DHS CARS LAND

[RSoxNo1]

So what do you expect in regards to parks at D23?

For Walt Disney World, I expect more details on Avatar, Frozen, Rivers of Light, Soarin' Over the World, and possibly the Wilderness Lodge DVC. I would also expect that the DHS investment will be announced in some capacity. I think if they just announce Pixar components people will get very upset and they really need to acknowledge that they are adding Star Wars to that park. I do think that best case scenario for Star Wars though is a single piece of concept art of the land, I wouldn't expect details.

I would love to hear a substantial ride replacement at Imagination, but I'm not holding my breath.

For Disneyland, I would expect an announcement of a Marvel attraction for DCA (likely a coaster) and Star Wars content for Disneyland. They may also announce what they're going to do with the hotel they just purchased.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I can very easily make Epcot a half day park. Epcot has a lot of very good things... except rides.

And DHS is filled with what exactly?

DHS IS a half day park. Epcot, I can spend half the day in World Showcase. The other half in Future World.

 

[Bocabear]

DHS has 5 rides.... I have been going to that park since it opened...how many times can you see Mermaid or BATB or even Fantasmic... Fantasmic is such a sub par version of it's California cousin... the other two I got tired of a decade ago...Lights Motors Action was good a couple times... as with Indy... So here is the real problem...to those of us that go to WDW and have been long time customers... the shows are pretty stale... The wole premise of DVC is that you come back year after year...Which we do... but this park has only changed in the fact that there is less to do each year. Another track on TSMM is not going to make this park a bigger draw... They need a full DCA makeover...Honestly they should shut the whole thing down for 2 years and have a spectacular reopening...

 

[andysol]

Arguing about DHS and epcot as to which is better is like arguing about which team that missed the playoffs is the best team that missed the playoffs.

 

[Bocabear]

That is a great point...

 

[RSoxNo1]

And DHS is filled with what exactly?

DHS IS a half day park. Epcot, I can spend half the day in World Showcase. The other half in Future World.

DHS has five D/E-ticket rides. I complain about GMR more than anyone, but at worst it's a D ticket. It's problems are comparable to SSE. It has the best ride in both parks (ToT) and three other solid rides beyond that. Aside from GMR, I wouldn't call any of those attraction's stale (matter of opinion). Regarding the shows, you're absolutely right. However, the Frozen show is a solid addition. Perhaps it's because we know a major investment is coming as well, but I think DHS is on the way up while Epcot seems like it's getting worse.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Arguing about DHS and epcot as to which is better is like arguing about which team that missed the playoffs is the best team that missed the playoffs.

I'd say which last place team is better, but still the comparison is apt.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

SeaWorld has over twice as many rides as DHS.

Manta
Kraken
Antarctica
Atlantis
Wild Arctic
Shamu Express
Sea Carousel
Ocean Commotion
Jazzy Jellies
Sky Tower
Swishy Fishy

 

[Bocabear]

I don't think the rides are stale...the shows are..well....the GMR is as well..but when you have a theme park with that few rides, your shows become more important... Can anyone tell me that it is too difficult to freshen up BATB or Little Mermaid? These shows are so old and so canned... Very cute for a first timer...but seriously...they can do so much better....and should...

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

I don't think the rides are stale...the shows are..well....the GMR is as well..but when you have a theme park with that few rides, your shows become more important... Can anyone tell me that it is too difficult to freshen up BATB or Little Mermaid? These shows are so old and so canned... Very cute for a first timer...but seriously...they can do so much better....and should...

Mary Poppins? Just to name one musical

 

[articos]

then why doesn't Disney world do celebrations like TDA? Like the recent hollywood one. And why aren't certain rides getting updates like if DL is getting an updated peter pan what's stopping us from getting the same update :0 Does glendale now just go slow on WDW but give more attention to DLR?

