Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1262
January 14, 2014
Ask Jim Hill Ep 21 – Magic Kingdom’s Rivers Of America Rumors
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In this week’s Ask Jim Hill, Len Testa and Jim Hill discuss rumors about Rivers of America in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Will it stay around or will its huge size be used for expansion? Find out in this week’s episode.
New episodes are posted every Tuesday, so be sure to subscribe on YouTube!
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Observations From Disneyland: January 13, 2014
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I started off Monday with a ride on the Greatest Disney Attraction of All Time, the Omnibus! You can see the crowds on Main Street were thin; that’s because Disneyland is currently enjoying a bit of an off season. Unfortunately, the light crowds won’t last long, because the Tinker Bell Half Marathon is coming up this weekend.
Riding on the top level of the Omnibus gives you some great views of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
More pictures and observations after the jump:
Before I go on, the tram route for the Mickey & Friends parking structure is currently being repaved and is only open for one way traffic. Expect big delays when taking the trams, especially in the mornings and at park closing. A tram cast member told me construction should be done by Friday.
Speaking of the tram route, the welcome billboards got some new signs.
Anyway, enough of that! Back to the good stuff. A bird’s eye view of the horse-drawn streetcar.
The Disneyland Band playing in Town Square for their daily noon concert.
Low wait times around 1 PM. They stayed this way for most of the day. We predicted a 4 out of 10 on our Crowd Calendar.
Fantasmic is down for refurbishment right now. This gives you a chance to see into the pits that house the water fountains, pipes, and various things that are used in the show.
It looks like Sailing Ship Columbia is getting a lot of TLC during its refurbishment.
It also got a really nice refurbishment sign!
Speaking of refurbishments, this is what most of New Orleans Square looks like, thanks to the Club 33 expansion.
French Market is now completely covered in scaffolding and construction walls. The top floor of this building will be the location of Club 33′s new jazz club.
What did I eat for lunch today? Rancho del Zocalo… Why did I eat at one of my least favorite restaurants? It added Tres Leches Cake to the menu a few months ago, and I never got around to trying it. So I figured now was the time. It was good, but it didn’t blow me away. And at $5.49, I didn’t feel like it was a good value.
Some of the Big Thunder Mountain construction walls were removed! You can actually see a little bit of the mountain!
As one attraction’s construction walls start to come down, another one gets covered in them.
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is going to be closed for most of the year, but for now there is no visible work going on in the lagoon.
Fast forward to sundown, and the horse-drawn streetcar was still running! This was a very rare chance to ride this attraction at night, as it only runs on a the few nights of the year with no nighttime parade on the schedule. I uploaded a nighttime ride video from last week. Check it out on our YouTube page!
Speaking of nighttime rides, the Mark Twain also runs late on nights with no Fantasmic! There’s nothing like taking quiet ride along the Rivers of America at night.
I’ll close out this post with a few new merchandise items on sale in World of Disney.
Yes, those are Spaceship Earth mugs for sale in the Disneyland Resort, 3000 miles away from Epcot. I like to think that the person in charge of stocking the shelves has no idea what Epcot is and ordered hundreds of these things for Disneyland.
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January 7, 2014
Universal CityWalk Update: Cigarz & Candy Co. close, Antojitos almost open
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This construction on Starbucks is only the tip of the iceberg of Universal CityWalk updates on the way.
Last month, Universal Orlando announced eight new venues coming to CityWalk over the next year, and it wasted little time after the New Year’s Eve ball dropped to make way for the new arrivals. In this edition of Universal CityWalk Update, we’ll say final goodbyes to old friends like Cigarz and Katie’s Candy Co., and get a first glimpse inside the new Antojitos.
For starters, I crossed the moving walkway from the hub…
This will need to change soon…
…and headed upstairs…
And so will this…
…to see the sad sight of beer kegs being carted away from Cigarz.
The popular hangout among employees and locals served its last drinks before New Year’s Day, and was being emptied already during my visit. I was allowed to take a last look inside the store:
Next door, TCBY is still serving froyo until Saturday.
