All aboard for the James Bond 007 Hype train!

[AlanJ]

I just dont get Disney at all - I took my kids to Florida once, several years ago. it was just a money making machine, designed to extract as much cash from you as possible whilst filling your kids (and you) with as much junk food as possible. Crowded, long wait times, **** food, surrounded by idiots. "Have-a-nice-day-that's-$500-please"

 

[taz turbo]

I went at the end of October last year, after going every single year from 2015 - 2019. Prices up dramatically (Exchane rate didnt help), Genie+ means you spend a massive chunk of your day glued to a phone screen, and dont get to walk about like you used to, taking in the sites. Prices through the roof both in and out the parks (they recon food costs have gone up 20% - however in personal experience try 80% out of the parks, and 140% inside - 590ml bottle of Coke - that'll be $6 please!).

Coupled with plain Rude Americans who seem to have caught the "entitled" bug (Yes, there are an ever increasing number in this country too!!) and also the £ vs $ kicking us in the teeth.. It was really an unpleasant experience.

To be fair, whilst it wasnt as bad, Universal werent much better....

I wont be going back until either the exchange rate makes a massive adjustment, or disney/universal stop pricing themselves out of the market. Interestingly it doesnt seem to stop people going... parks are all still rammed to capacity.
Sounds just like Stern and their prices...

We went to Florida last year, prior to that it was 2018. In agreement with you on pricing. Interesting to hear the locals buy annual passes, these have also had a huge increase and no longer include all the added benefits, parking, yes sir $25/day........ we heard a few times the locals are not renewing their annual passes, so it's not just the exchange rate that's hiking prices! That said, lets face it what isn't having/had large price increases?

Never found anyone rude though TBH, that was what I was dreading on my first visit to the USA, and I have actually found during each visit for the Americans to be great, even the groups of youths have always been very polite.

We also found Universal less of a pi$$ take on prices, and hey, who wouldn't want to sit in Moe's, enjoying a clogger burger whilst washing it down with a couple of Duff's. Heaven!!!

Chris.

 

[JustLikeMe]

I just dont get Disney at all - I took my kids to Florida once, several years ago. it was just a money making machine, designed to extract as much cash from you as possible whilst filling your kids (and you) with as much junk food as possible. Crowded, long wait times, **** food, surrounded by idiots. "Have-a-nice-day-that's-$500-please"

It was a very different (and much less expensive) experience in the 90s and early 00s, so for lots of people - me included - there’s a significant degree of nostalgia, although that seems to be eroding year by year. If I were to have visited for the first time in the last few years I think I’d probably feel the same. The more upscale table service restaurants used to be pretty great too, but they’ve been on a slow decline for over a decade now.

Also - if you took kids then I assume you went during school holidays, which has a huge impact on crowds and wait times. Maybe less so nowadays as they limit capacity on attractions to artificially increase wait times during the slower times of year to push people to pay for Genie+, but ten years ago you wouldn’t wait more than 20-30 mins for even the most popular attractions during the low season when kids are in school, and if you knew what you were doing with the paper fastpass system you’d barely wait in any lines at all. How times have changed.

We also found Universal less of a pi$$ take on prices, and hey, who wouldn't want to sit in Moe's, enjoying a clogger burger whilst washing it down with a couple of Duff's. Heaven!!!

I’ve been a big fan of Universal ever since we went to Islands of Adventure shortly after it opened in 1999. Better attractions, easier to navigate, and much less planning involved. Can’t wait for Epic Universe in 2025 and looking forward to getting a few Duffs in next month! Next time you’re there it’s definitely worth getting the water taxi over to Sapphire Falls to check out Strong Water Tavern - best bar at Universal by some margin and really great food too. Love the curry goat.

@Paul - maybe we should start an Orlando thread in general discussion as I think we’ve gone fairly off topic here

 

[Jmac]

A little true story about needing to not turn your brain off while in Disney…
In 2014 after a great 4 week road trip we had a final 2 weeks in Orlando to end the holiday. One afternoon in Epcot while in one of the shops we saw some mugs with family crests printed on. The sign said buy 2 at $30 with onward shipping free to your home address. Since it was our honeymoon it seemed quite an apt little momento. So after what felt like a week of queuing the sales assistant informed me I had misread and it was $30 each mug + tax. I should have walked out there and then as the quality of the mugs was something you’d probably buy plain ones for £5. Being on holiday and also a bit proud I thought sod it. I was then asked if I wanted to collect that evening or use the onward postage. As I thought shipping was free I accepted and then paid by card without really looking at the total. Turned out shipping was only free within the U.S and I had paid $49.99 extra for that. Icing on the cake was I then got hit with import duty this end too. It’s still joked about to this day that I paid £65 each for these two mugs and yes my wife does say I’m the 3rd ‘mug’ in the story.

