Is brought to you in part by the good people at BarCodes

    

 

Orlando's Come Out With Pride Parade and Festival attracted over 40 thousand participants and onlookers to Lake Eola Park on Sunday, October 11.

 

WANZeGRAM staffer Jeff Kern captured the entire pa
 

rade, picture for picture, parade unit by parade unit. You can see the entire line up of parade participants one photo at a time in Jeff's slide show by simply clicking on the following link: Click here to view Pride Parade Photos by Jeff Kern

 

Thank you, Jeff!

 

Here's a few other moments snapped by WANZeGRAM staff photographers Jack &/or Margo Dixon:

 

 

 

 

"I open in a new production this very evening, Friday, October 16th! It is called IRMA VEPP, by outrageous gay playwright Charles Ludlum. This hysterical show runs Fridays and Saturdays through Halloween night at 8:30 PM at Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Theaters. There is also an October 25th matinee. Josh Eads-Brown and I  (Doug Ba'aser) star and Chris Robison directed. It's only $17 for this stellar talent: Reserve now:" - 407-363-1985

 

POPculture! Theatricals (Fiely Matias & Dennis Giacino)
announce auditions for "DISENCHANTED: Bitches of the Kingdom!" -- a modern-day musical-comedy revue that lampoons fairy tale and theme park princesses. Twenty brand-spanking-new comedy songs!
 
Fiely Matias, director; Dennis Giacino, music director, music, and lyrics. Casting for concept CD recordings and future showcase to take place this autumn/winter in NYC.
 
Seeking -- Nonunion FEMALE SINGERS/COMEDIC ACTRESSES to play multiple roles. A brassy Snow White, quirky insane Belle, disgruntled Pocahontas, sassy Ariel, tomboyish Mulan, - 13 hilariously re-invisioned princesses in all. All ranges, types, shapes, sizes, ethnicities strongly encouraged.
 
Nonunion MALE SINGER/COMEDIC ACTOR to play a stocky, swishy Peter Pan.
 
All performers must have strong singing and comedic talents and must be able to steal the show!
 
SNOW WHITE: The leader, brassy, Bette Midler/Mary Testa type.
 
CINDERELLA: The follower parrots everything Snow White says/does. Quieter, shy, but has a definite sex appeal.
 
SLEEPING BEAUTY: Scattered, okay...a bit on the mousy side. Very Kristin Chenoweth, squeaky speaking voice, big singing voice.
 
BELLE: Quirky, wired, insane!
 
ARIEL, THE LITTLE MERMAID: Unhappy with the choices she has made..."Two legs...too many. I can't believe I swapped the Seven Seas for a prince and a pair of these!"
 
MULAN: Constantly wavering between her very feminine and overtly masculine sides. Think Asian Ellen DeGeneres in a dress.
 
POCAHONTAS: Glam, busty -- a real Hollywood star! Va-va-va-voom!
 
JASMINE: Bold, brash, sexy, good improvisation skills. Pissed off she's a 'Secondary Princess' in her movie.
 
ESMERALDA: See Jasmine. :)
 
TINKER BELL: See Esmeralda. :)
 
TIANA: Sweet, unassuming -- at least until she sings about being the first African-American princess! Big belt vocals with attitude.
 
JANE PORTER: The librarian type with a sexual secret (she's into guys who don't bathe and swing from trees), and a partner in crime (Belle - also into guys who don't bathe and are extremely hairy).
 
PETER PAN: Loud, campy, great comic timing and quick wit. Big vocals with a fun personality. Nathan Lane in a green outfit two sizes too small.
 
3-4 week rehearsal period, October - November 2009.
 
Respond via Facebook (Fiely Matias) to make appointment. Prepare 16 bars up-tempo, contemporary, pop, or anything Disney sounding. Accompanist provided. Bring photo/resume'. Small stipend paid for workshop period, performance, recordings.

 

 AUDITIONS
 
Monday, October 26
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
(By Appointment Only)
 
Ripley-Grier Studios
520 8th Avenue
16th Floor
New York City, NY

 

 

Music pairs perfectly with tasty cuisine during Epcot's ongoing International Food & Wine Festival. Disney presents a line-up of musical acts performing everything from classic rock to soul, R&B, oldies, jazz, and funk. Concerts are performed 3 times each festival evening at America Gardens Theatre located on the lagoon just opposite the American Adventure attraction in the World Showcase section of the park.


