No, its not that I'm closing or anything, but I am putting my blog on hold until summer. I know I haven't posted often this year, and because I have been so busy recently, I haven't been able to post yet again, let alone try to catch up on Disney news or update my web albums. Due to this, I am putting this blog on hiatus for about another month, when summer starts. When that rolls around, I will update a little about what I've been up to, and then try to start daily small posts, with the possibility of weekly updates of the parks and news. No promises, though.
Until then, feel free to catch up on my older posts, especially my old Paradise Pier Rehab posts. Its really interesting to compare what was planned to do to what has actually happened. When I come back, I plan to do an update post on DCA. You can also check out my Picture Albums at http://picasaweb.google.com/DisneyRikua, or send me an email at DisneyRikua@gmail.com, detailing what you would like to see in the future. I will also add a poll to the sidebar asking what you want to see.
See ya real soon!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Some Rants and Other Business...
Hey there! I've needed to get a post done for a little while now, but during the one weekend I have time to, I don't really want to. But I know I need to keep posting here to keep up interest, so here goes.
The new header for the blog was created by my sister at The Shady Glade, and a big "thank you" goes out to her for doing that. Also, I have updated the pictures in my Picasa Albums. The Personal Photos section now contains most of the ones I took on my somewhat-recent trip in mid-January. My sister asked not to be in the album, so I had to take many of them out, including my getting Blackmailed into Pixie Hollow and other characters (though some of it was my own want). As well, the Refurb folder has been completely changed and I added some photos to the Disney Theme Park Photos area, so make sure you check all of those out.
In trying to make myself blog more, I've been thinking about having a short daily post or something along the lines of that. Now, one of the items I got for Christmas is a WDW Trivia Page-a-Day calendar, with trivia on the weekdays and activities on the weekends. I want to get a feel for how everyone would like something like this, so please leave a comment or email me at DisneyRikua@gmail.com to let me know how you feel about this idea. Of course, I also have ideas for longer weekly or monthly posts, but if you have any ideas, please let me know about those too.
Now for my rants: I wanted to get together a Trip Report from my last trip, but it fell apart at the last minute, and I have forgotten much of what I was planning to talk about. However, I did want to offer my opinion on some sore subjects. DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion, and you can agree or disagree with me as you see fit. If you see things a different way, just leave a comment to let others know how you feel about things.
Our first topic of the day is DCA. I like all of the construction that they are planning, and the Blue Sky Cellar is really nice to see what's coming up. However, when I went in there and I saw that model of the new Paradise Pier, I was told most of it was not going to happen yet, if at all. Now, the Suits need to realize that these changes are GOOD, and that stopping the flow of cash into them is BAD. We all know the economy is bad, but they really can spare the cash. DCA is starting to lose money because people are saving their vacation until things are finished. That's when all the cash will start flowing back into their pockets. They need to focus on long-term profit, not just "How much money can we doing another useless yearly promotion."
Which brings us to our next topic: the Celebration Promotion. I agree that occasional promotions are fine, but for 5 years in a row? It's great the 50th got 2 years, it deserved that, but then moving right into YOAMD(Year of a Million Dreams) for another 2 years and then This new Celebration? Its a bit much. I think the Celebration promotion is better than YOAMD was, but can we just have regular Disneyland for a bit? Is that too much to ask? Why don't we save something for the 55th, just like in the early years of Disneyland. Course the competition wasn't as bad back then...
And our last topic will be...the new "it's a small world": I didn't get a chance to see it during Christmas, though there was plenty of photo documentation. To me, it didn't look like much had changed yet, and that the refurb before the holiday was just to deepen the flume and get the new boats. However, when it came time for it to reopen with the changes, nobody seemed to want to publish any pictorials, or videos, or anything beyond just rants at how wrong it was. I have formed some opinions of my own, but I still can't find much in the way of pictures, so they are a little short. I feel the characters in the ride were great additions. I'm sorry if you feel different, but I think they look great (even though the Stitch and Abu figures look unfinished). Though I don't mind the addition of the America scene, I don't like the scene itself. Instead of showing us multiple things going on in differing areas of the country/region, the America scene is very flat and has little going on in it. When I heard they were adding an America scene, I thought they would more just transplant the scene from Paris to here. But instead, they shortened it down to two flat scenes on either side of the river. If they want this to achieve acceptance, add more stuff to the area. Other than that, I don't know anything about the updated music or lighting, so I can't form any opinions on that.
