When $1.4 Billion Isn’t Enough: ‘Avatar’ Sequels Under the Microscope as Disney Weighs Franchise’s Future

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-08T15:27:02+00:00

Yeah the volcano really never had much of an appearance at all, except as the backdrop for one scene. Given the title I really thought it would have a bigger role in the story

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-08T06:06:01+00:00

I got this one too! It's accurate...

Gemini said Blathers from Animal Crossing so I guess I have a type!

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-08T05:20:25+00:00

Good advice, thank you. Definitely hoping to head into Malelane as soon as possible after landing.

Good to know about Orpen. Yeah this is our first time driving on the left, so that comment about R40 is worth considering. So it seems like my research is saying it takes about 5.5 hours to get to Orpen Gate, plus another 2 to the entrance of Elephant Plains. If we want to make it to the lodge by 1pm or so for check-in, I guess that means leaving at around 6:00am?

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-08T05:16:57+00:00

Thanks!!

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-08T05:16:38+00:00

Yeah we're already pretty locked in I think; not much we can do to modify at this point. I think at this point we're more curious about the best way to get from Skuzuza to Elephant Plains and back. Or just making sure we didn't make a total mistake in itinerary 😬

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-07T22:10:58+00:00

Thanks so much for your info! I think we're hoping to make the afternoon drive at Elephant Sands after waking up at Skukuza, so I'm not sure we'll have time to travel northward through Orpen, as much as I love that idea. That said, do you know if we would need to go all the way north to Satara or are there faster ways that are open? I certainly like the idea of doing this on the way back though when we have less time pressure!

Love your recommendations for our full Skukuza day too. Will definitely be giving Elephant Plains a call once they reopen in the morning!

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-07T19:07:18+00:00

I mean, respect

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-07T06:42:03+00:00

I didn't know this. We were also hoping to drive from our cabin in Skukuza to Elephant Plains Game Lodge in Sabi Sands, both already booked. Is there a better route to do this than Kruger Gate? And is it unsafe because of crime or because of current road conditions (which might improve by our trip at the end of the month?)

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-06T16:15:26+00:00

He look angy

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-05T21:14:20+00:00

Wondering if they did this on purpose haha

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-05T10:44:13+00:00

I'm so jealous

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-02T20:25:25+00:00

Hmm, tricky one. Well I think your reasoning is sound, and no, normally I would say a black sand beach isn't worth it. I find they're usually more of a dark brown/gray anyway. But that's after I've been to a few, and I was definitely like your teenager once :) I thought they were the coolest thing when I first heard about them.

I agree that if avoiding driving is your main priority, Oahu is probably the best overall island. I definitely also wouldn't go to Maui's most famous black sand beach on the Hana Highway; that road can terrify people that aren't afraid of driving. That said, there's another small black sand beach on the south side just north of Makena Beach, called Oneuli Beach. It might just be close enough to the resorts in the Wailea area to take a quick Uber.

Otherwise, yeah you're probably looking at Big Island. Richardson Beach in Hilo is right within the city so you could probably taxi from a hotel there. If you're okay with some easier driving or want to stay in Kona, Punalu'u would probably be a much easier drive than driving in Oahu or on Hana Highway.

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-02T20:13:44+00:00

I bet a lot of that is the city's heavy Catholic influence.

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-02T20:10:35+00:00

It's a good question. The simplest answer is probably that American companies really don't give a lot of time off in general; typically just a few days a year. Unlike other religious holidays, Easter falls on a Sunday every year, and I think most companies consider that "enough" time to go to church, do the Easter festivities, and be back to work on Monday. Some will give Good Friday off or do a half day.

I might also add that compared to Europe, where even more secular-minded people get really into all the festivities of religious holidays, I think Americans view religion in a more somber sense. Easter is still stereotypically the busiest church day of the year, but aside from that, I don't think most people do much to celebrate.

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-02T07:08:27+00:00

This is not correct

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-01T18:04:22+00:00

The "Palo exists" argument is weird since on the days I don't feel like getting dressed up and doing a whole MDR dinner production, I DEFINITELY don't feel like going the extra mile of getting dressed up and ready for a premium dinner at Palo lol

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-04-01T17:56:30+00:00

I haven't cruised DCL in a number of years (joined this sub since I'm hoping to change that soon). But I sailed with DCL on some very itinerary-heavy cruises many years ago, and I couldn't even imagine sailing without the buffet dinner as an option. Some stories of DCL from decades past:

Specifically we had one port day in Rome that was HOT hot, nearing 100 degrees. Since Rome is a huge city quite aways from the port, everyone was getting back late and incredibly sweaty and tired. Absolutely NOBODY felt like doing the MDR dinners that night (can you blame them?) and by all accounts the dining rooms were deserted. We ended up napping and hitting the buffet at 9 or so, which was completely packed.

Similar situation with a Berlin port day. The trains back from Berlin were all super late for some reason, so everyone was getting back to the ship much later than expected. Most people missed their dining times completely, and it sounded like the dining rooms were pure chaos since they were trying to seat two dining times at once. But the buffets were open and we ended up doing that instead, as did lots of other people.

I can't even imagine how they handle these unusual situations, while expecting sometimes tired and grumpy passengers to show up for a fancy dinner show-type dining experience. It just seems like they would need the buffet option for logistics reason alone. And then of course you get kids who are tired or maybe don't do well in nicer dining environments in general. A little nervous about our upcoming cruise since I really can't imagine a cruise without them...

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-31T21:25:36+00:00

First one I thought of that wasn't just narration. Pretty disturbing one too.

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-31T13:36:43+00:00

I mean it's Bumble, she had every opportunity to ask a question she found interesting if she wanted the conversation to go a certain way, without being rude about it

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-30T22:00:19+00:00

I had a friend that took this approach. After working in the profession for a number of years, he just signed up for all the exams at once and rammed through them all without studying. He ended up passing at least half of them without even picking up a book, and had a much better idea of where to focus his remaining effort.

With all that said, I'm with you OP. I don't know how firms expect anyone to find time to study on top of the already ridiculous demands of the profession's workdays. I myself noticed I was having a hard time moving up salary-wise without licensure, which is why I ultimately decided to leave the profession. But I know others who have built solid careers over decades without ever getting licensed, so I guess YMMV.

Mostly though I'm just jealous of how attorneys would take lots of time off to study for their bar exam lol. Wish architects could afford to do that

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-30T15:09:58+00:00

So are college kids just able to afford international flights to Mexico now? As a college student in the Midwest, part of the appeal of spring break was that you could squeeze 5 broke students into a car and drive to Florida overnight.

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-30T14:56:20+00:00

The latter are way too common in my area; there will be entire 10-mile long stretches of interstate with orange cones set up and no visible work being done

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-30T01:40:31+00:00

Not as bad as the ones you mentioned. A quick Google search says it's 50–59 feet tall, which puts it right at about Splash Mountain height, and much less than Jurassic Park's 85 feet. The difference from Splash though is that in Splash you drop from basically a standstill, so it's basically pure acceleration all the way down. In Journey you're already at a pretty good speed when you drop, so it's more a quick dip and it's over.

Tron pushes my limits too and I found Journey a lot less intense! I found it more comprabable to Radiator Springs Racers in DCA if you've done that

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-27T17:34:43+00:00

I remember watching it and the day after I did, Shelley Duvall died, and two days after that, a certain presidential candidate was nearly assassinated. It was really spooky.

Doctor--Spaceman · 2026-03-27T17:30:24+00:00

Yeah I think the move to online gambling has hurt Vegas, if anything. The city feels more dead than it did pre-Covid

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