News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I keep seeing this but how do you explain the chill areas in Epcot and AK, which are extremely easy to get to, being empty as well?

Why should anyone assume the chill and quiet area of MK would be more popular when those areas are also abandoned in the other parks?

There is absolutely no evidence that making TSI easier to get to would increase its popularity enough to warrant its continued existence.

So just because they aren't as packed as the E-Tickets, that means they don't deserve to exist? People don't deserve quiet areas off the beaten path to discover and explore? Every square inch must be used to its maximum potential? At that point, why not just go to a Six Flags instead?

Theme parks, especially Magic Kingdom, NEED quieter areas. They need somewhere you can go and escape the chaos. Magic Kingdom is getting more and more stressful to visit, and Cars isn't going to make it less stressful. That ride is going to be VQ+LL for a long time because it'll make money. As a result, now there's no place in MK you can go and not be surrounded by hundreds of people all stressing that they can't fit everything in one day because Disney refuses to actually address capacity issues.

You talk about there being no evidence for TSI being more popular if it were more accessible, but there's equally no evidence that getting rid of it will make the park better. There's no numbers or statistics quantifying the amount of atmosphere and beauty they bring to the park. You can't count exploration and discovery on a spreadsheet. But you can acknowledge what makes the "theme" and "park" aspects of "theme park"- having space for worlds and environments to tell a story and come to life. If I'm standing outside Grizzly Hall and looking off across the way, I see a vast river and a quaint island. I might not go to it every visit (though I will say I've gone on it every visit to MK except my last), but just the view increases the immersion of the area tenfold. Now imagine the view when Cars is done- I'm standing outside Grizzly Hall, a 1800s theater set in a 1920s Wild West town, and right on the edge of the walkway I see a dense tree line I can't quite see through and snowy rocks peering above. The openness of the rivers is gone, the immersion is diluted. The area feels cramped and claustrophobic. No longer are there people standing looking out on the water and taking a much-needed breather, soaking up the atmosphere and waving to people on the steamboat. No longer can you see people exploring Tom Sawyer Island or enjoying the quiet of Aunt Polly's patio. It's just a thick mess to obscure the race cars on the other side and a thin and crowded walkway through Frontierland. But hey, shareholders get more money because they're selling more T-shirts and toys, so it must be worth it, right?

 

[Nickm2022]

What also really surprises me is were getting so much Cars yet none of it is going to the cars area in AdventureWorld (Paris). I park that desperately needs more and a Cars ride (making that area a proper land and not a retheme of the studio tour) would go such a long way

 

[Wall-e]

I was engaged in this thread initially for new information as it was being announced. Without any new information we are on a loop of the same discord unfortunately. Im going to hope for the best outcome and looking forward to the future. I’ll take my one more visit to the park to soak in what is there now while I have the chance and hope most of you get to do the same. Maybe in 5 years I’ll see you all on the other side of this project as we smile and stroll through a wonderful new land together

 

[Nickm2022]

Wow, this thread has been interesting to watch.

I say, bring on the new Frontierland. Disney knows how to do amazing rock work and waterfalls. Add a lot of pine trees and this will be a big win.

I agree! Especially if its more like Grizzly Peak where it focuses on the American nature and western architecture

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

THAT LAST SENTENCE, RIGHT THERE

Edit: I think this especially true given the DAS pass fiasco, and the absolutely horrifying new page they have for neurodivergent guests. "Practice waiting in line at home," etc. They hate us, ans I don't understand why.

I remember going as a kid and being accommodated for the disabilities in my family. My older brother is autistic and could not wait in lines without meltdowns as a kid. The disability pass (not sure what the name was back then) was a lifesaver for my parents and it made the trip so much better for everyone. Telling families that they should just "practice" is insane. They're just trying to milk everyone for more money, because a DAS pass is free and LL is not. They'd rather you buy LL instead of getting a DAS, even if it actively makes your trip worse. It's disgusting.


It's why areas where kids can explore and play and burn off energy are important. Many neurodivergent people need that. I loved exploring TSI with my brother, and he really loved that island, especially the barrel bridge. Again, I won't pretend I'm a TSI diehard- I'm much more on the team of "just leave the river there for the views"- but I understand it is important in many ways. I hope there are trails and such that intertwine the new area and allow people to explore. What's more "frontier" than exploring the wilderness on foot?

To the user who laughed at the tweet I posted- @WaltsTreasureChest - what's so funny about a neurodivergent person expressing their feelings? What's so funny about lessening the experience for people with disabilities?

 

[bwr827]

These people have no common sense. But I don't think thats the driver here. I think it's a factor but I think the driver is underutilized space and missed revenue opportunities. Too much space not turning over a profit. But thats where they are misguided. The ROA is the kind of thing that created the brand and separated Disney from other parks. You may not be able to show that people are spending money on TSI but it's what's bringing them to the park in the first place. Whether they know it or not.

So I subliminally love ROA and TSI, while not consciously caring about them? TIL.

 

[mickEblu]

I mean I get the "hidden gem" concept. But I think we're beyond that at this point. Maybe if Disney hadn't spent the last 20 years building a kajillion hotel rooms and zero new parks.

I appreciate the sentiment of that tweet but “hidden gem” is the wrong way to describe the ROA. Snow Whites Wishing Well is a hidden gem. The river complex is vital to that entire side of the park.

 

[Dear Prudence]

As long as Mater reprises the safety spiel in Spanish like he does at DCA......

 

[mickEblu]

So I subliminally love ROA and TSI, while not consciously caring about them? TIL.

Sit down. I can teach you a few more things my boy.

