Mouse Extra

News hit the internet yesterday that the Disney Cruise Line will in fact permanently move its ship the Disney Wonder to Los Angeles.  The change will come in 2011, the year the first of Disney’s new ships will take to the seas.  Check out the article in the Los Angeles Times.

In the face of slumping travel and tourism spending, Disney Cruise Lines and Los Angeles city officials announced plans Monday to base a Disney cruise ship in the Port of Los Angeles beginning in 2011, which could create an estimated 2,600 jobs in the region.

The 964-foot-long Disney Wonder, currently based in Port Canaveral, Fla., will move to San Pedro to make room for two new cruise ships that will begin operating out of Florida in 2011 and 2012.

The fact that it will be Los Angeles should come as no surprise to anyone.  In the last few weeks, there was some talk Disney was considering San Diego for their ship’s home base.  But it always seemed like nothing more than a move to gain some leverage over Los Angeles in negotiations.

News on the repositioning of the Disney Cruise Line and the mission these ships will be given has been trickling out at a bit faster rate over the past few weeks.  What we don’t know about the Disney Wonder is where it will go.  The report says the Mexican Rivera is a likely destination, but will the mission also include summer itineraries to the coast of Alaska?  Or perhaps a trip out to Disney’s soon-to-be-built resort on Hawaii’s island of Oahu?  Time will tell.

The Disney Gossip blog is back with an interesting little tidbit that may be coming to Future World at Epcot.  The Land pavilion may continue its evolution with a change to one of its less populated corners.

… The folks behind the DisneyNature label at Walt Disney Studios are chomping at the bit to get a 12-minute version of their “EARTH” film into the current ‘Circle of Life’ theater. This would probably kick Simba, Timon, and Pumba to the curb, since I don’t see Disney paying for new animation required to match the themes together in this current austerity program. With EARTH opening nationwide on Earth Day April 22 it might be time to go see “Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable” one more time.

Now, the idea of a 12 minute commercial is not exactly my favorite, but I have no problem with this particular project.  Disneynature is to me one of the best ideas the Walt Disney Company has had in a long time.  These films being produced by Disneynature may not be the next blockbusters, and they may not raise stock values, but that’s exactly what I like about it.  This is an arm of the Disney Company that seems to be centered on the idea of bringing back to life Walt’s vision from his True Life Adventure series.  And what could be bad about that?

Check out the Disneynature website and see what the future holds for this division.  I would like to see this area of The Land used as a permanent vehicle to spread the word on these films.  As a new one comes to release, a new 12 minute commercial should go up.

I was very excited about the idea of D23, Disney’s new official “fan club”, when I first heard of the concept.  I was one who made sure on March 10 to check the website first thing in the morning.  But my excitement has certainly deflated into disappointment and now I think I will pass on D23 at least for the time being.

I know this topic has been burning up discussion forums and blogs throughout the Disney internet community.  I heard all sorts of things in support of D23 and those who are very, very critical of it.  I must admit that didn’t like it at first glance, as I thought the pricing just didn’t make any sense at all.  But I reserved judgment and waited to hear more.

For those on the fence, I would really suggest you listen to Mouse Guest Weekly’s March 15 episode.  (Click here for the show archives.)  Eric and his team interviewed three of Disney’s people who were directly involved in the making of D23, including Dave Smith of the Disney Archives.  It was a great interview and these folks are fascinating people, but it did nothing to convince me to join.  However, it may convince you so take a listen.

What you will learn is that D23, for $75 plus tax, gives you four magazines, a special gift lithograph, a membership certificate and card, the ability to purchase member-exclusive collectibles, and the chance to save on entrance to what sounds like a fascinating expo in Anaheim this year.  Plus they claim to have plans for more events but didn’t want to give any hint as to what they are or when and where they will take place.  The tone made it sound like they are some ways off yet.  Now, I can’t attend that expo.  It is only a few months away and I already have my vacation plans for this year, so that is worthless to me and I would imagine to many others as well.  These “upcoming events” they mentioned can’t be factored into my decision to buy in because they can’t be qualified at all.  Also, the certificate and card are essentially throw-aways in my book, and expensive collectibles are not in my budget and you don’t need to be a D23 member to find great Disney collectibles of which there certainly is no shortage available.  So that leaves me with $75 plus tax for a quarterly magazine and a lithograph.

Perhaps I too often think of things in a cynical way, but during the interview it was noted that the Disney 23 Magazine, which is truly the centerpiece of this program, was selling on the newsstand for $15.95.  The Disney folks said there were no advertisements as they wanted a “seamless experience” or some other silly phrase like that.  So what that essentially means, when compared to other non-seamless magazine experiences is that we the reader get to shoulder the entire cost of production and profit.   It is apparently a gorgeous piece, but for $16 bucks it better be.  But the real issue here is that you get absolutely no discount by subscribing!  In fact, you pay more.