TONIGHT - Friday, October 16:
Spyro Gyra
 
October 17 & 18:
Jon Secada

October 19 & 20:
Sister Sledge
 
October 21 & 22:
Vanessa Carlton
 
October 23 - October 25:
Taylor Dayne
 
October 26 - October 28:
Boyz II Men
 
October 29 - October 31:
John Waite
 
November 1 & 2:
Taylor Hicks
 
November 3 - November 5:
Billy Ocean

November 6 - November 8:
Los Lobos

 

EAT TO THE BEAT CONCERTS
 
5:15 PM, 6:30 PM & 7:45 PM
 
America Gardens Theater
EPCOT/Word Showcase
 
FREE with regular theme park admission
 
 
And Here's What You Could be Eating:

 

There are three all-new Kiosks being introduced at this year's Food & Wine Festival at Epcot:
 
Bangkok, Thailand
Located near the African Outpost
Serving Chicken and Coconut Soup with Mushrooms, Lemongrass, & Ginger; Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp; Beverage Selection: Singha Beer.
 
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Located at Showcase Plaza 
Serving Shrimp Stew with Coconut; LimeGrilled Pork Skewer with Farofa;Beverage Selection: Leblon Frozen Caipirinha
 
Desserts & Champagne Kiosk
Located at Showcase Plaza
ServingAustrian Gugelhupf (Austrian Bundt Cake);Strawberry Shortcake; Frozen Grand Marnier Parfait; Orange CoulisChampagne;Beverage Selection: Moët & Chandon Wines: Impérial, Rosé Impérial, Nectar Impérial, Nectar Impérial Rosé
 
Just in the mood for cheese? Check out the fine selection at The Mouse Catch, also located at Showcase Plaza, where they are offering -
· Dorothea - Dutch Cheese
· Piave - Italian Cheese
· Mahon - Spanish Cheese
· Beverage Selection: Heineken Beer, Martini & Rossi Prosecco, Marques de Caceres Rioja
 
Encircling the World Showcase lagoon are more than 20 additional kiosks where among the multiple offerings at each you can sample (purchase) tapes-size servings of Spinach and Cheese pastry from Greece; Red Snapper Escabeche from Spain;
Cannelloni & Pizza from Italy, Beef Empanada with Tomato Salsa from Argentina; Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Puree & Mango Barbecue Sauce from South Africa; Lobster & Scallop Fisherman's Pie from Ireland;Kielbasa and Potato Pierogie with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream from Poland; Falafel Pita Pockets & Baklava from Morocco; Grilled Lamb Chop with Red Wine Sauce and Murray River Sea Salt from Australia; Quesadilla con Chorizo from Mexico; Maple Glazed Salmon with Lentil Salad from Canada;Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce from Germany; Rava Masala Dosa, Sambal (Potato and Onion filled Pastry, Sambal) from India; Crawfish Étouffée (Spicy Cajun Crawfish and Vegetable Stew with White Rice), Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, and Praline Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce from New Orleans; Escargot Persillade en Brioche, and Cabernet Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes from France;Arroz con Pollo from Puerto Rico; Rock Shrimp Ceviche from Chili;Caramel Ginger Ice Cream from China; Sukiyaki Beef Roll and Sushi from Japan; Goulash mit Servietten Knoedel (Paprika Beef Stew, Bacon Dumpling) from Austria; Seared Sea Scallop with Vegetable Slaw in Lemon Oil and also Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney from New Zealand.

 

Of course all the above are paired with wines (available for purchase) from the various regions which the foods represent.

 

Nationally, Warm Pretzel Bread Sticks with Cheese Dip and a huge selection of beers from around the world are being served at The Brewers Collection located between the France and Morocco Pavilions, while nearby is the Hops & Barley kiosk serving up Boston-style Crab Cake with Cabbage Slaw and Remoulade, New England Lobster Roll, and everything Sam Adams: Samuel Adams Boston Ale (draft), Samuel Adams Boston Lager (draft), Samuel Adams Oktoberfest (draft), Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (draft), 14th Anniversary Festival Beer (draft), Samuel Adams Light, Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Samuel Adams Pale Ale, Samuel Adams Honey Porter, and Samuel Adams Black Lager.

 

Finally, located near The Rose Walk adjacent to The Imagination Walkway is an Edy's Ice Cream offering dubbed Flavorhood. Here you may test your "flavorology" and learn your ice cream personality, among other fun activities.

 

The International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot
Daily through November 8, 2009
All featured foods and beverages must be purchased individually
Most food items are priced between $2.50 & $4.50
A very few exotic items and seafood specialties cost $7 - $8
Regular theme park admission is required to attend the Festival
A recently-increased parking fee of $14 must be paid in order to access the park unless you are an annual pass holder, an employee, or arrive on a bus or in a taxi.
 
*PARKING NOW $14.00!
At
Epcot/Animal Kingdom/Disney Hollywood Studios and The Magic Kingdom - where the young at heart and fat of wallet can laugh and learn and play together

 

*Wanzie Suggests you hand the Disney Toll Plaza attendant a lesser amount of money, then act completely startled when you are asked for more.
 
