ThemeParkCommando

Disneyland is joining in the Year of 10,000 Schemes, too.  I just found this:

http://robbreport.com/fine-dining/robb-report-exclusive-new-private-dining-experience-secret-disney-location

"Disneyland is known as the Magic Kingdom, but what that name elides is the source of the magic: storytelling and attention to detail. Those two principles, elevated to their highest level, animate a new fine-dining experience the park is making available to just a single party of 12 per night. Robb Report got an exclusive first look at the experience, called 21 Royal ($15,000, including tax, gratuity, valet, and park admission), earlier this month."

I'm actually happy they put these signs up,  since visitors come from all over and may not know the laws in Florida pertaining to minors being served alcohol.   In Texas, I'm allowed to order an alcoholic drink and give it to my child, if I choose.   And in my family group,  the kids from age 13 on up get an adult beverage of their choice when we go out to celebrate their birthday at a restaurant.     It's our way of allowing our kids to learn how to drink responsibly, and to taste different kinds of alcohol before their peers start pushing them to drink at parties.   It also helps demystify the experience, and allows you to teach your kids how to understand how wine goes with which foods.   I would have thought nothing of buying or sharing  a drink with my kid at a Disney restaurant, had they still been young.   And then I would have been kicked out of the park.

7 minutes ago, Beckers said:

Ironically if Disney quest was in my home town I would probably love it. But when I'm in Disney I don't want to spend my time at an arcade (I also feel this way about the water parks too). 

I used to feel this way, but I went to Disney Quest the first year it was open, and they did a great job in bringing the Disney magic with it.   You didn't just walk into the building, like an arcade.  You were funneled into a room ( elevator) and were greeted by the Genie,  with some awesome effects.   There were parts that felt 'arcade', but many parts, like the Animation Academy,  CyberSpaceMountain and the Astro Blasters.. that just sucked you right into the story.  Great Imagineering there.  

And if you like swimming,  Typhoon Lagoon will knock your socks off.(literally, the wave is awe inspiring!)  and also has a lot of theming to keep the Disney magic going.

I'd love to see a ride that I could customize on MDE before I got on.  That would be unique and entertaining. 

However, if I have to see / listen to a commercial while on a ride,  Disney's going to get some very emotional reactions.

12 hours ago, Roberta said:

I wondered about this as well. I have never seen a kennel at any ride. Even so, I would opt to take turns rather than using it.

I also wonder about having a service dog at that parks at all and what it would do to their paws to walk on asphalt all day long. In the summer, it seems like it would be downright animal cruelty. Even in cooler months, I would think the asphalt heats up from the sun and can't be good for them to walk on. And so many children at Disney that would want to pet the service dog. For a person with PTSD or anxiety issues, this could be a nightmare. The last thing those people want is other people noticing and approaching them. 

As much as the parks would be some of the top places certain kind of services from dogs are needed, I see so many issues with having them there. 

Does anyone here have a service dog? Take them to the parks? Any insight on the things I've mentioned? 

 

As a dog trainer, I go to many dog events and public, dog friendly events here in the scorching Texas summer.  Most people who have service dogs and performance dogs are very aware of the impact of hot asphalt on their dogs feet.   They generally take paths where they will be in the shade, or the dog has a grassy area to walk in.   If the dog has to hit the hot pavement, the owner will generally go quickly to the next patch of shade, and will otherwise be considerate of their dog's needs.

There are also options such as "Musher's Secret"  paw wax, which actually does help on hot pavement as well.  There are adhesive "paw saver's"  that you can train your dog to wear, or even dog boots if needed.

Now, I will admit, I have met some disabled owners who treat their dogs as nothing more than a tool.   It upsets me when I see people like this.  They do not form a bond with the dog at all,  they don't care about what the dog has to go through to serve them, and they don't take precautions for hot pavement or other dangers.  It's sad. I generally get the feeling that these people are mad they need to rely on anything or anyone for aid,  and are taking it out on the world.   These are the dogs that show up for re-training, because their handlers fail to reinforce them or encourage correct behavior.

