World of Color Superthread

[rentayenta]

I think this dinner viewing will never happen. Don't make reservations thinking you can watch the show while you eat. So here's why.

First just on speculation on speculation. It's said that guest of the GCV will get the first 1000 showpasses. If so I'm guessing this is not a benefit to them rather so they aren't upset, spreading negatives words, that the show isn't good from thier balcony. It would be to get them into DCA to watch. But IMO I don't believe for a minute that they will be giving them 1000 SP, but that's another story.

The other reason why people won't be watching from AG is that the angle is horrific. It will be like watching a tv from two feet back and 5 feet from the edge. The picture quality in the spray screens will be poor. The show is designed to be viewed from PP and not the back or sides.

My guess from the information passed on from Disney is that AG may have moved all the reservations forward so it can seat, feed and clear out in time to darken the resturaunt before WoC starts.

Interesting insights. Where do you think the dessert location will be located or do you think they'll set up something similar to the way they do the F! premium seating?

 

[nunzia]

Maybe they will do an expensive dinner at Ariel's, then escort the diners to a reserved spot for WOC..isn't that how they do the Fantasmic thing in WDW?

 

[HydroGuy]

Maybe they will do an expensive dinner at Ariel's, then escort the diners to a reserved spot for WOC..isn't that how they do the Fantasmic thing in WDW?

Pretty much.

 

[sierranevada]

Maybe they will do an expensive dinner at Ariel's, then escort the diners to a reserved spot for WOC..isn't that how they do the Fantasmic thing in WDW?

Now that would be cool!! I agree that the angle from AG would not be the best area for viewing.

Wishing they would announce something!

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe they will do an expensive dinner at Ariel's, then escort the diners to a reserved spot for WOC..isn't that how they do the Fantasmic thing in WDW?

AT DHS for Fantasmic, you have to eat at off hours, like 3:30 to 5:00 or some such thing... .then you get an admission slip to get you into the roped off section at Fantasmic. There is also again a separate entrance so you get to skip the huge line going in. (Thankfully..... for a while last year, they took away the separate entrance, rendering the whole thing practically worthless....).

 

[Eeee-va]

I just called on my June 12th reservation and they moved me up to 3:30 PM. They never called me on the change so it's a good thing I read the DISboards! I don't know if they would have waited until later to call, or if they just didn't have my number (as they've still never asked for it).

(basically cross-posted to another thread because I'm scatterbrained and don't want to spread misinformation )

I asked if she knew why it had been moved and she said she wasn't aware it had been moved, and then when I asked again she said she did know why, that there was a "new water show" starting June 11th and they had to "close the restaurant" for the dinner hours. She assured me it was the same menu (and the same price! ) to eat off-hours instead of for dinner.

Unless they're going to be doing "bad show" things outdoors after 7 PM (or having the princesses float by on barges to entertain anxious guests who are waiting!!), I still don't know that I buy the story that they are actually "closing" it to all guests, but I guess we'll see! (I am sure the CMs have been told they're closing the restaurant for the dinner hours but that doesn't mean that's what's going to happen.)

The reason I'm not sure I buy the story is because although Ariel's Grotto isn't a very good place to view the show, I'm not so sure they'd make the latest reservation for 3:40 if they wanted to clear out the place before the show starts, unless there's a showing significantly earlier than the rumored 9 PM. I thought dinner at Ariel's only took about 90 minutes, so even if a 3:40 seating starts at 4 PM, they're still out by 5:30 or 6. Do they need more than 2 hours to make sure no one's left in the restaurant, lock the doors, and turn out the lights?

But on the other hand, it would give them ample time to have a special pricey 5:30 or 6 PM dinner seating for 90 minutes, and then either let them watch WoC from the mediocre view area, or else walk them over to a reserved area for a 9 PM showing.

 

[skiingfast]

AT DHS for Fantasmic, you have to eat at off hours, like 3:30 to 5:00 or some such thing... .then you get an admission slip to get you into the roped off section at Fantasmic. There is also again a separate entrance so you get to skip the huge line going in. (Thankfully..... for a while last year, they took away the separate entrance, rendering the whole thing practically worthless....).

