Harry Potter IS making a difference!!

[RSoxNo1]

HRR IS a quality attraction because of its thrill. Rollercoasters dont need to be fully themed, they just need to have a good thrill factor AND HRR definitly delivers. Sure its a little six flags, and the queue couldve been themed, but they definitly succeeded at making a really good ride.

HRR is a better ride than The Hulk or Dueling Dragons

 

[stphnbogert]

thats what i was saying about the expansion on ak. i just wasn't going to go in detail about it but i love all the ideas you have and i hope they do all of them. not all at once though.

 

[Lee]

Disney shouldve already had something big planned for next yea,

They did have some things planned. Emphasis on did.
They had "Potter Swatter" concepts for all three parks. All of them are now off the table for the forseeable future.

I really hope disney unleashes something big, and fle might not be the best answer,

FLE can not, will not, and was never meant to be a counter to Potter.
It is being built to address the capacity issues at MK, which it will definately do. However, it is not expected to provide a large attendance boost to the park. It will simply give those who would already be at MK something else to do.

...but for providing a break while they are building their own counter attack.

Counter attack? Disney?
I don't think so. I have no knowledge of anything they are up to that would constitute a counter attack to HP.

It just provides more build-up and anticipation while the competitions "flash a pan" burns itself out.

I disagree with the "flash in a pan" description. Forbidden Journey will prove to have massive staying power as a ride. Much like Tower, Spidey and Indy.

 

[quirkle]

Marvel

Don't you think a Marvel expansion? They bought the brand so they should use it. I would think that the teenage and adult males (and us females) who love Star Tours and Star Wars would be all about that!

 

[stphnbogert]

i think disney is probably of thinking of using marvel but not making it just another thrill park. they have to be really careful with that brand as disney is new to it and its fan base. i dont think an expansion on any park with marvel would be good. i think a marvel park would be better than an expansion.

 

[Lee]

Don't you think a Marvel expansion? They bought the brand so they should use it. I would think that the teenage and adult males (and us females) who love Star Tours and Star Wars would be all about that!

Can't.
Uni's deal keeps all the good Marvel characters over there for quite a while longer.
Now Asian Disney parks that will perhaps be announced soon....those are under no such restrictions...:lookaroun

 

[Captain Chaos]

If WDW fixed their broken reservation system, that would be a start. 1) Stop calling us the "" family when we're not married. 2) Remember me after 50 visits to Disney -- stop asking if this is my first visit! 3) List all your rates without having to redefine my search 100 times and login under 4 different coupon codes to see which is lower; regular, AP, FL resident, etc. I suppose this horse has been beaten to death for years.

LOL... you are so right. I log on to my DVC membership page and I read my name then FAMILY. LoL... I have to laugh all the time. I am a single guy, no wife or kids. Even checking in, I don't want to be called the family... I'M NOT WITH FAMILY!!!! LoL...

 

[imagineer boy]

This brings about what is actually needed in each of the parks. I've done lists like this before, but I'll do it again:

Magic Kingdom

• Fantasyland Expansion was definitely needed. The fact that they changed out the Meet and Greets for a major attraction (Snow White) is a very good thing.
• Snow White's Scary Adventures needs to remain as a location for a dark ride. Sure, I'd love for them to gut both SWSA and Winnie the Pooh to make a version of Pooh's Hunny Hunt, but realistically SWSA just needs to be rethemed to a new franchise
• New Meet and Greets for the Princesses and Fairies. One possible location is the Fantasyland Skyway building
  What about the place where the Sleeping Beauty cottage was supposed to be assuming Snow White won't take up that space?
• Expand the walkway between Fantasyland and Liberty Square
• Re-work the layout for the Speedway, Convert to Electric Cars
  Finally someone who agrees with me on this rather than saying "TuRN iT IN2 tEH VILLaINS LAND!!!1!!" I'd love to see a more futuristic theme added too.
• Replace Stitch's Great Escape, and possible utilize additional space in either Merchant of Venice or Mickey's Star Traders
  Maybe bring back AE? I can dream can't I? Maybe move MILF to Pixar Place also?
• Make the Enchanted Tiki Room a Dinner Show
  Agreed! This is what must be done to the Tiki Room.

