One Stunning Photograph

Official Disney Photography by Gene Duncan - Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

Gene Duncan, official photographer of Walt Disney World, is retiring after nearly 40 years of service. He gave his farewell in a post on Disney Parks Blog (link). He also left a single photograph, a stunning photograph as a parting gift.

 

When you think of a photograph of a Disney Park you think about the rides, attractions, and carefree fun you share with family and friends. Gene left posting a very different kind of photograph taken at a Disney Park, a photograph of an African silverback gorilla taken at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park. This is a very different Disney Park photograph - dark, deep, mysterious, and contemplative. I've never seen anything like it. It is magnificent. Thanks Gene.

AVATAR-Land Moves Forward as More Rumors Fly

Tom Staggs - Chairman - Disney Parks and Resorts
A Disney Photo

Tom Staggs has been a busy guy this week announcing things. Making official announcements is easy after Disney official fiscal dollars are actually committed to build projects. As noted in a previous post - a big time Iron Man attraction is slated to go into Hong Kong Disneyland. This morning Tom posted in Disney Parks Blog (link) that plans to build the much discussed and debated AVATAR based land are going forward in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park (much to the chagrin of many Disney Parks fans).

Disney has posted some artwork for the AVATAR project where the planet of Pandora is recreated. (Please note that the Disneyland Traveler did not care for the movie AVATAR - good to look at but thought it to be long boring and silly).

Disney artwork for what appears to be an AVATAR boat ride

Disney concept art for AVATAR Land

 Disney concept art for AVATAR Land

AVATAR director James Cameron - Tom Staggs - and project Imagineer Joe Rhode
at work bringing to life AVATAR - Land

So AVATAR in a Disineyland is going to become a reality. Thank god it's going to be in Florida. You can have it (though that boat ride looks cool). So you want another Florida rumor? Tom Corless of WDW News Today website (link) is reporting that Disney and Warner Bros. are in negotiations to bring Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) based attractions to Disney Parks. Hopefully this is another Florida based idea - while attendance at Disney's Magic Kingdom and EPCOT parks remain strong - Disney Hollywood Studios and Disney Animal Kingdom continue to lose ground to that snot nosed Harry Potter kid over at Universal and Disney has some ground to make up. It should be noted that Mrs. DisneylandTraveler IS a big fan of LOTR and plays the online game at an expert level).

Whatever happened to those cute little Disney characters?

Anyway - as a California person - I'll take Marvel and Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Disney can put these lands of mysticism somewhere else.

Walt Disney World Envy #2 - Maelstrom and the World Showcase

Before Disney World fans break down with laughter, Maelstrom, the dark water ride inside the Norwegian Pavilion in EPCOT's World Showcase section is not an E-Ticket attraction. Not even close. Many find it to be rather silly in fact (check out videos on YouTube). So why does Maelstrom make it to #2 on my list of WDW attractions I'm most envious of being a Disneyland guy 3000 miles away? Well, my ancestry is 100% Norwegian so just think of it as us Norwegians sticking together with some sort of national pride.

Heck, the Norwegian Pavilion is not even the best Pavilion found in EPCOT's World Showcase. There are probably at least a half a dozen better ones according to many visitors. But at least Disney World has a World Showcase where someone like me can at least get a small glimpse of the land my ancestors came from. The World Showcase is a decidedly adult segment of a Disney Park. Where else can you get a beer from 11 different countries (and many visitors do)? Most kids find the World Showcase pretty boring but for us adults - man.... what a great Disney experience with multi-cultural displays, fine dining, and a couple of rides thrown in. The Disneyland Resort has nothing like the World Showcase and that's too bad because they had one on the drawing board to build here in California until they went cheap and gave us the first iteration of Disney California Adventure instead.

So I have no embarrassment whatsoever to say the second attraction I am most envious of in Walt Disney World is Maelstrom simply because that little attraction is part of something much larger, unique, and very special - the Norwegian Pavilion and The World Showcase.

Walt Disney World Envy #1 - Expedition Everest

One of my more popular posts in this blog is "My Aborted Trip To Walt Disney World" from 2012. Yep, the reservations were made, the plane flights booked, the itinerary all mapped out - 10 days of glorious Disney World Magic over the Christmas holidays. Then came illness, followed by a surgery, followed by recovery and finally, the whole trip got permanently scrubbed.

