News Round Up 2018

[PaintsWithAllTheColors]

Hi all - I just got back from a quick trip to DLR and had a few things I wanted to share. It has been almost 2 years since we have been there.
First - we rode the monorail and had no issues - it was neither hot nor smelled .
My big observation was the push for, and unnecessary MaxPass. Everyone from the resort, to the gates recommended it. I did not buy it b/c we arrived mid-day on Thursday and didn't think we would get our moneys worth. According to TouringPlans - we were there for 8/9 out of 10 days. We used the traditional paper fastpasses and boy was it fun to use those again. We got between 6-8 each day. One big difference is the "fastpass" paper ticket is now only a reminder of your return time, when you return you have to pull out your paper entry ticket and have that scanned. That was a bit nerve racking as I was afraid my kids (or worse I) would lose our ticket, but we survived. Folks who did use MaxPass had to pull their phone out, pull up the app and have that scanned for return. This really clogged up the fastpass entry lines, especially for folks that had their whole family linked. They had to flip on their phone from one pass to the next. I was also suprised with the number of rides that still don't have fastpass. Yes, they did add it to some rides, Matterhorn, TSMM, HM, but if they had it, it wasn't "on" for Small World, Pirates, Louigi etc. We basically only needed FP for the major E ticket rides. We used it for Guardians, RSR, Space, BTM a few times, but that was about it. The early day lines weren't bad for the other big rides, and there we so many rides that didn't take it. Traveling with a party of 4, it definitely wasn't worth an additional $40/day. I did consider buying just 1 to use for ride photos, but not that many rides had photos - and they don't put that silly watermark across the screen when you view the photo at the end - so i just took a picture of the screen - I know - redneck.
Other observation - perhaps I too small town, but Food and Wine is crazy expensive. There was an Angus slider that my husband was considering - $8- but it was the size of a golf ball (bun, toppings and burger). Seriously - you would have to work to make 2 bites out of it.
Finally, I didn't spend time taking construction photos - but we could visibly notice the changes in SWL in just the 3 days - they are progressing quickly.

While I largely disagree with you in regards to MaxPass, I do understand the frustration with the FP lines backing up. Though to be fair, it’s just as much people trying to use their paper FP reminder and having to haul out their tickets. Likewise, people who are new to MaxPass haven’t gotten used to the process. Just as a note, even with MaxPass, you can use your ticket instead of having your phone scanned. That works great for rides/areas where the cell service isn’t great, as long as you’ve already booked the FP.

I have found MP wonderful and it’s definitely increased the number of rides I can get on during a couple-hour trip as an AP holder. Still, glad to hear your family was able to save the $40/day and have a good time! I think it’s good that this upcharge hasn’t become one that people are forced to buy because it’s necessary to get anything done.

 

[rteetz]

Photo Update

Wine Bar George

http://blogmickey.com/2018/04/photos-wine-bar-george-construction-nearly-complete-at-disney-springs/

 

[mcd2745]

True although the Florida monorail has A/C that doesn’t always work half the time.

Makes me think of this...

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Hi all - I just got back from a quick trip to DLR and had a few things I wanted to share. It has been almost 2 years since we have been there.
First - we rode the monorail and had no issues - it was neither hot nor smelled .
My big observation was the push for, and unnecessary MaxPass. Everyone from the resort, to the gates recommended it. I did not buy it b/c we arrived mid-day on Thursday and didn't think we would get our moneys worth. According to TouringPlans - we were there for 8/9 out of 10 days. We used the traditional paper fastpasses and boy was it fun to use those again. We got between 6-8 each day. One big difference is the "fastpass" paper ticket is now only a reminder of your return time, when you return you have to pull out your paper entry ticket and have that scanned. That was a bit nerve racking as I was afraid my kids (or worse I) would lose our ticket, but we survived. Folks who did use MaxPass had to pull their phone out, pull up the app and have that scanned for return. This really clogged up the fastpass entry lines, especially for folks that had their whole family linked. They had to flip on their phone from one pass to the next. I was also suprised with the number of rides that still don't have fastpass. Yes, they did add it to some rides, Matterhorn, TSMM, HM, but if they had it, it wasn't "on" for Small World, Pirates, Louigi etc. We basically only needed FP for the major E ticket rides. We used it for Guardians, RSR, Space, BTM a few times, but that was about it. The early day lines weren't bad for the other big rides, and there we so many rides that didn't take it. Traveling with a party of 4, it definitely wasn't worth an additional $40/day. I did consider buying just 1 to use for ride photos, but not that many rides had photos - and they don't put that silly watermark across the screen when you view the photo at the end - so i just took a picture of the screen - I know - redneck.
Other observation - perhaps I too small town, but Food and Wine is crazy expensive. There was an Angus slider that my husband was considering - $8- but it was the size of a golf ball (bun, toppings and burger). Seriously - you would have to work to make 2 bites out of it.
Finally, I didn't spend time taking construction photos - but we could visibly notice the changes in SWL in just the 3 days - they are progressing quickly.

