RailRider

Here is the Rivers of Light Press Preview from last night. 2 observations: The show is going to be visually stunning and the lotus floats aren't moving. I think these lends credence to continued struggles with precision movement of the floats. The New Jungle Book Show is happening starting Memorial Day weekend with all of the new nighttime offerings at Animal Kingdom. Also there are some great sneak peaks of the new Frozen area in EPCOT, Soarin over the World,

^ Correct, the left turn lane exists it is the lack of the green arrow, which is what I originally stated. Also from the looks of the signal that is hung it will not incorporate a left arrow. The shape of the turn in, is basically 90 degrees because they have those stupid plastic poles extended out so far. Those will be short lived because I imagine they will be run over faster than they can be replaced, but as of now they make the turn in from the North very slow which is a great idea as you are trying to dodge fast moving traffic coming from the South.

Here are all of the rumors I have heard regarding the issues delaying RoL The main lotus barge has a leak The main lotus barge sank The GPS navigation system is not as precise making the production unsafe/not choreographed correctly The story of the show was a bit far fetched and hard to understand/visually impressive but written by a stoner Executives are not happy with the show and want to launch an easy tie in to the Jungle Book while a major show rewrite takes place Nothing more than some wiring issues, should be up and running in a few weeks.

I have been debating on what to say regarding opening day. Not wanting to come across as overly negative just to be negative, but also not wanting to sugar coat the experience. As a family we always approach opening day as a time to walk around the park for a few hours see whats new and ride a few rides. We set our expectations low, especially with nice weather, because we know its the first day with real crowds. This year was awful. I feel that I should just leave it at that, but... Food lines were insane, service at food locations was horrible and big surprise food quality was bordering disgusting. The lack of staffing at places like RHOFG was laughable, the Reds bullpen thought it was a joke. Instead the trend I really started to notice the last year or so continues. Food Service employees who are under trained, undermotivated, and under staffed. Are we sure a Kinzel doesn't run this department? We had to opt for dinner at the Chicken Shack because it had one of the few food service lines under an hour, still a bad decision because the chicken there is just weird. I almost wonder if the fryers were turned up to speed production of the chicken because the breading was almost burnt yet the insides were on the verge of not being done. Then again who do you complain too, because supervisors were non existence? This isn't a one time issue but a continuous decline at KI of food service for all in house locations. Not a good sign. The new park entrance is a mess. Seriously how is there no left turn arrow when coming from the North? This is going to be a very dangerous intersection come the busy days of Summer. Also the new toll plaza is very nice yet the fresh pavement dumps you in to the broken faded old parking lot and navigation outside of the toll plaza is bad. How can you instal such a nice entrance and ignore the mess the parking lot is? The parking lot needs repaving and painted severely. Yes there were some good moments from the day, but now is not the time to discuss them. Opening Day is always a great day because it marks the end of the off season, but I am unsettled by the trend that continues year after year at KI. The guest experience is going downhill. Yes they have lots of great rides that cater to the family but the overall service and experience within the park is less stellar every year.

The new sign is underwhelming in person and the turn in is a bit difficult if going South Bound. Honestly the angle of the sign might be the real issue because very few people will see it head on but rather the sides as they drive by. Also the routing in the parking lot once you clear the new toll plaza is a bit weird, the flow seems a bit disjointed. Then again that could be from combination of new asphalt and new paint along with broken asphalt and well faded paint. I think the toll plaza should have been accompanied by a repave of the parking lot. Something that is drastically needed.

This is a really neat article with some insight on ride systems. http://gizmodo.com/how-the-best-rides-at-universal-studios-work-1762505782

"Cut them some slack" What have they done yet to deserve any slack being cut? Their actions too this point have spoken much louder than their words and anyone thinking SeaWorld is getting rid of Orcas because it is now the right thing to do, are kidding themselves. Remember they didn't make this decision until stock hit the floor and attendance dramatically decreased. I truly believe this is decision to help attendance bounce back over the next few years and in about 10-15 years SEAS hopes the general public forgot BlackFish and the feelings it created, at which point they can reverse their course and introduce a new Orca experience/show and start the breeding program again. Remember it will take 20-30 years for all of their Orcas to die off, I imagine they are going to ride out the storm and start again in 10-15 years

That is why I no longer visit the DIS Boards, because the typical reaction goes something like this. "They no longer offer Turkey Legs at this food cart... My vacation is ruined." "They put a Starbucks in the Magic Kingdom, that is a sin against all humanity... My vacation is ruined." "They are re-theming Malestrom to Frozen, this is my favorite attraction that I haven't ridden in the past 5 trips, but I still love it... Walt is turning over in his grave and my vacation is ruined." This is why I no longer visit that site and many others. Don't get me wrong. Disney is not perfect, no company is, but some blogists and pass holders manufacture anger and unrest for click traffic. I am a vocal minority that thinks the cuts at the US parks has nothing to do with Shanghai but everything to do with budget overruns in the My Magic Plus System, New Fantasyland, Avatar and more than likely Disney Springs. Disney is using Shanghai as the PR reason for the cost cutting, but these major projects that have been finished and that are ongoing have all blown the doors off their budgets. Now take this opinion and post it on DIS Boards or similar sites and see what happens. Prepare to be doused in gasoline and light on fire.

Amusement vs Theme Park Apples vs Oranges Carry on

Ahh the WDW bloggists are never happy, either nothing changes at the parks, it changes too slow, or how dare you change or remove this beloved attraction. WDW bloggists are never happy and if they don't have something to complain about people won't visit their site.

You are criticizing Disney over a rumor. Criticize over pricing, proposed resort fees and staffing changes at the resorts (which is having a greater effect than the levels in the parks) That's the point, it is still a rumor. A concept discussion that was thrown around and never meant for the internet rumor mongering, yet here it is. Then again Disney puruist loose their mind when Cinnamon Rolls and Turkey Legs are messed with.