This may be the longest line I’ve ever seen in TCBY.
Together with Cigarz, the TCBY space will become Breadbox sandwich shop.
Katie’s Candy Co. has also closed now, and I was among its final customers.
Here is Katie, herself, in her store’s final hour of operation.
With the clearance discount, the candy was a below-cost bargain!
At the other end of CityWalk, Antojitos looks almost ready to go. Construction walls have been removed, and the bar had a soft-opening service on New Year’s Eve.
Barriers have been moved back to the newly tiled patio.
We’ll finish with a first look into the front part of the restaurant’s interior.
Subscribe to our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar to get the best Universal Orlando wait-time data and touring plans, and check back soon for the next update!
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New Universal Studios Florida Interactive Exhibit may be coming to Garden of Allah
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Could Universal Studios Florida’s Garden of Allah become a new interactive attraction? (Photos by Seth Kubersky)
In recent days, Universal Orlando fan forums have been buzzing with rumors of an unexpected new attraction that may be coming to Universal Studios Florida within the next year. If the Internet chatter is correct, a new interactive walk-through exhibit may be installed in USF’s long-dormant Garden of Allah buildings.
We all know about Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley expansion coming this summer, and new dining venues were recently announced for CityWalk, but this latest potential addition comes as a surprise. The Garden of Allah are a cluster of Moorish revival-styled buildings separating Universal’s Hollywood Boulevard from the KidZone area. They originally housed the short-lived How To Make a Mega Movie Deal walk-through exhibit, followed by an AT&T At The Movies display. The venue has been dormant for over a decade, used mostly by the merchandise department for storage and training.
Since rumors started to swirl about the facility being revived, I stopped by the other evening and just happened to have my camera in hand when someone else opened the door (which was unlocked). As these photos revealed, the room has far less junk and clutter inside now than it did a couple months ago, the last time a caught a glimps inside. While there is no indication of the purpose, it was apparent to me some effort has recently been invested cleaning up the interior.
There are no confirmed details yet on what may go into the reclaimed space, but the most popular conjecture is a museum of Universal Orlando’s history, tied to the resort’s 25th anniversary in 2015. Others have suggested a memorabilia display from Universal’s film properties, similar to an exhibit at Universal Studios Hollywood. Here’s a brief look inside that USH attraction:
What do you think is going on at Universal Studios Florida’s Garden of Allah? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and Subscribe to our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar to get the best Universal Orlando wait-time data and touring plans!
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January 6, 2014
Walt Disney World Crowd Report – December 29, 2013, to January 4, 2014
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Happy New Year!
Crowd level predictions this week did very well at the resort level, with only one day missing by more than one, but at the park level we had two predictions that missed by three. Low crowds at Magic Kingdom on Sunday and Animal Kingdom on New Year’s Day were the two surprises of the week, where we over predicted by three index levels. Everything else was accurate within one or two.
We saw extreme crowds again this year during Christmas and New Year’s, but not to the extent that we have seen in years past. When we missed the mark we tended to overpredict, which tells us that this year’s crowds, although extreme, may not have been as bad as history might suggest. That being said, long wait times were observed all over the resort, sometimes reaching three or four hours long!
Let’s look at how the crowd levels stacked up day-to-day.
The Crowd Report
The Walt Disney World Crowd Report
December 29, 2013 to January 4, 2014
Sunday was the biggest surprise of the week, with wait times lower than normal at Magic Kingdom. It seems strange to say that when Big Thunder Mountain hit an average posted wait time of 78 minutes, but most attractions did not reach their historical extremes. Pirates of the Caribbean stayed below a 20 minute average, and Space Mountain was 63, both about average for a normal time of year. These wait times put Magic Kingdom as a ’6′ on our scale, much lower than the predicted ’9′. This is the first time since 2009 that Magic Kingdom was below a ’9′ on December 29, mostly due to the wet weather on Sunday. Other parks were as crowded as predicted.