I have been on two trips since Maxpass rolled out and both times I got it. I only say it is worth it if you have a park hopper. That way you ca; get fastpasses at DCA while you are in DL. For this reason only, I say it is worth it. I have also held 10+ fastpasses a day with Maxpass. I traveled solo though. Since you are a family, I can see why you wouldn’t want to get it.

In regards to the festivals, I agree that Disney is changing more for these now since they know people will buy it.

Glad you had a great trip to my favorite Disney Theme Park!

 

[jknezek]

Bloomberg reporting ESPN+, the streaming service, will launch April 12 for $4.99 a month and will be integrated into a redesigned ESPN app.

 

[Lee Matthews]

Can't really argue at a price of $4.99

 

[Capang]

News

DisneyVision was an augmented reality piece of MyDisneyExperience that was scrapped before the roll out.

https://twitter.com/dismagicbands/status/980621126278803456?s=21

Cool idea, but all I could think of is all the wonderful ways it would crash the app.

Bloomberg reporting ESPN+, the streaming service, will launch April 12 for $4.99 a month and will be integrated into a redesigned ESPN app.

Good to know. Just cut the cable today. When does Disney streaming service start? Next year?

 

[mikepizzo]

Bloomberg reporting ESPN+, the streaming service, will launch April 12 for $4.99 a month and will be integrated into a redesigned ESPN app.

Can't really argue at a price of $4.99

Start with a low price in hopes of getting a larger user base and then slowly creep the price up so it's around $9.99 a month by the 5 year mark?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hi all - I just got back from a quick trip to DLR and had a few things I wanted to share. It has been almost 2 years since we have been there.
First - we rode the monorail and had no issues - it was neither hot nor smelled .
My big observation was the push for, and unnecessary MaxPass. Everyone from the resort, to the gates recommended it. I did not buy it b/c we arrived mid-day on Thursday and didn't think we would get our moneys worth. According to TouringPlans - we were there for 8/9 out of 10 days. We used the traditional paper fastpasses and boy was it fun to use those again. We got between 6-8 each day. One big difference is the "fastpass" paper ticket is now only a reminder of your return time, when you return you have to pull out your paper entry ticket and have that scanned. That was a bit nerve racking as I was afraid my kids (or worse I) would lose our ticket, but we survived. Folks who did use MaxPass had to pull their phone out, pull up the app and have that scanned for return. This really clogged up the fastpass entry lines, especially for folks that had their whole family linked. They had to flip on their phone from one pass to the next. I was also suprised with the number of rides that still don't have fastpass. Yes, they did add it to some rides, Matterhorn, TSMM, HM, but if they had it, it wasn't "on" for Small World, Pirates, Louigi etc. We basically only needed FP for the major E ticket rides. We used it for Guardians, RSR, Space, BTM a few times, but that was about it. The early day lines weren't bad for the other big rides, and there we so many rides that didn't take it. Traveling with a party of 4, it definitely wasn't worth an additional $40/day. I did consider buying just 1 to use for ride photos, but not that many rides had photos - and they don't put that silly watermark across the screen when you view the photo at the end - so i just took a picture of the screen - I know - redneck.
Other observation - perhaps I too small town, but Food and Wine is crazy expensive. There was an Angus slider that my husband was considering - $8- but it was the size of a golf ball (bun, toppings and burger). Seriously - you would have to work to make 2 bites out of it.
Finally, I didn't spend time taking construction photos - but we could visibly notice the changes in SWL in just the 3 days - they are progressing quickly.

I have been on two trips since Maxpass rolled out and both times I got it. I only say it is worth it if you have a park hopper. That way you ca; get fastpasses at DCA while you are in DL. For this reason only, I say it is worth it. I have also held 10+ fastpasses a day with Maxpass. I traveled solo though. Since you are a family, I can see why you wouldn’t want to get it.

In regards to the festivals, I agree that Disney is changing more for these now since they know people will buy it.

Glad you had a great trip to my favorite Disney Theme Park!

The one big drawback to me of MaxxPass is the pricing structure - they really should have a "family" price or something. It's one thing as a solo traveler to spend $10/day - another for a family to spend $40-$50 or more a day when you really only need 1 photopass account. Maybe do $10/person or $25/family or something

 

[osully]

I too cannot wait for the Disney streaming service. I hope it's launched in Canada at the same time but often these things aren't!

We are moving this year and with a larger house I am tempted to cancel cable. However we do still have so many things I need to find other legal ways to watch. We are not interested in downloading / pirating. Bell seems to have a new more flexible program, just need to look into it.

Between that, Crave TV, Netflix, and Disney streaming we would have everything!

