Awaiting PotterSwatter...

[Bob]

Much as I would love to see a bunch of new and amazing lands @ WDW, I don't see upper mgmt feeling the pressure to put in the huge investment when they are reporting numbers like this with what they have right now:

"Net profit at Walt Disney rose 32% to $1.5 billion for the three months to the end of March over the first quarter of 2012.
Revenue at its theme parks division climbed by 14% to $3.3 billion, substantially better than analysts' expectations.
Operating income from the parks and resorts sector increased 73% to $383 million.
Results for the quarter were mainly driven by increases at US domestic operations."

 

[R W B]

Nothing wdw does will "swat" potter but it would be nice if they would do something to compete with it, as in something new. I'm not huge on Star Wars at all but it does have a huge cult following.not only that but like others have said, with the new movies that are planned to come out, in sure the fan base will still grow. I'm sure a Star Wars land would be big but not my top choice for a new land. I'd like them to expand with something truly Disney, not a franchise they bought.

I think it'd be cool if they change Tom Sawyer Island to Tortuga Island from Pirates of the Caribbean, it could be a very cool land and also something major for young boys which is needed IMO. With that said, they still need something at DHS and if Staw Wars land or Carsland is it, I'm fine with either but just do it already and don't take 5 years!

 

[cheezbat]

Much as I would love to see a bunch of new and amazing lands @ WDW, I don't see upper mgmt feeling the pressure to put in the huge investment when they are reporting numbers like this with what they have right now:

"Net profit at Walt Disney rose 32% to $1.5 billion for the three months to the end of March over the first quarter of 2012.
Revenue at its theme parks division climbed by 14% to $3.3 billion, substantially better than analysts' expectations.
Operating income from the parks and resorts sector increased 73% to $383 million.
Results for the quarter were mainly driven by increases at US domestic operations."

And just how much of that is thanks to Disneyland Resort?

 

[AndyS2992]

I love WDW but I think it is getting stale. This is what I think should be done:

Magic Kingdom
- Tomorrowland Area Refurb (Replace Stitch with dark ride, redo Space Mountain, new/old TTA audio, COP update refurb, move MILF to DHS and put a 3D show in, Speedway needs electic cars and a retheme)
- Remove Tom Sawyer Island and replace with a big E ticket or smaller attractions
- All dark rides need new animatronics, Peter Pan mostly.
- Peter Pan, IaSW and Philarmagic need new facades.

Epcot
-Future World needs a major update (all rides need a major refurb but better than Test Track)
- Spaceship Earth needs to be 'extended' like how it used to be. Dench can stay though, not really sure why people hate it that much.
- Soarin needs a new film, new effects and 3D if possible
- Imagination pavillion needs to be fully opened up again and Captain EO needs to go and replaced with something new.
- Reopen Odyssey and health pavillion but rethemed
- Innoventions needs an update
- New World Showcase pavillions with rides and add rides to the existing ones. eg Switzerland for a Matterhorn ride or add a Mt Fuji coaster to Japan now that Kodak has gone etc New films.
-IllumiNations could so with several water screens around the lake, can never see whats on the Globe lol

Hollywood Studios
- Replace all shows with new ones
- Remove Indy and replace with DL ride or even DLP Indy coaster.
- Pixar expansion
- Cars Land
- Star Wars Land
- More focus on Disney classics
- Refurb everything, add a more consistant Studio theme
- Remove backlot tour to make room for Cars etc but shoe horn a better more compact version somewhere else.

Animal Kingdom
- RIDES, just add new rides everywhere.
- Avatar (Don't really like this but AK needs stuff badly)
- Fix Yeti.. obviously.

Tons more ideas but I think this would be a start. Epcot and Animal Kingdom are the only parks which needs
a major overhaul with added attractions. Magic Kingdom and Studios could do with new rides but I would prefer they just refurb and plus the ones they already have.

 

[marni1971]

They don't - shouldn't - need to react. They had 4 swatters lined up 4 years ago but chose not to build them. They had 2 billion they wanted to spend elsewhere.

What they do need is to build full E Tickets of their own calibre. Off their own back. For the reasons they used to. Wheres the new RSR? Or TOT? Or Indy? Oh. Its in Hong Kong (this year) and Paris (next).