The lull was definitely temporary as Magic Kingdom returned to a ’10′ on Monday. Epcot and the Studios also were a ’10,’ while Animal Kingdom was not far behind at a level ’9′. Visitors to Epcot’s Soarin’ between 10am and 5pm saw an average posted time of 147 minutes. Toy Story Mania at the Studios averaged 149 minutes, and Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain, 120. Perhaps most remarkable was the average posted time at Peter Pan’s Flight, which reached 121 minutes! Guests who feel the parks are busy in Spring or Summer should recall that at Christmas people wait more than two hours for a two minute ride!
The numerous guests to Walt Disney World distributed themselves fairly evenly among the four parks on Monday, but by New Year’s Eve on Tuesday they flocked mostly to Magic Kingdom and Epcot to countdown the last minutes of 2013. Attendance was pushed to phase 3 capacity at Magic Kingdom, and Epcot wait times reached as high as 240 minutes. By contrast, Animal Kingdom, which closed at 8pm, reached level ’8′. Kilimanjaro Safaris averaged a posted wait time of 43 minutes, 171 minutes less than Soarin’!
We predicted the resort wide level at an ’8′ for New Year’s Day, and it came in one level lower, thanks mostly to lower than expected wait times at Animal Kingdom and the Studios. Both surprised us with park levels of ’5′ and ’6′ respectively although we had predicted ’8′s. Kali River Rapids and Kilimanjaro Safaris both had average posted times below ten minutes.
All parks stayed at a level ’8′ or higher on Thursday, including a ’10′ at both Epcot and the Studios. This was in line with our predictions, with the exception of the Studios where we predicted an ’8′. Our attraction level predictions at the Studios headliners were all within 10 or 20 minutes, so the wait times did not hit the same extremes as seen earlier in the week. Epcot was the park with the highest wait times, reaching an average of 137 minutes at Soarin’.
Only Epcot hit a level ’10′ on Friday; we predicted ’9′. Our prediction of ’9′ at Magic Kingdom was correct, as was our estimate of ’7′ at Animal Kingdom. The Studios came in at ’9′, one level higher than the ’8′ we predicted. As we head into the first weekend of the year, we expect many guests will begin to return home and wait times will start to reduce slightly.
Resort-wide levels did reduce slightly to a level ’8′ on Saturday, as predicted. Predictions were accurate for Magic Kingdom and Epcot as well, at ’8′ and ’9′ respectively. The Studios had the lowest level of the four parks, coming in at ’7′.
What to Expect This Week
January 5 to January 11, 2014
Walt Disney World Resort will begin to see the influx of marathoners who flock to the hotels in preparation for the annual marathon weekend. Crowds at the parks this week will depend on how many visitors chose to extend their holiday vacation past the return to school and also may depend on the weather. Sometimes chilly temperatures can reduce the wait times we see in early January.
To see Walt Disney World Crowd predictions for the days of your vacation, check the Crowd Calendar.
To get details about our predictions of future crowds or details about crowds in the past check out the Crowd Calendar and select “Jump to Date” on the left margin.
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All Disney Resorts to Test MagicBands Only to Guests
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©Disney
It would seem that the tests at Pop Century and the All-Star Resorts have gone well, because by the end of the month of January, every other resort will be issuing only MagicBands to resort guests for use throughout their stay at the Walt Disney World Resort. This is being done as a part of the continued roll out of MyMagic+.
The test will be rolled out to the hotels according to this schedule:
1/6 – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
1/7 – Disney’s Port Orleans Resort
1/8 – Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort & Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
1/9 – Disney’s Old Key West Resort & Disney’s Saratoga Spring Resort & Spa
1/10 – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
1/13 – Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
1/14 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
1/15 – Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
1/16 – Disney’s Contemporary Resort
1/17 – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa & Disney’s Polynesian Resort
1/20 – Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
The MagicBands will give guests access to all hotel and park activities, such as touch to enter, touch to pay, PhotoPass, and FastPass+. For guests who did not customize and receive MagicBands prior to their vacations, they will be provided with a gray colored Band at check in.
