Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

New Disney D23 Exclusive Offers

By web gangsta | Published: May 15, 2009


When Disney announced D23 (the Disney Fan Community, costing $75 per year to join), there were some concerns about what “exclusive” activities would be offered to D23 members that would make the extra cost seem worthwhile.

The exclusive free screening for Pixar’s UP at the El Capitan was a nice start, but Web Watch did say at the time it was announced:

Let’s hope they do the next ones the right way and invite all D23 members, not just those who can afford the airfare to sunny California.

All it took was a little bit of time to set certain wheels in motion.  Let’s take a quick look at the latest D23 exclusive offerings:

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Improving Disney Shopping, part 2: Now Buy Park Merchandise Online

By web gangsta | Published: May 14, 2009


A few months ago, Web Watch posted a piece on IMPROVING DISNEY SHOPPING where we posted the following:

All Disney has to do is return to making merchandise special. “Plus” the shopping experience again. Cater merchandise to all customers, not just the kids. And remember to market all the characters like they used to do.  Not all women want Tinkerbell or Princess merch. Not all men want Grumpy, Goofy, or Big Bad Wolf items.   Not everyone wants a T-shirt, baseball cap, boxer shorts, or coffee mug.  Give us variety.  Give us quality.  Give us something other than what you currently are doing.

We then asked an open-ended question to Disney, as to whether they would be smart enough to sell [us] the right stuff…. aside from more duck butt hats, of course. 

It looks like someone may have been listening.

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How To Improve Walt Disney World Transportation

By web gangsta | Published: May 9, 2009


Walt Disney World Disney Transportation Van Hool diecast busPROGRESS CITY USA has posted #3 on their list of TEN WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR:  OVERHAUL DISNEY TRANSPORTATION, and I couldn’t agree more.

To quote:

Basically, unless you’re just going from your hotel to a theme park and back, internal transportation is a headache. Fixing the system would require a massive investment, tackling many separate goals simultaneously. It would require an entirely different plan for the resort’s infrastructure, and it’s needed immediately. They won’t do it, but they should.

I have one suggestion that would address this current transportation problem at Walt Disney World with an idea that would dramatically increase guest satisfaction.  It won’t solve the immediate issue at hand, but keeping guests happy in the short run can buy some time until a better transporation plan is developed.

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Calculating Amusement Park Wait Times via Twitter

By web gangsta | Published: April 23, 2009


As Web Watch asked in our DISNEYLAND PARK PLANNER iPHONE APPLICATION article a few weeks ago:

“One would only hope that they’ll follow this up with appropriate apps for Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySEA, Universal Studios Hollywood, New York City subway trains, or any other amusement park, event, travel, or entertainment facility that would benefit from the social technology that the iPhones and similar devices make available.”

And now the floodgates have opened as more apps just like what we described have begun to arrive:

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Detooning Disney in Five Lessons, a Response

By web gangsta | Published: April 14, 2009


PROGRESS CITY, USA‘s latest article in their “TEN WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR” series is entitled “DETOONIFICATION“.  In it, PCU writes about how they would like to de-toon the Disney parks, and how the recent character overlays on various rides are a bit of overkill.

PCU does have a point:  the overlay of Iago and Zazu into Walt Disney World’s Tiki Room is a perfect example of how not to add characters to an attraction.   While the number crunchers may have interpreted the declining turnstyle numbers on the attraction as an indication that the Tiki Room was tired and needed to be modernized, the reality is seen across the country in Disneyland’s beautifully restored Tiki Room: that with a little bit of attraction maintenance – cleaning up the audio, blowing the dust off the electronics and lights – the crowds will once again flock to a beloved attraction. 

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Disney’s New Membership Club: D23

By web gangsta | Published: March 12, 2009


Those of you who follow Disney business news are already aware of Disney’s new fan club, D23.

For those of you who don’t follow the business side of the Disney company, D23 is something that the Disney marketers have put together to compete in the value-added, information marketplace that was left with a giant void when the various Disney Club, Magic Kingdom Card, Disney Magazine, and other promotional programs closed down.  They’re calling D23 a “fan community”.

For $75 a year, D23 members get 4 glossy, high-quality magazines a year, along with some extra doodads and opportunities.  Other websites have done a wonderful job dissecting the D23 program announcements, so it is unnecessary to repeat the bulk of the details here.

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The Future of GM at EPCOT

By web gangsta | Published: March 2, 2009


THE MOTOR REPORT is reporting this morning that General Motors is cutting up to US$800 million from its North American advertising budget this year.

While this will affect GM’s plans for sponsoring the upcoming Transformers sequel,  it is currently unknown whether GM will continue to provide Disney sponsorship dollars for Epcot’s TEST TRACK attraction.  It has been announced that the budget cut applies to GM’s print, TV and film advertising, and its vehicle purchase incentives. 

The sponsorship cost has never been announced, but is estimated to be about US$5 million per year, according to sources. This is just a drop in the bucket when compared to cutting $800 million in a single year.

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Full House Screws Up Walt Disney World

By web gangsta | Published: February 28, 2009


One thing that I get annoyed with is when TV shows take liberties with established facts about existing places.  For example, MTV’s Road Rules screwed up in their first season by showing the Winnebago driving north on a highway. The problem was that each subsequent highway shot was from a section of road that was further south than the previous one.  All the editors had to do was place those highway shots in their correct order.  They were going to show those shots anyway, so at least be smart about it.  It was like insisting that the first five letters of the alphabet are “A-B-E-D-C”. 

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Improving Disney Shopping

By web gangsta | Published: February 25, 2009


Just read the latest post on Progress City USA, TEN WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR #8: OVERHAUL PARK MERCHANDISE.  I completely agree with the points raised about the depressing increase in  homogenization of merchandise available throughout the Disney parks.  

I too, remember a time when the Orange Bird was found at the Tiki Room, and where land-specific merchandise was available.  A time when Main Street, USA’s Emporium shop didn’t run the full length of the street (when Center Street was an actual street separating the two show buildings instead of what we have today).

I want to buy a “Walt Disney World” sweatshirt, not a “Disney Parks” sweatshirt.

I have found myself visiting both Disneyland and Walt Disney World on numerous shopping missions over the years, only to walk away empty-handed and with a full wallet.  There is no doubt that there are plenty of things to buy at the Disney parks, especially if you are a once-in-a-lifetime visitor — but there is often nothing new of interest to the Disney Fan to buy beyond pins.   (Pin collecting and trading is a wonderful hobby, but it does not appeal to everybody.)     And really, how many Duck Butt hats does one family need?

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The Top Earning Restaurants in the Country

By web gangsta | Published: April 2, 2008


Looking at restaurant ratings is always entertaining, and RESTAURANTS & INSTITUTIONS magazine has posted a few of their “top” lists for 2007.

TOP INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS: Sure, the Tao nightclub at the Venetian in Las Vegas would rank number one – they have all those celebrities coming in at all hours of the night, dropping $55m in food and beverage sales (600,000 meals at an average $70 ticket does that). Tavern on the Green in New York comes in 2nd, followed by Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach. Yes, there are the usual New York, Las Vegas, and Washington DC suspects… but here’s where it gets interesting:

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