The View from Scopa Towers

The other day I was asked what I do to combat withdrawal I suffer when returning from a trip to Walt Disney World.

That question raised another question in my mind and that was when does Disney saturation come into play to prevent Disney withdrawal?

It gets dangerous when I start thinking this way but bear with me and hear me out.

While thinking about something like Disney withdrawal, I realized that unlike most people, my withdrawal symptoms are kind of, well, they are somewhat strange.

For a long time my trips to WDW were either once a year or even (shudder) once every two years.

There is a good reason for this particular frequency of trips...F A M I L Y.

The expense of bringing a family down several times a year just didn’t make fiscal sense to me so when we would go as a family we would go during the summer and usually spend about two weeks in Orlando. One trip…go crazy…then save and come back in two years.

Yup…sounds pretty cool erh? But remember that we would go either once a year or once every other year. There were just so many things going on in our lives as we were growing up as a family that we had to pay attention to priorities and as much as we loved Walt Disney World we needed to keep everything in perspective.

However, you can well imagine that going either once a year or every other year would generate withdrawal symptoms like you would never believe.

On top of that since we drove down we were on a rollercoaster of emotions…as we drove from New Hampshire and past specific areas like D.C. and of course South of the Border in Dillon, S.C. we would get excited.

Nothing got us more excited than crossing the Florida State line and stopping at the Welcome Center.

So the excitement would build and build as we neared Orlando.

Of course the drive back was no fun at all….that’s when the withdrawal symptoms would REALLY begin.

So how did I combat the withdrawal symptoms?

Well, knowing what the frequency of our trips would be we decided we would do our best to capture our memories as best as possible.

Back in the pre Digital Camera days we would take tons of film down with us and Carol would do the picture taking while I carried around the huge VHS camera to capture video. On average I would tape 36 to 40 hours of video and this included parades, fireworks, and shows.

There was always an opportunity to have a family photo and we never hesitated. Here’s one from the Scopa family archives….I’m guessing 1990.

I almost fell into the trap of never videotaping the family but I was careful and got everyone on tape as best as possible…especially when interacting with characters and Streetmosphere.
We would also buy videos and musical CDs…anything involving the sights and sounds of Walt Disney World…stuff that would tie us over for the next trip.

Once back from our trip we would sit down and watch all the videos with friends and family and
relive the trip.

I myself would take it another step and write a trip report that would account for everything we did.

The report would be written from some notes I took every day of our trip.

Writing a trip report is the best way to slowly ease off the withdrawal symptoms because as you write the account of your trip you get to relive each moment and you will find yourself leaning back, closing your eyes and recalling what you experienced.

I have approximately 1000 hours on video tape of all my trips and from time to time I will pull out an old tape and enjoy some memories…and chuckle at my sense of fashion.

What’s nice about watching these videos and that you can see old favs like Horizons, Tapestry of Dreams, Fantasy in the Sky, and also take note how things have changed…like Main Street USA, the castle forecourt, and other areas in all the parks.

For those of you who are not able to visit WDW as frequently as you would like you may want to think about doing as much as you can to capture your trip memories to help bridge the gap between previous and upcoming trips.

Okay, so you’re thinking, “So Mike, what does all this have to do with the word “Saturation” at the top of this blog?

Well, first I wanted to mention about how I dealt with withdrawal back in the day.

Now that I visit WDW more frequently I really don’t have withdrawal symptoms.

Actually, I’m lying. I DO find myself going through withdrawal but I’m sure not in a way that you would expect.

My withdrawal symptoms do not appear until I’m within about three or four days of returning to WDW.

How’s that for weird?

I guess all along I expect to return and thus don’t think about missing the place but when it gets close I start to get antsy and want to get there ASAP…mostly because I know that beyond talking mice and ducks waiting for me will also be my friends.

I know…I know…you keep saying, “Mike!!!! Saturation!!! What is Saturation?”

Okay, NOW I can talk about what I mean by Saturation.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Too much of a good thing…yadda yadda ya?”

Well this can be said of WDW.

I see you shaking your head and thinking, “I can never get enough of WDW!”

Uhhhh…yes! Yes you can.

I think that the lack of withdrawal symptoms is directly related to the number or the frequency of one’s trips.

But it goes deeper than that.

