10/13: Hello George & Starbucks

[Al Lutz]

Good-bye Ed & Easy Parking, World of Crowds, More... Discuss it here...

DIRECT ARTICLE LINK: MiceAge.com - A different look at Disney...

[flynnibus]

I find it interesting Al decides to focus on what George K was 8 years ago, but ignores his most recent tenure in DLP? A park notorious for it's lack of clean and upkeep?

[flynnibus]

I hope showpass is a lottery like Toyko and not just a 'first come first serve'. That will really piss off the FP haters

[DisneyIPresume]

Some interesting updates. The showpass idea sounds interesting. Have they figured out what they will do if someone decides not to utilize their showpass? If 5% - 10% of the people who collected showpasses earlier in the day don't show up that means that there would be about 500 - 1000 spaces that can be filled. I wonder if they will somehow be able to organize a standby crowd to take up these spaces without too much chaos and confusion.

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by Al Lutz

If the plan gets its final approvals, and the Starbucks executives in Seattle can be convinced that Disneyland Cast Members can be properly trained and trusted to run the operation, the Market House on Main Street USA would be reconfigured into an old-fashioned coffee house serving up a basic menu of Starbucks espresso and coffee drinks.

...A few Disneyland purists, who often forget the dozens of corporate logos that adorned the park in Walt’s day, may light up the message boards in horror with this news....

Nah. Trying to explain the difference in show between Swift's Meats sponsoring the period-authentic Market House in the Disneyland of Walt's day, and Starbuck's Coffee running it as a Starbuck's Coffee-in-period-costume, frankly would be a waste of breath -- as would pointing out that turn of the century American small towns didn't commonly have coffee houses, "old fashioned" or otherwise; they were a city thing. So just ignore us "purists," 'kay?

Go. Spend. Whip out those wallets and enjoy!

[DisneyIPresume]

In regards to Starbucks in the park, Main Streets in 1910 didn't have stores that sold only fresh squeezed orange juice and lemonade yet the Citrus House sat there for many years. And one of the the main reason Walt wanted it was to instill a feeling of happiness upon his guests. Starbucks belongs on Main Street because it symbolizes bringing people together to relax and socialize.

I'm personally not a huge fan of Starbucks. But what a coffee house represents in today's mindset can be easily translated to the feelings that Main Street USA is trying to convey. So I think Starbucks on Main Street, or The Coffee Bean or whatever, is a good idea and is actually A good thing for Main Street.

[Mr Wiggins]

A good thing for Disney's bottom line -- and another step closer to turning Main Street into a 100% Modern Mall.

[flynnibus]

If they wanted the socializing aspect... they should turn the circle area back more into a park... or up at the other end. A town park with people enjoying the green and a coffee would be nice. But I agree with Wiggens... putting on a costume doesn't make the store fit any better.

Maybe they could make it more like a 'package goods' or general store type feeling instead of a pure coffee shop. Who knows... skin deep beauty is all that they seem to need anymore.

[cellarhound]

1. Yay for Starbucks... Finely half way decent coffee for a Disneyland Morning...

2. Showpass has merit. BAD LOCATION for the machines... but the idea does have merit - even for existing shows such as Fantasmic.

3. OH NO... don't get rid of the Neverland theming of the Disneyland Hotel Pool...

4. I think they need to take a serious look at how the AP works, rather than simply look at the sales figures... But then again they needed to do this for some time, haven't they?

[rwsmith]

It seems to me that Disney has been pitting annual passes against single day tickets. Ticket prices go up and that makes it cost effective to buy an annual pass, so more people are AP holders. Then there's too many APs in the park so they raise AP prices to "discourage" people, but at the same time raise single day tickets to $72 and $97 and parking to $14, which encourages buying the more expensive annual pass. It's either a testament to the Disney brand or Disney greed/arrogance to raise tickets in this economy. I guess they have to pay for the decline in hotel dollars someway or another. I'll still be there every few weeks.

[gurgi]

For a split second I was upset about Starbucks coming to Main Street then I realized that corporate logos have been seen at Disneyland since the beginning. I think the only thing is that it's a HUGE familiarity to people, so seeing a Starbucks sign might resonate just a bit more with the real world than say, "Hills Bros. Coffee" or "Swift". Still, the coffee situation at the parks needs improvement, and if they can keep it themed to the Market House, but sell coffee there, I have no problem with it anymore. I mean really, that Sunkist analogy that DisneyIPresume made was a good one...and possibly (at the time) just as recognizable a name as Starbucks is today.

As for ShowPass...I kind of like it. It did remind me of the lottery system in place at Tokyo Disney Resort. I wonder if they don't do a pass concept, if they could just borrow the actual lottery system instead? It's not an ideal situation, since not everyone will get to see it, but Tokyo has the same problem with annual passholders that Disneyland does, so it would make sense. None of the venues can accommodate those kinds of crowds anymore. If the ShowPass concept works, or they do a lottery, I also hope that it's used for other things like Fantasmic!.

[DisneyIPresume]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Maybe they could make it more like a 'package goods' or general store type feeling instead of a pure coffee shop. Who knows... skin deep beauty is all that they seem to need anymore.

I'm sure the interior will not be like a present day Starbucks with modern lighting fixtures and Ikea-like furniture.

That being stated I wonder if anyone does remember the old Citrus House and its interior design. Before, there was only a small opening between it and the Penny Arcade. And on the wall separating the two were present-day color photographs with people drinking Sunkist juice at various places in Disneyland. And there was the word "orange" written on the wall in various international languages. If this was ok for Walt, how on earth would a Starbucks be in violation of theme or contribute to the mallification of Main Street? Sure Starbucks is hugely corporate and is in every strip mall on every corner. But if done right I can see an establishment like that become a very warm, happy, and inviting place just like Walt intended the Citrus House to be be.

[DisneyIPresume]

And also can someone please explain how the lottery system in Tokyo works? Thanks!

[pussnboots]

Why can't Disney create their own brand of coffee? Like the stuff they sell in those retro canisters. That way, they would be able to get rid of that awful Nescafe without having to bring in Starbucks, something I doubt most Americans will associate with escapism!

[Pretzel]

Originally Posted by pussnboots

Why can't Disney create their own brand of coffee? Like the stuff they sell in those retro canisters. That way, they would be able to get rid of that awful Nescafe without having to bring in Starbucks, something I doubt most Americans will associate with escapism!

Disney probably could just provide the same coffee, slap Starbucks logos on the cups and most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

There was a great ABC special where people were given blind taste tests with blank cups, and then also given coffee with the actual WRONG logos on the cups, and people believe they were drinking what was on the cup's label.

A large part of the coffee drinking experience is perceived by the packaging.

Your idea has merit, provided they could create some new brand and convince people it is a superior product. I guess that's what having Steve Jobs on the board of directors is for!