With this test, guests will not receive a back up Key To The World card, however, if a guest would prefer, a RF-enabled Key To The World card can be issued on request. This key card will work the same way that the MagicBand would, but these Key To The World cards will not allow guests to utilize Legacy FASTPASS tickets since the magnetic strip on the back will be inactive.
Guests who wish to utilize FastPass+ during their vacation may do so using the My Disney Experience app, visiting Guest Relations, or stopping at a MyMagic+ kiosk.
This test is likely to remain the norm, barring any setbacks, as MyMagic+ is expected to be fully deployed by the Spring.
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Disneyland Annual Pass Discounts Extended Through 2014
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Disneyland annual pass discounts extended through 2014
One of the great benefits of being a Disneyland Resort Annual Passholder is the generous discounts offered on food and merchandise in and around the Anaheim theme parks. But if you read the fine print on your Passholder agreement, or stumbled across Internet news reports circulating last week, you may have been concerned that Disneyland Annual Pass discounts were officially scheduled to expire on December 31, 2013.
We are happy to report that the resort rang in the new year by updating its Disneyland annual pass discount webpage. The expiration date on discounts has been extended to December 31, 2014, for all the same venues that previously participated, at the same savings percentages. The last-minute renewal appears to be an annual tradition that we expect should continue next year.
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Universal Studios Florida’s Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue Closed for Revamping
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James Keaton as BJ in the final performance of the current version of Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios Florida (photos by Seth Kubersky)
Not every theme park attraction can be a 5-star E-ticket, but every ride and show has someone who will mourn when it’s gone — especially the cast and crew who brought it to life. Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios Florida might not have a top rating in the Unofficial Guide, but has earned a special place in some guests hearts, judging by the very vocal crowd that packed the final performance on January 4, 2014. Universal Studios Florida’s Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue closed after Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. for a complete reimagining, replacing the current version of the show that has been performed since 2006.
When the Beetlejuice show reemerges later in 2014 (date unknown), it will have an all-new script and song list, along with new performers. I’m told that only two members of the current cast had their contracts renewed to perform in the new production.
The following video of the final show features several veteran members of the Graveyard cast who will not be returning, including Charles Gray as Frankenstein and James Keaton (who performed role for 18 years) as Beetlejuice.
This last show was somewhat emotional for me, personally, since I worked with Keaton and other members of the cast and crew during the 1990s and got to reunite with several old colleagues at the farewell. Here’s a look at the Graveyard gang’s final farewell group photos, taken after the guests had been escorted out.
Finally, Beetlejuice wasn’t the only Universal Studios Florida show to bid farewell on January 4. Here’s a look at the season’s last Blues Brothers Christmas Show, a.k.a. Derek Burgan‘s second-favorite theme park show.
Subscribe to our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar to get the best Universal Orlando wait-time data and touring plans, and check back soon for the next Wizarding World of Harry Potter construction update!
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Time Traveling: Soarin’
By Daisy Lauren
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Current balloons on display in The Land pavilion
The last time we went time traveling I teased at the end about one of my all time favorite attractions, and now it’s time to make good on that promise! Today, we’re talking about the land where Soarin’ sits at Epcot. One housekeeping note: a lot of this is written from my own (entirely too sentimental) memories. If you remember it differently, please let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear from everyone.
If you went back in time between 1994 and 2004, you’d have no reason to be sad about Soarin’ taking over this space. Food Rocks is the show you’d find, and I can honestly say that even at a young age I understood I was seeing a cheap overlay at Disney. The transition time to install this show was only a couple months, and all of the animatronics felt flat. Even our host, “Fud Wrapper,” looked like he was made from cheap, nylon material. In this show Fud was our guide through the food groups and avoiding excess in a concert performed entirely by audio-animatronics. The only problem was that every song was a popular song with words replaced to fit the food group. Think of an entire show written in the style of Weird Al Yankovic… just not funny. It was one of the first attractions to close after I moved to Orlando, and I was thrilled to see it go! However, if you weren’t able to visit during this time, the show is well documented on YouTube, so you have to watch it. I’m very curious if lots of people will disagree with me on this show. Much like The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management), I might just be firmly on one side of a generation gap. I’ll always love the original Enchanted Tiki Room, and I’ll always love the show that Food Rocks replaced.
