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March 2007

Alfredo’s to close at Epcot, victim of Disney Dining Plan?

L’Originale Alfredo Di Roma in the Epcot Italy Pavilion is closing this August. When it does another little bit of what makes Epcot a unique experience will fade away. The Rome restaurant was the the place where Fetticine Alfredo was created. A restaurant so famous in the 50s an 60s that Hollywood Stars would fly across the sea just for dinner.

I never experienced the Epcot version of Alfredo’s in what must have been its prime. My first visit was last year during the holiday season when Disney was including its Dining Plan for free with extended hotel stays. The restaurant was over crowded, the service rushed, and the food barely edible. This was a less than magical experience for my family and our out of town guests who were visiting the park for the first time.

I can’t say for sure why the famous restaurant is moving out now. My guess is that Alfredo’s fell victim to the expanded use of the
Disney Dining Plan. This plan has two evil side effects. First, it
requires a hurried service approach as you have to churn more guests
per hour to earn the same profit you earned when everyone paid full
price for the meal. Second, it requires a much simplified version of
the menu to prevent guests from taking too long to decide what to order. I suspect that the owners of Alfredo’s felt that the guest
experience no longer reflected on their brand in a positive manner. That was certainly my experience. With a restaurant in New York and one opening in Las Vegas, Alfredo’s management couldn’t afford to risk the brand image like that.

I’m sure the Disney Dining Plan is a money maker for Disney. But it’s seriously cutting into the show quality one expects to get when dining at a sit down restaurant in Walt Disney World. Hopefully Disney will figure out what fixes are needed to return to full menus and a casually paced dinner in a setting where the party sitting next to you isn’t so close you can smell the garlic on their breath.

Finally, for your entertainment look below the cut to see the cast member fact sheet if a guest has questions regarding the changeover:   

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People Mover Stormtrooper

LaughingPlace.com dug up this gem of a story on SWStarTours.net. It’s a look back at that mystery man in white who used to haunt the tracks of Disneyland’s PeopleMover attraction. …this Stormtrooper was indeed a nicely detailed and precise rendition of the Imperial Stormtroopers from the Classic Star Wars Trilogy — apparently standing duty over… Read More »People Mover Stormtrooper

Costumed Characters have high injury rate

Beth Kassab at the Orlando Sentinel gets unprecedented access to the reality behind Walt Disney World’s costumed characters. This is the sort of stuff that Disney used to keep very hush hush. But for some reason, perhaps the recent slate of incidents involving characters, the Orlando Sentinel has been allowed to reveal even the most… Read More »Costumed Characters have high injury rate

Cal OSHA Pulls SeaWorld Killer Whale Report

Cal OSHA has been pressured into pulling their report on the SeaWorld trainer Killer Whale attack that controversially claimed a trainer death was an inevitability. Cal OSHA seems to now be saying, "On further reflection we don’t know enough about Killer Whales to judge whether they’re safe or not, so we’ll just pretend nothing is… Read More »Cal OSHA Pulls SeaWorld Killer Whale Report

Disney loses Trademark battle

This whole trademark thing is way out of hand. Disney is often thought as one of the worst offenders. Now they’ve been hoisted on their own pitard and forced to stop using the phrase "A Place Where Dreams Come True" in the UK promotions. What makes this story funny is that the original owner of… Read More »Disney loses Trademark battle

More on Disney Fighting Housing in Anaheim

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The ever-aspiring muckraker Steve Lopez, in his Points West column in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times, pokes his finger in Disney’s chest.  He writes about the seeming contradiction between the low wages of Disneyland cast members and Disney fighting "affordable" housing in the Anaheim Resort area.

But at the end of the workday, many of the people who work at the "Happiest Place on Earth" sleep on air mattresses, in by-the-week motel rooms and in apartments shared with other families.

"I’ve been at this motel since 1997," said Derrick, a Disney security guard who pays $209 a week rent. He spoke to me Thursday night while standing in the doorway of the room he shares with two elderly aunts at Arena Inn and Suites in Anaheim, about a mile from his job.

When I was working full-time as a Disneyland cast member, which wasn’t all that long ago, I was able to afford a bachelor apartment by myself within 15 minutes of the Resort.

First, Disney challenged the right of a council member to cast a vote on the housing because she intends to open a wine bar in the area and might have a conflict of interest.

More after the jump – be forewarned that I get politically opinionated.

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Update on Six Flags Magic Mountain

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Alex Dobuzinskis of the Los Angeles Daily News filed an update on Six Flags California, and by extension, Six Flags.  He notes the family-friendly turn, which involves some prominent familiar brands. Brand names are playing a big part in the new strategy. Cold Stone Creamery will dish out the ice cream, Kodak will do the… Read More »Update on Six Flags Magic Mountain

What’s Anschutz Up To?

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According to Bloomberg News, Philip Anschutz has agreed to sell 20.6 million shares of Qwest, a company he founded, completing plans to unload nearly all of his ownership.  Qwest is the fourth-largest U.S. telephone company. The sale will generate an initial payment of $150.5 million, according to a filing Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange… Read More »What’s Anschutz Up To?