Mouse Extra

It is time for me to vent a bit.  There was only one thing in my recent 10 day trip to Walt Disney World that truly made me mad.  It happened last Monday when we all planned on going to the Animal Kingdom for “rope drop”.

The night before, I saw in my hotel that the Animal Kingdom was going to have an early Extra Magic Hour the next day.  So in response, we decided to go to that park and take advantage of the extra time to get on the “e-tickets” that tend to get crowded very quickly over there.  So I got my entire family out of bed before 7am, and they were not all thrilled about that to say the least, and headed over to the park.

We got there a few minutes after 8am, and as we walked towards the gate and through the bag check I noticed a significant line at the turnstile.  It seemed strange to me to even have a line, but what was even stranger was that as we got closer I noticed it wasn’t moving at all.  What could be happening?  There was a good crowd of people so we clearly weren’t the only ones coming for Extra Magic Hours.

Soon I realized the park was not yet open.  What was going on here?  It was only maybe five minutes after 8am.  All these people could not be here this early unless they also knew about the Extra Magic Hours.  I looked around for a cast member and noticed a man swamped with people and questions.  I made my way over and eavesdropped on his conversation with other guests.

He was apologizing and telling his angry customers that management had no idea it was supposed to be and Extra Magic Hour this morning.   Their schedules didn’t say this, and he didn’t know what to tell us.  All he could say was that management knew now of the problem and expectations.  SO I assumed they were scrambling to open as soon as possible.

But the hour crept by and crowds grew larger and larger.  At about 8:40 we were let threw the turnstiles only to wait the remaining twenty minutes in front of the Tree of Life.  Instead of an Extra Magic Hour of small lines and low crowds, we faced a completely packed park filled with ornery guests.  Disney did nothing to rectify the situation or even offer and apology of some sorts.  Only that one poor cast member swamped with angry resort guests ever offered a simple “sorry”.

What could they have done?  Perhaps nothing, but why did this happen?  How could such a terrible mistake be made?  Has this ever happened to you?

Thanks to all of our readers for being patient over the last two weeks.  The entire staff was on an extended stay at Walt Disney World and we only just got back late last night.  It was ludicrously hot, terrifically fun and it absolutely stinks to be home.  When the folks at the Boardwalk say “welcome home” I tend to take it a bit too seriously…

But the good news is that we have loads of new photos, stories, and reviews to send your way so check back often during the coming days as we try and cram it all in.  We hit some new restaurants to review and even some new attractions.

Later today I promise to have a full report from this weekend’s Toy Story Mania passholder and DVC member preview.  I have loads of photos from inside the new Pixar Studios area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to download off my camera so give me some time to get that done and check back with us later.

The Disney internet community is filled to the brim today with tributes and kind words for Disney’s Animal Kingdom on this its tenth anniversary.  Blogs, podcasts, and websites are turning their attention to Disney World’s fourth gate which up to now has largely gone unappreciated, ignored and often downright maligned.  And I do expect the usual suspects to issue some snarky and thinly veiled jabs on this anniversary.

It is certainly true that the Animal Kingdom opened as something much less than many had hoped.  We all heard rumors for years leading up to its opening of things like a mind-blowing dragon rollercoaster, but they were not there when the rope dropped.  Instead we had only a few attractions and lots of promises for the future.  I can not argue with the feeling that DAK opened as something less than it should have.

But where I disagree with the DAK-haters is in how things have progressed since then.   Even when I first entered the park back in 1999, I liked what I saw.  The feeling and atmosphere was perfectly presented.  I was blown away by the authenticity of the Africa section and I couldn’t take my eyes off the Tree of Life.  Not to mention that Kilimanjaro Safaris was perhaps the most exciting new attraction I had seen at Walt Disney World since the opening of Epcot Center.  Unlike the somewhat neutral feeling I had when the Disney-MGM Studios first opened, DAK hit a chord with me.  The potential was there.

Then the additions began to trickle in, and I became hooked.  The Festival of the Lion King is Walt Disney World’s best live show and I can stay for hours in the Maharajah Jungle Trek watching tigers romp around.   But it was Expedition Everest that put this park over-the-top for me.  It is an experience that is nothing short of amazing, combining everything that separates Walt Disney Imagineering from the rest of the theme park world.

These last ten years have certainly not been disappointment free.  But what we are starting to see is a park that can really be incredible.  Sure it needs something for the after dark hours and perhaps another e-ticket or a new land to make it even better.  But Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as it currently exists, is worth the trip.  It has incredible live shows, terrific thrill rides, and beautifully presented wildlife.  “Jambo Everyone!”

We will continue our tribute to this great park, and to help mark Earth Week, with a special article each day on one of the great animal species found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Check back tomorrow for a look at DAK’s most celebrated four-legged star, the African Elephant.

We generally don’t discuss Disneyland that much on Mouse Extra as much as we should.  And I certainly try not to discuss the Re-Imagineering blog, whether we agree with it or not, as it clearly has a one-sided agenda.  But they posted a letter yesterday from Kevin Blair, the son of Imagineering legend Mary Blair, lambasting rumors of changes to It’s A Small World.  It has become the talk of the Disney internet community and I just couldn’t help but comment on it.

I would suggest you read the entire letter, but the part that is making the most waves deals with a rumor that WDI may insert Disney characters and remove the rainforest sequence while adding a patriotic tribute to America.

