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We did DDP and liked it, because it meant we could be extravagant and have a couple meals that would otherwise be 200 bucks and just blow 2 credits on it. We did wind up with a couple QS meals to burn through on the last day but whatever, we just got stuff at Morocco and didn't care if we finished it. It was nice to have the psychological "we already paid for everything so its free now" feeling, even if it wasn't a huge savings practically speaking.
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Mar 8, 2015 01:29
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We did a ton of Table Service and Character dining and next trip I'll definitely be cutting back on the scheduled meals. I understand if you want to eat at certain Disney spots you have to reserve way in advance, but I hated having to schedule my vacation around our meals. There was a couple evenings I would have rather just had a PB&J in the room instead of having to make sure we left for the restaurant 90 minutes before our reservation. Most of the pain was poor planning on our part, 8:30 AM breakfast after staying at MK until 3 AM was miserable, but I really prefer a more laissez faire vacation experience. Aside from Be Our Guest I wasn't super impressed with most of the food. Be Our Guest was amazing, and our server was one of the best I've ever had. I waited tables for a long time in what seems like a previous life and I'm a generous tipper in normal circumstances but that dude made serious bank from me. It was our anniversary dinner and he took great care of us and the food was amazing. Ohana was a very good meal that I really enjoyed but it wasn't mind blowing or anything. We did the buffet at 1900 Park Fare (dinner) and I was seriously unimpressed. It was Golden Corral with Prince Charming and Cinderella. Chef Mickey (dinner), Tusker House and Hollywood and Vine (bfast) were pretty good and I'd say worth it. Cinderella's breakfast at Epcot was not. I basically cut the price of the buffet in half (50% of it is the characters being there) and if I would have paid it I'll call it good. The QS meals were decent for mass cooked quick service. The Shrimp at Harbor House though are cooked in the same oil as the fish, and made them so fishy some of our party wouldn't eat them. Most of them are from Louisiana though, and they can be a bit particular about their fried seafood. Our last night there we paid cash for a meal at Fulton's Crabhouse in Downtown Disney and it was excellent and worth the price tag.
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Mar 8, 2015 02:23
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The wife and I drove in last night and spent the day at Epcot with a brief trip over to MK for the Festival of Fantasy parade. Her birthday is tomorrow, so she got to pick everything. That said... - Crowds today were surprisingly easy going at both parks, though we were only at MK for a little over 2 hours. - The hub at MK is dramatically improved. I couldn't believe how much easier it was to get around in the central area. - Universe of Energy is the biggest waste of time in the entirety of Disney Parks & Resorts. I actually hadn't been on that ride since the 1980s, somehow, and for my wife it had been about 11 years. That was 37 minutes of my life that's just missing now. I was actually aggravated when I got off the ride vehicle, but I guess at least after all these years I actually know what's in that building. For better or worse. - Teppan Edo is where we had dinner this evening, and man I loved it. Although it was crazy that the chef grew up and spent most of his life about 40 miles from where I'm originally from. Considering the Asian population where I grew up, hearing a Japanese man with a Gulf Coast southern accent the same as mine was strangely familiar. It felt like home. And the food was amazing. Some of the best hibachi I've had. We also did a lot of pin trading, and it looks like the selection has improved a lot since our last few trips over. But does anyone know why vinylmation trading was taken out of the parks? Are they planning to stop making those things, because they're also starting to become harder to find in the stores.
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Mar 8, 2015 04:14
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We ate at STK last night in Manhattan and I can't wait for it to open at DTD. (sorry Disney Springs or whatever they are rebranding it as.) Even though it is expensive as hell it was one of the best meals I ever had. If they allow cast discounts at the DTD location it will be worth visiting more than once in a lifetime.
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Mar 8, 2015 18:22
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Doronin posted:- Universe of Energy is the biggest waste of time in the entirety of Disney Parks & Resorts. Did you ever see the Jack Sparrow show at Hollywood Studios? I felt the same way you did leaving that literal waste of space.
