Interesting albeit crazy rumors this weekend

[Peter Pirate 2]

While entering Epcot Sunday night a Security Guard, of all people, was spouting "inside knowledge" left and right for all to hear. His biggest point was that we would be "hearing major news about Universal this week", specifically that Disney was buying them. Not crazy enough? He then said Disney was only planning on operating City Walk and would be "tearing down" the rest. Ok, ok crazy enough? He then says how "all of the CM's" call the 'Food and Wine Festival' the "Food and drunk festival"... He wraps up my 'session' with a discussion with another guest (one who I suspect knows a lot more about WDW than this guy) about land availabilty at WDW for development stating unabashadly that WDW was more or less built out.

My question isn't much on the crazy rumors but how can Diseny let this guy keep pontificatng like this????

 

[MJMcBride]

I'm thinking you crossed paths with a very drunk security guard.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I'm not going dispute that possibility MJ. We found this guy at the bag check at the main entrance, for all to see. It was very bizarre.

 

[vonpluto]

Maybe this was the premiere of "Streetmosphere" at EPCOT.

 

[Another Voice]

Maybe this guy is just trying to become a bus driver.

It's rather well known about town that NBC/Universal would rather not have the Orlando park around. NBC is in all kinds of trouble as a network and while parent General Electric has all kinds of money to invest, it's really not interested in amusement parks when you can make gobs of money from jet engines and light bulbs.

On the other side Disney is not in the position to swing big dollars around. The company had to go out an borrow money to buy Pixar (which was supposed to be just a stock transaction), and they've been roasted on Wall Street for overpaying. Yesterday's grapevine was flooded with rumors about how Iger was out bid and out maneuvered by Google and picking up YouTube on the cheap - Disney lacked the resources. And this is the direction that Disney wants to go in - content delivery: Disney Mobile, ESPN Mobile, downloading shows from ABC.com. Iger holds the entire theme park operation in very low regard and there's no way he'd spend the money to double Disney's operation in Orlando (and then rip the whole thing down except of Bubba Gump?).

Food and Wine - at least the nickname's true. Anytime you sell booze in an amusement park you get trouble.

WDW being built out - only in the sense that Burbank won't be putting anymore money into the place. There's still plenty of land that can be used, but there is a lack of imagination.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Universal Orlando is owned by Universal City Development Partners Ltd. This partnership is 50-50 joint venture of NBC Universal (a part of General Electric) and the private equity firm Blackstone Capital Partners (the Blackstone Group).

Originally, Universal Orlando was a 50-50 joint venture between MCA Inc. (Universal) and the Rank Organisation (a British movie company). Blackstone bought their stake from Rank in 2000.

By the way, last year, Blackstone bought the four worldwide Legoland theme parks, including the park in Carlsbad, California. Also, Blackstone owns the Buena Vista Palace (former Wyndham Palace) on Disney property across from the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

I could see NBC Universal selling their stake in Universal City Development Partners Ltd. (to Blackstone or to another entity), and simply collecting a licensing fee for the use of the name Universal and for any Universal intellectual properties — just as Universal Orlando pays licensing fees to Marvel Comics and the estate of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), or as Disney pays licensing fees to MGM and George Lucas.

But the story that Disney is buying Universal Orlando to tear down the parks but to keep CityWalk is silly. CityWalk would have plenty of parking in that case!

 

[tmt martins]

I think Disney lets these very few CMs in on some not so truthful stories as it causes talk.

When you here them they really believe what they are saying and have some wonderful details.

Then some I think just get bored with the standard answers and just go over the top to get reaction from the guest.

 

[Cee]

I love "pontificating". That's a great word.

 

[caseymaureen]

I think most of it's BS, but the food & drunk festival is very true..and obvious!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I hope everyone realizes I was mostly (only) serious about the fact that this guy was working for Disney. He really did seem out of it.

As for the F&W festival, I won't argue with your opinions but both of my kids (13 & 17) scoffed at that description. Now perhaps this is because they're Key's kids who've seen a lot of decadence in their natural surroundings or perhaps they're just oblivious to much external hoopla (as is dear ole dad)...Either way the F&W Festival is pikerville compared to the HHN at Universal...

