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:56 (nine years ago) link
also I'll be at Disneyland and California Adventure in a week and can't wait. Space Mountain is a rocket back to the 80s.
― GM, Thursday, 6 November 2014 16:57 (nine years ago) link
It's amazing how well these parks work. Really make it easy, especially with kids.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 6 November 2014 17:43 (nine years ago) link
OK, gossip: I talked a while with a security guard while I waited for a bus (apparently, they have some discretion to call for more buses if guests are waiting more than 20 minutes). He like everyone else there was very nice, or trained to be nice, so asked about our trip. When I told him how many broken rides we encountered, he had some really good hypotheses for me. One is that they keep adding more and more "magic hours" (or whatever), so the parks open earlier and stay open later. A few days a year each park even stays open 24 hours. Anyway, that puts so much extra strain on the rides as those hours add up, which leads to more broken rides, plus, all those extra hours operating reduces the amount of time they have to clean, care for and otherwise maintain the rides. Ergo, these extra steps taken to give guests more fun sometimes backfires and causes the rides to poop out, at least for a bit.
Similarly, I asked about the fire on the Seven Dwarves ride. He told me that Disney, to satisfy demand and add spectacle, has been expanding the range of the fireworks (bigger, better, etc.). Up until last year they gave guards asbestos gloves and a bucket of water and had them patrol the roofs of rides post show to look for smoldering or unexploded fireworks, but recently took the guards off fire duty, ceding the job to engineers. But I guess they only check for fire if they see smoke.
Also, trivia! The fake eiffel tower is 1/10 the size of the real one, which is cool, but in order to preserve the illusion they have to keep the birds off, because otherwise it would look like the tower was covered with giant birds!
More trivia! Did you know a rhino can only see about a foot away, so that when they charge they are largely running blind? That's nuts.
Saddest thing I learned - and I think this was online - was not just the physical but emotional stress of playing one of the Disney characters, because they see so many terminally ill or otherwise very sick kids every day. The thing I read noted the Fairy Godmother has it worst, because guess what wish the kids all make?
:(
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 November 2014 02:11 (nine years ago) link
That the rides would stop breaking since they probably won't make it back next year?
― pplains, Friday, 7 November 2014 02:59 (nine years ago) link
Guilty lol
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 November 2014 03:02 (nine years ago) link
On a couple of the Disney message boards I visit (ahem), frequent guests complain about the strain on transportation and employees that Early Magic Hour, etc place on them. Until a few weeks ago, the resort monorail, for example, was running on reduced hours to alleviate strain.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 7 November 2014 03:04 (nine years ago) link