And in the meantime, since writing this blog, I've come to realize, for good or bad, that there are more similarities in the East Coast and West Coast Disney Parks than differences. Yes, Disney World is much larger, much grander, much more resort-like, and as one blogger put it "has more filler entertainment", but underneath it all, there are a lot of similarities.

Not completely though. I thought that over the next few weeks, as Disney Parks are in full summer swing, I would take a look at some of the Walt Disney World attractions I am most envious of being a west coast Disneyland kind of guy. And as I've written before - it starts with Expedition Everest which sits in Disney World's least popular park - Animal Kingdom.

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler's old boss made a trip to Disney World a year or so ago and he said he went on Expedition Everest 5 times. I could absolutely see myself doing that. Expedition Everest is by all accounts, a great ride on all levels. Theming is great, the ride drips with grandeur and imagination, and yes, there are thrills even if the giant Yeti has almost never worked as advertised. 

Well, Disneyland people counter the Expedition Everest attraction by saying "we have the classic Matterhorn - it's kind of the same thing". Yeah...they're both mountain roller coasters and the Matterhorn has some history behind (Walt Disney oversaw the construction, first steel tubed coaster built, has a basketball court inside the mountain) but for a pure big time moutain coaster ride in a classic setting, it's hard to beat Expedition Everest and the Matterhorn shrinks in its presence. The Matterhorn has even lost ground to the Florida snowy peak when Disney park management boobs went with the bone crunching, space confining ride sleds, replacing the immensely charming tandem sleds. 

Yep. If I had to make a checklist for ride attractions planning a trip to Walt Disney World - Expedition Everest will be at the top of the list. Envy? You bet.

Oooops! Star Wars Land? Think Small... Like Really Small

Disney has said nothing about the Star Wars Land Rumor. Clammed up for now. But others with reported inside information are now reporting that Star Wars Land will not be anything of grand or epic proportions. Think much smaller. Star Tours remains the signature attraction (which is OK because its a good one). Add a kids Star Wars ride for those who don't meet the Star Tours height requirement. And the lasts piece - an indoor Jedi Training Academy which has been training young padawons in Disneyland for years. So much for the excitement.

Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Sounds like Harry Potter wins again.

Disney Strikes Back - Star Wars Land Coming to WDW

According to Theme Park Insider (link) and now being propogated in various print, web, and TV outlets, Disney plans on adding a "Star Wars Land" to Walt Disney World's Disney Hollywood Studios with opening set for 2018, maybe sooner if they want to throw more money at the project. In addition to Star Wars Land, the plan is for Disney to replicate a version of the massively successful Cars Land in DHS as well. I'll leave the Cars Land rumor alone for now because I'm still in my one month moratorium on writing anything about Cars Land and this news isn't going to make me alter my commitment to that. Star Wars Land? Now that's a different story altogether.

Much like Disney California Adventure a few years ago, Disney Hollywood Studios has been an underachieving theme park for quite some time. Confused themes, a bit of neglect, and constant questioning of what do we do with the place has been on the minds of WDW fans for quite some time. But once a year, DHS hosts the massively successful Star Wars Weekends to prop up the sagging park. I have always thought that if Disney was going to do anything major with park related theming with their recent George Lucas acquisitions, WDW would be the place. Certainly they have the property and space to do things right as opposed to the Disneyland Resorts approach of let's see what we can squeeze in. So a Star Wars Land in DHS just makes too much sense to pass up.

Of course that doesn't make a Disneylander like myself feel any better. Who wouldn't love a Star Wars Land in your own backyard rather than across the country? And what about D23 coming up in August in Anaheim. Walt Disney World has stolen the thunder with the opening of the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train (coaster), now Star Wars Land, and a Cars Land. And whatever happened to Avatarland in Disney Animal Kingdom? Somebody at Disney better get off the schneid and announce something new (and big) for Disneyland. A Monsters Inc roller coaster? Please. You can do better than that. No wonder that, as of today, D23 has a new level of membership, one that costs the applicant nothing at all because they're giving it away just to prop up sagging membership numbers. A convention in Anaheim that features big changes to a park that is 3000 miles away probably isn't the best way to bring in the crowds that Disney wants.

Animal Kingdom Envy

I hear a lot of lamenting from the fans of Walt Disney World that goes something like this - "yeah, we got this impressive and badly needed expansion to Fantasyland and all it adds to the Magic Kingdom but man, we sure could of used something as spectacular as Cars Land." Call it Cars Land envy.

