World News Roundtable - 6 June 2013

Roundtable Contributors: Estelle Hallick (This Happy Place Blog), Alan Mize, Blake Taylor (BlakeOnline.com), Andrew (Disney Hipsters Blog), and yours truly.

Clang Clang Clang Went the Trolley

Andrew (Disney Hipsters Blog)

One of the longest running, most theme appropriate, not all that annoying shows at Walt Disney World is the Main Street Trolley Show. This iconic song and dance number takes place several times a day, starting and stopping along the trolley track. Lately the "Limited Time Magic" have been producing variations on the classic show. These variations are season appropriate. This past fall we got an autumn edition, we also recently enjoyed the Spring edition. (actually, we didn't really enjoy either of those...) The best and most lively of all the iterations is the brand new Summer edition! Yay! With super fun choreography, a silly song, and picnic baskets, this is by far the most entertaining of the special limited time shows. Don't worry, it still starts and stops with The Trolley Song...

Tracking the Mine Train

Estelle Hallick (This Happy Place Blog)

For awhile, I didn't even believe that the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train would actually happen and here we are at a huge milestone -- the final piece of track has been put down. Sure, there's still a long way to go before the attraction opens up sometime in 2014 but this is an absolute huge deal -- the New Fantasyland project is almost complete.

Does it feel like talking about it is getting old? I think people are mostly over it because so much of it is open but I am counting down the months until I can see the whole land in operation. I'm also crossing my fingers that the Mine Train is what New Fantasyland really needs to make it feel complete and accessible to everyone. (So many of the new attractions felt young to me).

Crowd Surfing

Blake Taylor (BlakeOnline.com)

As summer settles in, crowds will begin to pick up on a more regular basis in the parks, and with larger attendance comes more guests to manage. It becomes more difficult as crowds thicken for Cast Members to keep traffic flowing around congested areas, particularly during (and after) the busier times of the day like parades and fireworks.

I hope Disney has a plan of action for how they will staff and direct these always-hectic times of the day. I mean, I'm certain that they do have a plan of action, I just hope what I experienced two weeks ago was not it... because it was a nightmare. I have been visiting Walt Disney World for my entire life, and I have never seen things as bazerk as they were after Wishes on the 24-hour day. Insanity ensued as guests tried to move every which way, with barely any room to breathe. Things got to the point where (I do not exaggerate) I stood outside the Crystal Palace for a good 15 minutes, unable to move, trying to get to Adventureland. Someone in my party got separated from the group at that same spot, and (remember he's going to Adventureland) was routed backstage behind Main Street to Town Square, back up Main Street, and into Tomorrowland, then had to walk around the park. It felt as if we were all the fish in the net at the end of Finding Nemo, trying to break free from everything.

Patience was the name of the game. Kids were screaming, parents were yelling at each other, and some adults even got angry with Cast Members as if it was somehow their fault that the park was so busy. CMs did their best, I will give them that. But whatever system was in place simply did not work. I don't know what was the source of the problem, as it could have been many things: not enough Cast Members present, people trying move around guests in the Hub who were staying still waiting for the next castle projection show to start, or just the abnormality of a rush of people heading out of the park after Wishes at the same time as a rush of people headed into the park for the remainder of the All-Nighter. Show schedules, staff rosters, traffic systems, or something needs to be fixed or many guests will end their magical day with a sour taste in their mouth, certainly something Disney doesn't want to happen.

Attendance in 2012

Alan Mize

Fresh on the heels of another ticket price increase at Walt Disney World, the Themed Entertainment Association released their 2012 attendance numbers.  Now, it’s worth saying up front that Disney does not disclose information about their attendance numbers for any of its theme parks, so these numbers are speculative.  However, this annual report is considered by most to be the best indicator of theme park attendance in the world.  Yet again, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is the most visited theme park in the world with just north of 17 million visitors in 2012.  Perhaps that is why the Magic Kingdom is now $5 more for a one day ticket than the other three Walt Disney World parks.  Placing in the six, seven, and eight slots overall are Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios respectively.

 I did find it interesting that all four parks grew in attendance by about 2.2% over their 2011 numbers.  The easy comparison to search for here is that Islands of Adventure drew a 4% increase over their previous attendance number.  One could argue that these numbers show that people are spending more time at Universal than they are at Disney.  On the other hand though, both Universal parks rank significantly lower than Disney parks in total attendance numbers, so I don’t think that Disney is suffering too much here.  I think people are still going to Disney as much as ever, but maybe they’re spending an extra day on vacation and heading over to Universal too.  The way I see it, Disney is still the big attraction in central Florida that the other parks are striving to be.  Universal is definitely doing what they can to gain some ground, but I don’t think they’re quite there yet.  I think the numbers support that the Disney World product is still considered to be the best thing offered to tourists in Florida and around the world.

