Lightning Lane Is Not a Cash Grab

 I don't often defend Disney, but this time I will.  

People have been moaning and complaining about Fastpass going away and Lightning Lane replacing it.  I look at that move and applaud Disney for finally doing it.  It is the right thing to do.  

How can I say that?

The answer is simple.  People will pay it and people will keep going to the parks.  This move will only increase their bottom line.  No amount of complaining is going to change that.  Disney does not care if you complain.  You can complain all you want and Disney will ignore it.  Why wouldn't they?

I guarantee you that Disney has dumped a hefty amount of money and research into analytics.  Over the last ten years they have progressively increased the profit margin on everything at the parks and analyzed the impact.  During that time, profits increased.  They did not find a price cliff.  They did not see any meaningful repercussions.

If people are still going to pour into the parks, why not charge for Lightning Lane?  There is no reason not to.  They owe it to their share holders to deliver the most profit possible, over the longest term possible.

What if people stop going because of this?

Well first, that's not going to happen.  People have complained for years, but kept going.   Second, Disney might actually be happy with less people going to the parks, so long as their bottom line is not impacted.  You'd need to see a significant number of people take a stand for Disney to take any action. So, again, nothing is going to happen.  People will not choose another vacation option in meaningful enough numbers to have any kind of impact. 

Do not call this a cash grab.  A cash grab is taking large short term profits in exchange for long term profits.  Cash grabs are extremely short sighted and ignore anything in the long term.  Disney has done their research.  There is no doubt they have a good grasp on the amount of money they are going to make, and how many fans it will cost them.  The profits are worth the collateral damage.  

  

The Last of His Kind

I've done posts regarding Orange Band before. He was the last Dusky Seaside Sparrow who died at the now defunct Discovery Island in Disney World.

That bird was wiped out by man's impact on the environment.  By the time we realized what we had done, it was too late.

I was recently reminded of this story in a powerful and disturbing way.

I was recently asked to review a book from National Geographic entitled "The Photo Ark Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Animals"

My heart jumped in my throat when I hit a page 43.  There was Orange Band.

I apologize if the following photo disturbs anyone, but for most of us, this is the only way we can see Orange Band.

Disney Does It Again

It’s been a while since I did an old fashion Disney post.  Recent events have made it a prime time to do so. 

As you may have figured out, I’m not a Disney defender.  From 1985 till 2010, I was a HUGE Disney defender, but Disney managed to drive me away.

The biggest reason I turned my back on Disney wasn’t the cost, it was the value.  The value dropped off the face of the Earth, as Disney reduced the guest experience to a shell of its former self.  If my last trip in 2011 taught me anything, it was that Disney no longer cared about the guest experience.  They were solely focused on profits.

Two big stories popped up in the last week.  They go hand in hand with my biggest complaint about Disney World.  The two topics are the new pricing structure and elimination of a third of the Citizens of Hollywood.

Pricing

In a move that proved how little Disney cares for (non-affluent) families, Disney introduced a new tiered pricing structure.  Now you will pay more for busier days.  Let’s read between the lines here.  If you are locked into certain periods of time off (teachers), you are now being punished.  If you can’t pull your kids out of school (most families) you can now pay through the nose. 

Are you getting anything in return for these massive price hikes?  No.  You are actually getting less.  First, this is a MASSIVE price hike.  It’s the biggest of all time.  Disney would argue that with some political mumbo jumbo, but the fact is, this change will result in average price paid jumping to an unprecedented level.

Now, how are you getting less?

The trend of butchering the guest experience continues.   Disney has consistently reduced the value of your ticket by eliminating entertainment.  The most recent example is the elimination of a third of the Citizens of Hollywood.  In translation – one third of the best part of Disney Studios has been flushed down the toilet.  That cut seriously reduces the value of visiting Disney Studios.  If you go back over the last six years, you’ll find similar cuts all around Disney World.  The guest experience is a shadow of what it once was.

I know I walked away.  For a long time I thought I was the only one.  Recently my mother walked away.  I was stunned by that.  My mother has been a huge Disney fan since her first trip to Disney Land as a child.  We are talking about someone who has been a fan for more than five decades.  She said she’s not going back.  It’s not worth it anymore.

