rushtest4echo
Well-Known Member
Reminds me of the "100 acre parking lot" narration for awhile after it was ripped out. I want my parking lot back.
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A Spirited Valentine ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
Reminds me of the "100 acre parking lot" narration for awhile after it was ripped out. I want my parking lot back.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
rushtest4echo
Well-Known Member
And soon the power of the Man who Jumps.
P.S. Kong's not a miss
Opinions...
I've not ridden Kong in Orlando yet (sort of done with everything not named Potter at Uni until Nintendo) so I won't comment on the quality of the ride or yell SCREENZ. But, I've seen plenty of people who consider it a "miss" or a "skip that one" or a "not worth a wait more than 30 minutes". For a brand new ride that has such an impressive queue/show building, and to hear people like Martin (and Spririt I believe) flat out state that the ride isn't so hot, I'm inclined to believe that at least some people don't care for the ride. Of everyone I've talked to/read that are general public or theme park fans, the reviews are mixed at best save for the queue.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
Kong's fine, but it just needed more integration of physical elements with those screens. Like the spider pit should absolutely have some animatronic figures in it.And soon the power of the Man who Jumps.
P.S. Kong's not a miss
Shanghai Pirates has really raised the bar for mixing physical and projections and Universal should really learn from that.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Mike S
Well-Known Member
Physical bugs is one of the improvements I've also thought of but I also love the scene as it is now. Too bad water effects were played out lazily in Transformers and Gringotts so the bug scene now is just unfun to some people. I love getting sprayed with their "guts" on each ride!!!
RandySavage
Well-Known Member
Regarding HKDL's expansion. After getting the no-go from LegCo, Disney is back with a better offer, according to hakjie11 on Micechat:
"new proposal from WDC
1/. share equally 50/50 (instead of previously HKgov 53% vs Disney 47%) in the 1.4 billion expansion funding,
The additional funding from WDC comes from HKgov exchanging 1% share. Bringing the new shareholding to 52% HKgov and 48% Disney)
2/. waive the management fee of 2018 and 2019 that HKDisney normally needs to pay WDC annually
3/. 50 000 free tickets for HK citizens ( lucky draw method)
the new proposal will be tabled as early as end of this week."
I think HK will bite as they're getting the long end of the stick in this offer.
HKDL really needs a grand slam E-ticket ASAP (which Avengers will likely be, but that's 2023 (now delayed?)), where riders get off and say "Holy cow, let's do that again!" Not the easiest nut to crack in this market, but I'm not sure Frozen Ever After or Ant-Man overlays are the answer. As much as westerners adore Mystic Manor, I wonder how much it has connected with the locals - it almost never seems to have a wait above 15 minutes and is often a walk-on, from what I can gather. Granted, the park doesn't get crowded.
Edit: Since Pooh is the park's most popular ride (which is why it got cloned for Shanghai), maybe Frozstrom will be a hit...
"new proposal from WDC
1/. share equally 50/50 (instead of previously HKgov 53% vs Disney 47%) in the 1.4 billion expansion funding,
The additional funding from WDC comes from HKgov exchanging 1% share. Bringing the new shareholding to 52% HKgov and 48% Disney)
2/. waive the management fee of 2018 and 2019 that HKDisney normally needs to pay WDC annually
3/. 50 000 free tickets for HK citizens ( lucky draw method)
the new proposal will be tabled as early as end of this week."
I think HK will bite as they're getting the long end of the stick in this offer.
HKDL really needs a grand slam E-ticket ASAP (which Avengers will likely be, but that's 2023 (now delayed?)), where riders get off and say "Holy cow, let's do that again!" Not the easiest nut to crack in this market, but I'm not sure Frozen Ever After or Ant-Man overlays are the answer. As much as westerners adore Mystic Manor, I wonder how much it has connected with the locals - it almost never seems to have a wait above 15 minutes and is often a walk-on, from what I can gather. Granted, the park doesn't get crowded.
Edit: Since Pooh is the park's most popular ride (which is why it got cloned for Shanghai), maybe Frozstrom will be a hit...
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rushtest4echo
Well-Known Member
Sorry, my bad. Mixed up the WDWMagic sages for a moment there. But it's a miss in my book to the point where I don't feel compelled to visit the attraction and it's down the street.
Again, I'm not trying to comment on the ride ride experience other than saying the show building and queue look superb. The ride experience looks okay, though I've largely done it in Hollywood (which is why I'm not rushing out to see it here). The Kong figure seems to receive very mixed reactions as well. I'm sure I'll ride it at some point when I'm not paying for a visit. But for now, I didn't renew my pass right before Kong opened, because I didn't feel that addition made it worth my while (I was burnt out on everything else there). I'll probably end up riding it when I go back to pay my final respects to Dragons. Speaking of which: Spirit, or anyone else, do we have a time frame for Dragons shutting down?
baymenxpac
Well-Known Member
putting this here, as it is apropos of many a spirited conversations:
http://gizmodo.com/how-i-let-disney-track-my-every-move-1792875386
http://gizmodo.com/how-i-let-disney-track-my-every-move-1792875386
DznyRktekt
Well-Known Member
Interesting read, but where at WDW is "Magic Mountain"?
Sorry, my bad. Mixed up the WDWMagic sages for a moment there. But it's a miss in my book to the point where I don't feel compelled to visit the attraction and it's down the street.
Speaking of which: Spirit, or anyone else, do we have a time frame for Dragons shutting down?
From what I recall, sooner rather than later.
I thought someone said it would likely be closed before the end of 2017?rushtest4echo
Well-Known Member
From what I recall, sooner rather than later.
