Why do you think Michael Eisner is under fire? Heck, the guy should be drawn and quartered just for pumping out all those crappy direct-to-video sequels over the last decade…
Brand name foods in Disney parks?!? Say it ain’t so! The parks are ruined! :rolleyes:
For real magic, you should’ve been around for Disneyland’s opening when Tomorrowland was nothing but a big advertisment for their corporate sponsors. Now that’s magic.
Yeah, I remember when some of the rides were sponsered. Much of Epcot still is. My point was/is that this is another sign of Disney going from an ideal to a cold business model.
I could go on about the degridation of cleanliness (seeing gum and dust when you once didn’t), lack of maintenece (animitronics that are faulty…mostly on NEWER rides), lack of imagination/innovation on newer rides (stock coasters like Rockin Roller coaster, Boring like Dinosaur when it’s equivalent Spiderman 3D came out at the same time, Philharmagic being a rehash of every other 3D movie in their parks), and Generally only existing because of movies that draw kids to the parks (Other parks seem to do well with such draws).
And rjung, I know why Eisner is in trouble. Most of my family owns at least some stock in Disney. We all voted for him to go bye bye. I grew up there, and have also been to just about every park in the country. Disney used to stand apart from them (theming, in character ride attendants, etc), but there things are slowly fading to make more of the almighty dollar.
This is not chlorine in the water. It’s chlorine scent, as in more than what is necessary.
So every bakery uses fake smells? I did not know that.
This is just my personal experience, but my family tends to linger at the entrance to a park. Deciding what we’re going to do first. And yes, you can shop everywhere, so it’s ok to pass up the shops in the beginning, they’ll get you later on or when you leave.
I have been to Disney World 3 times. I did reflect and found it interesting. I wanted more info, that’s why I posted. But I will concede defeat when it comes to the soda machines.
Perhaps the word evil is a little strong, but I was refering to the fact that Walt Disney wanted to make a park for everybody. Now it’s a place only for the middle to upper class and Disney is a huge money making behemoth.
Thanks to those who recommended Mouse Tales, I’ll check it out.
Anyone that thinks that Disney World is a park for everybody is fooling themselves.
Why would you need to pump out chlorine scent, when the water itself is so chlorinated that it almost glows?
And how does chlorine scent make one thirsty? I’m lost on that.
There’s a cinnamon roll store in a mall near here. I think it’s called “Cindy’s” but I could be wrong. I remember reading a story about them when they opened, and they said they pumped out the scent of cinnamon rolls to entice customers.
Does every bakery do it? Nah. Obviously, though, some do.
Besides, don’t discount the “vent” explanation. If the bakery store in question is full of baked pastries, and the air is being vented out, the smell of baked pastries is gonna be in the vented air. Doesn’t mean they’re adding anything to it.
This is just my personal experience, but people like your family have always bugged the hell out of me. Get a map before you get into the park and decide where you’re going. Don’t stand in the entrance, gawking around like cavemen in the Space Shuttle, when 10,000 other people are trying to get into the park.
This may come as a shock, but Disney would like to make a profit. And DisneyWorld has never been cheap.
Will somebody explain this to me? I’ve only been to Disney once, and I did notice that the castle looked huge but wasn’t. Why is that?
The first level is normal size and as it goes up, the levels get smaller and smaller. It gives the viewer the perspective that it’s bigger than it really is. They also did that with the second floors of the buildings on Main St. - they’re not full size floors, they just look that way from the ground.
If my uncle was still alive i’m sure he could explain the false perspective thing really well as he designed the flying mountain in the film ‘Krull’ and used false perspective to make it seem really huge, it wasn’t until you were standing next to it that you realised it was only about five metres tall. I’ve always been interested to know, how tall is Cindarellas castle?
I worked for AT&T, which sponsored the white EPCOT globe, and we were able to go to a special lounge and get loaded on the ride in front of everyone else. Every sponsor company could do this. Epcot was commercial from the beginning, as far as I can tell. I don’t know when Disney didn’t have a cold business model, Walt was not dumb, though I do think they used to give more value for the money. (Disneyland is going up to $50 a person, which is ridiculous.)
