Weekend Update – AVATAR Land, Polynesian Village, Cool Linkage, Etc.
Now it’s time for another Weekend Update. We know these updates are sporadic and inconsistent, but that’s what keeps them interesting…right? Like Nicolas Cage perched on a dark hill spider monkey style, you never know when one will pounce on you! 😉 It seems like the big thing this weekend was the AVATAR Land concept art and additional details being released. You’ve probably seen it by now, so we won’t regurgitate those details.
With this news, I noticed something “interesting” on social media. Allow me a brief rant. I’m a bit of a night owl on the weekends (when we’re at home, I generally stay up until about 4 a.m. editing photos and working on blog posts for the upcoming week–I can get things done efficiently because no one else is up to distract me), so I was awake for the AVATAR Land concept art release early on Saturday morning. On social media, I noticed that just as many people were commenting on the timing of the release as they were the substance of the release. This weekend was the Japan D23 Expo, and the concept art was released there during the Parks presentation, which occurred at a normal hour in Japan on Saturday. Due to time zones, that meant the art was released during the night here in the United States. Many people seemed irritated that this art was released in the “middle of the night” and in Japan, rather than at a press conference in the US.
I saw phrases like “goes against PR 101” and the like thrown around (I never realized I followed so many PR experts on Twitter!), and the general attitude seemed to be one viewing America as the center of the universe. (I could go on a long rant about this worldview, but I’ll spare you that.) To me, it’s no big deal that some concept art was released first in Japan (and that’s exactly what it was–concept art, not a new attraction announcement). It’s not as if the art won’t be disseminated just the same, as the “news” will be copied and pasted on 13,893 Disney fan blogs in the US regardless of when it’s released, so I see it as no harm, no foul. Beyond that, Japanese tourists are a lucrative market for the US parks (they are far more likely to visit Aulani, Disneyland, and Walt Disney World than Americans are to visit the parks in Asia), and getting them excited about something coming to the US parks is a savvy move if this was done by design. Especially when Disney fans in the US are just as likely to find out about it either way, and Japanese fans are probably less likely to find out about it if it’s not announced to them directly. I don’t recall reading any complaints from Americans that Shanghai Disneyland details were first announced in the US instead of China where that park will be located (of course, double standards are fine when they benefit Americans). I understand the frustration that it wasn’t unveiled at the US D23 Expo a couple months ago; my guess as to why it was not is because it had not received a final greenlight or board approval for funding in time and had to instead settle for a cryptic/odd office setup. The concept art seems to match blueprints that leaked nearly a year ago, so I don’t know what other reason there would for releasing the art now as opposed to then. At the end of the day, it’s just a release of a few pieces of concept art and vague details…does it really matter where and when it was released? Anyway, sorry about the rant, but one of the hazards in reading this blog is that you’re occasionally subjected to my personal opinions.
In a much more cool little tidbit of news, we’ve learned that Disney’s Polynesian Resort is in the process of returning to its original name of the Polynesian Village Resort. Hopefully this is a sign of bigger changes (than just adding Disney Vacation Club) to come at the Poly, and not just cashing in on “retro-mania.”
Upcoming Posts
The benefit of being home for the weekend is that I have the chance to get posts ready over the weekend rather than scrambling to write them at night when I get home from work. We have some good stuff (I think) coming this week…let me tease the slate:
Monday – A minute by minute post of my photos from a recent night of shooting fireworks with an explanation of my thinking in getting the shots. (The photo at the top of the post is from that article.)
Tuesday – Tokyo Disney Resort trip report, starting with sunrise in Tokyo Disneyland. (I know I’ve been promising this for a while, but I actually have the photos edited and everything ready to go this time. If you haven’t read it yet, click here to read our current installments of the Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report!)
Wednesday – Wild Card Wednesday! Disneyland Hotel Review, Kona Cafe Breakfast Review, or Harbor Galley Review. This is your call–vote in the comments. Majority wins, even if that’s only one voter!
Thursday – “Is The Walt Disney Studios Park a Disney Theme Park?”
Friday – Sony QX100 Review for “Photo Friday.” Sarah has had this groundbreaking new phone system for a couple of weeks now, and is really impressed. I think the Sony QX100 “lens” is bit gimmicky, but great for people primarily interested in sharing photos on social media. We’ll share both of our perspectives in that review. (If you want a lens that is actually revolutionary, check out our Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Review.)
Cool Linkage
We harp on getting out and seeing other Disney parks besides your “home” one a lot on this site, but we feel that way about travel in general. A lot of our nosy (;)) readers ask how we travel so much. It’s because travel is our #1 priority in life right now, and we make every sacrifice necessary (I can’t remember the last time we went out to dinner when home) to enable us to travel. This article titled “Travel While You’re Young,” completely captures our philosophy, and we highly recommend it to any other young people without kids.