Even worse the ink came off one of them in the dishwasher about a month in

 

[J.C.Rox]

Fellas this Disney chat is more depressing than the JB60 reveal! I've 2 girls 7 and 8 and our school breaks up before England and France schools so we're planning EuroD last week of March. Sequoia Lodge 5 nights 6 days passes. Any tips on fast passes / genie etc and how to maximise my time please let me know!

I know I'm going to get fisted in the hoop over food prices but my girls are Disney mad so I need to do it and EuroD is the easier budget option and hopefully a quietish time of year..

 

[Big Phil]

Awww man. I'm on a right downer reading all this. Love Disney. Been to Florida 4 times. Last time was about 10 years ago. We're planning on going in 4 years time when the Grand bairn is a little older.

Hope things drastically improve.....

 

[JustLikeMe]

Fellas this Disney chat is more depressing than the JB60 reveal! I've 2 girls 7 and 8 and our school breaks up before England and France schools so we're planning EuroD last week of March. Sequoia Lodge 5 nights 6 days passes. Any tips on fast passes / genie etc and how to maximise my time please let me know!

I know I'm going to get fisted in the hoop over food prices but my girls are Disney mad so I need to do it and EuroD is the easier budget option and hopefully a quietish time of year..

Don’t worry, younger kids won’t notice the things we’re talking about here! Some good friends of ours took their two young ones to Disneyland Paris for the first time on some of the busiest days of last year, and it was pouring rain most of the time - but the kids absolutely loved it and are desperate to go back.

If you’re going before most English and French schools break up then you already have an advantage, and it sounds like you have plenty of time to explore the parks. Disneyland Paris doesn’t have the Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane system - instead they have Standby Pass and Premier Access, the latter of which essentially allows you to buy your way to the front of the line of selected attractions.

I’d suggest reading through the following to get yourself up to speed on the parks in general:

2024 Disneyland Paris Planning Guide

Our Disneyland Paris vacation planning guide for 2024 covers info & tips for visiting the theme parks in France, plus hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, ride ratings, and theme park itineraries. It's current info and advice,

www.disneytouristblog.com

And these two short articles on Standby Pass and Premier Access:

How to use Standby Pass at Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris has introduced Standby Pass to help with physical distancing at some of the most popular attractions. We will explain below how it works.

www.traveltothemagic.net

How to use Premier Access at Disneyland Paris

Disney Premier Access is a paid service that gives you speedy access to some of our most popular attractions, thanks to a dedicated fast lane. Disney

www.traveltothemagic.net

Last tip is to try not to worry too much re how much you’re spending when you’re there. Save that for when you get home and look over your credit card statement!

Edit - also take advantage of Extra Magic Time for hotel guests before the parks open to the public, and don’t miss the Disney D-Light show in the evening - I’ve heard it’s great.

 

[J.C.Rox]

Don’t worry, younger kids won’t notice the things we’re talking about here! Some good friends of ours took their two young ones to Disneyland Paris for the first time on some of the busiest days of last year, and it was pouring rain most of the time - but the kids absolutely loved it and are desperate to go back.

If you’re going before most English and French schools break up then you already have an advantage, and it sounds like you have plenty of time to explore the parks. Disneyland Paris doesn’t have the Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane system - instead they have Standby Pass and Premier Access, the latter of which essentially allows you to buy your way to the front of the line of selected attractions.

I’d suggest reading through the following to get yourself up to speed on the parks in general:

2024 Disneyland Paris Planning Guide

Our Disneyland Paris vacation planning guide for 2024 covers info & tips for visiting the theme parks in France, plus hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, ride ratings, and theme park itineraries. It's current info and advice,

www.disneytouristblog.com

And these two short articles on Standby Pass and Premier Access:

How to use Standby Pass at Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris has introduced Standby Pass to help with physical distancing at some of the most popular attractions. We will explain below how it works.

www.traveltothemagic.net

How to use Premier Access at Disneyland Paris

Disney Premier Access is a paid service that gives you speedy access to some of our most popular attractions, thanks to a dedicated fast lane. Disney

www.traveltothemagic.net

Last tip is to try not to worry too much re how much you’re spending when you’re there. Save that for when you get home and look over your credit card statement!

Edit - also take advantage of Extra Magic Time for hotel guests before the parks open to the public, and don’t miss the Disney D-Light show in the evening - I’ve heard it’s great.

Hey man, thank you so much for this and the links, thats awesome to know, really appreciated! Got me some bed time reading to do!

 

[steve brum]

I loved Disney Paris even though the star wars ride was broken and we got evacuated from the pirates ride which broke down but we got a meal voucher. And is ****ed down after beautiful sunshine at the very end so it did literally, rain on my parade!

