Expansion Plans Change

[unkadug]

I'd say you could include the cost of the NextGen for just the things that were included in the original expansion, though I acknowledge that would probably be a harder thing to break down from the cost of NextGen as a whole. And I don't know...did you see some of the plans they had for the different M&Gs originally? They were pretty elaborate. That said, I only said "might," not that I know for certain. But there isn't a way to know for sure. That's all. (For the record I am very glad they chose to spend whatever money they did spend on a roller coaster rather than M&G)

Me too!

What was going to be so special about coloring with Aurora ?

Wasn't that about the extent of NextGen anyway!

 

[Lee]

You sure about that? The original project was to cost 800 million (though I believe that actually had an "E ticket" in the plans as compared to now)... NFE as of now cost approx 400 million. Of course one meet and greet doesn't cost the same as a roller coaster, but several "nextgen" M&G might have. Just sayin'.

The original, announced version with the M&Gs was not the $800mil version. That version never made it anywhere near the point of being announced.
The M&G version, which also included the Pixie Hollow area, was still in the $400mil range.

 

[bubbles1812]

The original, announced version with the M&Gs was not the $800mil version. That version never made it anywhere near the point of being announced.
The M&G version, which also included the Pixie Hollow area, was still in the $400mil range.

Oh ok, gotcha. Thanks! Though it's sad the original version never came anywhere near being announced... sigh.

And @unkadug...hey crayons can get expensive! Or at least the way my brothers and I use to play with them...we would occasionally be known to take them outside when it was very very hot and see how long they would take to melt...shockingly, my mother was never pleased.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

What was going to be so special about coloring with Aurora ?

Thrills of colouring with Aurora:

- Will she colour within the lines?
- Can she use all 64 colours in one picture?
- How many crayons can she stick up her nose?

 

[Kuhio]

Thrills of colouring with Aurora:

- Will she colour within the lines?
- Can she use all 64 colours in one picture?
- How many crayons can she stick up her nose?

Will she prick her finger on an over-sharpened crayon and collapse in a swoon, traumatizing the children in the audience?

 

[yoyoflamingo]

Thrills of colouring with Aurora:

- Will she colour within the lines?
- Can she use all 64 colours in one picture?
- How many crayons can she stick up her nose?

Which color will she choose? Pink...no blue...no pink!

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

The original, announced version with the M&Gs was not the $800mil version. That version never made it anywhere near the point of being announced.

Lee, what exactly was in the original plans that would have sent the price tag up so high? Anything of substance that is now not being built, or was that money just going towards realizing the known plans in a more elaborate fashion? I wonder what from FLE planning, if anything, is now sitting in a drawer.

 

[MarkTwain]

I remember watching the video of the D23 convention presentation where the Fantasyland Expansion was initially announced. It was amusing to hear the audience feedback while Rasulo was making his speech, which went something like:

"And we are excited to announce the addition of four new attractions to Fantasyland..." [gasps, excited chatter] "...where you can meet your favorite Disney princesses!" [one big ohhhhhh]

I'm sure someone could find the video somewhere for the exact wording.

 

[BrightImagine]

I love the 7DMT, but I still feel sad to have missed out on that Pixie Hollow area. An acceptable replacement would be to bring more fairy characters to the Veranda. I saw when the fairies were temporarily exiled to Epcot that they had a schedule where most of the characters rotated throughout the day... I wish that system were still in place. (I speak as a mom who spent about 3 or 4 hours standing in line in 2009 so that my daughter could get all 6 fairies' autographs.)

 

[Stupido]

I agree, I feel that the Fairy's are really getting the short end of the stick. They are a huge craze, with many young girls wanting to meet them. They should be featured somewhere permanent, with the option to meet all of them, not whatever three are around.

 

[mousefanmax]

Staggs saved the day. Rasulo is only about the dollar, which is a great thing when it doesn't cost you alot of your market. If the plans would not have changed the flow and overall feel of the expansion would have not had a big impact on crowd flow or repeat riders. I probably would have sampled everything once and then moved on with life. Carsland is somewhat gender neutral and appeals to all ages and genders. I think cutting pixie hollow and the princess meet and greats was a smart move.

 

[doctornick]

I love the 7DMT, but I still feel sad to have missed out on that Pixie Hollow area. An acceptable replacement would be to bring more fairy characters to the Veranda. I saw when the fairies were temporarily exiled to Epcot that they had a schedule where most of the characters rotated throughout the day... I wish that system were still in place. (I speak as a mom who spent about 3 or 4 hours standing in line in 2009 so that my daughter could get all 6 fairies' autographs.)

Couldn't there have been a Pixie Hollow area added somewhere in the current expansion? Some sort of cave like thing attached to the Mine Train maybe? There's so much space in that area, I'm sure they could have worked something out if they wanted to spend the money.

My biggest disappointment about the FLE is that it is so much space and it doesn't seem like they used it as efficiently as possible -- they could have added a smallish attraction or two to the area if they wanted I think.

 

[GoofGoof]

This is a really great thread. I never knew the history of the change and how the swap out between Staggs and Rasulo played into it. For me personally I am glad we got another ride instead of the meet and greets. Any idea what they originally planned that would have almost doubled the cost. Must have been something pretty big.

 

[MarkTwain]

This is a really great thread. I never knew the history of the change and how the swap out between Staggs and Rasulo played into it. For me personally I am glad we got another ride instead of the meet and greets. Any idea what they originally planned that would have almost doubled the cost. Must have been something pretty big.

I think I read that early versions of the expansion included all-new facades of the original Fantasyland, so they could have the same "European village" look as Disneyland. I can't imagine that that was the $400 million difference, but it might have been part of it.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It was also clear to anybody who gave it a little thought that the Cinderella and Aurora meet and greets were going to have absolutely horrendous capacity.