If you constantly visit a certain restaurant near your home many times because it’s your favorite restaurant after a while you may not appreciate the food, the service, the atmosphere, or whatever it is that draws to you to the establishment.

Same for Walt Disney World.

It’s called the saturation point….or the level at which your appreciation for whatever we are talking about is no longer at the level of appreciation it should be for your individual taste.

Once you hit that saturation point your level of appreciation drops because, very simply you are not attaching the same value to the place that you normally would…basically in a subliminal manner you may also become desensitized to the wonder that is Walt Disney World. Yup, it’s true.

Obviously the more you go the less you will miss it when you are not there.

Also, and this may be a subtle thing that you may not realize…without knowing it you will find yourself appreciating less and less what is waiting for you in Orlando.

That’s my explanation.

Do you want some signs which may indicate you are approaching the saturation point?

• You don’t go out of your way to do as many attractions as you did during your first several trips to WDW and possibly you are saying to yourself, “I’ll do them next time.” There is no sense of urgency to do Haunted Mansion, Soarin’, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, or Expedition Everest.

• You don’t find yourself as disappointed in not being able to get an ADR for one of your favorite restaurants. In this case you may find yourself settling for someplace else…hoo…bad sign.

• You find yourself avoiding character meals…big sign.

• You find yourself cutting an evening short and not bothering to watch fireworks at whatever park you are in. Are you nuts? Does anyone do this? Yes. Even your humble author.

• You find yourself not bothering to make it into a park by rope drop. In fact, you may find yourself sleeping in at times rather than waking up with the chickens and being at the park turnstiles some 30 minutes before park opening.

• You do not take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at least half the time during your visit. Oh the humanity…but it’s true.

Now there is really nothing wrong with this as it may very well mean that you are comfortable with your frequency of visits and you are there for the purpose of relaxing and taking in the atmosphere.

I understand.

I myself, on my solo trips, have no problems if I’m not in an attraction queue at least once every hour…in fact over my last three trips I averaged something like 1.3 attractions per day.

Hmmmm.

I would hate to think that I have fallen into the saturation trap and no longer appreciate what is waiting for me at Orlando.

I hope not.

I do realize that my trip frequency has a lot to do with it as well as my trip objectives, be it Mousefest, a race, or a special event.

Every person is different.

Every person has different thresholds of saturation and thus has different withdrawal points.

For eight year old Jimmy it’s a chance once more to help Buzz Lightyear fight Zurg; for nine year old Samantha it’s to see Tinkerbell fly from the castle as the beginning of Wishes, and for 17 year old Jake it’s to once more come face to face with the Yeti on Expedition Everest.

For others, like myself, the appreciation of the attractions may in fact have leveled off but in their place a new appreciation has emerged.

There is a pronounced appreciation for the atmosphere and environment that has been established these last 30 plus years.

I find myself sitting down on a park bench and watching children interacting with characters…to me that’s an attraction.

I find myself leaning up against a fence and watching a young family, wide-eyed, enjoying their first WDW family vacation…to me that’s an attraction.

I smile as I see cast members enjoying the fact that they are making a guest feel extra special and making a special gesture to perhaps create a memory in that guest’s mind as to how enjoyable their visit was to this particular park.

No…my withdrawal symptoms or lack thereof…or even what I thought was a possible saturation point for me is not that at all.

It’s a shift….a shift of appreciation for what Walt Disney World now represents to me.

As the years and the trip go by you may find yourself that there is a shift occurring in you as to what you look forward to when you next visit Mickey and friends.

What matters most is that you realize that saturation will never settle in….but instead a shift in appreciation for what brings you back to what you as an individual considers as the happiest Place on Earth.

For those of us who keep coming back we may also find that withdrawal symptoms may never surface because quite simply we take a little part of Walt Disney World home with us.

Happy 5th Anniversary MagicMeets.

Last week MagicMeets sold out in 38 hours which is a tribute to the efforts of MagicMeets Founder Fred Block and his amazing army of volunteers.

Fred’s event has grown from around 40 attendees back in 2004 to a current ceiling of 550 attendees and along the way he has figured out the formula for changing venues without sacrificing quality.

In fact he has managed to elevate the quality of the event every year and that has contributed to the ever growing popularity of this event.