 

[jw2736]

As a former Epcot Security cast member, I can tell you that after a day of providing answers to whatever crazy questions asked by guests, you tend to spew volumes of crazy information back to the guests. Not saying that this guy was simply "goofy" and actually believes the stories he told, but some cast members enjoy telling stories to be funny.
But yes its true that the food and wine fest is called many things. If it were up to the cast members having to deal with the throngs of drunks, i think they would rather not have the festival happen to begin with. There are tons of stories to tell of guests (and off duty cast members alike) enjoying themselves alittle too much. So I would agree that food and drunk fest does fit the situation.
My favorite answer to guests asking for a restroom was, with a very straight face, that all of Epcots restrooms were closed due to a plumbing problem and that they'd have to board the monorail to MK. Most really believed me. Of course I would let them in on the joke before they got too far. Again unless its in a Disney press release, take what you hear from ANY cast member for whats its worth...usually not much,

 

[otter215]

I know that person....food and wine, I see why he would say that, ignore the rest. (As a former cast member, Food and Wine is the best. You get into the park for free as always, get to try some of the best food around and become more educated). Sorry about his behavior, and I hope that you enjoyed everything else.

 

[mitros]

Gotta believe the part about the drunks at the F+W Festival. For the last few years, { we have gone just about every year since it's inception} we have noticed a lot more folks in the later stages of inebriation, walking , barely, and screaming at the top of their lungs while drinking their way around Epcot. Man, if you want to get drunk and be obnoxious, please stay in your neighborhood bar and make an *** out of yourself there and not at WDW. I will have to say that the majority of those behaving that way were the college groups. Those masters of "higher education" seem to go for that sort of behaviour for some reason. And the parents continue pay for these clods to get "edjumacated"
By the way, Hi, AV. Wondering what happened to you lately.

 

[EpcotMatt2]

I know that person....food and wine, I see why he would say that, ignore the rest. (As a former cast member, Food and Wine is the best. You get into the park for free as always, get to try some of the best food around and become more educated). Sorry about his behavior, and I hope that you enjoyed everything else.

So let me get this right. You, of the 11 posts, know this guy who was being discussed in a thread posted 2 and a half years ago? Ok. Thanks for playing.

 

[donald...really]

So let me get this right. You, of the 11 posts, know this guy who was being discussed in a thread posted 2 and a half years ago? Ok. Thanks for playing.

Good catch.

 

[KYMickey]

Good catch.

It's normally pretty easy to catch stupidity! In this case it was very obvious, the poster was very obvious.

 

[minniejack]

Did you guys happen to notice that this thread was from 2006 at that?

What's up with that????

 

[KYMickey]

Did you guys happen to notice that this thread was from 2006 at that?

What's up with that????

That's one of the reasons we called out the poster who restart this thread in post #12 since after this thread was dormant for that long he suddenly piped up and said he knew that person! The date discrepancy was already pointed out in the entry number #14.

 

[yitbos96bb]

GE is hurting right now. There stock has been in the toilet for a while. They aren't going to go out of business or anything, but I'm sure they would divest the property for the right offer.

Maybe this guy is just trying to become a bus driver.

It's rather well known about town that NBC/Universal would rather not have the Orlando park around. NBC is in all kinds of trouble as a network and while parent General Electric has all kinds of money to invest, it's really not interested in amusement parks when you can make gobs of money from jet engines and light bulbs.

On the other side Disney is not in the position to swing big dollars around. The company had to go out an borrow money to buy Pixar (which was supposed to be just a stock transaction), and they've been roasted on Wall Street for overpaying. Yesterday's grapevine was flooded with rumors about how Iger was out bid and out maneuvered by Google and picking up YouTube on the cheap - Disney lacked the resources. And this is the direction that Disney wants to go in - content delivery: Disney Mobile, ESPN Mobile, downloading shows from ABC.com. Iger holds the entire theme park operation in very low regard and there's no way he'd spend the money to double Disney's operation in Orlando (and then rip the whole thing down except of Bubba Gump?).

Food and Wine - at least the nickname's true. Anytime you sell booze in an amusement park you get trouble.

WDW being built out - only in the sense that Burbank won't be putting anymore money into the place. There's still plenty of land that can be used, but there is a lack of imagination.

 

[chartle]

That's one of the reasons we called out the poster who restart this thread in post #12 since after this thread was dormant for that long he suddenly piped up and said he knew that person! The date discrepancy was already pointed out in the entry number #14.

Is there a possibility that this is some sort of glitch.

I found it weird that the poster has only 11 posts in 3 years.

I did a search of posts for otter215 and they are all but this one is from the time of the original post.

Here's the list http://www.disboards.com/search.php?searchid=5258897 (hope this link works)

This person has to be one serious lurker.