Anyone else disappointed...that they expand FANTASYLAND?

[lebeau]

It really does suck lol. Its been a home park for me for 17 years, and now because Six Flags is greedy (asked to pay no lease for 9 years) we have no park and 1000 people lost their jobs. But our former owner just took over again and is spending 20 million to fix and restore the park. Too bad you couldnt have seen it in 1997 or 2003 which was the only good years we had with Six Flags.

It was probably around 1997 that I attempted to go. A few friends were going for Halloween and I decided to tag along. I assumed they had checked the park hours. But it turns out they hadn't. We drove all the way from Lexington, saw the park was only open for another hour or so, decided it wasn't worth paying admission for an hour and turned around and drove back home.

A couple years ago, I saw that KK had a Father's Day meal with the DC super heroes. I thought that was odd because I don't know a lot of dads (other than myself) who would want to eat dinner with Superman and Wonder Woman. (Well, maybe WW.) If it had been a shorter drive, I'd have gone there just for that. But I couldn't justify the trip with the little ones. (At the time, our daughter was tall enough to ride maybe 3 rides.)

It sucks that you guys are left parkless and people are out of work. I feel for ya. Come on up to King's Island some time. It's no Disney. But it's a great seasonal park!

 

[lebeau]

Yes.
That has been one of my main points all along, that they should cut back on the M&Gs and and another ride. Theme is unimportant so long as it fits FL. The Snow White mine car ride, Jacobson's "Cartoon Corners"....whatever. The M&G need can be met on a smaller scale, with the savings going to an....wait for it....actual attraction.:drevil:

I actually think you're in the minority here. I think if there were a bunch of girl-friendly princess themed rides, the same folks would still be on here complaining (except for you and like-minded individuals).

I do think the M&Gs are necessary. There's a demand for them. They could trim the cost somewhat I imagine and put in another ride. But I'm interested to see what these enhanced M&Gs are like. I imagine it will be a popular experience without the current pains of standing in long lines staring at unthemed corridors.

On the upside, there will be room in FLE for more princess-themed rides to be added when and if Disney loosens the purse strings a bit.

 

[Tigerace81]

Haha I remember that deal. It was very odd. dont think they had many takers. But I typically try to go to either Kings Island or Holiday World once a year. Might go to HW this summer and then try out haunt at KI this fall. Should be interesting haha. Kind of disappointed in the colors of Beastie again =/ I just want it back to the last color scheme before it got painted blue and pink and renamed to Beastie. Btw, do you mind pouring gas on SOB and lighting it on fire for me?

 

[lebeau]

You are guessing correctly. And I confess I don't know how children can be afraid of Mickey. I always thought, as they are the only ones, who are still naive enough to really believe that this dressed CM is the real Mickey Mouse, they would be the main group of guests for these meet and greets.

From the perspective of a little kids, the characters are HUGE! Even a friendly character like Mickey can be seen as a furry monstrosity with dead eyes.

When my daughter was almost 2, we took her. She loved and hugged all the characters except Woody who was a good foot and a half taller than her daddy. She blew kisses to the villains, but Woody scared the cr@p out of her. She was not a fan of rides. Pooh scared her.

When she was 3 1/2, we went back. Every character scared her this trip. Couldn't even watch the parade. If we saw a character, we walked around them. But, she discovered she loved rides.

This year, she was nearly 5. She was hesitatnt about characters. She wouldn't approach them at M&Gs. But if they came up to her at a character meal, she was fine.

Kids are unpredictible when it comes to characters. Sometimes, my kids will sit and pose for a nice X-Mas picture on Santa's lap. Othertimes, they scream their heads off.

The villains character meal was shut down because Disney got lots of complaints. (See also: Alien Encounter) Do you really think Disney is open to the idea of a villain themed land?

 

[lebeau]

Haha I remember that deal. It was very odd. dont think they had many takers. But I typically try to go to either Kings Island or Holiday World once a year. Might go to HW this summer and then try out haunt at KI this fall. Should be interesting haha. Kind of disappointed in the colors of Beastie again =/ I just want it back to the last color scheme before it got painted blue and pink and renamed to Beastie. Btw, do you mind pouring gas on SOB and lighting it on fire for me?

lol - If I can ever get out of Planet Snoopy, I'll get right on that!

 

[Tigerace81]

Please do haha. I dont think the Timberliner trains or the new Texas Giant steel track would even remotely help the ride. It would be interesting to attack G-Force sensors to a Timberliner and run it through SOB and then put the same sensors on the current trains to test Gravity Group's claim of up to half the forces.

 

[wm49rs]

Nope.
The future DHS attraction would be happening even if FLE were still at it's original budget, or not happening at all. No connection.

Lord, this has really gone to far when people can't even joke anymore....

 

[lebeau]

Since we're talking about characters and meet and greets and I mentioned Planet Snoopy, I thought I'd make another observation.

At King's Island, there is never a line to see characters. At most, you wait for three or four kids to get their hugs and move on. This was true when the kids area was themed to Hanna Barbara character. It was true when it was Nickelodeon Universe. And it's definitely true at Planet Snoopy.

I'm always amazed by the demand for characters at Disney as opposed to anywhere else I've ever seen characters. If someone suggested waiting in line an hour to see Spongebob or Snoppy, they would be laughed right out of KI.

 

[Lee]

I'm always amazed by the demand for characters at Disney as opposed to anywhere else I've ever seen characters.

It is a Disney-engineered phenomenon, and hasn't always been the case.

As you all know, years ago, as far back as the early 90s, most characters did not have a "home". They just appeared and wandered about in certain areas. If you spotted one, you could go over to get a hug or a photo and that was it. Random, spontaneous interaction. A cool touch for the guests, especially kids.

