A Spirited Perfect Ten

[Cesar R M]

So, guest satisfaction will rise,

 

[Piebald]

My concern with both TSMM and Soarin's expansions is that WDW has the priorities wrong, even if their heart is in the right place.

Sure, getting 1/3 more people through each attraction is a good thing; but, the end result is after the guest is done the same problem that caused the initial issues with the high demand for both attractions - what other "alternatives" are there to do?

In some ways, these expansions may compound the overall problem the resort has with that "alternative" to doing something in TSMM or Soarin's park may likely mean head over to the MK. This will definitely be an issue at DHS, where 1/3 more people knocking out TSMM quicker will cause more to head towards the gates. EPCOT will likely not have as much of an issue, especially with the underfunded Frozen attraction coming online next year and historically, EPCOT can still keep its crowds.

The priority of these capacity expansions is all wrong in my opinion. The priority should be to get compelling reasons to stay at each of these parks longer and not ways to get through the park quicker. At least at this point in time. If the mythical expansions come and each park can hold guests captive for a day - then ultimately, they both serve their purpose.

My larger fears are these expansions come in the worst way possible. The come in the form of being a compelling enough draw that new vacations are planned and scheduled; but, the amount of guests drawn to the resort and the parks with the expansions aren't offset by the native amount of capacity each land will generate. When Star Wars land comes, it better come with at least 3/4 of a day worth of compelling reasons to be at DHS.

Not to again rub WDW's nose into their competition down I-4; but, Universal Studios knew that Diagon Alley was going to bring in the crowds. They laid the foundation for what was going to be needed to satisfy that parks attendance bump for Potter by making sure that the capacity guzzling Transformers and plussed out Springfield could keep those new Potter guests satisfied. The last thing they wanted was all those Potterheads to knock out the Alley and Gringotts and jump the train back to IoA. They have successfully made Universal Orlando Resort a guaranteed complelling multiday visit with the added bonus of additional revenue from the need to park hop to experience it all.

All in all, the pessimist in me says that the TSMM and Soarin' capacity expansions serve as nothing more than the opportunity to put more FP+ reservations in the pipe, which in an of itself serves as the ultimate method of slowing guests down from completing a resort. "But, sweetheart, we can't leave now - we have a TSMM FP for later today".

You conveyed my thoughts on another post more eloquently where I stated that Disney has become so horribly crowded that I find myself going, walking around hoping wait times are short and just going home when I realize even TTA has a wait. The only thing this will do will make the lines slightly shorter for two rides in two parks with barely anything to do (DHS much more so than Epcot)

 

[TomP]

I agree, the message in the past would have been about a company full of ideals, ideas and imagination. Now its all about the "multibillion".

This is the biggest reason I haven't been to WDW in two years. Their current version of a "company full of ideals, ideas and imagination" no longer meets MY expectations.

 

[Goofyernmost]

The average 77-year-old Chinese woman could probably put a fanboi on the ground with a stiff arm.

To be fair, I never really noticed that being a problem at HKDL ... but with the influx of more mainlanders things may well be worse now.

I do know that many friends went to the Expo in Shanghai in 2010 and all had horror stories of pushing and shoving and no line order at all. I think that's something Disney is up against in Shanghai ... well, that and the fact that most people there simply have no idea what the Disney BRAND is.

Back in 1970 while in Osaka at the Worlds Fair and then in Tokyo that was the scene while in transit from Osaka to Tokyo. I was in line to buy a ticket for the Bullet Train and tiny little old (and I do mean old) men and women were constantly shoving me out of the way so they could get ahead of me in line. How they have managed to control that impulse at TDL is a mystery. Seems to be quite traditional on the Asian Continent.

I am just very disgusted by Florida. I am sticking to my sofa as I type this.

I think that I can safely say that this was a bit of information that all of us could have easily done without.

 

[bhg469]

You conveyed my thoughts on another post more eloquently where I stated that Disney has become so horribly crowded that I find myself going, walking around hoping wait times are short and just going home when I realize even TTA has a wait. The only thing this will do will make the lines slightly shorter for two rides in two parks with barely anything to do (DHS much more so than Epcot)

Surely you planned every minute of your visit with the mm+ app!

 

[FigmentJedi]

 

[BrerJon]

Back in 1970 while in Osaka at the Worlds Fair and then in Tokyo that was the scene while in transit from Osaka to Tokyo. I was in line to buy a ticket for the Bullet Train and tiny little old (and I do mean old) men and women were constantly shoving me out of the way so they could get ahead of me in line. How they have managed to control that impulse at TDL is a mystery. Seems to be quite traditional on the Asian Continent.

Things have certainly changed in Japan now. At the shinkansen stations everyone waits in very orderly pre-arranged lines, even if the train isn't due for ages, and in TDL - apart from the initial morning stampede for Fastpasses - the lines are very orderly and respectful. You don't get the whole 'excuse me, excuse me, joining my party, excuse me...' nonsense that you get in the US parks.

 

[GoofGoof]

True. But the Door Coaster was supposed to go where the third track is going.

