From: Rich_Koster@agwbbs.new-orleans.LA.US (Rich Koster)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Varied Subjects
Distribution: world
Date: 27 Jul 92 16:58:48 CST
Organization: The Amiga GateWay BBS * New Orleans, La.

First of all, let me say to everyone how much my wife and I enjoy the
conversations and news posted on this conference, which was added to
this popular local BBS (Amiga Gateway) earlier this month.
 
Mike Lukacs described his family's EuroDisney vacation in a 7/20/92
post.  We sent a print-out of his descriptions to a friend of ours
and her husband, about to move to England from Germany, to aid their
future touring plans.  What are some of the amenities of the Cheyenne
Hotel?  Did you get to go to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show or any of
the night life?
 
Gary L. Newell flamed Disney business practices in a post dated
7/22/92, wondering why the company would release the film Pinocchio
on video cassette only to re-release it back to theatres in restored
form, probably to re-release the restored version back to video
cassette someday, if not to bilk Disney fans out of their money.
Well, I would have to agree with all of the replies to the effect that
Disney can do what it wants with its products.  You should simply
approve/disapprove with your wallet as you see fit.  My wife adds that
there will probably never be another entrepreneur/businessman/showman
quite like Walt Disney, who had such a knack for appealing to all ages
and cultures and who cared so much for quality and detail that whole
segments of Pinocchio were discarded in order to make it better.  Who
takes the precious time to do that in this day and age, *and* still be
able to make money off of "family values"?  Why not recycle, restore
and preserve what Walt did for future generations?  People are truly
hungry for this type of entertainment, it's expensive to produce, and
re-releasing it periodically keeps it fresh for each new generation to
appreciate.  And films are meant to be seen in a theatre.  This isn't
blindly saying that everything the Disney company does is perfect,
appropriate or correct.  But the company faces competition on many
fronts, and has obligations to shareholders and consumers alike to
fulfill.  Gary is entitled to his opinions, but of all the issues in
the world to feel that strongly about, how Disney handles the home
video release arm of its business ranks 'way down on the list.
 
With Splash Mountain open, we volunteer to test "The Unofficial Guide
to WDW" touring plan as it relates to riding that attraction when
we're there for the Disneyana Convention in September!  Anyone else
going?  To Splash Mountain?  To Disneyana?
 
We thank Brenda Bowden for posting the comparison of Walt Disney
Company shareholder and Magic Kingdom Club benefits.  My wife Carol
points out, though, that through sharp shopping, especially when you
might be on vacation in very large cities, you can do better than the
10% discount offered at Disney Stores to shareholders and club
members.  Buy Disney soundtrack CDs, video and audio cassettes in
record or video stores.  Disney licensed merchandising is available
lots of places.  "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" mentions going to the
Character Warehouse at Mall 2 of the Belz Factory Outlet World at
the north end of International Drive off I-4 and Bargain World (two
Orlando locations) as places to buy Disney souvenirs at bargain
prices compared to the parks.  We happened to be in a mall in
southeast Houston while on vacation earlier this month.  Houston's
second Disney Store was set to open in this mall July 18th.  Well,
elsewhere in the mall was a store called Toons, holding a big moving
sale on some of its cartoon-themed inventory.  Dang if they didn't
have some of the same Disney merchandise, and more varied merchandise,
the Disney Store does and at 20+% off what Disney was charging.  Of
course, it's much more fun to go to a Disney Store:  It's a park fix
for those who need it!
 
Brenda Bowden wondered in her 7/22/92 post whether WDW transportation
would take her to Goodings Supermarket.  No.  You'll need a rental car
for that errand, but instead of Goodings, travel into "real" Orlando
(just keep going on International Drive) and find a regular
supermarket such as Publix.  You'll save money.  Regarding a rental
car as opposed to WDW transportation, weigh whether you want to have
yet another long walk at the end of a theme-park day to a parking lot
to drive a hot car, fatigued or at night, directly to your
destination, to letting someone else drive an air conditioned bus you
wait a few minutes for that's included with your ticket, but the bus
makes stops along the way and may not go straight to your destination,
and may involve transfers to get where you're going and may take
longer overall.  The busses in the morning are filled with chipper
conversation discussing the day's plans; at the end of the day they're
quiet as cemeteries.  If you and your family plan to attend religious
services on your vacation, and the time of the services on-site at
Disney World are not convenient, rent the car.  We had a taxi take us
to Mass at Mary Queen of the Universe one Sunday last July, and the
driver waited for us, with his meter running, for an hour until we
were ready to go back to our hotel off WDW property!  You'll probably
be happier with a rental car if you plan on seeing Sea World,
Universal Studios, Church Street Station, any of the dinner shows or
restaurants off the Disney properties.  WDW boat transportation from
the Polynesian Resort to Fort Wilderness is probably most efficient
for travelling to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue at Pioneer Hall...it's
closer to the water than to the Fort Wilderness parking lot, from
which you have to take a bus to reach the hall.
 
Greg Orman's idea for an electronic Disney photo exchange might run
into legal copyright problems with the Disney company.  According
to "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" the company has copyrighted many
of the identifiable buildings and structures, which is why they
won't let that guide book, as opposed to Birnbaum's guidebook, take
and publish pictures even with their own camera.  A lawyer can best
advise, though.
 
Reginald E. Ash and Michael Y. Chiang discussed a thread concerning
the nightly WDW fireworks shows.  For something romantic, if you're
not too tuckered out, look out your hotel room window at fireworks
time for another lovely perspective, mostly for the Magic Kingdom,
Disney-MGM and Pleasure Island shows.  The EPCOT Spaceship Earth
geodesic dome is lit well at night and is part of the skyline to
admire.
 
We liked John McGinn's favorite attraction survey.  We like Castaway
Creek at Typhoon Lagoon, The Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island,
the Animation Tour and The 50's Prime Time Cafe at Disney-MGM Studios
(especially the way the waiters and waitresses carry on about Mom to
the patrons....Try an earlier lunch there and the wait staff is more
"on" than during the peak of the meal time rush) and Pirates of the
Caribbean at Magic Kingdom, WDW.  My brother, Greg Koster, and his
wife (both 40-something) and two kids (8 year old girl, 5 year old
boy) jointly liked:  Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid live
shows and Star Tours at Disney-MGM Studios; Living Seas, Norway's
Maelstrom, Body Wars and Cranium Command at EPCOT; and Space Mountain,
Thunder Mountain and Grand Prix Raceway at Magic Kingdom.  The 8 year
old girl offered constructive criticism there should be more roller
coasters (they were there the last week of May, just missing the
opening of Splash Mountain by a matter of weeks).  We're curious what
John's next survey involves, and would like to participate if
possible.
 
Does Carl L. Sage know offhand if Spectromagic will be on display in
late September coinciding with the Disneyana Convention at WDW?  He
described the parade in his 7/24/92 post and it sounds exciting!
 
Thank you to Belinda LeFor for her positive endorsement of "The
Unofficial Guide to WDW" touring plans in response to a post we made
7/26/92.  We look forward to testing it all out in September.  Belinda
mentioned she would write notes, comments and corrections in the
margins of her yearly copy of the book.  Good idea!  Do you correspond
with the author and share your comments with him, have you been
"published" in his book?
 
And thank you to the folks who post the news about the Disney company
on this conference.  We bought ten shares of stock at the time of the
split in May, and we appreciate the specific, in depth, news about the
company posted here.

-- Via DLG Pro v0.992