News Round Up 2017

[rteetz]

 

[dclpluto]

Disney selling meal kits to feed four people at Saratoga Springs.

http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2...hes-their-own-meal-kit-for-resort-guests.html

Sounds terrible.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

just a quick note that the Disney Shop Park App appears to have the limited edition Figment Funko available for $19.99 - I know it sold out in EPCOT yesterday and they were appearing on eBay for quite a lot

Limit 1 per order and it appears AP discounts apply (just ordered one)

 

[jknezek]

Disney gets Altice to pay up for ESPN. They also jammed the SEC Network and the still unformed ACC Network down Altice's throat in exchange for pulling off ESPN 8, or something else they were hardly charging for. Altice is a New York area cable operator. I'm sure they are thrilled to have the SEC Network. As someone who lives in AL, but isn't from here, I can guarantee you the games you get on SECN are the bottom of the barrel SEC football games, mid tier basketball, and all the softball you can watch! I'm sure Altice subscribers can't wait.

Altice is also paying up for rebroadcast rights to ABC. Basically, for all the talk about a dying ESPN, and I do think ESPN is eventually in trouble, this contract shows it going to be a long slow trip. This contract should set the tone for almost half of Disney cable provider contracts over the next 2 years. Meaning the cash cow isn't going to disappear too fast and providers are still scared to death of not offering live sports.

Hopefully Disney will use these cash cow contracts to reinvest into the parks and do a good job setting up the announced streaming options for their sports and non-sports content.

 

[sachilles]

As to the beer offerings, I would have liked to have seen it be "west coast" not just California beers. That being said, the number of taps is disappointing. I would think with the number of folks going through the parks they could easily justify twice as many taps. I like Green Flash, but would have preferred one of their other beers.

For Stitch, it certainly seems like a quick hit interim plan. They know that Stitch is a popular character, yet the attraction wasn't a good fit for the audience. I'm betting if the character meet and greet is popular it could lead to another stitch based attraction. If Stitch isn't busy, then they drop him all together. Does feel like a punt though.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

As to the beer offerings, I would have liked to have seen it be "west coast" not just California beers. That being said, the number of taps is disappointing. I would think with the number of folks going through the parks they could easily justify twice as many taps. I like Green Flash, but would have preferred one of their other beers.

Fully agree - the bar at my local grocery store has 28 taps so no reason they couldn't have at least 18 or so(three groupings of 6) with maybe some staying more static/safe and some rotating more often and being a bit more adventurous.

All of west coast would be great, but even if they just did California there are tons of Breweries to pull from

 

[danikoski]

just a quick note that the Disney Shop Park App appears to have the limited edition Figment Funko available for $19.99 - I know it sold out in EPCOT yesterday and they were appearing on eBay for quite a lot

Limit 1 per order and it appears AP discounts apply (just ordered one)

And they are sold out

 

[iamfathom]

And they are sold out

I heard stories of families each buying 10 at a time, until they started running low on stock and limited it to 2 per person. I wish Disney could do something about the scalping culture that appears to exist around the exclusive merch.

I'm hoping the 35th magic bands also end up online, as I believe they also sold out In the park, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they have allocation put aside for online.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I heard stories of families each buying 10 at a time, until they started running low on stock and limited it to 2 per person. I wish Disney could do something about the scalping culture that appears to exist around the exclusive merch.

I'm hoping the 35th magic bands also end up online, as I believe they also sold out In the park, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they have allocation put aside for online.

yeah, 10 is a bit much. I get 2 maybe being too low if you have 3 kids and each wants one. Maybe 2 per person that is with you but you can have more than that on 1 bill or something (so a family together can get 4 or 6 or whatever if a couple of them are in line)

even limiting to 4 or 5 would have helped. I think very few people truly needed 10 for themselves to keep

And I will say, as someone who couldn't be there I don't mind if someone buys 2 and puts one up on eBay for people that can't be there - but ridiculous when people get there just to buy 10 of something just to put it up on eBay

 

[pepperandchips]

Being out of stock just saved me $100 considering the other stuff that was in my cart... still sad though

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Being out of stock just saved me $100 considering the other stuff that was in my cart... still sad though

That sucks - I did get one but yeah, was thinking of other things to add to get to the free shipping point.