But as a west coast Disney fan, there is a bit of envy as well from my side of things toward WDW, and specifically in my case, towards Disney's Animal Kingdom. You see, the Disneyland Traveler is an animal guy. Within 15 feet of where I write this at home a dog and 3 cats are taking their morning naps. So what could be better than the marriage of Disney and a live animal theme park for an animal guy like me?

When Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I were planning our trip to WDW a few years ago (see:  My Aborted Trip to WDW) I kind of wanted to push Mrs. DLT on staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. I knew I wouldn't get too far with my plea since the DAK Lodge is pretty remote for a first time visitor to WDW so we looked at resorts with closer proximity to the other 3 parks. But the idea of a room overlooking the savanna with beautiful animals wandering near by - wow - what a scene that would be first thing in the morning.

The complaint of even supporters of Disney's Animal Kingdom is that it isn't a full day park (a similar complaint expressed of Disney California Adventure until this past summer). Maybe true but DAK has probably the two Disney attractions I would like to get the chance to experience - Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest (not to mention all the animal life scattered around the park). I don't know when or if I ever will ever get the chance to get there.

The rest of DAK I'm kind of so-so about.  Kali River Rapids? DCA has one of those - a very good one. DINOSAUR? Kind of the same ride aisneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure only different stuff to look at. Primeval Whirl? It's just a wild mouse coaster and DCA has one of those too. It's Tough To Be A Bug? Oh.... DAK for me is all about the animals and one very impressive roller coaster.

Something like DAK can never be duplicated in or around The Disneyland Resort. Just plain no room for it. Besides, a there are two world renowned zoos within close proximity to Disneyland. So Disney Animal Kingdom is a unique and original Disney park. I hope WDW fans really appreciate what they have. Yes, DAK needs more to become a top flight Disney park and Avatar Land is probably not going to be the answer, but it still has a lot to offer for animal lovers like me.

Envy for Disney Animal Kingdom? You bet. We'll save my jealousy for the World Showcase for another time.

Avatarland Pushes Forward In DAK...Still?...Why?

Avatar - Original Concept Art

In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel a few weeks back, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman (and rumored to be on the short list of names for the upcoming Disney CEO vacancy) Tom Staggs reaffirmed Disney's commitment to build a land based on James Cameron's Avatar in Disney's Animal Kingdom park in Walt Disney World. The completion would be sometime later in this decade with a 2017 date being thrown out there. Disney's scheme to build an Avatarland is now over a year old and Disney fans have complained mightily about the idea for perfectly valid reasons.

True, Cameron's Avatar movie is the all time box office champ on not by a small margin. The film pulled in over two billion dollars at the box office. Two more Avatar sequels are in the works. But it's not a movie in any way associated with Disney and to build anything around Avatar Disney would have to license the property from Cameron and Fox.

I'm not a Disney insider or corporate genius but the question remains - Why? - when Disney's loyal fans are so dead set against the concept. And the outcries have become even louder following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Why not develop WDW expansion based on those popular and highly profitable franchises. Disney now owns them so they wouldn't have to split profits with anyone. Disney could make Indiana Jones work in DAK especially with a backdrop of Expedition Everest. Anything Disney could do to expand the Star Wars presence in Disney Hollywood Studios would have fans buzzing for years in anticipation.

Avatar was an impressive visual movie but I find it rather souless and, for me anyway, just hasn't held up to the test of time. I could care less about Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 being released. I bought the Avatar Blu-Ray when it came out, watched it once, then sold it knowing full well that I really have no desire to see it again (unlike Indy and Star Wars which most movie fans have seen countless times). As Al Lutz mentioned in his recent rant against Avatarland, where is the merchandising leg for Avatar? It just doesn't translate into cash registers ringing in merchandise sales.

There have been rumors of clashes between James Cameron (known for impressive ego) and Disney imagineers. To this point, it appears that everything related to Avatarland is in the conceptualization phase. Let's hope it stays that way.

In the meantime, Disney, if you want to ramp up fans for future changes to Walt Disney World... start talking Star Wars and Indiana Jones. You won't be sorry. PS... Thanks for keeping Avatar talk 3000 miles away from Disneyland. Marvel Universe would be much more inviting.

Epcot's Test Track 2.0 Reboot - Wow!

Test Track Entrance - A Kevin Yee Photo

Although the new reboot of the Test Track attraction at WDW's Epcot is only in the cast members preview / invited guests phase of operation ahead of its official opening next weekend, and video is supposedly forbidden by Disney, it didn't take long for the first POV ride through to hit YouTube thanks to Theme Park Review.