Proximity and demographics. Anaheim is in Corporate's backyard. If Bob or Tom or John or Bruce or anyone else they know are going to the parks, they're going to DL/DCA. If something is amiss, the top management within TDA is going to hear about it almost immediately. Stuff flows downhill, so from the top down they have a better ethic towards keeping things running and in better shape. WDW has a longer climb out of entrenched habits to fix things. Also, Glendale/WDI is in the Anaheim parks more often - they see things they want to fix/plus/redo on a regular basis because they're there. And right now, money is being spent on Anaheim because of the 60th. Regarding demographics: a huge amount of people going to Anaheim are repeat visitors. The thought is if you're going to keep people coming, you have to keep refreshing.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Proximity and demographics. Anaheim is in Corporate's backyard. If Bob or Tom or John or Bruce or anyone else they know are going to the parks, they're going to DL/DCA. If something is amiss, the top management within TDA is going to hear about it almost immediately. Stuff flows downhill, so from the top down they have a better ethic towards keeping things running and in better shape. WDW has a longer climb out of entrenched habits to fix things. Also, Glendale/WDI is in the Anaheim parks more often - they see things they want to fix/plus/redo on a regular basis because they're there. And right now, money is being spent on Anaheim because of the 60th. Regarding demographics: a huge amount of people going to Anaheim are repeat visitors. The thought is if you're going to keep people coming, you have to keep refreshing.

Meanwhile, WDW has record attendance and rebounding occupancy rates, so I guess we are getting what we need (in Iger's view from thousands of miles away).

In WDWs defense, I do actually think the state of the parks is improving. As in, maintenance is improving. Most rides and shows are in relatively good shape at least in the guest's view (infrastructure issues on things like POTC notwithstanding). I noticed fewer broken effects this most recent vacation than I have in years, so I do think there are folks in FL who care, they just aren't given much power.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Meanwhile, WDW has record attendance and rebounding occupancy rates, so I guess we are getting what we need (in Iger's view from thousands of miles away).

In WDWs defense, I do actually think the state of the parks is improving. As in, maintenance is improving. Most rides and shows are in relatively good shape at least in the guest's view (infrastructure issues on things like POTC notwithstanding). I noticed fewer broken effects this most recent vacation than I have in years, so I do think there are folks in FL who care, they just aren't given much power.

I was actually quite pleased with the condition of the attractions at DHS yesterday. But how hard can it be to maintain 5 rides?

 

[Sped2424]

Proximity and demographics. Anaheim is in Corporate's backyard. If Bob or Tom or John or Bruce or anyone else they know are going to the parks, they're going to DL/DCA. If something is amiss, the top management within TDA is going to hear about it almost immediately. Stuff flows downhill, so from the top down they have a better ethic towards keeping things running and in better shape. WDW has a longer climb out of entrenched habits to fix things. Also, Glendale/WDI is in the Anaheim parks more often - they see things they want to fix/plus/redo on a regular basis because they're there. And right now, money is being spent on Anaheim because of the 60th. Regarding demographics: a huge amount of people going to Anaheim are repeat visitors. The thought is if you're going to keep people coming, you have to keep refreshing.

One would hope that logic would apply everywhere.

 

[TP2000]

They may also announce what they're going to do with the hotel they just purchased.

I wouldn't count on it. That hotel is Plan B to get a skybridge from a new 8,000 space parking structure behind that hotel property and over Harbor Blvd. to the parks.

The Feds have been cold to the idea of giving federal funds for the Anaheim Streetcar, as it doesn't meet their criteria. Without the streetcar there's no need for Anaheim to take the Park Vue Inn/IHOP property (a block south of that hotel) via eminent domain for a ground floor streetcar maintenance barn with a skybridge above it. Plus, Anaheim City Hall is in mild crisis over their ARTIC train station that is bleeding red ink now, so the Streetcar might be dead already. Disney needs another route for their skybridge, and that hotel property can be made to work.

Knowing Disney, they'll wait until the government funded option gets completely shut down, then finally shell out for the skybridge and structure themselves. That could easily take a few years.

But you never know what they might announce at D23 Expo if things fall into place in the next 60 days.

 

[Ignohippo]

Proximity and demographics. Anaheim is in Corporate's backyard. If Bob or Tom or John or Bruce or anyone else they know are going to the parks, they're going to DL/DCA. If something is amiss, the top management within TDA is going to hear about it almost immediately. Stuff flows downhill, so from the top down they have a better ethic towards keeping things running and in better shape. WDW has a longer climb out of entrenched habits to fix things. Also, Glendale/WDI is in the Anaheim parks more often - they see things they want to fix/plus/redo on a regular basis because they're there. And right now, money is being spent on Anaheim because of the 60th. Regarding demographics: a huge amount of people going to Anaheim are repeat visitors. The thought is if you're going to keep people coming, you have to keep refreshing.