I suspect Eisner is in trouble not because he is ripping off the public, but because he isn’t making enough money doing it.
My regular amusement park is $33 a day. Disney is reasonable at $50.
Growing up we were comfortably middle class, and we went to Disney once. It was an expensive trip back then. I remember my rich cousins going long before we did - and they could because they were “rich.”
Disney does vent artificial smells out. Its part of the “theme” in “theme park.” Its one of the reasons that the parks can be immersive. I don’t know that they do it to sell cookies (although it certainly doesn’t hurt) as much as to clue your senses into the theme. Main Street USA is supposed to be Main Street USA. They want you to smell cookies baking, flowers blooming - not hot asphalt, crowds, and horse manure.
It’s not a sign of Disney “going” anywhere if it’s no different than it ever was. If anything, the corporate presence is a lot more subtle than it used to be
You left out misaligned manhole covers.
If people are willing to pay…
But I don’t see it as such a poor value. All day in Disneyland for $50 compared to $10 for a two hour movie doesn’t seem like such a bad deal.
Ah ha! You’re in on it too. Admit it! 
At Disneyland this past Monday, 20 oz bottles of soda were $2.75. But they were all sold from carts. I can’t recall ever seeing a soda machine in Disneyland. Ever. The prices in the restaurants are all labeled permanently on signs.
It was 90 degrees in Anaheim Monday.
180 feet.
They just make everything smaller as it goes up, to make you think it’s farther away than it is; the reverse of this trick was used in the Lord of the Rings movies – in the scenes in Bilbo’s house (and others, I’m sure), they put the hobbits farther away from the camera than Gandalf (and lined everything up juuuuuuust right), so they look smaller.
The castle is very well-done, but the trick was a little too obvious in the other buildings (to me, anyway, but I’ve a background in architecture so I guess I’m more likely to notice such things).
Here’s the site you asked for:
It is part of the larger Hidden Mickeys site.
These are lists of “Disney Secrets” about every apect of the park(s) you can think of, reported by fans and verified (or corrected or denied) by other fans. Many of the fans are employees at the parks themselves.
If you click on “Main Street” and then on “Refreshment Corner/Carnation Corner Cafe,” you can read the following:
Notice halfway through it is reported in July 99 that the only “piped in” smell is “the Cookie smell by the bakery” and this is confirmed three times most recently in August 2000.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor
And I am a former Disney Employee.
YES! YES! IT’S TRUE! I ADMIT IT!
IT’S ALL A PLOT!
But you’re too late!! HA-HA-HA!
Resistance is futile.
You will be Mouse-similated.
Ready? Let’s begin.
Repeat after me:
It’s a Small World,
After All!
It’s a Small World,
After All!
It’s a Small World,
After All!
It’s a Small World,
After All!
It’s a
Small,
Small
World.
Brains turning to mush now?
GOOD!
Now put on these…ears!
To be fair, some of them were actually pretty good.
I’m afraid I’ve noticed most people zip right on in, and are happy to do so. I mean, hey, if you just arrived the Magic Kingdom, do you want to try and plan things out right in front or are you gonna rush in like a madman?
A lot of people have been questioning Eisner’s moves, too. However, I should point out that even lower-income poeple can probably well afford a Disney vacation if they plan right and take advantage of the many deals and opportunities available. It’s all a matter of work and planning.
My family was hardly wealthy, but we went to Disneyworld many times when I was younger. We watched for all kinds of specials and used every deal we could get.
Big tip: go in the off season and get major discounted hotel rooms off-property, or try Fort Wilderness.
Well, last few times I have been, the entrance is VERY crowded. They have all these Mickey statues that celebs have decorated that people look at. Not to mention Disney has special spots to take pictures with Characters. Many of these are right in the front of main street. So, even more crowd.
As to those of you who think Disney is on par with other parks, you are entitiled to your opinion, as am I. I have been to every Six Flags, both Busch Gardens, Kinds Island/Dominion, Cedar point (many times), both Universals (And Islands of adventures, and plenty of smaller parks like Oprey Land, Carowins, Kennywodd and the like. On top of that, My family had anual passes to disney through my entire teenaged life (going 5+ times a year). Disney has gone downhill in my estimation.