News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Fox&Hound]

Never understood why they did not try to draw more visitors to TSI. Put a rare character meet and greet on this island (Robin Hood, Pete, or Cruella are visiting the island today) or re-open Aunt Polly’s and serve a special treat that can only be found there. Easy way to spread out crowds.

 

[DisneyNeighbor]

The heart and soul of the Magic Kingdom is under threat. The proposed changes to the Rivers of America are a devastating blow to the park's magic.

Let's unite to protect this iconic landmark! We need to make our voices heard. Share your concerns, ideas, and suggestions for saving the Rivers of America. Together, we can prevent this cherished part of Disney history from disappearing.

Whos interested?

#SaveTheRiversOfAmerica

 

[Cliff]

Guys,...EVERY Disney Castle park in the world has a similar water/river feature to it's design. ALL of them! It's for a good reason. This portion of every park is there to create an ATMOSPHERE. It's not there to be measured in attraction que metrics, it's not there as an "attraction" to lure guests in from around the world to "ride" something. It's not there as something add into Genie+ for guests to PAY to see it. It's there in the same way that the castle is. It creates an iconic atmosphere.

MK is now going to be the ONLY castle park to destroy it and NOT have this main feature that Walt's original Disneyland had???

Burbank is licking their chops and drooling saying: "Oh.......YES!!"

This is insane....I have been an absolute Disney obsessed, Pixie Dusting, fanatic, WARRIOR for Walt Disney and this company brand ever since I was 10 years old. (I'm 55 now) What Burbank has done to this company ever since (about) the Fox purchase...is KILLING a lifetime of me loving this brand. Burbank's HORRIBLE and TOXIC business decisions are destroying this logo and it's 100 year old halo for millions of people.

It's not just me,...third party surveys and studies ARE showing that Burbank is turning Disney into a highly polarizing company and I hate seeing this happen.

It's absolutely heart breaking....and NOT necessary.

 

[MickMinn22]

I understand the nostalgia of the river boat and appeal especially when majority of the rides were indoor attractions. But they now can do so much better than a boat and island that is rarely used.

I also feel like the “they saved ROA in DL” argument forgets one major piece, and that is fantastic takes place there. MK does not have that. MK just has a large plot of unused land in the world’s busiest theme park.

 

[trainplane3]

Never understood why they did not try to draw more visitors to TSI. Put a rare character meet and greet on this island (Robin Hood, Pete, or Cruella are visiting the island today) or re-open Aunt Polly’s and serve a special treat that can only be found there. Easy way to spread out crowds.

And they'll still run one raft with the slowest moving CM you'll ever see because it's clears the bar lying in the ground.

 

[John park hopper]

I understand the nostalgia of the river boat and appeal especially when majority of the rides were indoor attractions. But they now can do so much better than a boat and island that is rarely used.

I was there in 2017 and 2019 used the boat both trips and it was used

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Only after they explain why there’s a fairy tale castle at the end of an early 20th century American small town street….

the castle is supposed to be in a park (thanks to the tree massacre it’s hard to tell that) - parks have castles. Central Park has had a castle since 1897.

The Tomorrowland Speedway is also an odd one to bring up as I think it's the attraction that people most often mention they'd be happy to see replaced.

Agreed - the speedway is enjoyed by children but so would any other “you can drive a car” attraction that could be properly themed. Autopia is so charming and fun - not sure how they messed up the speedway so much when they built it.

I understand the nostalgia of the river boat and appeal especially when majority of the rides were indoor attractions. But they now can do so much better than a boat and island that is rarely used.

How about a boat and an attraction that people like then?

I also feel like the “they saved ROA in DL” argument forgets one major piece, and that is fantastic takes place there. MK does not have that. MK just has a large plot of unused land in the world’s busiest theme park.

That just points to how under utilized the island and that area is - it would be an excellent alternate viewings location for fireworks and help with guest flow - just like at Disneyland.

You could also do live entertainment and characters on the riverboat and Tom Sawyer rafts the way Disneyland does.

 

[Cliff]

I understand the nostalgia of the river boat and appeal especially when majority of the rides were indoor attractions. But they now can do so much better than a boat and island that is rarely used.

I "might", maybe, possibly agree with you...."if"....there was absolutely nowhere else this "Frontier Cars" thing could go. But this is NOT the case! It is NOT necessary to destroy the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and the Riverboat to get a Cars ride.

We can have BOTH!

Disney,...how about a compromise. Just change the name of the island. Call it "Billy Bob's Diverse Island of Wonders" or anything like that. Change the name of the Liberty Belle into any "modern" name that you want. You can "virtually" cancel the river and the island THAT way instead...but let us keep the psychical aspect of the land and water feature and the riverboat. Paint the riverboat in bright rainbow colors if you want. I will HAPPILY accept that as a social messaging condition if you need to!!!

Burbank....is that enough to satisfy your cultural cancel desire? At this point, I'll gladly accept that compromise.

Then build Cars close by, in an EMPTY part of land....any way you want.