My Mother and I have always had a strong sense of patriotism for America and I DO support a tribute to America. Disneyland has several venues, which are perfect places for this tribute including “Main Street USA” or “New Orleans Square”; unfortunately the “It’s a Small World” ride is NOT one of them. Once again this will marginalize the children of the world theme and bastardize my Mother’s original art. Furthermore ripping out a rainforest (Imaginary or otherwise) and replacing it with misplaced patriotism is a public relations blunder so big you could run a Monorail through it.

First, we obviously have some political overtones in this statement with regards to the rainforest area.  Saying it will be a public relations blunder is assuming that folks will see some symbolism into the change that reflects upon certain conservation issues.  That may be the case for some, but I am not so sure that the majority of guests are going to walk away from the ride thinking Imagineers are a bunch of planet killers.  Disney actually does a lot for conservation, especially at the Animal Kingdom, and I don’t think their efforts in saving the real rainforest are going to be trumped because they dismantled a cardboard one.

The other thing that truly drives me nuts is this “misplaced patriotism” statement.  I’m sorry, but has Kevin Blair seen these plans?  I don’t believe he has, so how can he possibly judge it as misplaced?  It may very well turn out to be terrific and fit in perfectly.

No, the issue here is not misplaced patriotism or saving the rainforest.  It’s about purism.  These other issues are simply rationalizations for saving the classic ride from a major refurbishment regardless of whether or not the changes are for the better.  Here is the next paragraph.

As a former WED employee I am saddened to realize the degradation of the company’s talent and focus and the subsequent decline at the Disneyland Park itself. I cannot believe someone from WDI was paid to come up with such an idiotic plan as this.

An idiotic plan?  How do you know it even is a plan?  Has WDI announced something?  No, they have not.  These conclusions have been reached on a completely conceptual basis and are not rooted in hard information.  It’s an internet rumor!  Is that truly enough to slam WDI like this?

I can’t help but be reminded of my favorite Diane Disney-Miller quote…

“…with the park, it’s something you could change, something that can grow.  But the people who really love it won’t let them change any of the old attractions.  I don’t think he ever thought that would happen.”

I understand the children of Mrs. Blair want her terrific creations to endure forever, but that is simply not the Disney way.  For better or for worse, Walt wanted time to march on inside the park.  I know this may not be a popular notion among Disney purists, but it is what it is. 

Anyone who has taken the Magical Express and stayed at a non-deluxe resort knows exactly how much room for improvement there is in Disney World’s bus system.  We have all waited in the afternoon for what seems like over a half an hour, with screaming and sun exhausted kids, in the blistering heat for a bus to take us back to the resort for nap or a swim.  We have all seen buses for other resorts come by two or three times while we wait impatiently for ours.  And forget trying to connect to anywhere!

Well, perhaps those days are behind us to some extent.  We have all heard about improvements coming to the buses, but earlier this week the Touring Plans website reported some really positive news…

After extensive delays, the Disney bus system upgrades have finally implemented the functional features then merely the aesthetic uses. Driver have begun being dispatched over the radio according to the computer monitoring system and will soon begin receiving the same data by the in-cabin computer read outs. Guests should see a noticeable reduction in wait times at bus stops soon.

Will there be a truly noticeable difference in wait times?  Only time will tell on that, but we can not under state the importance of this.  Disney World has built a wonderfully expansive complex with scores of things to do and places to eat.  Those who choose, by Disney’s own suggestion, to not rent a vehicle and take their transportation often find much of Disney World out of reach.  They need to close that gap and open great resort restaurants to people who otherwise wouldn’t bother.

I am sure you have all read and heard in recent weeks about the upcoming reopening of Disney’s Treehouse Villas.  According to the Orlando Sentinel earlier this week, the project has definitely been given the green light but many folks are still wondering how exactly they will be offered to the public, as Disney has been very short on details…

Disney officials haven’t made much of the villas for years, and even now they aren’t willing to discuss their plans in any detail. The company sought and received permission from the South Florida Water Management District recently to tear down the villas and replace them. Disney World spokeswoman Andrea Finger said at least some of the new units would be available for use by resort visitors — the first time any of the Treehouse Villas have been open to the public in several years.

The central question is whether these will open as a new resort to any guest or if they are to become a DVC property, perhaps an extension to Saratoga Springs.  (If you want to get an incredible detailed look at these possibilities, try DVCNews.com’s articles from last week.  They have one on why it will be a DVC and one on why it will not.)  So far, Disney has refused to answer this question and have been unusually tight-lipped in the rumor department. 

I honestly would be surprised if this is a Vacation Club resort.  It just doesn’t seem to make much sense to me.  While these resorts certainly fit into the “home away from home” idea of the DVC, there are only 60 of them.  In order to make money on the rooms, DVC needs to sell timeshare interests in amounts that correspond directly to the number of actual properties they have.  60 is such a small number, I just can’t see them investing the money for that. 

Also keep in mind that the DVC has two very exciting properties they are going to focus on once Saratoga Springs sells out, the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Contemporary.  Will there really be a big market for the Treehouses with these two out there to buy instead?  I’ve been wrong about this before, so I wouldn’t be shocked if the DVC takes it over, but right now it seems unlikely.