Translation: We love our Whales (which are not whales to begin with) only when our whales are making us money. Our whales are now driving customers away and are no longer a profitable business investment.

Will this concept make it an entire season, if success is judged by wait time then this idea is one of the most successful ever. Please pick up you sanitizing wipe and does of antibiotics upon exiting the station.

This is a rumor on a Disney fan site and nothing more. I love how everyone is tearing Disney apart over a rumor, because that makes sense. Geesh Screamscape doesn't generate this kind of heat. Also the timelines are completely bogus with the facts ToyStory and StarWars lands will be well under construction during this potential new ride installation. I highly doubt any of this. Call me a fan boy if you want and that's fine, but over the past few years Disney has brought some great new attractions online and many are on the way with the massive amounts of construction around the property. Those that complain that Disney has removed rides or closed certain things for new rides are the same ones that would complain if Disney and point to Universal as to how it should be done. Once again this is just a rumor and nothing more. Put the pitchforks down before you hurt yourself.

There are many arguments against these things and I agree with the majority, but I cannot get past the disinfecting of these things. These things will be a disgusting mess during the hot and humid Summer at these parks. Then the fear of Pink Eye, Lice, MRSA/Staph, or the various other Eye and Skin infections that could be transmitted by these things. Sorry this is disgusting. A

I must admit that I am surprised they have finally chosen to go this route. They had taken such an opposition to the getting rid of Orcas idea that I felt they were willing to die on their sword rather than give up their precious cash cows no matter the public opinion. Yet here we are and they are saying all the right things and seem to be doing them as well. Shame it took them this long to respond in this manner and how the outcome might have been different if they would have responded to Blackfish in a manner like this. I would imagine this phase out will take 15-20 years with the Orcas they have in captivity. I also wonder if they will truly celebrate these animals during this time or push them to an isolated corner of the park? I want to say well done SeaWorld but I am still leaning towards its about time... Times are changing my friends

and No Fireworks from what I hear. Agreed this is the perfect choice for AK and I expect this show to be amazing. Especially with the incorporated Projection Mapping that will be done on the Tree of Life.

Rivers of Light set to open April 22nd at Animal Kingdom https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/03/first-look-rivers-of-light-to-debut-april-22-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/

Interesting thought on the changes happening to the Dinning Plan. Just a few thoughts. The Dinning Plan is typically updated in May for the next year, so I would expect any changes will be for the 2017 plan. Also the 2016 plan is the first time guests on the DDP could use points to cover a meal for a non dining plan guest. Plus substitution for snack credits and other combining options became available. Lastly I would argue that Disney uses the Free Dinning Promotion during the off seasons to keep their restaurants filled and more people staying on site and not venturing off. That is why during Free Dinning season the restaurants see an in flux of crowds, especially signature locations. Places like Narcossees, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Artist Point, and Citricos are dead during this time of year and are filled with a large percentage of dinning plan guests who are combining points or are on an upper tier plan. Also booking ADR's is a bit more difficult during Free Dinning because more people are eating on property. This is one of the main reasons Skipper Canteen is struggling to draw a crowd, you can't book an ADR for it, but if that changes by Summer then I expect it will be packed come Free Dinning Season.

Just a few points to clarify about the Deluxe Dining plan. It consists of 3 meals (which can be any combination of table or quick service, so if you want to eat 3 table service meals per day you can) Also the plan comes with 2 snack credits per day and your resort refillable mug. The plan as stated is an insane amount of food if you were to follow it everyday. The trick to really using the Deluxe Dinning plan the best is to combine meal points and eat at Signature Restaurants. When we visit in September this year we will more than likely eat at California Grill, The Boathouse, Tiffins (New at AK) and LeCellier (Plus we might add in Cinderella's Royal Table) That is 5 Signature Meals during our week long vacation, that if we would have paid out of pocket would have easily totaled over $1,000 for our family for the week. This is why I love staying at a Moderate, getting Free Dining and upgrading to Deluxe Dining. The Signature Meals are a huge part of our Disney Trip for Mom and Dad. Also regarding snacks we take our unused snack credits and raid the candy store and bakery. These items make great take home treats for friends and family

And begin the next round of articles about Disney pricing the Middle Class out of visiting the parks...

The PR nightmare this place will be dealing with when they reopen is going to be tough. Time for major discounts, promotions, and maybe a new theme or attraction. The reviews on TripAdvisor are enough to scare anyone away. Barely a 2 star rating. The local drug hotel in my hometown has a better rating

Amazed SEAS is finally owning up to this. This was reported originally on this site July of last year linking the VICE article from the activists groups. Here is the link to that forum http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/31223-the-seaworld-mole-and-seas-failed-activist-espionage/?hl=seas The VICE article is a must read and shows how truly inept SEAS is, plus it is a great first hand account regarding "Tom Jones" Remember this all began right after Blackfish blew up, SEAS was concerned enough about Blackfish to start spying on activist groups but not make a major PR push against Blackfish. I believe they were hoping to orchestrate a major fiasco involving an activist group by using these covert dealings, which would should the activists as "crazy fish huggers" and then they could use that event to discredit Blackfish. All while never officially acknowledging Blackfish existed or dealing with the claims it made. Just remember SEAS is concerned about the well being and conservation of their animals first and foremost... That is a line that becomes harder and harder to swallow.

This seems to fit the timeline of my only visit, which was enjoyable and right before the transition from steakhouse to seafood restaurant. The findings of these reports makes the situation even worse.

I love the off season. A time analyzing dirt piles and rampant speculation. Carry on.