To a bit of random things today: The Tron 2 trailer I released in an earlier post will be shown again at this year's Comic Con with filming starting soon. Also, the name is simply Tron 2, not the TR2N at stated earlier. Also, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At Its Peak
, which I enjoy immensely. It does contain a lot more concept art, but it's okay considering that the book covers around ten attractions rather than the one attraction per previous book.
Well, that's all for right now. Please let me know about what you think about possible future posts or anything else. As always, you can leave a comment or email me at DisneyRikua@gmail.com. Hope to see you just around the riverbend!
The new header for the blog was created by my sister at The Shady Glade, and a big "thank you" goes out to her for doing that. Also, I have updated the pictures in my Picasa Albums. The Personal Photos section now contains most of the ones I took on my somewhat-recent trip in mid-January. My sister asked not to be in the album, so I had to take many of them out, including my getting Blackmailed into Pixie Hollow and other characters (though some of it was my own want). As well, the Refurb folder has been completely changed and I added some photos to the Disney Theme Park Photos area, so make sure you check all of those out.
In trying to make myself blog more, I've been thinking about having a short daily post or something along the lines of that. Now, one of the items I got for Christmas is a WDW Trivia Page-a-Day calendar, with trivia on the weekdays and activities on the weekends. I want to get a feel for how everyone would like something like this, so please leave a comment or email me at DisneyRikua@gmail.com to let me know how you feel about this idea. Of course, I also have ideas for longer weekly or monthly posts, but if you have any ideas, please let me know about those too.
Now for my rants: I wanted to get together a Trip Report from my last trip, but it fell apart at the last minute, and I have forgotten much of what I was planning to talk about. However, I did want to offer my opinion on some sore subjects. DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion, and you can agree or disagree with me as you see fit. If you see things a different way, just leave a comment to let others know how you feel about things.
Our first topic of the day is DCA. I like all of the construction that they are planning, and the Blue Sky Cellar is really nice to see what's coming up. However, when I went in there and I saw that model of the new Paradise Pier, I was told most of it was not going to happen yet, if at all. Now, the Suits need to realize that these changes are GOOD, and that stopping the flow of cash into them is BAD. We all know the economy is bad, but they really can spare the cash. DCA is starting to lose money because people are saving their vacation until things are finished. That's when all the cash will start flowing back into their pockets. They need to focus on long-term profit, not just "How much money can we doing another useless yearly promotion."
Which brings us to our next topic: the Celebration Promotion. I agree that occasional promotions are fine, but for 5 years in a row? It's great the 50th got 2 years, it deserved that, but then moving right into YOAMD(Year of a Million Dreams) for another 2 years and then This new Celebration? Its a bit much. I think the Celebration promotion is better than YOAMD was, but can we just have regular Disneyland for a bit? Is that too much to ask? Why don't we save something for the 55th, just like in the early years of Disneyland. Course the competition wasn't as bad back then...
And our last topic will be...the new "it's a small world": I didn't get a chance to see it during Christmas, though there was plenty of photo documentation. To me, it didn't look like much had changed yet, and that the refurb before the holiday was just to deepen the flume and get the new boats. However, when it came time for it to reopen with the changes, nobody seemed to want to publish any pictorials, or videos, or anything beyond just rants at how wrong it was. I have formed some opinions of my own, but I still can't find much in the way of pictures, so they are a little short. I feel the characters in the ride were great additions. I'm sorry if you feel different, but I think they look great (even though the Stitch and Abu figures look unfinished). Though I don't mind the addition of the America scene, I don't like the scene itself. Instead of showing us multiple things going on in differing areas of the country/region, the America scene is very flat and has little going on in it. When I heard they were adding an America scene, I thought they would more just transplant the scene from Paris to here. But instead, they shortened it down to two flat scenes on either side of the river. If they want this to achieve acceptance, add more stuff to the area. Other than that, I don't know anything about the updated music or lighting, so I can't form any opinions on that.