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Mar 9, 2015 04:14
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Thespis posted:Did you ever see the Jack Sparrow show at Hollywood Studios? I felt the same way you did leaving that literal waste of space. This was Dinosaur for me. It was so aggressively boring & mediocre compared to Indiana Jones at Disneyland. We accidentally photobombed the ride photo because we were both in the middle, looking bored as gently caress while everybody around us is freaking out at the T-Rex and strobe light and fog. That's what Dinosaur is. Random dinosaurs that pop out, strobe lights, fog effects. Nothing else than some stupid thing they attempt to pass off as a backstory. They got it so right with Everest, how did they gently caress it up so bad with Dinosaur? Don't even bother with it, just go ride Everest again and again and again. P.S. I officially hate that dumb fish on Dolphin and that triangle thing. I don't mind Swan so much but that loving fish is creeping me out while I sit on the balcony. IT'S STARING AT ME WITH ITS SOULLESS EYES.
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Mar 9, 2015 04:35
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Tomato Soup posted:This was Dinosaur for me. It was so aggressively boring & mediocre compared to Indiana Jones at Disneyland. We accidentally photobombed the ride photo because we were both in the middle, looking bored as gently caress while everybody around us is freaking out at the T-Rex and strobe light and fog. That's what Dinosaur is. Random dinosaurs that pop out, strobe lights, fog effects. Nothing else than some stupid thing they attempt to pass off as a backstory. For someone who's only been to Disneyland once, I like Dinosaur simply for the fact that's it's the closest experience to Indiana Jones you can get at WDW. Did you know that they have the exact same ride track? The ride also used to be a lot wilder and more intense. Everest is in need of some TLC too, that Yeti at the end hasn't worked in years. I love Animal Kingdom and I think it's a great park, and I'm probably one of the few people really excited for Pandora.
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Mar 9, 2015 04:48
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I am really excited for Pandora because a) the renderings of what Imagineers are doing looks great regardless of whatevery interest (or lack thereof) I have in the franchise, and b) when it opens, they can finally close Everest for a bit and do a proper refurbishment and get the Yeti working again.
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Mar 9, 2015 06:12
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I'm just really leery of Pandora's long term ability to draw people to AK, I guess. I'm worried they're spending a whole lot of money on something they're gonna have to throw out in 5 years or something, or do a huge overhaul on. You know? I'd like to see the Yeti working but I thought they had said they took all the mechanical bits out of him and didn't intend to fix him again. I loving love Indy and will stand in that loving 1 and a half hour line any day any time, I don't even care. I love that ride so much. The day they take that to Hollywood Studios will be an outstanding day (they will never take it because of Dinosaur. Ugh). It's one of the only "thrill"-y rides I can ride with any sort of a dip and not freak out and I can grab the front bar and just scream with glee when it does it and it's cool because there's the loud rear end fanfare and  WEEEE: Seriously, man, Indy is such a good loving ride. I hope they never gently caress it up.
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Mar 9, 2015 06:29
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With all the technology and money Disney has at their disposal you would think fixing the freaking Yeti would not be so difficult?
