News Round Up 2021

[rteetz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1347236647608451072

 

[tlmadden73]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1347223456778248192

What? Oh man .. Well glad we did it once. But really .. I see it not really being used a lot since most guests fall into one of these two categories:
1) You are an infrequent visitor and don't know it exists
2) You are a frequent visitor but have a short trip --- and thusdon't want to spend the time to do it.

I mean .. we did it once (it was our 3rd trip of an AP year) and it took a lot of our morning just do to one section of it (Adventureland) .. it was something fun to do on a day we weren't really planning on doing much at the park. The kids loved it but only did it because we had already experienced all of MK on our previous two trips just months prior.

Same reason we've never done Wilderness Explorers or World Showcase games .. hard to set aside time to do a scavenger hunt in a park with so many other things to do.

It just feels pointless to shut it down now? Cost cutting measure? Don't have to pay those cast members in the firehouse? Don't have to pay for printing more cards? Don't have t pay for IT to support the existing windows?

I would even miss the last chance IF I go in two weeks --
I'll say I am now officially reconsidering my trip in two weeks (I think I just want to go when it is more "normal" to feel I am getting more of a vacation for my dollars) .. but it feels like the longer I wait .. the more "old" things may go away permanently and I'll miss my last chance to see/do them. Just feels like a lot of the "magic" (extra little things that aren't main line attractions/shows) are going away every month and the pandemic just seems to be accelerating this trend.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1347248275007565824

 

[MissGina5]

Wow, I didn’t know he was at retirement age already. Wish him the best. Leaders of AK gone this year.

Just making room for you right?

 

[rpb718]

I'll say I am now officially reconsidering my trip in two weeks (I think I just want to go when it is more "normal" to feel I am getting more of a vacation for my dollars) .. but it feels like the longer I wait .. the more "old" things may go away permanently and I'll miss my last chance to see/do them. Just feels like a lot of the "magic" (extra little things that aren't main line attractions/shows) are going away every month and the pandemic just seems to be accelerating this trend.

It's a valid feeling - but not a new one. We don't visit often but have actually missed out on whole rides when we didn't do them on our first trip and they were gone by the 2nd.

However, while I thought the bad news train had reached the end of it's track and 2021 would be a new year I guess they found some more track. Basing popularity of SotMK on the past 6 months with mostly vastly reduced hours and standby lines for all rides and reduced park experiences/offerings seems very short-sighted. My guess is like some other things done this has been in the works for a while.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It's a valid feeling - but not a new one. We don't visit often but have actually missed out on whole rides when we didn't do them on our first trip and they were gone by the 2nd.

However, while I thought the bad news train had reached the end of it's track and 2021 would be a new year I guess they found some more track. Basing popularity of SotMK on the past 6 months with mostly vastly reduced hours and standby lines for all rides and reduced park experiences/offerings seems very short-sighted. My guess is like some other things done this has been in the works for a while.

They do have the Play Parks App (or whatever it is called) - we've used it often while waiting in line. I wonder (hope) that they keep adding to that and maybe have something similar ot the SotMK game added to it (or to the Genie)

I think they know people need to have things to do outside of rides - but they are trying to concentrate technology, I think - clearly a focus on more phone stuff

 

[jpeterson]

What? Oh man .. Well glad we did it once. But really .. I see it not really being used a lot since most guests fall into one of these two categories:
1) You are an infrequent visitor and don't know it exists
2) You are a frequent visitor but have a short trip --- and thusdon't want to spend the time to do it.

I think you hit it right on the head. We did it on our second trip, we really wouldn't have made time to do it on our first. We mainly did it on the second because my wife needed a break off her feet so I took the kids around and did a section with them. That was many many trips ago and we've never done it since.

 

[tlmadden73]

They do have the Play Parks App (or whatever it is called) - we've used it often while waiting in line. I wonder (hope) that they keep adding to that and maybe have something similar ot the SotMK game added to it (or to the Genie)

I think they know people need to have things to do outside of rides - but they are trying to concentrate technology, I think - clearly a focus on more phone stuff

That's a good point. If they are simply replacing it with a more "new tech" game or activity -- sounds good. Things need to be updated eventually. I am not a huge fan of the games IN the line (because it is distracting and hard to play while constantly moving) .. but if they had some scavenger hunt games that you could play on your outside of the line (like Sorcerers) .. that could be a great use of the Disney Play app. The scavenger hunt game in SWGE comes to mind (which I haven't played but planning on it on the next trip since that land is such an immersive area).

But I don't see Disney feeling the need to add much "new" like that (even in the app) ... and this seems like a tired old saying -- UNTIL things get back to "normal".

