Gabe

The Kentucky House, in its proposed budget yesterday, eliminated funding which would upgrade the main road that currently feeds into the Ark Encounter park. Party politics are likely at play here and it's probable the funding will be restored in the final budget, but if this project isn't bid and let soon, I can't imagine the traffic woes when the park opens.

One could easily argue Disney's biggest mistake was hiring Ron Miller, who just about ran Uncle Walt's empire into the ground, until Eisner rescued them. Also, see Euro Disney, nee Disneyland Paris. The french did not want a theme park on the outskirts of the famed City of Lights and it showed attendance wise for well over a decade. Don't forget Disney's Americana as well. And yes, the Twilight Zone is licensed by Disney for the rides and merch. I was on the College Program down there during construction, so I saw this ride go from a pile of dirt to opening during my time there. Having seen its construction first-hand, I can safely say it is an incredible piece of engineering that was far ahead of its time. IMO, it remains the best-themed ride throughout all the parks.

Steampunk is all the rage now. Creative minds can do wonders with the concept, so I'd expect this to be eye-popping to say the least.

Sold for $2.50! (joking) but that is a lot of land that someone could do something great with, I am hoping the Jazzland project is still around and maybe they can turn it around again, but have my serious doubts Land that sits squarely in a floodplane. Given what happened with Six Flags, any insurer out there is likely to charge quite a hefty premium, if coverage were even offered.

I'm planning to a trip to St. Louis ( Eureka) for either May or June, so I will test this out and report back. Should be interesting. If it becomes popular, maybe FUN will jump aboard too. (if they can hawk $1 "3d" glasses for Boo like they did a couple seasons ago, a small upcharge of a buck or so for this wouldn't be out of the question).

Not all Disney tables are reservation only. Granted, the walkup policy has certainly gotten much more stringent in the past couple of years, esp with the MMP implementation, but even during peak times, reservations are often cancelled at the last minute, or are simply no shows. Disney will usually (bit not always) create a "cancellation" list if you arrive at the restaurant without a reservation and its really a crapshoot as to whether you get in or not. To Rail's point of tables booking up quickly even in the "offseason"-call me cynical, but there still exists unauthorized 3rd party sites that will use bots to help (but not actually book) an ADR at a Disney restaurant (for a fee). I have no idea what these sites bring in, but I have not heard of Disney taking any action against any of them. Meanwhile, 2 moms who love Disney decide to recreate the scents of the resort in candle form, and suddenly they're being read the Riot Act by Disney lawyers.

There are also rumblings that the way the dining credits are used will possibly be changing later this year-for the worse (if you're a guest), in that you would no longer be able to combine points in order to have a nicer meal at a Signature restaurant. Each person's plan would function independently of everyone else's. It's all about maximizing shareholder value. Disney does not want its ESPN unit to shoulder much of the profit burden going forward, esp with the increasing fees (and the resulting backlash from cable providers) it charges. If ala carte cable pricing becomes a reality, that will be a large chunk of money leaving the room. So, the parks are going to have to become the standard-bearer once again. Stay tuned.

Keep in mind that various DOTs are only able to recommend official detours on roads they own/control. This past summer, a small bridge collapse on I 65 north of Indy near Lafayette created a nearly 3 month closure in both directions. Official detours were announced, posted on various outlets and given lots of media mentions, but enterprising folks found alternates using local roads that were largely free of traffic.

Everything old is new again; rumblings from the coasts indicate that tiered ticket pricing may soon be implemented( read: as early as Monday) at both WDW and DL with prices falling into 3 tiers presumably based upon the time of year. All types of tickets and annual passes will be affected. Get those E tickets out of storage! (Not quite, but close).

If you're willing to be a bit patient and can hold your nose so to speak, the stock is a good buy right now. At some point, this will all be a long-distant memory.

Intamin also has a transportation division, which may be doing better than the amusement division at present. If their Skyscraper project in Orlando comes to fruition and is successful, that could bring them back into the good graces of SIX and FUN.

The Monument also encourages advance reservations now. The number of walkups is very limited, and go quickly when the line opens each morning.

One wonders where the idea for a sub attraction came from..

Sounds like Big Dipper needs a rich enthusasist.It almost seems to me that they purposely leave the Big Dipper there for some purpose. To me the poor thing looks like a very slow healing wound(as in natural slowly taking it back). A rich enthusiast, who will likely run for the hills after learning more about the coaster's current ownership. No amount of money is worth that kind of headache. The current owner is well enough off financially to keep playing the waiting game.