 

[Tinkerbell 8]

I don't think that Disney necessarily needs to "swat" potter, but I do think Disney needs to get their butts moving with WDW. I was shocked at how many AA's on rides were completely broken, props were removed, rides were covered in mold and filth, and some rides were just plain falling apart. I wouldn't expect to see these things in my local Six Flags, let alone in WDW. I was fortunate enough on my last trip to get a sneak peak at the New Fantasyland and I was just in awe at how amazing the themeing was. I know that Disney is capable of making/creating new lands/rides that are stunning and thrilling, they just need to stop being so cheap about it. They also need to stop spreading projects over so many years, I don't understand how they can build an entire theme park in 3 years, but it takes that long to build ONE C/D ticket coaster. What Disney should do is improve the existing parks and add a few things here and there, especially in DHS and AK. If they were to open one new thing a year (doesn't have to be anything huge each time) I think it would keep bringing people back year after year because they would have something to look forward to. I have gone to Disney atleast once a year for the past 6 years, and this is the first year that I don't have a trip booked and I have to say I'm really not that upset over it.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Ok, can we please stop using MILF as an acronym for Laugh Floor?

 

[tissandtully]

Ok, can we please stop using MILF as an acronym for Laugh Floor?

But that's the acronym. It's not like we're adding letters or anything. I think you just have a dirty mind.

 

[tissandtully]

I don't think that Disney necessarily needs to "swat" potter, but I do think Disney needs to get their butts moving with WDW. I was shocked at how many AA's on rides were completely broken, props were removed, rides were covered in mold and filth, and some rides were just plain falling apart. I wouldn't expect to see these things in my local Six Flags, let alone in WDW. I was fortunate enough on my last trip to get a sneak peak at the New Fantasyland and I was just in awe at how amazing the themeing was. I know that Disney is capable of making/creating new lands/rides that are stunning and thrilling, they just need to stop being so cheap about it. They also need to stop spreading projects over so many years, I don't understand how they can build an entire theme park in 3 years, but it takes that long to build ONE C/D ticket coaster. What Disney should do is improve the existing parks and add a few things here and there, especially in DHS and AK. If they were to open one new thing a year (doesn't have to be anything huge each time) I think it would keep bringing people back year after year because they would have something to look forward to. I have gone to Disney atleast once a year for the past 6 years, and this is the first year that I don't have a trip booked and I have to say I'm really not that upset over it.

What ride was covered in mold?

 

[RandomPrincess]

What ride was covered in mold?

I know Maelstrom had moldy ceiling tiles in the queue, not sure if they fixed it. They also had a polar bear AA where you could see the metal skeleton underneath.

 

[luv]

I know Maelstrom had moldy ceiling tiles in the queue, not sure if they fixed it. They also had a polar bear AA where you could see the metal skeleton underneath.

Last I rode, the disgusting mold of Maelstrom had not been fixed. It's one of my favorites and I am so ticked with Disney for allowing this.

Six Flags isn't a good comparison because they wouldn't allow it. Uni wouldn't even consider allowing it to get that bad, much less leave it that way. But there it is, all dirty, filthy, moldy and gross in Epcot for...how long has t been? A year? More? When tiles are going to actually fall down, they do replace them.

They can't afford to get rid of the mold. But they can afford to spend billions on Star Wars rights and little circle things instead of turnstiles.

I usually think, "It's their park. Let them run it their way." Plus, I'm not in the theme park business, so they must know more than me. Lately, though, it's becoming obvious that they really don't know what they're doing. They seriously need to go back to basics.

Enough with all this, "They must compete with Uni!" stuff. Just clean the parks up.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

What ride was covered in mold?

Kali is gross, and Splash is close to gross.

 

[tissandtully]

Kali is gross, and Splash is close to gross.

I rode Splash a week or so ago and it looked fantastic, you may be remembering before the refurb.

 

[Vader2112]

Harry Potter is very popular but to say more so than Star Wars. I do not know. Lets see if Potter is still looked at with such reverence in 40 years and has the power to create sequels decades later.
A Potter Swatter is not needed nothing to seat looking at attendance figures MK out draws both Uni parks by triple. That being said bolstering Ak and HWS may basically take those who spend 2 days or one at Uni back to the WDW resort. Potter is fun and imaginative and has lend itself well to unis land. In the end competition will benefit all of us.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Well, Avatar couldn't swat a fly, so it's out as a challenge to Harry and Co. (Hopefully it's out of the picture at WDW as well).