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Mar 9, 2015 12:54
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demonR6 posted:With all the technology and money Disney has at their disposal you would think fixing the freaking Yeti would not be so difficult? Ive always gotten them impression that, of course they could fix it, but it would take a long time and mean the ride would have to be closed for like... several months to a year or w/e Thespis posted:Did you ever see the Jack Sparrow show at Hollywood Studios? I felt the same way you did leaving that literal waste of space. I liked it... oaky. The ride should have been half as long and just been them using the cool technology to have Capt Jack prance around. The tech was very very awesome and made it worth it. Well. It would have been worth it to be a walk on ride. Fluffy Bunnies posted:I loving love Indy and will stand in that loving 1 and a half hour line any day any time, I don't even care. I love that ride so much. The day they take that to Hollywood Studios will be an outstanding day (they will never take it because of Dinosaur. Ugh). It's one of the only "thrill"-y rides I can ride with any sort of a dip and not freak out and I can grab the front bar and just scream with glee when it does it and it's cool because there's the loud rear end fanfare and Indy is so goddamn good. The whole experience from start to finish is amazing. The queue is incredibly well themed. The ride is feast for all your sensations. Some of the effects, like the flashligh bugs on the walls, could use a bit of a refresher. But man, Indiana Jones is objectively the best ride in the park I happen to prefer Splash, but that's only because I am a sucker for big drops (and the inside drop in the dark on splash is just aces)
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Mar 9, 2015 13:40
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If it was more intense, I'd like it a lot better. And some fire some cool effects maybe the boulder. I thought there would be one because of the meteor that they mentioned in the pre ride video. I go to Disneyland once or twice a year but I can see how someone who's never went or only once would like it. I don't think they'd be able to start refurbs on Everest until Pandora opens and there's another thrill ride that can function as a headliner. Right now, only Everest does that so people would be really mad if they took it down for refurbs for a while vs repairing something. Matterhorn is down all the time at Disneyland but they have other cool rides to make up for it so it's not the end of world for people who don't love it as much I do. WDW Splash Mountain is nicer just for the double seater logs so you're not all squished up with other people or have way too much space like with traditional log flume rides. Today is my last full day  wrapping it up with a Narcoossee's reservation though! Time to order that ridiculously expensive surf n turf and put it all on the DDP.
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Mar 9, 2015 14:02
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BlueBayou posted:Ive always gotten them impression that, of course they could fix it, but it would take a long time and mean the ride would have to be closed for like... several months to a year or w/e I don't doubt it would take some time but they could close the ride down long enough to remove it for offsite repairs and not have the ride closed during the repairs or hell build another Yeti, one that works and swap out the broke rear end Yeti for the new one. It's Disney ffs they can afford this. They refurb rides all the time at the other parks and this should be no different. I do agree with the comment BBS made that they might hold off until the new area is built before taking down Everest for the repairs.
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Mar 9, 2015 14:20
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demonR6 posted:I don't doubt it would take some time but they could close the ride down long enough to remove it for offsite repairs and not have the ride closed during the repairs or hell build another Yeti, one that works and swap out the broke rear end Yeti for the new one. It's Disney ffs they can afford this. They refurb rides all the time at the other parks and this should be no different. I do agree with the comment BBS made that they might hold off until the new area is built before taking down Everest for the repairs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_Everest#Yeti They really have to take down the full ride for a while :[
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Mar 9, 2015 16:01
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Well poo poo, that puts it into perspective but it also merits the comment of why the hell would you build an attraction and install a complex mechanical device that is bound to break down at some point without a way to fix the damned thing if & when it does? I guess that is a lesson learned the hard way to think this through more thoroughly when you build attractions. They could not have foreseen the issue with the concrete foundation if that is what really is the issue as they say but ffs they are Imagineering.. think of every angle.
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Mar 9, 2015 16:08
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demonR6 posted:Well poo poo, that puts it into perspective but it also merits the comment of why the hell would you build an attraction and install a complex mechanical device that is bound to break down at some point without a way to fix the damned thing if & when it does? I guess that is a lesson learned the hard way to think this through more thoroughly when you build attractions. They could not have foreseen the issue with the concrete foundation if that is what really is the issue as they say but ffs they are Imagineering.. think of every angle. This is afaik but they did a poo poo ton of testing to that thing pre-ride opening and did think that it was okay to go. And then a few months into the ride, the sheer weight/movement of the thing just started tearing itself apart. They just underestimated daily wear and tear on it and figured repairs would be a hell of a lot smaller than basically tearing the whole thing out to fix it. They probably also figured there'd be that there'd be another ride with similar popularity that they could work off of for any small repairs and a refurb wouldn't be an issue. The thing is 12 years old and has never had a big refurb, right?