All I can say is Cars Land's Radiator Springs Racers - detailed, ornate, cute, special, fun..... The new Test Track - well, it's Radiator Springs Racers for grown-ups. Wow - Chevy meets Tron.

Starbucks Creeps Into Disney World in 2013

Starbucks at Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe
Disney California Adventure

Starbucks inside of the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe (again: dumb name) is a hit in Disney California Adventure. Long lines (though pretty fast moving) have kept the caffeine buzz flowing when exhaustion gets the better of your Disney day. The plan was to have a Starbucks in all U.S. Disney theme parks but DCA has been the sole outlet since last June. Until now.

At long last, Starbucks is now scheduled to move into Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Epcot parks next year. The Main Street Bakery in MK is scheduled to close for refurbishment in January then reopen in early summer with a Starbucks station. Over at Epcot, Fountain View will close in March and reopen with its Starbucks in mid-summer.

The Starbucks in Disney Parks idea is a good one. Goodness knows that the parks have struggled to come up with a palatable cup of coffee often times and Starbucks gives a quality product. Makes you want to forget about the regrettable teaming up of Disney Parks and McDonalds. That was an - ugh!.....

Why A Larger Star Wars Presence Is Better Suited For WDW

While Disney blogs and forums went absolutely ga-ga (mostly) over Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, the theme park enthusiasts on both coasts salivated over the opportunities enhancing the Star Wars presence in their respective parks. Sorry Disneyland friends, while I am a west coast guy through and through, even I have to admit that a larger Star Wars presence is better suited towards Walt Disney World In Florida rather than the Disneyland Resort.

Reason #1 is that WDW already has a larger Star Wars presence and that takes place in the spring of each year over several weekends with an event known Star Wars Weekends. The event has a huge following and has the attendance numbers to show for it. And this isn't a bunch of annual passholders like Disneyland has who treat the park as a local playground and often going on the cheap. The Star Wars Weekend attendees come from great distances, stay in Disney hotels, and spend a great deal of money on what is essentially a hobby. 

Reason #2 is that Disney World just has more space to work with and when you are talking about another universe, lots of space comes in handy. It has been known that something more needs to be done with Disney Hollywood Studios which really comes down to about 4 or 5 featured attractions. Star Tours is one of them and sister rides from the Star Wars universe could be just the ticket to take DHS to the next level like Disney did with Disney California Adventure and Cars Land. Of course, Star Wars is such a huge and popular franchise that a WDW 5th theme park could be a possibility making those 5 day WDW vacations now 7 days.

Reason #3 is Disney got Harry Pottered in Florida. Something big has to be done to throw a monkey wrench into Potter's popularity at Universal Studios. Avatar Land you say? That is the great unknown. On the other hand, Star Wars is known. Darth Vader would whoop Harry Potter with one arm tied behind his back. Disney can't bring in The Avengers into WDW to battle Potter due to licensing agreements in place. But they can certainly bring in Lord Vader's Empire.

I'm no accountant but it certainly seems like there would be a bigger return on Disney's Lucasfilm investment if it was allowed to expand through Walt Disney World but here's the rub as pointed out by MiceAge's Kevin Yee. There is far more money to be made making Star Wars movies then putting Star Wars attractions in theme parks. And there is more money to made bigger than both of them through the sale of Star Wars toys and merchandise. Theme parks come up third on the pecking order behind consumer products and movie box office success.

So where does that leave us out here on the west coast? There is no room to do Star Wars justice in the existing California Disney Parks unless they were willing to remove something as big as Tomorrowland or Paradise Pier completely and start from scratch. Not likely since Iron Man is already promised to Tomorrowland and Disney is perfectly happy with the Paradise Pier section of DCA as it is now. Star Wars only hope in Anaheim is the fulfillment of the long talked about 3rd Gate (theme park) which could comfortably provide room for both Marvel and Star Wars characters and attractions. Sounds expensive. Remember, theme parks aren't even close to Disney's biggest money making enterprises (ESPN is where the big money is made).

Rumors and speculation are just that. By next year at this time, a lot of questions will have been answered.

WDW Fantasyland Expansion - Beauty's Only Skin Deep?

WDW Fantasyland Expansion
A WDWNT - Adam Roth Photo

Well, Walt Disney World is in various stages of soft opening their grand Fantasyland Expansion. What does an old Disneyland die-hard like me think about the photos and videos that are now being posted? Quite simply - drop dead gorgeous - with a level of detail that is equal to or maybe even surpassing what Disney Imagineering did with Cars Land in California. WDW New Today has been all over the opening over the last week and yesterday posted more than 400 stunning photos of the place. Here is the (link) - enjoy! - marvel!

