AVATAR progress

[Disneyhead'71]

And Universal built a "surprise" E-ticket in 12 months.

The truth hurts.

But Universal HAD to spend all that Potter cash quickly to avoid giving it to Uncle Sam. They didn't even want to build Transformers in Orlando because of it similarities to Spider-man. But to avoid a $100+ Million tax bill they had to spend the cash quickly and a plug and play attraction like Transformers fit the bill perfectly. All the R&D was done. All they had to do was build it.
Oh, and Cabana Bay is also part of that cash dump.

 

[Lee]

Or if it has some slow portions for the show scenes.

Gonna have to go way slow on the lifts, and crawl through the mine.
Otherwise, there just isn't enough track to surpass 90-120sec.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

OK, I stand corrected on the 7DMT announcement/construction dates. But that doesn't negate the fact the the FLE was announced in Sept. 2009 and won't be complete until Spring 2014. That is still a 4.5+ year project. They built ALL of EPCOT Center, All of DCA, all of DAK in less time.

And there is no date on the LaughingPlace article but I believe that the track length and so show scenes were cut after that announcement. We will see. But I don't believe that there is anyway that it is a 3.5 min. ride.

 

[danlb_2000]

OK, I stand corrected on the 7DMT announcement/construction dates. But that doesn't negate the fact the the FLE was announced in Sept. 2009 and won't be complete until Spring 2014. That is still a 4.5+ year project. They built ALL of EPCOT Center, All of DCA, all of DAK in less time.

And there is no date on the LaughingPlace article but I believe that the track length and so show scenes were cut after that announcement. We will see. But I don't believe that there is anyway that it is a 3.5 min. ride.

The LaughingPlace article starts: "Today, Walt Disney World begins its Monstrous Summer media event". So this is a recent announcement.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Big Thunder is 3.5 minutes. Only way SDMT is 3.5 minutes is with some fancy PR math.

They count how long the train takes to do one full cycle. Which includes loading and unloading time. So the ride length is probably more like 1:25 of true ride time, from dispatch to return to station.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The LaughingPlace article starts: "Today, Walt Disney World begins its Monstrous Summer media event". So this is a recent announcement.

I did not catch that. My bad. I still don't believe that it is a 3.5 min. ride.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

They count how long the train takes to do one full cycle. Which includes loading and unloading time. So the ride length is probably more like 1:25 of true ride time, from dispatch to return to station.

It is an even grander in scope when ADA guests ride.

 

[PeterAlt]

An interesting, and yet completely inaccurate, theory.
A proper land consisting if one ride, a merch location, and a restaurant? That's what I hear, as of six weeks ago or so.

Thank you. I'm known for that here!

 

[danlb_2000]

I did not catch that. My bad. I still don't believe that it is a 3.5 min. ride.

Wouldn't be the first time Disney PR was wrong about something.

 

[Lee]

Wouldn't be the first time Disney PR was wrong about something.

Like spinning Little Mermaid as an E....

 

[RSoxNo1]

Plus a C ticket at least. They haven't settled on a design but a boat ride is on the table.

A boat ride was in the blueprints.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Gonna have to go way slow on the lifts, and crawl through the mine.
Otherwise, there just isn't enough track to surpass 90-120sec.

Insert Imagineer-Fanboi joke here.

 

[RyenDeckard]

And Universal built a "surprise" E-ticket in 12 months.

The truth hurts.

We need to stop discussing this. It's an incredibly impressive build time, but it will also be the third time Universal has built this exact same ride.

I agree, it's taking 7DMT a very long time to finish what should be a pretty standard family coaster, but it's really not fair to compare it to Transformers.

Compare apples to apples, FLE with Harry Potter Phase 2, from first groundbreaking to final construction complete.

 

[TalkingHead]

Compare apples to apples, FLE with Harry Potter Phase 2, from first groundbreaking to final construction complete.

That's hardly a fair comparison, either. Potter Phase 2 allegedly includes a groundbreaking dark-ride coaster hybrid as well as the E-ticket train connecting the two parks...in addition to all the other effects involved with the shops and theming.

And even then, I'm fairly sure Potter Phase 2 will have been completed in less time than FLE from start to finish.

 

[bubbles1812]

We need to stop discussing this. It's an incredibly impressive build time, but it will also be the third time Universal has built this exact same ride.

I agree, it's taking 7DMT a very long time to finish what should be a pretty standard family coaster, but it's really not fair to compare it to Transformers.

Compare apples to apples, FLE with Harry Potter Phase 2, from first groundbreaking to final construction complete.

They aren't the "exact same ride" though. Yes they have elements that have similarities but again, not the same. Clearly you haven't done your research. And even if it were, the time from build to opening is incredibly impressive, as you said... It shows what Disney could actually be capable if they tried. Transformers is an E ticket while the mine train is far from it so Disney's failures in getting attractions built is even more noticeable. There isn't a reason we can't compare the two. They are each one individual ride. Yes, it's part of NFE but the reality is it shouldn't have taken near the amount of time it is.