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Mar 9, 2015 16:33
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Yeah ok, I officially hate the Swoplhin. You can see them from the world showcase and it looks awful & ruins the magic That triangle is the ugliest thing ever
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Mar 10, 2015 17:06
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When do star wars weekends happen and how crazy would it be to plan a trip for this year?
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Mar 10, 2015 18:35
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SWW get pretty busy at the park but you should be able to find lodging though.
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Mar 10, 2015 21:36
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Bam. Got dinner reservations for Be Our Guest in mid-April. A little early in the day for dinner, but we're booked. Place gets rave reviews (especially for dinner), but I don't know much about it beyond it's theming. Looking forward to seeing what all the hooey is about.
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Mar 11, 2015 00:51
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BlueBayou posted:When do star wars weekends happen and how crazy would it be to plan a trip for this year? May 15 - June 14. You could probably find a room but if you're wanting dining reservations it might be a bit tricky. You'll have to do a lot of settling.
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Mar 11, 2015 05:29
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So this is kind of not the purpose of the thread, but is anyone in this thread in the Orlando IT sector? I'd like to get some info about the IT job market in Orlando.
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Mar 11, 2015 14:15
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Mykkel posted:So this is kind of not the purpose of the thread, but is anyone in this thread in the Orlando IT sector? I'd like to get some info about the IT job market in Orlando. I am. What kinda questions do you have?
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Mar 11, 2015 15:11
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mattfl posted:I am. What kinda questions do you have? Very cool. I'm not going to send you a PM as you don't have PMS. I'd like to relocate to Orlando. But I'm currently employed and residing in Michigan. I've probably sent out 50 resumes in the last month, and every time I get a reply it stops once the person finds out I'm not currently in Orlando. My main question is, is the job market such that an out of town resume is going to be routinely ignored? We could take this to email if you'd like. I'm samykkel at gmail.com Mykkel fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Mar 11, 2015 |
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Mar 11, 2015 15:20
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Mykkel posted:Very cool. I'm going to send you a PM . Don't have PMs but you can email me, mattfl @ gmail
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Mar 11, 2015 15:21
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Mykkel posted:Very cool. I'm not going to send you a PM as you don't have PMS. Better yet do IT at Disney! That's been a back of the head daydream now and then for me as I'm in networking.
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Mar 11, 2015 18:09
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You don't want to do that. Disney outsources their IT now and they are loving terrible.
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Mar 11, 2015 18:35
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Being in IT and a huge fan of Disney, I'd never want to do IT there. The job would be stressful and you'd pretty much always be on call. I can only imagine the hell that was the magic band, fp+, and MDE implementation was.
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Mar 11, 2015 19:36
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Lincoln posted:Bam. Got dinner reservations for Be Our Guest in mid-April. A little early in the day for dinner, but we're booked. Place gets rave reviews (especially for dinner), but I don't know much about it beyond it's theming. Looking forward to seeing what all the hooey is about. We had lunch there once, it was really good. Very good french cooking. I think a lot of the deal is that it's hard to get a resrvation; my girlfriend did the scheduling stuff for us and she was stoked to get it. I don't know how dinner compares to other places, but it was by far the best lunch, it seemed like a scam to get it for a quick service credit on the dining plan.
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Mar 12, 2015 08:18
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Tomato Soup posted:Yeah ok, I officially hate the Swoplhin. You can see them from the world showcase and it looks awful & ruins the magic Welcome to the club fellow hater. I don't even have a hatred for gauche buildings, I like art deco for instance, but I still think those two buildings are ugly monstrosities.
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Mar 12, 2015 08:32
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My wife and I got our trip for this fall booked through Braksgirl. We ended up going with Boardwalk Inn for maximum convenience. We mostly like to eat around Epcot and the Boardwalk area, so it should work out well. We're really excited! What? Now we have to WAIT? This is awful!