Unfortunately not everyone who registers for the event manages to secure tickets. Almost twice as many register as there are available seats.

As much as this may disappoint a lot of folks it pales in comparison to the disappointment for Fred himself.

Fred does all he can to give everyone an even chance of getting a ticket. He opens up the registration system early, he offers those who register the opportunity to get placed on the MagicMeets newsletter, and not only does he frequently send out newsletters to keep everyone informed as to how close payment time is approaching, he also makes himself available on several Disney community forums and appears on a few Disney oriented podcasts to get the word out.

If you were not able to secure a ticket for this year’s MagicMeets there is always next year.

To give yourself the best chance of getting a ticket for MagicMeets 2009 register early, get on the newsletter distribution list, visit and perhaps join a Disney community forum where Fred is also a member and keep your eyes and ears open.

I am looking forward to my third MagicMeets and I hope to see some new and old faces there. The last two years have been nothing short of incredible as I have found the event to be the ONLY time, other than actually being in a Disney theme park, where I can truly feel Disney Magic.

You never know who you may run into at MagicMeets.

Oh yea, and me! (Deb put this photo in.)

If you are interested in learning more about MagicMeets visit the MagicMeets website.

Mike's Mailbag

Before they get lost in the shuffle let me share some recently received emails.

Most of them touch upon my recent discussion on Disney Withdrawal and Disney Saturation:

First up, Heidi Potenza:

It has been 1 whole month since we got back from our trip to Disney. Mike's blog brought a smile to my face because we too have had this very discussion about "too much of a good thing." We started out visiting WDW every couple years when we could afford to. We have now made it an annual pilgrimage with our kids who truly look forward to it as much as we do!

Heidi

Thanks for the email Heidi. My tears usually appear on the last night of a trip when I’m leaving Magic Kingdom. Once I hit the Emporium area I cannot turn back to look at the castle.

From Jon Simon:

I fully comprehend what Mike refers to as saturation. I would rather use a different term, because I think saturation equals a lack of appreciation.

Jon

Thanks for the note Jon. I had a great time chatting with your son Ben. The only thing better would have been if you were there to take part in the conversation.

We called you from the top of the hill in the picture below...right near International Gateway.

From Philip DeLuccia (who I happen to know just celebrated a birthday…Happy Birthday Phil)

Mike, I just finished reading your blog about Saturation Point. My family and I have been down there every other year since 1994, but recently my wife and I are trying to go once a year. We find ourselves visiting the newest attractions (or recently upgraded), then we take in our favorites as time permits. We've also tried out of the ordinary outings like renting a boat from Old Key West and traveling along the waterways to The Marketplace, Port Orleans, and back. We've also tried Para-sailing behind The Contemporary and are planning on going to Discovery Cove this coming January 2009 (weather permitting).

I have to say that just being in the parks gives me a feeling of fulfillment and pleasure, whether I get on an attraction or not. Evelyn (my wife) is looking forward to upcoming races and I look forward just to be in The World. We experienced Mickey's Not so Scary this past October as well as the Tower of Terror 13K (if you remember, Evelyn and I chatted with you while waiting for the beginning of the race). I'm going to pick up Annual Passes for the two of us, since we'll be going down this coming October for 5 days, 10 days in January, and another 5 days in October 2009. I figured Oct 2009 would be at the beginning of the month, so Evelyn can run the Race for the Taste. I enjoyed talking to you this past October, and, after reading your blogs and listening to your opinions on the podcasts, I find that we have much in common. I totally agree with you regarding not letting my children roam around a Theme park by themselves. I don't care if it's WDW or not, I trust my children, but I don't trust everyone else. Our children are our most valuable possessions and I know I'd die if anything happened to mine. Hopefully we'll get to chat again while in Florida (maybe Jan 2009). Until then, I'll keep reading your blogs and listening to your podcast.

Phil DeLuccia

Phil is referring to a recent discussion on the WDWTODAY podcast in which the panelists debated on whether or not they would allow a thirteen year old and his eight year old brother to roam in the Magic Kingdom while the parents enjoyed a quiet meal at California Grill.

By the way Phil, my wife and I and two of our cast member friends spent one afternoon on a boat and went to see Old Key West. Here is what it looked like as we arrived at OKW.

