Voyage of the Little Mermaid is done, won't reopen with the parks.

[UNCgolf]

Maybe so but IMO I would take rides like the Hulk over anything Disney has. Then again I love roller coasters more then slow moving dark rides.

I don't think that's what most people are looking for at Disney, because you can go to any number of parks and get a ton of rides like the Hulk. I go to Disney because of the dark rides, elaborate theming, etc. -- otherwise I'd just go to the Six Flags 30 minutes from me that has 10 or more roller coasters that are bigger and more intense than anything at Disney.

Disney can't compete with those types of parks in terms of roller coasters/thrill rides and they probably never will. I don't think it really makes sense for them to even chase that market when they're already so far behind so many others.

 

[bryanfze55]

TDO specifically and the US parks generally are allergic to spending money.

Those parks are more able to coast on legacy, nostalgia, and the dozens of great attractions built 25+ years ago.

 

[brb1006]

Am I the only person here that actually likes the Mermaid ride?

I just wish the ride looked more like this.

 

[brb1006]

The minimal use of Tangled in the parks is criminal. I get the cry of not wanting more IP but Tangled is such a perfect fit for theme park application that it's crazy that all we have is a appearance in a parade, a couple random meet and greets and a bathroom.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Disneyland is already creating a ride for Tangled, a new ride for Peter Pan, and a first ride for BATB.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Those parks are more able to coast on legacy, nostalgia, and the dozens of great attractions built 25+ years ago.

And then people wonder why, until very recently, all the best recent stuff was built overseas.

Why build the best stuff here if people will take to YouTube and hype things like FEA as the greatest thing ever?

 

[UNCgolf]

Am I the only person here that actually likes the Mermaid ride?

I know it sounds like I absolutely hate it, but it's fine to ride as a walk-on. It could certainly be worse. It could also be much better though (and should be). Even the order of the scenes in the ride doesn't make any sense, and so much of it just looks cheap.

I think it benefits from the same thing that hinders NRJ, though. People never have to wait to ride it, which makes it far easier to enjoy. If Little Mermaid had 90 minute waits, I think at least some of the people that currently like it would consider it a gigantic waste of time.

 

[bryanfze55]

TDO specifically and the US parks generally are allergic to spending money.

To be fair, Disney tried going cheap with Hong Kong. It opened with a half dozen rides and eventually had to build a couple really great rides to make up for it. Cute park though.

They’re all run rather cheap in comparison to Tokyo.

 

[brb1006]

I mean, shows shouldn't last 30 years. JMO. And if they do ... UPGRADE them.

And because of the way the show is presented, I don't find Festival of The Lion King dated at all. I see it EVERY time I'm in Animal Kingdom.

I wish WDW and DL took a page out of Tokyo Disneyland's style by creating a brand new stage show every couple of years. Not to mention they get newer holidays shows and parades. Then again Tokyo Disney Resort is popular with locals and operated by OLC.

 

[PiratesMansion]

To be fair, Disney tried going cheap with Hong Kong. It opened with a half dozen rides and eventually had to build a couple really great rides to make up for it. Cute park though.

They’re all run rather cheap in comparison to Tokyo.

Oh absolutely. And they've been paying for it ever since. You can see from Shanghai that they learned their lesson!

But Hong Kong is among the most aggressive at expanding and fixing their problems. They have to be if they want to survive.

It's the exact opposite of WDW's situation, really.

 

[UNCgolf]

I wish WDW and DL took a page out of Tokyo Disneyland's style by creating a brand new stage show every couple of years. Not to mention they get newer holidays shows and parades. Then again Tokyo Disney Resort is popular with locals and operated by OLC.

I think the original plan for DHS was to have new stages shows every year or two (@marni1971 could probably confirm or tell me I'm wrong). I know they had several different shows early on that would run for 6 months or so before creating the Little Mermaid and BATB shows that have now lasted forever.

My guess is they decided it cost far too much money to regularly develop a new show and gave up on that idea quickly.

 

[brb1006]

Meh. It was a decent show, but definitely ran longer than it should have.

And frankly, it's hard to defend the fact that they ran it for so long with no updates when in Tokyo, they were running this show...and this one has subsequently been replaced!

In terms of the Disney v. Universal discussion, I think that if all of Universal's work as of late was on par with the Harry Potter stuff, they'd be winning the "theme park wars", but frankly most of what they've done since Diagon have been lazy screen attractions. Disney's attractions, on average, have been more successful, if not perfect, since the last Potter expansion.

Which lineup you like better is subjective, but Disney has a more balanced collection of attractions. One of the problems of Universal is that everything is so FULL THROTTLE!!!11!1 that there's not really anything relaxing or ambient, whereas Disney has a better balance of thrill vs. non thrill attractions, and the balance will remain better even if Disney rushes in a bunch of thrill rides tomorrow. I get that Universal's staked their brand on constant adrenaline rushes and sensory overload, but there should be something to relax and catch your breath on besides seeing a show or riding ET.

