Episode 63 - Numbers With Ian
The Cast: Christine Warner, Michael Montanez, Ian Mitchell & John Yaglenski
- The return of Michael - he was not fired.
- John’s hooked on racing - he’s been sucked in.
- Why we were gone so long.
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Media Event.
- Fantasyland looks great with the walls down and the theming is top notch on the new attraction. *Pictures on our social media channels.
- BTW, we are on Instagram now as @INTERCOT
- Recycling MagicBands? How?
- POV MineTrain video is online at youtube.com/intercot - there are 2 different versions along with the press breakfast.
- The ride leaves you wanting more - it’s great but quick. Very well themed and love the dark ridee portion. Worth the wait and has repeat factor.
- FastPass system melted.
- Rained A LOT during the weekend. John had to get a Helly Hansen raincoat. Can’t stand the ponchos and the sweat.
- Polynesian Renovation - Trader Sam’s coming and the name is being changed back to the Polynesian Village Resort. Lobby renovations coming as well.
- Harambe Nights $134 is the DELUXE ticket not the base, $119 is regular admission.
- Christine is over special ticketed events. Thinks it’s being overplayed.
- John did the $29 Epcot Wind Down and really liked the Tequilla tasting and thought it was a good value. There was good and bad though.
- New parade is AWESOME!
<break>
- Ian’s trip. Stayed at Fort Wilderness. *Golf carts are a must! Bridge is closed. Monorail is closed. Boats are closed. It’s pouring…. A 2.5 hour tour, a 2.5 hour tour. Fastpass Plus issues. Walking off the Haunted Mansion.
- Take It or Leave It - Downtown Disney. Mitchell - Leave It. Warner - Take It. Montanez - Take It?? Yaglenski - Leave It.
- 4 Parks, 1 World, 1 Nite
- Star Wars Weekends. Unfortunately the first day of the breakfast went south and John Warner didn’t get any characters.
- Service Level, Cost and Expectations
- The Alan Parsons Project!
- Pixar in Concert - http://www.pixar.com/about/Pixar-In-Concert
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One born every minute - Harambe Nights
I'm that sucker. We are HUGE Lion King fans so this is something I paid for. We will be there July 5th. We have our tickets.
The show is not the standard FoTLK show. Its 50 minutes long with a live orchestra. I've paid more to see Lion King when it came to Pittsburgh. I've driven to CLEVELAND to see the Lion King so....I compare this performance to that type of performance. Plus food and character meets? I'm in.
Our house is decorated with Lion King on Broadway items and if I find something worth being placed in my home, I'll probably buy it as well.
I'm that sucker. Its Lion King. It means something to our family.
I'll be sure to post a review.
gotta love the blackberry...
Great podcast Guys!! SHOUT OUT from a Switzerland - based BLACKBERRY user!
YEA CHRISTINE! Missed YOU!
YEA MICHAEL!! – Love the “gay style” input and great sense of humor!
WHERE is CAROL?? – I miss the “yank” speak!
MAGIC BANDS – agree with everyone. Will be great – eventually…?? The complexity of all the permutations of reservation changes/etc…. how could they not be better prepared for this? And… you would definitely think that the app and website would be wired 100% tight to at least minimize the learning curve problems. WHO does their IT anyway?? Need to eval that contract. Disney FAIL.
ReUse/Recycling of the Bands… duh!? Simple hygiene factor in 2014. Disney FAIL.
MineTrain PoV Video – TOO COOL!! Disney WIN.
MineTrain RIDE – Looks so great – cannot wait!! Disney WIN.
POLY CHANGE – grrr… hmmm… My Dad worked there on Opening Day!! I have pix of me/Nikki next to the waterfall thru the years… it IS a bit sad. Having said that… if I am honest, the middle jungle area did LOOK a bit sad, didn’t it? (Love Michael’s gay-style comments). I concur w/ Michael and Johns’ views – if they give the original look/feel a modern update but keep the original vibe, I’m good. Can’t wait to try the infamous Trader Sam’s. DISNEY – TBC.
HARD TICKETED Events – I am afraid that my business-mind takes over. Disney is a business. There is clearly a market for hard-ticketed events. They have to pay for that $1B MagicBand investment somehow! I do agree that day-tickets should NOT be penalized. If I was kicked out of Cava early just b/c they were prepping for the next group, that would tick me off. If I was warming a park bench for 3 hours with plans to get the best view of Illuminations and then someone kicked me off 45 min before-hand, I would be seriously peeved. Not cool.
But, in my mind, the Epcot wind-down is not about the tequila experience (or whatever venue you choose) … it is about the last few hours of the night. When you leave, it is quiet and the slow walk out with very few other people…? PRICELESS! The $29 gives you a few extra hours combined with a bit of Disney experience.
We’ve done the dessert party simply b/c it offered me and our party of 12 a little extra SPACE! We weren’t squished into Main Street with thousands of other people. We could sit at a table and the kids could run and squiggle around a little and watch WISHES w/o me stressing and gripping their little hands as if there were a hurricane approaching. When it was over, we could linger until we felt like leaving. The desserts were merely “eh.” I wouldn’t do it every year but it was nice with little ones and older ones. I realize that I am fortunate that we can swing the cost once in awhile. DISNEY – WIN.
FT WILDERNESS – BIG FAN!! It is a bit squishy but with little ones, manageable. My kids look forward to the golf cart almost more than Big Thunder! HoopDeeDoReview – LOVE IT!! But… it is pricey for the kids. Adult food/beverage are a pretty good deal to me (I love sangria!) Our son was chosen to go onstage 2 years ago (when he was 5) and it was brilliant! DISNEY: WIN
STAR WARS Character Bfst Fiasco– what could be said that wasn’t already? I would have also opened a can of something not-nice, (seen only once before while I was travelling on a 16 hour journey thru Charles D’Gaulle with my 2 small, sick children and the gate agent denied us boarding b/c we missed the last call by 30 seconds – :thedolls: but I digress…). The Disney response was that of a ROOKIE!! DISNEY: FAIL
SERVICE – I have lived in Europe and travelled here and thruout Asia for the last 10 years. In general, American service cannot compare with a decent Euro or Asian option (but I’ve not done a Four Seasons!!). HOWEVER… Americans make up for it in FRIENDLINESS!! Without a doubt.
I hadn’t considered Ian’s point that there is NOT a service differentiation btwn Grand Fla/Contemp/Poly and Fort Wilderness. My experience confirms his opinion. Hmmm. How do I feel about that… ? not sure. I concur with Michael’s point that you SHOULD get what you pay for. And… what separates a stay at Grand Fla vs Caribbean Beach? Décor. Monorail access. That’s about it. Something to ponder…
THANKS AGAIN GUYS!! :mickey:
Carolyn