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Mar 12, 2015 14:32
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WhiteHowler posted:My wife and I got our trip for this fall booked through Braksgirl. We ended up going with Boardwalk Inn for maximum convenience. We mostly like to eat around Epcot and the Boardwalk area, so it should work out well. We're really excited! Yay! And the waiting is the worst. We're not there til November. I've had my own trip planned since July of last year. THIS IS EXCRUCIATING.
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Mar 12, 2015 14:52
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After finally going I get it. My wife was checking prices for later this year at the airport before we even left Orlando. We can't swing another trip this year, but probably next year if we stay budget conscious. What are the thoughts on renting DVC points? We could get a week in a studio at BLT for around 2500 bucks, which is much less than a room at Contemporary. We spend most of our time at MK anyway.
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Mar 12, 2015 15:38
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skipdogg posted:After finally going I get it. My wife was checking prices for later this year at the airport before we even left Orlando. We can't swing another trip this year, but probably next year if we stay budget conscious. I always waffle on renting points when I'm thinking about booking a trip and I always settle on not doing it for the following reasons (someone can correct me if my assumptions are wrong somewhere). 1) Timing - I always book my trips the minute Disney opens booking for the following year (for example the trip I'm taking in October of this year I booked in July or August 2014). Renting points I'm pretty sure can only be done at 11 months out (or possibly 7), which may work for some folks but doesn't work for me. Which brings me to point 2 2) Payment - I'm fairly sure if you're renting points you need to pay off the full amount up-front. I like to pay off a bit each month as I get paid. Yes I could save up some, and I do to make a larger up-front payment than pay off bits through the year but dropping the full amount up front doesn't work for me. 3) Cancellations - Going hand in hand with the first 2, if something were to happen I'd feel more comfortable getting my money back from Disney as opposed to trying to get it back from someone renting points (if that's even possible. That person may not be able to re-rent their points at a later time and just hold on to your money because otherwise they're out money). 4) You're not in control of your reservation - Like with a travel agent (Sorry Braksgirl, not trying to slam travel agents) you're not actually in control of your reservation. The person who you're renting the points from is. So any changes you need/want to do have to go through them, and you're relying on them to respond/act in a timely fashion. I'm kind of a control freak so I like to do/control all my reservations myself. I'm sure it works for other people, and everything goes well for them. I'm well aware I could probably be saving money, or staying at a better resort by renting (I'm staying at rear end in October) but the lack of control over the whole process would drive me up the wall worrying that something would go wrong that I just can't bring myself to do it.
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Mar 12, 2015 16:32
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I haven't checked in yet (one month away,  ) but I rented points at BLT for this trip. I went through a private seller I found on the dis forums and paid $12 a point. I had them agree to half up front and half 30 days out and paid through PayPal for double protection through them and my credit card issuer. I ended up getting a room that cost a little under what a moderate does and it's in a deluxe resort. I think that's a pretty drat good deal.
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Mar 12, 2015 17:02
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Awesome, post a trip report if you would. What kind of room did you get?
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Mar 12, 2015 19:05
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skipdogg posted:Awesome, post a trip report if you would. What kind of room did you get? Just a studio, Lake view. I'll post back with details for sure. It was an uncomfortable thought at first, trusting an Internet stranger, but same as any other business transaction, references and diligence provided reassurance.
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Mar 12, 2015 20:34
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So they announced frozen 2, Avatarland is set to open in 2017 and Disney's Hollywood Studios is changing its name. Again. The front runner rumor I've been hearing is Disney Hollywood Adventure which is um. Well.
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Mar 13, 2015 02:41
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Change it to MGM. Mickey's Grand....Magicland?
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Mar 13, 2015 02:57
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Cais posted:So they announced frozen 2, Avatarland is set to open in 2017 and Disney's Hollywood Studios is changing its name. Again. Does anyone even still care about avatar? It came out like 6 years ago and was only a huge hit because it was the best implementation of 3D people had seen yet, and was basically a reskinning of Fern Gully.
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Mar 13, 2015 10:00
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