The musicals ruins the movie

Watching Nemo (the movie) for the first time since seeing Nemo (the musical stage show at DAK), I'm struck by how pervasive in my awareness the show has become. Dory doesn't sing la-la-la-la-la-la as she leads Marlin on a wild-goose chase for the boat in the movie version, and I suddenly miss it.

It's making me think the show is even better than the movie, something I hadn't realized before. But it just may be true.

Let it snow... at nighttime, anyway

Guests have to pay extra to see the Christmas parade and fireworks at WDW (it's a hard ticket event). That is travesty enough -- these things used to be free. But to leave the decorations up during the daytime is almost a slap in the face. "Let it snow" is a reference to the soap bubble snow that floats down from the buildings during the private party, but daytime guests don't get to see that. It's almost mocking.

New touches on the MK main entrance

Menu boards have shown up above the turnstiles at the Magic Kingdom. No big news here, but a nice touch.

A Christmas Turkey

In an example of good timing, the wild turkeys that live in the Ticket and Transportation Center came out to forage on Christmas Eve. Of course, I had no idea there even were turkeys living here, until I saw them.



I've seen deer before (and in fact, almost hit a beautiful buck on my way out that day, on Western Way). But turkeys?! I love Florida's wildlife.

Bottoms up!

Here's something to celebrate. Within the past few weeks, Epcot has changed the policy. It's no longer a "one drink per ID," now it's two drinks. The old policy didn't make sense anyway. This new one is much more customer friendly.

"Neon" lights at Soarin'

Here's a random discovery: the neon-looking lights in the queue area of Soarin' are not actually neon, which surprised me. Close inspection reveals they are solid hard plastic, semi-clear, which means there must be blue light behind them. (Image linked from google images)

Cypress Gardens much busier

When we bought our Cypress Gardens 2007 annual passes a couple weeks ago, we did so because there were no lines for the rides. I mean absolutely no lines. The ride operators were waiting for any guest to show up, and when they did, riders got an instant ride.

The delighted us, but worries us too. What if the park went insolvent? We noted that they are building a huge wooden coaster (for adults) in spring 2007 as well as a giant kids' interactive playground, so the investment continues. We reckoned that was healthy enough to gamble the $60 on a pass.

We went back this past weekend, and my fears are completely assuaged. It was busier, and healthy levels of crowds. There weren't LONG lines, but there were very very very mild lines on every ride. This was just about the most I could hope for. Busy enough to make the park money (and thus stay open), but not so busy that it detracts one iota from the experience.

And our three year old remains infatuated with the rides.

Fountain of Nations during Lights of Winter

Here's something I never quite realized: during the holiday season, the evening hours will see the Fountain of Nations at Epcot in constant "show" mode. Usually it only puts on a show every fifteen minutes or so, but during holiday evenings, the background music score is replaced by the same holiday tunes blaring from the Lights of Winter display, the archway of colored lights that synchonize to the music.

Over at the Fountain of Nations, that means the water is constantly dancing. I like this touch.

DAK parade route problems

That the parade at Animal Kingdom circles around the Tree of Life is weird enough; it means a part of Africa sees the parade twice, going in each direction one time. But we discovered an annoyance with this parade: it cuts off all access to the Baby Center.

We had a somewhat urgent need ("The Need to Feed", proclaims the Tom Cruise in my head) and discovered the pathways do not allow anyone to get to the Baby Center when the parade is going on. They really need to fix that. You can get as close as Pizzafari, but that's it.

Spaceship Earth action

For more than a year, the exit area to Spaceship Earth was walled off. Once the AT&T exhibit closed down, permanent rehab walls just closed off the space. Well, there has been activity in there for the last several weeks - they are building. And tonight I noticed that the corporate sponsor area, normally visible from Fountain of Nations, has been tarped over, so you cannot see in the windows. Anything is better than nothing in this space!

Wonders of Life is open again

Wonders of Life is now open for the holiday season.



I don't think I even knew the sign had multi-colored lights on it. It's never illuminated at night, under normal circumstances!

The place isn't crowded, by any stretch. Body Wars is open, as is Making of Me and Cranium Command.

The Dining Book is here!

We're celebrating around here. New baby, of course, but also a new Disney book, back today from the printer. Sales can commence!