To a bit of random things today: The Tron 2 trailer I released in an earlier post will be shown again at this year's Comic Con with filming starting soon. Also, the name is simply Tron 2, not the TR2N at stated earlier. Also, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At Its Peak
, which I enjoy immensely. It does contain a lot more concept art, but it's okay considering that the book covers around ten attractions rather than the one attraction per previous book.Well, that's all for right now. Please let me know about what you think about possible future posts or anything else. As always, you can leave a comment or email me at DisneyRikua@gmail.com. Hope to see you just around the riverbend!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Brushing Out the Cobwebs
If you have checked the blog recently, you may have noticed a few new things. I felt is was time to mix it up a little and change some things around. First of all, I updated the blog's format to a layout called "Script." The dark theme was nice, but in the spirit of the New Year, I decided it was time to mix things up. I also have updated my RDQ (for Random Disney Quote), as well as added two new polls to the sidebar, now conveniently located on the other side of the page. I have set an email address, to be used exclusively for this blog. I can now be reached by leaving a comment or, for something more private, email me at disneyrikua@gmail.com. In addition, I have set up a Picasa Web albums account for the blog which can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/DisneyRikua. I will be updating this regularly, so check back often, or even subscribe to the RSS feed in a feed program or online service. I use Bloglines personally, but there are many to choose from. That is about it for what I have accomplished at the moment. I will be trying to add more items over the next month or so. My next post will after I return from Disneyland, but feel free to leave a comment telling what you like, don't like, etc. and I'll try to use all the feedback I get. So long, folks!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Merry Christmas and a Happy Bah Humbug
Happy Holidays to all of my readers out there! Hope everyone is enjoyed a nice break from work or school and spending some time with the family. However, recent Disney news isn't so bright. After a few rumors, Disney has officially announced it will be cutting a number of entertainment in the new year at the Disneyland resort.
To start off, the Royal Coronation Ceremony and Disney Princess Storytelling will be performing for the last time on Sunday, January 4th. The meet and greet area, as well as the snack bar and retail/makeover areas will remain open for now. No word if anything new will come to the theater, but my favorite rumor for this area is to enclose it and install Mickey's Philharmagic, from the east coast Magic Kingdom. The "Remember, Dreams Come True" fireworks show will appear on January 17-19th and February 13th-16th for Martin Luther King Jr. and President's Day weekends, respectively. Fantasmic, however, will continue to run most days until the fireworks return in March. Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams will not return as well, but will be replaced in March by Celebrate! A Street Parade, set to debut on the 27th.
Moving along to California Adventure, Disney's Electrical Parade will not return until June 12th after the Holidays. Pixar Play Parade will not perform on Mondays and Tuesdays, High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! will be dark on Fridays through Sundays, and Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular will be dark on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Thanks to Disneyland News Today for this information.
That's about it for news as of right now. Disney has declined doing a third Narnia movie with Walden Media, who will likely find a new partner, and Tron 2.0, or TR2N has recently started casting and will be shot entirely in 3D with lots of real world sets. A trailer came out at Comic Con, and I will be posting that below. It's a little hard to see, but this looks very exciting. Can't wait to see what they do with this.
Other than that, I am heading to Disneyland from January 17th-21st, so I WILL be doing a report on the going-ons around Disneyland when I get back. I'm going to make myself do it because I didn't last time. As always, feel free to comment, especially with Disney-related quotes. So long, folks!