Before you point at me and say I influenced her, let me say this.  My mother has no idea that I write this blog.  She has no idea who A. Antonio or CMDTA is, nor has she ever even mentioned it.  We haven’t talked about Disney in years. 

My family is not the only one.  For the first time we are seeing longtime fans walking away.  Now is the time to fix the problem.  If Disney waits until it impacts the bottom-line it will be far too late.  They will find themselves crippled for years while Universal wipes the floor with them.

New Video - Walt Disney World Explorer

I've posted a new video to YouTube.  Anyone who remembers the old Walt Disney World Explorer will love this one.  I pulled a bunch of the clips off the old CD-ROM and patched them together.  This thing is a trip down memory lane!

If you don't know what the WDW Explorer is, it's a CD-ROM that Disney released back in the mid 90s.  I developed a real cult following, but sadly we never saw a second one.  The internet killed any plans for a squeal, even though the WDWE had a lot of really cool features that wouldn't work well on a website.

World Killer Is Back!

A much improved version of World Killer is back up.  The story is the same, but it's not a much cleaner read.

Around the World is up next for an overhaul.  I think that one will go quick.  It was in the best shape of all the books.

That's all I'm going to say about the future of my books. I'm lucky to have a professional editor who is willing to work for free.   That's not saying they don't get anything.  They get all the books for free and their name on the book.

You can get the updated version of World Killer here.

Disney Book Update

A lot has gone down since I last did a book update.  Here is the current status of all my books and what's in the cooker.

1 - Twisted Disney - A book for the hardcore Deek only.  This book of satire is borderline insane.  It's available in ebook and paperback,

2 - CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World - The alternative Disney guide book.  This book was designed to compliment most other guidebooks.  It's available in ebook and paperback

3 - "World" Killer - The first book in the DW Mysteries.  In many ways this is the darkest book in the serious.  It lays the foundation for the next two books and The Advocates.  It's available in ebook and paperback.

4 - Around the "World" - Book two of the DW Mysteries.  This book is bigger, better, and more exciting that the first book in the series.  It's available in ebook and paperback.  It has the best editing out of the four books available in paperback, it has the best editing.

5 - Imagineered Death - The unpredictable end to the DW Mysteries.  Out of the three books in the DW Mysteries, this one is the most dynamic.  It's currently available in draft form and is being edited by my editor.  Right now, it's ebook only.

6 - Nemesis - Book one of The Advocates.  After the shocking end to Imagineered Death, Nemesis hits the ground running and doesn't stop until part of Disney World explodes (literally).  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

7 - The Shoals - Book two of The Advocates is less a mystery and more a thriller / adventure.   This is my personal favorite.  It has a major twist at the end.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

8 - Sojourn - Book three of The Advocates and the final book in the main story line.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

9 - Titan One - I take on sci-fi in this book.  It's the first book in The Unity series.   As a warning, if you have not read my other books, you will not understand the abrupt ending to this book.  It's currently in draft form.  Right now, it's ebook only.

10 - The Harvesters - Book two in The Unity series.  This book takes the massive universe "Titan One" created and takes it to the next level.  The first draft is about 50% complete.

11 - Yukon Rush - A spin off of the DW Mysteries - This book revolves around a vacation Fidel Hernandez and Tina Black take.  That vacation spins into chaos when they stumble onto what appears to be a random killing.  This might get written someday.

12 - Beast - A spin off of The Advocates (Nemesis to be exact) - This book focuses on a string of strange killings near Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Hawk and Justin Yensid try to figure out if a strange monster is on the loose, or if something more sinister is going on.  If I ever write Yukon Rush, I might write this book.

That's all of them for now.   You can find all of the available ones here.

Imagineered Death Is Out!

Imagineered Death has been released.  Kinda...

Since I am an independant author, I rely on editors who are willing to work for credit.  I managed to find two editors.  One of them just bought a business and has no time.  The other bought a house and has no time.  That means I had two options.  I could wait years to release the books or I could release them in a draft state with the promise that they will one day be fully edited.

That being said...more than Imagineered Death is now available.  The following books have all been released in a draft state.

Imagineered Death
Nemesis
The Shoals
Sojourn

Within the next couple weeks Titan One will also be released.

