Upstairs, Downstairs – A Disneyland Conundrum
Should you happen to find yourself in Anaheim, and visiting Disneyland, you might notice that for the most part, the second story of buildings are usually not open to the public.
Earthquake considerations aside and long before ADA compliance became a thing of concern, when it comes to visiting the second floor, it seems that designs just overlooked the use of the space above the ground floor. For example, the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Fantasyland was not designed to allow guests to take in any views from above the ground. Those sharp Imagineers designed a walk-through attraction that made use of the empty space inside. Tomorrowland is the one notable exception as it takes advantage of that extra space. Maybe not well, but more than the rest of the Park. And that design dates well after most of the rest of the buildings. In Fantasyland, some attractions may nest one atop the other, but the guests do not really notice.
In a world of forced perspective, where upper floors compact in size, practical design may not allow opening up all that space. Not to mention getting guests up and down. If you think about it, just how does Disney manage to move people up and down? Waterways are one, as in Pirates. Elevators (a.k.a. stretching rooms at the Haunted Mansion) and speed ramps (as once fed the Peoplemover, the Monorail or the Starcade in Tomorrowland, and still funnel guests out at the exit at the of Haunted Mansion) also work. Rely on old fashioned, traditional stairways? Not in today’s world of handicapped accessibility. About the best we can hope for is the sloping ramps that guests can walk up, ride up in ECV’s or be pushed up in wheel chairs.
So given all of that, it is hardly surprising that at best, second story use at the Park has been somewhat limited. Limited to offices and storage. Even some of the most prominent spaces is guest memories have been used in that fashion. When the Carousel of Progress changed over to America Sings in Tomorrowland, that second floor which one housed the much admired model of Progress City (or EPCOT if you prefer) gave way to what else? Offices and storage. Space once set aside for a suite of apartments for the Disney family above New Orleans? Offices and storage. Seeing a pattern here?
And even when that latter space became the Disney Gallery, it always suffered the issue of access. The usual way in and out? Climbing a set of stairs over the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean and through a small doorway in a balcony. Handicapped access? Came via an elevator that was re-purposed as need be. An elevator that was for service use between a kitchen down stairs and a kitchen upstairs. Even when that space was rebuilt into the Disney Dream Suite for the Park’s 50th, the plans included a new elevator to provide a better entry for the guests who might use it. One less intrusive, off to the side. Away from public viewing, most of the time.
Now one of the most exclusive of spaces inside the berm is the fabled Club 33. As originally envisioned, it was to have been only part of the overall use of the second story above the streets of New Orleans Square, above the Cafe Orleans restaurant. With a kitchen shared with the Disney family apartment, a drop in lounge (now known as the Trophy Room) known as the Pub and the main dining room, it was to be the home of an exclusive club for members only. A place that VIP’s and guests could be wined and dined. Above the usual Park guests, enjoying their hot dogs and Coca Cola.
Remember that the New Orleans Square project allowed use of space that previously had not been enjoyed by the rest of Disneyland. You had space below the street level as well as above. For more offices and storage, as well as kitchens and back stage spaces for cast members. Even a break area and dining area.
But things did not stop there. There was one more space that was to complete the use of the second story. The space above the French Market restaurant. Accessed from a grand stairway. A guest favorite for many great photographs and events over the years. (Yes, the site of many a wedding proposal.) At the end of Orleans Street, just off of Royal Street. The Court of the Angels. Sharp eyes may note a wall plaque that tells of music lessons offered. This was to have been the location of a small jazz club. The kind of place where a trio of musicians might have been playing in the style of many similar small jazz joints once found in New Orleans.
But just as with the space which was to have housed the Disney family apartment, what did it become? Offices and storage. To this day, it performs that function. For a bit longer…
As with many things at Disneyland, change is coming. After the success of the additional space (known as the 1901 Lounge) to the Carthay Circle restaurant in California Adventure for the exclusive use of Club 33 members, plans seemed to have gelled for a long dreamed of the mother ship back at Disneyland. Although formally yet to be announced, it seems that the long dormant plans for the Jazz Club will come to fruition as Club 33 undergoes some major changes. Kitchen expansion into the Trophy Room as well as the relocation the Club’s famed “lift” with a new entrance off of the Court of the Angels and the renovation of the space above the French Market into more dining space and a drop in Jazz Club for members and their guests, seems finally at hand.
Of course, all this will remain out of the public view. While members and guests of Club 33 are wined and dined upstairs, usual Park visitors will continue to enjoy their hot dogs and Coca Cola as they always have.
And some day, the folks who design new and exciting things for Disneyland? They might just overcome some of those issues with second stories, and make use of “air” space in places yet to be imagined. Or maybe funded when that next line of improvements come along. Count me as ready to enjoy some of those moments.