Annual Ticket Increase

HYPERLINK "http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/01/a-pirates-adventure-treasures-of-the-seven-seas-to-debut-at-magic-kingdom-park-this-spring/"

Ryan P. Wilson (Main Street Gazette)

The 2013 ticket increases went into effect this week at Walt Disney World. It is always a tricky position to argue against or for the increases. On the one hand Walt Disney World, particularly the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, offers the best value for a theme park in central Florida. Then again, when looking at ticket prices and looking at either the cost of inflation or cost of living, the cost of a ticket doesn't seem to hold up.

I've seen several news reports on local news, that's right Walt Disney World ticket increases even make the news in North and South Carolina, and they've been a bit heavy handed on the side of this is an unreasonable increase. The news reports looked at a family of four with only a One-Day One-Park ticket. As always, the more days you play at Walt Disney World, the better the ticket value.

I think Walt Disney World has gotten itself into a vicious cycle and doesn't know how to get itself out. The Vacation Kingdom sees itself as king of the hill over local competitors Universal, Sea World, and Busch Gardens, and rightly so. Whenever the competition sees fit to raise its prices to a higher rate than Walt Disney World, Disney responds in kind.

When I can't make up my own mind about an issue at Walt Disney World, I often relate back to Walt Disney himself. In the case of Disneyland, and Walt Disney World by extension, he wished to create a place where children and families could go together that was clean and filled with well appointed stories. Part of that means it should be affordable for all families, not just the families who are doing well above average.

Straight From the Oven

When BoardWalk Bakery closed earlier this year to expand its storefront and its menu, no one was quite sure what to expect when it began receiving customers again. That is to say, would everyone’s favorite snacks and treats still be waiting in the display cases when the doors were flung open once more? Many of the time tested treats did find their way back on to the new menu, but they’ve been gussied up a bit. Take, for instance, the Cheesecake Brownie.

Originally the Cheesecake Brownie was a square hunk, the traditional form of a brownie, with some whipped cream and a decorative chocolate triangle on top. Now it is served in its own cardboard sleeve and is rectangular in shape. Gone is the whipped cream, but tiny crunchy bits have been sprinkled across the top that is also adorned with a chocolate leaf. It also has a thin coating of sparkly gelatin along the top, most likely to give it a little more pizzazz and to hold the decorations in place.

Does this new found flair for the dramatic change the flavor or texture of the Cheesecake Brownie? Not in the slightest. It still has a smooth and creamy top layer of cheesecake, and the bottom brownie layer or crust is dense and gooey with just a bit of a crunchy bottom where the brownie met the pan. It combines two of the richest desserts I know into a richness superhero, making even the smallest Cheesecake Brownie enough to do you in if you had any ideas of snacking away your afternoon.

I cannot think of a better metaphor for the BoardWalk Bakery’s transformation than the Cheesecake Brownie. After its refurbishment the brownie, like its bakery, has retained all of its crucial components and has only been made to shine a little brighter.

Calling Dick Tracy

“Calling Dick Tracy!” If you just started singing, chances are you have some vague memory of seeing Dick Tracy and the Diamond Double-Cross. If, however, your thoughts simply turned to the yellow-clad detective, then you’ve never had the joy of seeing this short lived stage production. While not a scene from the actual show, you can tell by the fact that they’re standing in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, Dick Tracy has corralled Big Boy Caprice and two of his henchmen, Flattop and Mumbles, for no doubt some sort of dastardly deed.

Dick Tracy and the Diamond Double-Cross was the in park attraction that tied to the Touchstone movie that was released in June of 1990. In fact, Disney was so certain that they had a hit on their hands, the Diamond Double-Cross production actually began running two weeks before the movie had its general release to theaters! It was shown in the Theater of the Stars in the theater’s original location on Hollywood Boulevard near The Brown Derby, the theater would later move down towards the end of Sunset Boulevard. The production ran for less than a year, beginning in May of 1990 and ending in February of 1991, just after the initial VHS release of the Dick Tracy Film.

As the tale of Dick Tracy and the Diamond Double-Cross goes, the Balonian Diamond, a rock that’s as big as your head, is stolen while on display in a tamper-proof case. Big Boy had planned to steal the diamond for Breathless Mahoney, but after the heist no one is quite sure who has the diamond. Dick Tracy is on the case and, after a chase sequence that makes the most out of every part of the stage and scenery, he is able to pinpoint the real criminal masterminds and return the diamond to the Balonian royalty!

