October, and the trees are stripped bare, of all they wear… well maybe not quite yet. Mouse Tales author and MousePlanet columnist David Koenig kicks off this week’s mailbag with responses to some reader mail.
Kristina writes:
My husband and I were at Disney World last week and there was a terrorist bomb threat one of the days then. Disney stopped all of the buses to the motels for several hours due to a bomb-looking package on one of the buses.
Everyone was lined up for about a hour to board the bus to the motel. People were angry and complaining. Pushing in line was also prevalent.
Sorry you had to go through a very difficult time. The good news is that there was not only no bomb, there was also no bomb threat. A Disney maintenance worker found a suspicious device on the bottom of a bus, and it turned out to be an old tire pressure monitor. A big hassle for everyone, but obviously Disney wasn’t taking any chances until it could identify the device and/or make sure other buses were not in danger.
Royce writes:
There was several things that they said about why Bob Iger dismissed Dick Cook.
1) That Dick Cook was secretive, and didn’t inform the company that Johnny Depp and other celebrities was going to be there. Well, prior to the D23 expo, they had to make prior arrangements for special security, limo drivers, and in the case for Johnny Depp, they had to have make-up personal, wardrobe/costumer and even to have a “rotating” ship to be on stage, with lighting effects and fog. They also had to have a company construct it and stage hands to handle it. They also had to have tech people & designers of sound/music and cues to rehearse for the celebrities entrances. Well clearly all this stuff isn’t secretive to the company.
2) That Dick Cook had a poor performance. Well here are a few quotes from the Walt Disney Company official website under “Management Team,” which was posted until they removed it on September 20, 2009:
“Under Cook’s leadership. The Studio has been one of the leading domestic distributors for the 12 of the last 15 years with box office receipts in excess of one billion dollars each. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International passed the one billion dollar mark for 14 consecutive years, the only distribution company to have achieved this milestone. To date, the Studio has released 60 films that have grossed more than $100 million each domestically. No other studio has accomplished this extraordinary feat.”
“With Cook at the helm, the Studio has attracted some of the most powerful as well as diverse producers and directors in the industry… and consistently broke industry records with DVD and Blu-ray releases.”
I am sending you Disney’s official company press about Dick Cook.
All your evidence suggests that the Disney Company can be inconsistent and prone to spin. I just don’t see how any of it has anything to do with your lawsuit.
Royce replies:
Well, several months from now, we shall see if their spin has anything to do with my claims. So far, their spin is to hide something in regards to Dick Cook’s firing.
Brandon P. writes:
I have been a long time Disney fan and collector. I’ve been delighted to see the Disneyland of today is an improved version from the past decade when maintenance seemed to suffer. With the return of the Subs and Sleeping Beauty Castle, my hopes for a return of the PeopleMover has been renewed. With your background, I thought you might be able to offer me some advice on what I can do to encourage Disney executives to consider returning the attraction, and advice on gaining support from other Disney fans.
I posted a message for members of MousePlanet to join the web petition, and am encouraging friends and family to sign, but would it be viable to stand outside Disneyland gates and obtain signatures directly? Where would be a legal place to collect signatures? And do you have any idea how many signatures it would take for Disney execs to pay any attention? Any information or suggestions you could offer would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your note and for your commitment to bringing life to the area of Disneyland that most needs reviving. Personally, I would love to see the PeopleMover or a modern facsimile back on the tracks asap.
Unfortunately, few Disney executives appear to share our passion. Although it wouldn’t be enough to get bulldozers moving, a web petition might at least get their attention if you could get many, many thousands of signatures. But I wouldn’t advise collecting signatures outside Disneyland’s gates. To do so, you’d have to be off of Disney property, such as on a sidewalk across Harbor Boulevard. And from that vantage point, you’d probably be dealing with primarily tourists who have never heard of the PeopleMover.
The best thing I can think to do is to keep the conversation alive. That’s one reason the Subs came back; vocal fans and an empty lagoon never let Disney forget. As long as the pylons stand, there’s still hope.
Brandon responds:
Thank you David for your quick respone and all your information. I was thinking that I would have to collect signatures on a public sidewalk, which could be a lot harder, but I’m thinking there have to be people who’ve traveled to Disneyland as kids and remember the attraction. I grew up in San Jose and every other year we visited Disneyland.
When I was too young to ride other attractions, I found the PeopleMover to be a fantastic treat and preview to Space Mountain, Star Tours and Circle vision. Not to mention it was a ride that my dad could enjoy without getting motion sickness. There have to be older adults who would love to see it back. But, I’m preaching to the choir here! Are you aware of any of the PeopleMover vehicles being in storage? I’ve seen some up for sale on eBay, but a refurb and redesign of the original vehicles would make the project more affordable.
I’ve sent letters to Goodyear to suggest a new sponsorship relationship with Disney and am waiting to hear from Disney offices to find the right person to alert to the enthusiasm of Disney fans. Since the PeopleMover was a WED project, Walt Disney himself had a part in the project. How can that piece of history be erased? I’ll keep trying until the bulldozers are ripping out the track, but thank you for your information, and any support you could offer would be much appreciated.
I know there are at least a few old PeopleMover vehicles lying around, but am sure if Disney really wanted to bring the ride back, it would be with all new vehicles — and a Pixar theme. Perhaps as park congestion, average guest’s age, and percentage of annual passholders continue to increase, Disneyland execs will realize they have an easy solution that addresses all three trends. As for how can an authentic piece of Waltabilia be erased, Walt himself used to do it all the time!
Finally, Stephanie Wien responds to letters sent into the mailbag in response to Chris Barry‘s call for opinions on the San Angel Inn, which made his Top 5 Dining Moments at Walt Disney World.
Caroline R. writes:
I just read about the horrible experience that someone had at the San Angel Inn. I have to agree that a recent visit there by my husband and I shared a similar fate. We arrived about 11:30 am and started the meal excitedly. We live in Central Florida so we don’t go to the Epcot restaurants very often since most of them are already booked by vacationers six months out. That is one of my biggest gripes with Disney and their restaurants, they leave no ability for locals to walk up anymore (but that is a different matter).
We were very excited as we had eaten here before a few years ago and loved it. When we received our meal, (the enchiladas), they were cold and had barely any chicken in them. I sent them back because they were so cold. The waiter brought another plate of them and guess what, these are cold also. I let him know and the he asked me if I want them microwaved because this is the temperature they always come out. Mind you, the temperature was not even barely lukewarm. Eventually, we got a manager involved and the meal was not charged to us. It was a lot of hassle and our meal was unfortunately ruined. By the end, I let them know, thanks for the meal of tortilla chips. Very disappointing.
Sorry you had a bad experience at the San Angel Inn. Thank you for sharing your experience though. If you have some time, it would be great if you would submit a review to our MousePlanet review system. (src=”https://www.mouseplanet.com/reviews)
Randy writes:
Since you’re soliciting comments on the San Angel Inn, I must add that I was VERY surprised at its inclusion on your Top 5 list. There are so many good restaurants at Walt Disney World; unfortunately, San Angel Inn isn’t one of them. The single worst Mexican meal I have ever had was there. I steer clear of the place now, which is easy, since there are so many good alternatives, especially at Epcot.
I love your Top 5 lists, because they bring back wonderfully pleasant memories. Splitting hairs on the various choices puts me into the “zone.”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the San Angel Inn. I haven’t eaten there, but am curious to hear about the new tequila bar and find out if the food there is better than the San Angel.