The inevitable price increase
Well, another summer of “sticker shock”…
Yes, fellow Disney fans, that means the inevitable increase in the price of admission to theme parks. You can Google about it and find all kind of reasoning as to the continuing increase. Some from inside and some from out, some from the street and some from Wall Street.
The sad truth? It has not really changed what a day at the Park is like. Attendance continues. People keep paying the price.
I get the whole bit about shareholder value. Give the company props for keeping this group happy. If it means that the amount an average guest spends per day increases, then the Accountanteers are doing their jobs.
Yet on the other side of the coin, I can understand and appreciate the cries of those who say that greed and avarice were never part of why Walt created Disneyland in the first place. It would indeed be nice to look back with fondness and say that Walt created the park as a place where families could enjoy an experience together.
So, he did say that. But Walt was a showman. And just like other showmen, P.T. Barnum for one, Walt was a realist. He wanted guests to come to Disneyland to spend. He needed the income for the company that bore (and still bears) his name. Sure, it was great to create new entertainment that guests could experience.
Even in 1955, shareholders needed a profit. Without the potential for profit, Roy would never have let Walt start work on the theme park. Without profit, Disneyland would never have gone beyond the blue sky dreams. The same goes for Florida. Sure, Walt would have loved to have seen Epcot as he dreamed it. But profit from the dreams would have always been a goal.
One can indeed look at Disneyland admission prices over the last five years and add up the 33 percent increase. Yes, it is indeed above the gains made in income by the average guest. But have those higher prices stopped enough folks from coming through the gates? The answer is a solid no. The addition of Carsland and Buena Vista Street to California Adventure have given people the reason to visit for the first time or more. A visit to Disneyland on any day this year shows it to be as crowded as usual. People are still buying admission tickets, still buying that popcorn and soft drink.
Do I (and many others) like the new higher prices? No, not really. I could do without them. And yes, when my Annual Pass recently expired, I did not rush to renew it. That will come on my next park visit, some time later. Maybe this year, maybe next. I got my money’s worth and then some with a fair number of visits in 2012 and 2013. And no, the Company won’t live or die if I wait until that next visit.
If the price increase really had an effect on the number of guests, showing a dramatic decrease day in-day out, that is about the only way that the Accountanteers might look seriously at rethinking the increases planned in 2014. $100 dollars a day is out there and only a matter of time before it becomes the lowest price single park, single day admission.
From $1 dollar to $100 dollars. Now that’s a moment of Disney Magic that should give guests something to think about…
Communication, Transportation and Travelers
You probably know the question already.
“Why have we stopped?”
The answer? Complicated.
It is no surprise that the one area that travelers consistently rate lowest when it comes to satisfaction is communication by the carriers. The whole process of keeping people informed about delays, detours and cancellations manages to inflame tempers around the world.
For example, after Saturday’s horrific short landing at San Francisco International Airport of Asiana flight 214, it was a real challenge for passengers to find out much of anything. I am not discussing the flight in point, but what was going on with the rest of the airport. Admittedly, the airport was closed. And as much of an inconvenience it was, that fact was pretty simple. Sadly, that meant that no one would be flying in or out of SFO. Until things were resolved to the point that it was determined to be safe enough to open runways to traffic. Incoming flights were diverted to Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento. I have even heard some flights were diverted to Los Angeles, just to be safe.
The good thing, if anything good could be said to come out of the incident, was that there were only 2 fatalities. The toll certainly could have been much higher. Give kudos to the crew aboard and the first responders who made the difference in getting everyone off the aircraft.
Yet…
I had my own little adventure while flying home from a visit to Anaheim late last month, June 25 to be precise. As usual, we were flying Jet Blue out of Long Beach (great new terminal) to Oakland. Thanks to the schedule, we were flying out on a departure at 8:50 pm. A fairly full flight, last of the night. About the time we usually begin the descent into Oakland, we noted that we had begun circling instead. Our pilot came on the intercom and advised us that Oakland had weather issues along with some equipment problems. Those should have cleared up in about 30 minutes. That was the good news.
The bad news? Our plane only had 20 minutes of extra fuel. And we were number 40 in line. This meant we would be diverting to either San Francisco or San Jose. (The plane was continuing on to Washington D.C. (Dulles) and would be fully fueled in Oakland.)
Sure enough, we diverted into San Jose. Once on the ground there it took a bit to get to a gate. As we sat, we wondered what lay ahead. It was explained that if you chose to leave the aircraft, you would be required to surrender your boarding pass; you would not be allowed back on the aircraft; and your checked baggage would continue on to Oakland – it would not be taken off in San Jose. We also waited for the fuel truck to give us enough gas to get to Oakland.
Finally, we left the gate. But then we sat for at least another 20 minutes on the taxi way, waiting for paperwork to be signed so we could leave. Long story short, we were supposed to arrive into Oakland at 10 pm. We got there about 12:30 am.