Speaking of traveling, you might remember that we launched a companion site to this one earlier this year called TravelCaffeine. I’ve had a tough time keeping up on that blog, but I’m now planning regular updates. Last week we had a popular post detailing our “Trespassing” in Acadia National Park. Add this site to your bookmarks if you want travel inspiration and ideas!
If you missed our post on Disneyland Secrets last week, check that out. Our Unique Family Photo Ideas at Walt Disney World article was also pretty popular. Other than that, it was just dining reviews on the blog last week. Now, on with posts from other blogs…
A new blog called “Disneyland Paris Treasures” launched. The first post is well-written and detailed…this is being added to our bookmarks!
Gorillas Don’t Blog featured a couple beautiful photographs from the Disneyland Skyway shot in 1960(!!!). I’ve never been a big Skyway fan, but the thought of taking photos from it makes me salivate. Just think of all the unique angles!
WDWMagic shared news of a Main Street USA bypass to be added to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. If this is half as nice as the Arcades in Disneyland Paris, we will be stoked. Those are so awesome–every Main Street should have them!
We have mixed feelings on skipping Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival this year, but this article from Disney Food Blog on the Parisian Breakfast makes us wish we did attend. (There are other reasons it would have been nice to attend, but we’re growing a bit tired of the “drunken frat party” atmosphere to Epcot on fall weekends.)
Our friend Yoshi shares some photos of the Japan D23 Expo venue!
Leading up to their Photo Magic 2013 event, Disney Photography Blog had a couple of cool posts offering differing perspectives on photography. I really liked this one with thoughts on photographing the (very challenging) Boo To You Parade!
The Hong Kong Disneyland Gazette posts an interesting look at a “Halloween Challenge” at HKDL. Everything we’ve read makes it sound like that park does Halloween best!
Inside the Magic shares a look at Halloween on the Disney Cruise Line. Looks nice!
Finally, we recognize that a lot of you have your own Disney blogs where you share your thoughts, etc. We love the sense of community among Disney fans (we’re not so big on some of the in-fighting, but that’s an understandable byproduct of the passion), and we’re not an isolationist blog that views other sites as “competitors.” I love reading other Disney blogs, but I don’t get a chance to read every Disney blog every week. To help me out, if you’ve written or read an especially good blog post recently, please share a link to it in the comments of this article. Hopefully this will help me find great new blogs to read and feature in future “Cool Linkage” sections, and also send a bit of traffic your way!
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That’s it for this update! To follow our adventures, find us on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Flickr!
Your Thoughts…
Have any comments about this update? Thoughts on the AVATAR Land? Vote for our Wild Card Wednesday blog post? Have any of your own blog posts to share? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Disneyland hotel review please! I will actually be in Disneyland on Friday and Saturday this week although I’m not staying in a hotel (visiting a friend who is an annual pass holder. She lives in San Jose but her grandparents are near Anaheim. It’s my first visit to Disneyland and I’m super excited!
*initiates slow clap for Avatar land rant*
I vote Kona breakfast review!
Kona Breakfast…. please!! We have a breakfast ADR for the first week of December, and I’m debating on whether to keep it or go to Cap’n Cooks instead…
‘K, Thanks!
Two words … TONGA TOAST!
One could also recommend the fruit plate as well.
As noted in other blogs/sites, Tonga Toast is 2.5 inch slice of sour dough bread, sliced in the middle and stuffed with banana’s. Dipped in batter and deep fried. Served with either and/or maple syrup and strawberry compote. Simply delicious.
Tops on our list next to Boma for breakfast. You can’t go wrong.
Kona review please – having breakfast there on the 27th!
Also have to comment on your “travel while you’re young” statement. Excellent idea! I just turned 50 this year and wish we could have done a lot more traveling before we had kids. We had a lot more disposable income in our 20’s but my husbands work schedule didn’t allow it. We finally took our first trip to Europe 3 years ago! I think it’s wonderful you are able to get all of these experiences so young.
Kona Cafe breakfast
Koan cafe breakfast review please!!
Kona cafe review please!
Harbor Galley Review! Mostly because nobody has voted for it yet 🙂
Harbor Galley fans represeeeeeeeeeeeeent! 😉
Kona Cafe Breakfast please! We’re heading there next week (our first time to Disney World!!) and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the place 🙂
Kona review please!
Disneyland hotel is my vote. A few questions on that note: Do they charge a fee to park at the hotel? and How far/long is the walk to the parks? How does it compare to Grand Californian?
They do charge a parking fee, but I can’t recall how much it was. Around $25/day, I think. Not cheap.
It’s about a ten minute walk from the hotel to the two park entrances, but through Downtown Disney so for us it still feels like being in “the bubble.” Still, nothing beats the GC location with your own park entrance, especially now that California Adventure is such a worthy park.
I think DLH compares very favorably to the Grand Californian. The rooms are actually very similar in layout, but a tiny bit bigger in DLH. Both have great pool areas, but since the remodel I like DLH’s more. The DLH rooms have a few more “Disney” touches, such as the light up headboards.