You can get all of the books here.

Around the "World" Has Been Released!

Well this one seemed to take forever.  Almost one year after I finished the first draft, Around the "World" has been released on Kindle.

You can get it here.

It will be available in paperback in the next week or so.  The paperback is not going to be the best option.  Because of the size of the book, it costs 19.99.  That sounds foolishly expensive, but I actually make the same on that 19.99 as I do on the 3.99 eBook.  Since I have a small volume, I can't get a good rate on printing.

The other books are coming along.  Imagineered Death is with one of the editors.  Nemesis and The Shoals are queued up for editing.  The second draft of Sojourn is almost done as well.

The early reviews I received on Around the "World" were positive.  Most people who read the book said it was much better than "World" Killer.  I don't know if that means "World" Killer was that bad, or if Around the "World" is that good.

New Books Coming Soon!

I finally have an update in regards to the squeal to "World" Killer.

Around the "World" (The DW Mysteries Book Two) -  It's being edited now.  I found a new editor who was willing sign on.  I'm hoping it will be done sometime in June.  It should be released within a few days after editing is completed.

Imagineered Death (The DW Mysteries Book Three) - It's being edited now.  My normal editor is currently working on it.  I hope to have it in hand sometime in September or October.

Nemesis (The Advocates - Book One) - Principle writing has been completed!  At this point I don't know who will edit this book.  My guess is, whichever editor finishes their book first, is going to get this one.

I've received some feedback on the rough drafts of Around the "World" and Imagineered Death.

Around the "World" is a great step up from "World" Killer.  "World" Killer laid the foundation and Around the "World" really takes off with the story and characters.

Imagineered Death had the best results by far.  I was worried about this one because it takes a bold path.  I thought that might alienate some people.  It actually did the opposite.  It seemed addict the reader instead.

No one has read Nemesis yet.  That book is going to irk some people, but in a good way :-)

World Killer and CMDTA's Pictorial Guide Now Available In Paperback

World Killer and CMDTA's Pictorial Guide are now available in print for the first time!

World Killer is available on Amazon.  It's 11.99 but sometimes Amazon discounts that price.  Why is it so expensive?  I didn't opt for the cheapest format.  It is available in a 6x9 format which is much better than the usual mass market paperbacks.  The quality is much higher as well.

The Pictorial Guide is over $20.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, it's in full color. That alone raises the price.  Second it's full sized.  I'm not talking about 6x9.  I'm talking about a full 9x11.5 format.  The thing is beautiful. With the larger size, I didn't have to scale back the size of the photos.

You can get World Killer here.

You can get the Pictorial Guide here.

World Killer Is Back!!!

World Killer is back up.  It has a new cover that makes it easier to see the text and it's been through an extensive grammar overhaul.

You can buy it here.

Dining Review: Aureole - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas

I've been to quite a few restaurants but Aureole, located at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, stands out.  Does it stand out because it's the best restaurant I've been to?  No.  The only claim to fame it has is that it's the most expensive restaurant I've been to.

For this review I'm going to do a double comparison.   I'm going to compare it to a restaurant that serves a similar cuisine in Disney World and one of Aureole's Las Vegas rivals.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere at Aureole is dominated by it's massive four story wine tower.  This tower really represents the feel of Aureole.  It's modern and over the top which results in a general feeling of stuffiness.  This feeling dominates the restaurant.  Nothing about this place felt welcoming or warm.

The tables and decor beyond the tower are forgettable.  They are modern and overshadowed by the dim light and high ceiling. 

The only other part of the atmosphere that's worth talking about is a fountain at the back of the dining room.  At night they light it up.  It's a nice feature but nothing that it's done much better in Disney World.

Now Disney World has a restaurant called Narcoossee's.  Narcoossee's dining options are very similar to Aureole's.  However, I'd take the atmosphere at Narcoossee's any day of the week.

A few miles down the strip from Aureole is a restaurant called Hugo's Cellar.  The quality is on par with Aureole but the atmosphere is much better.

If you compare the three restaurants, Aureole comes in dead last.

Food

The food at Aureole is mainly seafood and steak.  We tried a couple of appetizers, main courses, and some small deserts.