We needed some new stemless wine glasses so I picked up the Food and Wine Festival ones - and can never have enough magic bands so picked up the LE 45th Anniversary Tiki Room one. After discount that came to ~$78 so got the free shipping

 

[danikoski]

The I was there Epcot shirts are on the app...some sizes are sold out.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The I was there Epcot shirts are on the app...some sizes are sold out.

some of them had been there for a while ... I was hoping for something that didn't say "I was there" since, you know, I wasn't actually there

 

[skier_pete]

Of course today is Epcot's 35th birthday/anniversary. A creation first thought of by Walt himself as a place of living and working it evolved into something more of a world's fair. Epcot has evolved greatly over that 35 years and will continue to evolve into the next 35. I wish I had the chance to experience Epcot in that first year or so. Epcot has always been a place for making the impossible a reality and taking reality to the impossible. While many of us here might agree in thinking that Epcot is changing in a way that is not true to its original vision it still has so much to offer and explore that Walt himself would love today. I hope Epcot continues to be a place where "If you dream it, you can do it."

Are you writing Disney press releases now?

I actually went to Epcot in the first two years. (I think it was 1983 or 1984 that we went - I know that neither the Seas nor Captain EO were open yet,so had to be before 1986.) As I was like 13 and it was many years ago and only once my memories are somewhat vague. I remember not thinking that much of it...the rides were sort of all the same - slow moving omnimovers with animatronic scenes. I didn't even think that much of the Figment ride at the time, though it's certainly better than what followed. I remember specifically SSE and The Land and being really wowed by Universe of Energy. I don't remember Horizons or World of Motion at all other than again as that vague "boring / slow moving". There was some impressive stuff but as a 13/14 year old I thought it was kind of dull - and I was a nerd.

After that I didn't go again until 1997. Imagination was gone by then, as was Horizons and World of Motion. Wonders of Life opened in 1989 and in 1997 it was my favorite pavilion but it closed not long after. (Honestly the only part of the "old" Epcot that I missed.) Everyone talks about the "old" Epcot, but it only existed in full for about 15 years, and has been mostly gone since 2000.

The whole "it's always been a place for making the impossible a reality and taking reality to the impossible" is a re-write of history. All of WDW is this - it was never specific to Epcot.

Now, I have no issues with them moving forward and many of the changes they've made I have less concern about. I really prefer they leave some level of education in the pavillions, but even that is so far gone it hardly matters. (What does Test Track teach you?) But the important thing now is to revitalize the park by taking all the empty spaces and putting in improved attractions. (I'm looking at you Imagination...)

 

[danikoski]

some of them had been there for a while ... I was hoping for something that didn't say "I was there" since, you know, I wasn't actually there

That's what I was looking for too. Nothing yet.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Not sure if this was covered, and I know we all know this is what it was going to be but apparently during the 35th Ceremony they did confirm that Guardians will be a rollercoaster

Additional it will be a "first of its kind" ride system and will be a 10-story tall show building

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/10/confi...epcot-will-revolutionary-roller-coaster-rude/

 

[jknezek]

Not sure if this was covered, and I know we all know this is what it was going to be but apparently during the 35th Ceremony they did confirm that Guardians will be a rollercoaster

Additional it will be a "first of its kind" ride system and will be a 10-story tall show building

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/10/confi...epcot-will-revolutionary-roller-coaster-rude/

Well that sounds promising. Not sure I like the concept of something 10 stories tall in that spot however. How tall is SSE? I'd hate for something to rise over it, even that far off to the side.

 

[MommaBerd]

Wow! A 10-Story building! That is exciting. But I agree with @jknezek , I hope it doesn’t overshadow SSE.

ETA: SSE = 189 feet, so seems “safe”

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Well that sounds promising. Not sure I like the concept of something 10 stories tall in that spot however. How tall is SSE? I'd hate for something to rise over it, even that far off to the side.

Wow! A 10-Story building! That is exciting. But I agree with @jknezek , I hope it doesn’t overshadow SSE.

ETA: SSE = 189 feet, so seems “safe”

yeah, so 10 stories is probably ~100 feet tall, and from the plans, the show/ride building will be pushed back some - so I would think they can mask it quite a bit ...

... or, you know, put a bunch of odd looking pipes and stuff on it like they did for Mission Breakout in DCA

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

... or, you know, put a bunch of odd looking pipes and stuff on it like they did for Mission Breakout in DCA

I literally laughed out loud at this one today. Glad I'm working at home and not in my cube, people would be asking a lot of questions...