 

[mickEblu]

The last time someone rode the boat or visited TSI is irrelevant. They were not built as high capacity attractions. That wasn’t their primary purpose. Especially TSI where you have to board a raft to get there. You don’t use that much acreage for some boats and an island with a (beautifully themed) child’s playground that can only be accessed by raft to be people eaters. You build it for the place making and atmosphere. People found their way onto a nerdy Disney fan site like this but don’t really understand that the ROAs value is in the atmosphere and ambiance it adds to that side of the park? I find that hard to believe.

 

[MickMinn22]

I was there I 2017 and 2019 used the boat both trips and it was used

Said this earlier on the thread. I was there in April and rode it. Under used is probably a better term for it. Both the boat and island were nearly empty even for a busier spring day.

Either way the new land will be way more utilized than it currently is.

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

I understand the nostalgia of the river boat and appeal especially when majority of the rides were indoor attractions. But they now can do so much better than a boat and island that is rarely used.

When was the last time you saw the riverboat float by with only 1-2 people on it? This also opens up a discussion of what constitutes a "popular" attraction? 90 minute waits? Lines spilling out into the walkways? It's no secret that Disney can and does manipulate wait times. That's been an issue ever since pretty much every attraction got a FP lane whether it needed it or not. And now current Disney seems to have no idea how to create people eater attractions any more. Which further inflates wait times and gives the appearance of "popular".
But to say the riverboat was "rarely" used is just untrue. Maybe it wasn't consistently filled to capacity...but is it even the type of attraction anyone would want to be filled to the gills? Why does every attraction need a 90+ minute wait to be considered successful now?

 

[celluloid]

When was the last time you saw the riverboat float by with only 1-2 people on it? This also opens up a discussion of what constitutes a "popular" attraction? 90 minute waits? Lines spilling out into the walkways? It's no secret that Disney can and does manipulate wait times. That's been an issue ever since pretty much every attraction got a FP lane whether it needed it or not. And now current Disney seems to have no idea how to create people eater attractions any more. Which further inflates wait times and gives the appearance of "popular".
But to say the riverboat was "rarely" used is just untrue. Maybe it wasn't consistently filled to capacity...but is it even the type of attraction anyone would want to be filled to the gills? Why does every attraction need a 90+ minute wait to be considered successful now?

This right here is the truth.

Cost of operation and upkeep is what Disney wants to avoid.

It was not like Tom Sawyer's Island ever had less than a few hundred exploring it at any given time. So the island has been very much appreciated directly and indirectly appreciated for 50 plus years now.

 

[el_super]

A BB gun shooting target range in Frontier land promotes a bad message about gun violence to kids.....but promoting uber-gun violent Deadpool to kids in Disney parks does NOT do any that?

Yeah it makes perfect sense to me.

The shooting arcades aren't promoting violence, but they are promoting a lax gun safety culture. One where kids are encouraged to pick up a gun and think of it as a toy.

Deadpool appears in the park without his guns. It's the kind of joke that the adults will get, but unless their parents let them watch the movie, hopefully the kids do not.

Hope that helps explain it a bit.

 

[el_super]

Poorly integrated does.

Nothing can be poorly integrated because they make the rules as to what fits where.

 

[celluloid]

Yeah it makes perfect sense to me.

The shooting arcades aren't promoting violence, but they are promoting a lax gun safety culture. One where kids are encouraged to pick up a gun and think of it as a toy.

Deadpool appears in the park without his guns. It's the kind of joke that the adults will get, but unless their parents let them watch the movie, hopefully the kids do not.

Hope that helps explain it a bit.

Not at all. It is themed to a shooting range. A designated space. That is actually where guns for sport are meant to be fired.

 

[John park hopper]

Unless Disney can sell Genie + or the new fast pass for attractions the bean counters consider it under used and it goes on the chopping block

 

[celluloid]

Nothing can be poorly integrated because they make the rules as to what fits where.

Yeah, that concept holds up well in life. If they freely break their own rules, then thus their own rules are meaningless as soon as they are implemented.

 

[John park hopper]

Lax gun culture --I wonder how many kids who have been to the shooting arcade became mass murderers ----safe bet none

 

[el_super]

And now current Disney seems to have no idea how to create people eater attractions any more.

Of course they do. People just have to want them in order to justify the cost. Audiences are trending toward more thrill rides and more personal experiences, and building giant rotating theaters doesn't hold interest any longer.

Why does every attraction need a 90+ minute wait to be considered successful now?

People have been saying that the parks NEED more capacity, but it's hard to argue that if you have attractions pulling in only 50%. If the overall utilization of MK is around 80%, how do you justify spending more money to build more attractions?

It's like eating 80% of the cereal in a box and then asking for another box of cereal. Except the new box costs $400M.

 

[celluloid]

Lax gun culture --I wonder how many kids who have been to the shooting arcade became mass murderers ----safe bet none

I would far say it is a safer bet that kids who have seen Deadpool are rude to others with snarky comments and retorts far more than the zero negative influence The Frontierland Shootin' Arcade ever had.