Frontierland Expansion Rumor

[yoyoflamingo]

Neither WRE, nor any variation thereof, is coming to MK.
Please...let's just let poor old WRE rest in peace.

Wishful thinking, I know. Just had to say it.

 

[misterID]

Neither WRE, nor any variation thereof, is coming to MK.
Please...let's just let poor old WRE rest in peace.

I think that just stems from that one article, or post, whatever it was.

I think WRE was realized as close as it ever will be in DLP with Phantom Manor and Thunder Mountain. That's as close as you're probably ever going to get to seeing it.

 

[lebeau]

psst....Raven is a guy

My bad. Thanks for the tip. I'll be more careful.

Dang forum faux pas!

 

[jt04]

Wishful thinking, I know. Just had to say it.

Mysterious Island-esque land, add steam punk infused aesthetics, set it in the old west, and with a S.E.A. backstory. WRE would only be a distant memory.

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

I still think that Tomorrowland deserves an expansion/complete overhaul the most.

 

[mickey2008.1]

As far as i remember, ceo's dont make the final decision, it is the board of directors. If they dont think it will work, then its gone. Does TDO operate differently. Iger is like the president of the us, he needs approval of everything. So the whole tdo is a mess right now. they all make the decisions which are not what we like, or apparently the board either. hence rusalo being moved. Maybe there is some shady stuff going on, it happens everywhere it seems nowadays. My point, it takes more than one person to approve a project.

 

[cheezbat]

Well, not exactly...
No major attractin get's through the approval process without his aproval.
Also, Iger is a key player behind the decision to make MK more of the family friendly and Disney branded attraction park. The mandate has come down from Burbank to keep MK more mild and kid friendly and to put the more thrilling attractions into the other three parks at WDW.
Mind you, this is only for WDW. All the other properties, since they have fewer parks, do not have to operate under the same constraints.

Well that just adds to my dislike for the Magic Kingdom over any of the other Kingdoms around the world even more. Yeah, the other three parks DO need the exciting attractions to bring people in, but the further things go with the MK, the more I feel like it isn't a park looking to cater to me or people in my age range or demographic. We may never see a mountain again, or any type of thrill ride added to MK if this is the thinking.

You know what's sad? I have numerous friends that come down yearly to visit me, and to visit the parks...guess what park they've all been skipping the past few years and seem to have no interest in going to again...until another exciting ride is built? Magic Kingdom. They'd rather do Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, and then either Sea World or the two Universal parks.

 

[jt04]

Well that just adds to my dislike for the Magic Kingdom over any of the other Kingdoms around the world even more. Yeah, the other three parks DO need the exciting attractions to bring people in, but the further things go with the MK, the more I feel like it isn't a park looking to cater to me or people in my age range or demographic. We may never see a mountain again, or any type of thrill ride added to MK if this is the thinking.

You know what's sad? I have numerous friends that come down yearly to visit me, and to visit the parks...guess what park they've all been skipping the past few years and seem to have no interest in going to again...until another exciting ride is built? Magic Kingdom. They'd rather do Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, and then either Sea World or the two Universal parks.

That will change when you all have children. Now do you see why it is a good idea? It's brilliant actually. The MK will never become stale or boring that way. Never. Because children are not jaded and cynical, they will always enjoy the MK and because of that so will their parents.

 

[lebeau]

That will change when you all have children.

I'm not a big fan of having a "kiddie" park and a "teen" park (DHS) etc. I do think all the parks should have something for everyone.

But I have observed that reaction on these boards seem to be largely split based on those who have children and those who don't. I'm not saying either side is right or wrong. Just an observation that most of the people who are critical of the direction of the MK in general and FLE in particular seem to fall outside of the demo Disney is chasing.

 

[jt04]

I'm not a big fan of having a "kiddie" park and a "teen" park (DHS) etc. I do think all the parks should have something for everyone.

But I have observed that reaction on these boards seem to be largely split based on those who have children and those who don't. I'm not saying either side is right or wrong. Just an observation that most of the people who are critical of the direction of the MK in general and FLE in particular seem to fall outside of the demo Disney is chasing.

