FLE Completion Timeline

[KCheatle]

My family and I are planning a trip in May 2012 and I was curious what attractions (if any) will be done in the FLE. I've heard that it will be opening in late 2012 through 2013. However, I also know that a lot of construction projects give inaccurate later opening dates for fear of building up hype only to dissappoint when it's not done in time (i.e., they'd rather say "Yay were opening sooner than expected" than "sorry, we are not done yet") - does anyone know how accurate Disney is or has been in the past in giving completion dates?

 

[Lee]

Based on an internal timeline I have, the first thing to open will be parts of Storybook Circus in the late summer of 2012.
As always, subject to change.

 

[chargerag]

that seems like a fast time line considering they haven't started taking down TTF

 

[Lee]

It won't take long.
Converting TTF to the Circus is the easiest part of the whole project.

 

[WDW-Crazy]

If that's the case, then why did they close down Toontown Fair now instead of waiting a little while longer? That's unless if they needed time to gut out the interiors of the tents before making them over.

 

[danlb_2000]

If that's the case, then why did they close down Toontown Fair now instead of waiting a little while longer? That's unless if they needed time to gut out the interiors of the tents before making them over.

This probably has to do with Dumbo. They can't finish the main part of the expansion until Dumbo is moved, and they really can't move Dumbo until circus land is underway. Since they started re-aligning the Speedway track before Toontown was even closed I would bet they they are going to start on the new Dumbo area pretty soon.

Just my guesses, no insider knowledge.

 

[BriEcho3194]

So circusland is going to be the easier part of the expansion? Well thats seems easy just add a new splash of color on the tents gut them out and replace them with stuff inside and all that other stuff lol

 

[Lee]

Closing Toontown now will allow them to get it back open faster and minimize loss of capacity and use of the train station.

 

[Snow White 610]

I thought it said Fall 2012 on the FLE artwork, does that mean that the rest excluding the Mine Coaster would/could be done by then?

 

[TP2000]

Based on an internal timeline I have, the first thing to open will be parts of Storybook Circus in the late summer of 2012.
As always, subject to change.

I would hope Mermaid would be open by late '12, for the Christmas crowds. The DCA version of Mermaid opens officially in May, and should see soft openings less than 90 days from now.

I wonder if they will they open this in random phases, or have one big media event that opens all of FLE together?

 

[orky8]

Lee, can you give us some clues as to the rest of the timeline? Any thoughts on when BATB and TLM may open? What about SDMC (Mine Coaster)? I know I've seen you speculate that the coaster could be as late as early 2014 or maybe late 2013. Just wondering what Disney is thinking the timeline will be.

 

[Lee]

My copy of the timeline says:
Rethemed Barnstormer - Jan-Mar 2012
Dumbo - Apr-June 2012
Circus and Princess M&G - July-Sept 2012
Beauty and the Beast/Little Mermaid - Oct-Dec 2012
Mine Coaster - Jan-March 2014

As always, subject to change. May not reflect soft openings.

 

[BriEcho3194]

My copy of the timeline says:
Rethemed Barnstormer - Jan-Mar 2012
Dumbo - Apr-June 2012
Circus and Princess M&G - July-Sept 2012
Beauty and the Beast/Little Mermaid - Oct-Dec 2012
Mine Coaster - Jan-March 2014

As always, subject to change. May not reflect soft openings.

Wow...thats really only a year away! So.....I should maybe start to book my trip for like December?? I want the Little mermaid to be open for sure! So lets hope the world does not end....:lookaroun JK

 

[NewfieFan]

My copy of the timeline says:
Rethemed Barnstormer - Jan-Mar 2012
Dumbo - Apr-June 2012
Circus and Princess M&G - July-Sept 2012
Beauty and the Beast/Little Mermaid - Oct-Dec 2012
Mine Coaster - Jan-March 2014

As always, subject to change. May not reflect soft openings.

Why is the Mine Coaster so behind the rest? Are they not starting construction anytime soon?

And how will that work? Will there just be a big construction wall going around the whole site... won't that take away from the newly opened area?

 

[MAF]

2014!? LMAO, wow so there's going to be construction going on for the next three years right in the middle of FL? Sad...

 

[DisneyparkFreak]

Didnt they build epcot in like a year and a half, but yet it takes us 3 years to build 1 roller coaster??? Interesting

 

[Neverland]

Someone who is higher up than me told me that the very first bits of the expansion will be open this summer, but that doesn't seem right, and I have no idea where she got that from. Maybe she meant that parts of Toontown will be beginning to look circus-y, though I highly doubt it would be open.

 

[RandySavage]

Just as a film studio doesn't release its 3 tentpole films on the same weekend, this kind of staggered opening is expected... although frustrating in terms of a long wait until completion. They will raise a hoopla for each phase as it opens and attempt to entice people back year-after-year for the following phase's opening. HKDL is doing the same thing.

 

[CaptJapan]

Didnt they build epcot in like a year and a half, but yet it takes us 3 years to build 1 roller coaster??? Interesting

I do have to say it's taking them a very long time.
Look at Carsland at DCA. An entire mountain range in less time it'll take to build Snow White?
Seems like Disney's more interested in fixing up their failure then improving their success.

 

[TP2000]

Just as a film studio doesn't release its 3 tentpole films on the same weekend, this kind of staggered opening is expected... although frustrating in terms of a long wait until completion. They will raise a hoopla for each phase as it opens and attempt to entice people back year-after-year for the following phase's opening. HKDL is doing the same thing.

Hong Kong Disneyland is opening up three separate lands with those phases, two with major un-cloned E Ticket attractions in them.

I really don't think you can expect anyone, excepting maybe a few dozen very hard core theme park fans, to plan a 2012 visit to Disney World because Double-Dumbo is opening with an interactive queue.

Now that the opening of this project is being split into nearly a half dozen phases over a two year period, I think about the only thing that could reasonably be expected to generate interest in a vacation is the opening of the Little Mermaid ride. The separate openings of the tents and meet n' greets and even the BatB restaurant aren't going to convince Americans to pack up the minivan and drive to Disney World.

I almost think they would get a bigger bang for their buck by opening all of this at once, NEW! for the summer of 2013, rather than dribble out a snack bar or a gift shop or a spinner or a meet n' greet every few months for two years.