News Round Up 2017

[rteetz]

News

Magicband Magickeeper now out

https://twitter.com/wdwnt/status/829109168690831361

 

[rteetz]

News

Disney SMMC will get a look at Rivers of Light

https://twitter.com/raisingwhasians/status/829108033674498048

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Just Announced: Pandora opening May 27

https://d23.com/mark-calendars-pand...isneys-animal-kingdom/?share_token=219fccd311

Now I'm going to take my further comments beyond this to the other thread but let me just say squeeeee!!! I'm so excited

 

[HeroOfWDW]

I won't get the thread off topic, but dang what a great time to be a Disney Fan! So excited!

 

[Sweettears]

I won't get the thread off topic, but dang what a great time to be a Disney Fan! So excited!

It has its ups and downs but generally speaking heck yea. Despite problems and disappointments it's still a great experience for me.

 

[rteetz]

News

Rivers of Light debuted

https://twitter.com/4theboys/status/829142859827679234

 

[jknc]

Viewed it on someone's Periscope, reserve full judgement until I view it in person, but it looked tragically underwhelming.

 

[rteetz]

 

[rteetz]

Viewed it on someone's Periscope, reserve full judgement until I view it in person, but it looked tragically underwhelming.

It would be hard for anything that's been delayed this long to be overwhelming anymore.

 

[jknc]

Low Energy -

Picturing my kids with head in hand, elbow on thigh

 

[Dentam]

Watched a bit of the video and it looks nice... not overwhelmingly impressive, but I want to reserve judgement for when we get to see it in person at the end of this month. That's also why I'm not watching anymore of the video - want to be surprised. lol

 

[Sweettears]

Any word on whether or not it will be included in the FP+ shuffle?

 

[Sweettears]

Watched a bit of the video and it looks nice... not overwhelmingly impressive, but I want to reserve judgement for when we get to see it in person at the end of this month. That's also why I'm not watching anymore of the video - want to be surprised. lol

I'm right with you on that. I'm not a fan of spoilers unless my next trip is a distant thought.

 

[rteetz]

Any word on whether or not it will be included in the FP+ shuffle?

Yes it will

 

[HolRae]

Will ROL be open every night now or was this a one time thing for the moms?

 

[rteetz]

Will ROL be open every night now or was this a one time thing for the moms?

I've heard within the next couple weeks it will debut officially for all guests.

 

[JJZMgailey]

We were watching a great movie tonight then a major storm rolled in and we lost power or I would've written a whole lot sooner.

Always love how you bring such a positive energy to everything ... even after @rteetz totally downplayed this news event

LOL! Well, you know me - always picking out the positive in everything!

It's a big event. They just never announce or show anything we haven't already seen at them.

It's invitation only, so there isn't really a ton of hype from anyone other than the folks who receive invites.

Disney Social media moms convention is a media event Disney holds every year. This event brings in hundreds of Travel/Mommy/Daddy bloggers from around the country. They get this trip paid for by Disney in return for some positive press and hoping that their blog's followers will then book trips.

Actually, the trip is not paid for by Disney. There is a conference fee and it's usually quite a bit of money - it's discounted from what it would cost if you were to pay for the same things at rack rate, but it's not a media event where Disney pays their entire way and airfare is not part of the deal either. They don't ask or expect anything in return, but the folks who attend usually love Disney so much that they live blog and/or tweet throughout the whole event. I've been to this awesome celebration 5 times and I have to say, it's pretty fabulous. I learned an awful lot of what I know about social media, blogging, writing with a purpose and so much more. The guest speakers have always been really motivating and insightful; some of my favorites included Peter Shankman, Rene Syler, Guy Kawasaki, Mark Zuckerberg, and Chris Brogan. I got a lot out of the event every time I went - and the extra Disney touches like seeing some of the same things they show media folks was always really cool.

Every year Disney holds strange auditions to pick out adults (usually moms but I think they finally branched out to fathers or grandparents). Those adults then give out incorrect info on their section of the parks blog when people ask them questions about a Disney vacation.

I guess they also get perks like a Disney conference and sneek peaks?

So...I have to tell you that during my two years answering questions on the Moms Panel (entirely separate and nothing to do with social media moms), I saw answers sometimes that caused me to raise an eyebrow. Here's the thing. Everyone answers the questions based on their own experiences, so answers can be drastically different depending on who you ask. Oftentimes, people have varying experiences even on the same tour, or in the same restaurant, or on the same attraction. So - answers are not necessarily incorrect because there is an awful lot that's left up to interpretation. I suppose that's what makes the world go 'round.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

Just watched the video with my DD10 and we both enjoyed it. She said it was like fireworks made of water. I thought it was very elegant. I agree not a high energy show, but I would definitely line up to see it in person. Thank you for sharing the video!

 

[rteetz]

We were watching a great movie tonight then a major storm rolled in and we lost power or I would've written a whole lot sooner.


LOL! Well, you know me - always picking out the positive in everything!


It's invitation only, so there isn't really a ton of hype from anyone other than the folks who receive invites.


Actually, the trip is not paid for by Disney. There is a conference fee and it's usually quite a bit of money - it's discounted from what it would cost if you were to pay for the same things at rack rate, but it's not a media event where Disney pays their entire way and airfare is not part of the deal either. They don't ask or expect anything in return, but the folks who attend usually love Disney so much that they live blog and/or tweet throughout the whole event. I've been to this awesome celebration 5 times and I have to say, it's pretty fabulous. I learned an awful lot of what I know about social media, blogging, writing with a purpose and so much more. The guest speakers have always been really motivating and insightful; some of my favorites included Peter Shankman, Rene Syler, Guy Kawasaki, Mark Zuckerberg, and Chris Brogan. I got a lot out of the event every time I went - and the extra Disney touches like seeing some of the same things they show media folks was always really cool.


So...I have to tell you that during my two years answering questions on the Moms Panel (entirely separate and nothing to do with social media moms), I saw answers sometimes that caused me to raise an eyebrow. Here's the thing. Everyone answers the questions based on their own experiences, so answers can be drastically different depending on who you ask. Oftentimes, people have varying experiences even on the same tour, or in the same restaurant, or on the same attraction. So - answers are not necessarily incorrect because there is an awful lot that's left up to interpretation. I suppose that's what makes the world go 'round.

Interesting I was always under the impression that at least the hotel was paid for by Disney. I figured they had to find a way to get there. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[rteetz]

Okay so here are my thoughts on Rivers of Light based on the video.

Positives

The fountains and projections were really cool.
The moment the animals come out is also really cool.
The fire affect
The "We Are One" song

Negatives

The animal floats are not as big of a part as I'd had hoped.
The ending doesn't wow but it also isn't bad, it use kind of ties it together.

So it's not illuminations but it's not bad. I'd definitely go and see this on my trip.