WDW Fantasyand Expansion
A WDWNT - Adam Roth Photo

But you say to yourself "Self, isn't the Fantasyland expansion in Disney World just an elaborate meet and great area, a fancy restaurant, some souvenirs places, and the duplicating of a ride that already runs in DCA?" All true and the real highlight of the place for most, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train doesn't open until 2014, but even without a true E-Ticket attraction, the visuals of what has been given are just dazzling - a Disney fan's and picture taker's dream come true.

WDW Fantasyland Expansion
A WDWNT - Adam Roth Photo

There is a problem or maybe a couple problems though that have been brought up. The new Fantasyland is so beautiful and stunning, that it almost makes the rest of the Magic Kingdom look old and decrepit in comparison. That may be a nice problem to have if you are Disney. The other thing that has been brought up and bears watching is the extensive use of high tech Disney NextGen elements used for the meet and greets and various queues. As has been demonstrated over and over again in both WDW and Disneyland, interactive elements break down. Sometimes they break down for long periods of time. Not to saying this is what will occur with the elaborate technical elements in Fantasyland but its something to think about.

WDW Fantasyland Expansion
A WDWNT - Adam Roth Photo

So where does this leave the Disneyland Traveler and his plans for the future? Well, dammit, Disney has created a new mecca it seems - something that just has to be seen. Of course, at this distance away, it will probably be better off seen when everything is open and running as normal including the Sever Dwarfs Mine Train. Yes, there could be a trip on the horizon again to WDW just to see something so beautiful.

And yes, a trip that needs to be made just to check out a pork shank....

WDW Fantasyland Expansion
A WDWNT - Adam Roth Photo

Now You Can Have A Beer In WDW's Magic Kingdom

The Dining Room at Be Our Guest in WDW

The soon-to-be opened lavish Be Our Guest restaurant within the confines of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion is set to open pretty soon. The restaurant will be a counter service operation by day but at night for dinner it transforms into a lovely sit-down table service dinner setting. Don't bother to try and get a reservation for the rest of this year, the place is booked up.

But with the dinner table service menu a door has been ever so slightly cracked open. For the first time ever, a domestic Disney signature park (which is Disneyland in CA and Magic Kingdom in FLA) will offer the sale of beer or wine to the general public. Disneyland does serve alcohol in its exclusive Club 33 but that restaurant is restricted to members and invited guests. No alcoholic beverages have been sold in either Disneyland or Magic Kingdom up until now.

Now this little announcement is not earth shattering. Be Our Guest (kind of a dumb name for a restaurant if you ask me) will only offer beer and wine during its dinner service and alcoholic beverages will still not be available in other MK park locations and Disneyland still remains alcohol free to the public but you have to admit, the door has been opened even if it is just a tiny bit.

It would be one of my predictions that alcohol sales will be commonplace with Disneyland and Magic Kingdom within 10 years or so. Disney tends to look less on past traditions these days and more towards the future in ways to generate the revenue shareholders demand. The profits made on alcoholic beverages, espcecially at Disney prices, is enormous. One of the primary purposes of the ElecTRONica and Mad T street parities in DCA is to serve high priced adult beverages. It's a revenue stream that I believe Disney will not turn its back. Instead, though it might be slow and subtle, the presences of alcohol in Disney parks will continue to grow. Just too much money to be made,

Walt Disney World vs. The Home Office

Walt Disney World in Florida is near the top of the list of most sought after tourist destinations in the world and with good reason - deluxe accommodations, fine dining experiences, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a sports complex, golf, and many other activities. Grand and spacious, you could spend weeks there and still not take it all in. Fans of Walt Disney World sometimes have an air of smugness about them simply because in their world - size matters. One thing that WDW has in spades is size.

And fans of WDW have a tendency to get defensive when you bring up the Disneyland Resort compared their park. After all, compared to WDW, Disneyland is down right puny. But the last few years, WDW fans have had to take it on the chin a bit and they don't like it.

I think it started with the lush World of Color and the plans for Disney California Adventure expansion. WDW was expanding too - expanding Fantasyland - but DCA got Cars Land (and Buena Vista Street). How come DCA gets the good stuff, never mind the fact it flat out needed something to bring it to life after years on life support? And the hot topic (or hot button topic depending on who you ask) is the bringing in of the Marvel brand into the theme park realm - something that can be done in Disneyland but cannot be done in WDW due to contractual agreements with Universal that are in place.