*Note: Sorry to those who are offended by the title of this post, but I thought it was appropriate.
To start off, the Royal Coronation Ceremony and Disney Princess Storytelling will be performing for the last time on Sunday, January 4th. The meet and greet area, as well as the snack bar and retail/makeover areas will remain open for now. No word if anything new will come to the theater, but my favorite rumor for this area is to enclose it and install Mickey's Philharmagic, from the east coast Magic Kingdom. The "Remember, Dreams Come True" fireworks show will appear on January 17-19th and February 13th-16th for Martin Luther King Jr. and President's Day weekends, respectively. Fantasmic, however, will continue to run most days until the fireworks return in March. Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams will not return as well, but will be replaced in March by Celebrate! A Street Parade, set to debut on the 27th.
Moving along to California Adventure, Disney's Electrical Parade will not return until June 12th after the Holidays. Pixar Play Parade will not perform on Mondays and Tuesdays, High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! will be dark on Fridays through Sundays, and Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular will be dark on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Thanks to Disneyland News Today for this information.
That's about it for news as of right now. Disney has declined doing a third Narnia movie with Walden Media, who will likely find a new partner, and Tron 2.0, or TR2N has recently started casting and will be shot entirely in 3D with lots of real world sets. A trailer came out at Comic Con, and I will be posting that below. It's a little hard to see, but this looks very exciting. Can't wait to see what they do with this.
Other than that, I am heading to Disneyland from January 17th-21st, so I WILL be doing a report on the going-ons around Disneyland when I get back. I'm going to make myself do it because I didn't last time. As always, feel free to comment, especially with Disney-related quotes. So long, folks!
*Note: Sorry to those who are offended by the title of this post, but I thought it was appropriate.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Quick Tidbits
Hey everyone!
Sorry for the lack of posts in recent months, but It looks like I may have just a little bit more time to post in coming months, but we'll have to see. Certainly, if I can't get around to it, you aren't going to be hearing any more lame excuses from me. Moving on, I want to say I have updated our quote, feel free to check that out if you haven't already and help me out by sending in your favorite Disney Quote!
A quick park update here: Over at the original Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, both "it's a small world holiday" and the Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough have reopened over Thanksgiving week. "it's a small world holiday" is, from what I hear, about the same as it has been in years past, except for a shortened scene or two, possibly the Rainforest one. As of right now, no new Disney characters have been added and the American Scene is covered up until the unveiling of the ride after the holiday Season. The Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough has also reopened recently, and you should check out this report HERE if you want to see what it looks like. I think it was great for the Imagineers to bring back this classic for the anniversary of the movie. I also like the animated style of the new attraction more then the old Emporium style it had. If you have a chance to see it your yourself, please leave a comment and tell us what you think.
Moving to the east coast for a quick rumor, WDW News Today reports,
"It was made official on the Walt Disney World website that the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closed for a refurbishment from January 4th through February 28th, 2009. It is rumored that during this time they will be testing and installing an automated spiel to replace the Cast Members who actually narrate the attraction for guests and have been doing so since the tour opened back in 1989. This would not be a far cry from the changes that took place sometime ago over at Living with the Land, where the Cast Member guides were also replaced with an automated spiel. This would certainly mean a much smaller number of cast members would be staffing the attraction, and can certainly be looked at as a cost-cutting measure."
No idea if this is going to happen or not, but I feel it would be really sad. One of the reasons people go back to narrated attractions like that, other than just to ride them, is because the personal touch that makes every ride different. You may be seeing the same thing as before, but you;re getting told something completely different. It would be a real shame if Disney wont through with this.
On a different note, I saw Bolt this past week, I thought it was really good. It was apparently popular, because it was put on the biggest screen at the theater we saw it at, but there was hardly anyone there! If you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT. NOW. Some parts were predictable cliches, but it is certainly not just a kids movie. It doesn't matter if you have lost all sorts of faith in Disney movies, go see it because it was practically a Pixar movie. Of course, that's just my opinion, but any movie that can get people coming back again and again to see it when the economy is this bad has to be good.