I think this is what a dinner/WoC would be model after. It's quite popular at WDW. They do make you eat at off hours. I think the resaurants start serving dinner at 3:30 and they use this package to fill it for those first couple hours. They offer three different places to eat one is at a premium to the other two. After dinner they give you a ticket to use the serperate entrance. You are seated in the curved stadium seating on the two side sections. Not the best seats but nothing is bad there. I think you pay about $15/20 premium for this package over the dinner price.

Guest get to skip waiting hours before, just like at the DL F! people show up really early to get a spot, despite the WDW's giant stadium with bleacher seats. Disney gets more money and operates the resturaunts to capacity at off peak times.

They could also do a DL F! dessert deal because people would like to sit down. I don't know that while the show is really hot in the first parts of summer that they would take space to set up chairs. It's a better way to keep people coming later on.

 

[Eeee-va]

I think this is what a dinner/WoC would be model after. It's quite popular at WDW. They do make you eat at off hours. I think the resaurants start serving dinner at 3:30 and they use this package to fill it for those first couple hours. They offer three different places to eat one is at a premium to the other two. After dinner they give you a ticket to use the serperate entrance. You are seated in the curved stadium seating on the two side sections. Not the best seats but nothing is bad there. I think you pay about $15/20 premium for this package over the dinner price.

Guest get to skip waiting hours before, just like at the DL F! people show up really early to get a spot, despite the WDW's giant stadium with bleacher seats. Disney gets more money and operates the resturaunts to capacity at off peak times.

They could also do a DL F! dessert deal because people would like to sit down. I don't know that while the show is really hot in the first parts of summer that they would take space to set up chairs. It's a better way to keep people coming later on.

That plan does make sense, but I like to think they won't start that right now (unless I get a piece of that reserved seating/standing! ). Right now they moved people's dinner (prime time) reservations BACK to non-prime-time reservations. If the deal is that you pay $15-$20 more to have a nice dinner at the time you originally reserved and then see WoC, and they moved me to 3:30 without asking if I wanted to take advantage of their premium deal, I'd be less than pleased, you know?

This could definitely be something they do later but not the early days of WoC, though. Besides the crowds, you don't want to deliver a mediocre experience to someone who paid an ultra-premium price, IMO, so they might need to take some time to get the bugs worked out.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

They might be bumping them up just to see how it all works before they can settle into a pattern. It's prudent to make sure that all of your guests are out well in advance and the restaurant is fully darkened (including whatever minor clean-up they have to do) in plenty of time before the show starts for the first few weeks or so.

 

[jernysgirl]

That plan does make sense, but I like to think they won't start that right now (unless I get a piece of that reserved seating/standing! ). Right now they moved people's dinner (prime time) reservations BACK to non-prime-time reservations. If the deal is that you pay $15-$20 more to have a nice dinner at the time you originally reserved and then see WoC, and they moved me to 3:30 without asking if I wanted to take advantage of their premium deal, I'd be less than pleased, you know?

This could definitely be something they do later but not the early days of WoC, though. Besides the crowds, you don't want to deliver a mediocre experience to someone who paid an ultra-premium price, IMO, so they might need to take some time to get the bugs worked out.

Well, the thing is about offering the premium viewing experience to those that already had reservations at AG for an additional charge, would be the timeline. Technically, you can only reserve the premium viewing experiences (for Fantasmic and previously the Electrical Light Parade) 30 days out. We are more than 30 away from the first showing of WOC, thus no one will be able to reserve those viewing experiences until that 30 mark (May 11th). Disney probably needs to clear the existing reservations so that everyone has a fair chance of getting a booking, is so desired. Because I know that I would be really upset if I missed out on getting a reserved seat just because I didn't have a reservation 60 days ago for AG, that I didn't know would lead to a reservation for WOC seating... (if that makes any sense ).

 

[Dobie]

Well, the thing is about offering the premium viewing experience to those that already had reservations at AG for an additional charge, would be the timeline. Technically, you can only reserve the premium viewing experiences (for Fantasmic and the Electrical Light Parade) 30 days out. We are more than 30 away from the first showing of WOC, thus no one will be able to reserve those viewing experiences until that 30 mark (May 11th). Disney probably needs to clear the existing reservations so that everyone has a fair chance of getting a booking, is so desired. Because I know that I would be really upset if I missed out on getting a reserved seat just because I didn't have a reservation 60 days ago for AG, that I didn't know would lead to a reservation for WOC seating... (if that makes any sense ).

It makes total sense. I was cogitatin' the same thing.