Hold up the line while you
fumble around to find the extra two dollars you weren't planning on spending for the privilege of being able to park at a place where you are about to drop a small fortune.
 
In fact - why not pay in coins?
 
Pay In Pennies!
 
Go to the bank and get rolls and rolls of pennies. Dump $14 worth into a zip lock bag, UNROLLED, and hoist it out your window at the toll plaza to pay this absurdly insulting parking fee.
 
Complain at Guest Services.
(But be nice about it. Matthew Arter didn't raise the price.)
 
Write a Letter.
 
Bitch to the board of directors.
 
Are you a Disney shareholder? File a complaint. Say you agree with shareholder Roy Disney, Jr. that the first impression of a $14 parking fee is no way to "kiss" the public hello and welcome them to your park. Tell the board you feel the parking fee alone is enough to keep locals from making casual visits to the parks, and that the sting of a 2-digit parking fee, in and of itself, starts the day off negatively rather than positively for every visitor, and that this tone-setting overcharge will ultimately influence how the guest views every remaining portion of his or her visit.
 
A $14 parking fee is like saying to the guest, "We're glad you're here. Let's start the day off right and set the tone for your entire visit by gouging you before you even set foot out of your car."
 
I can hear it now -
 
"Welcome to Walt Disney World. That'll be $14...No, you heard me right...$14.  No, that does not include a car wash and detailing.  No, you're not buying a piece of the parking lot, just paying to park your car.  No, we don't accept old E tickets.  No, you can't park on the side of the road and walk in.  No, we don't validate at our restaurants.  No, we do not discount for blind drivers.  No, the parking lot is not paved with Gold.  No, we do not have an AARP discount.  No, this should not be taken as an indication of how much we are going to over charge you for other necessities inside the park.  No, we do not have pay toilets inside the attraction; it's free to relieve yourself, but not before you pay $14 to park.  No, I'm sorry Mr. Miller, it makes no difference how small your Smart Car is, you still have to pay the full $14.  No, I'm afraid company policy does not allow us to haggle with you, it's $14.  Hold, please, while I count your pennies."
 
If time allows, park at Downtown Disney or at any Disney Resort hotel, for free, and ride a complimentary bus or Monorail into the park of your choice. (Just tell them at the hotel security checkpoint that you are meeting friends for breakfast.)
 
Or - Why not arrive at the Park Toll Plaza at peak time with cars backed up behind you and just claim not to have $14 and see what happens.
 
It's price gouging like this which inspires certain individuals, who shall remain nameless, to sneak their own liquor into the parks. (Remember; any bottled-water bottle can just as easily hold Vodka, and Captain Morgan spiced rum is virtually indistinguishable from Lipton's iced tea. But you didn't read that here.)
 

 

Be sure to read WANZIE's related rant onDisney pricing as well as enjoy a nostalgic backward glance at the Walt Disney World of a bygone era in the A NOTE FROM WANZIE section at the bottom of this Gram. 

 

After 23 years as an Actors' Equity Association theatre bringing the finest professional theatre to audiences in Central Florida, Orlando Theatre Project has made the difficult decision to close the curtain and suspend operations. OTP's 2009-2010 season - what would have been its 24th - will not be presented as announced.

 

While OTP's recent "Cash & Cabaret" fundraiser was a rousing success, that success has not been matched in the grants writing and corporate sponsor arenas. Several alternate season scenarios were discussed and budgets were re-worked, but it was determined that the only way OTP could mount their 2009-2010 season without corporate or foundation support was to obtain a substantial loan or line of credit. Already carrying some debt, and with limited resources for more aggressive fundraising, the company felt it would not be prudent to take on an additional financial obligation. With the agreement of its Advisory Board and Resident Artists, Orlando Theatre Project decided, instead, to suspend operations.

 

OTP intends to follow through with planned participation in Playfest 2010, and hopes to mount a farewell production in January.          

 

If you would like to help Orlando Theatre Project present its final show and close out its final season, please visit www.otp.org or donate directly to OTP's PayPal page at

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5383923

 

Jeff invites you to play BINGO For A Cause
 
Miss OBTA Charity Bingo at BarCodes
 
Hosted By
Wilma Dikfit-Moore and Tequila Mockingbird
 
Performance by current Miss OBTA Queen
MeMe Morgan
 
Sunday, October 18, 2009
 
BarCodes
4453 Edgewater Drive
Orlando, FL   32804
  
First Game
4:15 PM
 
$1 Bingo games for charity
Drink specials
Bar-B-Q for charity by donation
 
Proceeds to benefit the Genesis Community Program

 

 

Submit YOUR Short Take directly to WANZIE at michael@wanzie.com.Be sure to type "Short Take" in the subject line. Short Takes submissions must be received no later than midnight on each Tuesday, for inclusion in the following Friday GRAM.  A strict limit of 30 words maximum is imposed. You must provide your first and last name, which will be printed following your submission. Your name will not figure into your word count. All postings will be at the sole discretion of the management team at the lovely WANZIE.com World Headquarters, with offices inconveniently located in Melbourne, and Lake Mary, Florida.