For folks that have issues with PTSD and other social anxieties,  I would guess they have to come to terms with whether to take a dog to the parks or not.   There is not a good way to stop kids from wanting to say hi to the dog,  and even adults will approach.   Dogs are a great icebreaker, and human nature just doesn't allow much wiggle room for not acknowledging a great dog.   For those folks, I'd say enjoy the park without the dog may be the better option.

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Not sure why our trainer starts everyone at Home Depot, maybe because the lack of dog treats. But will be moving up to Petsmart this coming Wednesday. 
 

I also start people at Lowe's or Home Depot.   They are dog friendly ( in most places), have a decent amount of space in the aisles,  lot's of different, distracting scents and sounds to work with,  and friendly people to greet but fewer chances of running into an unruly dog, such as you would find at a pet store.   Also, as you say,  no treats at snout level.    A good place to practice! 

My second favorite place to practice is around dog parks,  where the trainee can see other dogs, but has to learn that they cannot interact with the other dogs until given permission.  Helps a lot with dogs that have leash aggression or other dog related issues. 

I agree with your trainers methods,  I've trained long enough to have started with the old choke chain methods, moved to the playtraining methods and then to the positive reinforcement only.   Of all the methods I've trained in,  the positive reinforcement methods have been the most successful.

I'm really happy with the way this story is turning out, and I think it's great that this dog has a lovely new home with a good job to keep her occupied.   ETA:  -  your first training session looks super!   I am really enjoying reading all of this, and I hope my comment below won't stop you from sharing.   I promise I'm just trying to be helpful to the community at large, when thinking about bringing dogs to the fort.

However, I do want to comment on the issue of separation anxiety in this dog.

The reason the dog acted out at the Fort,  was not because she thought she was alpha of her family  No 8 month old puppy challenges for alpha spot in a pack.   The reason this pup ate the camper, was because she was 8 months old, in a new place with new sounds and smells, and her family had all left.  To a dog, this means abandonment.   She ate the trailer because she wanted out, and wanted to be with her family in this scary new place.   This could happen to anyone traveling with a puppy when camping out.   Until the puppy has some experience of camping and moving around from place to place,  it's very nerve wracking for them.

She also could be in the middle of one of the 'fear stages' of growing up.    Please ask your trainer about fear stages.  In GSD's, they are significant.   If you are not being encouraged to take your dog out into public places to practice your training around other humans and animals, please start doing this, under your trainer's direction.

If you are wondering about my credentials, I have been training dog classes for basic obedience, manners and obedience competition since 1984.   I'm a certified Canine Good Citizen and Star Puppy evaluator, as well.

2 hours ago, Travisma said:

Disney is late to the game.

Since summer, every line at Busch Gardens has a walk thru metal detector.  Haven't made it to SeaWorld lately, but I imagine they are the same as Busch

Legoland wands everyone, and so does the Orlando Eye.

If a site is going to have you go thru a detector, they should give you notice so you can have your pockets empty and ready to go thru.  This would save a lot of time. They need to have the little baskets set up before the scanners so you have time to get ready.

When we fly, all of my metal except my belt is already in my scanned carry-on, so I don't have anything in my pockets to take out.

 

SeaWorld San Antonio had the metal detectors at the opening weekend last year,  but the next week they were gone,  and they did not return all season.  They just do a bag check at what used to be the main gate and have put in pass check gates at a new main entrance Sea World, and the main entrance to Aquatica.  At our Sea World, you can currently visit Discovery Point area for free  ( Dolphins and Aquarium area)  if you take the bus and bypass the parking fee.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas has had full metal detector screening since the year after 9/11.

On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 7:44 PM, Travisma said:

We did a Seaworld all day dining a couple of years ago for 1/2 as a passholder special.  It cost us about $17, and the only restriction was you could only do 1 entree, side, dessert and drink per meal, but there were no limits on how many times you could go thru the line or how many places you could eat at for the day.