I think it all changed when the brought out those horrible autograph books. hurl
At that point the kids began to demand to M&G all the characters, no matter the wait or inconvenience. It became a full-day activity for many guests, to meet as many characters as possible, get a photo and get an autograph. The demand got so high that Disney began to organize the M&Gs into certain times and areas. That has now escalated to fully realized, themed M&G locations where families can literally spend hours waiting in line.
Disney now gets to sell a ton of autograph books, and refer to these themed M&G locations as atractions.

They are obviously filling a guest demand, but a demand that Disney themselves created.

That is how I see it, confirmed by a few CM friends from back in those days who worked in the character department.

 

[dxwwf3]

I actually think you're in the minority here. I think if there were a bunch of girl-friendly princess themed rides, the same folks would still be on here complaining (except for you and like-minded individuals)

No I don't think that opinion is the minority. When I first saw the blueprints and it said "attraction" where the M&G's are planned to go, I was thrilled. I always ride the Fantasyland dark rides and I love the ones at DL that we don't have at the MK. If we were getting one D-ticket with the Little Mermaid and two or three more C-ticket dark rides that are similar in style to Alice and Pinocchio from DL, I would be VERY excited about the FLE. But as it is now, I know it's needed, but I'm not excited about FLE at all :shrug:

 

[Lee]

Lord, this has really gone to far when people can't even joke anymore....

Hah..
Better safe than sorry. Hard to tell sometimes.:shrug:

 

[lebeau]

It is a Disney-engineered phenomenon, and hasn't always been the case.

As you all know, years ago, as far back as the early 90s, most characters did not have a "home". They just appeared and wandered about in certain areas. If you spotted one, you could go over to get a hug or a photo and that was it. Random, spontaneous interaction. A cool touch for the guests, especially kids.

I think it all changed when the brought out those horrible autograph books. hurl
At that point the kids began to demand to M&G all the characters, no matter the wait or inconvenience. It became a full-day activity for many guests, to meet as many characters as possible, get a photo and get an autograph. The demand got so high that Disney began to organize the M&Gs into certain times and areas. That has now escalated to fully realized, themed M&G locations where families can literally spend hours waiting in line.
Disney now gets to sell a ton of autograph books, and refer to these themed M&G locations as atractions.

They are obviously filling a guest demand, but a demand that Disney themselves created.

That is how I see it, confirmed by a few CM friends from back in those days who worked in the character department.

This is totally accurate as far as I'm concerned. But bully for Disney that they found a way to create demand for something they could then turn around and make a profit off of.

I can tell you, KI has tried to recreate this scenerio. They started a character breakfast last year. And this year, I started noticing autograph books.

Also, those autograph books can be used to coax a reluctant kid to interact with the characters. We bought out first autograph book this year and it's the only reason our daughter was cool with the character meals (other than the castle - I think she'd have been fine with the princesses either way).

I have no problem whatsoever with Disney successfully creating a demand for a product only it can supply. Good business, if you ask me.

 

[lebeau]

No I don't think that opinion is the minority. When I first saw the blueprints and it said "attraction" where the M&G's are planned to go, I was thrilled. I always ride the Fantasyland dark rides and I love the ones at DL that we don't have at the MK. If we were getting one D-ticket with the Little Mermaid and two or three more C-ticket dark rides that are similar in style to Alice and Pinocchio from DL, I would be VERY excited about the FLE. But as it is now, I know it's needed, but I'm not excited about FLE at all :shrug:

That makes 2. And in fairness, you guys are two of the more reasonable opponents of the FLE. There's a lot of posts that read like they were written by the He-man Woman-Haters Club.

 

[dxwwf3]

That makes 2. And in fairness, you guys are two of the more reasonable opponents of the FLE. There's a lot of posts that read like they were written by the He-man Woman-Haters Club.

And I'm not against an expansion and the park does need this. But I also feel strongly that the park needs a new E-ticket as well. And I also would have preferred the FLE to be more for families and not aimed at kids. There will be parts of the FLE that I will be able to enjoy, but not as much as I think families should be able to considering the cost.

 

[lebeau]

And I'm not against an expansion and the park does need this. But I also feel strongly that the park needs a new E-ticket as well. And I also would have preferred the FLE to be more for families and not aimed at kids. There will be parts of the FLE that I will be able to enjoy, but not as much as I think families should be able to considering the cost.

That's certainly fair.

I'm not saying FLE is a perfect solution. I just don't understand the some of the extreme animosity aimed at the project. Whatever flaws it may have, it's an improvement.

 

[Tigerace81]

Arent you all happy to at least get something?

 

[dxwwf3]

Arent you all happy to at least get something?

That shouldn't be the mentality for a Disney parks fan.

 

[Lee]

I have no problem whatsoever with Disney successfully creating a demand for a product only it can supply. Good business, if you ask me.

It is.
The only drawback I know of is that it makes it hard for non-kid folks like my wife and I. Last year she decided she wanted a photo with Mickey since it had been years since we got one. It was no longer a matter of just finding him and waiting her turn for about 5min. One look at the line.....nope....no thanks.

That makes 2. And in fairness, you guys are two of the more reasonable opponents of the FLE.

I do try to be reasonable. It's often hard to put personal likes/dislikes aside and look at an issue like this from a neutral standpoint. I can be neutral, but I still fall on the side of opposing the current FLE plan.

 

[headhoncho34]

Arent you all happy to at least get something?

Its the same cycle everday on these boards. There either complaining, throwing tantrums, or even when something good is thrown our way they still find a reason to tear it apart piece by piece.

 

[Lee]

Arent you all happy to at least get something?

No. My expectations are quite a bit higher than that. Expectations that have been set for me by Disney for the last 35+ years.