Originally posted by DisneyWonders07
Ohhhhh Jungle Cruise closing down? I wouldn't mind at all, it's really boring
But monorail expansion? Lemme hear!!!
Well, this attraction has seen a steady decline in guests over the last ten years or so and has been on the verge of closing several times but was saved for the simple fact that the budget to replace it wasn’t there and they were afraid that closing this attraction (which costs a bundle to operate) would leave too much of a hole in Adventure Land which is one of the parts of the park that has seem almost no expansion since opening... That is, until the addition of the Magic Carpets!
Of course, even Disney executives realize that the Carpets can’t be considered a replacement of this attraction alone but the addition does make it possible to easily hide the Jungle cruise with nothing more than the strategic use of plants and an elevated hill of built up dirt and grass (often referred to as a ‘Disney’ barrier) covering the walk area to the entrance without there appearing to be any gaps or signs of a closed attraction while they begin the extended four and a half year plan to remove this attraction and replace it with something.
But all is not lost. Why for, you ask? Well, the Imagineers have great plans for this area and have for some time. Originally, they had wanted to place a second generation version of the Indy ride here but Eisner and Co. decided it would be cheaper to simply referb the stunt show in MGM. Of course, this was before the slowdown in the economy… Then there was 9/11… Then the threat of war… The truth is Disney has seen their numbers go down steadily pretty much since the end of the Millennium Celebration and stop-gaps intended to soften the blow haven’t been all that successful. We all know that they have cut hours of the parks, cut the number of cast members, and have even doubled the amount of time between changing out the vegetable shortening that fries are cooked in at all of the restaurants in an attempt to save a bit of cash but now they have finally come to the realization that cutbacks aren’t going to solve their problems. That is why I am happy to report to the world for the first time on the WDW Magic forums that Eisner has given the green light on an attraction that our eastern friends may know as “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. (
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/tds/en/e_park/pg_top.html ) This new attraction will do a couple of things to the MK. First, it will be a major expansion of the mountain range and second, it will add a great deal of life to this park that is regarded by many as being only for kids these days.
Exact details are a bit sketchy at this time since they are still in the design and planning stages but a few things are known. First, the name will be changed. Why for? Because this attraction will only vaguely resemble the one in Disney Seas. It will be greatly scaled down in size with nearly a full third of the ride time from the original missing. Why for? Even though there is plenty of land for the full attraction Eisner and Co. were not willing to approve such a major undertaking and use of such a great amount of valuable real estate for an E-Ticket attraction alone. No, in order to get approval for this new attraction, the Imagineers also had to find a way to add both a sizeable amount of retail space and a restaurant. (Think the Enchanted Oak Tavern from IOA but without the alcohol).
With the added requirements of the store said to rival the newly expanded Main Street Emporium in size, the restaurant, and a budget of roughly half what was provided for the design and construction for just the attraction by the Oriental Land Co. overseas, they’ve obviously had to cut a few corners here back in the states to make this thing happen.
While it will generally be viewed as a major disappointment to anyone who has ever ridden or even seen pictures of the original, it is expected to be a highly popular addition (on the scale of what Test Track has done for Epcot) in WDW.
This is all I can really say for certain at this point and don’t forget that plans are always subject to change. They could always end up going in another direction or put this part of the park on a back burner for yet another half decade if things pick up again before they begin tearing out the water ways. After all, by this time last year COP was supposed to have been replaced with a retro-sci-fi rotating malt shop complete with totally automated counter service and they have yet to close COP for good.
I’ll have to save news of the Monorail for another time. That is an even longer story!
