10/13: Hello George & Starbucks

[Bob Weaver]

No problem with corporate sponsorships in general, but Starbucks has the absolute worst coffee in the business. They roast it too long and it's always extremely bitter, no matter which location you go to or what you order. This is a very sad day for coffee drinkers who visit Disneyland. At least there's a 7-11 on the corner with good iced mocha.

[NAQUITO]

Since i am so excited about WOC, (and planning on being there for the debut)i hope that the showpass thing doesn´t affect the experience and everyone starts remembering the show for the wrong reasons...

if everything is well planned and executed, i think this can be another great feature of the new DCA!

[Tinkbelle]

I like the idea of showpass for WOC and sweeping the area before allowing guests in. It is so annoying when people put down large blankets for Fantasmic hours on ahead of time and then walk away.

I don't like the idea of a lottery. Wouldn't that just split up families?

What I would really like to see is a separate showpass machine for AP holders! That would control the number of regulars into the area.

I also have a hard time understanding how they are going to make a Sleeping Beauty pool area that boys can appreciate.

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Originally Posted by JerrodDRagon

I love those show passes, this makes it wayyyyyy better for people like me that want to get to see the show but would not be able to because too many "fans" would be their all day waiting for the show and not letting others get to see it because the park is not meant to be a place were you sit all day waiting for a show, you should be able to enjoy the whole park.

But those same fans will be sitting in the show pass queue until they're ready to be released in the afternoon, or camped out in front of the main gate for hours before park opening, if the show passes are available right away.

Given the outrageously large number of APs now, TDA needs to think of a more equitable solution to this problem with regard to hotel guests. Even though many AP holders would disagree with me, the folks booked into Disney hotels on vacation packages should be given first priority for the show passes, making at least one show available for everyone during their stay. These "VIP" show passes could be given out at the hotel desk during check-in, with the day and time to be decided at that time.

If the VIP show passes reduce seating by 50% for everyone else, it's a small price to pay. Folks coming to the resort and staying on property for several days are the ones who typically spend more, and should be "rewarded" as such. Giving these folks an easier way to see the show during their limited stay keeps customers happy and more likely to return. Most AP holders are local and have far more opportunities to see this show than out-of-area non-frequent visitors, and are battle-weary veterans of multi-hour queues. They have the upper hand in camping out for show passes, which is totally unfair to non-frequent visitors who wouldn't want to spend their day waiting for a pass for the nighttime show.

As for cries to increase AP prices... YES!! PLEASE JUST DO IT!!

I used to be a PAP holder for many years, but I let it lapse five years ago when my trips to SoCal became few and far between. Since that time, AP holders have made navigating the park nearly impossible during peak times of the year, especially in late afternoon and evening.

After a four year absence from the park, I visited DL on my birthday earlier this year, mostly because of the free ticket. The park was near empty in the morning and early afternoon, but by 4:00 PM, it was wall-to-wall bodies and strollers, just like during the summer. By 6:00 I was tired from fighting crowds, and left. We ate dinner back at the hotel, away from the sea of humanity. How anyone can enjoy overcrowding to that extent is beyond me. And given the time the crowds showed up, it was obviously local APs who had descended on the park.


TDA is using the AP system as its own personal ATM machine, which is dead wrong. Capping the APs at 400K is more manageable for the resort, which would mean raising prices dramatically in order to keep revenue up. But what other choice do they have? The AP number is approaching one million, which is ludicrous! DLR isn't large enough to handle that many locals and non-frequent visitors. Building a parking garage in Pumbaa is a good idea, but not necessarily increasing parking spaces without increasing park real estate.

Until a third gate is open, TDA needs to look for ways to cap AP attendance while increasing spending. Allowing the AP program to keep expanding towards one million simply makes it more difficult for non-frequent visitors to enjoy the resort, people like me.

[Bob Weaver]

Build a third park already! Strawberry fields await...

[Tomorrowland Tourist]

Originally Posted by Mr Wiggins

The issue is having a store like Starbucks or McDonald's selling literally the same product that they sell in their other stores on every street corner in every city today. The issue is a real-world corporation running literally the same real-world business in Disneyland that they do outside the berm. Dressed up in period decor or no, it is non-immersive.

And that is not what Walt did with corporate sponsorship.

Good post. You provide the missing bit of evidence that really helps tie it together. I guess it comes down to the old Conestoga Fries wagon. Receiving a container of fries with the Golden Arches ruined the whole thematic experience.

Therefore, Disney should hold its ground and make the sponsorship more like the Nestle sponsorship. Starbucks can "host" the restaurants but it should not physically manifest itself the way it does in the real world.