Now, that project died in 2008 and wasn't ever likely coming back. But I think most people would have enjoyed that more than added capacity to a ride thru video game.

Even so, there is a whole lot of open space right behind and next to that building. Plenty of room to build the door coaster too if they really wanted to. My only point is that DHS and WDW in general should never have to choose between attractions based on available land.

 

[mahnamahna101]

My concern with both TSMM and Soarin's expansions is that WDW has the priorities wrong, even if their heart is in the right place.

Sure, getting 1/3 more people through each attraction is a good thing; but, the end result is after the guest is done the same problem that caused the initial issues with the high demand for both attractions - what other "alternatives" are there to do?

In some ways, these expansions may compound the overall problem the resort has with that "alternative" to doing something in TSMM or Soarin's park may likely mean head over to the MK. This will definitely be an issue at DHS, where 1/3 more people knocking out TSMM quicker will cause more to head towards the gates. EPCOT will likely not have as much of an issue, especially with the underfunded Frozen attraction coming online next year and historically, EPCOT can still keep its crowds.

The priority of these capacity expansions is all wrong in my opinion. The priority should be to get compelling reasons to stay at each of these parks longer and not ways to get through the park quicker. At least at this point in time. If the mythical expansions come and each park can hold guests captive for a day - then ultimately, they both serve their purpose.

My larger fears are these expansions come in the worst way possible. The come in the form of being a compelling enough draw that new vacations are planned and scheduled; but, the amount of guests drawn to the resort and the parks with the expansions aren't offset by the native amount of capacity each land will generate. When Star Wars land comes, it better come with at least 3/4 of a day worth of compelling reasons to be at DHS.

Not to again rub WDW's nose into their competition down I-4; but, Universal Studios knew that Diagon Alley was going to bring in the crowds. They laid the foundation for what was going to be needed to satisfy that parks attendance bump for Potter by making sure that the capacity guzzling Transformers and plussed out Springfield could keep those new Potter guests satisfied. The last thing they wanted was all those Potterheads to knock out the Alley and Gringotts and jump the train back to IoA. They have successfully made Universal Orlando Resort a guaranteed complelling multiday visit with the added bonus of additional revenue from the need to park hop to experience it all.

All in all, the pessimist in me says that the TSMM and Soarin' capacity expansions serve as nothing more than the opportunity to put more FP+ reservations in the pipe, which in an of itself serves as the ultimate method of slowing guests down from completing a resort. "But, sweetheart, we can't leave now - we have a TSMM FP for later today".

Yes^^^

And then it continues repeating. Kong... Star Trek... Avengers... Jimmy Fallon or Wicked (Twister replacement)... Fast and Furious... Grinch/Lorax... Jurassic World... LOTR... Universal appears to be slowly building towards a resort worth spending 3-5 days at without even looking towards WDW.

With 3 full-day theme parks, 1 full-day water-park, 10-12 hotels, 2 shopping/eating districts, a resort-wide transit... Universal may not be even close to Disney's size, but they'll be almost on par with WDW in 10 to 15 yrs unless TDO makes some serious improvements to Epcot, DHS and (to lesser degrees) AK and MK.

 

[SJN1279]

Yes^^^

And then it continues repeating. Kong... Star Trek... Avengers... Jimmy Fallon or Wicked (Twister replacement)... Fast and Furious... Grinch/Lorax... Jurassic World... LOTR... Universal appears to be slowly building towards a resort worth spending 3-5 days at without even looking towards WDW.

With 3 full-day theme parks, 1 full-day water-park, 10-12 hotels, 2 shopping/eating districts, a resort-wide transit... Universal may not be even close to Disney's size, but they'll be almost on par with WDW in 10 to 15 yrs unless TDO makes some serious improvements to Epcot, DHS and (to lesser degrees) AK and MK.

The only confirmed attraction is Kong.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The only confirmed attraction is Kong.

And you would have told us nothing have being built until just a few days ago.

 

[FigmentJedi]

The only confirmed attraction is Kong.

Plus with the construction of Kong, isn't Jurassic Park almost entirely boxed in now?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Plus with the construction of Kong, isn't Jurassic Park almost entirely boxed in now?

There is still the rather sizable Triceratops site.

 

[FigmentJedi]

There is still the rather sizable Triceratops site.

True, but I've always felt that to be sorely underused/underappreciated. I mean, I've always thought it was a nifty experience to get up close with a rather convincing dinosaur. It definitely feels more like that Jurassic Park-y wonder then not-Tom Sawyer Island.

If they decided to repurpose Triceratops/Camp Jurassic into Gyroballs, would be great if they repurposed some of that Triceratops experience stuff for a version of that Gentle Giants Petting Zoo in Jurassic World

 

[BrerJon]

There is still the rather sizable Triceratops site.

If Toon Lagoon undergoes a change of theme, I could see Popeye closing and the land being used to expand JP too. It would be a big job, but no bigger than turning Jaws into Diagon Alley was.

So that and the Triceratops area would give them two Jurassic expansion pads to play with.

 

[lazyboy97o]

True, but I've always felt that to be sorely underused/underappreciated. I mean, I've always thought it was a nifty experience to get up close with a rather convincing dinosaur. It definitely feels more like that Jurassic Park-y wonder then not-Tom Sawyer Island.