The 28 minute stage show made use of the same bold color palate and two dimensional set pieces that were utilized for the feature film. While “Calling Dick Tracy” was the main musical number, written by Tom Child and Don Harper, the Diamond Double-Cross made extensive use of the Dick Tracy soundtrack as well. “Back in Business,” “More,” and “Sooner or Later,” were all belted out at some point during the production.

Dick Tracy and the Diamond Double-Cross enjoyed the same mass appeal that its namesake movie garnered, which is to say it seemed to miss the mark with audiences somewhere. That being said, both have gone on to enjoy a cult status and seem to only become more beloved with each passing year. So, put on your wrist-watch communicators, it’s time to pay a visit to the Club Ritz!

Golden Sun

Often times when we think of the magical times of day at Walt Disney World we think about the lighting on Cinderella Castle at night or the neon of Hollywood Boulevard. Generally we look straight to the parks for inspiration and find it after the moon has risen and the lamppost have flickered on. However, there are other places and times to look to. Specifically, the resorts at sunset.

Some of us, and I am including myself in this group, look at the resorts we call home for our various stays as no more than places to shower and catch a few winks before heading out on another adventure. Then there are others who see the resorts as the destination and the parks as the diversion, and they tend to linger by the pool all day. When speaking about planning your day, particularly for families with children, we often spout the standard line about taking advantage of the pool in the high heat of the afternoon for rest and relaxation. This advice will, more often than not, will have families leaving just as the sun is setting on Walt Disney World.

Just as the parks truly shine at night, the magical time for the resorts is at sunset. The long shadows and the bright flares of sun against the eaves and trees of the resorts make the colors and angles of the architecture pop. Add in the fact that so often the resorts have water on its borders or running throughout the guest quarters, water that can look as if it is on fire when the sun catches it right, and you have all the makings of incredible views when you take the time to stop and look. Not to mention, as the sun sets the temperatures begin to cool down, giving guests the perfect atmosphere with which to explore the resorts.

Resorts are often touted for their well-appointed rooms, scrumptious food, and elaborate pools. We swoon over the execution of carefully executed themes, but how often do we really take the time to study these resorts in all the hours of the day? Florida has always been home to some of the most amazing sunsets anywhere, but how often do we stop to admire the beauty that comes with the sunset, even when we’re on vacation?

Disney This Week - 2 June 2013

This Week – On the Main Street Gazette

Are Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival and International Food and Wine Festival becoming synonymous with one another? Let's talk about the similarities and distinctions between Epcot's festivals.

Pleasure Island in its heyday, that is all.

Ever taken the time to explore the menu at the Grand Floridian Cafe? No, well you don't know what you're missing!

The World News Roundtable offered some great perspective on the upgrades to 24 hours events in the Magic Kingdom, Wilderness Explorers coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom, Sherman and Menken performing a concert together, and the opening of L'Artisan des Glaces.

Anyone up for a game dejarik? One word of advice on strategy, let the Wookiee win!

Silent Saturday found a terrifying billboard for Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.

This Week – Around the Disney Blogosphere

FoxxFur continued her wonderful musical retrospective with Part II of The Music of the Country Bear Jamboree at Passport to Dreams Old and New.

A return to Crystal Palace after almost ten years is the plan for Estelle Hallick and This Happy Place Blog.

AJ Wolfe weighs in on France’s Ice Cream Martini for The Disney Food Blog.

Lunch at Be Our Guest is on the menu at Disney On Wheels for Melissa Knight Coulter.

Nicole Siscaretti also tries to sway you to try Be Our Guest for lunch on Sparkly Ever After.

George Taylor knows the way to my heart, and the way to my heart at Imaginerding is vintage postcards from Main Street, U.S.A.

Eating (and Drinking) around the World and Andy Jackson dish on the Turkey Leg phenomenon.

Richard Tobin finds a hidden Knick Knack in Cars Land for Mouse Troop.

Eating WDW pulls up a stool for Sarah Holodick at Dawa Bar.

Jeff Heimbuch journeys back to Disneyland’s Skyway with Cast Member Jeff in From the Mouth of the Mouse.

This Week – The Gazette Out and About

Don't forget to stop by the Main Street Gazette's Twitter page on Tuesday night at 8:00pm EST for Disney Post-It!

Come out and play our June #disaday photo challenge on Instagram or Twitter!

We've added a dozen new, yet old, photographs to our Walt Disney World Press Photos album.

Silent Saturday - Sci-Fi Dine-In Billboard (September 2007)