I give the crew at Jet Blue credit for keeping us informed. When they had information they could share, they told us. As for what happened in Oakland? A mystery. No “official” word, but it appears that the approach lights on the usual runway were inoperative. We landed on an auxiliary field at Oakland, normally used by cargo and general aviation flights. Nothing in the media explained the problems. With at least 40 flights effected, you might have expected something to be reported somewhere. But silence…
Out of over 50 flights I have made over the years, I can count on one hand those that were delayed. Only this one was detoured. Lucky, I guess?
Now on all of the train trips I have taken, way too many have been delayed. As we say, late trains become only one thing. Later.
And thanks to the fact that I often have access to listen in to the radio communications between the train crew and the railroad dispatchers, I often know why we are delayed. My favorite was a long delay caused by tumbleweeds on the tracks. (They caused freight trains to slip their wheels in climbing a long hill, resulting in delays for all the trains including Amtrak behind them.) However, had I not had my radio to listen in or had other communications by the railroad relayed to me, I would never have known what caused the problems.
My advice? Check with your carrier. Always. A look online or a phone call before you leave home gives you a “heads up” to any potential problems that you might encounter. Take that time to learn what lies ahead. Save the headaches for something else. But, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If a crew can tell you what they know, they will. Just don’t be a pest.
And if things happen along the way? What can I say other than just roll with it. Travel can be an adventure.
Just hope it is not an adventure every time you head out the door.
Lest We Forget – Gettysburg
150 years ago. In a small Pennsylvania crossroads. A place called Gettysburg.
It neither sought fame or glory, yet both came there in early July of 1863.
Over 57,000 men were listed as casualties (killed, wounded or captured) of the battles that took place here.
Despite the horrendous loss of life on both sides, the War Between The States continued for two more bloody years. The results of which continue to be felt across the years. While slavery became the major issue of the conflict, the rights of individual states to decide policies within their own boundaries was a cause which lead to secession.
Men on both sides fought for their beliefs. Debated then and since. Many gave the fullest measure of their devotion to their causes. Proudly, I can say that I had ancestors who were at Gettysburg. Some who died there and one who was commended for his actions by both Union and Confederate forces during and after the battle in the care of wounded soldiers of both armies.
The photo above may have been taken at the National Cemetery in the Presidio of San Francisco. But the sentiment stands to remind us all.
Lest we forget.
Is it all over as we know it at the movies?
Well to hear Steven Spielberg and George Lucas tell it, things are looking rather grim.
There may some merit to the message, but it should not be news to anyone.
For example, the traditional methods of delivery for entertainment is indeed changing. Everything from Netflix, to Youtube, to the growth in home theaters with Blu-ray and streaming of content can portend changes. But have we not heard these cries before? When television was the enemy and theaters like the Paramount were the true temples of entertainment. And when cable television came along and was going to be the end of it all.
I give Steven and George points for pointing out how the Emperor has no clothes. And yes, more mega-flops along the line of John Carter will indeed make it harder for the studios to shell out millions to anyone with a script. But maybe that’s a good thing. Do we really need another “Cleopatra” epic? As Wikipedia put it, “It was the highest grossing film of 1963, earning US $26 million ($57.7 million total), yet made a loss due to its cost of $44 million, making it the only film ever to be the highest grossing film of the year yet to run at a loss…”
For that matter, the summer crop being in full swing with all of it’s capes, masks and flying debris assaulting audiences willing to shell out the bucks to be amused or disappointed. Just like their parents, grand parents and great grand parents did before.
Yet, we see how studios, like Disney, are ramping up the machine to pump out content for the next decade. Be it animated, super heroes or outer space franchises, things are heading our way, whether we like it or not. Sequels too. Some about which we have to wonder, such as Disney announcing yesterday yet another toy commercial as “Planes” has not even hit theaters, let alone home video. And yes, toy fans, there will indeed be a whole line of die cast Planes.
Again, you can’t fault a business for striking while the iron is hot. Tolkien fans are getting their due with the Hobbit films. Star Trek fans got another long awaited JJ Abrams production. Harry Potter fans got theirs, Marvel comic fans see more content coming and Star Wars fans salivate at the thought of things yet to come.
So, yes, mourn the loss of film as the digital era comes into play. But we should not forget. Greed and avarice will indeed raise their heads as audiences will continue to eat up any and all content that comes their way. Disposable income will be handed over willingly, around the world. Popcorn and soft drinks will still be the profit centers they always have been. No doubt, it won’t be long before that Saturday night date at the movies ends up with a bigger cost.
Is the sky falling? Hardly. Are things changing? Indeed they are. Spielberg and Lucas? They have already made their millions. Time to let others do the same.
Just as it always has been, there are film makers who don’t make the big bucks. The people who never see the big pay days. They will continue to produce the content making using of new and exciting ways to share it with audiences. And just as the death of the studio system changed how movies were made and brought to audiences, so it is today and in the future yet to come.
Something for everybody.