Epcot

• Build off the beaten path Convention areas like Millinium Village so that prime real estate like The Odyssey and Wonders of Life can be better utlized
• Close the Imagination! Pavilion and re-open with a brand new ride and ride system, ideally using the Hunny Hunt tech (are you noticing a trend here?)
  I agree this is what must be done. There needs to be a plan for EO also since its supposed to be temporary.
• Add a table service restaurant to The American Adventure pavilion that features specialties from all over the country (New England Clam Chowder, St. Louis Ribs, New Orleans Cajun Food, etc)
  Good idea!
• E-Ticket added to World Showcase
• Replacement to Ellen's Energy Adventure and Wonders of Life
  Maybe they could add more show scenes to UOE by expanding them into the WOL area? Just an idea.
• Ability to see end of ride videos of other vehicles during Spaceship Earth Descent. I'd also like to have Judy Dench's narration synced up properly for the grand reveal of planet Earth. On the Jeremy Irons narration he hit the line, "on this, our Spaceship Earth" right as the Earth was revealed.
  I'm confsued on your videos idea. I think the idea change other than the descent is a new narration, my ideal narrator would be Lawrence Fishbourne.
• File this one under never gonna happen: Change the entrance of Soarin' to somewhere between Canada and Showcase Plaza when Soarin' Over the World arrives. Also, if they can come up with a clearer video for Soarin' Over the World that would obviously be an improvement as well.
  I think they should move the entrance to the upper level of the Land and move fastpasses to the entrance of the pavillion. They can ditch the airport theme and have the ride's new film focus on flying over the natural wondrs of the world thus tying it into the Land's theme.

Hollywood Studios

• Clearly define the "Lands" of the park
  Good idea, the areas of the park coul definately use more definition
• Pixar Place expansion is obvious, and likely already in the works with a Monster's Inc Coaster and Carsland expansion towards the end of the decade
• Move "Pizza Planet" to Pixar Place
• Honey I Shrunk the Kids playset changed to A Bugs Life playset
  Eh, I'd like to do somthing more creative. Like maybe retheme it to a prop house where kids can play on and interact with what's made to look like jumbled movie props.
• Removal of the Backlot Tour
• Expansion of the Animation Courtyard, perhaps at the cost of the Animation Tour and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. There are expansion pads behind the Animation Tour building.
  Agreed, this area has potential and should be bigger. I'd also like to see the animation tour made more like the one at DCA.
• Connect the Animation Courtyard and Sunset Boulevard
• Relocation/removal of the Hat
• Replacement of Sounds Dangerous with a new concept by George Lucas to be part of new "land" Lucasland
  I'm not a fan of the "Lucasland" idea. I just don't think one area should be centered around only one film maker. Heck, why not bring back the monster sound show. That would be relatively cheap to do.

Animal Kingdom

• Re-location of Festival of the Lion King to Africa
  Agreed, but retheme the theater to look like an African ceremonial house so it fits the feel of the land.
• New land on the Camp Minnie Mickey Footprint
• Re-open Discovery River Boats with added show scenes.
• Find a way to access this land behind Asia in a way that doesn't necessitate a ridiculous amount of walking. This may be the best spot on Disney World property for a World of Color type show.
  Unfotunately I don't see how that area can be accessed without a rediculously long walkway. But if it were for a WOC type show, I think that would be okay.
• If Maharajah Jungle Trek needs to be re-worked, the addition of Giant Pandas would be a huge boost to the park.
  Agreed, and it would really bring the emphasis of animals back to the park.
• Replace Dino-Rama with either Australia or a legit expansion to Dinoland U.S.A.
  Unfotunately I don't see Dinorama going any time soon. If I were given the choice of keeping Dinorama if it meant the rest of the changes above were to happen then I'd keep it. As for Australia, I think it would be better off built on the west side of AK, sure there's back stage areas there but they can be moved.