 

[soniam]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1347223456778248192

My son will be heartbroken. He loves playing this. It was great to have when you just want to hang out in the park but not wait for rides. The play app isn’t nearly as much fun. I guess we’ll have to try the SWGE data pad more now. I wonder if they are going to do the Agent P replacement at Epcot now. I suspect not.

 

[sherlockmiles]

My son will be heartbroken. He loves playing this. It was great to have when you just want to hang out in the park but not wait for rides. The play app isn’t nearly as much fun. I guess we’ll have to try the SWGE data pad more now. I wonder if they are going to do the Agent P replacement at Epcot now. I suspect not.

SOTMK does drain your phone battery!

 

[sachilles]

My son will also be disappointed about sorcerers. We play it every trip, sometimes more than I'd like. Though the one thing I liked was he was always keeping an eye out for younger kids playing. He had amassed so many duplicate cards, he loved handing out extras to new players.
must be they have to monetize the fire station or something. Hope they keep the pirate adventure, or install something else that is hidden in plain site.
Did ducktales ever come online at epcot to replace Perry?

I'd love to see them move the tech to Animal kingdom, to really help folks explore the park, or add it to Hollywood studios. Heck put a unified game in all the parks and disney springs.

 

[BrianL]

SOTMK does drain your phone battery!

SOTMK was the one with the cards - no phone is needed.

Did ducktales ever come online at epcot to replace Perry?

It has not as of yet. I think there were still plans to do it though. I do not know if Agent P is still operational or not.

 

[sherlockmiles]

SOTMK was the one with the cards - no phone is needed.
It has not as of yet. I think there were still plans to do it though. I do not know if Agent P is still operational or not.

I totally absolute meant DOES NOT!!! Thanks for noticing...

see, I'm so flustered I cant type right

 

[sachilles]

It has not as of yet. I think there were still plans to do it though. I do not know if Agent P is still operational or not.

Agent P wasn't functioning when we were there in October.

 

[BrianL]

I totally absolute meant DOES NOT!!! Thanks for noticing...

see, I'm so flustered I cant type right

I thought you might have meant Agent P. The last time I did it you used phones they supplied instead of your own so I didn't know how much battery it drained. It was actually the Kim Possible version when I did it, though I might have played Agent P once.

 

[teach22180]

I totally absolute meant DOES NOT!!! Thanks for noticing...

see, I'm so flustered I cant type right

I don't play the Play app games because I'm always nervous about my phone battery. And I don't carry external chargers because I only use a fanny pack. I will miss sorcerers for sure. ☹
ETA I expect the Play app is supposed to replace sorcerers. And i bet Genie will include Play!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Socially Distanced paint by number mural coming to Festival for the Arts

https://blogmickey.com/2021/01/soci...rs-coming-to-2021-epcot-festival-of-the-arts/

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1347236647608451072

I'm kind of sad in a way that he says he doesn't think he'll visit the parks often at all. But seems very in character.

I loved this quote, especially the first sentence on leaving his Southern California home and moving to the north and leaving Disney behind:

“It does not help people grow to have a shadow in the background,” Rohde says. “The best thing that can happen is people go forward and they grow and learn how to do this. That does mean they will make personal choices. That does mean these things evolve. They are not frozen in aspic. They don’t become shrines to something someone bought in 1998, which is already a very long time ago."
Also, he helped to design Hooter from Captain EO!!!

But realizing that Imagineering was closer to the film industry than his gig at Chaminade, he relented, starting in 1980 in the model shop, where he struggled, bouncing around various projects. Rohde was part of teams that worked on the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot and later the Michael Jackson-staring sci-fi 3-D film “Captain EO,” for which he helped devise the film’s original characters.

 

[Farro]

I thought of this yesterday, after things calmed down.

Do you think this will be the first time a President is removed from Hall of Presidents? I will leave personal opinion out of it, let's all do the same please!

It's interesting he chose to make a statement. Bob Chapek speaks on Capitol attack.

https://insidethemagic.net/2021/01/bob-chapek-statement-us-capitol-ba1/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...-capitol-a-sad-and-tragic-day-for-our-country

 

[The Pho]

I thought of this yesterday, after things calmed down.

Do you think this will be the first time a President is removed from Hall of Presidents? I will leave personal opinion out of it, let's all do the same please!

It's interesting he chose to make a statement. Bob Chapek speaks on Capitol attack.

https://insidethemagic.net/2021/01/bob-chapek-statement-us-capitol-ba1/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...-capitol-a-sad-and-tragic-day-for-our-country

I doubt it. Removing him would only cause additional anger. They’ll add Biden soon enough and then he won’t be more than a name in the show, just like most of the others. Disney prefers to avoid controversy when possible. I’d say a move away from the sitting president having any sizable role is far more likely.