Haunted Mansion Expansion

wdwmagic

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I think I'd be a little miffed if I was a local to WDW and we didn't get the seasonal enhancements to rides that DL gets.
Hopefully the Tower of Terror will get seasonal enhancements again after work on DCA is done. Anybody (TP2000) no the reason the Halloween Decorations weren't put up in 2008?

The locals at WDW have the sheer size of WDW to be happy about. Lots of seasonal events take place at Epcot (Flower and garden, Food and Wine, Holidays around the World etc), and the Studios (Star Wars Weekends, ESPN Weekend, Night of JOy etc). DL doesnt have that element, so it's overlays are very important for the locals there.
 

Main Street USA

Well-Known Member
And another in a long line of repeat arguments (sorry, discussions) where nobody changes anybody else's minds. :brick: Why is there no dead horse smiley? :)
I'm frankly glad I live near Disneyland rather than Disney World. There are more seasonal things to check out and enjoy that it doesn't get old hat, and that way visits every two years to WDW don't get stale. I think I'd be a little miffed if I was a local to WDW and we didn't get the seasonal enhancements to rides that DL gets.
Hopefully the Tower of Terror will get seasonal enhancements again after work on DCA is done. Anybody (TP2000) no the reason the Halloween Decorations weren't put up in 2008?
Well, you're right, then. You're near the correct park. Unfortunately, your reasoning is more evidence of why this shouldn't go into WDW. WDW is full of tourists, and Disneyland is full of locals.

Locals appreciate it because they are there all the time, tourists don't.

I'm, of course, speaking in generalities to suggest that it's MOST people in both cases. There are exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between.
 

wdwmagic

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Well enough for them to keep OUR Haunted Mansion's shop permanently stocked with 3/4th Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise year round.

LOL I often think that is more of a case of "we've got a heck of a lot of Nightmare merch that we had for DL, can we try and flog some of it at WDW?"
 

SirGoofy

Member
I believe it's a very relevent argument.

Splash and the Tower primarily succeed with the vast majority of guests because of the physical thrill. Almost everyone loves flume rides and drop towers. Obviously with SM and ToT there is so much more to them, but in reality you could throw any story line on those and they would be widely popular.

Okay, so what about Mansion's regular story? It isn't very strong. But people love it. Same with the original Pirates.

Sorry, but the argument that people don't know the characters is weak. I didn't have a clue who Mr. Toad was, but his ride was one of my favorites. Same with Figment, I didn't know where he came from, but I loved him all the more.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Well enough for them to keep OUR Haunted Mansion's shop permanently stocked with 3/4th Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise year round.

Yeah, I noticed the NBC merchandise for sale in the Magic Kingdom too. I scratched my head.

The popularity of HMH and Small World Holiday is undeniable. The lines for those two attractions are INSANE during the Holidays, where the rest of the year they are just sort of mildly busy or walk-ons. When Mansion Holiday opens in October, they have to add Fastpass and set up all sorts of extended queue in New Orleans Square. They only run Fastpass at Disneyland's Mansion when Holiday is on. It's crazy, especially when it first opens for the season in October.

I'm not a NBC fan, I have never bought the merchandise, I have no emtional attachment to those movie characters. And yet, I really enjoy Mansion Holiday. I imagine if I had actually seen the film, or even was one of the very few cult followers who really like it alot, the Holiday ride would be total nirvana. As it is now, it's just a darn good ride done very cleverly, and I think I'm fairly typical for most folks opinions there.

The huge lines for the past 8 years clearly demonstrate Disneyland has done something right with this Holiday thing. At the very least, Haunted Mansion at WDW should get another rehab. Last time I went on it a lot of the '07 effects were disabled or noticeably failing. (Footsteps anyone?)

It needs a rehab again. Could we pencil something in for September? :D
 

Main Street USA

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I noticed the NBC merchandise for sale in the Magic Kingdom too. I scratched my head.

The popularity of HMH and Small World Holiday is undeniable. The lines for those two attractions are INSANE during the Holidays, where the rest of the year they are just sort of mildly busy or walk-ons. When Mansion Holiday opens in October, they have to add Fastpass and set up all sorts of extended queue in New Orleans Square. They only run Fastpass at Disneyland's Mansion when Holiday is on. It's crazy, especially when it first opens for the season in October.

