New DL Update From AL
 

One of the highlights from this update:



He also mentions the new Indy show that's going into Aladdin's Oasis, this summer.

http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al040808a.htm

Oh man I hope he's right about MSEP

I found this update to be chock full of good and bad, but so much NEWS.


I understand they don't want another static, losing-steam-per-day show at DCA, but to leave the Carthay Circle Theater an empty shell when it's the new "Castle" of the park is going to be worse than two decades of empty Carousel of Progress taking up a third of Tomorrowland. And I daresay that, declining visitorship as may have happened, a supreme Walt Disney Story would remain better than Innoventions forever.


And much as I understand the rationale, I cringe at them destroying the Disneyland Hotel. The resulting New Disneyland Hotel will be nicer architecturaly, but will have GrandCal-style tiny rooms at bankbreak rates.


Well, PLEASE don't do the demolition before the 55th. I want to party in that cool BONITA (aka Wishes / Wonder / Magic / Dreamyear / Princess) Tower suite one more time before it all collapses away forever.

If they really want to bring back some top notch entertainment...

I pray he's right about MSEP returning.

Come on, Disney, grant some of us a TRUE dream in a million!

OK, THIS is going to be a cluster fornication:


Hopefully they realize that the actual gates will need to be WAY inside and not right between WOD and La Brea Bakery

Especially once they put in the security checks that'll be needed.

Honestly, I don't understand most people's obsessions with MSEP at Disneyland. I wish they would change the music and update the floats and costumes -- I mean, keep the concept, just change all of the floats already. Pete's Dragon? Jesus.

Yes. Please. Change the music and then I can enjoy the parade. It doesn't have to be good music, just music that doesn't make me want to rip my ears off and feed them to the feral cats roaming around.

He was never in the parade. ;)

LOL: That's my 2nd favorite float (behind the Calliope)

How about some Lords of Acid? That would blend right in.

They're gonna make Calliope be in the MSEP? How fun!

Bloody hell... apparently MA is now miceage.micechat.com - which means I can't read it from work :mad: (my company blocked mc)

If y'all haven't seen Fantasmic! lately, do so. It has been plussed here and there. There are new lights on the princess floats and some new lighting effects here and there. It's worth seeing again. It looks all glossy and shiny again.

If you do see it again, check out the lights on the princess floats. I think that kind of technology and the ones used on the (ugh) Light Magic floats could be used to improve MSEP.

LEDs are full of win.

It's A Small World sounds like a ship full of fail.

Um, well, the LED's on the Princess floats were from the last upgrade, but they are still cool. (It's best to keep watching them thru the begiinning of the Evil Queen bit, because the way they "turn off" is bitchin').


No, the new stuff is:

Projections on the TSI Stage/House/Thingy during 2 segments

New design for lighting and pyro during the finale (actually less pyrotechnics overall - allowing for more AQMD credits - but better looking and snappier)

and, most important,

better audience-participation twirly-wands used by the characters on the Mark Twain!!

:D

Sorry hun -- miceage switched servers completely over to the micechat servers (I think over the weekend).

However -- I read miceage today from my cell phone :) It's a pretty mobile-friendly site, and I'm sure you could get it if you can download the Opera mobile browser into your phone. It was wierd, with my new phone I read my email today on the crapper. Random. I need more sleep. :)

Electrical Parade is just a shell of it's old self. Putting it back on Main Street is where it belongs and one can only hope they will improve it from there. They used to update it all the time back in the day. Thusly I was very impressed with Spectromagic... (yeah, yeah)

And, Pete's Dragon is still my fav. There's just never a good Pete up there.

Yeah Pete's Dragon is a great float :)

ALSO, regarding Jingles!

I saw it was missing the other day but it seems today it has been rededicated in honor of Julie Andrews although it is known as Lilian Disney's horse.

Bastards...

Sometimes, there's no Pete at all up there...
:)

And another thing I noticed the other day. Big Figs are now $175.
They went from $100 to $125 to $150 in a couple of years. I think that's messed up.

I'm so glad I covet no Disney merchandise. I'm cured. Whew.

On the other hand, I received my AP Renewal app in the mail today, and I'm afraid to look.


Is that true about Jingles being dedictated to Julie? Huh? Was she riding sidesaddle in the Park? Did they play Jolly Holiday with Mary???

$379 for a premium now, but you'll save $20 if you renew early! ;)

And, if they remove "Baroque Hoedown" from the parade, I'll rip their nuts off. ;) I'm sorry, but that would be like rewriting the "Mickey Mouse Club March" or the "Fantasmic" main theme.

Reason #2 I haven't renewed yet.

ISM - http://www.ocregister.com/articles/a...970-park-theme

Why don't they just dedicate Small World to her too. Not like it was dedicated to anyone before. B.S.!!

I agree with DP- I love the MSEP music. I'm also with the 'get back to DL' crowd; it's from there (Main Street) and it belongs there.

I love the MSEP music!
Who doesn't?
:)

Alex.