 

[Eeee-va]

Well, the thing is about offering the premium viewing experience to those that already had reservations at AG for an additional charge, would be the timeline. Technically, you can only reserve the premium viewing experiences (for Fantasmic and previously the Electrical Light Parade) 30 days out. We are more than 30 away from the first showing of WOC, thus no one will be able to reserve those viewing experiences until that 30 mark (May 11th). Disney probably needs to clear the existing reservations so that everyone has a fair chance of getting a booking, is so desired. Because I know that I would be really upset if I missed out on getting a reserved seat just because I didn't have a reservation 60 days ago for AG, that I didn't know would lead to a reservation for WOC seating... (if that makes any sense ).

If it's a typical premium viewing and dessert experience, I agree 100%. That's definitely bumping one experience for a completely different experience.

If it's in the ballpark of a regular Ariel's Grotto meal where you also pay extra to get WoC viewing, it doesn't seem perfectly fair to me to bump people forward and tell them the restaurant will be closed for dinner during their original time. I would think at the LEAST they could phone those who were reserved and inform them of the possibility of snagging a "premium" experience, whether or not they could offer the opportunity on the spot. Of course, they didn't even call me to tell me they'd moved my reservation forward, so I guess asking for any new information in advance is probably asking too much. Plus telling people they're being bumped for other people who haven't even been reserved yet is probably a recipe for irate callers...

There have been rumors of Ariel's Grotto dining (maybe even daytime dining) being tied to WoC viewing (of some sort) since probably January or earlier. That's why I made my reservation (figuring that if it pans out for us, great, and if not, we still get to do something new and fun, so it's a good situation all around). So while I DO want everyone to get a chance to view the show how they want, I'm not sure I'd feel too awful if people with existing reservations were to get priority for a booking an experience that was fairly similar to what they had requested, instead of just getting bumped to an earlier time. (Though much better bumping ahead then canceling the reservation altogether!)

All that said, frankly the price of anything much more than a $59 "dessert" package would probably be out of the price I'm comfortable spending, so you might say I don't really have a horse in that race anyway.

 

[skiingfast]

I think this is what a dinner/WoC would be model after. It's quite popular at WDW. They do make you eat at off hours. I think the resaurants start serving dinner at 3:30 and they use this package to fill it for those first couple hours. They offer three different places to eat one is at a premium to the other two. After dinner they give you a ticket to use the serperate entrance. You are seated in the curved stadium seating on the two side sections. Not the best seats but nothing is bad there. I think you pay about $15/20 premium for this package over the dinner price.

Guest get to skip waiting hours before, just like at the DL F! people show up really early to get a spot, despite the WDW's giant stadium with bleacher seats. Disney gets more money and operates the resturaunts to capacity at off peak times.

They could also do a DL F! dessert deal because people would like to sit down. I don't know that while the show is really hot in the first parts of summer that they would take space to set up chairs. It's a better way to keep people coming later on.

I want to clarify that I don't think that anyone has been bumped off for higher paying guest to get so they get the opportunity to see WoC from the dinner location. I think it is so disney can turn the lights off.

I was merely trying to show some contrast and explain in a simply way how the dinner package in WDW's F! operates.

Also I want to reiterate that I don't think disney would do a dinner package, like in WDW, until the bulk of interest by the AP's (looky lous), starts to wear off. I really thing they want to be able to close AG and get the lights off before the show.

IMO if they do a dinner package in AG it wouldn't be an eat and dine. AG isn't tiered to allow good viewing from all tables. Also if you are versed in the preview and preinfo about WoC it needs to be viewed from PP and AG may not be a worthwhile place to view it from. Which is why I suggested a idea like happens at the WDW F!.

It's not like WoC offers a viewing area like in DL or MK, the hub plus Main St. to see the show from the prefered angle. It only has has PP plus the wall truncated parade route behind it. (BTW I think the parade route is included in the 9k viewing area number, because of the trees trimmed of low branches, which are planted right behind PP.)

I apologize if I mislead and took the thread off route. I think it was really well planned of Hydroguy to start a WoC super thread. I won't read or comment on the other WoC threads until the show has well commenced. I think one of Disboards largest failures is thier organization of the threads, I don't think WDW are set up well but come on and look at the three subheaders for DLR. Again my accomadations for Hyrdoguy for setting this off on the right foot.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

People would probably do a WoC package like WDW F! because it'd include a guaranteed showpass (if they do stick with the showpass idea). No having to wait in line to get one and run the risk of not getting one would be enough for most folks, especially day-trippers who aren't locals (such as myself).