I'm not a NBC fan, I have never bought the merchandise, I have no emtional attachment to those movie characters. And yet, I really enjoy Mansion Holiday. I imagine if I had actually seen the film, or even was one of the very few cult followers who really like it alot, the Holiday ride would be total nirvana. As it is now, it's just a darn good ride done very cleverly, and I think I'm fairly typical for most folks opinions there.

The huge lines for the past 8 years clearly demonstrate Disneyland has done something right with this Holiday thing. At the very least, Haunted Mansion at WDW should get another rehab. Last time I went on it a lot of the '07 effects were disabled or noticeably failing. It needs a rehab again. Could we pencil something in for September? :D
Again, locals versus tourists. Two different worlds. The complaints would outweigh the lines in WDW.
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Okay, so what about Mansion's regular story? It isn't very strong. But people love it. Same with the original Pirates.

Sorry, but the argument that people don't know the characters is weak. I didn't have a clue who Mr. Toad was, but his ride was one of my favorites. Same with Figment, I didn't know where he came from, but I loved him all the more.

The attractions you list above have been written into people's heads by Disney in the parks, and are all original attractions. People have discovered them through being in the parks. To suddenly replace the much loved original Mansion with an obscure movie story will not make sense to a lot of people.
 

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
LOL I often think that is more of a case of "we've got a heck of a lot of Nightmare merch that we had for DL, can we try and flog some of it at WDW?"

See the problem here? That's OK, but a seasonal overlay that may not increase attendance but increase guest satisfaction is out of the question?

It's a joke. Disney Parks (globally) are meant to be LIVING places, things close, reopen, change, grow, and most importantly live through the seasons. The genocide of Seasonal Overlays at WDW is so misguided that I can't even begin to go off about it.

The idea that it would cause an uproar in complaints it's just....everything....just...so...wrongggg...

*Faints*
 

wdwmagic

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Moderator
Premium Member
Yeah, I noticed the NBC merchandise for sale in the Magic Kingdom too. I scratched my head.

The popularity of HMH and Small World Holiday is undeniable. The lines for those two attractions are INSANE during the Holidays, where the rest of the year they are just sort of mildly busy or walk-ons. When Mansion Holiday opens in October, they have to add Fastpass and set up all sorts of extended queue in New Orleans Square. They only run Fastpass at Disneyland's Mansion when Holiday is on. It's crazy, especially when it first opens for the season in October.

The huge lines for the past 8 years clearly demonstrate Disneyland has done something right with this Holiday thing. At the very least, Haunted Mansion at WDW should get another rehab. Last time I went on it a lot of the '07 effects were disabled or noticeably failing. (Footsteps anyone?)

It needs a rehab again. Could we pencil something in for September? :D

What I noticed on my trips to DL at Christmas is that the park has very few Holiday events. If you take WDW, it has the Osborne Lights, Holidays Around the World at Epcot, Peace on Earth IllumiNations, Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party etc. Disneyland really only has it's holiday edition fireworks and the two attraction overlays. For locals I would imagine that those two overlays are really a big part of the holidays at DL, hence the big lines for it - they want to see it.
 

SirGoofy

Member
Again, locals versus tourists. Two different worlds. The complaints would outweigh the lines in WDW.

There's absolutely NO proof to this.

The attractions you list above have been written into people's heads by Disney in the parks, and are all original attractions. People have discovered them through being in the parks. To suddenly replace the much loved original Mansion with an obscure movie story will not make sense to a lot of people.

Or it would be people saying, "We're in WDW! I can't wait to ride all the rides!"

If it's first timers they won't know the difference, and repeat visitors will enjoy something new. Seems like a win-win to me.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I think if that and the gift shop were going to happen, they would have happened with the 2007 referb. I don't see those happening anytime soon, although I think they would be quite cool...
It was proposed for the 2007 work, but got dropped off the list.
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
See the problem here? That's OK, but a seasonal overlay that may not increase attendance but increase guest satisfaction is out of the question?

It's a joke. Disney Parks (globally) are meant to be LIVING places, things close, reopen, change, grow, and most importantly live through the seasons. The genocide of Seasonal Overlays at WDW is so misguided that I can't even begin to go off about it.

Well no, "they" - WDI, WDW management, ops and research, have concluded that it wont increase guest satisfaction - infact it will increase guest DISatisfaction with the mansion being closed.

WDW has plenty of seasonal events in the majority of the parks.
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
There's absolutely NO proof to this.



Or it would be people saying, "We're in WDW! I can't wait to ride all the rides!"

If it's first timers they won't know the difference, and repeat visitors will enjoy something new. Seems like a win-win to me.