 

by Rich Charron

 

Last week, I shared the third part of our Mediterranean Atlantis cruise, including the visits to Santorini, Greece and Naples, Italy.  It's been 9 glorious days floating about on the Century Solstice.  Our tenth and final day on the ship found us back where we started, Civitavecchia, just outside Rome.

 

As with any other cruise, our last day onboard started very early.  Of course on an Atlantis cruise, the days run into nights and the nights into days and who really knew what time it was anyhow.  Just trying to get 2800 gay men to pack up their luggage early and get it out into the hallway the night before was a massive undertaking. But we all managed and in the morning we just made our way upstairs for breakfast and awaited our call to exit the ship.  Everyone was moving much slower, anticipating the ride back to Rome and then traveling back home.  Those folks who were heading straight for the airport we're off the ship bright and early.  Most of the rest of the folks were heading back into Rome for later departures.  Most were to be herded onto tour buses, having to fuss with luggage and long lines.  We planned on taking an extra day in Rome to do some sightseeing and we were fortunate enough to be traveling with Mike and Eddie.  Well, Mike, anyway!

 

Mike had arranged for a private van and tour guide, who not only was going to shuttle us around the city for the day, hitting all of the major stops, and then drop us off at our hotel at the end of the day; but he met us in port, helped us load up our luggage and then we shot right past everyone waiting to get on one of the buses.  That in and of itself was well worth the money!  Thanks Mike!

 

There were seven of us in the van and we arrived in Rome mid-morning. Our tour guide, Eman, was a very kind and educated man who provided us with all sorts of historical details as we made our way from the coast to the city, about an hour drive.  It was Monday in Rome and the locals were going about their first day of the workweek.  As we were coming into the city, Eman was filling us with all sorts of significant facts about Mussolini's impact on the city's architecture, the ongoing preservation of the many ruins sites, politics, the Catholic Church and more!  He answered all of our questions and truly made our time in the city a most memorable one.  If you're making your way to Rome, get with Mike and find out how you can contact this guy's company.  It was top notch!

 

Driving around Rome during the day was a very surreal experience.  While the modern world is a live and well throughout the city, it is simply interlaced with ruins and historical structures, snug, right up alongside it.  After a stop at a cafe for some espresso and tea we made our way atop the Aventine Hill to the Villas of the Knights of Malta (Piazza Cavalieri).  Yeah, we never heard of that either.  But it turns out that there's this keyhole in a gate on the piazza designed by Piranesi in 1765, and when you peer into it you get this perfectly framed shot of St. Peter's dome off in the distance.  We tried taking pictures through the keyhole but it just wouldn't work.  You can get a look though on this website:

 
http://www.reidsguides.com/destinations/europe/italy/lazio/rome/sights/knights_malta.html. 

 

Who knew?

 

We were essentially shuttled around to each of the historically significant sites throughout Rome.  Well, certainly not all of them, but we did tremendous for one day.  Among the highlights: Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio, The Forum, Circus Maximus (the site of chariot races, where they also filmed parts of Ben Hur.  Who knew?), and Trevi Fountain (where you are to make a wish while tossing a coin over your right shoulder.  No, your OTHER right Eddie!), Saint Peter's Square, The Pantheon (site of Raphael's Tomb, who knew?), National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the Arch of Constantine, and of course, the Colosseum.  There's was so much to do in a day and there's not nearly enough space here to go into great detail.  Check out the images below for a whirlwind montage of our day.  Needless to say when we ended up back at our hotel around 5 PM we were fairly worn out.  But hungry.  Several of the other guys in our group from the ship had also stayed over in Rome and we met up with them for a final Italian dinner.  You simply must see the view below.  After dinner it was off to bed and an early flight out in the morning.  It was hard to believe that it was all coming to an end.  Sure, it's always good to get back home, but there were so many incredible sights and sounds from this trip that it seemed like nobody wanted the last night to end.

 

Anyway, we went ahead and booked the same cruise for next year.   It will be on the Celebrity Solstice's twin sister the Equinox.  These ships are amazing, the very best and biggest staterooms ever, great restaurants and other amenities!  BTW, the Solstice will be sailing an Atlantis event in the Caribbean next March.  Check it out here: http://www.atlantisevents.com/cruises_2010_solstice.aspx.  They haven't put the two back-to-back Med cruises on sale yet.  We booked onboard.  Alumni might have access to it online, but keep your eye on the Atlantis site here http://www.atlantisevents.com/.   Though the itinerary hasn't been officially finalized, we believe that there will be stops in Istanbul and Ibiza (possibly overnight, of course). 

