News Round Up

[waffles77]

Just to continue the foodie talk....

Looks like 3 new restaurants are coming to Disney Springs:

Neverland Tunnels - Peter Pan themed 'speakeasy' that is accessible through a secret passageway from The Edison. Rumor is that it will be adults only during certain hours.

Walt's - Restaurant that perhaps will be the same as the one in DLP

Unnamed Rick Bayless Restaurant Production

http://thedisneyblog.com/2015/09/17/disney-springs-to-add-a-walts-restaurant-and-more-news/

 

[romitaz]

The quality is far closer to outback than Ruth Chris...

My valuation is oversimplified...granted...but there's has been - generally speaking - a 200% markup in about a decade.

This is quite true but the mark up at almost any venue with a captive audience has done the same. Look at food and drink prices at an NFL football game. You had better bring your loan application if you are planning on having a drink and a bite to eat. Also, the restaurant industry as a whole, is not that far off the same pace. Portions decrease while costs skyrocket. As far as quality is concerned, that is quite subjective and very much depends on the lens through which you are looking. I love my Outback Special but it does not hold a candle to a steak at the Yachtsman. Growing up near some of the best steakhouses in the US, I would put several of Disney's signature restaurant head to head with them, as far as quality and price are concerned. Once again, IMO, your mileage may vary.

 

[Reddog1134]

About adrs...had anyone noticed that since the $10 fee you can get pretty much anything, anytime? Even in the busiest of weeks?

Mission:accomplished.

And before I hear about be our guest or chef mickeys...I'm talking about something worth having and not 80% hype

We're going during Presidents week in February which is supposed to be crowded if crowd calendars and last years park hours are any indication.

We got every reservation we wanted (some up to 12 people). Be Our Guest, Akershus, Garden Grill...It was SO easy, I went back online a few days later and made a few more reservations with no problems.

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

I look at it this way:

Disney steak (all the same) = $48

FMV = $24
Disney/location legitimate upcharge = $12
Iger era "lost in space" (non -legitimate upcharge) = $12

I would consider most of us here to be savvy Disney visitors. Those that have the wherewithal to acquire a Tables in Wonderland card are getting a reduction in the ridiculous costs to just semi-ridiculous WDW prices. And order a few drinks and/or a bottle of wine and the thing pays for itself. You're $48 steak now has a pricetag of just under $39. Halfway reasonable.

Not remotely. A lot of my choices were booked to high heaven the week before Thanksgiving. Even Boma was tough, though they seem to be adding seatings there. This was my most difficult ADR coordination in the last 5 years.

Don't go during free dining. Therein lies the problem.

 

[Spacedog1975]

I would consider most of us here to be savvy Disney visitors. Those that have the wherewithal to acquire a Tables in Wonderland card are getting a reduction in the ridiculous costs to just semi-ridiculous WDW prices. And order a few drinks and/or a bottle of wine and the thing pays for itself. You're $48 steak now has a pricetag of just under $39. Halfway reasonable.
Don't go during free dining. Therein lies the problem.

They scheduled Free Dining during my 40th Birthday, so it was hard to avoid.
Unfortunately Free Dining also tends to spread across most if not all of the holiday season, so that also makes it hard to avoid.

 

[GimmeMoreMagic]

i dont post often but i just returned from my trip and wanted to share some construction photos i took while in AK last Thursday. also a video although its not too exciting, just some guys doing a whole lot of nothing.

http://s1206.photobucket.com/user/Ferphalicious/library/Disney/AK Construction 9-10-15

 

[Bay Max]

Just to continue the foodie talk....

Looks like 3 new restaurants are coming to Disney Springs:

Neverland Tunnels - Peter Pan themed 'speakeasy' that is accessible through a secret passageway from The Edison. Rumor is that it will be adults only during certain hours.

Walt's - Restaurant that perhaps will be the same as the one in DLP

Unnamed Rick Bayless Restaurant Production

http://thedisneyblog.com/2015/09/17/disney-springs-to-add-a-walts-restaurant-and-more-news/

OMG!!!! I want to go to all of the above!

 

[rteetz]

A permit was filed for signage at the new adventureland veranda

And

A permit was filed for install of show sets in sound stage 1 for the TSMM expansion

 

[rteetz]

A third turret/tech booth was unveiled in the hub courtesy of Twitter

 

[leholcomb]

@skier_pete
I love Hungry Bear. I so wish they had that fried green tomato sandwich at WDW or at home. That sandwich was an amazing surprise. I had read an article before our DLR trip, where chefs in Southern California were talking about their favorite sandwich and a few of them mentioned that one, even though the article wasn't about DLR. The cupcakes are very good too, but it would take a lot to ruin a cupcake for me

FYI, the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich and bumblebee cupcake are no longer available at Hungry Bear as of last week. The sandwich is moving to Cafe Orleans but no word of reappearance of the cupcake.

 

[rteetz]

MK hours extended September 21st

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2015/09/magic-kingdom-park-hours-extended-on.html

 

[jlundeen]

There was a lot of talk when the trailer for the PBS Documentary WALT DISNEY came out. Now that it has aired, what are your thoughts?

We have it recorded and have only watched the first 2 hours so far.... I read the book years ago, and from what I can remember, this is following it very closely, showing the good, the bad and the ugly of Walt's life and dream. So far, I like it...and we can probably cancel the "Marceline to Main Street" tour we have scheduled next month...,lol.

 

[rteetz]

There was a lot of talk when the trailer for the PBS Documentary WALT DISNEY came out. Now that it has aired, what are your thoughts?