Disney's bread and butter demo is and always will be families. I could list many many reasons for Disney creating parks at WDW that are more specific to different age groups and interests. Again though, it is only WDW that has this unique opportunity in the US. Why make all the castle parks the same? I think the idea of each park having a unique "mission statement" will make WDW even better positioned to remain the number 1 tourist destination on the planet.

And adding the FLE with PH will hardly make the MK a "kiddie park". No need for hyperbole here.

 

[Lee]

Lee, is there any idea as to what is certain in this expansion besides TLM and the Be Our Guest restaurant?

So far as I know, TLM, the restaurant and Dueling Dumbos are for sure. (Dumbo's exact placement has been difficult to pin down, however.)
Everything else east of Mermaid is wide open.
The princess M&Gs are not cancelled, but from what I hear, are being very closely looked at for potential changes.

As far as i remember, ceo's dont make the final decision, it is the board of directors. If they dont think it will work, then its gone. Does TDO operate differently. Iger is like the president of the us, he needs approval of everything. So the whole tdo is a mess right now. they all make the decisions which are not what we like, or apparently the board either. hence rusalo being moved. Maybe there is some shady stuff going on, it happens everywhere it seems nowadays. My point, it takes more than one person to approve a project.

Kinda.
Iger has the final word on what get's approved, but rarely gives any sort of creative direction. The board looks over the numbers for any major projects to insure they make financial sense for the company, but they don't have any creative imput.
Rasulo and Staggs swapped jobs so that Staggs could get some extra experience before likely moving up to company president. It wasn't a punishment for either of them. Iger is/was pleased with them both.

Well that just adds to my dislike for the Magic Kingdom over any of the other Kingdoms around the world even more.

I kinda agree. My taste in attractions hasn't changed in 20 years or so, but the park seems to be sort of moving away from me.

I'm not a big fan of having a "kiddie" park and a "teen" park (DHS) etc. I do think all the parks should have something for everyone.

Yes. And be constantly adding new things for everyone.

 

[headhoncho34]

So far as I know, TLM, the restaurant and Dueling Dumbos are for sure. (Dumbo's exact placement has been difficult to pin down, however.)
Everything else east of Mermaid is wide open.
The princess M&Gs are not cancelled, but from what I hear, are being very closely looked at for potential changes.


Kinda.
Iger has the final word on what get's approved, but rarely gives any sort of creative direction. The board looks over the numbers for any major projects to insure they make financial sense for the company, but they don't have any creative imput.
Rasulo and Staggs swapped jobs so that Staggs could get some extra experience before likely moving up to company president. It wasn't a punishment for either of them. Iger is/was pleased with them both.


I kinda agree. My taste in attractions hasn't changed in 20 years or so, but the park seems to be sort of moving away from me.


Yes. And be constantly adding new things for everyone.

I wonder what potential changes they are looking into?

 

[lebeau]

Yes. And be constantly adding new things for everyone.

Ideally, yes.

But they should be updating MK more often than they do. If they did, everyone would get new stuff. Since it only happens every decade or so, people have to be patient.

 

[toolsnspools]

There has to be enough content in each of the parks for all age groups to keep guests buying park-hoppers, or at least Disney passes for their entire stay. Once you lose the 7 day pass, you also lose the food and other purchases that guests make when they are vacationing 100% WDW. The "I need to visit each park at least once" mentality keeps guests committing to spending the entire vacation on property.

If MK is the only park catering to young kids, it will be very easy for parents of young kids to buy a 1 or 2 day pass, and then do something else for the rest of their vacation.

 

[MotherOfBirds]

The "I need to visit each park at least once" mentality keeps guests committing to spending the entire vacation on property.