One of the original Kitchen Krackpots
From 1982 – 1994 this space was proudly held by Kitchen Kabaret. I still believe this is one of the all time best shows ever at Disney. Sometimes when you dredge things up on YouTube, you’re disappointed at the results, but this wasn’t the case since I still had every word memorized from hundreds of childhood viewings. This show had catchy songs and beautiful animatronics. The idea was almost identical to Food Rocks, with Bonnie Appetite serving as our host to introduce the food groups. However, the songs were better done and the show overall felt more complete. Kitchen Kabaret was a show we watched over and over. We just never got tired of it! While the original Kitchen Kabaret closed in 1994, the overall look and feel of The Land pavilion remained until 2004. The current arrangement holds more people, but I’m partial to the older design. It housed a huge, beautiful fountain and tables with brightly colored umbrellas! In the older design the restaurant was still called Sunshine Seasons, but you had to wait and pay at each different window. Again, currently it’s much more efficient, but I miss the old “country fair” look to things.
So what do you think? Were you able to experience these attractions before they closed? Do you miss either of them or do you prefer Soarin’? If you were only able to see them on YouTube, do you think old folks like me are crazy? I can’t wait to hear your comments below, and – as always – thanks for reading!
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January 5, 2014
The Most Highly-Coveted, Heavily Sought-After Disney Awards: TouringPlans’ 2013 Planies!
By Tom Bricker
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Last year’s “Planies” were riddled with controversy, with approximately .01% of readers agreeing with the awards. It was like that year that the Academy awarded How Green Was My Valley Best Picture, snubbing King of the Zombies (and some other film) in the process. Still, a Disney executive excitedly collected these Planies, even if doing so under great protest and scrutiny from fans. Yessir, Mr. Eisner is now proudly displaying them all on the mantel of his Colorado home!
This year, venerable dude Guy will be joining in to assist in the selection of the Planies. Guy has an extensive knowledge of dining, the Omnibus, and Captain EO, which are basically the key credentials necessary here at TouringPlans for selecting any awards.
Although anyone who disagrees with the picks here is obviously wrong, it’s worth noting that these aren’t “official” picks of the TouringPlans staff. So if anyone on the staff or any of you readers want to disagree (and be wrong) as to the winner of any of these awards, feel free to share your winners in the comments.
Now, with the winners! (Insert drumroll.)
Best New Attraction: Mystic Manor, Hong Kong Disneyland
When Radiator Springs Racers won this award last year, I said that there was no competition. That’s true again this year, as Mystic Manor sets the new standard for Disney attractions. There really aren’t enough superlatives to describe this attraction (that bears little resemblance to the Haunted Mansion attractions to which it’s often erroneously compared). Its exterior is beautiful, the queue sets the tone for what’s to come, the pre-show introduces the attraction’s memorable characters (Planie Tip: including an adorable monkey in anything is sure to score you big points), and then the main ride itself blows guests away with a combination of ride technology, an engaging story, details, and wonderful music. Videos and photos don’t even begin to do this incredible sensory experience justice.
Setting aside history, nostalgia, and everything that makes fans biased towards certain attractions, this is arguably the best attraction Disney has ever done. I’m usually not one for cloning, but Mystic Manor is too good to exist only in Hong Kong Disneyland, where very few Disney fans will ever get a chance to experience it. Once its exclusivity period ends, I’d love to see it (or a similar S.E.A. attraction using the same foundation) built in Animal Kingdom. With some slight story tweaks, it would be a good fit.