In addition to the coaster projects, HW announced they are bringing back the Freedom Train, an original ride when the park first opened. It will replace the Holidog Express, which replaced the Freedom Train when it was retired a few years' back: http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/31241150/freedom-train-returning-to-holiday-world

Given that KK's current owner isn't investing large sums into the park above and beyond what's required, an increase in the minimum wage I'm guessing would leave Hart to hire fewer park associates. HW could benefit for those living just across the border looking for steady summer work.

Their shop has other candles that have ties to intellectual property that isn't their own-i.e. Potter, Dr. Who, etc. I haven't seen any evidence of a name change with them as of yet. If Disney did these candles, they'd prob do it as a limited run-like they did with the Mansion-related merch. With the expansion of the WOD in DS, there will be more shelves to fill.

At least with the Plinko-type game, you do win something for your money. If you go by traditional definitions of gambling, you pay to play, with the knowledge that you may end up with nothing. Of course, there are other games in the park where that's the case.

Also keep in mind there is still land left from SOB's former footprint, as well as relatively flat land in Ft. Kinzel behind Firehawk where the heli rides once departed and returned, which wouldn't necessitate the removal of many trees.

I placed my order before this and have not received anything stating that the candles won't ship as ordered. The scents aren't proprietary, so if the name is changed, I'd imagine the candles can stay the same.

The Anthology candles Etsy site is back up with a couple of interesting tweaks- they have modified themselves so as not to imply any affiliation with the Mouse (and they added a disclaimer as such..prob fearful Mickey would send ole Pete after them!) and have also stated that as of now, expected ship dates are 8-16 weeks from the time of order. Given that they said earlier in the week that they wouldn't be back online until March 1, I'm hopeful the orders will ship before then.

February is a very slow month for the Orlando-Tampa area. Presidents Day weekend provides some uptick, but not enough to really move the meter. My guess is the $20.99 price is enough to entice locals to head out to the park, at least until the Spring Break hoards begin arriving in a few weeks. Also, keep in mind, those parks are 365 day operations, so if the price is lower in the slower months, the park figures that the revenue will be made up in other areas, or offset once the high season begins again.

Nothing new, Terpster. The mall is still owned by the same group (Askenazy Azquisition Corp.), who haven't done much besides provide security for the area, plow the snow and keep the parking lot lights on at night. The former Incredible Pizza is still dark. The Indianapolis City Council has earmarked some $ to improving the surrounding area, in an effort to turn it into an international marketplace (there are lots of minorities living in the area), but the mall itself hasn't seen much life at all. Burlington Coat Factory and Shoppers World are your 'anchors',but aside from that and a few stores inside the mall, it's pretty bleak. Of more concern is downtown's Circle Centre Mall, which is owned by various entities but for all intents is run by Simon. In the last 2 months, the mall has lost California Pizza Kitchen Johnny Rockets, Gap, Gap Kids, American Greetings, Johnston and Murphy, and a couple of smaller stores. Johnny Rockets opened with the mall in 1990. The sole anchor tenant left, Carson's, recently renegotiated its lease with the City for what were very favorable terms (City pays 1/2 the rent, along with some of the taxes and keeps a bigger portion of its sales). The Mall was responsible for the revitalization of downtown an serves as a hub when large events are in town. Simon and the City announced last fall that together, a $20M investment would be made in the mall over the next few years which could include transforming some mall space into apartments. A couple of new restaurants have or will be opening soon (Yard House, Nada and Primanti Bros, which is replacing CPK), but the overall health of the mall is fair at best.

As I recall, refills were not available at the Freestyle machines. At least they weren't at the Jukebox Diner in Coney Mall.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you could recreate the scents from some of your favorite Disney rides, food and other attractions? Well, wait no longer- A candle company out of Charleston, SC has introduced a line of such candles. Rides such as the Haunted Mansion and Soarin' are featured, as are scents duplicating churros, Dole Whip and the Main Street Bakery. Response has been so overwhelming that their website crashed, but was updated today to reflect that as of March 1 (or before), it should be in a position to take and fulfill orders again. Count me as a buyer when these are available again! (I'll prob buy the Mansion and Soarin'). See below for more information: http://nerdist.com/disneyland-scented-candles/