Oh, him.
:D

CHANGE the MUSIC??? Et tu, Chernabog? :p

I've always operated under the assumption that Main Street Electrical Parade was originally designed as an experience solely for deaf people.

yeah Fantasmic is looking super cool we saw it this past weekend the little changes that they have made are great

Crap.

I was just on my way to bed and I tend to get songs stuck in my head that play all night. Guess what I'm going to be hearing all night.:eek:

Thank you very much!

I'm going to go rip my ears off now.

Good night.

I wish I had bought the alarm clock that played that song about 10 years ago. I'd seriously wake up in an awesome mood everyday. :p

The song means a lot to me. For some reason, it inspired me to pursue a career in entertainment and make people happy when I was just 4 years old. Seriously, when I'm having a bad creative block, I can stop and listen to that, and I'm re-energized.

I love it so much, it even became my license plate. ;)

Baroque Hoedown IS The Main Street Electrical Parade. Don't go getting the idea that they're changing it simply because Alex has demonstrated his most supreme non-human trait in dissing that iconic music. You did not read anything like that from AL, only from the misanthrope that is ALex.

Granted, Al says they're considering changing out the blue fairy opening. I'd be sad to see that go, but change is good for the parade. Ditto the patriotic finale ... which, ironically, was fantastic for the first time to me from a vantage point in DCA (looking down on the red white and blue endless ribbon of flag festoon from the balcony of the Mondavie (sp?) restaurant)


* * * *

Thanks for the link to the Andrews piece, Borneio. I don't mind them decorating Jingles with some Julie stuff. It's not like they changed his name to Andrew ... and he's had several different decorative changes throughout the decades.

With all the jokes about DL using Julie Andrews so much, I'm glad they are paying her tribute while she's still around. I mean, she's an amazing actress with a terrific singing voice. A true legend.
:)

They should stage a revival of Victor/Victoria at the Fantasyland Theater. :D

I just saw that for the first time ever last week. Dear gods, have I ever missed out all this time. It's bloody brilliant!!

Cheese man and I went to a showing for Outfest, where Lesley Ann Warren was watching in the audience and did a Q&A afterwards... she looked fabulous. Best part was when the audience got her to get into character and say... "I'm horny!" :) :)

Hmph, I was there too, I hope you realize.

Hmph.





:D

So was a tow truck, I can't mention EVERYONE you know ;)

Meh. I don't recall Marry Poppins doing any care taking for wee Prince Arthur. It's King Arthur's Carousel. Worst travesty ever? Hardly, but I wish they'd found some other way to honor her.

Funny, I don't recall Sleeping Beauty hanging out with King Arthur either, but the Carrousel has been decorated with those images for many a year.


I don't think it's the best way to tributize her either, but it's not like the King Arthur Carrousel has always been thematically pure.

If you're going to dedicate something in DL to Mary Poppins isn't a carousel horse about the most appropriate thing? I haven't seen up close pictures of the horse yet. Is the dedication something that really sticks out or more subtle so that most people wouldn't notice?

If the latter, I don't really see the issue. Disneyland rides are full of little tributes that don't technically fit the theming.

Fair enough I suppose.

How about a Marry Poppins attraction?

I was comparing photos yesterday and it looks like the only changes are that the saddle cloth has been changed from pink to a light blue and some sort of crest has been painted onto the saddle itself. I have not seen detail on that crest.

Renew to a lower level pass. Then, when you have the money, upgrade to the next level up. This year, I started with a So Cal Pass, upgraded to Deluxe (and added parking, but you could do that separate or before Deluxe upgrade) and then upgraded to premium.

I call it the AP payment plan.

Yeah, but he doesn't like anything.

That's what I am going to do the next time I find myself at the park.

Happy to hear that they may be bulldozing the Disneyland Hotel. I remember the first time I came to DL about 7 years ago and thinking, christ - what a dump! They are a bit of an eye-sore and massively underwhelming for those used to typical Disney resorts.

Nostalgia be damned in this case.

Of course, I didn't grow up here with them yada yada. That's just my "outsiders" perspective. I think I actually still frown a bit when I see them from the tram on the way into the part. 1960s Hilton indeed.

It's not nostalgia. I will miss the big rooms. For the same or higher prices, all that will be available will be tiny closet rooms. Rooms the size of the current standard Disneyland Hotel room will likely run $2K per nite.

Bah.


And the balcony suites in the Bonita Tower are so cool. I want to have that for one more big Disneyland Birthday.







Then let the bulldozers roll ... because, yeah, the hotel is ugly.


Oh, except for the waterfalls. They installed very cool new lighting a few months ago. Has anyone been at night besides me and zapp? It's worth seeing. Especially if it's soon to be history.

So when is the hotel thing supposed to happen? We need to rent the swank suite at least once before it goes - that would be some party

IN.

I hate you.

You too.

Why? how many people do you want to have in the room at once?

....don't answer that.

I'm glad I got to see the waterfalls at least. Even if the dancing water thingy wasn't going.