Park of the Year: Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland had been an ugly duckling since its opening in 2005, with guests complaining of limited attractions and too many photo ops. Through a series of additions that brought Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, and finally Mystic Point. Size-wise, each of these areas are better classified as mini-lands, but the quality of Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point are so high that calling them “mini” anything shouldn’t be used to diminish them. Thanks to its Audio Animatronics bears and engaging track design, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars is arguably a better Disney coaster than Big Thunder Mountain, with the rest of Grizzly Gulch being a well done backdrop for the attraction. The excellence of Mystic Manor has already won it an award, so no point in reiterating that.
To be sure, Hong Kong Disneyland still has a ways to go before it’s a bona fide vacation destination, but these now opened mini-lands establish it as a Disney-caliber park. Additions coming this year, plus the Iron Man Experience should further solidify Hong Kong Disneyland’s place among the other castle parks.
Honorable mention here goes to Disney California Adventure. DCA has won this award for each of the past two years, but it deserves mentioning once again for its Christmas transformation this year. World of Color – Winter Dreams and Viva Navidad (among other things) gave DCA Christmas-time entertainment that it didn’t previously have. Little additions elsewhere and the continued success of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street show DCA’s continued progress.
Biggest Disappointment: Limited Time Magic
Tom: When it was announced in the Fall 2012, there was so much excitement for Limited Time Magic. Special weeks with their own themes and offerings? It sounded like a concept with sky-high potential. It also sounded like something that would cater to locals and Annual Passholders, as the entertainment looked to be geared to repeat visitors. The problem with Limited Time Magic was that in actuality, most weeks it felt like it was something thrown together on a shoestring budget at the very last minute just for the sake of having “something.” The times when that “something” was voting on a logo, a dessert that was already being offered, or an ornament for sale made the whole promotion look lame and lazy. As was the case with the Maliboomer, Disney should have known with Limited Time Magic that sometimes nothing is better than something.
While it has been an ostensible disappointment, with many cringe-worthy weeks, if you set aside those ill-conceived weeks, Limited Time Magic has actually been quite good when judged against other recent yearly promotions. In fact, the return of the Golden Horseshoe, the Villains Party, Independence Week, and Long Lost Friends weeks alone far surpassed any other yearly promotions in recent memory. (In my mind, that includes the Year of a Million Dreams, which was exciting for its prospect of winning something, but otherwise “meh”). The marketing hook that there were 52 limited time things actually worked against Limited Time Magic, as the garbage tainted opinions of the overall promotion, which probably would have been more positively received had it just consisted of the gems. Because of that, maybe Limited Time Magic deserves another award: “Best Thing That Disappointed Most People But Was Actually Sort of Good.”
Guy: Tom nailed it, just from reading reactions on Twitter it did seem like most people saw this promotion as a disappointment. But for the most part I found myself enjoying Limited Time Magic. Even the silly little events like the Easter Egg Hunt ended up being a fun little diversion. I think the problem was most people had unrealistic expectations, and thinking about it I’m not sure where these expectations came from. Speaking from the perspective as a local, even if a Limited Time Magic event was a dud it was still something different. Example, one LTM event was dubbed “Christmas in July” and really did nothing more but bring back peppermint ice cream to Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (peppermint ice cream is usually only sold in December). You wouldn’t think anyone on earth would care about that but then I found myself planning a trip with a group of friends just to get this ice cream, and sure enough while we were in line we noticed almost every other person besides us was ordering it as well. For me it’s easy to ignore the bombs because Limited Time Magic gave us the Cadaver Dans singing on the balcony of the Haunted Mansion, a posse of Long Lost Friends, and best of all it brought back the legendary Golden Horseshoe Revue.
Dining Establishment of the Year: Napa Rose
Tom: This one is Guy’s pick, but I’m never averse to heaping praise on the best normal Disney fine dining (excluding Victoria & Albert’s and Club 33) option in the United States.