We have it recorded and have only watched the first 2 hours so far.... I read the book years ago, and from what I can remember, this is following it very closely, showing the good, the bad and the ugly of Walt's life and dream. So far, I like it...and we can probably cancel the "Marceline to Main Street" tour we have scheduled next month...,lol.

I voiced my opinions in the thread regarding it but I thought it was a fair and accurate documentary. Some of it was new and a good amount a die hard Disney fan would already know. Floyd Norman who took part in the documentary didn't feel they did a good enough job and released a statement about that. It's very hard to cover everything in 4 hours but I feel they did the best they could.

 

[soniam]

FYI, the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich and bumblebee cupcake are no longer available at Hungry Bear as of last week. The sandwich is moving to Cafe Orleans but no word of reappearance of the cupcake.

That's a shame. At least the sandwich is staying somewhere.

 

[luisov]

There was a lot of talk when the trailer for the PBS Documentary WALT DISNEY came out. Now that it has aired, what are your thoughts?

We have it recorded and have only watched the first 2 hours so far.... I read the book years ago, and from what I can remember, this is following it very closely, showing the good, the bad and the ugly of Walt's life and dream. So far, I like it...and we can probably cancel the "Marceline to Main Street" tour we have scheduled next month...,lol.

I share Floyd Norman's opinion on this documentary. It felt like they were trying to uncover the ''real'' Walt Disney, a man with a tormented and dark side that nobody knows, as if everything he did was part of a huge performance. I also think that the lack of people who actually knew Walt was dissapointing. Nothing against historians and such, but I don't think they are the right people to discuss Walt's most intimate moments of his life. Overall, I felt it was a bit too much on the negative side, as if it was trying to uncover something dirty about Walt's life.

Don't get me wrong. It was an interesting documentary and I appreciated that they tried to show Walt as a complex human being with positive and negative aspects. I just felt it was more in the ''Let's expose the REAL Walt Disney'' side. Still, I quite enjoyed watching it.

 

[Clockwork]

Floyd Norman must be in possession of the Fountain of Youth. The man looks younger at 80 than I do at 45.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I would consider most of us here to be savvy Disney visitors. Those that have the wherewithal to acquire a Tables in Wonderland card are getting a reduction in the ridiculous costs to just semi-ridiculous WDW prices. And order a few drinks and/or a bottle of wine and the thing pays for itself. You're $48 steak now has a pricetag of just under $39. Halfway reasonable.
Don't go during free dining. Therein lies the problem.

Of course we work the system to our advantage...but the only valid comparison long term is the regular price- is it not? I for one can't believe tables in wonderland will always be there...can you? They could discontinue it tomorrow to try and force people into the dining plan and suffer few ill effects except perhaps some grumbling from Florida.

The second point I'm 100% with...as a new rub around here for me seems to be that all the "I can't get a table" and "why is it so crowded?!?" Complaints are tied to the very small calendar windows where the relics of the real estate crash emergency pricing discounts are still in play. I think overall crowd levels are less of an issue the other 330 days a year...just through my repeat patronage.

 

[rteetz]

I share Floyd Norman's opinion on this documentary. It felt like they were trying to uncover the ''real'' Walt Disney, a man with a tormented and dark side that nobody knows, as if everything he did was part of a huge performance. I also think that the lack of people who actually knew Walt was dissapointing. Nothing against historians and such, but I don't think they are the right people to discuss Walt's most intimate moments of his life. Overall, I felt it was a bit too much on the negative side, as if it was trying to uncover something dirty about Walt's life.

Don't get me wrong. It was an interesting documentary and I appreciated that they tried to show Walt as a complex human being with positive and negative aspects. I just felt it was more in the ''Let's expose the REAL Walt Disney'' side. Still, I quite enjoyed watching it.

Well I didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Everything they did was backed up by actual things Walt said or photos and videos. I don't think you can have an all positive documentary. Walt did a lot of good things but you can't have major things left out. Walt Disney has so much occur in his life that four hours is not enough they could've done two hours every night for the next week or two and still not covered everything.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Many of the buffets are interchangeable but Boma does have stuff that isn't commonly found elsewhere at Disney. I would certainly rate it as well above Disney average, but I don't know that it would stand out so much if it was being compared to restaurants in a big city for example.

I think this is true of the AKL as a whole...and why I have no problem still going to any of the. With frequency...

It's like an oasis in the ...no pun intended...jungle of declining/mediocre and really overpriced disney restaurant landscape.

I wonder why the accountants have "tolerated" it to this point as well?
I mean...there's 10x more spice on the menu at Sanaa than all the other restaurants combined...they could easily cut costs with bad salmon and free range chicken and probably not blink...but haven't.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This is quite true but the mark up at almost any venue with a captive audience has done the same. Look at food and drink prices at an NFL football game. You had better bring your loan application if you are planning on having a drink and a bite to eat. Also, the restaurant industry as a whole, is not that far off the same pace. Portions decrease while costs skyrocket. As far as quality is concerned, that is quite subjective and very much depends on the lens through which you are looking. I love my Outback Special but it does not hold a candle to a steak at the Yachtsman. Growing up near some of the best steakhouses in the US, I would put several of Disney's signature restaurant head to head with them, as far as quality and price are concerned. Once again, IMO, your mileage may vary.

Oh I hear you...you're gonna get screwed...and in many ways always did. I can remeber $10 Mickey waffles at th disney inn in 1989...

But I think the "screw quotient" under the CMB regime is much higher than any other price point in wdw history.

And I don't like the stadium or movie theater comparison...because you can choose not to partake for 2-5 hours...

Hard to do on a 7 night MYW Package.