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

I was engaged in this thread initially for new information as it was being announced. Without any new information we are on a loop of the same discord unfortunately. Im going to hope for the best outcome and looking forward to the future. I’ll take my one more visit to the park to soak in what is there now while I have the chance and hope most of you get to do the same. Maybe in 5 years I’ll see you all on the other side of this project as we smile and stroll through a wonderful new land together

I'd love to be able to visit it, but as a New Englander, my trips are very spaced out. Glad I got to experience it all my trips but the last. I'll especially always remember exploring the island with my brother and sister as small children, and on my second to last trip, riding the Riverboat and exploring the island at a much calmer pace with my then-girlfriend, now wife.

Hopefully this new area has that same sense of serenity, natural beauty, and exploration- please, Disney, just leave some water so we're not directly up against the loud cars!

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

If I was a betting man I'd say
2027 - Tropical Americas
2028 - Monsters and Cars
2029 - Villains

Villains ain’t opening in 2029 - cars might be opening 2029.

As I've also said, if you don't like the idea of shareholders über alles, you're saying you prefer a different flavor of capitalism. Which is also cool. It's just not what we have here.

Your political posts are weird. Like bizzaro world weird.

The park has to evolve to be relevant 20-30 years from now.

Yes - but they also need to continue to attract a large and diverse audience. I think the attendance issues are partially on so much of the same thing being pushed down our throats at WDW. That’s great for kids and casual visitors - but that one audience can’t scale indefinitely. The WDW resort was designed with a huge and diverse audience in mind.

Kids dig transportation.

Like riverboats?

It is very much in motion and will definitely go forward.

Same could be said of new fantasyland and it got some major changes.

My understanding was the other option was Cars goes where Beyond Big Thunder will eventually be. So we'd keep Rivers of America, get Villains, and get Cars.

That would have been a much better option. I would still question cars over Moana and Coco just for the relevance - but I wouldn’t have an issue with “beyond big thunder” placement.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

I guarantee you this is the kind of thing where a casual fan will show up to the park and feel the loss of the river. Maybe not TSI or being able to ride the riverboat so much but that vista. It’s the DNA, soul of the park or however you want to phrase it. It’s part of the quintessential castle park experience. Not to be tossed out lightly for a Cars ride.

But will they also feel the loss of an extra $50+ on an ILL plus “ Lightning McQueen off-roading” t-shirt?

Because as they say “Never lose sight of what’s really important”.

 

[Raineman]

That's how we vacation. We don't all spend multiple days at each park. 1 day, ride everything. The more new rides the better.

Not that I don't appreciate the water views and nostalgia.

I can appreciate that. But if Disney starts to remove areas like ROA where people can slow down and soak it in and get some amazing views, then the parks are geared more towards commando guests than anything else. A mix of both has always been the best recipe, but that's not what is happening any more. Disney would love it if everyone spent every second either on an attraction, in a store or in a restaurant.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I'd love to be able to visit it, but as a New Englander, my trips are very spaced out. Glad I got to experience it all my trips but the last. I'll especially always remember exploring the island with my brother and sister as small children, and on my second to last trip, riding the Riverboat and exploring the island at a much calmer pace with my then-girlfriend, now wife.

Hopefully this new area has that same sense of serenity, natural beauty, and exploration- please, Disney, just leave some water so we're not directly up against the loud cars!

I think WDW has something against water, unless it has to do with Moana

 

[durangojim]

Here’s another question I have, and maybe @lentesta could help answer it. Wouldn’t it be less expensive to expand the footprint of FL and MK than demolishing what is there already and then building on top of TSI and ROA? It seems like Disney has plenty of space.

 

[mickEblu]

I think WDW has something against water, unless it has to do with Moana

So if they do this the only main water features are the waterways around the Castle and the Jungle Cruise? That’s crazy.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

You're the kind of person who doesn't mind a woods being replaced by a strip mall because "no one" went in the woods.

This seems a bit rich considering the prevailing opinion in this thread is “we need to expand into more wetland for the expense of our fake river/forest!”

 

[Bill in Atlanta]

I had been wondering how they were going to attempt to transition between Fantasyland to Villains and from the American desert to Villains, and had assumed that it would be through a scary/haunted forest. So, turning Frontierland into a more American Northwest/US National Parks theme helps them get there easier.

We're traveling west, through the great American frontier, we continue on into the forests of the American Northwest, and finally arrive at Villians Land aka ..... Seattle?

 

[CSOM]

Theme parks, especially Magic Kingdom, NEED quieter areas. They need somewhere you can go and escape the chaos. Magic Kingdom is getting more and more stressful to visit, and Cars isn't going to make it less stressful. That ride is going to be VQ+LL for a long time because it'll make money. As a result, now there's no place in MK you can go and not be surrounded by hundreds of people all stressing that they can't fit everything in one day because Disney refuses to actually address capacity issues.

This whole thread has been fascinating. I remain excited by this, but it's interesting to me to read different opinions on this, especially those that I would've never considered.

This right here is one of them. The emphasis on needing quieter areas has never occurred to me, nor ever been a thought I've had at any of the 8 Disney Parks, or Universal, or Six Flags, etc. parks I've been to. For me, and our families, the de-stressful parts of the trip were away from the parks - at the resorts, pools, etc. Paying WDW prices and looking for quiet areas to sit would never be on my list.

I hope you find yours going forward, just know that for many others, that is not a priority.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Here’s another question I have, and maybe @lentesta could help answer it. Wouldn’t it be less expensive to expand the footprint of FL and MK than demolishing what is there already and then building on top of TSI and ROA? It seems like Disney has plenty of space.

Arguably yes and no. I could see a school of thought that says on a spreadsheet TSI and ROA is likely deemed low ROI for the maintenance and upkeep costs.