On the personal side of things, I participated in a book blog Christmas swap this year. I don't know if it is open to all bloggers, but they let me in, so maybe you don't actually have to have a book blog, but a love of reading would probably a good thing to have. Anyway, I got my present recently and, not knowing what it was, opened it. My person sent me The Disneyland Encyclopedia by Chris Strodder, and I have barely put it down since I got it. It is a great informational read on all things Disneyland past and present, and occasionally a rumor of things to come as well. Already, I have learned so much from my book, including finding out more about things I remember as a kid, but have gone away. Anyway, if you are reading this Kim, thank you very much, I cherish your gift.
Well that's all for now, but I hope to be back soon. No promises now! And as always, feel free to leave any sort of comment or question, and I'll try to mention you in my next post. Until next time!
Sorry for the lack of posts in recent months, but It looks like I may have just a little bit more time to post in coming months, but we'll have to see. Certainly, if I can't get around to it, you aren't going to be hearing any more lame excuses from me. Moving on, I want to say I have updated our quote, feel free to check that out if you haven't already and help me out by sending in your favorite Disney Quote!
A quick park update here: Over at the original Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, both "it's a small world holiday" and the Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough have reopened over Thanksgiving week. "it's a small world holiday" is, from what I hear, about the same as it has been in years past, except for a shortened scene or two, possibly the Rainforest one. As of right now, no new Disney characters have been added and the American Scene is covered up until the unveiling of the ride after the holiday Season. The Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough has also reopened recently, and you should check out this report HERE if you want to see what it looks like. I think it was great for the Imagineers to bring back this classic for the anniversary of the movie. I also like the animated style of the new attraction more then the old Emporium style it had. If you have a chance to see it your yourself, please leave a comment and tell us what you think.
Moving to the east coast for a quick rumor, WDW News Today reports,
"It was made official on the Walt Disney World website that the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be closed for a refurbishment from January 4th through February 28th, 2009. It is rumored that during this time they will be testing and installing an automated spiel to replace the Cast Members who actually narrate the attraction for guests and have been doing so since the tour opened back in 1989. This would not be a far cry from the changes that took place sometime ago over at Living with the Land, where the Cast Member guides were also replaced with an automated spiel. This would certainly mean a much smaller number of cast members would be staffing the attraction, and can certainly be looked at as a cost-cutting measure."
No idea if this is going to happen or not, but I feel it would be really sad. One of the reasons people go back to narrated attractions like that, other than just to ride them, is because the personal touch that makes every ride different. You may be seeing the same thing as before, but you;re getting told something completely different. It would be a real shame if Disney wont through with this.
On a different note, I saw Bolt this past week, I thought it was really good. It was apparently popular, because it was put on the biggest screen at the theater we saw it at, but there was hardly anyone there! If you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT. NOW. Some parts were predictable cliches, but it is certainly not just a kids movie. It doesn't matter if you have lost all sorts of faith in Disney movies, go see it because it was practically a Pixar movie. Of course, that's just my opinion, but any movie that can get people coming back again and again to see it when the economy is this bad has to be good.
On the personal side of things, I participated in a book blog Christmas swap this year. I don't know if it is open to all bloggers, but they let me in, so maybe you don't actually have to have a book blog, but a love of reading would probably a good thing to have. Anyway, I got my present recently and, not knowing what it was, opened it. My person sent me The Disneyland Encyclopedia by Chris Strodder, and I have barely put it down since I got it. It is a great informational read on all things Disneyland past and present, and occasionally a rumor of things to come as well. Already, I have learned so much from my book, including finding out more about things I remember as a kid, but have gone away. Anyway, if you are reading this Kim, thank you very much, I cherish your gift.
Well that's all for now, but I hope to be back soon. No promises now! And as always, feel free to leave any sort of comment or question, and I'll try to mention you in my next post. Until next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)