The appetizers were okay.  Yes I said okay.  You might be able to tell I was underwhelmed.  I got the onion soup.  It was good but that was the problem.  For the price of an entree in Disney World I got good onion soup.  In other words it was was grossly over priced and nothing special.

Another member of the party got one of the salads.  He enjoyed it, but it was nothing that blew him away.  When you are paying top dollar, you expect to be blown away.

I should also explain that the individual who ordered the salad has been to Aureole before.  He's also been to the original Aureole in New York.  He went in with high expectations which were based on experience.

The main courses were a mixed bag.  One person ordered the octopus and scallops.  One person ordered the blue cheese encrusted filet.  Myself and one other ordered the New York strip.

So what were the results?  The Octopus was amazing.  The filet was decent.  The strip steaks were a huge disappointment.

You might wonder why I ordered a strip steak.   After all what restaurant doesn't offer a strip steak?  That's the very point.  A strip steak is a huge test.  Can you make it something amazing or are you going to present a generic dish?  It takes true creativity and talent to turn a basic offering into something special.

The steaks were mostly bland and not cooked correctly.  One was ordered med-rare and came out almost med-well.  The other was ordered med and came out borderline med-well.  Both were fairly ugly.  They actually put a brown steak on top of brown mashed potatoes, with only a tiny bit of sauce to add color.  Oh, and they charged about 40 a pop for that. 

The portion size is small.  If you want to add something to make it a normal meal you'll need to cough up an extra 9+ for a side.  $9 will get you some generic, roasted vegetables.  They were so generic we didn't even finish them.

The other guy who ordered the strip steak didn't want the mashed potatoes so we asked if he could swap them out.  It was like pulling teeth but they offered to replace them with french fries.  The french fries were nothing to brag about.  You'll get better french fries at Five Guys Burgers.

The deserts were tiny and unimpressive.  One was a lemon tart.  It had nice flavor but really needed a nice sauce to go with it.  The other was a chocolate lava cake thing.  It had great flavor but was gone after about four bites.

Overall the food was a let down.  Narcoossee's is slightly better at a cost of about half, while Hugo's, is at least a third less and is ten times better than anything you'll get at Aureole's.

Service

Now for the bad.  A few years back my wife and I went to Citrico's.  Search the blog and you can read about what happened there.  I thought I'd never run into an experience like that at a high end dining location again.  I was wrong.  Our waiter at Citrico's was non-existent, while the friendly assistant had to do all the work.  At Aureole's we had a very nice assistant waiter and a waiter we wished would go away. 

How can I explain our waiter?  Simple, go watch the movie Dumb and Dumber and then start reading this again.

Our waiter was a virtual clone of "Nicholas Andre" from Dumb and Dumber.  A douche bag that you want to avoid.  Now, that is a little harsh but this guy earned it.  From the start he was pushy.  He hit us with a hard sell on the expensive specials.  Time and again he tried to sell.  It's one thing to explain the specials and do so with passion.  It's another thing to give you the feeling that you are a fool if you do not order the special.

Our waiter also had the bad habit of hovering.  Maybe he thought we'd change our minds and order more if he hung around.  If he did anything it wouldn't have been so bad, but his assistant did all the work.  His assistant also earned the tip.  He was cordial, friendly, and even shared a funny story.  One member of our party made the comment that he wished he could swap the two.  In all honesty we would have asked if we didn't think the douche bag would have spit in our food.

So the waiter wasn't great but did he at least take care of us?  No.  The member of the party with the overcooked steak brought it to his attention.  In case like this, in a place of this caliber, the first words out of his mouth should have been, "I'm so sorry.  How can I fix it?" Instead, all he did was offer to recook the steak.  That's not a great option.  Everyone else has the food.  Unless the meal is inedible, you don't want to return it.  You'd end up taking it home because everyone else would be done by the time your food arrived. 

How does the service compare?  Hugo's beat's Aureole more than the Bruins facing a peewee hockey team. You just can't compare them.  Narcoossee's, with it's standard Disney service,  also blows Aureole out of the water.

Value

Okay I did a little bit of research for this one.  Take what you read above and apply it to the estimated figures below. These figures do not include a tip.  They are comparing similar dishes across a party of four and include two bottles of wine.  I also have to estimate the bill at Aureole since I did not see the bill.