I agree, but there also needs to be enough to make them say, "Wow, I can't wait to have another vacation here". Unfortunately, visiting each park once doesn't really cut it in the grand scheme of things. Por exemplo, I have been going to WDW regularly, 2-3 times a month, for 12 years, and I can count on one hand how many times I have been to DHS. This is not about preference or some kind of grudge against DHS, there just isn't enough to do. It is a half day park, which puts it at greater risk for being skipped or being denied a repeat visit on another vacation. Point really being here that MK is the #1 family vacation destination in the world and that title isn't anywhere remotely close to being threatened, so bring your newest two parks up to snuff.

 

[Tom]

I agree, but there also needs to be enough to make them say, "Wow, I can't wait to have another vacation here". Unfortunately, visiting each park once doesn't really cut it in the grand scheme of things. Por exemplo, I have been going to WDW regularly, 2-3 times a month, for 12 years, and I can count on one hand how many times I have been to DHS. This is not about preference or some kind of grudge against DHS, there just isn't enough to do. It is a half day park, which puts it at greater risk for being skipped or being denied a repeat visit on another vacation. Point really being here that MK is the #1 family vacation destination in the world and that title isn't anywhere remotely close to being threatened, so bring your newest two parks up to snuff.

We feel the same way about AK. We always plan on "fitting it in" when we're down there...often just doing it on the day we arrive to "get it out of the way".

We do the Safari, Bugs, Dinosaur, Everest and we're done. Sure, they have shows and the trek and jungle - but we're just not into that stuff. We can walk through a "jungle" at our zoo. In our opinion, AK needs attractions just as much as DHS.

We could spend 2 days at MK, 2 at Epcot, and then almost cram DHS and AK into a day. Kinda sad.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Exactly. A major capital investments hardly qualify as the minutia that wizard suggests. He seems to prefer giving his creative types all the freedom possible but ultimately he is going to make the decision. As it should be. Everyone is an armchair CEO these days.

As to your point about how the MK and WDW are evolving , I agree 100% with this strategy. WDW has the unique chance to create parks that are more specialized and it is an opportunity they should not waste IMO. The next 10 years should be fascinating if done right. But they have a lot of work to do.

That will change when you all have children. Now do you see why it is a good idea? It's brilliant actually. The MK will never become stale or boring that way. Never. Because children are not jaded and cynical, they will always enjoy the MK and because of that so will their parents.

Disney's bread and butter demo is and always will be families. I could list many many reasons for Disney creating parks at WDW that are more specific to different age groups and interests. Again though, it is only WDW that has this unique opportunity in the US. Why make all the castle parks the same? I think the idea of each park having a unique "mission statement" will make WDW even better positioned to remain the number 1 tourist destination on the planet.

And adding the FLE with PH will hardly make the MK a "kiddie park". No need for hyperbole here.

All this idea does is encourage shorter stays. If each park is aimed at a niche, then one only needs to plan a vacation to visit that one park and they attractions at others that also apply. A park that becomes too focused on one niche will just alienate others, and no matter how much kids may love seeing the characters, there will be a point when the expense is just not worth it for most parents.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

That will change when you all have children. Now do you see why it is a good idea? It's brilliant actually. The MK will never become stale or boring that way. Never. Because children are not jaded and cynical, they will always enjoy the MK and because of that so will their parents.

Who told you that?

 

[Next Big Thing]

Who told you that?

I can't tell you who told him that, but I can tell you that his last sentence was pretty spot on. Children enjoy things for what they are. My sister is a disney nut already at 2.5 and every time we go it's priceless to see the look on her face. And just imagine, she doesn't even complain that we're getting too many M&G's, a PH or that EPCOT and (Esp) AK are stale.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I can't tell you who told him that, but I can tell you that his last sentence was pretty spot on. Children enjoy things for what they are. My sister is a disney nut already at 2.5 and every time we go it's priceless to see the look on her face. And just imagine, she doesn't even complain that we're getting too many M&G's, a PH or that EPCOT and (Esp) AK are stale.

Really so shes always going to like the same things at age 10? And the two of you are never going to grow up? Or are you advocating that Disney sacrifices repeat business to aim for the market of families with ankle biters because they will be more accepting of less expensive forms of attraction.