But there's other things too. D23 - Disney's exclusive "fan club" primarily caters to the Southern California contingent. Expo number 3 is slated for next year in Anaheim and grand plans to bring the show to Orlando seem more like wishful thinking.

There's a reason why Disney pays so much attention to its little park in Anaheim. Despite it size, WDW is not "the home office". Disney corporate offices are in Burbank along with its film and TV enterprises (excluding Northern California's Pixar and Connecticut's ESPN). Disneyland sits in their backyard (or about 30 miles away or so). When Disneyland has a major project, company execs like Bob Iger, Tom Staggs, and John Lasseter tend to be around front and center. True, Meg Crofton runs both U.S. Disney Resorts along with Disneyland Paris and she is headquartered in Orlando but compared to Bob and Tom and John, Meg is a minion. Disney has the bulk of its resources in Southern California both people and things so its easy for them to trot out celebrities and movie memorabilia without much logistical effort.

And then there is one thing that fans of Disneyland can always hang their hat on - Disneyland is the only Disney park Walt Disney himself ever stepped foot in. You can see Walt's presence every time you walk by the Main St. firehouse and see the light on in his upstairs apartment. You can go on the rides that Walt personally oversaw the construction. There are pictures of Walt in the Tiki Room, in the Golden Horseshoe, walking through Sleeping Beauty's Castle, having coffee in the Cafe Orleans, riding the Mark Twain or his beloved steam trains. Walt Disney also conceived Disney World and EPCOT but the most visibility you see with his involvement with those endeavors is pictures or TV clips of him standing around maps.

Yes, Disneyland is Walt's park. The corporate types that run the place now basically use Walt as a marketing tool but the fans of Disneyland know better. 

The fans of WDW in Florida have the crown jewel of resort destinations. The fans of Disneyland have a man of very large dreams and imagination. Its been that way for almost 60 years now.

Expedition Everest, A Broken Yeti, and Be Careful What You Wish For.

My wife's new boss came back from a trip to Walt Disney World with his family a week or so ago. He had a great time and he singled out Expedition Everest, the massively themed coaster in WDW Animal Kingdom as a ride he went on multiple times because its just simply great.

Fast forward about a week where MiceChat's behind the scenes feature blog The 626 (link here) gives the story of Expedition Everest's fearsome Yeti animatronic which suffered structural failure shortly after the ride opened and hasn't been fixed since. As The 626 points out, WDI probably overshot themselves by creating such a massive animtronic (the ride and mountain had to be built around it) that the stand-alone supporting structure did not have the ability to sustain support for the multi-ton creature that physically moved out over the the track. Instead of motion, imagineers now flash strobe lights at the fixed non-moving creature which gives a bit of an illusion of motion that just isn't there. WDW regulars ask why can't Disney fix the thing now years later from when the problem was first discovered. The scores of people who visit WDW occasionally could care less. The ride is a true thrill just the way it is.

There's a lesson here for us Disneyland people. Park fans in forums are constantly railing about the various parts of both Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain which do not work at all or extremely slow to get fixed. They continue to shake a fist at the tarp covered Alice in Wonderland ride with its tacky railing that Cal-OSHA insisted was necessary for worker safety or safety of passengers in case of evacuation. That little event occurred over a year ago now and Ugly Alice still hasn't been fixed.

Here's the rub. Of course everyone wants a ride to be exactly as brilliant imagineers designed it to be fully functional in every detail. But over time, things tend to break down (even me). Now some things can be fixed up relatively quickly. Other things take a very long time and require budget considerations because fixing these things doesn't come cheap. So what would you prefer? A running ride performing at 80 or 90% of how it was designed or shut the ride down for months of refurbishment. Its easy for those who live within short driving distance to Disneyland to choose the refurbishment. They've been on these attractions so many times that they can easily wait out months of repair. For those who plan Disneyland trips for next year or even two years from now, having an attraction like Indiana Jones or Splash Mountain down for refurbishment can be extremely disappointing, maybe even a trip deal breaker. Disney is in a tough position here but ultimately they like to keep their major attractions running especially, during peak periods, and only take them down for extended periods when its absolutely necessary (Indiana Jones Adventure is rumored to be coming up for an extended refurbishment). 