Narcoossee's - $315

Hugo's - $375

Aureole - $475

Now this is not a true comparison. Why?  Because both Hugo's and Narcoossee's include things that Aureole charges for.  So in other words, you get a lot more for you money at both Narcoossee's and Hugo's than you do at Aureole. 

Bottom line is this, if you want to see the wine tower, take a picture of it from the outside.  If you do that you will experience the best part of Aureole without having to sell your firstborn to afford it.

Free Books!

You can get a free copy of "CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World" and "World Killer."  All you need is a PC or smart phone!

Starting on December 24th and ending on December 26th, both books will be available as free downloads on Amazon. 

Just use these two links to claim your free copies during that timeframe:

CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World

World Killer

CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World Now Available On Kindle

I finally cracked down and finished off the Pictorial Guide to Disney World.  It comes in  around 136 pages.  

So yo might ask why write another Walt Disney World guide book?

There are a few reasons. The first one is simple. No one has written a pictorial guide book that prepares you for Disney World. Most guide books give tell you about rides, hotels, and dining locations. A few guide books have a picture or two. None of them really drive it home. My goal with this guide book is to make you relive your vacation or be prepared for what you will face.
The reason I want to prepare people is so they will enjoy their vacations. Nothing is worse than showing up somewhere just to find out it’s not what you expected. I’ve seen that first hand in the parks over the years. I’ve seen a lot of people who spent a lot of money and ended up miserable.


You can get the guide book here.

Top Ten Videos

I recently posted by 78th video to YouTube.  It amazes me what attracts views and what does not.  I would have figured that the montage videos would have been the most popular.  They are the most entertaining of the 78 videos.

So what are the most popular videos?  Here are the top ten and how many views they've attracted.

#10 Good Jungle Cruise Skipper
Views: 1963
This video is of a Jungle Cruise Skipper who really goes all out to entertain the park guests.  Sometimes he went a little over the top but he did a good job.

#9 Bad Jungle Cruise Skipper
Views: 2215
This video is now private by request.  A cast member currently working on Jungle Cruise that knows the cast member in this video asked that it be removed from the public's eye.  Now the only way you can get to it is through the above link.

Why is it called Bad Jungle Cruise Skipper?  The reason will become clear when you watch it.

#8 Mariachi Cobre Part One
View: 2672
This was the second Mariachi Cobre video I uploaded to YouTube.  This one takes place outdoors and is a little easier to watch than the original one.

#7 When You Know You Went to Mickey's Philharmagic Too Early In the Day
Views: 3107
This one was originally ended "Too Close to Rope Drop" but that name only made sense to the true Deeks so I tweaked it.  This is a short but funny video taken in Mickey's Philharmagic.

#6 The Haunted Mansion Stretching Room in 1080p
Views: 3195
This one is what it sounds like.  A short video of the famous pre-show in the Haunted Mansion.

#5 Mariachi Cobre - Epcot Mexico
Views: 4316
The first Mariachi Cobre video I captured.  This one was taken from inside the pavilion right next to the San Angel Inn.

#4 Overview of Carnival Miracle Stateroom 6260
Views: 4744
A detailed overview of a Vista Suite on the Carnival Miracle.

#3 Secrets St. James Junior Suite Overview
Views: 5095
A detailed overview of a very nice room in the all inclusive resort.

#2 Splash Mountain
Views: 6933
Splash Mountain in all it's glory.  This video was captured on a very nice day just after a major refurbishment. You don't get to see Splash Mountain in this kind of condition very often.

#1 Broke Splash Mountain
Views: 13,976
As you can see it's not even close.  This one blew up.  Sadly this one is the total opposite of the last video. I annotated all the broken things in the ride and sadly there were so many that I cold hardly catch all of them.

This one also generated the most comments of any video I posted.  To date there are 59 comments.

"World" Killer Now Available on Kindle

You can now get ""World" Killer" on your kindle or kindle reader app.  It comes in a just under 300 hundred pages. This is the first of three books that take place in and around Disney World.

The second book, "Around the "World,"" should be out next year.  The third book, "Imgineered Death" will be out in 2015.