I have to say this is the best and most realistic list of things that must be done I've ever seen. Well done! I've made a few critiques here and there in bold.

 

[hoke2007]

To be honest, I think the only thing that Disney could actually gain steam with is a new park, because the rest doesn't seem to measure up in the eyes of the public to HPW.

The last thing WDW needs is a new theme park. What they need to do is seriously invest in upgrading each park that they have now, creating new attractions and refurbing their current attractions. The fantasyland expansion is a great first start, but it will in no way fix the problems that they have. No more of this meet and greet garbage. Lets focus on creating exciting new attractions that have broad appeal.

 

[Magenta Panther]

According to this article

,http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-world-attendance-20101126,0,5013073.story

it seems as though HP is really making a difference.. I'm glad to see uni stealing disney customers, hopefully it lights a fire, and disney will start making rides and attractions actually worthy of the disney name again.

Well, it's hard to imagine it NOT making a difference. It's just too well done. I'm glad that such an accomplished, artful attraction is such a success with the public.

And I agree, its success could be one of the best things to happen to the Disney parks. Competition is good, both for the competitors AND their customers. Win-win!

 

[Magenta Panther]

I think Disney has already put into action it's response to Harry Potter. But AK really would benefit from an expansion.

It needs Beastly Kingdom, in my opinion. That could be a very effective response to Potter. I once thought Narnia could be too, but oh well...

 

[Magenta Panther]

No offense to raven, but HP is still going strong after 13 years (and keeping Disney out of 1st place at the box office as I type this). I think any hope that people will stop visiting HP-Land after the movies run their course is misguided. JMHO

Only time will tell, of course, but I don't think HP will burn out anytime soon. New generations will watch the HP movies just like they do Disney's, and fall under their enchantment, I suppose (personally I'm not that into Potter mania. I thought the books were okay, the movies were better, but they don't get to me the way a good Disney film does).

 

[Alektronic]

It just shows if you spend the money for some cutting edge attraction and one-of-kind merchandise and make sure it is high quality, then definitely you will be rewarded Just like the old saying "Quality vs Quantity"

I hope Universal invests more into their parks now, especially when they see a great return on their investment.

Disney seems set on making more and more generic items and lumping everything together into one "Disney Parks" theme, which is definitely a cost cutting move. They are doing that backstage also, CM costumes for instance are being used in all parks and just labeled as Disney Parks.

 

[hoke2007]

They did have some things planned. Emphasis on did.
They had "Potter Swatter" concepts for all three parks. All of them are now off the table for the forseeable future.

Why are they off the table?

 

[stphnbogert]

And what was on the table to be exact?

 

[Lee]

Why are they off the table?

Why do you think?
$

And what was on the table to be exact?

Do a search. Martin put up a pretty good list a while back.

 

[spectromagic04]

Hey Lee do you think the off the table projects will ever come back to frustration and if so when?

 

[stphnbogert]

I think the whole thing is that we have to be patient. Disney's cares a lot about making money and we give Disney money whether its buying a ticket, merchandise, etc. I think we just need to give Disney some time and be patient and I'm sure the stuff that went off the "table" will be back on soon. It might be when FLE is done so they can focus their full attention on that. Because right now they are trying to focus on a few construction at WDW alone.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Hey Lee do you think the off the table projects will ever come back to frustration and if so when?

Isn't that where most people around here are on these projects already? :lookaroun

(Kidding.) :lol:

 

[Lee]

Isn't that where most people around here are on these projects already?

:lol:Yeah.

Hard to say when those big projects will have a chance to circle back around.
The mindset at Disney right now is that every capital project has to be able to justify it's existence in dollars and cents. Gone are the days of building a ride to "plus the show" or to exceed guest expectations. If the sharp-pencil boys don't see a spreadsheet that tells exactly how long it'll take to earn back it's cost and start showing a profit, no project has a chance of moving forward.