If they decided to repurpose Triceratops/Camp Jurassic into Gyroballs, would be great if they repurposed some of that Triceratops experience stuff for a version of that Gentle Giants Petting Zoo in Jurassic World

The Triceratops Encounter has not been open for some time. As neat as it was, it seems clear that its brief revival was the last time it was to be seen.

 

[tirian]

So, today's alleged 'news' was the additional capacity to both Soarin (which I believe I said was likely what ... two years ago now?) and TSMM.

And people here were censored on the Disney Parks Blog? How awful. But feel free to email Jennifer.J.Fickley@disney.com or Thomas.Smith@Disney.com to tell them how you feel about that. They love the fans. I do have their office and cell numbers as well, but I don't know how MAGICal Steve feels about posting those.

How do I feel about them? The moves not the PR hacks ...

Well, thanks for asking. I guess it is another example of showing that FP+ doesn't work like it was advertised because folks aren't deciding to FP the EPCOT character greeting area or Fantasmic instead of those headliners.

It also shows the lengths Disney will go to NOT build new attractions or replacements for dead zones (look at how many former attractions there are at those parks).

You've got to love having two empty show buildings at Epcot while attendance continues to rise (I'm including Imagination because it operates far below its intended capacity).

Do Disney fanboys and girls who constantly post "Wish I were at Disney" on Facebook realize there was MORE to do at the MK and EPCOT Center over 20 years ago?

This is progress. This is how WDW isn't a museum: by boarding things up.

 

[lazyboy97o]

This is progress. This is how WDW isn't a museum: by boarding things up.

I've never liked the "not a museum" line. No museum survives in stasis.

 

[tirian]

I've never liked the "not a museum" line. No museum survives in stasis.

Disney is building other things too.

They've added D-Zones throughout the parks so that guests can recharge their energy and phones. Like I said in a different thread, I guess the new nomenclature means that merchandise comes in D-bags.

Execs probably think we fans are a fickle bunch. How quickly New FL wasn't good enough! Thank you, TDO, for spending millions of dollars on a queue for a C+ dark ride, a kiddie coaster that commands up to 3-hour waits, and a restaurant that requires a FP just to eat there for lunch. Oh, and the whole thing doesn't actually add any capacity to the MK; it just replaces rides that were already there.

The DAK and DHS (or DHA) expansions had better not cheap out.

 

[tirian]

Uni is doing a great job adding compelling reasons to visit. I've dropped hundreds of bucks to see Potter alone. As for the rest of the resort—I kind of hate it. I have no love for the Simpsons. I hate the loud, teen-friendly music blasting in common areas. I hate how cheap Toon Lagoon and most of Marvel Superhero Island look; and I hate anything that reminds me of Michael Bay's bloated Transformers franchise. But I keep going to Uni because the attractions I like (Potter, Spidey, the Hulk, DM) really are THAT good!

My concern with both TSMM and Soarin's expansions is that WDW has the priorities wrong, even if their heart is in the right place.

Sure, getting 1/3 more people through each attraction is a good thing; but, the end result is after the guest is done the same problem that caused the initial issues with the high demand for both attractions - what other "alternatives" are there to do?

In some ways, these expansions may compound the overall problem the resort has with that "alternative" to doing something in TSMM or Soarin's park may likely mean head over to the MK. This will definitely be an issue at DHS, where 1/3 more people knocking out TSMM quicker will cause more to head towards the gates. EPCOT will likely not have as much of an issue, especially with the underfunded Frozen attraction coming online next year and historically, EPCOT can still keep its crowds.

The priority of these capacity expansions is all wrong in my opinion. The priority should be to get compelling reasons to stay at each of these parks longer and not ways to get through the park quicker. At least at this point in time. If the mythical expansions come and each park can hold guests captive for a day - then ultimately, they both serve their purpose.

My larger fears are these expansions come in the worst way possible. The come in the form of being a compelling enough draw that new vacations are planned and scheduled; but, the amount of guests drawn to the resort and the parks with the expansions aren't offset by the native amount of capacity each land will generate. When Star Wars land comes, it better come with at least 3/4 of a day worth of compelling reasons to be at DHS.

Not to again rub WDW's nose into their competition down I-4; but, Universal Studios knew that Diagon Alley was going to bring in the crowds. They laid the foundation for what was going to be needed to satisfy that parks attendance bump for Potter by making sure that the capacity guzzling Transformers and plussed out Springfield could keep those new Potter guests satisfied. The last thing they wanted was all those Potterheads to knock out the Alley and Gringotts and jump the train back to IoA. They have successfully made Universal Orlando Resort a guaranteed complelling multiday visit with the added bonus of additional revenue from the need to park hop to experience it all.

All in all, the pessimist in me says that the TSMM and Soarin' capacity expansions serve as nothing more than the opportunity to put more FP+ reservations in the pipe, which in an of itself serves as the ultimate method of slowing guests down from completing a resort. "But, sweetheart, we can't leave now - we have a TSMM FP for later today".