My home park, Seaword San Antonio,  offered Season Pass Dining this year.   For $99 each, hubby and I get 1 Lunch and 1 Dinner each day we visit.  We live 7 miles from the park. We go 3 times a week in season to swim / walk.  We used this plan as part of our food budget for the year.  We'd go there just to eat!  Our pass is good until March of 2017, and so is the dining plan.  I really hope they offer it again when I renew our passes.  I've saved SO much money using that thing. 

You'd think AP holders at Disney could use a deal like that, too.  

ok, last 2 pics. 

The full front of the tree, with Monorail and Contemporary.  Spaceship Earth is there too, but hidden behind presents.   Zoom in to see the ornaments better if you want.

And a close up of the BatB ornament:

Sorry, double post.

Here's the Firefly ship;

And here's Inara's Shuttle:

Here are a few of my ornaments.   The UP house, Hank and Mary Poppins are new this year.  (Mary is in the lower left of the third photo)

The Star Destroyer with the Tantiv IV is newly relevant, although it's a very old ornament.  My tree looks like  a mashup of NASA, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Sernity space wars,  interspersed with animated characters.   I'll post a full tree picture once we have the topper on.   There's a current discussion underway as to whether we will unbox the Death Star topper,  or just put up our usual Tink topper.

ETA:  Death Star Tree Topper won out!  It's kind of awesome.   I'm linking a video.

Death Star Tree Topper - Imperial March

You're going to have to expound on ' the beginnings of rebel's embracing the Force."  I didn't see that, but may be because I'm missing something.   Remember,  just before this movie, in "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith", Palpatine enacted order 66,  which was a call to kill all Jedi.  Anakin went in and killed all the younglings at the temple on Coruscant.  The Jedi order had been around for thousands of years by the time of this movie.  I don't think it had been long enough for people to forget the Jedi and the Force.

Absolutely no complaints about the action. 

I didn't mind everyone dying, just because to me, it emphasized just how hard that mission was, and demonstrates the concept of courage in the face of unbeatable odds.  We need more of that these days.   The necessary sacrifice.    Also, there was no where for these characters to go, in the context of the canon timeline.   We know who is in Episode IV 'A New Hope', and it would look strange if the heroes from this mission were missing, if they hadn't died.

The red squadron survived mostly, and now we know how Luke got the designation of Red 5.

I really enjoyed the movie.   My favorite characters were K-2SO, and the blind, non-jedi force user.   They had the best lines!    I have to admit, when Jen was scaling the library tower, and reached the top where there was the shaft with the opening / closing aperture... I was immediately taken out of the movie to Galaxy Quest.  " WHY does this thing EXIST?".. lol.. I giggled.  My husband knew exactly why I was giggling.

Also,  I didn't believe they would put a data reading station under the sat-dish, in the elements like that.   and WHY did the alignment station have to be out on a catwalk?  Really?

But, the effects were great.  The ships were beautiful, and the destruction of the 2 star destroyers was more graceful than any ballet I have ever seen.

I really enjoyed seeing all the old characters,  CGI or not.  I also enjoyed the homage to some of the more popular dialogue in the original movie.

What did y'all think?

I think 3D was worth it.  I really enjoyed the movie.  In my rankings of all Star Wars movies,  this is my 4th favorite now.  " A New Hope", " Return of the Jedi", " The Force Awakens"  and the "Rogue 1"  is how I list the first 4.

The theater I went to had a contingent of the 501st  in the lobby,  interacting with the customers.   I danced with an Imperial Pilot,  talked to BB8  and I got a lot of fist bumps and compliments on my "Emperor Mickey" t-shirt.   After the movie, there was a fully mobile, life sized R2-D2 in the lobby.   I had a nice conversation with him and showed him my R2-D2 purse.

Hubby and I are going to see it tonight.  3D version for us.   My grown son and his friends are going to see the 2D version, same theater but an earlier viewing.   We will be comparing notes after.

How big does the poop bag for a miniature horse have to be? 

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It relies way too much on the elves Prep and Landing, who I guess are from a Disney Channel TV show from several years ago.  None of us are really familiar with the show, and we didn't understand why Disney chose to showcase them in this show.  Other than the fact that they're elves, of course.