Nostalgic to me. It will always be the "super cool hotel that the monorail ran through* that I never got to stay in because I live so close" to me. However, since I've been in the hotel, and in the rooms, I no longer *have* to stay in it. I'll be sad to see a landmark go, but it can go.

*yes, I realize now that the monorail never ran through it.

Went to go see it a few weeks ago, but they had turned the falls off. Any idea how late they are normally left on?

Ditto.

I thought the best part was when I got into her character and said, "I'm horny!"

The worst part was finding my truck towed away.

GC got to enjoy that adventure with me.

Um, the Swank Suite (fka the Marina, now the WonderBra for all we know) was $6,000 per night back in 2005.

Um, tell me again who's in???

I'll kick in $1500 if that will get the ball rolling, btw.

I appreciate the history and nostalgia behind the hotel, but it is falling apart. (And we must have been given the broom closet when we stayed, because our pool view room in the Sierra tower was frikken tiny!!!) The pool areas are cool, though. I wonder if those will stay?

Heheh, the biggest and the smallest rooms are in the Sierra Tower. It's the oldest and the weirdest.

How many does it sleep - we'd have to have it for at least two days for the full swank effect, but I'd be willing to contribute for an appropriately celebratory occasion

I suppose that's why they stuck me there.;)

I think the Swank Suite sleeps six comfortably and 30 in camping style. Let's call it a median of 9.

Yes, two nights is required. That's why, demolition or not, I consider it prohibitive .... only because we can throw a better party for $15,000 (I threw in $3K for the party).

If it's a Disneyland occassion we have in mind, say Disneyland 55 on July 17, 2010, keep in mind that one of the major drawbacks of the Swank Suite is there's no view of Disneyland and no view of fireworks.

You can get a nicer, no Disneyland view suite, at the Grand Cal for that money. Less 60's Swank, more gorgeously arts and crafts. I'm torn, but I think I was more impressed with the high-level Grand Cal suites than the Swank Suite.


If we've got $30,000 to burn, we can do both!!!

I just wonder how much play the quoted rate has, after all they make nothing on the suite if it stays empty - yeah the price may be too steep, but the possiblitiy is to cool not to explore.

The answer lies in knowing with someone who is a hotel cast member. I went to a suite party at the DLH that was put together entirely by a DLH cast member and I don't think it was expensive whatsoever.

The hotel suite is called the Wrather Suite,
name after Jack Wrather and his wife, Bonita Granville Wonder Steakhouse Wrather.
It sits atop the Marina Tower.
The price is $2,000 - $3,000 per night, depending on whether it's the high or low season.
It can easily sleep 20 - 30 people.

I say we rent it out for the 53rd anniversary!

FiFtY ThReE ! ;) :D

Ah, $6,000 for the two nights. That's where I got that.


A Bargain! Fifty-Three, anyone???

Sounds like fun. I'm (tentatively) in.

So we're talking $200-$300 per person for 2 nites at the Swank Suite? Seriously... cast members, who do you know at the hotels? ;)

Well, I don't think I'm in. I have to start saving for... oh... you know... Japan!
:)

I Love You. :D

Exactly how many hookers are included in these prices?

I am just a poor kid from OC and this is way rich for my blood.

Feel free to skank swank it up in style though!

We could just start a "courtesy head" campaign over at the DLH. :D :evil:

Do we need a "head" count first?

I mean, I am willing to take one for the team. So to speak. :rolleyes:

Such selfless sacrifice... I hope people appreciate all you do for them! ;)

Are we talking giving or just having?

Yes, we need to know how many bathrooms it has. That's important information.

Is it too early to bring up bacon in this thread?

Try holding it down, Kevy. Bringing it up makes such a mess.

Someone needs to bring a hotplate to the hotel so Bacon can be cooked. :)

There....

It's never too early...

Go ed!

better yet, a CM that has a role in reservations:cheers:

Well, hypothetically, if we did happen to know a CM who had a hand in reservations, we would want to find out .... when the Marina Tower is coming down, and when close to that date we could get the best deal on 2 nights in the Wrather Suite (which I still rather call the Marina Suite).


Because, hypothetically, we want to have a bunch of people chip in a couple hundred per, and throw a fantastic Disneyland Hotel Going Away Party.

I wonder if we could get a conga line going through the whole Hotel before the flatten it.

I can think of all kinds of hijinks and shenanigans for closing a hotel :evil:

I'll rent a motorcycle, and ride it down the hallways ala Motley Crue at the Hollywood Hyatt (Riot) House, to give it a proper sendoff :D

I would be willing to come to the USA again for this event.



..providing I win the lottery first.

If it was the LAST night, would they charge us if we put holes in the walls?

What is it with guys and holes in walls?


;)

It's a guy thing. Distruction is way cool! :cool:

Glory holes

Or Eddie in the Lab! ;)

Or D Day in Animal House

or...

You owe my employer a new keyboard!!

:D

The thought of a hole in the wall got you THAT excited?!?

Ummm...No.