As of last Sunday, all of the continental Disney Parks have raised their prices. But, as of this week, there is very little to show for it. Minor refurbishments are going on throughout the parks, but aside from the Big Thunder refurb, there is nothing major being done at the moment. There are certainly no new e-tickets under construction for all that extra money Disney will be raking in. But we hope to hear news to perk us up at the D23 Expo this August. We also have news of a possible change to Soarin’ Over California, coming just in time for the 60th anniversary of Disneyland (even though it’s in the wrong park for the celebration). And finally, there is a new tactic being used to lure people into the Carthay Circle Theater Restaurant and Lounge.
TICKET HIKE
Just like the inevitable march of time, predictable price hikes have hit the Disneyland Resort. Both tickets and parking rates have gone up. With a Disneyland one day/one park ticket now priced at $92, we wonder where all that money is going to go.
Andy Castro did a brilliant job in covering the subject in his recent Dateline Disneyland article here. This increase of course begs the question, “Is a visit into either of these parks worth $92?” Additionally, “Is a visit to both parks in one day worth $137?”
With the increase for Annual Passes jumping up yet again, it seems like they are trying to force folks into a monthly payment plan. Now the Premium Pass has a monthly payment average to what one might pay for a gym membership.
It seems that is the direction that Disney is going with their parks these days. But if you visit the resort, you’ll notice that, for now, people are still paying this price to enjoy their Disney experience. And as they say, as long as demand remains strong, ticket prices will continue to rise.
Since Disney can expect to pull in up to an additional $100 million from these price hikes alone, what would you like to see them do with all that extra money? Upkeep? Raises for the castmembers? New attractions? This is a bit of extra magic pricing that calls for some extra magic enhancements to the parks. Let us know your wish list in the comments below. Let’s help Disney spend all that money!
WEIRD POSTER
This is a little non-sequitor, but looking at the recent D23 convention poster posted to the side of the ticket booths, does this Mickey look off-model to you?
Weird. Looking at the other posters we see that this is not a stylistic choice, but a peculiar distortion.
Though, we’ve got to say that we are getting more excited about the Expo every day. MiceChat will have a large booth at the Expo this year and we look forward to seeing you there! Here’s a link to find more information and buy your tickets (You have until June 15th to get a discount): D23 Expo Tickets and Information HERE
TOONTOWN
In the MiceAge update this week, we uncovered the real story behind the “dry ice bomb.” As of right now, things are all back to normal in the land that ‘toons built…or as normal as they can be!
DUMBO
This week, Dumbo experienced a minor refurbishment. Taking advantage of some down time during the week, things were spruced up and cleaned. Dumbo returns to his normal flight pattern today.
BIG THUNDER
The Big Thunder refurbishment continues. Decorative railroad ties are being installed into the coaster track, and Rainbow Ridge is receiving some nice surface treatments.
We were able to visit Big Thunder Mountain in Walt Disney World this past week and were absolutely thrilled with the neat interactive queue enhancements. Guests can power explosions on the mountain which erupt with fog, water and loud noises. See the miners hard at work through special scopes. See if dangerous gases have built up in the mine by checking on the canaries. And all sorts of other little gags and effects. I does help pass the time in this otherwise simple switchback line. We hope that similar effects are planned for Disneyland’s Big Thunder. Perhaps using the newly rebuilt Rainbow Ridge as the focal point.
Earlier this week, we saw news that Soarin’ Over California may finally receive an update and high definition film treatment.
“On the evening of March 12th, 2014, Imagineering will fly an HD Omnimax camera in a helicopter over and around the Resort area for several hours capturing the best nighttime shots for the attraction’s new finale.”
Keep your fingers crossed that this update will breath new life into this popular but rapidly aging attraction. There hasn’t been word yet on whether or not the attraction will be in 3D, or if we will smell something besides pine and oranges.
CARTHAY
In a small experiment, management has been opening the side doors to the Carthay Circle Theater Lounge. When we asked, we were told that it was an attempt to invite more people in for a drink or two.
We have a suggestion. Have a castmember stand just in front of the Marquee of the building holding a tray with mock cocktails and appetizers, and pipe in the smell of toasting cheese puffs or something savory. They’ll have folks streaming in. This is truly one of our favorite spots in any Disney park. Stop in for drinks and appetizers even if you don’t have reservations for the restaurant upstairs!
MICECHAT PODCAST
That should just about wrap things up for us this week. Don’t forget to put on your headphones and take a listen to the latest MiceChat podcast! We’ve rounded up the top attractions of Summer 2013 for you. You’ll be surprised by just how much is going on.
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