Click below to get a copy of World Killer.

Click Here

Tourist Dies During the Flower and Garden Festival

A tourist collapsed and died while touring Epcot last week. According to our sources the tourist, who suffered from severe allergies, sneezed so hard his head exploded.

Why the tourist in question thought it was a good idea to visit the Flower and Garden festival is currently being debated but it should serve as a warning to other tourists to check the event calendar prior to booking a vacation.

“At this point we feel that this tourist was one of what we call the 90% Group,” a Disney World representative, who happens to be a talking donkey, stated.

The representative went on to explain, “All of our guests fall into one of a few categories. You have 1% who might be mentally ill.  Those people not only plan everything down to the second, they refuse to use a travel agent because they can’t give up that kind of control, and they know every detail about Disney World.  Those people could tell you how much water is used per minute from toilet flushing.  It’s truly insane.”

“The next group consists of 4% of our guests.  We call them the commandos.  They plan out every last detail about their trip. They may or may not use a travel agent. However, they do not spend every waking moment of their lives studying useless Disney facts like the first group.”

“The third group represents about 5% of our guests.  These are the ones who do some research, use a travel agent, and avoid the pitfalls common to people who do no research.  This group knows they are on vacation and do enough to ensure it will be enjoyable without killing the rest of their family in the process.”

“The final group reflects 90% of our guests.  These are the people who see our ad on TV and think it would be fun to go to Disney World.  They do not use a travel agent, they do no research, they pay rack rates, they have no idea how anything works and someone in their party ends up having a total breakdown at some point during the trip.”

At this point it seems very likely that the tourist in question was a member of the 90% group.  However, there are a number of other theories making the rounds on the internet.  Some feel that he was trying to commit suicide while making it look like an accident. Some nut jobs feel that a government sniper shot him from a hidden nest on top of Spaceship Earth.  Finally some truly demented individuals feel that aliens exploded a mind probe they had implanted in him years ago.

When asked if the body had been claimed by the family Disney stated “No comment.” This odd response seemed very out of place so I did what I do. I looked into it.

According to some unreliable sources the body of the tourist was sold to Universal. 

One might ask, “Why would you sell a corpse to Universal?”  The answer turns out to be very simple. Finding good props for Halloween Horror Nights can be very difficult.

 

If you did not know (which would be astonishing at this point) - this is a fake news story.

Taking My Ears Off

 

If you’ve been following this blog you may have noticed a huge drop off on the number of posts going up.  On top of that the number of Disney related posts have also dropped.  There is a reason for this.  Disney has managed to do what my co-workers, friends, and family have not.  Disney cured my Disney addiction.

Granted I still follow Disney related news and still listen to the podcasts but I have a hard time calling myself a Deek anymore.

You may wonder what could Disney have done to get me to the point where I have little to no desire to step foot in a Disney park.  Well I’ll admit, it wasn’t just one thing.  It fact it was a number of things that slowly weaned me off of Disney like you wean a drug addict.  Here is the short list.

March 10^th, 2009 – D23 Announced

The announcement didn’t bother me it was what came after.  A product that was little more than a money grab.  A vast minority of those who signed up for D23 got their money’s worth.  For most people they got a piece of paper that told them they were a member, four magazines, and a amazingly cheap watch (which in my case was broken).

D23 also left a lot of people in the dark.  It hit during one of the worst financial crisis’s in US history.  A lot of Disney fans found out they couldn’t afford to join the “Official Fan Club.”  Did that make them non-official Disney fans?  

2009 to Current – Maintenance Woes

As far back as I can remember Disney World was the epitome of a clean, well run theme park.  I never remember seeing anything out of order or overly dirty. 

In 2008 I went to the parks and it was how I remembered it.  Ever since then there has been a noticeable decline in both cleanliness and maintenance at the parks.  It’s common place now to see something broken.  Splash Mountain might be the best example.  At one point it was less a question of what is broken and more a question of what was working.   I am also willing to wager that I don’t have to mention Everest.  I’ve never seen the Yeti in its original mode.