Buy it from Amazon: The Unofficial Dining Guide to Walt Disney World 2007: Current Menus and Prices for All Restaurants at the Parks and Hotels

Sample of my new WDW menu book now online

I've created a PDF sample of my new book, the Unofficial Dining Guide to Walt Disney World 2007, so that you can see how this book looks and how effective those indexes are when you're sitting there, hungry in a park with no idea what to eat or where.

http://www.ultimateorlando.com/books/MK_Sample.pdf

The prices are current as of now, but this PDF is just meant as a sample and they won't be updated in the pdf going forward, just in the "real" book.

To buy the book, visit this page on Amazon. It comes out in about two weeks.

Laugh Floor preview - one fan's perspective

John Frost at TheDisneyBlog got to visit a completely impromptu practice run of the Laugh Floor last week. This is the show which replaces the Timekeeper, and is themed after the comedy routine done by the one-eyeball Monster. At least I think it is. I didn't read John's musings, since I prefer to be fully surprised by what I see, the first time I see it. But many folks like this kind of spoiler, so I thought I'd link to it: http://www.thedisneyblog.com/

The show isn't in normal preview mode - he got a one-time deal there, I think.

Video of Osborne DANCING lights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQob62M2gtc



I found it interesting, and even neat to behold, but it lacks the rhythm and charm of the amateur effort seen elsewhere on youtube, such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD4g0gmQSLk

Hopefully they'll revise this as time goes on. Maybe even get it right in future years.

Soarin' Over Florida (fan film)

Here's a video assembled by a fan, using the Soarin' soundtrack and cutting together video of flight over Florida landmarks. Well-timed and well-done. Too bad it's not what we're really getting. That particular film hasn't been finished yet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x86FXNPNXDc

No Grinchmas this year

The Orlando Sentinel confirms: No Grinchmas this year at Universal.

That's a shame on one level; everyone likes the holiday mood. But it opens even wider the door for Disney to "own" Christmas if they so desire. All they need to do is really dress up their parks. More than the Osborne Lights. Where's the Winter Wonderland? Only Disney has the budget to pull this off and make it seem great.

Book review: "Utopia"

My wife discovered this 2003 volume in our local library. At first, I was completely uninterested. A thriller set in a theme park, I thought, big deal. But Lincoln Child's novel engaged me when it came to the descriptions of the theme park. Wow, do I want this place to exist in real life. But best of all, Child seems to know all of the tenents that made Disneyland great: the emphasis on immersion and theme, the trillions of minute details that are not merely extra cost, and so on. I don't know if Child is a Disney fan, but I can tell you that Disney fans will be fans of Child, too.


Buy Utopia from Amazon.

Cypress Gardens for free

This is amazing: if you hold an annual pass to any theme park, that gets you FREE admission to Cypress Gardens through the end of 2006:

Buescher also announced a pass exchange program, in which passholders from other parks can experience Cypress Gardens at no charge. Between now and December 24th, 2006, guests can present any other theme park’s valid 2006 pass and receive free admission to Cypress Gardens. And just like the season pass; guests can take advantage of the opportunity as many times as they want. They will also receive a $10 discount off any of the 2007 Passport options.

I've delayed hitting this park, but will definitely go explore it now. And, doubtless, spend money on the food. And possibly buy a regular annual pass, if the experience is any good. So in my case, their gamble may pay off.

"Tarzan Rocks" banners still around

Looks like they need to order new banners at Nemo The Musical. Tarzan Rocks is gone and won't be coming back. At least, as Rebekah noticed, they are faced "inward" and those on the path beyond won't notice unless they join the line.

Sea World Anytime

I haven't been to SeaWorld in some while now, so I didn't notice this program until now, though it's been around since summer. From the SeaWorld website:

The SeaWorld Anytime offers the freedom and flexibility to come and go on your schedule at no extra charge; you can visit in the morning, hit the pool in the afternoon and come back tomorrow, or anytime during your stay! Vacation is your time. Make the most of it with a SeaWorld Anytime*. (*Valid six consecutive days from first visit.)

If there are no hidden strings, this appears to be a tremendous deal. If you are visiting Orlando and purchase just a one-day SeaWorld ticket, you can visit over and over (and over!), for as long or short as you want, almost up to a week. Is there any reason not to take them up on this offer?