I'm good with this approach. Why would I really care if a few items stopped working as they should as long as I can get on the ride to begin with?  Half a ride is better than none as they say.

For west coasters who haven't experienced Expedition Everest, here is one of the better videos from MouseSteps. Yes, the coaster does roll backwards for a few heart pounding seconds. The strobe effect Yeti shows up at just before the 3 minute mark. Pretty weak.

Missing Out on Expedition Everest

I wrote a post to this blog last month called My Aborted Trip to Walt Disney World (link is here) that basically ends with my being good when surgery ended my 8 month journey planning a trip to Walt Disney World.  In 2012, other than its massive size and scale along with a true resort experience, WDW and Disneyland have more similarities than differences these days.  But you know what, I think the one thing I regret most about not making that trip, other than staying at the Grand Floridian and enjoying far more adventurous dining options, I miss not being able to go on Expedition Everest.  I think a ride on this thing was tops on my to-do lists for the parks even though I know Mrs. DisneylandTraveler would not go near it.

This may be Disney's most impressive ride attraction built over the last 10 years or so only to be outdone (probably) by the firing up of the new Radiator Springs Racers in about 2 months.  Yes, Expedition Everest is a manufactured roller coaster, and even though it does have the novelty of going backwards for a short segment Indiana Jones Adventure had that feature first, and yes, it is a variation of Disneyland's venerable Matterhorn, Expedition Everest looks spectacular and by all accounts provides thrills for its passenger.  There have been the oft mentioned complaints about the Yeti features inside the ride not working for years on end but all of that didn't matter to me, I really wanted to go EE to experience the attraction first hand.  I don't know if I will ever get the chance.  I'm good with not having made to WDW in 2010 but there is the lingering doubt on missing out with Expedition Everest.

Enjoy a ride on Expedition Everest courtesy of TheCoasterViews on YouTube.

The WDW Avengers Skinned Monorail...That's OK, Keep It.

As they did to promote the release of the movie TRON: Legacy, our friends over at Walt Disney World (well, the U.S. Disney parks are all run by same cast of characters) has taken one of their monorails and put a skin on it to promote the upcoming Disney/Marvel movie The Avengers.  Here is a YouTube video produced by Disney of the monorail zipping around the WDW resort.

Now no one is looking forward to The Avengers more than I am.  I just watched Iron Man 1 last night and it is my plan to watch all the Avengers predecessor movies over the next month just to refresh my memory and be current with the story by the time the new movie hits the screen on May 4th.  Just for the record - Iron Man 1, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America the First Avenger are the prequels to the The Avengers.  So having an Avengers themed monorail scoot around Walt Disney World this spring is a nice tie-in.

So as much as I am an Marvel / Avengers fan, Walt Disney World can keep the monorail with the cool skin job.  For as cool as the skin job is, the Walt Disney World's monorails are a generation  behind the monorails that run at Disneyland.  The Disneyland monorails are Mark VII's while Disney World still operates the Mark VI version.  The SoCal trains just look better just they are and really don't need any theming or "skinning" to improve their looks.  So thumbs up from the Disneyland Traveler to The Avengers themed monorail, just keep it in Florida.  We like our monorails just as the are in Blue, and Red, and Orange.

A couple of quick looks at the Monorail Red around Disneyland. 

My Aborted Trip To Walt Disney World

Back in the spring of 2010, with some good fortune and an influx of cash, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler, the Boy, and me decided to take the plunge a book a trip to Walt Disney World.  Being that a trip to WDW requires a lot of planning, we decided to make the trip over the Christmas holidays some 8 months away from when we started to put this all together.

From reading WDW websites, I already had a lot of information but now it came down to making choices which is far different than planning.  Making a choice becomes a commitment and the one thing you don't want to do when making a trip to WDW, which is some 3000 miles from where we live, is make a wrong choice. A wrong choice is an expensive mistake.

It all starts off with where to stay.  Mrs. DLT and I can plan a weeks vacation to Disneyland at the drop of a hat.  WDW is a different beast with so many choices available beginning with your hotel.  I was good with one of the Port Orleans hotels but Mrs. DLT wanted to stay on the monorail line which limits the choices down to 3. The Contemporary? Too bland. The Polynesian? Too tropical especially at Christmas. So now we are down to the granddaddy of them all - the Grand Floridian.  A stay at the Grand Floridian over the Christmas holidays makes a stay at the Grand Californian seem like a Disney steal. When it came down to it, we were looking at over $900 a night. Going to sleep at  night I was breaking into cold sweats over the thought. It seems that when Mrs. DLT and I have to make a vote and the vote spits - she wins. Its easier that way. It took us a good two or three weeks to make a hotel decision.

