Disneyland General
Topic: Eisner Friend or Foe to the Park

#	Author	Message
81	dshyates Thu 5/1/2008 7:59a	"I am so good at derailing topics. Hahahaha." What was the topic again? Sorry, Dave and I were chatting. Oh yeah, Eisner. Right. He approved DAK, which I feel is a little slight. There, thats about the point we went off on the major tangent. Now instead of going in the dak direction I will lead with some Eisner centric topic that is sure to keep it on track. OK And he approved DCA and WSP. And I think they are the greatest development in theme park development since Walt invented the theme park. HKDL would be in there had they not wasted all that money on needless themeing. *The above paragraph is a joke and in no way reflects the views of the poster or views the site its posted on.
82	davewasbaloo Thu 5/1/2008 8:09a	Lol dshyates! I will actually defend WDSP. They had to build something or lose the land. They had no money. What opened at WDSP was actually more enjoyable attractions wise than MGM in the main. So, I am a supporter of that park. DCA - well, I like the premise, but agree it could have been better. I wish the recession in the early 90's had not had such a huge affect on EuroDisney's performance, because I think we would have seen even more creativity. It's opening were both the zenith and nadir for Disney.
83	dshyates Thu 5/1/2008 8:20a	I do agree that had Eisner retired in the late nineties his legacy would be much different. But after that he did sell off $500 mil of stock options, and changed the Disney business model to a 180 degree switch from the Walt plan. Cheaper in quality offerings across the board (Walt: "Quality will out"). Teamed with supersaturation marketing (Walt: "Leave them wanting more"). And I believe him dumping his stock showed his confidence in his plan. And I can't tell you how pleased I am with it also. It leaves us with peeling screen print Ts, mad mice, and being Disneyed out just trying to shop at walmart. Not to mention the required Disney character every 17.4 feet in the parks including through IASW. The consultanteers have determined that that is the minimum distance for the average guest to get the full commercial impact. Now customers who visit more than average may find it to be a titch to much characterization.
84	davewasbaloo Thu 5/1/2008 8:23a	Indeed dsyates, I am with you there. That is why I think 1993 really is the watershed (maybe a bit later as DAK is a cool park)
85	trekkeruss Thu 5/1/2008 8:29a	As a whole, DCA is a disappointment, but it does have flashes of brilliance, even if sometimes they weren't fully developed. Despite a low-budget queue, Soarin' is easily one of Disney's most popular attractions. The shows at the Hyperion have been excellent (except for the first one; I can't comment on Steps In Time or whatever it was called; I never saw it.) The Animation building is well done. BUT... even though DCA is rather weak, the expansion of the resort as a whole was definitely a plus. DtD and the GCH are fantastic additions. Even all the infrastrastucture and landscaping in and around resort are plusses. So taken as a whole, it's been a plus, not a minus.
86	davewasbaloo Thu 5/1/2008 8:55a	Agreed Russ. I would also add that Grizzly Peak is some of Disney's best work too.
87	dshyates Thu 5/1/2008 9:02a	"the expansion of the resort as a whole was definitely a plus. DtD and the GCH are fantastic additions. Even all the infrastrastucture and landscaping in and around resort are plusses. So taken as a whole, it's been a plus, not a minus." And I will agree with this wholeheartedly. The resort expansion with the exception of DCA itself was really well done. And some of the upgrade plans will take care of a lot of my problems with DCA. I really think the entrance redo will really help the ambiance of the park as a whole. And I love Soarin'. But I like the WDW version as the theme while shallower than DCA is clear. It is a fantastic travelogue. It is muddled thematically in DCA. And I agree that there are moments of brilliance throughout DCA. But DCA also is a shining example in many places throughout the park of the direction that I feel is wrong for a Disney Destination Resort.
