7/28: Michael, Murphy & Marty

[Al Lutz]

Captain EO May Rise From the Dead, Fantasmic Dragon Update, 800,000 Passholders, More... Discuss it all here...

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

[2DieFR]

Hmmmm. A possible return of Captain EO, you say? Very interesting.

[JerrodDRagon]

wow.....Halloween Time could become better than Christmas at Disneyland. HMH, New Space Mountain effects, cool fireworks, and Captain EO..thats a lot.

[jcruise86]

Thanks again, Al!

I freaked out at the high Celebration BBQ prices earlier this year, but for me and my daughter, the APs are underpriced. We go 10-14 times a year and consider our APs the best entertainment value in California.

I once asked a guy who was waiting to get into DCA if he worked there because he knew many employees. He then started ranting about everything at Disneyland and DCA he didn't like, and he said he goes every week.

He got me thinking, maybe Disney should replace the AP with a system that lets people go:

--Ten times for $220 (blocked out Saturdays, Sundays, and late June through mid August.

--Ten times for $290 (blocked out Sundays and July) and

--Ten times with no block out dates for $380.

I oversimplified this for now and didn't get into Christmas yet, and I thought up the plan in response to that vocal grouch I met who goes at least once a week. This ten-day limit might greatly reduce his # of trips and thereby make Disneyland more pleasant. And once the ten days were used up, one could buy another ten-day "pass."

I think in California, Disney would not be allowed to have an expiration date on these passes.

IF these passes could be used for more than one person (so we could bring grandma once a year)
or
if they came with one one-day park-hopper guest pass (some Aquarium of the Pacific APs come with two), they might be really popular. Of course this idea would be hated by those who go every week.

[Mac Daddy]

Thanks for another great update, Al! Hearing the new totals for AP holders, you just have to wonder: What would happen if all 800,000 of us showed up on the same day? In the mean time, I'll probably lay low on some of those Sundays where no one is blocked out. Yikes.

At the same time, you have to hand it to TDA. Recession? What recession? I wonder what the attendance numbers will look like at the end of the year.

[elly]

thanks for the hope of a limited run Captain EO return!

i'm keeping my fingers crossed

[DisneyIPresume]

My lovely ex wife bought an AP for DIP Jr years ago. She would never give it to me for those times I wanted to take him to the parks. So I bought him one for ourselves. DIP Jr has had two APs for several years now.

So Al, while 800,000 might be the total number of APs out there, the actual number of AP holders is 799,999. Hope that makes a difference!

[The Disneylander]

Thanks for the update, Al. It's good to keep in the know.

The D23 expo sounds fantastic!

[TikiRoomLiz]

I truly hope Captain EO overcomes all those hurdles and comes back. I'd wait in line all day to see that again!

[Dustysage]

It would be nice to see Captain EO again for a short run - great idea and it would help make Halloween a smash success for the resort. Cheap way to pull in a lot of extra visits to the park this October.

Loved the high flying Zero news!

Great update Al!

[nursemelis374]

Great update Al! I love the idea of Captian EO returning and a flying Zero!

I think that the new "AP Committee" or whatever will just come back and raise prices or possibly eliminate some of the lower APs. I know a lot of families that all have the SoCal passes but would never afford Deluxe or Premiums for the entire family. I wonder what everyone's max price would be? I would probably pay up to 500 dollars for an AP, I think they are that worth it!

[Baloo]

800,000 annual passholders is quite a bit of people but i wonder how many of those are the so cal passes and how many of those passholders will get a pass next year.

It seems like quite a bit of people saw getting a bargain in buying passes this year instead of taking a vacation out of the country or state due to the economy. I also think the payment plan helped convince many of those to buy passes. If they eliminated the payment option again the amount of passholders would most likely decrease by several thousand.



The Captain EO info sound interesting but it also worries me that TDA is willing to spend money on revamping the theater to add the in theater special effects. TDA does not spend money so easy without milking it for as long as they can. An investment on that theater for a show that was popular in the 80's could mean that they will try as hard as possible to keep that theater from seeing anything new for many more years.

Do we really need that theater to show HISTA and Captain EO for another 5+ years?

[SummerInFL]

Don't forget to also factor in people who bought the AP because it was cheaper than time frame I was going to be there and never used it again.

[Dustysage]

The Captain EO info sound interesting but it also worries me that TDA is willing to spend money on revamping the theater to add the in theater special effects. TDA does not spend money so easy without milking it for as long as they can. An investment on that theater for a show that was popular in the 80's could mean that they will try as hard as possible to keep that theater from seeing anything new for many more years.

Do we really need that theater to show HISTA and Captain EO for another 5+ years?

There is already a contracted sponsor for Honey I Shrunk The Audience, so the overlay for Captain EO would most likely be minimal and allow for a quick return to the regularly sponsored show.

Anything to get HISTA out of that theater (even if just for a few weeks) is wonderful. That show is so far past its shelf life that it makes Captain EO sound like a breath of fresh air.

[Baloo]

so true about getting HISTA out even for a few weeks. The thing that worries me is that WDI has some plans that would gut the theater and some of the surrounding area to use that corner into an actual attraction after the contracts are over. If they invest money in retrofitting the theater again for Captain EO as well as other expenses needed for the show TDA might see that as an excuse to prolong any changes to the area.
Very similar to the debate that is going on right now with the Mullholland Madness fiasco. WDI wants to spend as little as possible to put a slight overlay on Mullholland madness so that it meshes better with the new additions but knows that they want the attraction gone in a couple years and replaced with something else. TDA sees the overlay as an improvement and is willing to keep the mouse coaster several more years to see a return on that investment plus more.

Things like the Princess fantasy Fair come to mind. Temporary additions that end up becoming permanent