 

If you can't do an Atlantis cruise, hook up with Wanzie for next summer's Cruise With Wanzie. 

 

For our lesbian friends, the same type of specialized travel can be found here http://www.olivia.com/. 

 

Also, Atlantis recently purchased RSVP and will continue that business as well http://www.rsvpvacations.com.  For our straight friends, well you are ALWAYS welcomed on board any of these cruises.  But you know the saying: EVERY cruise is a straight cruise!  Let me know if book any of these.  And happy cruising!

 

 
 

 

My Two Cents submissions must be received no later than midnight on each Monday for possible inclusion in the next Friday GRAM. A strict limit of 350 words will be imposed. Please submit your column directly to WANZIE at michael@wanzie.com and kindly type "My Two Cents" in the subject line.

 

TONIGHT - ALL HALLOWS 10 FOR FRINGE
10 plays-10 minutes each-$10! Two Shows Only. Tonight
Friday, October 16  - Hosted by Wayburn Sassy & Didi Panache. Also tomorrow night, Saturday, October 17 - Hosted by WANZIE and Pepe'.Costume Contest Nightly.
Top prize gets a 2010 Fringe Superpass. 50/50 Raffles / Silent Auction, Beer & Wine by Donation. Complimentary Appetizers

 

 

Lowndes Shakespeare Center
(Mandell Theatre/Patron's Room)
812 E. Rollins Street
Orlando, FL 32803
 
7 pm Reception / 8 pm Showtime
 
Advance Reservations:
Call the Fringe office at 407.648.0077 (MC/Visa)
PLEASE DO NOT CALL ORLANDO SHAKES!
 
Cash-only tickets at the door, if still available
Box office opens at 6 pm.
 
 

 

 

October 9-25, 2009
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 2PM
 
The Garden Theatre
160 W. Plant Street
Winter Garden, FL   34787
 
$18-$22
 
Reservations: 407-877-GRDN (4736) hit 0 for the Box Office
Note: Box office is closed on Mondays & Tuesdays

 

THEATER  -  CATS
One of the longest running Broadway shows ever. Winner of seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, CATS features 20 of Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless melodies, including the hit song, "Memory."

 

 

October 20 - 25, 2009
 
Tuesday, October 20 through Saturday, October 24 at 8 PM
Saturday, October 24 at 2 PM
Sunday, October 25 at 1 PM & 6:30 PM
 
 
Carr Performing Arts Centre
401 West Livingston Street
Orlando, FL 32801
$34 - $65
Box Office: 407.849.2000
http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/orlando

 

THEATER - THE SEAFARER
Theatre Downtown production of the tingling drama by Conor McPherson.  Everyone in this dark and enthralling Christmas fable of despair and redemption descends at some point to oceanic depths of drunkenness, including a sinister fellow who is not of this world.

 

 

October 16 - November 7
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 8:00 PM
Select Sundays at 2 PM
 
Theatre Downtown
2113 N. Orange Ave
Orlando, FL   32804
 
Tickets: $18.00/$15.00 for Seniors & Students
 
The 1st Thursday of the production all tickets are only $10.00
 
Reservations: 407-841-0083
 

 

 

TRAVEL - JOIN WANZIE/WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP
The departure date for the seven-night Eastern-Carribean Itinerary cruise sailing from the port of Ft. Lauderdale is April 24, 2010. Cruise with Wanzie and other WANZeGRAM subscribers aboard what is soon to be the largest cruise ship in the world - Royal Caribbean's OASIS OF THE SEAS. The time to book is right now. Only a $250 deposit is required at this time.
For complete information and lots of great pictures of the ship, visit the CRUISE WITH WANZIE page on the Wanzie.com website:    http://www.wanzie.com/cruise.html

 

 

A List of Coming and Ongoing Attractions, which are not featured elsewhere in your current WANZeGRAM

October 30   JEKYLL and HYDE - Greater Orlando Actors Theatre
November 7     HOLY CRAP - Footlight Theatre


ONGOING

 

Let me state at the start that I love Walt Disney World.

 

Well, I certainly love what Walt Disney World used to be. And it is my love for the company and its product that's got me so hopping mad.

 

I have been very impressed with Michael Eisner's successor, Bob Iger, who seems to be undoing a good deal of the mess and bad will Eisner created in his later years as CEO and head of the Disney Board of Directors.

 

But the fact that Disney's parking fee has just gone up to $14 under Igor's watch makes me feel I need to re-evaluate my trust in his vision.