Not to mention DL is in the media center of the world (besides, arguably, NYC). Any new additions to DL gets a heck of a lot more publicity (and on a continual basis) than anything that happens across the country down in Florida.

WDW has really become DL's red-headed stepchild with the way TWDCo has treated it lately. It's very easy to see DL is its darling.

WDW was definitely Eisner's pride and joy. Iger, while I actually do like him, uses DL to show off the TWDCo and court celebrities. WDW is simply regarded as the "other" theme park.

 

[Dice50]

Unless I am forgetting something DHS seems to only have 6 rides/attractions (I don't count shows, although I know some people like them). Out of 6 attractions, I'd say Tower of Terror, Rock n' Roller Coaster, Star Tours, and Toy Story are E-ticket level. I love Muppets and hope it is always there and I don't like the Great Movie Ride at all but am hopeful it'll be better when it re-opens.

So it's got as many E-tickets as pretty much any other park but almost nothing after that. So it's kind of a dilemma, is it worth visiting to go to the 4 great E-ticket + Muppets? I'd say it's not, unless it's been 5+ years since I've been to the park.

I wish attendance would plummet so they would be forced to build new rides.

 

[TP2000]

WDW has really become DL's red-headed stepchild with the way TWDCo has treated it lately. It's very easy to see DL is its darling.

WDW was definitely Eisner's pride and joy. Iger, while I actually do like him, uses DL to show off the TWDCo and court celebrities. WDW is simply regarded as the "other" theme park.

I think Eisner saw the potential in WDW's "blessing of size" and went for it in the 1980's. Unfortunately, Eisner let off the accelerator in the early 1990's after the Euro Disneyland mess and the property has been coasting for 20 years now.

There's no good reason why 17 year old DAK and 26 year old DHS combined have fewer attractions than 14 year old Disney California Adventure does. And the insiders are saying a Marvel E Ticket is on the way to DCA, with info to come at D23 Expo in August.

Which brings us back to Cars Land in DHS. Splash Mountain opened at Disneyland in July, 1989 and an improved Splash Mountain (with a discernible plot!) opened at WDW thee years later in July, 1992. Using that old Eisner-era timetable, after Cars Land was an unabashed hit in June, 2012, the WDW version of Cars Land with improvements (if that's possible with how excellent Cars Land already is) should have opened last weekend.

There isn't even a hint of construction at DHS, let alone a Cars Land on the horizon. That's just dumb.

 

[Brian Swan]

It's called strategic planning: you don't just play with projects that cost hundreds of millions of dollars because you want to be cool, you do it with a goal in mind.

Universal will never make anything else that will draw like Harry Potter. Right now they are spending huge amounts of money because they made so much from Potter, which is great for them and it's probably what they should be doing, but they are doing what Disney did in the mid 80s-90s and bringing the resort up to what its potential is now that they finally have the money to do it. Kong, Fast & Furious, Waterpark, no matter what they build they will not see After the next few years Universal is going to plateau and stop all the big projects.

Unless the rumors come true and they DO get the LOTR rights and start building Middle Earth...

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

I think Eisner saw the potential in WDW's "blessing of size" and went for it in the 1980's. Unfortunately, Eisner let off the accelerator in the early 1990's after the Euro Disneyland mess and the property has been coasting for 20 years now.

There's no good reason why 17 year old DAK and 26 year old DHS combined have fewer attractions than 14 year old Disney California Adventure does. And the insiders are saying a Marvel E Ticket is on the way to DCA, with info to come at D23 Expo in August.

Which brings us back to Cars Land in DHS. Splash Mountain opened at Disneyland in July, 1989 and an improved Splash Mountain (with a discernible plot!) opened at WDW thee years later in July, 1992. Using that old Eisner-era timetable, after Cars Land was an unabashed hit in June, 2012, the WDW version of Cars Land with improvements (if that's possible with how excellent Cars Land already is) should have opened last weekend.

There isn't even a hint of construction at DHS, let alone a Cars Land on the horizon. That's just dumb.

Goodness, @TP2000 that's a depressing post for us WDW fans to read. Not saying it's untrue, just depressing as heck.

I said over on the Spirted thread that the 2010's are shaping up to be the Universal Decade (like the 90's were billed as the Disney Decade). I think it is pretty safe to say that, for WDW, the Iger years have turned into the "Lost Decade."