Al Lutz: Carsland for WDW, FLE not Bringing in Guests

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Pixiedustmaker

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Al Lutz is reporting that Carsland, sans Luigi's is being fast-tracked for DHS, and that WDI is being given a decent budget. Supposedly the high water table in Florida means Luigi's basement/equipment can't be built. Wonder if another ride will be imagined for this part of Carsland? No Iron Man in Tomorrowland in Disneyland for now (maybe a massive Tomorrowland project including E Ticket in the Future).

http://micechat.com/21154-hello/

Supposedly Burbank thinks that FLE is a less than stellar success because it is being rolled out one piece at a time.
 
NewfieFan

NewfieFan

Well-Known Member
Next Big Thing said:
While I agree a grand reveal of the entire project would have been nice (rather than piece by piece), did anyone actually think this was going to be a major draw??? FLE's major purpose in my mind is added capacity that was lost years ago.
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Yeah, my thoughts exactly! I never once thought "Disney" was doing this to bring folks in but to increase capacity in the busiest park. And they wanted to shorten wait times for Dumbo as well. Maybe they hyped it up so much they thought the masses would come. I don't think anyone planned a trip because of the new FL but a nice bonus for those who had trips in the works.

And yes, if the whole project opened at the same time I think it would have been a little more impressive.

What can "Disney" (TDO, whoever they are) learn from new FL... build some more restaurants (especially themed ones)! People obviously like their food and the MK is pretty lacking in that department (which is sad for their signature park).

As for Carsland... I'm ok with it coming to DHS (and I think it's one of the few things Disney could build right now that would actually bring people in). I know a lot of fans would like to see it unique to the west coast but I don't visit DL, so for selfish reasons I'm happy to see it come to WDW.
 
danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member
I would have thought Luigi's would have been but due to the other problems it has had and not because of any difficulty in building it.

As for FLE, doesn't surprise me at all that it isn't increasing attendance, I just don't see it having enough to make people plan a special trip for it. If anything I think it would increase MK attendance at bit at the cost of attendance at AK and DHS.
 
SirLink

SirLink

Well-Known Member
Pixiedustmaker said:
Al Lutz is reporting that Carsland, sans Luigi's is being fast-tracked for DHS, and that WDI is being given a decent budget. Supposedly the high water table in Florida means Luigi's basement/equipment can't be built. Wonder if another ride will be imagined for this part of Carsland? No Iron Man in Tomorrowland in Disneyland for now (maybe a massive Tomorrowland project including E Ticket in the Future).

http://micechat.com/21154-hello/

Supposedly Burbank thinks that FLE is a less than stellar success because it is being rolled out one piece at a time.
Click to expand...

All I can say is "Well Duh"
 
GrumpyFan

GrumpyFan

Well-Known Member
Pixiedustmaker said:
Supposedly Burbank thinks that FLE is a less than stellar success because it is being rolled out one piece at a time.
Click to expand...

Personally, I think it's "less than stellar", because it's just mediocre and well, less than stellar. While it is impressive in its details and theming, it doesn't really add anything "new" to the mix. Little Mermaid is a clone. Dumbo is just one more spinner (kiddy ride), and Goofy's Barnstormer is just re-themed. Oh yeah, there is a new restaurant, but guests are smarter than that. They come back expecting something new and thrilling, expecting to be wowed. I'm sorry, but nothing here is wow-worthy.

I'm still not a fan of bringing Carsland here. I just think they can do better. They have plenty of other stories that can and should be told to make WDW unique, why clone something? It's like Walt's saying, "You can't top pigs with pigs". This seems to be a forgotten lesson by Disney. Sadly, I think they're going to have to re-learn it, the hard way.
 
alphac2005

alphac2005

Well-Known Member
The excuse is because the land has been done in a piece by piece unveiling? If the execs truly believe this, then they truly do live in their own (as a prior thread notes) groupthink bubble.

For those who haven't seen the ad spots that Disney has running in Orlando for "New" Fantasyland, do you know what the main centerpiece is? Dining with the Beauty and the Beast gang and then followed with going under the sea with Ariel. Dumbo isn't new, it's just doubled. A rethemed sixty second coaster. Really? I certainly believe that the Snow White mine train attraction will be nice, but it too will just replace a prior attraction, which is now shuttered.

If the prior stories are correct, Tom Staggs did get one thing right in his evaluation here, um, this is not appealing to many boys. My boys had zero interest in the "New" Fantasyland.
 
novawildcat18

novawildcat18

Well-Known Member
I will hold off my opinions on FLE until I visit it, but that's the thing: I have no desire to book a trip to visit FLE. Of course I would enjoy it, but there is nothing there to make me rush down to Orlando to see FLE. I will visit it whenever my next trip to WDW is and who knows when that is. If they built something extraordinary, I would push my family to vacation in WDW over the summer but now, we will probably go elsewhere for our vacation since the only new thing is FLE and I have no desire to go specifically for that.
 
Lee

Lee

Adventurer
Pixiedustmaker said:
Al Lutz is reporting that Carsland, sans Luigi's is being fast-tracked for DHS, and that WDI is being given a decent budget. Supposedly the high water table in Florida means Luigi's basement/equipment can't be built. Wonder if another ride will be imagined for this part of Carsland? No Iron Man in Tomorrowland in Disneyland for now (maybe a massive Tomorrowland project including E Ticket in the Future).
Click to expand...
Shocking! Who would have guessed that Cars Land was being fast-tracked for DHS and might break ground this year?!?!

Oh...wait...yeah.;)

I'm a little surprised the Iron Man ride got delayed, with much work being done already, but it makes sense if they want to roll out a whole TL makeover at one time. The FLE model of rollout just doesn't work.

Pixiedustmaker said:
Supposedly Burbank thinks that FLE is a less than stellar success because it is being rolled out one piece at a time.
Click to expand...
That doesn't help...but neither does its content.
 
menamechris

menamechris

Well-Known Member
I just finished reading the article. Very interesting stuff. The fact that Fantasyland isn't bumping up attendance or scoring well on guest surveys should come as absolutely NO surprise to anyone. Any executive who thought it was going to "move the needle" at WDW was either incredibly unfamiliar with the project, or was lying to self and others.

With that said, it will be very interesting to see what happens with Carsland. If they are planning on a 2015 opening, they will need to be closing the Backlot and stunt show any day now. I guess we will be finding out some answers very soon....finally...
 
toasty

toasty

Active Member
For what it's worth (which I recognize is not a heck of a lot since this is purely anecdotal), I just came back from WDW about a week ago, and the crowds were MUCH higher than previous January trips I've done. The primary difference between this trip and previous trips is the FLE. Perhaps the crowds aren't increased as much as the folks at Disney were hoping, but they definitely seemed to be increased during my time there...
 
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Ignohippo

Well-Known Member
I still believe CircusLand is what killed the FLE. No one even talks about it. Had the entire area been used for the FLE, you'd have a much grander expansion and many more things to offer. Doing CircusLand on the cheap (and trying to base a whole land on a spinner and a previously successful retail location) has seriously diminished what they were trying to accomplish with the FLE.

It's great to hear CarsLand isn't getting value engineered any longer. That would have been an abysmal failure. Hopefully a Monsters Inc ride and Bug's Life update to the HISTK play area will come as well (especially if Luigi's can't be built).
 

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