I was timing CR dispatches and they're usually every 30 seconds. Sometimes 40. One time: 25!
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News 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' Blue Sky concept revealed for Magic Kingdom
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Mike S
Well-Known Member
I’m aware but my point was on the expansion side. They’re definitely slipping in other areas. Like at Kong…
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
Yeah, they can definitely send those things out far faster than what I used, but I was just being conservative as GOTG will occasionally go on these random 60+ sec dispatch intervals or send out empty trains on one load side for a few dispatches.
Universal has matched Disney in terms of attraction/entertainment quality... but boy are they still leagues behind in their upkeep & operations. Even without reservations in place, you still have to check the Universal site for operating hours as they will close the parks quite early for private events (especially on the weekends as stupid as it sounds) occasionally.I’m aware but my point was on the expansion side. They’re definitely slipping in other areas. Like at Kong…
They've made substantial improvements in food quality/service, but they're still lagging behind WDW tremendously. In addition, they've proven they're more than willing to drop show quality in the name of profit protection (removing 3D from Kong) or running an attraction (River Adventure) with missing animatronics covered by an unthemed chain link fence (they didn't put fake foliage until 2 weeks after the attraction had removed the animatronics).
The parks have a good mix of attractions but they don’t have enough attractions. I think if the company were to open 3-4 major attractions over an 8 year span in MK and not include a new Mountain, that would be a strategic failure. You can’t phone it in with an addition like the mine train or Tron; you need to build a headliner, capacity monster moderate thrill attraction that happens to be a roller coaster.
Advisable Joseph
Active Member
Going back to "Beyond Big Thunder," when did people start talking about expansion north of the mountain? I recall reading about more-west-than-northwest from @marni1971. @PREMiERdrum mentioned the north recently, but people in this thread seemed focused there much earlier.
FigmentFan82
Well-Known Member
I think so far of all the "rumored to most likely happen" things in MK, I'm most excited about the Moana attraction in AL. for one AL needed a little something extra to really fill out that land. Second, Moana is a great IP and has some of the most beautiful animated imagery seen in any Disney animated film. Lastly, there seems to be some credibility to the rumor that the ride may be something akin to the Shanghai Pirates attraction, which would word wonderfully well with Moana's visuals. Even though it looks like many things are going to happen in MK, if it was only going to be one, I'd hope it was Moana in AL.
ChewbaccaYourMum
Well-Known Member
Before I start this post I want to apologize to you that I'm quoting your post from earlier today and using it as my example. It's just that I see so many people on here bring up this subject and get mad at Disney for this idea that they are rarely opening things or refreshing them in the four Walt Disney World parks as frequently as they should. It's just plain wrong.
Weeks ago I got this idea to do a deep dive on the history of the parks in Orlando after reading a post on here in some thread about how Universal is always opening things and Epic Universe this and Epic Universe that, and how Disney World could never compete and doesn't give their fans enough. Side note: I am VERY excited for Epic Universe and love both Universal and Disney, just wanted to say that.
So anyway, I started looking on Google for easy articles or sites that have ALL the history of Disney World and Universal Orlando parks to get to the bottom of this. It's not as easy to find, so I decided to go through each and just make my own spreadsheets with almost EVERY year and EVERY park to really be able to have them side by side and compare this debate. I will attach the PDF's here for anyone interested to be able to download them and save them!
The only years I didn't do (yet) were 1971-1979. I started with the good ol' year of 1980! I was doing this research and putting together these spreadsheets during my days at work, when I had time to spare. It has taken me a little over a week, so please spare me if there might be spelling errors or a couple things might be wrong or missing. But, by my nature, I was very stringent on getting everything right so I think it's good, but I welcome anyone to check my work and let me know if something seems off with an opening year!
So I started in 1980, and based on my research, Walt Disney World has NOT had something new in their four theme parks, from 1980 to 2024 a total of 5 times. So out of 44 years only 5 of those years something new wasn't brought to the parks.
When I say something new what I mean is:
-A ride (new or retheme or replacement)
-A show (new or retheme or replacement)
-A firework show (new or replacement)
-A parade (new or replacement)
I understand some people might not want to count something like a new firework show or parade in this. So if I take out the years where only a new firework show or parade were introduced then since 1980- in those 44 years, 7 of them nothing came to the parks.