 

[skiingfast]

Does anyone have a picture or link to a pic/vid of Chernabogin WoC? Or alternatively Zurg? I've seen it suggested that it will be Zurg but in a preview picture they show Chernabog. Maybe both who knows.

But I've seen some preview films and pics and i haven't noticed this feature working. I've only seen the fountain structure expanded in a pic where Paradie Bay is dry.

If you aren't sure what i'm talking about it is behind the main fountain platform near the bottom left of MFW as viewed from Paradise park. It looks like a palm tree sort of structure when extended.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Update from Mouseplanet:

"We're also starting to learn a bit about possible plans for premium viewing opportunities for the World of Color. While Disney has not yet made public any plans for World of Color dining packages, it sounds like there will be at least two different options, including some form of dinner-and-reserved-seating package at some table service restaurants. Reader 3Princesses1Prince reports that Disney Dining called her last week to change her reservations at Ariel's Grotto, telling her that the princesses would not be available after 4:00 p.m. because of a new show. Reader ogold72 says that Ariel's Grotto will stop serving dinner entirely effective May 1 due to World of Color, and also says that the restaurant will be renamed "Princess Palace."

We've also heard that some form of reserved viewing area will be open to visitors who purchase a meal box from the new quick service location being constructed as part of the new Wine Country Trattoria. We're still waiting for details of these new offerings, but it seems clear that guests would need to make some form of additional purchase to secure the best views of the World of Color."

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9231/Disneyland_Resort_Update

 

[HydroGuy]

Update from Mouseplanet:

"We're also starting to learn a bit about possible plans for premium viewing opportunities for the World of Color. While Disney has not yet made public any plans for World of Color dining packages, it sounds like there will be at least two different options, including some form of dinner-and-reserved-seating package at some table service restaurants. Reader 3Princesses1Prince reports that Disney Dining called her last week to change her reservations at Ariel's Grotto, telling her that the princesses would not be available after 4:00 p.m. because of a new show. Reader ogold72 says that Ariel's Grotto will stop serving dinner entirely effective May 1 due to World of Color, and also says that the restaurant will be renamed "Princess Palace."

We've also heard that some form of reserved viewing area will be open to visitors who purchase a meal box from the new quick service location being constructed as part of the new Wine Country Trattoria. We're still waiting for details of these new offerings, but it seems clear that guests would need to make some form of additional purchase to secure the best views of the World of Color."

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9231/Disneyland_Resort_Update

Thanks! For other's sake here is some more of the info from the link you gave (you were fast today - I did not even have time to read the MP update yet before you posted this!). Basically it re-confirms what I have in my OP now - June 11 opening, June 10 probable media event, and previews. I have heard that DCA Cast Member meetings about WOC will take place May 6-8. Hopefully we will know more after that!

The Disneyland Resort announced last week that the World of Color will officially debut with the rest of the Summer Nightastic entertainment on Friday, June 11. The long-awaited official announcement confirmed the date that had been floating around for weeks, and puts the likely (but still unconfirmed) date of the media event for Thursday, June 10, a day when Disney's California Adventure park is already scheduled to close early to the public for a Grad Night event.

Now that the official opening has been announced, the question turns to when the previews will be, and who will get to go. Some guest control cast members have already had the opportunity to preview the show, cast previews are expected to start in mid-May, and all DCA cast members attend a mandatory orientation session to prepare them for the debut of the show. There are no confirmed passholder or D23 preview dates yet, though it's likely that any Annual Passholder previews will have to be conducted via lottery system, as there are just too many APs to accommodate in one (or even 100) preview performances. As always, we'll post the latest information as it's confirmed.

 

[rentayenta]

 

[mystic_path]

Any new news on soft openings?

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thanks! For other's sake here is some more of the info from the link you gave (you were fast today - I did not even have time to read the MP update yet before you posted this!). Basically it re-confirms what I have in my OP now - June 11 opening, June 10 probable media event, and previews. I have heard that DCA Cast Member meetings about WOC will take place May 6-8. Hopefully we will know more after that!

At least some news!.

Jack