The Duffy Report
I’d seen Duffy the Disney Bear a few weeks ago, at an Annual Passholder “press event” (a thinly-veiled – and I must admit, successful – attempt to get us to spend money), but the fluffy brown bear was only in preview mode until recently. This past week, Duffy finally opened up to the rest of the world, and the results are, well, hard to gauge.
Duffy is photogenic!
On the one hand, Duffy’s appearance at the Disney Traders shop (a standalone structure between Mexico and Canada) seems to be generating a lot of interest, and sometimes some pretty big sales. There are costumes galore, at $15, for the bear (which itself costs $25): one from pretty much every World Showcase pavilion, plus the sailor outfit I think of as Duffy’s “default” appearance.
I like that they kept the “world” decorations in the shop, and added Duffy around them.
The merchandise took over half of the store. There wasn’t an indication if more of the store would be given to Duffy in the future. Certainly this is a full-court press at Epcot. Besides this store, Duffy can be found in MouseGear as well, and if the marketing push is anything like pin trading and Vinylmation before it, we’ll see window displays all over the park. Even the Kidcot stations no longer have masks; just Duffy. “Ubiquitous” is the word.
The Disney Traders.
Reportedly some people are spending big bucks, and I can believe it. Duffy has his fans. And yet, we only needed to wait 10 minutes on the first weekend of Duffy to get a photo with him (more on this photo location below). And although we spent the entire day at Epcot (about half of it in World Showcase), I didn’t see anyone else with a Duffy walking around. My wife saw one person, she told me later.
Perhaps it’s early still, and the fever hasn’t caught on. It must also be noted that the Food and Wine crowd may not overlap much with the cute Disney bear crowd. So it’s probably too early to sound any alarm bells. Without knowing both actual sales and projected sales, those of us on the outside would be hard-pressed to even hazard a guess.
Did you hug your Duffy today? The new gazebo near Odyssey restaurant.
The newly-built gazebo to house the Duffy meet and greet is a solid structure, with nice theming touches throughout. They didn’t take the cheap route and leave the gazebo empty. Not only does the back wall have decorations, but there are resin props (reminiscent of stuff you’ll find in Mickey’s House) scattered about. And the floor may look like wood, but it’s sculpted concrete. This is good theming and more than we’re used to seeing out of Disney lately.
Fantasyland Reworked
In fact, some of the same high-quality theming is starting to poke out of the Fantasyland project. A wall has appeared at the Winnie the Pooh exit, giving a taste for what the revised attraction (and the surrounding area) will look like when New Fantasyland is finally done. I have to say that I’m impressed. It would have been so easy to go with a straight wall here, with boring bricks. Instead, this wall has, well, character. It’s the sort of thing I’m used to seeing in Disneyland rather than the Magic Kingdom, and it has me very interested in what may be coming our way when the land is finished.
Yes, it’s just a wall, but they went to some real trouble here. And that’s a good thing.
And speaking of the Fantasyland Expansion, rumors are now swirling that the princess castle meet and greets have been axed. No Aurora and her castle; no Cinderella zone either. Say goodbye to Pixie Hollow, as well. All that space is being freed up for a Seven Dwarves mine ride, apparently to be mostly outdoors but partly indoors (when we see the mine itself). The rumors aren’t specific, but I assume this will be a gentle coaster and not all that much larger than the Barnstormer (which is now said to keep its name, and change theme to put Goofy into the circus). Certainly nothing on the scale of Big Thunder (which is already a mine ride, come to think of it). If it does end up being that big, I’ll enjoy a surprise on the upside, but for now I’m keeping my expectations low.
Ariel’s ride as seen at the end of September.
The bad news? The existing Snow White dark ride will have to close, since they need a space to put the princesses for a meet and greet. Fans will undoubtedly have their own opinions on this. Why not have two Snow White rides, some will (rightly) say. Others may point out that this is the superior version of this dark ride (Disneyland’s lacks a proper ending), and Orlando already got the shaft when it comes to dark rides when Toad was evicted. All true. But I might be OK with this, depending on how it’s done. The princesses really do attract a TON of attention, and if I were in charge, I’d be remiss to not pay some heed to guest demand. And it makes some logical sense to put the princesses close to the castle.
Would I rather have a Matterhorn-sized attraction here? Sure, of course. There’s obviously plenty of land back here for big rides. But this change is a step in the right direction over the excessive number of meet and greets that were originally planned.
Why Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is “Not So Illuminated”
I pointed out last time that the MNSSHP was less festive in its lighting this year. A kind CM sent in this response:
They were hit with safety concerns. A lot of the positions used for lighting up the parks were nixed, they could not go on roof tops and in other parts it was next to impossible to do the job! Adventureland and Frontierland got the worst of the cuts lighting wise... No one is happy about that. They tried to fight the battle and lost.
Main Street in 2007…
… vs Main Street in 2010.
Thank you indeed for the kind response. I need to remember to say “thank you” to the front-line CMs more often. You guys always bust your tails, and it’s almost always politics (or a new-to-Disney boss) who is to blame when there are boneheaded decisions made.