 

When Disney World opened on October 1, 1971 the parking fee was 50 cents. That rate remained unchanged for more than a decade. When Michael Eisner came on board in 1984, his first order of business was to increase the parking fee by 100%.

 

When the Florida Magic Kingdom first opened its gates, an adult ticket book, which included 1-Day Admission to the park plus "7 Adventures" (A through E tickets) cost $4.75.

 

If you wanted to experience more than 7 adventures in a single visit, you could purchase individual attraction tickets from amusement park-style ticket booths scattered throughout the park.

 

Individual A-tickets (Cinderella's Golden Carousel/Main Street Vehicles) cost a dime. B-tickets (Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse/Frontierland Shooting Gallery) were 25 cents. C-tickets (All the dark rides in Fantasyland plus Dumbo the Flying Elephant and The Grand Prix Raceway) were priced at 50 cents. The 75-cent D-ticket got you onto The Skyway, The WDW Railroad, The Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat, and the very popular Flight To The Moon. Topping out at 90 cents were the likes of It's A Small World, The Jungle Cruise, The Haunted Mansion, 20,000 Leagues Under The sea, and the much-missed Mickey Mouse Revue, which all required the coveted E ticket.

 

Opening day FREE attractions included Circle Vision 360 - America The Beautiful, presented by Monsanto boasting "Better Living Through Chemistry," and The Diamond Horseshoe Revue, presented by Pepsi Cola-Frito Lay.

 

On opening day, a "Transportation Ticket" would set you back a buck fifty if, in fact, you were there just for the thrill of a ride on the Monorail. The unique Monorail system qualified as an attraction in and of itself, rather than just a mode of transportation. The cost of transportation was included in the $4.75 one-day admission plus 7 adventures ticket book. (A portion of that transportation fee was paid to the Walt Disney family who, at that time, still owned the rights to the WDW railroad.)

 

NOSTALGIC ATTRACTION DIGRESSION:

Absent from the park on opening day were The Carousel of Progress, Pirates of the Carribean, The Wedway People Mover, Space Mountain, If You Had Wings, Swan Boats, Star Jets, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Splash Mountain, all of which were introduced into the park's line up, one at a time, over the next decade. Mickey's Toontown Fair had not even been thought of at the time.

 

Flight to The Moon became Mission to Mars, which became Alien Encounter, which is now Stitch's [not so] Great Escape. The enormously popular 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was pulled from the park for being too expensive to maintain, and for the longest time was replaced by nothing. Now it's a playground. Winnie The Pooh replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The beloved Mickey Mouse Revue was sent to Japan. For a while the Mouse Theater was home to the 3-D movie Magic Journeys after Captain EO displaced that film from Epcot. The theatre went on to house The Lion King puppet show, and is now home to the fabulous Mickey's Philharmagic multi-sensory 3-D film attraction. The Swan Boats came and went rather quickly. The Tiki Room went under "new management," and Aladdin's Flying Carpets landed just outside the once Tropical Serenade. The Skyway was ripped out for being too expensive to maintain and operate since it rains a lot in Florida, and the attraction experienced a lot of "down time" during which they still had to the pay the cast members who were not exactly operating the ride during the frequent thundershowers. The Skyway was replaced by nothing. The Carousel of Progress is now a "seasonal attraction."  They don't pay to operate it unless the park is at a hefty capacity. The quaint and charming and theme-appropriate Penny Arcade - once a Main Street USA staple - has been replaced by more merchandise shops and a more profitable, albeit completely and unforgivably out-of- theme, present-day video games arcade. (Video games in turn of the century middle America - "If Walt were alive, he'd die".)  The very lovely but non-income-producing Center Street with its "Picture-Spot" perfect flower carts and visual charm has been turned into yet another gift shop. If You Had Wings, sponsored by "Eastern: The Wings of Man" which was, at the time, "The Official Airline of Walt Disney World," later became Delta Dream Flight, which is now a ride-through shooting gallery attraction hosted by Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story fame.Thedelightful America The Beautiful was the first of three such 360-degree movies to be presented in the Circle-Vision Theater. Magic Carpet Round The World played there for a number of years, then American Journey. Now the pavilion does not host a 360 film at all, but rather a real-time interactive animation attraction based on Monsters Inc. Gone are the Magic Shop, the Antique Shop, and all those fabulous cast members who used to be stationed at sewing machines - virtually everywhere hats were sold - sitting at the ready to personalize any hat or set of mouse ears you might have purchased, by emblazoning your name on the item in gold thread, with lightening speed; this was an easy to locate, happily provided, complimentary guest-pleasing service. Not so much anymore.