(Well, I guess parking would have to be paid each time... but that's probably worth it)

Flash photo comparison

Digital cameras have changed life. Or, at least, changed the way vacation memories are captured.

Here's a flash photo of the new Tomb Raiders display in Epcot:



...and here's how the same photo might look if you turn off the flash and manage to hold still long enough for the longer exposure to finish:

The Evil Blue Eye

I made a Turkish friend in Germany a few years ago. He parted ways with me by giving me two blue eye representations: one a small glass one to sit in my coinpurse (there's an old superstition that says this brings financial luck); and a second, much larger one to hang in my closet at home (another superstition says this wards away bad luck). There's something racist about the Blue Eye warding away bad luck, but what are you going to do. I thus found it odd to see these blue eyes for sale in the Turkey booth at Epcot's Food and Wine festival:

Rainforest Diver

No news here, just a discovery I made: they apparently send a diver to clean those cylindrical tanks at Rainforest Cafe. Neat!

Rope Drop at DAK

For some reason, they let me in through Rainforest Cafe before the crowds at the main turnstiles, so I got to see some uncluttered walkways.



There's a rope drop just in front of the Tree of Life, complete with some of the Fab 5 on a truck, and Mickey himself rising out of the treescape ahead. It's a scripted show, and cute. Then, a "first family" is selected to lead the crowd toward Africa, following the aforementioned truck. A nice way to start the day.

LMA Finale

These days, the finale jump in Lights, Motors, Action looks like this:



But I seem to remember much more of a fireball. In fact, it once looked like this:



Assuming this isn't just a case of unfortunate timing in the photos, what has changed? I have a guess. Wasn't there an injury or two in the past year? Could the toning down of the fire be a side-effect of those injuries? Did they tone down the show?

Problem with Fruit Cups

Here's a minor gripe about the fruit cups throughout the WDW resort, courtesy of my visitors from California: the darned things don't open without a pocketknife!

Disney Dreams officials rules

Federal law requires that games and lotteries (think McDonald's Monopoly game) must adhere to rigid rules, and those rules must be posted. I hadn't thought about where the rules would be, but if I'd given it any thought, I'd have probably guessed the exact place I accidently found them today anyway: Guest Relations. Here's where they're posted at Disney-MGM Studios:

Midway Madness Technology Sneak Peak

The upcoming ride in Disney-MGM Studios and DCA, Midway Madness, will be like "Men in Black" or Buzz Lightyear with interactivity, but fold in 3-D and some kind of reactivity from the screens. When your gun shoots something on the screen, it will become see-through and react.

For a preview of how this works, look no further than Innoventions' "Where's the Fire" exhibit, a more-primitive version of the same technology. (Thanks for the heads-up, Bill!)

PhotoPass at MouseFest

The upcoming MouseFest conglomeration of Disney fans, a kind of United Nations for Disney fan communities, will feature an official Disney presence in the form of PhotoPass this year. The fan community is really coming of age.

Dick Nunis

Today I got to meet Dick Nunis, the onetime head of all Walt Disney parks and attractions. This is a man who once got chewed out by Walt when he was a Working Lead on Jungle Cruise, and later rose to command just about everything that mattered in the company (in the 80s). He was, and is, history incarnate.

He was nice, and pleasant, when I met with him. Others have claimed he can have a gruff demeanor, but I sure didn't see it today.

The Timeshare Explosion at WDW

Several folks in the Internet community are up in arms that DVC is expanding to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I think this is because AKL is seen as private and exclusive, while DVC is somewhat akin to the McDonald's and Wal-Marts of the world (and less expensive than AKL).

While that might be true, the company has been marching toward this goal for some time now. Saratoga Springs hasn't stopped construction yet, for instance. And a brand new tower will go up next to the Contemporary Resort (completely ruining line of sight from Tomorrowland, some say).

What's behind all of this? Extremely simple: money. Or more accurately, short-term money. DVC involves booking a ton of money at this exact moment (in the current quarter) and then reaping only a steady stream of money later on. It's like selling hotel rooms for a guaranteed price every year... only the price is quite a bit less than you would have gotten for "rack rate." The two upsides are a big addition to the bottom line in the current year, when the DVC membership is first purchased, and then a better occupancy rate in future years.