Also at what @TalkingHead said. I was just going to write that. HP 2.0, which is going to have two E tickets (train/gringotts) and a lot of other things and they are going to get it done faster or at least in the time it took Disney to not even build half a land.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The FLE is a 4.5+ year build out. WWOHP 2.0 will be done in 2.5 years. (While building Transformers, Springfield, and Cabana Bay Resort.) Jaws closed Jan. 2012 and Potter will open June 2014.

 

[Sam Magic]

As a Disney Fan boy I am proud to say Disney is falling behind. While it is true that FLE is a "new immersive" experince, it has not attracted new guest to the park- unlike Harry Potter which had huge lines just to enter well into Christmas its opening year. The fact that the minecart ride did not open with the rest of the land will cause FLE to go unnoticed. Universal will finish two new lands, three new dark rides, a new miniland, and possible Jursassic Park Expansion all by the time Disney has built only one new land. Looking back on the original plans Disney would have made a wonderful "comeback" to Universal. They should have: Created the Beauty and the Beast area with Beauty and the beast dark ride rather then resturant, Arial Dark Ride, an Arial Resturant, Mine ride, Story book circus with a new thater show, meet and greet, and Mickey's Fun Wheel or Silly Symphony Swings or both, and to top it of a Pixie Hollow area in the Tomorrowland racers area. All this would have been enough to battle out Uni's plans, there would have been over 6 new rides, a new show, and shops, dinning, and mini rides. A grand comparisons to Uni's 5 rides and few shops, dining, etc.

Another factor Disney has missed but Uni hit was construction time. Harry Potter was built in three years and Potter part 2, springfield, Dispicable Me, and Transformers within a two to one year time slot. How? Easy Uni does several projects at one time. This creates on going intrest with the park, an example is this: As HP begins to die down Dispicable Me opens, as that dies down Transformers opens, then when that goes Springfield, and then by that time Harry Poter 2.0 is out. Its a genius way to create on going hype. Disney needs to some degree adopt this idea-maybe while constructing Avatar expand Tomorrowland, add a Monsters Rollercoaster, and update Universe of Enery. That way you have Monsters out first, then Enery or Imagination, Tomorrowland, and finally Avatar.

This years D23 better bring some announcments from the company-lots of rumors concerning the examples above. Universal is getting some ground and Disney needs to dig a liitle deeper.

 

[lazyboy97o]

There are not building another Barnstormer. While I agree that the construction time is unreasonably long for the 7DMT, there's no need to be dismissive of the complexity of the ride. It's far more involved that a simple kiddie coaster.

The complexity has to do with the trains, not the track or construction.

They aren't the "exact same ride" though. Yes they have elements that have similarities but again, not the same.

Aside from the exteriors, the differences are mostly some technical upgrades made for the attraction at Universal Studios Hollwood, such as the 3D process used and finer points relating to the ride vehicles. Other than that, all three attractions have the same ride experience that has been copied from what was originally designed for California but built first in Singapore.

 

[Skyway]

The FLE is a 4.5+ year build out. WWOHP 2.0 will be done in 2.5 years. (While building Transformers, Springfield, and Cabana Bay Resort.) Jaws closed Jan. 2012 and Potter will open June 2014.

This debate over build time means NOTHING. You're all looking at this completely backwards.

The issue isn't how long it takes a company to build something from start to finish. Only the completion date matters.

Disney wanted 7DMT to open in 2014. Universal wanted Transformers open in 2013. That was decided first. Everything else is secondary and irrelevant.


Disney chose to break ground on their attraction much earlier than Universal broke ground. Disney chose a slow build time that likely saved them money but delayed ROI. Universal's accellerated construction schedule probably cost them more money but allowed for a quicker ROI.

Disney could have just as easily broke ground on 7DMT a few months ago and still had it ready for its 2014 grand opening, just at Universal could have drawn out Transformers construction years before its 2013 deadline.

The companies set the grand opening first before deciding construction timetable.

 

[lazyboy97o]

This debate over build time means NOTHING. You're all looking at this completely backwards.

The issue isn't how long it takes a company to build something from start to finish. Only the completion date matters.

Disney wanted 7DMT to open in 2014. Universal wanted Transformers open in 2013. That was decided first. Everything else is secondary and irrelevant.


Disney chose to break ground on their attraction much earlier than Universal broke ground. Disney chose a slow build time that likely saved them money but delayed ROI. Universal's accellerated construction schedule probably cost them more money but allowed for a quicker ROI.

Disney could have just as easily broke ground on 7DMT a few months ago and still had it ready for its 2014 grand opening, just at Universal could have drawn out Transformers construction years before its 2013 deadline.

The companies set the grand opening first before deciding construction timetable.

Not quite a good choice of examples. There really were no plans to ever bring Transformers: The Ride-3D to the Universal Orlando Resort. That decision was made under very specific, very recent circumstances that required a massive spending within a set time period in order for to properly reduce the tax bill.