 

For years the menu board prices of all of Disney's fast food and beverages were posted in round numbers and as being "tax-inclusive" so that all orders rang up in fairly even increments and the making of change was kept swift and easy to figure, and the price you read on the menu board was exactly the price you paid. Not anymore.

 

Ice Cream Cones at the Carnation Ice-Cream-sponsored shop were 25 cents on opening day; so were sour pickles from a barrel at the Main Street Market.

 

Disney Classic films were screened throughout the day in a small movie theater on the first floor of the Contemporary Resort Hotel's Fiesta Fun Center. The cost: $1 adults / 50 cents child.

 

On opening day the per-night room rate at the Contemporize Resort Hotel was a whopping $39.95 for up to 4 persons in the same room.

 

I understand that time does not stand still and prices must increase in accordance with the rise in the costs of providing the goods or services being offered. But nothing anyone can say or write can make me believe that the price hike from the 50 cents, that was originally charged for a stroller rental on opening day and for many, many years after, to the present-day $15 rental fee Disney now charges, is in any way reflective of normal inflationary trends, and certainly not in concert with minimum wage increases or Disney employee wage increases during that same period of time. Even allowing for inflation and the increased costs of doing business, a $15 fee for a stroller rental is an unwarranted, manipulative captive-audience price gouge, no different than charging $20 for a $2 bag of ice to a victim of a hurricane caught without power and water.

 

Inside the Kingdom the Main Street Cinema (10 cents back in the day) actually showed silent films from the Main Street, USA era. It was so perfectly themed to Main Street, USA's nostalgic glance backward to a simpler time. Once the park did away with the A-E ticket system, Disney un-Imagineers systematically began dismantling any attraction and essentially any atmospheric shops, such at the Antique store in Liberty Square, and many aesthetic areas that were non-income producing - and changed them into out-of-theme enterprises or somewhat themed gift shops with higher profit potentials, or simply ripped out the expensive-to-operate attraction altogether and replaced it with nothing.

 

It's no longer possible for Magic Kingdom guests to pass through the gold-fringed velvet curtains of the Cinema to see Mickey in Steamboat Willie, or Clara Bow tied to the railroad tracks. Visitors to Main Street can no longer experience the charm of the nickelodeon, the coin-slot player piano, the mechanical gypsy fortune teller, or experience what it was like to view a moving picture through a Vida scope. Kids no longer can visit the fireman and his truck in the old firehouse because it, too, has been converted into a merchandising shop. All these simple charms have been ripped from what is now much less of the heart of what used to be Walt's Main Street, U.S.A.

 

Even the era-significant and crowd-pleasing making of peanut brittle that kept the noses of children interestedly pressed against the glass at the Main Street Confectionary is no more.
Contemporary soft drink refrigerated display cases sporting modern logos and flashy fluorescent-light present-day advertising on them, pop up all over the parks with no respect what so ever for the themed shop, or the suggested historical time period, in which they are located. Little by little, as the prices go up and up, the attention to detail and the little things, like basic respect for the era which a themed area is attempting to recreate, or just having a street full of flowers for no other reason than it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye, have fallen by the wayside. Little by little, those little touches that have always made Disney parks more special and more magical than those of their competitors, are being chiseled away.

 

When the Magic Kingdom Park opened, Mickey Mouse Ears were a little bit pricy at a $1.50, but overall, the resort attraction earned tremendous praise from travel writers from around the globe, as well as from the average guest, for NOT over charging for things like film, fast food, beverages, and parking. The Walt Disney World enterprise became noted and universally applauded for its value-for-money-paid, and tremendous good will was built up with the park's guests who barely hesitated before planning a return visit because they so appreciated the fact that they had not fallen prey to price gouging for essentials once on Disney property. Word of mouth was Disney's best advertising and marketing tool. Guests enthusiastically told neighbors back home what a clean, friendly, beautiful, and reasonably priced attraction was Disney. Magazines wrote volumes about how, unlike roadside attractions and second rate amusement parks or carnivals, the good folks at Disney did NOT engage in price gouging.

 

Sadly, a $14 parking fee now evokes the exact opposite reaction and epitomizes the low brow practice of price gouging and Disney's new tactic of taking advantage of guests by over-charging for items or services of necessity - one being a place to put your car so you can go into their place of business to give them your money.

 

Few people really begrudge the Disney Company the cost of a theme park admission ticket. I am one who does not. I have always felt that, for the most part, the Disney theme park experience is worth the ticket price, especially if you purchase the money saving multi-day passes or an annual pass, which represent great values. I willingly plunk down $125.00 for an orchestra seat at a Broadway musical where I am entertained for a mere two hours. I do NOT think the cost of an admission ticket to a Disney theme park, which provides world-class entertainment and attractions for an entire day, is over priced. Neither do most people. Why then, would Disney choose to alienate that same costumer by gouging them on Parking and other necessities at the expense of the loss of good will the company spent so many years winning?

