A Spirited Perfect Ten

[GLaDOS]

The vibe of AK is the best on property. Even when it was crowded it wasn't stressful or chaotic, not like the MK, which is absolute misery.

I absolutely adore DAK, but on any day that is moderately crowded and hot, it certainly is misery.

Still, there is just so little to do there there's no justification for the prices. And no, if you have a theme park, and charging theme park prices, walking around and absorbing all the wonderful ambiance does not justify the prices. Like every new Dsney park in America they vigorously skimp on the attractions and focus pushing the park on its "newness" for a decade... Or longer. I am real excited for Avatar, but really, this expansion is a decade too late. This should be an addition to the expansion, not THE expansion.

Agreed. Avatar will be a nice expansion, but it still only does so much, and will probably be the last expansion there for another decade plus.

Really, it shows how poor the idea was to build DAK when they did and how they did. When it opened it opened with far too little at a time when MGM Studios was stagnating towards the disaster we see now and EPCOT was in the midst of a transformation it never really finished, leading to the confused park we have now.

 

[Funmeister]

it simply wasn't what anyone asked for or the public had a great need for.

Disney surveyed guests over the years and a park based on animals was always the most popular. In addition to taking business away from BG.

That is why they built it.

Your post is confusing though. You are comparing DAK to a zoo and criticizing them at the same time for a marketing campaign attempting to differentiate themselves from normal zoo?!?

The Nahtazu campaign dropped shortly after the park opened. The reason was not necessarily to say "Hey, we are not a zoo!"

This is part of the story of how Nahtazu came about.

During park previews (resort guests then eventually select public guests and corporate sponsors) there was no initiative or push to get guests to Africa to ride Kilimanjaro in the morning. What was happening was guests were going to other parts of the park (Dinoland, Camp MinnieMickey, etc.) and were not aware or bypassing many of the real animal areas. Africa sat empty every morning until right before lunch. Part of this is that guests were exploring the park and going to the first "land" they came across from the left or right which were non-animal areas. (Coming after the Oasis on Discovery Island).

This caused a knee jerk reaction that made management re-think how to get guests to Africa during the mornings.

They trained all CM's at Main Entrance, Guest Relations, Tickets and Parking to tell guests that the best time to see the animals was in the morning as that is when the are most active. (Not here to debate animal behavior...that is what was told) Information/DAK Preview locations were set up in the resorts to tell Disney guests to go to Africa first to see the animals. It was a pretty big effort.

This caused the crowds to funnel into Africa causing the wait times for Kilimanjaro to quickly go over a 120 minute wait. Complaints rolled into Guest Relations regarding wait times.

There was a huge "uh oh" moment.

After the first few weeks, CM's were told to stop telling guests since telling them was no longer needed. Now they had the problem of Africa being overwhelmed and other areas of the park sitting empty (not completely but enough).

Part of the reason why Nahtazu was launched was to try to re-educate the public that you DO NOT have to see the animals in the morning without telling them that. They figured by focusing on other non-animal aspects of the park through marketing it would undo the "animals-in-the-morning" word of mouth campaign.

Sure, there were plans for a marketing push but Nahtazu was not necessarily the original plan.

 

[Shaman]

My last visit, I found the paths on Discovery Island narrow and crowded. I think they'll need more work if they expect more crowds...particularly the path between Island Mercantile and Harambe bridge. Walkways need to be revisited throughout the park.

 

[BrerJon]

Sure, there were plans for a marketing push but Nahtazu was not necessarily the original plan.

Great post, I love park history stuff like this, and it's gems like this that make WDWMagic a much more educational forum to participate in than most other sites.

 

[TimeTrip]

My last visit, I found the paths on Discovery Island narrow and crowded. I think they'll need more work if they expect more crowds...particularly the path between Island Mercantile and Harambe bridge. Walkways need to be revisited throughout the park.

I still don't understand why the walkways are so narrow given it's their fourth go at a park in Florida. They're still too narrow even if they weren't historically doing parades.

 

[Funmeister]

IMHO DAK is the best park to go to when it is lightly raining. (As long as you do not mind getting wet and be smart not to walk about during lightning storms)

It is visually stunning but most people run for cover and really miss out on this aspect of the park.

 

[Shaman]

I still don't understand why the walkways are so narrow given it's their fourth go at a park in Florida. They're still too narrow even if they weren't historically doing parades.

They got it right at Epcot. The theme at AK probably calls for narrow walkways in the trees, and it does add to the feel, but on a moderately crowded day some areas are a mess. That bridge from the Oasis to Discovery Island is horrible to navigate sometimes, especially with folks posing for pictures.

 

[Mike S]

IMHO DAK is the best park to go to when it is lightly raining. (As long as you do not mind getting wet and be smart not to walk about during lightning storms)

It is visually stunning but most people run for cover and really miss out on this aspect of the park.

Speaking of something looking good in the rain,

 

[SYRIK2000]

They should reconsider the original idea for an area with fantastical beasts. This could be a differentiator if done well.