No doubt in my cynical mind that the motivation here is the short-term profit. It's how the publicly-traded Disney company works these days, alas.

New Fantasmic poster

For the longest time, Guests who didn't know how to read the park maps had difficulty locating the Hollywood Hills theater. This billboard clearly points in the direction visitors have to go if they want to see Fantasmic.

DVC building spree

Saratoga Springs is convulsing with new building projects. Everywhere you look, new buildings are going up. You can see why Disney is pushing DVC in all the parks, and on the cruise line boats. That, plus it's a really high-margin business. My only question is, will these new developments really deliver value to the eventual customers? Some of these buildings are quite far from the central complex, and far from the only restaurants in the area. Yet one assumes they are paying the same thing.

DVC encourages skipping restaurants

When you visit most Disney World hotels, you'll see that the shops and stores offer some limited snacks, usually just enough to tide you over until the next full meal (at a Disney restaurant, of course). But if you step into a DVC resort, the entire nature of the choices changes. There are more snacks, more microwave foods, and decidedly more frozen foods.



The implication is that Disney deems it OK (or preferable even?) that DVC guests stay in their DVC rooms, not venturing out to spend money in the hotels. Interesting. Tells you where Disney places its priorities. The high-margin DVC business must look a lot better on paper than the low-margin restaurant business.

Minor loss of atmosphere adds up

There used to be a faux gas pump outside of the restrooms in Mickey's Toontown Fair. It contained just water, a goldfish, and heavy bubbles. Inside was also an oversized key - the key to the "restroom" supposedly, and part of the charm of the area. That gas pump has been unceremoniously ripped out in the past two weeks, apparently to make room for the toppings cart for the nearby hot dog ODF (outdoor food) cart.



Looking back at my pictures, I see this gas pump has disappeared at least once before, in 2004. Do they rip it out to clean it or something?

New menu prices sometimes mean improvements

Every year around this time, Walt Disney World raises the prices at its restaurants. Sometimes, though, the new menu boards come with improvements. In this case, Casey's Corner gets a new menu board, complete with minimal motion (the swinging bat). I like it!

HalloWishes from the Polynesian Resort

We'd always heard they pipe in the music to the Magic Kingdom's fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian, but it was not to be for this showing of HalloWishes. Possibly they just don't do it anymore, or maybe they don't do it for the private parties.

If nothing else, it was a chance to enjoy the "fireworks in the round" for free.

Alice Davis sighting

We saw Alice Davis at the watch shop on Main Street this weekend. She was not mobbed here at WDW, but had this been Disneyland, she would have been. Just one more perk of living on the coast with fewer fanatics who are local.

Additions to Uni and IOA

I'm hearing increased whispers that the replacement for Universal's Back to the Future Ride (Florida, not California) will be Simpsons after all, not Fast and the Furious. Makes sense, given the upcoming Simpsons movie.

And these whispers are also saying something about major changes coming to Islands of Adventure. Potentially one of the "islands" is getting a major facelift, but I haven't heard yet which one. Spider-Man and Hulk are such crowd pleasers, it can't be Marvel Island. The kids are happy with Seuss. Fire and Ice is such a draw, and the theming is so good in this corner. Likewise the theming in Jurassic Park seems so timeless, but Jurassic Park is a good contender. Either that, or the Toon area home to Ripsaw Falls.

I think the toons because:
1. it lacks much of an identity now (who knows all these characters?)
2. Ripsaw Falls has been neutered followed an accident on the final drop, so they tamed it
3. there just isn't a signiture ride here like there is in other places.

Still, I'm just speculating. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Welcome, Space Mountain fans

It occurs to me that a good number of people who stumble across this blog will actually be on this domain because you were visiting the Space Mountain Homepage and noticed the navigation to the rest of UltimateOrlando. If so, welcome. The website is in a growth phase right now, but over the coming months you can expect a lot of additions to the hotel info and other attractions around Orlando. Suggestions are also always welcome.

A blog is born

To all who come to this happy blog, welcome. Ultimate Orlando Blog is your blog (well, technically it's my blog, not yours, but you know what I mean). Here cranky theme park purists re-live fond memories, and youths may savor the challenge and promise of reading my ramblings. Ultimate Orlando Blog is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created the Disney theme park empire, with the hope that it will be a source of celebration and inspiration to all the theme park fans in the world.