Anyway l am off to the EAG tomorrow so get to play what I've ordered. Just have to remember to repeat " early code its only early code"

 

[Chris P]

I was at EAG today and got to play it for the first time. I also saw @mission65 and @Dave Bishop who are also fans of the game

First thoughts, I really liked it, I had some good games on it and saw some of the modes. The music could get a bit repetitive until they update code with more varied background music. For some reason the Premium version sound was very quiet?.
I love the sounds of the spinners, very retro, sound in general is great, especially if you are a fan of the movies.

The left hand orbit/ramp shot is so satisfying. George Gomez knows how to design some very satisfying shots.

I have put it on my wish list for now. I think ultimately it could be a game like Deadpool where I love playing it in moderation as it could be a long playing game. It’s hard to decide after a handful of games.
One thing for sure is it is a lot more fun than Rush.
If the prices of pins hadn’t gone through the roof I would probably be on board to get one straight away. You don’t actually lose too much with the pro version similar to DP which is a bonus.

I also love how all the games are set up with insider and have a leader board connected.
Two thumbs up from me and huge potential with future updates

 

[Big Phil]

No pics !!!

 

[Silverpaolo]

I was at EAG today and got to play it for the first time. I also saw @mission65 and @Dave Bishop who are also fans of the game

First thoughts, I really liked it, I had some good games on it and saw some of the modes. The music could get a bit repetitive until they update code with more varied background music. For some reason the Premium version sound was very quiet?.
I love the sounds of the spinners, very retro, sound in general is great, especially if you are a fan of the movies.

The left hand orbit/ramp shot is so satisfying. George Gomez knows how to design some very satisfying shots.

I have put it on my wish list for now. I think ultimately it could be a game like Deadpool where I love playing it in moderation as it could be a long playing game. It’s hard to decide after a handful of games.
One thing for sure is it is a lot more fun than Rush.
If the prices of pins hadn’t gone through the roof I would probably be on board to get one straight away. You don’t actually lose too much with the pro version similar to DP which is a bonus.

I also love how all the games are set up with insider and have a leader board connected.
Two thumbs up from me and huge potential with future updates
View attachment 190973View attachment 190974View attachment 190975View attachment 190976View attachment 190977

Totally agree the pro is all you need and to fair I think the yellow cab is striking and retro it’s really grown on me , the cut and paste images were a cheap cop out but you can’t have everything

 

[J85M]

the cut and paste images were a cheap cop out but you can’t have everything

Or can you?

 

[Silverpaolo]

Or can you?

well we will see then won't we

 

[Scorn]

I was pricing up taking the family two kids 6 and 10 to Florida in 2024.

Villa, flights, car hire and passes for all the parks is coming in at around £10k

Does that sound right. New pin or Florida holiday. Tough one

 

[Big Phil]

I was pricing up taking the family two kids 6 and 10 to Florida in 2024.

Villa, flights, car hire and passes for all the parks is coming in at around £10k

Does that sound right. New pin or Florida holiday. Tough one

Which is why we've started saving now for a trip in four years time....

 

[Silverpaolo]

I was pricing up taking the family two kids 6 and 10 to Florida in 2024.

Villa, flights, car hire and passes for all the parks is coming in at around £10k

Does that sound right. New pin or Florida holiday. Tough one

not tough Pete , a holiday will fade and just become a memory , go for the pin something tangible !!!! send the mrs and kids to butlins on a sun newspaper special ....thank me later

 

[Doggard]

I was pricing up taking the family two kids 6 and 10 to Florida in 2024.

Villa, flights, car hire and passes for all the parks is coming in at around £10k

Does that sound right. New pin or Florida holiday. Tough one

How times change, I got married in Disney in 2000, stayed in the contemporary resort, 3 weeks in total, cost me less than 3k including the wedding !

 

[Marvello]

Oh Stern, you bumbling fools you.

 

[Sako-TRG]

^^^^

 

[Gonzo]

 

[Pick Holder]

Oh Stern, you bumbling fools you.

View attachment 190988

It says STERN US DEALERS.
What about the rest of the world?
Do you think Stern need a thesaurus - if they do not know what one is - tell them to look it up in the dictionary.

 

[Pick Holder]

After watching the video from Cary yeah har.... I thought I would share this...

 

[Epotech]

So it comes with the topper but it can be bought for other models?

 

[mufcmufc]

So it comes with the topper but it can be bought for other models?

Nailed it

 

[Dave Bishop]

Gomez did say on a previous stream that the topper would be the same for all models.

Imagine the licensing drama for 2 different toppers.

It’s not the best, but it’s the official one so I’m in on one.

 

[Dave Bishop]

a distributor said in US that there are only 500 being made for the other models… not sure how accurate that is..

 

[Epotech]

seriously getting to the point that I'm thinking of cancelling my order. 007 is getting beyond a joke with a huge price hike, iffy coders and they can't even get their ducks in a row when it comes to selling the thing.

 

[Sako-TRG]

 

[RetroHeed]

Good video, but was hoping to see some 60th Gameplay.