 

To Disney I say - charge all you want for a character breakfast. Nab the big bucks for special experiences that only the rich can afford - such as guided tours or pontoon boat cocktail parties on World Showcase lagoon during the fireworks - there are hundreds of things (such as a Disney wedding) for which you can attach any exorbitant price tag you wish and there will be someone who can afford to pay the tab. But these are not essential or necessary items related to the ability to simply enjoy a day in one of your parks. They are luxury perks. So think up as many as you can and charge what ever the up-market costumer is willing to pay. But stop taking advantage of the average middle income, or lower middle income guest, who has likely saved for years to be able to bring his or her family on what, for many, is a once-in-a-lifetime Disney vacation. Charging $14 to park is exactly that. Charging $12 or even $10 to park, is taking advantage of the person who has very little choice in the matter; who is just trying their best, during trying times, to teat their family to a day at a Disney park.

 

That guest does not have to eat at a sit-down table service restaurant once inside your park, but they do have to eat. So charge all you want - make as much profit as you like - for the luxury experience of eating at one of the park's fine dining or character eateries; but don't gouge the average guest for a basic hot dog or the need to rent a stroller or a wheelchair. It's just bad form, and not very nice. In short; it's no way to treat someone you insist upon referring to as your GUEST!

 

And I would wager to guess the time between repeat visits among even those who love your product, is being impeded, indeed lengthened, due to these perceived over charges. Disney - you keep raising prices on things such as Parking in order to make up for the drop in attendance, when your pricing is likely the single most significant factor in your drop in attendance. Wouldn't it be better to make getting into your parks as affordable as possible in order to accumulate as many popcorn-munching, souvenir buying, lunch eating people as is possible inside the gates? At precisely the time you should be doing everything in your powers to garner good will with the general public, you are, instead, pissing us off.

 

As of this writing I am going to the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot tomorrow (actually yesterday by the time you are reading this gram). This is a large annual group outing that my friends and I look forward to every year. Almost everyone in our group of 24 people will drop $75 to $100 minimum (AFTER passing through the turnstiles) as we pay to eat and drink our way around the world. That's just the money we will spend at the kiosks. This does not include money spent on souvenirs; sit down dining, or at the Rose & Crown Pub. These are all local people, accepting Disney's invitation to come out and purchase food and drink from around the world AFTER gaining admission to the park, which, with tax is now in excess of $75. Do you really think it necessary to gouge these same people for a place to park? And if you don't think the $14 price tag for parking, which will catch many of my group off guard, will not cause these same people to think twice about, and possibly opt out of, future visits for non-special event days, you are sadly mistaken. You are losing the good will of the people. You are angering people at the very start of their visit. This can't be good for your front line employees. It certainly is not good for the average-income visitor, and whether you realize it or not, what this type of price gouging gains the Walt Disney Company on the short-term accounting ledger is also losing you future business and a costly decrease in the esteem in which the public holds your product and the Disney name, in ways you can not even begin to measure.

 

SHAME ON WALT DINSEY WORLD! 

 

Fourteen 'F'n dollars to park!  This outrage is only outdone by the unconscionable $15 you now charge to rent a child's stroller for a day. $15! That fee, too, is outrageous. It is flim-flam carnie-like price gouging, and nothing less. It's like saying - "You're here. You already bought your tickets. You already paid $14 to park, so what choice do you have now? We can and will charge you any amount we want because you ain't going back home to get a stroller - you need one - we know you need one - so we know you'll fork over what ever price-gouging fee we demand. So get over it. Pay us the astronomical fee for something we know you won't do without, and be on your way." It's temper inducing and alienating right at the start of the day.
Long gone are the days when ANYONE leaves a Disney park feeling that they were NOT taken advantage of in terms of fees paid for essentials. Long gone is the good will and over-all feeling of good-value-for-money when all items and fees are taken into account. The Disney bean counters no longer seem to be concerned with good will. They are no longer concerned with what a guest thinks after their initial visit or how apt they are to want to return in the near future. Like everyone else on Wall Street, the Disney bean counters are myopic and see only the short term gains with absolutely no regard for what the very mention of the name Walt Disney once evoked in the minds and hearts of the fast dwindling number of Disney loyalists and once price-content park regulars.

 

The average local family, where the bread earners are very likely to be working in low-paying service/hospitality industry jobs, such as those at Theme Parks, simply can no longer afford to visit the attractions in their own back yard - that is unless they take clever time-consuming measures to avoid the parking Toll Plaza, drag strollers from home, and sneak their own food and beverages into the park.

 

I'm pretty sure that's the way Walt wanted it.

 
I'm WANZIE and That's All I Wrote!