June 23^rd, 2010 – Golden Oaks

Disney World was built for the family vacation.   That goal stayed fully intact until June 23^rd, 2010 when Golden Oaks was announced.  Forget the families we want the 1%!  Actually a lot of the 1% can’t even afford Golden Oaks.  The idea of a development for the uber rich on the land that Walt secured for his dream actually offends me on some levels. It’s so far detached from what Disney World once was that I have a hard time comprehending it.

September 14^th, 2011 – The Four Seasons

After a year and a half this still upsets me.  Disney sold part of Walt’s dream.  Part of Disney World was sold to a third party so they could build a resort for the rich.  If the land was sold into a nature trust or something like that it wouldn’t bother me.

It bothers me more when I think of the history of how the land for Disney World was obtained.  Which of the quirky fake companies bought that land?  How much effort was put into obtaining the land for Disney World? In the end it doesn’t matter because it was sold for profit.

11/9/2012 – Starbucks to Replace Main Street Bakery

When I heard Starbucks was going to replace the coffee at Disney World I was happy.  I thought that was an awesome idea. 

When I heard that a Starbucks was going to replace the Main Street Bakery I was left speechless.   Out of all the locations they could have picked why did it have to be the Main Street Bakery? Why did it have to be the best counter service location in Disney World?  Wouldn’t it have made more sense to overhaul a crappy location?  Yes but the mighty dollar often overrides common sense.  In the end that’s how I see this event.  A simple money grab.  It’s just another way to maximize profits.

More for Less

This has been going on for a long time.  I understand that prices need to rise because costs rise.  However, Disney raises their prices far beyond the rate of inflation.  Even then I might be able to live with it except for one thing.  It seems like every year Disney takes something away.  Some little perk disappears.  Look no further than the Dining Plan. Once it was a great value but then Disney started to cut, and cut, and cut until it’s not even a shadow of what it once was.

The Dining Plan is just one area. You can find one area after another where the price has risen and you don’t even break even, you get less.

Outsourcing

When I was a kid Disney World was Disney World. Now you really don’t know who you are dealing with.  How many services have been outsourced?  How many restaurants are not Disney? How many things in the background are not Disney?  How many of the people you see at the golf courses are not Disney? The answer is simple – too many.

The biggest problem with outsourcing is the lack of accountability.  It allows for the classic “We’re sorry, that’s not us it’s a third party” fake apology.  Do those outsourced employees get the same benefits?

In the end outsourcing creates customer service nightmares but it bumps the bottom line.  In the end isn’t that what Disney really cares about now?  Isn’t that what each of the above things has in common? They all boost the bottom line.  After all why not?  If the people keep coming then so be it!

Guess what Disney…I’m not the only person who has taken their mouse ears off.

More Executive Changes

Last week Disney shook things up and moved a number of their executives around the company.  They continued this week with even more changes.  As usual Disney is trying to get their executives some diversified experience to strengthen the company as a whole. 

Here are some of the new changes:

Head of PR: Grumpy Dwarf

Head of Accident Prevention: Goofy

VP of Human Resources:  Uncle Remus

Head of Onsite Childcare: The Big Bad Wolf

VP of Training: Dopey Dwarf

Manager of the Land Pavilion: Ariel

Manager of the Seas Pavilion: Madame Medusa (She’s from The Rescuers)

VP of Brooms and Buckets: Mickey Mouse

Head of Horticulture: Ursula

Head of Social Networking: Eyeore

Head of Bus Driver Training: Mr. Toad

Anti-Smoking Liaison: Baby Herman

Manager of Wardrobe: Tarzan

Head of Security: Sleepy Dwarf

The changes are expected to take place within the next two weeks.  

Photo of the Week: Flower and Graden Photo Tips

The 2013 Epcot Flower and Garden festival is quickly approaching.  I thought I'd take the time to pull out a decent garden / flower photo.

If you are going this year there are two general rules to follow when filming gardens or flowers.  If it's a garden you want to do a panoramic or landscape shot that includes some of the surrounding area. This gives life to the  photo and makes it pop.

If you are filming a flower you generally want to zoom in or get as close as possible and set your aperture as low as you can go.  An f-stop of 3.5 or smaller is best.  This will put the flower in focus and blur out everything else.  This really draws attention to the single flower in a garden it also draws out it's details.