Well all we can say is that a lot of departments at WDW have looked into it, and through all the data they have, and knowledge of how guests behave (which is obviously far greater than all of us here), they determined the money is better off spent elsewhere at WDW and to leave the mansion as it is. I don't have all the data they have obviously, but I agree with them.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Again, locals versus tourists. Two different worlds. The complaints would outweigh the lines in WDW.

That's another august old excuse often trotted out.

There are a lot of locals at Disneyland, mainly because it sits in the middle of one of the planet's largest metro areas. Around 20 Million people live within a 90 minute freeway drive of Disneyland. Around 20 Million alligators live within a 90 minute freeway drive of Walt Disney World.

But some folks act like Disneyland exists solely on locals, and WDW exists solely on tourists. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

Ever been to Disneyland? The queues are full of people speaking with Australian and New Zealand accents. Seen the packs of Tokyo office ladies on package holidays? I'm surpised there's anyone left in Taiwan sometimes by the number of tour groups following their leader with the flag. Mexican families flood north for the weekend by the hundreds of thousands. Canadians and Seattleites and Portlanders and Alaskans and Utahns flaunt their pasty white legs in shorts all over Disneyland when it is barely 65 degrees. It is not attractive, but God bless 'em for showing up! Arizonans (Zonies they call themselves) arrive en masse to the cool California coast to escape the desert heat in summer.

Disneyland is major, major international and domestic tourist draw. All of Southern California is a major tourist draw. That's what made Disneyland so succesful to begin with, as people packed up the kids into the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser and drove to Disneyland for vacation for decades.

Yeah, there's a demographic difference between the two parks. But of the 15 Million visitors to Disneyland each year, over half of them still come from a great distance. And a 16 hour plane flight from Sydney trumps a 7 hour flight from London any day. :lol:
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
That's another august old excuse often trotted out.

There are a lot of locals at Disneyland, mainly because it sits in the middle of one of the planet's largest metro areas. Around 20 Million people live within a 90 minute freeway drive of Disneyland. Around 20 Million alligators live within a 90 minute freeway drive of Walt Disney World.

But some folks act like Disneyland exists solely on locals, and WDW exists solely on tourists. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

I dont think anyone is saying DL is entirely locals, but according to Disney's own internal research, DL has a large percentage of locals as it's visitor base, and WDW has a large percentage of visitors as it's visitor base. There are obvioulsy a heck of a lot of visitors to DL and a heck of alot of locals that go to WDW, but as percentages, DL is more skewed to locals, and WDW is more skewed to visitors.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
WDW has plenty of seasonal events in the majority of the parks.

Good point! There's probably the driving principle here. WDW has commited itself to hard-ticket Halloween events after hours in the parks. They have likely determined they get more bang for their buck by selling those tickets to those events, rather than offerings something to the overall park visitors base in the form of seasonal attractions.

That likely explains the Small World Holiday absence from WDW too, and perhaps why they didn't want to shell out the money to have the soundtrack for Country Bear Christmas Special cleared by Legal.
 

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
Well no, "they" - WDI, WDW management, ops and research, have concluded that it wont increase guest satisfaction - infact it will increase guest DISatisfaction with the mansion being closed.

WDW has plenty of seasonal events in the majority of the parks.

Magic Kingdom doesn't. (Don't even get me started on Mickey's Very Epic FAIL Party)

It just grinds my gears so much. It's why great Movies never get made. Just because a Focus Group said it'd RUIN their vacation, Kingdom gets to wallow in nothing-special, or cool, or Relevant, and instead charges people extra to what should already be free events.

Tourists, Locals, Visitors. Guests are Guests, and NOT doing this isn't going to ADD to Guest Satisfaction.

It's baseless. Mansion would get more upkeep, attendance would go up for both Halloween and Christmas, Merch sales would be great, they'd even sell more tickets for the precious little parties, but they won't because heaven forbid they INVEST in something different. It's just like you say "WDW has plenty of seasonal events in the majority of the parks."

I know they say it too.

S'why sooner or later we'll all be enjoying plenty of Seasonal Events that'll be the same as last year...and the year before that...and the year before that...and the year before that...and the year before that...
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
It was proposed for the 2007 work, but got dropped off the list.

Something tells me Haunted Mansion Holiday will eventually show up in WDW, maybe later in the next decade.

And something also tells me that the RUINED VACATIONS scenario won't really pan out for Guest Relations due to a rehab during a couple slow weeks in September. :)
 

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