New themed pavement in Adventureland?

[HauntedPirate]

Was not impressed at all by the new concrete in Adventureland. It's rather rough, so those with mobility issues, wheelchairs, strollers, etc., may not be terribly happy about rolling over this "authentic improvement". YMMV. I know my mother-in-law, in particular, would have to be rather careful walking on it.

 

[JohnD]

Superfluous placemaking is more important than fixing a necessary component integral to the story of an attraction

What is supposed to be the point of this? Like, how is haphazardly colored concrete "themed"?

Was not impressed at all by the new concrete in Adventureland. It's rather rough, so those with mobility issues, wheelchairs, strollers, etc., may not be terribly happy about rolling over this "authentic improvement". YMMV. I know my mother-in-law, in particular, would have to be rather careful walking on it.

WDW can't catch a break. Here, pavement theming gets poo poohed. Meanwhile on a parallel thread right now about the refurbed exterior of The Plaza restaurant, people are decrying the security cameras that are screwing up the theming around WDW. Damned if they do. Damned if they don't.

 

[Incomudro]

I love the new pavement!

 

[CoasterFan27]

WDW can't catch a break. Here, pavement theming gets poo poohed. Meanwhile on a parallel thread right now about the refurbed exterior of The Plaza restaurant, people are decrying the security cameras that are screwing up the theming around WDW. Damned if they do. Damned if they don't.

It'd almost be funny if it wasn't real haha. Some people just need to whine about everything I guess, and it kills the community. I'd be more engaged if every other post wasn't acting like the parks are in ruin.

Perhaps some peeps need to check out other parks for some perspective.

 

[John park hopper]

No one will see it they are to busy on their phones --who is gonna look down?

 

[J4546]

Also shout out to another small project that has a big impact imo, the Drink Me Alice in Wonderland waterfilling station. Was there a station already there that they just rethemed or is it all new?

 

[ToTBellHop]

Also shout out to another small project that has a big impact imo, the Drink Me Alice in Wonderland waterfilling station. Was there a station already there that they just rethemed or is it all new?

I thought that was DL?

 

[spectromagic04]

Was not impressed at all by the new concrete in Adventureland. It's rather rough, so those with mobility issues, wheelchairs, strollers, etc., may not be terribly happy about rolling over this "authentic improvement". YMMV. I know my mother-in-law, in particular, would have to be rather careful walking on it.

Well you might not want to go to Animal Kingdom then because the concrete is the same. Don't see many complaining about it at Animal Kingdom like they’re with this.

 

[peter11435]

Was not impressed at all by the new concrete in Adventureland. It's rather rough, so those with mobility issues, wheelchairs, strollers, etc., may not be terribly happy about rolling over this "authentic improvement". YMMV. I know my mother-in-law, in particular, would have to be rather careful walking on it.

There’s been concrete like this in other areas of Adventureland for decades. It’s also found in Fantasyland, parts of Frontierland, almost all of Animal Kingdom, and parts of both DHS and Epcot

 

[utilidors]

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" - Jurassic Park

Yes, this pavement looks more realistic. But at some point, I think it's important to pull back and question if stuff like this is (1) the best use of resources, and (2) a good idea regardless of point (1).

Magic Kingdom has always been a fantasized (i.e., not entirely historically accurate) version of real worlds from real times (well, I'll have to ask you to give me the benefit of the doubt with Tomorrowland!). Main Street is set in an 1890's small mid-western American town. It avoids showing the dark side reality of the Gilded Age where 11 million of 12 million families were below the poverty line, and crime and filth were common.

Draw a line from 0 to 1, where 0 is fiction and 1 is non-fiction (i.e., reality) -- an intentional crack line in pavement gradually takes Adventureland a little farther from 0 and a bit closer to 1. I think everyone would recognize that the extreme point along that continuum -- where Adventureland has boarded up windows and (intentionally) has mosquitos everywhere -- is going too far.

...But I'd argue that the point of "going too far" hovers not terribly far from intentional cracks in pavement.

 

[HauntedPirate]

There’s been concrete like this in other areas of Adventureland for decades. It’s also found in Fantasyland, parts of Frontierland, almost all of Animal Kingdom, and parts of both DHS and Epcot

That there is. I remember hating pushing a stroller on it, at AK in particular, but we did it. Epcot and DHS never seemed terribly problematic, for whatever reason.

 

[HauntedPirate]

WDW can't catch a break. Here, pavement theming gets poo poohed. Meanwhile on a parallel thread right now about the refurbed exterior of The Plaza restaurant, people are decrying the security cameras that are screwing up the theming around WDW. Damned if they do. Damned if they don't.

You should go read my comments about the Plaza refurb.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

WDW can't catch a break. Here, pavement theming gets poo poohed. Meanwhile on a parallel thread right now about the refurbed exterior of The Plaza restaurant, people are decrying the security cameras that are screwing up the theming around WDW. Damned if they do. Damned if they don't.

There are some people on this forum who genuinely and thoroughly offer criticism, and it comes from a place of genuine desire to talk and discuss.

There are also some who just actually hate this company and the parks now and will find something to hate about absolutely everything, no matter how innocuous. Every single thing will be wrong to them. There will be nothing done that they consider correct.

It is unfortunate that the latter group makes the former have to walk on pins and needles to express how they genuinely feel when that group never wants to just be negative just because. It’s especially unfortunate how draining of an environment the latter group makes the whole forum.