Guy: There’s no doubt that Napa Rose is expensive, but once you get past the sticker shock you’re in for a fantastic dining experience. It’s good food, not just “Oh this is good for being Disney food.” No, this is actual delicious and high quality food. Most Disney theme park restaurants go through what I call “Inconsistent Disney Dining Syndrome.” That means you could go to a Disney Park or resort restaurant and have the best meal of your life, only to return a few months later and experience the polar opposite in taste/quality/service. I’ve talked to dozens of people that have experienced the same thing and even marquee establishments like Club 33 aren’t immune to IDDS. Napa Rose escapes this and continually provides high quality meals with great service. The menu is kept fresh and updated several times a year with great new creations but several favorites remain such as the signature Truffled “Mac & Cheese” Orecchiette Pasta or Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast. Like I said, it’s expensive, but you get what you pay for.
Honorable mention here goes to Explorer’s Club at Hong Kong Disneyland. It scores points for being new this year, for its awesome design, and for its many nods to the now-extinct Adventurers Club at Walt Disney World. While it serves excellent Halal-certified cuisine, it is only a counter service restaurant, so it’s tough to give it this award.
Hotel of the Year: Wilderness Lodge
Tom: No new hotels opened this year, so we had to think of one deserving of an award for its sheer awesomeness. Wilderness Lodge is it.
Guy: I’ll just throw out five reasons why Wilderness Lodge is awesome, 1) Taking a boat to the Magic Kingdom never gets old. 2) Wilderness Lodge dining is top tier. Whispering Canyon Cafe offers a unique dining experience, Artist Point is high quality but not quite as intimidating as fine dining, and Territory Lounge a quiet escape from the chaos of the theme parks. 3) Every inch of the resort is gorgeous. Sure, you won’t find gigantic sculptures of Mater but you will see beautiful trees, rock work, and wood carvings. Wilderness Lodge is Disney design at its best. 4) In some areas it feels like you’re in a different world. Example: You can walk to Fort Wilderness and via a walking trail through a wooded area. The trail itself has no signs, guide rails, or even lights. Walk the trail at sundown for a truly terrifying experience. 5) The resort has a freaking geyser.
Honorable mention goes to the Disney Vacation Club villas at the Grand Floridian. They’re new and nice-enough, but lose considerable points for continuing the proliferation of DVC and further straining the already overwhelmed monorail system.
Announcement of the Year: Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy
Although this was about the worst kept secret, with ongoing construction for the last couple of years, it was only officially announced in March 2013. This is the first attraction based on the underrated film Ratatouille with a trackless ride system in a park that desperately needs good attractions and quality placemaking. This ride will bring with it the “streets of Paris,” and should instantly be the best themed area in the Walt Disney Studios Park, and probably the best attraction, too.
Honorable mention here goes to “Project Orange.” This Star Wars concept was teased at the D23 Expo, and the only thing that prevents it from winning here is the fact that literally nothing is known about it. Sure, there has been fan speculation about what it will include, where it will be, and when it will open, but now, it’s just that: speculation. Here’s hoping an actual announcement for Walt Disney World and/or Disneyland comes in 2014, because that would be the surefire winner of this award next year. (You hear that, Disney? If you announce Star Wars Land in 2014, you get a Planie Award!!!)
Habit Heroes Award: Retiring Billy Hill & the Hillbillies
Billy Hill & the Hillbillies is consistently one of the highest rated attractions in Disneyland per the Unofficial Guide. This should come as no surprise, as their music is catchy, their shows are funny, and the performers themselves have a certain charm. There’s this X factor one can’t articulate about Billy Hill & the Hillbillies that makes them a highly entertaining crowd pleaser, and unlike a show you’d expect to find at Disneyland. We’re very disappointed about the end of the run for this ‘not to be missed’ act, which can’t possibly be ending due to numbers (even back in Big Thunder Ranch, they draw a crowd), guest satisfaction, or the performers choosing to end their run.
Honorable mention here goes to closing the Court of Angels to expand Club 33. Disney prides itself on the “Disney Details,” and removing a beautiful corner of New Orleans Square to expand an expensive members-only club really stings, to say the least.
Are we way off with our picks? What are your picks for 2013 Planie Awards? Do you have any other made-up awards you’d give to other things? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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The Most Highly-Coveted, Heavily Sought-After Disney Awards: TouringPlans’ 2013 Planies! is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
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