Mouse Extra

This morning the Disney Gossip blog reported a slew of great rumors about Walt Disney World.  Check out the posting here.  It seems like the rumor of an ever expanding Pixar influence at Disney’s Hollywood Studios seems to keep on going.

Rumors continue to swirl about plans for a Monster’s Inc roller coaster being added to Pixar Place in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As I reported before, the continued success of Pixar’s films make it more and more likely that a huge swath of DHS will eventually become Pixar themed. The area will start with the new entrance to Pixar Place and Toy Story Midway Mania and stretch all the way down to the Streets of America (The Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground will be rethemed). It will then take over what is now the backlot tour with a couple of attractions, including the Cars racers if that is a hit in California Adventure.

A “huge swath of DHS”?  This seems like a purist’s nightmare becoming reality.  But in my humble opinion, this sounds terrific.  If they add two more e-tickets to the Studios Park, and the plans for these both sound good, it will really make a positive impact on that park. 

But that’s not all.  The drooling continues…

A similar expansion of Star Wars themed attractions will occur if the new Clone Wars film is a hit. Star Tours 2.0 is on the way regardless.

All I can say is “GO SEE THE CLONE WARS!!!  PLEASE!!!!”

If both of these rumors become reality, I will be the first person sending my whole-hearted apology to Disney for cutting back on Fantasmic.  I’ll live with two nights of Fantasmic in exchange for multiple new e-tickets and more Star Wars.  Would you?

For the last half of July, I was in Maine relaxing along the beautiful rocky shoreline and staying as far away as I could from phones and email.  Needless to say I was a bit out of touch with what was going on in the world of the Mouse.  That’s why I was so puzzled and unable to answer a question my father gave me while on vacation.  He was booking dining arrangements for a trip to Walt Disney World in January of 2009 and was unable to get a Fantasmic Dinner Package reservation.

“They said they didn’t know which nights the show was taking place yet”, he asked.  “Doesn’t it take place every night?”

What a strange question, I thought to myself.  Why wouldn’t they know that?  Yes, it does take place every night, doesn’t it??  Well, not anymore and as a result Disney has finally pushed my buttons to the point of anger.

As I am sure most of you have heard by now, Disney World officials have decide that starting this January Fantasmic will only be shown twice a week, during what we assume is the “down times”.  This is, we can only conclude, a cost cutting measure since the show certainly does not suffer from a lack of popularity.  If it were for any other reason, like maintenance or logistics, Disney would come out and say that and not anger scores of fans.  I am normally sympathetic to these types of measures, but there are three things about this particular decision that really bother me.

First, what is it really all about?  I understand that the country is in an economic downturn, but doesn’t Disney have to be in the same type of downturn to make such drastic measures?  According to the Orlando Sentinel last week, Disney is doing just fine and so are the parks.

The parks-and-resorts division, which includes Walt Disney World, reported a 5 percent increase in revenue, to $3.04 billion, compared with the third quarter of 2007. The division’s net operating income was $641 million, up 3 percent from a year earlier.

…Staggs said that hotel-room bookings at Disney World and Disneyland are holding steady during the current financial quarter when compared with last year — and are running ahead of last year’s pace for the following quarter, which includes the busy Christmas season.

Those encouraging hotel trends are not being driven by discount rates, he said. “Those are solid bookings, and we feel good about where we stand,” Staggs said.

It doesn’t sound like the time to circle the wagons to me.  Yes, things like oil and food cost more this year than last, but that is why they have raised ticket prices and food prices.  No, this seems to be much more about greed than economic desperation.

Second, wasn’t there anything else they could have done?  Isn’t there another less popular show they could have chopped, maybe one fewer showing of Lights, Motors, Action or Beauty and the Beast?  I know we don’t want to see any options taken away, but at least those have multiple showings and someone coming to the Studios can make plans to see it even with fewer opportunities.  Fantasmic is the park’s most popular show and now you better be lucky enough to get in to see it on these two days or you’re out of luck.  Really, how could they cut one of Disney World’s most popular attractions?  (The more I say it, the more it bugs me!)

And finally, I can’t help but wonder what is next.  If Disney can make a cut like this when company profits are up and park attendance steady or increasing, then what will they do if the economy really does start to keep people from vacationing at Walt Disney World.  Will the day soon come when if you want to see a fireworks/nighttime show you have to be at the one park that offers it on the night you are there?  Will e-ticket attractions only be open certain hours of the day?

Here is a story from late last week that I did not want to let go by without a comment or two.  It is from Scott Powers on the Orlando Sentinel’s “Tourism Central Florida” blog, and it offers up some commentary as well as an image of concept art for the upcoming rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort that will soon be re-themed to a Pirates motif.  What do you think?

A couple of weeks ago I commented on the designs for some other rooms at the Caribbean Beach that are being re-themed to “Finding Nemo”.  And I hated it, in no uncertain terms.  But this I kind of like.  It is certainly different, and no doubt over-the-top, but in a good way.  But I would want to stay here, and I think kids would as well.

So what is the difference, you ask?  You see, there actually were pirates romping around through the Caribbean.  It is engrained within the history and lure of that part of the country that this resort is looking to emulate.  And to boot, the motion picture that these rooms are theme to also actually took place in the Caribbean.  Novel concept, don’t you think?  Nemo however, despite the poor aesthetics of the room concepts, has absolutely nothing to do with the Caribbean, zippo!

Well here we are again.  We have arrived at that annual event when Disney blogs and message boards light up with complaints over a recent rise in ticket prices.  Yes, as reported over the weekend by the Orlando Sentinel and others, you will be paying more for your ticket starting this week.

Disney announced increased ticket prices Friday afternoon that push the cost up 5.6 percent to $75 for the basic one-park, one-day ticket for adults and children 10 or older. The old price, $71, is still in effect today. The price of a basic ticket for children ages 3 to 9 will rise Sunday to $63, up 5 percent from $60.

Disney also raised the price of its “Magic Your Way” multiday-ticket packages, by 3 percent to 8 percent. The top deal, a 10-day adult Magic Your Way ticket, now costs $237, or $23.70 a day, up 5.3 percent. The Park Hopper add-on, which allows ticket holders to move among any of Disney’s parks, will cost $50 for up to 10 days, a $5 increase. The Water Park Fun & More add-on option remains $50.

We all know the economy is suffering right now.  Many things, not just fuel, cost more than they did last year and Disney is going to pass that cost along to its customers.  Until people stop going to Walt Disney World, the prices will keep going up.  This now appears to be as inevitable as death and taxes

We have also seen many other cost-cutting measures recently, most notably the fact that Fantasmic will only be shown twice per week starting in January.  This is where things get upsetting.  I don’t mind paying a bit more, but it does bug me when I get less in return.  And I will be willing to bet you that when the economy turns around, Fantasmic won’t go back to a daily schedule.  Remember when we heard that cuts in operating hours were a response to post-9/11 drop in attendance?  I am still waiting for those hours to increase back to what they were…

I would also like to thank all of you for your patience these last couple of weeks with the lack of postings on Mouse Extra.  We all took some much needed “r and r”.  Keep checking back this week as we get caught up.