Also, since 2010 when Islands of Adventure opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there's only been ONE year that Disney hadn't opened something in one of their four parks. That was 2013. Part of this research I was very intrigued at looking at the years since 2010 because it's always a topic of discussion in these forums that Universal Orlando has been embarrassing WDW since then with always opening something and Disney leaving us hanging. Which is again, just plain wrong.
Now of course, bias and opinion comes HUGELY into play here if whoever is reading this post thinks that something opened by either WDW or Universal Orlando is good or worthy. I am not denying that some people might look at this and just be like, for example: "well Frozen Ever After is a bad ride, so who cares that they opened that in 2016." This still doesn't change the fact that WDW did indeed open something.
Ok sorry about the rambling. So to explain the spreadsheets here so it's easy for anyone to understand them (for whoever is still reading this post and is interested lol)
We got the individual years on the left and then going across the top are the parks with their own spaces.
Anything in Bold means it was something brand new. Not a replacement.
Anything in Italic's means it's a firework show.
So enjoy for whoever is interested! And I hope this maybe helps us here on these forums realize that Disney World actually has been consistently giving us fans something almost every year and this notion that they're not is just kind of silly and wrong.
JD80
Well-Known Member
Can you convert it to a google sheet and link it here?
I did something similar but just the last 10-15 years and it also helps if you try to add infrastructure, transportation and hotels. Really fills out the investment in the resorts.
Gusey
Well-Known Member
Very interesting. I should add that you left off Dreamworks Land at Universal opening 2024. When you look at Universal since it opened in 1990, they've only had 6 years (1994 2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2022) when nothing opened at any Universal Park, so have been doing something similar to Disney anyway. It's just in the recent few years that they've expanded as a resort with the addition of multiple hotels, a waterpark and now a new theme park. And if Beyond Big Thunder is one of the responses to Universal's recent expansion, then I do hope it is more than just 2 attractions and a load of shops like Galaxy's Edge was for Disneyland (a similar expansion plot)
Advisable Joseph
Active Member
McMickeyWorld
Well-Known Member
I personally prefer them to put Coco in Magic Kingdom rather than in Epcot, especially if it would only be a retheme of the Three Caballeros. I feel like the current version of the ride represents the country with more diversity, although I would like them to update the footage.
I’m interested to see if it is real and the opening date they give for it. If it is a real thing it and they want to take a wave of capital projects in MK seriously it needs to be a Holiday 2026-Summer 2027 opening.
Rteetz
Well-Known Member
Google sheets suck. The PDF is great.
JCtheparrothead
Well-Known Member
There's a big swath of land to the east of BTM. Maybe that is on the "time to repurpose" list.
ChewbaccaYourMum
Well-Known Member
Yeah you're absolutely right! It really shows just how much is being done by Universal and Disney, and it's fun to do this research and put it all together.
I converted them here. Sorry it's separate files. The reason I did that is because I wanted to be able to print them out on their own sheets and keep the decades separate as best I could.
1980s - Orlando Park History
1990 to 94 - Orlando Park History
1995 to 99 - Orlando Park History
2000s - Orlando Park History
2010 and 20s - Orlando Park History
PREMiERdrum
Well-Known Member
There are a few plottings being sent around.
The pre-phase 1 work is beginning W and NW of BTMRR... water management and facilities work.
I anticipate we'll see access to phase 1 between TBA and BTMRR, around the mountain, and then back to existing FL via a boardwalk along the river. Phase 2 - if it were to happen - would then arch N and NE, clipping a bit of ROA, and connecting to LS around HM.
The "14 acre" site they're already overpromoting (and likely overpromising) is the maximum border they can get from W of BTMM all the way around to HM. We'll see.
ChewbaccaYourMum
Well-Known Member
Ooh you're right! I completely forgot about Dreamworks Land.
But yeah you're right. I think the main thing to note here is that both Disney and Universal in Orlando have been doing a good job at opening new things, or refreshing/replacing/retheming things over the years for us.
There's a lot of debate if all the new things are good, or if the replacements are better than what was there before... but I don't think there's any reason for anyone to sit here and say that both aren't consistently having new things open throughout the parks. Which was the whole reason why I wanted to put these spreadsheets together, and I'm happy I did!
Josh told people the water permit was done and, I think, soon to be submitted.
When @danlb_2000 posts it, we'll see the scope of the land.
Basil of Baker Street
Well-Known Member
I may be in the minority but I feel Toy Story has enough at WDW. No more please.
mattpeto
Well-Known Member
I'm okay if they expand TSL, but that's it.