Disney Dish Podcast: Storyliving, Galactic Starcruiser Concerns, and Epcot History

Disney's Storyliving Communities

• 🏡 Storyliving by Disney is a new venture creating residential communities, with the first announced in Rancho Mirage, California.
• ⚠️ Concerns are raised about building a community around an artificial lake in Southern California during a severe, long-term drought.
• 🏘️ The design of these communities, like the one in Rancho Mirage, mirrors aspects of Celebration, Florida, including street names.
• 🔑 A key question is whether these communities will succeed without the direct proximity of a Disney theme park, unlike the successful Golden Oak community at Walt Disney World.

Galactic Starcruiser and Guest Concerns

• 🚀 A survey for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser guests reveals concerns about participation levels and commitment to reservations.
• ❓ Guests are asked about their willingness to participate in immersive story elements and their certainty about traveling, with options to cancel if reviews are negative.
• 💰 Many playtesters find individual elements of the Starcruiser to be good, but deem the $5,000+ price point not worth the experience.
• 🗺️ Disney is reportedly exploring ways to utilize the Starcruiser space for shorter, less expensive experiences, such as a "Wild Africa Trek" concept.
• 😷 Disney has dropped its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals in US parks, relying on an honor system for unvaccinated guests.

Epcot's Communicore and Early History

• 💡 The history of Epcot's Communicore attractions is detailed, including exhibits like Exxon's Energy Information Exchange and the Smart One robot.
• 🕹️ The original concept for a Tron arcade at Epcot was cut, despite a sign being created for its future location.
• 📊 The Electronic Forum (Future Choice Theater) was intended to gather real-time public opinion on current events, but failed because vacationers were not interested in such topics.
• 🗣️ Early Epcot merchandise heavily featured the Epcot logo, with a shift towards location-specific items, similar to the Magic Kingdom's Emporium strategy.
• 🌐 Futurecom, sponsored by the Bell System, aimed to answer questions about the history and future of communication, serving as an extension of the Spaceship Earth experience.

Other Disney News and Listener Questions

• 🍽️ Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is rumored to be eyeing a summer re-opening, with potential inclusion in Michelin Florida reviews.
• 🎟️ Disney World has increased prices for multi-day tickets by 3-6%, a common annual adjustment.
• 🎶 Listener questions cover the process of creating Epcot background music loops and the functionality of the Disney World app for family accounts.
• ❄️ Concerns are raised about crowd levels in late January and early February at Walt Disney World, which have been busier than anticipated.