Fantasmic’s show times to be changed

Article from Orlando Sentinel

Walt Disney World is cutting performances of its “Fantasmic!” evening show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to two a week most weeks starting in January.

Park officials announced late last week that they will be adjusting the show’s schedule as part of an ongoing effort to evaluate and refine the resort’s attractions. Starting Jan. 4, “Fantasmic!” will usually be performed on Monday and Thursday nights, though it might run more often during busy seasons such as spring break. No layoffs are expected, though some cast and crew members will likely be reassigned to other productions or positions, spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.

“Fantasmic!” has been performed at evening’s end in the Studios’ Hollywood Hills Amphitheater for almost 10 years. Using live actors, it explores’ a Mickey Mouse nightmare and features other Disney characters, including Disney princesses, Maleficent the witch, and a fire-breathing dragon. The show is well-known for its special effects, notably dancing water, and for its dramatic music, animation, lasers and fireworks.

I think this is absolutely absurd.  Fantasmic is an excellent show with a huge fan base.  Sure, it’s nearly 10 years old, but that doesn’t mean Disney shouldn’t keep it.  Apparently anything older than 5 years must be changed or replaced with something else in WDW.  I’m not saying that some attractions do not need an update (Space Mountain, anyone?) but replacing them doesn’t make sense, not only to park goers, but also to Disney financially.

I can understand wanting to save a few bucks, but while Disney is charging $400 per night for a GARDEN VIEW!!! room at the Polynesian, and close to $600 for a concierge room, they are getting rid of, or severely altering, headliner shows and attractions.  I’m sorry, but this just confuses me.

If Disney goes through with this plan, they better have some crowd management program in place, not only for Hollywood Studios, but Epcot and the Magic Kingdom as well (during the nights Fantasmic! is not playing) because if I have to wait 3 hours to get a good seat for IllumiNations, Disney can count on hearing from me.

What do you think of this change?  Feel free to leave a comment below.

~Simon

Park Peeves

Hi,

I just wanted to post and let you know what some of my park peeves are.  In case you are wondering, park peeves are like pet peeves except they occur in theme parks rather than in your everyday life.  I first heard the word used by the DIS Unplugged podcast team.

Anyway…

1) Heeleys — you’ve seen them, the shoes that have wheels in the heels.  This is a major park peeve of mine because I have been struck by young, unsupervised, and oftentimes rude, children rolling around crowded theme parks wearing these shoes.  Disney tried putting a ban on Heeleys (and other shoes with wheels) in order to cut down on the amount of complaints and minor injuries, but it never worked as well as they thought it would.

2) Another park peeve that is about equal with Heeleys in my opinion, are strollers being used as battering rams to push through the crowds.  Not only are people wearing sandals, flip-flops, and Crocs, but there are elderly people and young children being struck by these as well which is dangerous.

3) ANGRY people!  Goodness me, you are in a theme park named “the most magical place on earth” and you are yelling at eachother, swearing like it’s going out of style, and allowing your children to throw tantrums that are not only embarrassing to you, but those around you as well?!?!  I for one think this absurd and people who behave this way should be politely asked to leave the park by a Cast Member (CM.)  A few tips I can offer to avoid situations like these (yes, I’ve been there as well) are…

a) take a nap/pool break in the late morning/early afternoon and return to the theme park around 3-4 PM or later.  This will not only allow your party to rest up to return to the park, but have fun in the pool, catch up on the news, watch some TV, or post part of your live trip report.

b) keep your party hydrated and well fed.  I find that the two things that make my irritable are being dehydrated and hungry.  It’s easy to avoid situations like these as well; just go to the nearest snack cart or counter service restaurant and ask for a cup of water.  These are FREE!!!  This makes more sense than paying $2.50+ for a bottled water.  Also, popcorn or a soft pretzel is usually enough to keep you full until your next meal.

(both of the above tips seem to work best with young children, teenagers, and the elderly)

That’s all for now, but feel free to leave a few of your park peeves in a comment and I’ll follow up in a later post.

~Simon

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my unofficial Disney information and travel planning blog!  My name is Simon (polyfan0129) and I consider myself to be a Disney fanatic.  I’ve only been to Disney World twice, but I’ve picked up so many great tips and information from sites like www.disboards.com and www.mouseplanet.com, that I feel like a Disney expert… well, almost.

My goal of this blog is to help my readers plan their Disney vacations, as well as provide travel tips and information, and my unbiased opinions about all things Disney.

I hope you enjoy my blog, and be sure to check back soon for updates!

~Simon