 

[Funmeister]

My last visit, I found the paths on Discovery Island narrow and crowded. I think they'll need more work if they expect more crowds...particularly the path between Island Mercantile and Harambe bridge. Walkways need to be revisited throughout the park.

They have already widened (and re-widened) most of the walkways on Discovery Island. Next time you are there look at the edge of the pathway and you will see a distinct line and the concrete does not quite match. It does not look bad but you can see where they have already expanded the walkways.

Not too much more they can do unless they start ripping out planters and smaller paths which would ruin that area of the park. Not that they have not already removed trees and walkways before to pour concrete. *See Magic Kingdom hub

 

[Frankie The Beer]

Nice day for investors, stock market booming. DIS up over 2 dollars early, Comcast FINALLY over the $60 dollar per share mark. I promised myself when CMCSA got over $60 I would sell every share I owned and sold all 4077. With the street rocking, great day to sell today!

 

[PhotoDave219]

Speaking of something looking good in the rain,
View attachment 97497

Just sayin, There are Universal Forums on this site and others for a reason.....

 

[PhotoDave219]

Nice day for investors, stock market booming. DIS up over 2 dollars early, Comcast FINALLY over the $60 dollar per share mark. I promised myself when CMCSA got over $60 I would sell every share I owned and sold all 4077. With the street booming, great day to sell today!

So..... this means you can finally afford 3 days at the all-stars?

(Seriously tho, awesome.)

 

[Frankie The Beer]

So..... this means you can finally afford 3 days at the all-stars?

(Seriously tho, awesome.)

Its getting that way isn't it? I just looked at a Christmas week vacation and my jaw dropped. Its getting a little silly. Disneyland is not much better in terms of pricing.

 

[Shaman]

They have already widened (and re-widened) most of the walkways on Discovery Island. Next time you are there look at the edge of the pathway and you will see a distinct line and the concrete does not quite match. It does not look bad but you can see where they have already expanded the walkways.

Not too much more they can do unless they start ripping out planters and smaller paths which would ruin that area of the park. Not that they have not already removed trees and walkways before to pour concrete. *See Magic Kingdom hub

I was there a couple of weeks ago. I think more work is needed. Hopefully not at the expense of the trees. Pandora will add walkway...but it will also bring crowds. Hopefully they add some connection to the exit.

Its getting that way isn't it? I just looked at a Christmas week vacation and my jaw dropped. Its getting a little silly. Disneyland is not much better in terms of pricing.

Better experiences out there for much cheaper. I vowed a long time ago to avoid WDW the last two weeks of a year. Brutal. Expensive, crowded...the fireworks on NYE were nice but....

 

[rael ramone]

I think Disney would be fine. DHS shows that a park can still function without attractions, so they would just close much of the parks, have skeleton staff and management running a few things to keep people entertained, and deploy the full force of international CPs - who have to work 30 hours a week or legally will be deported, and would gain nothing from Disney improving labour conditions - to cover the bases. It would be messy, but do-able.

Also how many domestic CPs on month two of a three month program are going to risk termination for the sake of a pay rise coming into effect long after they've left?

Strikes can have an effect in companies where most people are permanent, but with as many transitory short-term CMs as Disney has, it would be much harder to pull off effectively.

I can picture the MK with everything closed off except Main St, and the handful of management on hand trying to entertain the shoulder-to-shoulder masses with a sing-a-long...

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Its getting that way isn't it? I just looked at a Christmas week vacation and my jaw dropped. Its getting a little silly. Disneyland is not much better in terms of pricing.

The difference is that staying onsite at Disneyland is not necessary in any way, shape or form. You can stay in a lovely four star hotel nearby for under a $100/night (Priceline is great for this) instead of the ridiculous prices they charge for the three onsite hotels.

I highly recommend visiting DLR and SoCal - but I don't recommend staying at a Disney hotel. There isn't a universe where they're worth what they charge, and the upsides are nil.

 

[xdan0920]

Obviously interests matter. I'm saying I myself don't understand why anyone would travel to certain states just to see one thing. I like to explore, so I personally don't see the fun in just visiting one place, but I understand the significance. In saying that, i find it hard to believe one couldn't visit California without finding at least one thing to do besides Disneyland.

Believe it. I've done it, went to California, only went to DL. Had no desire to go anywhere else.

 

[SYRIK2000]

I can picture the MK with everything closed off except Main St, and the handful of management on hand trying to entertain the shoulder-to-shoulder masses with a sing-a-long...

Well think about it.
They raise prices every year, close attractions with no replacements, do not invest in the parks and are reducing the cost of employees. What are the results.

Attendance goes up.

They won't change those practices until they have to.

Granted they could probably make more money with investments in the parks but that is always a gamble.

 

[Cesar R M]

I actually came across a "Furries" convention by chance....not by choice. It was interesting but not my cup 'o tea!

I have been to one because I wanted to meet a voice actor I really wanted to meet.

Trust me, you've seen NOTHING.
It gets worse.