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by Tomorrowland Tourist

...Disney should hold its ground and make the sponsorship more like the Nestle sponsorship. Starbucks can "host" the restaurants but it should not physically manifest itself the way it does in the real world.

Exactly right. And that's a perfect definition of the difference between a corporate sponsorship in Disneyland and a retail business outside the berm.

[mcow1]

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

Secondly, I don't think they are going to be putting a huge Starbucks Logo in neon on the Market House. Probably just a window dressing, which is fine. I do agree that Peet's would have been better though.

They could put up a big sign, It's been done before


I agree Peet's would have been a better choice. Starbuck's, IMO, takes away from the fantasy like atmosphere. As McDonald's did.

[merlinjones]

Corporate sponsorship can be a great thing at Disneyland if also leveraged to create or restore locations within the park -- I'd love to see Starbucks convert the Fantasyland Skyway Chalet into a coffeehouse with a view -- or restore Carnation Plaza Gardens into a refreshment venue -- perhaps a coffee/tea garden with a "Mary Poppins" theme.

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by Tinkbelle

I don't like the idea of a lottery. Wouldn't that just split up families?

Toyko already does this, so there must be a method to solving this. I'm not familar to that degree tho what they do. maybe some of our local travelers will chime in.

But there is all kinds of solutions to this that can be done in software. From inserting multiple passes before the machine makes a choice, to being able to insert a 'winner' and get more tickets, to simply allowing a winning ticket to be good for 'up to 4' people or something. There are lots of ways to skin this cat. The biggest problems are simply reliability and usability (if you notice, the FP machines are built to be idiot proof... no inputs at all).

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyDriveBy

TDA needs to think of a more equitable solution to this problem with regard to hotel guests.

Agree - especially since DLR only has really premium rooms, not value properties. DLR has pretty much treated hotel guests like crap and it's no wonder people consider staying onsite expensive and only worthy of special occasions. From bad transportation to mobbed out of things by the AP horde.. why would you pay a few hundred dollars more a night to stay in a DLR hotel. The view??

Everything the hotel guests have is basically open to all... except early entry and that too is open to people who simply buy the right ticket. Disney needs to be building value into the hotel experience, and this is an easy opportunity to extend it.

[SingingAngel7242]

no f'ing way they are getting rid of that peter pan pool! ARG!!!

the showpass is an interesting idea. I kinda don't like it tho just because we've taken to someone coming ahead and camping out or switching spot holders and now we won't be able to do that with that show... I suppose in a few years we can, but still... ur whole group will have to be at the park first thing in the morning just to get the freakin ticket

[Mike2D]

Im not a big fan of Starbucks, but anything is better than the awful espresso at the bakery on Main St. If anything, I hope the move helps improve the service. Last few times I was at the park I had to wait almost 15 minutes for a latte! Here's hoping the Starbucks move helps make some improvements.

[Bobd20011]

I say, “let them drink coffee.”

There is no need to prevent Starbucks from selling its product with its logo in the park. Sure, there should be Disney specific cups, with a Starbucks logo and the Little Mermaid, or Mini Mouse, dressed as a barista. Just make the cups look a tad different for the park, and of course charge a bit more.

Honestly though, give the Dad with three kids a break (I don’t have three kids) and let him have a cup of decent coffee at 10:00 a.m. Sponsorships are everywhere in the park, including Mickey balloons in every land. A Starbucks logo is no more likely to shock someone out of their “immersive state,” than a set of mouse ears in New Orleans Square.

The point is to have a good time at the parks. For some of us, that means we need a cup of coffee after waiting in lines for two days and watching all of the APs camp out for Fantasmic!

The last time that I was at the park, I was really craving a double shot espresso, themed or not.

[BassBone]

I really hate Starbucks coffee, but I agree it would be a step up from what they serve now. The hazelnut at the Market House is pretty good, though. It raises the question, though, would a Starbucks sponsorship mean the end of free refills with receipt at the Market House? Also, it is interesting to note that it said Disney CMs would be running the store, not Starbucks employees, which is in contrast to the three McDonald's locations formerly in the parks.

I am reserving judgment on the new President until he actually does something. I know that the Paris parks have a reputation for not being thoroughly cleaned and having shoddy maintenance, but I have to wonder if some of that is cultural. My father has done some work with Disneyland Paris and has found the people working there to be surly and dissatisfied, and it didn't seem to come from management.

Finally, I think the saddest part of this update is the remodel of the interior area of the Disneyland Hotel complex. I will miss the Lost Bar immensely as well as the Neverland Pool. Where will I go to get drunk at Disneyland now?!