88	RoadTrip Thu 5/1/2008 9:29a	Like Dave we spend considerable time at WDW. We always go there at least 7 days a year, and most years it is somewhere between 15 and 20. I admit that we see the parks far differently than you do. We always buy annual passes because then we don't feel we need to "get our money's worth". Some days the only time we spend in the parks is a couple of hours at Epcot to have a glass of wine and watch Illuminations. But back to the AK. Yes, we can spend an hour looking at just one small portion of an animal attraction. Not every one all the time, but you never know what you are going to see. That is what I love about the AK. Every time you go there you see something completely different than what you've seen before. We spent at least an hour watching the Gorillas one time. There were five or six of them interacting on the grassy hill just past the glassed in portion of the gorilla exhibit. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen at WDW. The 'child' gorillas would kind of sneak up on the adults, swat at them and then run away. The adults would put up with this for so long until they would finally swat back... not hard enough to hurt the young one, but hard enough to tell them to cut it out. Which they would. For about five minutes. Then the kids would start sneaking up on the oldsters and start the whole thing over again. It was also great fun watching the kids play with each other. They would chase each other around, take turns climbing up on a big rock, rolling around on the grass, and just generally interacting in such a 'human' way that it was amazing. Do the gorillas always give us such a great show? No they don't. But every visit if you take the time to watch at all of the various animal sites you will be rewarded with what I consider some of the most entertaining stuff at WDW. Have you ever taken the Discovery Island trails that head down towards the river and the base of the Tree of Life? It is an absolutely amazing area. Beautiful flowers, small waterfalls, and a fantastic view of the tree that you don't get anywhere else in the park. Have you ever been there? I kind of doubt it. We meet very few people when we are there, which is one of its joys. You are surrounded by this gorgeous, lush landscape and feel almost alone... as if you were far away from the crowds and general craziness of a Disney park. And of course there is the Capybara. Have you ever seen the Capybara? It is totally amazing. It is the world's largest rodent. It looks like a 100 pound rat. The first time I saw it I truly laughed out loud... for quite a while. I doubt many people have ever seen it when visiting the AK. http://montaraventures.com/pix...bara.jpg (Photo not from the AK... I just wanted to show the size.) So yes, we spend hours looking at certain portions of the animal exhibit. Heck, I've even spent almost an hour at dusk sitting on the circular bench in Harambe, looking across at the old Baobab tree. The streetlights come on with their gentle glow and at my back the Tree of Life is bathed in violet light. Very few people are in that portion of the park. It is close to closing and everyone is headed for the exit. But like Epcot, no one is going to give you grief if you are in the park up to an hour after closing. I enjoy the peacefulness and the "I'm not in Florida anymore" feeling that the AK provides better than any other Disney park. After a while it is time to head for the exit. I take the bridge across to Discovery Island and enjoy the colors and carvings on the building and the ladybug streetlights. It is truly the finest time of the day at the Animal Kingdom. By the way... they ARE keeping the AK open past dark occasionally now. They just close the animal areas but leave the other attractions running. Oh... I also loved the Tarzan show. I liked it much more than the new Nemo show.
89	dshyates Thu 5/1/2008 9:48a	As far as the animals giving a great show, I think that has a great deal to do with what time of year you are there. We always go in August. Because I have to go when the kids are out of school because of visitation issues. And All the summer months are hot, so the deciding factor for us is August is the least crowded of the summer months. Unfortunately during August the animals as a whole are sleeping in the shade or an AC vent. Fortunately they put the vents where you can at least see the sleeping animal. And as far as just chillin'. Since DAK seems to have the most oppressive heat problem we don't tend to sit and swelter outside. I also wish they had some sort of transportation system. That is why I suggested a high tech ACed skyway that could circle the park. And it is good to hear that they are keeping the park open into the night sometimes. A never understood why they didn't do this before.
90	dshyates Thu 5/1/2008 9:50a	"And as far as just chillin'. Since DAK seems to have the most oppressive heat problem we don't tend to sit and swelter outside." To go one step further, while sitting and waiting for the parade to start I was afraid I was going to burst into flames.

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