From Jenny:

I found your blog on saturation to be extremely true. Walt Disney World definitely means many different things to everyone. Like your early years, we can only manage family trips every other year and are working towards our biggest one yet and the anticipation and planning are only part of the fun. We have celebrated all (honeymoon, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, & soon anniversary) at the World and the saturation has not yet set in and I hope that it never does. For us, it truly is THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!

Your Blog is great, keep it up!!

Thank you for the kind words Jenny. I think annual trips work well for most folks because of the excitement of planning and anticipation of every trip and more importantly, annual trips keep everything fresh and that saturation point well off the radar.

Here’s a note from a fellow AllEars colleague

From Glo
Mike,

Glo

Glo, your note triggered a thought. I have another friend who moved from Michigan to Florida and he lives about an hour from WDW. I’m not sure where he is on the saturation scale but one of the things he said his family misses is the resort atmosphere. There is no need for them to stay at the resorts and that, he said, is part of the whole WDW experience....

...and I'm with you all the way on the fireworks! Have you ever watched Wishes from the California Grill?

From a fellow Red Sox fan

From Kathleen:
Dear Mike:

Kathleen

Thanks Kathleen. Everyone needs to see the new Spaceship Earth for themselves. There have been some amazing improvements to this attraction. I somehow get the feeling however that there is still more to do.

Go Sox!

Here’s one from a New England neighbor Virginia Pierce

Being a fellow New Englander from RI, I must start off by saying "Go Sox!"

Thanks for reliving the magic,
Virginia Pierce

Virginia I am so glad you sent me that email because it points out how rushing around a theme park prevents some guests from noticing the details that go into the design and development of each area of the theme parks. Once you noticed these details you develop a deeper appreciation for what Walt Disney World offers its guests. I’m always discovering these subtle touches.

I discovered something last Summer while riding the steamboat at Magic Kingdom. Have you ever noticed this dog watching this fish jump out of the water?

From Jennifer

Awesome blog post! What great observations! I love your point that although you don't take in as many attractions, you enjoy the atmosphere and just being there without the stress!

A short but very insightful email from Jennifer. I hope everyone sees Jennifer’s point here. A trip to WDW is supposed to relieve stress not add to it and sometimes you have to relax and not worry about making every attraction you can on every day of your trip.

From Nikki

Mike,

Nikki

Very interesting comments Nikki…although the theme park excitement isn’t there for you anymore there is still something that keeps bringing you back to WDW. This is yet another testimony that there is something for everyone at Walt Disney World....like...

From Shea:

Mike I could not agree with you more. My wife and I go to Disney about 1 X a month. We live in West Palm Beach. Since the new dog has arrived we have not been there since December. We go at the end of March for the day.

Shea

Shea, I love people watching. I could sit on a bench all day and watch guests walk by. I play a game and try to identify those guests who I feel are first time visitors and for those who are WDW veterans. I mostly enjoy watching the children. For those who know me you obviously realize that I can never get enough of Le Cellier.

Finally, from George, a note regarding the WDW Marathon weekend:

Mike,

George

Well George, obviously the best thing to do is to consult with your doctor before deciding whether or not you could participate in the half-marathon.

Everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another.

Consult with your doctor to discuss what your limitations are rather than risk more damage to your knee. You never know, there could be some therapy available to help you.

There are quite a few people who love volunterring for Marathon Weekend. You should find information on how to volunteer by going to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Home Page as we get closer to the event.

Thanks to everyone for sending their thoughts along and sharing them with me and everyone else.

I recently had an opportunity to talk with Thomas Tryon who serves as a Show Producer for Special Events and Projects at Walt Disney World.

Tryon was given the task of bringing the Block Party Bash Parade from Disneyland’s California Adventure Theme Park to Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park.

The parade debuted in California on April 5th, 2005 and just three years later it is ready to take the East Coast by storm.

Of course moving a parade of this magnitude from California to Florida involved looking into the logistics of such a move.

The first order of business was to decide where the parade should land.

Right from the start there was no question that the Block Party Bash Parade’s new address would be the Hollywood Studios. After all it is a Pixar-based parade and don’t we find most Disney/Pixar characters in the studios theme park? I don’t expect that Disney’s Animal Kingdom or EPCOT or The Magic Kingdom had a shot at hosting this parade.

