The Disney Frontier Blog

EPCOT Central has a great post reflecting on the issues that surround EPCOT, its themes, and its direction especially as it relates to EPCOT Central’s coverage. Read it here:

EPCOT Central: Every Post Critical Or Trenchant?

What I really appreciate about this post is who EPCOT Central places the blame on for what they perceive as mistakes – the upper management. The core ideal around EPCOT was that it would be constantly evolving – you could say that is a core ideal for all the parks and I would agree with you. EPCOT was to be a playground of change around a single theme, Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

But as management’s job is to make money – and not just revenue, but profit – they have gotten scared to take risks. It’s far easier to slap a Nemo themed ride into EPCOT then it is to think about what might make up the community of tomorrow. Nemo has had success. People will pay to see Nemo. Blah, Blah, Blah.

I have no issue with making money. However, as with all business, taking risks is critical to moving forward and avoiding stagnating and complacency. 

I don’t want my blog to be a blog that criticizes Disney. There are plenty of other blogs that do that well. I appreciate them and when appropriate, want to highlight them. 

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I have a friend, Robert, that I have worked along side with at Twelve Horses for a few years. We’ve become pretty close friends despite our differing interests. He has never understood my fascination with all things Disney and I have very little no interest in taking vacations to remote and jungle like destinations.

He’s dumbfounded when I share my latest trip report. He just doesn’t see the appeal of gathering with all of man kind for a few days experiencing make-believe and riding roller coasters. Robert doesn’t have kids yet, which may have something to do with this – although I was indoctrinated well before I had kids.

On the flip side, it’s not that I don’t like the outdoors. Growing up, my parents took me camping almost every weekend. I’ve spent time backpacking, rock climbing, Jeeping and moutain biking. However, like most of my readers here, when I think of vacation spots, I think of Disney resorts. Having two little ones and a wife who is into the Disney culture as much as me, makes this a no brainer.

OK, now I can get to the point of this post. Robert recently moved from Reno, NV to Tampa Bay, FL. Tampa is about 2 hours from the Magic Kingdom, so I immediately started to pressure him to make a trip to the parks. I also recently moved from Reno, NV to Phoenix, AZ. Robert also began to pressure me to hike in the Sonoran Desert. We made an agreement that if one of us buckled to the peer pressure, the other would likewise.

So I invite you to read Robert’s trip report to Epcot. He’s only visited one of the parks so far, but it sounds like he’s open to trying the others. I think he was pleasantly surprised by the experience and he picked a good park to start with. I’ve shared that he should probably try Animal Kingdom next and avoid doing the Magic Kingdom until last. The is the walk before you run plan.

And once I get to the desert, which will be soon – before it gets too hot, I will write about it here.

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My four year old daughter is going to be crushed. She loves to sit in the front row.
No kids allowed on Disneyland’s Splash Mountain?

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I just found out that there are power poles in the Orlando area shaped like Mickey heads. I did a quick google search and came up with this.

Via Burnsland

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