Next up, reservations. I knew there were some restaurants that were "must-do's" on my list of things to do. To get a reservation at some of them (Le Cellier for example) you had to make a reservation 180 days in advance. Not 179 days - 180 exactly. And we wanted a Fantasmic dining package and we wanted to see the fireworks from one of the boats and we wanted to see the Candlelight Processional with a dining package and on and on... It got to be overwhelming. It got to be STRESSFULl. The fun was gone. This was work, hard work.

Mrs. DLT finally figured out we needed help and began the process of contacting travel agents. I highly, highly, recommend this to anyone who is a newbie at planning a trip to WDW. Travel agents in general aren't required so much anymore in the days of the internet. People are under the assumption that using a travel agent is expensive. It probably is - for Disney. Disney pays the travel agent fees based on the booking not the traveler. What you do find out however is travel agents like to feel people out to see how serious they are about booking a trip. They do not want to invest a lot of time on someone is kinda, sorta, thinking about making a trip. Mrs. DLT went through a couple of travel agents before she found one she was comfortable working with. We had an awful lot of questions and the agent we finally went with answered all our questions patiently before we committed to anything.

With the travel agent at work, we got all our reservations made as the Christmas season dates opened up. We had quite an agenda, one that would make any WDW Traveler jump for much anticipated joy. But as they say.... the best laid plans......

As a precursor to our WDW, Mrs. DLT and I went down to Disneyland in late September 2010 for a nice week's stay. Had a great trip as I recall (they usually are). But something happened immediately after we returned home. I had a blockage. Tried for weeks to treat with antibiotics and other medications but to no avail. It wouldn't clear and I was staring at surgery. 

On December 22, 2010 the very same day were to land in FLA for our WDW trip of a lifetime, I was on a operating table and a little South African urologist was working over my prostate. For various reasons, a trip to WDW is now off the table for Mrs. DLT and me. That trip we planned in 2010 was actually our third attempt to plan a trip to WDW in the years we have been married. Something has come up each time to derail our plans. 

Any you know what? I'm now good with not making a trip to WDW. The more you study about the place the more you realize that it has more in common with Disneyland than differences. Inside the parks, many of the rides and attractions are much the same just spread out over 4 parks instead of 2. True - WDW is much, much, bigger than the Disneyland Resort and has much more to offer in terms of places to stay and excellent dining but I'm just fine with Disneyland.

And by saving about $15000, bad prostate and all, I was able to sleep much better at night.

Avatarland - A Visionary Plan Or A Half-Baked Idea

A Disney Parks Blog Image

OK, a show of hands out there - who saw this coming?  Announced today by Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger and Disney Parks Chairman Tom Staggs, Disney is entering into a licensing agreement with James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox to bring Cameron's blockbuster film Avatar as a fully conceptualized "land" in Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom park.  This announcement stunned the Disney community and now some 12 hours later, discussion forums are still buzzing with most of the die-hard Disney fans finding it hard to explain this move.  Of course there are the usual Disney apologists ("please Disney, don't take away my press credentials") backing the company as something big that needed to be done for AK.  These would also be the same people that if this were suggested by some forum poster they would turn around crucify him or her for being some kind of lunatic.

No, Disney had to do something big in Florida after getting kicked in the behind all summer by that snot nosed Harry Potter character over at Universal.  "Tom, what can we do to beat down that punk Harry Potter?"  "How about Avatar, boss?  That movie was huge at the box office and they have more of them in the pipeline."  "Excellent idea, get that pain in the rear egomaniac Cameron on the phone and let's see what we can do."

Real Disney fans who do not go the apologist route are a bit smarter than the smartest guys in the room give them credit for.  Avatar has nothing to do with Disney, it's history or it's legacy.  Avatar isn't even an established franchise as Star Wars and Indiana Jones were when Disney brought them aboard.  This is a chance at a money grab, to capitalize and market on what they are expecting to be huge opportunities.

The complaint line formed hours ago.  Maybe Disney will listen.  I can only be happy that this half-baked idea is going down in Florida. I phoned my wife this afternoon and told her that they were building an Avatarland in Animal Kingdom.  Her response?  "Avatar! The movie? That isn't Disney. How bizarre".  That pretty much sums it up.