From a parade organizer’s viewpoint however, there’s much more to consider.

Once the Studios was deemed the appropriate new home for the parade, the next order of business involved the parade route itself.

Actually a complete assessment of the theme park’s parade readiness for the parade was necessary.

When you think of a Disney themed parade you think of the floats, the characters, the music, the dancing, the fanfare, and everything else that you see and hear during the course of the parade.

Keep in mind that when the Disney creative forces designed this parade they did so with Disney’s California Adventure theme park in mind, Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios theme park was not on their radar.

We’re talking two completely different animals here.

Everyone involved realized that they just couldn’t say, “Okay let’s just pack up everything and move to Orlando.”

There were so many things to consider.

The primary concern was the parade route.

The parade route for the Block Party Bash Parade had to have two important features. The first is that the parade route had to be able to accommodate the parade floats. Size and width was a consideration and with that comes the importance of maneuverability. The Hollywood Studios was far from being ready for this particular parade’s floats.

Some adjustments in the area of concrete had to be made along the parade route.

For those of you who have been visiting Hollywood Studios over the last year and a half you may have noticed some changes along Hollywood Blvd. and other portions of the Studios parade route. Changes have been somewhat subtle but importantly they have been parade-friendly.

It was important to alter the route so that the sides of the route would allow the floats to move through the route with ease with special considerations for turning corners.

The next time you are in the Studios stroll along the parade route and see if you notice where these changes were made, especially in front of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat.

Now this is just for the parade route. There were other issues that had to be resolved.

Are there adequate spots along such a route in which the floats could stop and entertain guests?

Because of the nature and personality of this parade, specifically the highly specialized floats and their interactivity with the guests, the parade route had to offer some very convenient parade stops in which both the parade performers and the guests would be able to safely enjoy the “party” portion of the parade.

Stop points had to be focused on for safety concerns as well and adjustments in the concrete topography had to be made along the route where these stops would best take place.

So are you with me so far?

There are two more major concerns that had to be addressed.

The first concern was in regards to the garaging of the parade floats. Was there ample space to house these huge floats?

In a word, no!

Tryon noted that expansion of the current parade building was needed so that there was a proper storage facility for the parade vehicles. So that piece of business was added into the overall project for moving the parade east.

There was yet another consideration that I had not thought of.

Think of this, a parade is made up of floats and performers.

A storage facility for the floats was needed and how many of us would ever think that along with the floats there is the matter of parade costumes?

Parade performers wear parade costumes specifically designed for that parade and it appeared that the Studios did not have an adequate or as Tryon put it “proper” costuming facility to handle the additional costumes that came with this parade.

A decision was made to build a new costuming facility that would be able to handle all the anticipated costuming needs once the parade arrived.

Now think about all this stuff….changes in the parade route…expansion of the parade building…construction of a new costuming facility…all these issues had to be addressed just because a parade was moving from one theme park to another.

Because of these issues the actual original planned move was delayed one year.

So the obvious question that came to mind was “Why?”

I asked Thomas if there was ever any consideration to just altering the parade instead of going through all the trouble and expense of altering the route, expanding current buildings, and putting up a new building.

It was his answer that reminded me as to why Disney is Disney.

In so many words Thomas said that we all have to remember that what sets a Disney theme park aside from all the rest is that Disney has cornered the market on storytelling.

Be it attractions, fireworks, or parades, the important thing is the storytelling and most noteworthy, the creative process.

He mentioned how Disney values the creative process and once the creative process has generated something worthy of Disney quality it’s basically “hands off.”

When he mentioned this to me I was reminded as to why the name Disney always seems to be synonymous with quality.

Why change something that has already been proven as being something loved by the guests?

Why tamper with success?

It says quite a lot when a company is more concerned with the quality of its products than the bottom line. And when you think of it, aren’t the returns greater when you put a premium on quality?

It also makes sense to make the venue fit the product rather than the product fit the venue.
Thus the original creative content for the parade was meticulously maintained.

Oh, and about the actual physical move from the west coast to the east coast….

…it took 15 semi-tractor trailers to haul the parade from California to Florida.

So the next time you are in Hollywood Studios and you get a chance to enjoy this parade with the other guests you can relish in the fact that now you know…

…the rest of the story.

For more Block Party Bash Photos, check out our Photo Gallery!