I need you to go out and watch Disney's Prep and Landing.   Seriously, it is the best new Christmas animated story I have seen in YEARS.   It ranks right up there with Rudolph and " How the Grinch Stole Christmas"  (the animated classic).     It comes out every year, now,  (this year, ABC - Thursday Dec 15th at 8:00 pm EST).  It's funny, cute, a great story and has the coolest reindeer in existence....

However,  looking at the air date again,  you'll need to record it,  since that night is the night of the Rogue One premier. 

This event happened last night.  I wish I could have seen it live, but WOW is it cool!

SE transforms into the Death Star

I saw it 2 days ago.  I didn't know anything about the character going in,  but I really enjoyed the movie.  My DH is a big comics fan, and he loves the more 'underdog' kind of characters, so he really enjoyed it as well.

Of course, we don't ask anything of our movies except that they keep us entertained.  Neither one of us looked at our watches during the movie, so that makes it a hit for us.

Also, one of our favorite reviewers ( Chris Stuckman on YouTube) recommended the 3d version, and I think he was correct.  This movie actually works well in 3D.

5 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Welcome.  That's a great first post!

I think a way for the property owner to get around the eviction laws is to issue a Trespass Warning to the guests and call the Sheriff to escort them off the property.  Disney did that to an annoying guest at one of the All Stars last year in a pretty well publicized case.  They had to go and did immediately.

TCD

This is true, but of course Disney won't do this for every extending guest, especially if they are not disturbing the peace or doing other illegal things. 

I know when it happened at our hotels, during busy times, we would try to make life uncomfortable for the guest that was staying, and if possible,  the guest that was supposed to get that room would be upgraded to a suite or other upsell room type, no extra charge.    It actually happened once to me,  as a hotel employee.  I ended up in a 2 room suite in Las Vegas for $45 a night.  That was a great trip!

There are a number of people who know these laws, and use them to their advantage.  We saw the most problem during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, or Superbowl weekend,  where guests would book the night before the special event started,  then refuse to leave.  They'd complain to high heaven when we upped their rates, but they'd not leave.   We were left scrambling to find a room for the incoming guests that would get bumped. 

OH, and it happened in San Antonio when the Pope was coming to town.  We actually had to bump people all the way to Corpus Christi ( a 3 hour drive) and those guests actually took the rooms without much complaining, because there was nothing closer.   Amazing, the amount of people that flooded San Antonio for the Pope.

Hi Fiends!  This is my first post.   I've been lurking here for about a year, and always thought I should join, but since I don't camp, I don't usually have a lot to offer.  ( I do visit the Fort every trip, though.. ever since Minnie Moo was there)

Now, I have a bit of information concerning Florida rental laws as they pertain to hotels,  and I think campsites might fall into the same boat, since they are rented out as occupied spaces on a daily basis.  

Basically, once a guest has paid for and taken occupancy in a hotel room,  that room is theirs under standard rental laws.   As long as they continue to pay the going rate,  they may stay for as long as they desire.  Now,  a hotel has the ability to charge MORE for unexpected stays, if they wish, but no more than the maximum daily rate that is posted to the state of Florida.   This is to prevent hoteliers from gouging during peak times,  or during a hurricane crisis.    New rates have to be posted every year.  I would bet that if you check the Fort's check in station,  there is a small posted 'Maximum daily rate' form, somewhere.  

I used to fill out those forms for my hotel chain, and Florida had laws about how high a rate you could legally charge, too. ( if I remember, it was no more than 3 times the standard daily rate for the season.)  Yes, you can change the standard rate by season,  and generally, we posted the 'standard' rate as the highest rate we would charge for the season.  Then, guests would see the 'standard' rate in the room, and think they were getting a great deal. 

So,  if a guest refuses to leave,  you can increase their rate to the legal maximum.   As long as they pay it, there is nothing the hotel can do to make them leave.   If they choose not to pay the rate,  or try to pay the same rate they booked at,  you can start eviction proceedings.   But, as you know,  evictions require about a month to even get to court.