Tag: Walt Disney World

Disney: Official Unofficial Rules for Beers Around The World at Epcot

Post author By web gangsta
Post date June 16, 2009
4 Comments on Disney: Official Unofficial Rules for Beers Around The World at Epcot

A few friends of mine think that Epcot is the best thing at Walt Disney World. There are quite a few people who agree with that belief, such as the folks at EPCOT CENTRAL, all for their own reasons. I can’t say that I disagree with them, as Epcot can be underrated by park visitors. Ask any person who dislikes Epcot and they often say the same things:

“There’s nothing to do there.”
“It’s boring.”
“Why do I have to walk so far?”

Epcot is an immersive environment, with surprises and treats around every corner, if you would only bother to look. But that’s a different topic for a different day.

For those Epcot naysayers out there – I say that if you don’t like where you are, sometimes it’s because you aren’t creative enough to make your own fun.

Today, I will provide you with something to do after you have seen all that Epcot has to offer – courtesy in part from my creative Epcot-loving friends, and in part by today’s website, DRINK AROUND THE WORLD.

Tags Disney, Epcot, food, How To, theme parks, Travel, Walt Disney World, website

Disney shopping

New Disney D23 Exclusive Offers

Post author By web gangsta
Post date 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:

Tags D23, Disney, Las Vegas, Walt Disney World

Disney shopping

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

Post author By web gangsta
Post date 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.

Tags Disney, Disney Catalog, Disney Store, shopping, theme parks, Walt Disney World

Disney How To

How To Improve Walt Disney World Transportation

Post author By web gangsta
Post date May 9, 2009
4 Comments on How To Improve Walt Disney World Transportation

PROGRESS 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.

Tags Disney, Epcot, How To, theme parks, Travel, Walt Disney World

Disney Gadgets Internet Travel

Calculating Amusement Park Wait Times via Twitter

Post author By web gangsta
Post date April 23, 2009
1 Comment on Calculating Amusement Park Wait Times via Twitter

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:

Tags Disney, Epcot, gadget, Internet, iPhone, theme parks, twitter, Walt Disney World, website

Disney

Detooning Disney in Five Lessons, a Response

Post author By web gangsta
Post date 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.

Tags Blog, Disney, Epcot, Walt Disney World

Disney shopping

Disney’s New Membership Club: D23

Post author By web gangsta
Post date March 12, 2009
1 Comment on Disney’s New Membership Club: D23

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.

Tags D23, Disney, shopping, Walt Disney World

Disney News

The Future of GM at EPCOT

Post author By web gangsta
Post date 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.

Tags Disney, Epcot, News, Test Track, Walt Disney World