News Round Up 2017

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm not saying I don't agree with the phone flashlight light shining in the face theory, but I don't think you could do that here. Quick way to start a huge fight.

Oh I agree ... I just found it interesting how over there guests seems to be able to police themselves/each other more than here

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It would be nice. I don't think I've ever been on the Little Mermaid ride without people using flash. My fav was a grandparent two clamshells ahead of us turning to take pics of their grand kids in the clam between us thus effectively flashing us in the face for the whole ride.

People are idiots. I used to ask people to stop but that just usually starts a fight. So I guess that puts me in the sit there and take it group.

yeah, worst situation we had was while on line for the Littler Mermaid ride, in the circular cave room, these two kids (like 10-12 age or so) were running around and through the line chasing each other. After the second time they made physical contact with my family I got their attention and asked them to please be careful to not hit other people. They then complained to an adult in their party who looked at us and just shrugged her shoulders and turned back around. A few minutes later I saw their whole group go into a door marked "cast members only" so clearly they were big on following the rules

 

[rteetz]

News

Photos of the new Cinderella gingerbread castle

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/11/photo...contemporary-resort-gingerbread-display-2017/

 

[MommaBerd]

If you haven't got your visa yet, It takes about 2 weeks if you do everything right on first pass. They changed their photo requirements to something metric, and it's no longer the standard passport photos. The mini-6 photo print at CVS is pretty close. Basically goes from square to rectangle.

Thanks for the heads up! We don’t travel until the end of March, but I know we need to get on it soon. We’re waiting to finalize travel plans.

 

[skier_pete]

I agree about paying a 2nd person for each bus. But it still makes me wonder what the purpose of the "Bus comedian" was.

Are you sure he was an actual employee? Or just a transport CM that was hitching a ride? BTW - a round "tuit" is too old to even be a Dad joke.

 

[skier_pete]

News

Drop off/Pick Up location at Epcot moving

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2017/11/guest-pick-up-and-drop-off-area-moving.html?m=1

Saw this while I was there. If I knew it was news I would've taken a picture...but I didn't.

 

[amalone1013]

Saw this while I was there. If I knew it was news I would've taken a picture...but I didn't.

This is how I felt on my trip in September. Some things I thought I just didn't know because I'd only been to DS once before, or it was my first time to AK/DHS... then I'd see it on here the next day.

 

[skier_pete]

One trip we were entering the Mickey's Philharmagic, and I had carefully calculated to let enough folks into the row ahead of us so that we would be close to center... some jerk had plopped his bottom down in the center of the row, along with all his teenaged (I'm assuming...) kids, and wouldn't budge. When I got close to him, I said something like "we're suppose to move all the way across" and he just crossed his arms over his chest and said "no". So, I sweetly asked everyone in the line up behind me to not be too careful about climbing over him....and purposely stepped on his toes. His kids were very embarrassed, but he was too dense to figure it out.

We just got through with "bad guest" etiquette on our trip. A lady and her (small) child were 30 minutes early for their FP+ at Frozen 4EVA and she insist that the line was so long outside (a line that we had gotten through in front of her in 5 minutes) that she should be allowed to use her FP+ early. She was so pushy that she eventually got her way. And then 'cause she was a party of 2 she actually got waved ahead of us.

Seeing as this is a news thread - NOT a complaint thread - I wanted to point out that in 5 days of near-record heat and large crowds, we did not have a single bad CM experience. The closest was we were at Soarin' and asked if we could wait until the next load to be in the middle section, the CM looked at me a said "No". I did a head tilt and said "No?" She said "It's Disney, someone's got to be a Villian!" She then said sure we could wait, but for a split second I was thrown for a loop. We then chatted her up for quite a while waiting for a next load.

After being all excited for the chance to attend the AP event at DHS - we ended up forgoing it in favor of seeing HEA. We also didn't ever get around to Flights of Passage, as on the last day decided we didn't want to get up at 6:30 AM to try for it with EMH.

There's a TON of construction cranes around site. The Building at Coronado is right at the front of the resort, so we drove by it several times and tower appears already on the rise.

I posted earlier in the thread about the construction cranes at Riviera - Walking around WS the angles make it seem like this tower will either be behind Germany or behind the area directly to the left of Germany where they have the Africa "Cool Port". Makes me wonder how they are going to "blend" it to the park, or if they are going to put the unannounced but rumored new "land" in that spot and blend it there.