In terms of amenities, they are both great. GC has a spa, and DLH doesn’t, if that’s an issue. Both feature a character dining experience, but Goofy’s Kitchen is much better in terms of character experience than the GC restaurant (but GC has better food, IMO). DLH has Trader Sam’s, though, which is the coolest bar I’ve ever visited.
We loved both, but prefer the remodeled DLH. Of course, we have a little guy, and the DLH feels a bit more family oriented to us.
Here’s a link to a post on my blog that I thought I would share. My blog focuses on two inexperienced Disney planners preparing for an epic journey. This posts focuses on one of my fears about visiting the parks. Enjoy! http://epicdisneyworld.blogspot.gr/2013/07/kids-and-bully-parents.html
Thanks for sharing–I’ll give it a read!
I vote for the Disneyland Hotel review! And thanks for the rants as well as the other cool stuff. 😉
Disneyland Hotel review, please, with lots of pictures! 🙂
Looking forward to more of the Tokyo Disney trip report!
I’m interested in your DL Hotel review.
Loved your “rant” about the Avatar news release. Many of the PR experts and other complainers are also the same people who constantly look for things to whine about regarding Disney. It was just three pieces of art and a publicity photo!
Your observation about rewarding the rabid Japanese Disney fans is spot on!
I probably do my fair share of whining about Disney, so I can’t condemn anyone else for that!
interesting opinion on the Avatar ‘announcement’ in Japan.
It does not change the inherent wrongness of it, but I always enjoy your thoughts.
So, when do you make a HKDL sojourn? Or finally take a DCL voyage? Or maybe Aulani?
And haven’t had time to check your site out much of late, have there been any TDR reports in the past 2-3 weeks?
Inherent wrongness that it wasn’t shared at the Anaheim Expo? Unless it was by design because the OLC demanded some sort of “announcement,” I think the only plausible explanation is that they didn’t have BoD funding approval for those plans at that time. Corporate governance rules being what they are, it wouldn’t have been kosher to release the art without funding approval (if it’s really that big of a CapEx project…and it may not be). I guess the other explanation is that someone is trying to kill the US D23 Expo, but I really no longer think that’s the case.
HKDL at the end of this year, but no plans as of right no for DCL or Aulani. Sarah really wants to do both, but I’m addicted to Tokyo, so any trip longer than a weekend (and both of those would be) I’d like to spend in Tokyo.
No TDR updates in the last few weeks. We’ve been traveling the last three weekends, which is when I normally write/edit photos for those. They take significantly longer to write than any other posts, and I have been way too busy during the week to get them done. One coming this week, though!
I need to make it back over to WDWMagic. I’ve popped in from time to time recently, but I had to take a break because I got sick of a couple posters who dominated the conversation on NextGen (which I’m sick of hearing about, anyway).
Butting in…. My husband and I are also DINKs and we visited Aulani this past May. The trip can only be described as an experience. We are NOT traditional resort people and I was afraid we would be bored, but we were busy exploring the hotel and the island from sun up to sun down.
Might I recommend a TDR trip with a stop at Aulani on the way there or back? That’s our plan for 2015!
Can’t wait for your TR on HK!!! Are you going to Tokyo as well or just HK?
Inherent wrongness in the way the entire project has been shown go the public from Day 1, 25 long months ago, culminating in announcing a US project at Japan’s first Disney Showcase.
Obviously, you’ve been hearing from the PR wizards, but you do not announce something for the USA on a Friday at midnight to start a holiday weekend a world away. That is PR 101.
I have no idea if this was to bury it, because internal studies have shown even rabid fans haven’t been in favor of it, or to show up the OLC. Disney would have plenty of reasons for that starting with the fact they have grown tired of clones attractions and have refused both Pandora and Cars land of late.
Really don’t know, but it was bizarre.
Oh, and they absolutely had funding. This baby had funding over a year ago when those plans were leaked.
HKDL at the end of this year? Tom, I am impressed …when I first met you online you were an obnoxious snot-nosed brat who had never been beyond WDW. Hitting all the internationals withinn two years is something only us faux one percent elites can do.
DCL is phenomenal and think of all those sunrises and sunsets you can get at sea.
As to MAGIC, it is what it is. I have even taken shots at you (good natured, of course) to get you posting. But being a Disney lifestyler , I realize there are limited hours in a day. 🙂
Disneyland Hotel review please!
Disneyland Hotel review! And the Harbour Galley review soon too — I got dessert there recently and everyone’s food looked good as it passed.
I’ll vote for Kona one of the few table service restaurants I have missed. Disneyland hotel is probably out of my price range and I don’t know what harbor Galley is?
Harbor Galley is a rare blue bird that resides in Eiffel Tower region of Arizona. 😉
I vote for the Disneyland Hotel review! 🙂
I vote for Disneyland Hotel review