I still say that a NEW land created JUST for WDW is the best answer...I'd favor Beastly Kingdomme, but others here have suggested a land based on the Disney Villains, and I think that's a great idea too.

 

[luv]

Villains would be great! In DHS, not the AK. Unless they were AK type villains...but that wouldn't be as good, really.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Umm, Potter has been the highest selling literary series on the planet for 17 years. And I'll match your anecdotal evidence with, you couldn't PAY my 2 daughters (12 and 17) to go see a Star Wars movie (I even tried bribing them), yet they both have read all 7 Potter books several times over.

Really, I have the opposite with my son and daughter... Neither cared anything about HP books, maybe the first movie out of curiosity and now at 20 my daughter has reverted back to the princess thing. My son (16), hated the HP movies, they were boring to him so much he refused to see the last three while the SW EP I, II and III and TCW television series were exciting to him, we have to ride Star Tours 5-6 time each trip to DHS. I tried the last three trips to get them interested in USF/IoA with zero luck. On top of that, we have six roughneck totes heavily payed with SW action figures, ships, Lego's etc to boot.

My children are by no means the only ones in my area that showed little to no interest in HP books or movies. Around halloween, look at the costumes that pass by your door, how many are Disney Princess/SW/Marvel vs HP. In my neighborhood most of the girls were Disney Princesses of some kind, or just a princess, with a lot of Marvel/SW with quite a few clone troopers and Darth Vaders.

IMO, when people plan a big vacation they go to Disney World because of the classic rides, the stable environment. When they want the latest, fastest thrill rides they go to Six Flags or their local theme park, they might plan a day or two excursion to USF/IoA but I have yet to hear anyone planning a vacation around USF/IoA even with the extreme amount of advertising they are running.

 

[Lord_Vader]

If Disney built a Star wars land on the same scale as Potter 1.0 with as much press and fanfare. I think they would have huge lines similar to Potter on opening day. People knew way in advance when Potter was coming and Potter clubs and conventions planned to be there for the opening. If they announced the opening date for Star Wars land you can bet Star Wars clubs and conventions would plan events for opening too.

You wouldn't be able to get into the park for weeks, it would be at capacity.

 

[marni1971]

are u referring to the ratatouille ride in paris?

and if so do u have any details about what the ride will be like?

Rat will be an LPS ride with 3D screen visuals and physical sets. Think Spider-Man with no track.

To think Disney invented LPS and autonomous vehicles yet Seaworld is bringing LPS to Orlando and Disney isn't. Shocking.

 

[bubbles1812]

Really, I have the opposite with my son and daughter... Neither cared anything about HP books, maybe the first movie out of curiosity and now at 20 my daughter has reverted back to the princess thing. My son (16), hated the HP movies, they were boring to him so much he refused to see the last three while the SW EP I, II and III and TCW television series were exciting to him, we have to ride Star Tours 5-6 time each trip to DHS. I tried the last three trips to get them interested in USF/IoA with zero luck. On top of that, we have six roughneck totes heavily payed with SW action figures, ships, Lego's etc to boot.

My children are by no means the only ones in my area that showed little to no interest in HP books or movies. Around halloween, look at the costumes that pass by your door, how many are Disney Princess/SW/Marvel vs HP. In my neighborhood most of the girls were Disney Princesses of some kind, or just a princess, with a lot of Marvel/SW with quite a few clone troopers and Darth Vaders.

IMO, when people plan a big vacation they go to Disney World because of the classic rides, the stable environment. When they want the latest, fastest thrill rides they go to Six Flags or their local theme park, they might plan a day or two excursion to USF/IoA but I have yet to hear anyone planning a vacation around USF/IoA even with the extreme amount of advertising they are running.

You are judging the popularity of HP based on the amount of Halloween costumes you see? By that metric, ghosts and witches and yes even clowns are more popular than absolutely anything else out there...

And hey look! It only took four pages this time to get a Six Flags and Universal reference in the same sentence. *rolls eyes*