Ellen's Energy Adventure looks unchanged from the outside. The load stations for the gondolas at DHS and Epcot are just piles of dirt. (I posted a picture of the DHS one earlier in the thread.) From driving by DHS you could get some pretty good views of the TSL coaster track. I talked to a CM at "Walt Disney Presents" and they seemed pretty confident in the "Summer 2018" date as being definite. We asked what "Pixar Place" was going to be used for once TSL opened and all they would say was "Well, it's Disney, they re-purpose everything. Maybe it will be part of the new Mickey Mouse ride."

One last thing on HEA - I mostly avoided reading too much about it, but there was some extremely impressive tricks with the projection and the fireworks with timing. At one point a firework shoots across the sky, and when it passed behind the castle and star appeared on the castle at the same instant, and somehow the firework burnt out at the same time so that it appeared that the star "stopped" on the top of the castle. It wasn't a huge part of the show, but there were several other moments like that.

 

[rteetz]

Ellen's Energy Adventure looks unchanged from the outside. The load stations for the gondolas at DHS and Epcot are just piles of dirt. (I posted a picture of the DHS one earlier in the thread.) From driving by DHS you could get some pretty good views of the TSL coaster track. I talked to a CM at "Walt Disney Presents" and they seemed pretty confident in the "Summer 2018" date as being definite. We asked what "Pixar Place" was going to be used for once TSL opened and all they would say was "Well, it's Disney, they re-purpose everything. Maybe it will be part of the new Mickey Mouse ride."

Photos from today show a pile driver now at the DHS site.

Ellen's exterior will get painted but it will remain mostly the same.

Summer means Memorial Day weekend.

Pixar Place is going to be backstage. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway will only use 85% of the existing GMR building.

 

[jknezek]

Disney's 4th quarter results were disappointing. Other than Parks and Resorts, everything took it on the chin. Now Studio Entertainment accounts for a significant portion of it, but Media Networks aren't pretty either. Again, all stuff that was expected. Both of those sectors have a huge impact on Consumer Products and Interactive Media which also dropped the ball. Broadcasting was the major driver of issues in Studio Entertainment, not Cable Networks which were just a small drop. Freeform was the major culprit of the small drop in Cable, with the Disney Channels and ESPN basically holding steady year over year.

International Parks apparently made up for a drop of revenue at domestic parks and cruise lines, both driven by hurricane issues. Overall not much here that wasn't expected, but certainly not pretty.

And by the way, just food for thought. Depreciation Expense at the Parks and Resorts for the Year ending 9/30/17? Almost 2billion dollars.

 

[rteetz]

Disney Fiscal 2017 and 4th quarter Earnings report

 

[jbeyes]

New Star Wars Trilogy coming-

http://www.starwars.com/news/rian-j...last-jedi-to-create-all-new-star-wars-trilogy

 

[Reddog1134]

Are you sure he was an actual employee? Or just a transport CM that was hitching a ride? BTW - a round "tuit" is too old to even be a Dad joke.

No idea, but from my friends details it definitely sounded like he was there for a reason.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Wait... theres a 21 min short IN ADDITION to 20 mins of previews?

And apparently, Olaf is very annoying in the short, so it seems like much longer than 21 minutes...at least that's the scoop from the Mexican opening...

 

[Capang]

And apparently, Olaf is very annoying in the short, so it seems like much longer than 21 minutes...at least that's the scoop from the Mexican opening...

Grrreeeeeaaaattttt....maybe I show up 40 minutes late and hope my daughter knows nothing of the short.

20 minutes of previews I can handle and frankly I enjoy them. 20 minutes PLUS a 20 minute short? Too long.

 

[rteetz]

Grrreeeeeaaaattttt....maybe I show up 40 minutes late and hope my daughter knows nothing of the short.

20 minutes of previews I can handle and frankly I enjoy them. 20 minutes PLUS a 20 minute short? Too long.

I wonder if they cut down on the previews because of the short?

 

[Capang]

I wonder if they cut down on the previews because of the short?

Good question but I can’t see them cutting previews. I’m sure I will find out soon, we will be there opening day.

 

[jade1]

maybe I show up 40 minutes late

Yep, reserved seats.

Nice to get this word out though, some must be like.....

Of course many probably like the extended experience, just be nice to know.

I hope there is an after credits clip-now that is a fun wait.

 

[Capang]

Yep, reserved seats.

Nice to get this word out though, some must be like.....

Of course many probably like the extended experience, just be nice to know.

I hope there is an after credits clip-now that is a fun wait.

I looked and it said run time was 2 hours 8 minutes with 20 minutes of previews and preshow. Not sure if that is accurate but that makes for a long sit in a theater with kids. I could see kids getting really restless.

 

[OKW Lover]

Love previews! Can't count how many movies I've avoided because I saw the preview.