That Ursula head is HUGE!

 

[brb1006]

Those parks are more able to coast on legacy, nostalgia, and the dozens of great attractions built 25+ years ago.

Helps that the old guard of WDI were very helpful with OLC during the development of Tokyo Disneyland which they kept on doing for almost 30 years now. This is the type of stuff that WDW used to today decades ago.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

I think the original plan for DHS was to have new stages shows every year or two (@marni1971 could probably confirm or tell me I'm wrong). I know they had several different shows early on that would run for 6 months or so before creating the Little Mermaid and BATB shows that have now lasted forever.

My guess is they decided it cost far too much money to regularly develop a new show and gave up on that idea quickly.

Were the plans to replace little mermaid before this? What kind of show could have replaced it?

 

[brb1006]

And then people wonder why, until very recently, all the best recent stuff was built overseas.

Why build the best stuff here if people will take to YouTube and hype things like FEA as the greatest thing ever?

I remember watching one of the later episodes of "The Imagineering Story" on Disney+ months ago. After the opening of SEA, the narrator says that the Imagineers had much more creative freedom with rides and attractions at Tokyo Disney Resort compared to the US Parks (circa 2001). Especially since they were getting closer to the opening of "Walt Disney Studios Park" at Disneyland Paris.

 

[bryanfze55]

Oh absolutely. And they've been paying for it ever since. You can see from Shanghai that they learned their lesson!

But Hong Kong is among the most aggressive at expanding and fixing their problems. They have to be if they want to survive.

It's the exact opposite of WDW's situation, really.

Idk man. When we look back on it, the period from 2012-2021 will have brought a ton of new rides to WDW. If that kind of expansion happened at a foreign park, it would be applauded. I have no doubt. Now, the quality of those new rides may be all over the board - but that’s a different question. I think the only reason the parks still feel stagnant is because they were even more under-built ten years ago.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Were the plans to replace little mermaid before this? What kind of show could have replaced it?

Studios used to have a lot of shows that were current / with the times. Over the years that has included full theatre shows for Pocahontas, Hunchback, Doug, who wants to be a millionaire, American idol and outdoor entertainment shows for Teenage Turtles, Ace Ventura, Toy Story Soldiers, Power Rangers.

 

[brb1006]

To be fair, Disney tried going cheap with Hong Kong. It opened with a half dozen rides and eventually had to build a couple really great rides to make up for it. Cute park though.

They’re all run rather cheap in comparison to Tokyo.

I believe Hong Kong Disneyland made up for their park being mostly clones of Disneyland/WDW's attraction with the opening of Mystic Manor.

 

[brb1006]

Studios used to have a lot of shows that were current / with the times. Over the years that has included full theatre shows for Pocahontas, Hunchback, Doug, who wants to be a millionaire, American idol and outdoor entertainment shows for Teenage Turtles, Ace Ventura, Toy Story Soldiers, Power Rangers.

Not to mention DHS used to create brand new parades to promote an upcoming release of an animated film from Disney or Pixar. (Toy Story Parade, Mulan Parade, and the Hercules Parade.) The last daytime parade was "Stars And Motor Cars Parade" which moved to Disneyland Paris at their studio park. Block Party Bash doesn't count.

 

[bryanfze55]

I believe Hong Kong Disneyland made up for their park being mostly clones of Disneyland/WDW's attraction with the opening of Mystic Manor.

Being clones wasn’t the issue. I’d prefer clones over the crap they have in Shanghai. The issue was it opened with a half dozen rides. It’s a good full day park now, though, but I’m just pointing out this idea that Disney bathes their foreign parks in money is hogwash. They absolutely tried going cheap in Hong Kong. Tokyo is different, because OLC is willing to spend money in ways that Disney never will.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Idk man. When we look back on it, the period from 2012-2021 will have brought a ton of new rides to WDW. If that kind of expansion happened at a foreign park, it would be applauded. I have no doubt. Now, the quality of those new rides may be all over the board - but that’s a different question. I think the only reason the parks still feel stagnant is because they were even more under-built ten years ago.

To each their own. I don't see much to applaud them for pre-Pandora, and I think Ratatouille and Tron are both the most overrated attractions from their respective resorts. While I never loved GMR, I think the decision to replace it instead of building MMRR was incredibly short-sighted in a park that has always been attraction starved. Ditto Frozen & Maelstrom. TSL are two barely-disguised off the shelf rides. Even if ROTR really lives up to the hype, I still don't know if I'd say the clear winner of the past decade has been WDW.

What are your issues with Shanghai's lineup? The park has issues, sure, but the attractions aren't included in that IMO; the only attraction that's outright bad is Crystal Grotto.