 

[DizFanFamily]

While I largely disagree with you in regards to MaxPass, I do understand the frustration with the FP lines backing up. Though to be fair, it’s just as much people trying to use their paper FP reminder and having to haul out their tickets. Likewise, people who are new to MaxPass haven’t gotten used to the process. Just as a note, even with MaxPass, you can use your ticket instead of having your phone scanned. That works great for rides/areas where the cell service isn’t great, as long as you’ve already booked the FP.

I have found MP wonderful and it’s definitely increased the number of rides I can get on during a couple-hour trip as an AP holder. Still, glad to hear your family was able to save the $40/day and have a good time! I think it’s good that this upcharge hasn’t become one that people are forced to buy because it’s necessary to get anything done.

Yes - I do anticipate with the opening of SWL it will be become required to use the MP system. I did not realize folks could chose to use their paper tickets instead of phone, and do realize others get confused and can't find their tickets, or are too early etc. I just wasn't seeing great value. I did seriously consider it, as the parks were quite crowded, but the crowds were worse in the afternoon/evenings, and the big ticket rides already had their FP's gone by then. We found few FP for rides (my teenage kids wanted to do) after 4:00. I am sure we could have been more diligent, but we failed there. One thing I did really want the MaxPass for was to see what the return times are for rides, rather than hiking across the park to take a chance. I got very spoiled by that with the FP+ in FL.

 

[hiroMYhero]

The Tiering Levels are out for TSL per CL Guests booking through DSS this morning:

Hi all, just some updates...
As of 6/30 Rockin Rollercoaster is Tier 2.
Alien, Slinky, and TSMM are Tier 1.

 

[PxyShan]

I was at the Disneyland Resort over St. Patrick's Day with my sisters and my mom. I loved having the paper fast passes again because it was easy enough for one of us to run - I mean quickly walk - to get another pass on the other side of the park since we weren't hindered by children this go round. Though we did consider maxpass for our last day as my mom (who is 69) was in a lot of pain from all the walking and running across the parks. I could see value in it for that reason alone for traveling with kids or elderly. At least for a day or two. But as @PaintsWithAllTheColors said, I also love that you can still get so much done without it.

And my only complaint about the DL monorail is how unnerving the turns are - the angle feels much steeper than it is. When you're used to wide, even turns at WDW, those "sharp" angles really felt unstable.

 

[dm1996]

Did wdw ever close the line off to Fiight of Passage before the park closure each night? I’m only asking because I would think Star Wars will be much worse and I can’t imagine Disney keeping that attraction open 4 hours past the park closure night after night.

 

[dina444444]

Did wdw ever close the line off to Fiight of Passage before the park closure each night? I’m only asking because I would think Star Wars will be much worse and I can’t imagine Disney keeping that attraction open 4 hours past the park closure night after night.

They did at the very very very beginning of pandora opening. They would close it before regular park closing and reopen it to emh guests for emh and it would close about 30-45 min before the end of emh. This was during opening week.

 

[AzzySpazbourne]

News

Pregnant Woman attempts to bypass DCL policy pertaining to pregnancy travel restriction safety measures. Whole family was removed from ticketing by armed security. Woman filmed incident and is upset.

I get not allowing her on board per DCL policy, but to not allow the rest to go? There must be more to the story... where's Paul Harvey nowadays?

 

[JaxDad]

News

Pregnant Woman attempts to bypass DCL policy pertaining to pregnancy travel restriction safety measures. Whole family was removed from ticketing by armed security. Woman filmed incident and is upset.

I get not allowing her on board per DCL policy, but to not allow the rest to go? There must be more to the story... where's Paul Harvey nowadays?

I might have missed it in the article, but I did not see that the rest were not allowed to go, just that they were all escorted out. BUT, as you say, I'm sure there is much more to the story. How much traction she gets in the court of social media will dictate DCL's response. I'm guessing even social media will not sympathize, since she was so blatantly ignorant of the rules, although they may pounce on the whole scary gun aspect...

 

[HuskieJohn]

Can't really argue at a price of $4.99

I wonder how many people will pay the $4.99 and not realize they already get 99% of this content on the WATCHESPN app.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

How much traction she gets in the court of social media will dictate DCL's response. I'm guessing even social media will not sympathize, since she was so blatantly ignorant of the rules, although they may pounce on the whole scary gun aspect...

I agree that this is very often the case. At some point, this can’t carry the day. Companies buy themselves more potential problems in the long term if they cave in the short term — especially if they’re actually in the right.

They have a clearly articulated policy for a reason. Not their fault if she was ignorant. I’d be REALLY surprised if they received armed escort if she/they complied without a problem.

 

[AzzySpazbourne]

I’d be REALLY surprised if they received armed escort if she/they complied without a problem.

I agree... the armed K-9 unit doesn't just show up if someone's only slightly miffed, but usually when a scene is made, and a refusal to leave after a reasonable request to do so has been made.