But what bothers me the most is when people complain about D23 and get the standard and completely inane response from fans of “well if you don’t like it then don’t join!”  How ridiculous can that be?  That’s the entire frustration!  Of course we won’t join, but we all REALLY wanted to.  We wanted a great club.  We wanted something that presented a value for our dollars spent.  And what we got is $75 for 4 magazines and a lithograph!  (Oh, and the chance to spend a small fortune on flying to Anaheim for an expo or buying exclusive collectibles.)

I respect those who have decided to join D23.  But I wonder if when you heard the details was your first reaction really complete satisfaction and excitement?  Or did you have to do some internal convincing?  The possibility remains that D23 will grow into something really great.  Perhaps in the coming months we will hear about great member programs at Walt Disney World, or even in other cities throughout the country that will make it worthwhile to be a member.  But until that time comes, unless you live in the greater Anaheim area or are a collector with loads of cash, I can not suggest paying for D23.

I wanted to make you aware of Tuesday’s updates to the Orlando Sentinel’s Theme Park Rangers blog.  There are a couple of stories that deserve mention.

First is this story about Disney World’s most glaring recent screw-up, the limited show times for Fantasmic!  and the new way we must all view the accompanying dinner package.

Previously (years ago), we had walked in a separate entrance, and we only needed to be there a half hour early. One of the reasons we had done the dinner package was to cut down our wait time; we were with two small children who by that time of night can’t keep up their good spirits with an hourlong wait. So that was disappointing. However, we heard others on the way out saying they had gotten there 90 minutes early, so we did cut some wait time. Still, it’s good to know that even if you buy the dinner package, there will be a fairly substantial wait involved.

We talked about this on Mouse Extra a couple of months ago, and quite frankly the author here has gone easy on Disney for this awful decision.  I want to join Matt Hochberg of Studios Central in calling for everyone to write in or better yet if you are at the parks stop into Guest Services and express your anger and disappointment with Disney officials for limiting Fantasmic!  This is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular shows and they have turned it into a logistical disaster for paying customers who deserve better.

As for the other story, we get a look at the new Characters in Flight hot air balloon taking to the skies over at Downtown Disney.  While I am not at all a big fan of the name they chose, I do think the graphics on the balloon are rather nice.

I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but Character Breakfasts at Walt Disney World are simply not my thing.  I don’t have kids and I find trying to eat alongside someone in a big fuzzy mouse suit to be a bit…uncomfortable.  But I do, on occasion, travel with my niece and nephew to Disney World.  They are 4 and 7 years old and, as you can imagine, LOVE the whole Character Breakfast concept.

So despite my lukewarm attitude, I have been to nearly all of the various options around the Mouse.  But I had never been to ‘Ohana’s breakfast at the Polynesian Resort until our last trip.  Needless to say, I was stunned at how much I enjoyed it.  From the food to the fun, this is a truly great experience.

The food is served family style, and it is very, very good.  The juice is out of this world and the sausage is some of the best you will have on property.  They also serve island-style potatoes that my wife absolutely loved as well as some standard breakfast fare.  Everything we had was fresh, hot, and hit the spot before a long day of hiking the Magic Kingdom.

But what surprised, me the most was the fun everyone was having with the characters.  In attendance was Lilo, Stitch, Mickey Mouse, and a very hungry Pluto.  In many other Character Breakfasts you get a character that comes over, waves, and poses for a picture and then moves along.  But here, our little ones were excited with a long visit from Mickey and surprised by a tickling Stitch.  That little blue whatever-you-call-it also had a little fun with the adults. 

So if you like a delicious breakfast and you enjoy characters and people having a good time, try ‘Ohana’s character breakfast at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.  Even old curmudgeons like me will enjoy it.  I never thought I would be excited about returning to have a Character Breakfast, but this will be one I will attend as much as possible.

Yesterday’s Orlando Sentinel had some great news for Disney and travelers heading to the Mouse’s Florida parks.  According to Jason Garcia, Disney has extended its deal with the Orlando International Airport that would keep Disney’s Magical Express in operation for years to come.

The new deal allows Disney’s bus service to continue until 2016, with an option for Disney to extend the agreement until 2021.  That’s good news for us travelers, but the good news for Disney is that they negotiated a great deal for themselves.

Under the terms of the deal, the airport agreed not to raise the 75-cent-a-passenger fee it charges the resort for Disney’s Magical Express. The previous contract would have allowed the airport to raise the fee to as much as $1.50 a passenger under certain circumstances.

Getting an agreement to not raise the price of anything is a good deal on almost every level.  Should this fee have risen, it would have signaled the Airports desire to end to the deal which Disney surely would have done had the fee doubled.  But Magical Express has its benefits to everyone.

Because Disney’s Magical Express luggage is processed in a remote hangar at the airport, the service diverts thousands of bags every day away from OIA’s main luggage-sorting systems and claim areas. That eases pressure on the airport to spend money expanding its baggage facilities, Fuqua said.

So despite the controversial aspects of this deal when it was originated, the Magical Express appears to now be good for everyone directly involved.  We get a free ride from the airport, Disney gets to lock me into their bubble for the length of my stay, and the airport gets to cut expansion costs.