This thread is mostly pretty fair, and I feel more in line with the former group than the latter group thankfully. The ADA comment especially seems a reasonable thought, even if I personally find the pavement beautiful. But it is a rare thread that hasn’t been taken over by that one group, so enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

There are some people on this forum who genuinely and thoroughly offer criticism, and it comes from a place of genuine desire to talk and discuss.

There are also some who just actually hate this company and the parks now and will find something to hate about absolutely everything, no matter how innocuous. Every single thing will be wrong to them. There will be nothing done that they consider correct.

It is unfortunate that the latter group makes the former have to walk on pins and needles to express how they genuinely feel when that group never wants to just be negative just because. It’s especially unfortunate how draining of an environment the latter group makes the whole forum.

This thread is mostly pretty fair, and I feel more in line with the former group than the latter group thankfully. The ADA comment especially seems a reasonable thought, even if I personally find the pavement beautiful. But it is a rare thread that hasn’t been taken over by that one group, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Yes, I think I was actually the one who complained about the exposed cameras at WDW. The ones on the Mexico Pavilion have always particularly bothered me. Epcot in particular was always the kind of place where rocks would open up and show infrastructure would appear rather than it just sitting out there exposed with no attempt to hide it.

I think this is great, though, and exactly the sort of refreshing that adds new details that they should be doing.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" - Jurassic Park

Yes, this pavement looks more realistic. But at some point, I think it's important to pull back and question if stuff like this is (1) the best use of resources, and (2) a good idea regardless of point (1).

Magic Kingdom has always been a fantasized (i.e., not entirely historically accurate) version of real worlds from real times (well, I'll have to ask you to give me the benefit of the doubt with Tomorrowland!). Main Street is set in an 1890's small mid-western American town. It avoids showing the dark side reality of the Gilded Age where 11 million of 12 million families were below the poverty line, and crime and filth were common.

Draw a line from 0 to 1, where 0 is fiction and 1 is non-fiction (i.e., reality) -- an intentional crack line in pavement gradually takes Adventureland a little farther from 0 and a bit closer to 1. I think everyone would recognize that the extreme point along that continuum -- where Adventureland has boarded up windows and (intentionally) has mosquitos everywhere -- is going too far.

...But I'd argue that the point of "going too far" hovers not terribly far from intentional cracks in pavement.

This is crazy!

 

[Incomudro]

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" - Jurassic Park

Yes, this pavement looks more realistic. But at some point, I think it's important to pull back and question if stuff like this is (1) the best use of resources, and (2) a good idea regardless of point (1).

Magic Kingdom has always been a fantasized (i.e., not entirely historically accurate) version of real worlds from real times (well, I'll have to ask you to give me the benefit of the doubt with Tomorrowland!). Main Street is set in an 1890's small mid-western American town. It avoids showing the dark side reality of the Gilded Age where 11 million of 12 million families were below the poverty line, and crime and filth were common.

Draw a line from 0 to 1, where 0 is fiction and 1 is non-fiction (i.e., reality) -- an intentional crack line in pavement gradually takes Adventureland a little farther from 0 and a bit closer to 1. I think everyone would recognize that the extreme point along that continuum -- where Adventureland has boarded up windows and (intentionally) has mosquitos everywhere -- is going too far.

...But I'd argue that the point of "going too far" hovers not terribly far from intentional cracks in pavement.

That's what you got out of some themed pavement?

 

[utilidors]

That's what you got out of some themed pavement?

Yes. It's not the best use of resources and doesn't improve the experience in any measurable way for any single guest.

This is crazy!

My counterarguments to the points you raise:

1.

 

[peter11435]

Yes. It's not the best use of resources and doesn't improve the experience in any measurable way for any single guest.


My counterarguments to the points you raise:

1.

The concrete needed replaced anyway so there really isn’t any waste of resources.

I don’t think you speak for every guest when you claim that it doesn’t improve the experience for any of them.

 

[utilidors]

The concrete needed replaced anyway so there really isn’t any waste of resources.

I don’t think you speak for every guest when you claim that it doesn’t improve the experience for any of them.

With all due respect, I think that makes two of us.

I think as fans, we need to pull back sometimes and realize that we notice things that 99% of the park's visitor base does not notice.

That leads sometimes to criticism that probably isn't deserved, like when a single light bulb is out. I don't think it's fair to expect perfection. But when greater resources are being spent on something of questionable value to the typical guest when there are much bigger things that should probably be addressed first, I think it's okay to point that out. The pavement isn't just being replaced, it's being converted into something designed to be more realistic. That changes the theme even if it's just incremental. I know I'm in the minority of folks -- in the Animal Kingdom, I can point out tons of examples where Disney did a fantastic job of making you feel like you're in a certain place, like in the soon to be former Dinoland where there are intentional cracks in asphalt pavement. It nails the theme. It's just not a theme that I enjoy as much as a more whimsical setting where I don't have to look at cracks that remind me of my morning commute to work.

You don't have to agree with me and that's fine. But even if you disagree, respectfully, I can point out pavement in other places that are far worse and probably deserve to be higher up the replacement queue.

 

[peter11435]

With all due respect, I think that makes two of us.

I’m not the one here attempting to speak for everyone. The content in this very thread should be enough to prove to you that your statement that it “doesn't improve the experience in any measurable way for any single guest” is false.