I've only heard "Fall 2017", but that's simply internet chatter from people I don't even know. Eons ago I was a trainer on Dragons, and even 5 years after the ride was open they were already doing welds for all of the stress fracturing. I'm amazed it (and Hulk) lasted as long as they did.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
I think you are missing my point. In order for it to be his vanity project he'd have to actually vainly attach himself to it. He didn't, it was all Tom from the announcement, to the image releases, to the FAQ's, what have you. Now that Tom is dearly departed, Rohde, Landau and Cameron are the ones happily making the promotion round.
Contrast that to Star Wars and especially Shanghai though? Bob was very much all those things I mentioned above. If it was truly Bob's go to vanity project, he certainly has done a bad job of vainly attaching himself to it in the same way that he did with Shanghai.
Sure, perhaps Bob "let" it be that way. Obviously he was very heavily involved. But there is a difference between something being someones "idea" (like you are talking about) and something being a project to show someone's vanity.
http://www./wp-content/uploads/2016/12/model-630x356.jpg
Staggs, Landau, Rohde, Cameron
...and then Bob.
Still don't believe me? Do an image search for 'Avatar Bob Iger' and maintain its his vanity project. The 6th result is George Lucas, the 7th Tom Staggs et al. and the 10th the Shanghai logo. He's stayed surprisingly arms length.
What are you talking about? He's right in the middle.
DDLand
Well-Known Member
This seems like the perfect compromise. The politicians slap big bad Disney on the wrist, and sharply rebuke the corporate power. Disney does forgo some short term revenue, but honestly that amounts to a rounding error on a 16 Billion division. They also do bump up their actual holdings, which should pay dividends once these projects are complete. That's more minor, but Disney plays the long game. Whether 40 Million comes from Disney or SAR over 6 years is really rather unimportant.
Honestly, I'm inclined to think this expansion is still too little too slow. By the end of this year, one year old Shanghai Disneyland will have as many rides as Hong Kong does more then a decade in.
Many of the upgrades in this expansion are simply about reaching parity with Shanghai. Castle with new stage show and nighttime spectacular that will hopefully meet parity with Shanghai. A new point and shoot attraction that hopefully will be as good as the new Buzz at Shanghai. New Tomorrowland (or Marvelland) that will be more impressive and hopefully compare with Shanghai's Tomorrowland. A Fantasyland expansion that will add more depth and hopefully feel more expansive like Shanghai.
While Hong Kong is trying to become something it's not and never will be, Shanghai is just going to keep getting better. By 2023 Shanghai should have a whole new land and as many as 3 new E Tickets.
1.4 Billion for a net gain of two new rides and a handful of stage shows. While the park should undoubtably be better, it also will remain horribly behind the curve. Disney's heart is not in this and I think everyone knows it.
Your Mystic Manor point seems reasonable, and if what they're building is any indicator, true. In 2009 Toy Story was consigned to some flat rides, with the substance in the form of two new original attractions. Now its' Frozen, Marvel, Moana.
A last bastion of originality lost.
I also have to say I doubt Disney could have even gotten Park 2 on good terms. This more minor and extremely important expansion can even get through Legco. Imagine a real park two.
I'm starting to wonder if it will ever happen...
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
As far as the Hong Kong/Shanghai rivalry goes, Disney needs to do a better job of striking a clear path for these two resorts or else it will forever be a measuring contest.
For example, why can't Shanghai have its own unique PotC attraction and Hong Kong get Pirates Mountain? It hasn't really been brought up in LegCo's objections to the November 2016 proposal, but I think having distinct offerings would have played better to that crowd, regardless of the original IP/franchise question. Everything new they are getting, save that fugly new castle and possibly that Moana show, is a clone; Frozen is a mix of TDS's new port with FEA and the sleigh ride for DL and TDS and the main Marvel E is coming to DCA and Shanghai. Getting something first in the market won't help to distinguish the park from SDL in the long term. It would be a pity, from both a creative and business perspective, to see HKDL become SDL-lite.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Disney had previously increased its ownership stake and then recently reverted back to the typical split. The three land expansion was 100% financed by Disney in exchange for greater equity in Hongkong International Theme Parks.
UpAllNight
Well-Known Member
Genuine question...
Is Chapek actually doing well for the domestic parks, in forcing through and arguing for investment? The rumours doing the rounds at the moment would suggest more movement over the next 3 years than we've had in the past 15. Should we be giving him a bit more credit, after the horror show that was Staggs?
Is he the driver of change? Or is he man who takes pride in Disney being the best, and is slightly wounded by what's going on up the road? I don't know enough about the man, but something major has changed in WDWs outlook.
Is Chapek actually doing well for the domestic parks, in forcing through and arguing for investment? The rumours doing the rounds at the moment would suggest more movement over the next 3 years than we've had in the past 15. Should we be giving him a bit more credit, after the horror show that was Staggs?
Is he the driver of change? Or is he man who takes pride in Disney being the best, and is slightly wounded by what's going on up the road? I don't know enough about the man, but something major has changed in WDWs outlook.
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
Minor point - HKDL's Marvel E is unique and not the same attraction set for DCA/SDL. But yes to everything else. Also it's mind boggling that in sweltering Hong Kong the park doesn't have a single water ride. Not one.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
They do share the same ride system, correct?
I don't believe the HKDL Marvel ride will share anything, even ride system, with the SDL/DCA one. At least not last I heard.
The park needs that pirate mountain, and it doesn't need FEA. I hope they don't just wholesale clone that thing and at least fix it.