What caught my eye the most was the bit about safety, likely a result of recent accidents (and there was yet another one last week, a fender bender on Thursday night that was not the bus driver’s fault). This has the absolute ring of truth to it; it’s exactly how the Disney corporation runs these days. The lawyers have not made heavy-handed safety improvements in WDW the way they did in Disneyland; about the only evidence of their presence has been safety gates installed on rides as they get refurbished (these gates are probably a good idea anyway).
MiceChat's WDW Invasion
The MiceChatters are coming to WDW! Come join us if you can; no registration or anything is required for many events. Just plug into any that suit your fancy. It’s open to anyone! Take special note, if you would, of the Sunday History Walk at 1pm in the Magic Kingdom. That will be led by yours truly, so stop by if you get the chance.
October 23 (Saturday) Epcot
11am - MiceChat Meet at the Mexico pavilion
We will be on the side patio outside just to the right of the main entrance to the pavilion - we'll meet there so we won't be in the way.
11:30am - Lunch at the new La Cantina De San Angel (on the lagoon waterfront)
If it's busy, we'll do our best to find as many spots together as possible. But don't eat too much! We are about to embark on a day of eating and drinking!!!
12 Noon - Sip and nibble around the world with the MiceChatters
We will leave from the Mexico pavilion and make our way clockwise toward Canada. This is a leisurely stroll you won't want to miss.
7:45pm - Fireworks Cruise
(Meet at Yacht & Beach Club marina.) This is a special event. Space is limited and tickets must be obtained from Fairy Godmother Travel.
October 24 (Sunday) Magic Kingdom / Fort Wilderness
11:30am - MiceChat Meet at Noodle Station
Noodle Station is almost always closed, so this is a nice covered spot for us to sit, chat, and talk about our plans for the day.
12 Noon - Lunch at Columbia Harbor House
We'll make our way to the Harbor House (across from the Haunted Mansion) and eat upstairs.
1pm - History Walk of the Magic Kingdom with Kevin Yee
(Meet us in front of the Columbia Harbor House.) The history walk will be a celebration and guided tour of attraction remnants in the Magic Kingdom, packed into two hours. We'll also linger on the tributes to Cast Members and Imagineers hidden right in plain sight all over the park!
8pm - Haunted Carriage Ride at Fort Wilderness
This is a special event. Space is limited and tickets must be obtained from Fairy Godmother Travel.
8:45pm - Hoop De Doo Musical Review at Fort Wilderness
You can take a boat direct from the Magic Kingdom. Allow 45 minutes to an hour just to be safe. This is a special event. Space is limited to 30 and tickets must be obtained from Fairy Godmother Travel.
October 25 (Monday) Animal Kingdom
12 Noon - Lunch at Yak & Yeti
Space is limited to 20 and must be confirmed through Fairy Godmother Travel. Even if you haven't booked your trip through Fairy Godmother Travel, you can still join us, but please confirm your spot with Teresa.
[There are no other official meets for this day, but Dusty and Fishy will be taking a nature walk visiting the trails of the Tree of Life, Maharajah Jungle Trek, and Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Then we'll ride the Kilimanjaro Safaris (be sure to grab your fastpass before lunch so you can join us on this ride). We realize that most folks will want to spend this time riding the rides and seeing the shows of Animal Kingdom. But for those of you who would like to take the time to see the animals of Animal Kingdom, please feel free to join Dusty and Fishy on this informal tour.]
October 26 (Tuesday) Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom
12 Noon - Hollywood Studios - Lunch at Mama Melrose - (party of 20)
Space is limited and must be confirmed through Fairy Godmother Travel. Even if you haven't booked your trip through Fairy Godmother Travel, you can still join us, but please confirm your spot with Teresa.
7pm - Magic Kingdom - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
If you'd like to trick-or-treat with friends, we'll meet at the Tomorrowland side of the central Hub at 7pm and head off about 7:15 to collect some candy, watch the parade, and try to catch a show or two.
[Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets are $57.46 per person if you purchase in advance.]
October 27 (Wednesday) Universal Day
8am - arrive at Universal (for 9am opening of Islands of Adventure)
We'll make the mad dash to Harry Potter. We suggest you ride the Forbidden Journey first and then spend an hour or two enjoying the village.
12:30pm - Lunch at Mythos
We'll reconvene at Mythos and enjoy a nice sit down lunch. They will likely break us up into several smaller groups. We'll then pace ourselves through the rest of the day so we can make it all the way through to Halloween Horror Nights.
5:30pm - Halloween Horror Nights Meet (Location TBD)
Join Horror expert, Fishbulb, as we live out his worst nightmares. If you are planning to join us for HHN, please contact Fishbulb so he can fill you in on the schedule for the evening.
[Universal tickets run $79.90 per person 1 park | $95.84 per person, both parks | $34.99 per person extra if adding Halloween Horror nights. | Transportation: up to $34 RT (depending on when you leave)]
October 28 (Thursday) Epcot
11:30am - MiceChat Meet at Fountain View Ice Cream Patio (Fountain side)
Grab a Fastpass for Test Track BEFORE you arrive at the meet.
12 Noon - Lunch at Sunshine Season Food Fair (Ground floor of the Land Pavilion)
We'll say our goodbyes and then break up to cover the rides attractions and parks that we may not have gotten to see enough of during the trip.
|
