disney.dreams
Active Member
lol my math sucks
these 4 months make me feels like 4 years have passed
cant wait for the reopening :0)
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HKDL gets new castle, frozen land and marvel land.
- Thread starter Kiwiduck
- Start date
these 4 months make me feels like 4 years have passed
cant wait for the reopening :0)
HKDLer
Well-Known Member
To begin with, the Toy Story rides are merely B-ticket off the shelf rides that don't belong in a Magic Kingdom style park. IMO the transition between TSL and Mystic Point is the worst in all of the Disney parks. Hearing the screams from the parachute while having a meal at the Explorers Club is a huge turnoff for me. People come to Disney for quality attractions rather than rides found in typical amusement parks.
Although similar in size, Mystic Point features a lot more than TSL does, i.e. E ticket+restaurant+shop (all air-conditioned)+rest area vs A/B tickets+snack stand+shop. Due to their low capacity, the Toy Story rides often have long waits. In fact, Mystic Manor alone can handle 30% more peeps than these three rides combined (1000ish pph), and it's not even a people eater. Clearly, the Toy Story rides are a waste of space, not to mention the need to shut them down during bad weather.
Lastly, rides do not make money. If you talk about strong sales, they can just sell Toy Story merchandise anywhere in the park or even open a store akin to World of Disney. I do agree adding TSM will complement the land; however, as you've mentioned the lack of space in HKDL, bulldozing the entire land for new development would be a better option. It's feasible to do so given the fact that they removed Autopia and Buzz.
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616.1314
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I take your points, but I don't think the locals appreciate E-ticket dark rides as much as we Disney fans do.
In fact, many of my friends prefer TSL over MP...
Talking about the poor transition, it's even worse now after the typhoon has taken down several trees and bamboos last year.
PymParty
Well-Known Member
Two aspects to keep in mind : the different offerings of this past expansion plan were also decided so that the openings could be spread on three different years : TSL was built in one year and a half, thus the lack of indoor buildings and elaborate rides, and opened in 2011 compared to Mystic Point's 3 1/2 years of construction and opening in 2013. It made a really positive impact on attendance to have whole new lands open every year and one could not expect a land built in 1 1/2 year to be of the same quality level as a land built with double the time.
Additionaly, the budget for the expansion as whole was shared between the three lands and was limited. If the attractions in TSL were upgraded in the design phase, we would have never had an almost-perfect experience with the Mystic Manor that we have today that is praised all around the world and finally made HKDL appear as an appealing park to everyone on the planet.
I totally agree that TSL rides are underwhelming, however they cater to young people and families and I have seen a lot of families have fun in these and in the land. I believe they managed to offer quite a good variety of experiences with this expansion plan and its impact made HKDL attain its best ever results so I guess it can be considered as a success...
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disney.dreams
Active Member
reopening simulation has started
those are cast members acting as guests
Photos from Facebook Page of Hong Kong Pavement Art
those are cast members acting as guests
Photos from Facebook Page of Hong Kong Pavement Art
iMax
Well-Known Member
I know China doesn't know personal space to begin with but that's not social distancing at all..
disney.dreams
Active Member
nah that's for mainland china only, hong kong people do have high hygiene awareness after SARS in 2003
I think they are just simulating some unexpected situations
at least all of them are wearing masks
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
These CMs likely would have been tested before doing this simulation.
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
Reopening appears imminent, per site that won't be named.
IanDLBZF
Well-Known Member
And also Hong Kong Main Street Gazette reporting the same!
DDLand
Well-Known Member
But that is EXACTLY the problem with Toy Story Playland. It’s the thinking that has led them to be built all over the world. Why does “cater[ing] to young people and families” lead us to the crappy Toy Story Playland? Do young people and families want Six Flags? Do they want exposed rollercoaster supports and poorly decorated carnival flats?
I’d argue Frozen Land is how a land should be built. A beautiful environment that has a mix of attractions. A fun and beautiful family coaster and a compelling family dark ride. While we can quibble over thematic and execution issues, Frozen gets far more right than TSPL. Intellectual property and marketable assets can be integrated into parks without compromising the product.
With that said, I wouldn’t campaign for its removal... Yet. Hong Kong Disneyland should be laser focused on expansion. TSPL isn’t great, but it’s better than an empty plot of ground. They should use up the remaining expansion pad before replacing TSPL. Once everything is built out, then I think Toy Story should go. If they decided to use the Midway Mania site along with TSPL, they would have a rather substantial area to work with.
A mini Galaxy’s Edge would be interesting in the pad next to Grizzly Gulch. Put a Rise of the Resistance in there with a restaurant and store and you have a solid addition. It would be a blockbuster addition without much risk or development cost. Maybe uninspiring, but very safe.
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
Toy story playland could have been so much better. Mermaid Lagoon is Tokyo is aimed at a similar audience but feels so much better. I agree the park needs more added before this is removed.
Adding a star wars area is an interesting idea I hadn’t thought of, while it would ideally be in the second park it could really help Hong Kong. Ideally this would be different to the stateside ones (original trilogy) and an Asain exclusive for a while to maximise the benefits
HKDLer
Well-Known Member
There were plans to build a Star Wars land next to Tomorrowland, which is why HK's Hyperspace Mountain is more permanent than the Anaheim version, i.e. X-Wing in the queue and more effects throughout the ride. They even repainted the dome for the overlay. The Iron Man ride was originally a Star Tours clone before they decided to bring Marvel to the parks.
Red: Future completed Marvel area
Blue: The backstage facilities next to the railroad depot are temporary structures that can allow quick demolition and fingers crossed they're using this parcel for a new Tomorrowland.
DDLand
Well-Known Member
Dang. That changes the game. I sort of thought that the buildings were “off limits.” It’s actually really good news. That’s another sizable expansion pad. If HKDL builds out the last big pads and does some place making here and there, the park would be in a radically different position. There’s enough room for several substantial attractions. The current expansion isn’t perfect, but it is an important step towards “fixing” HKDL. I think one last expansion will propel the park to a world-class status.
I do wish Disney had worked on an accelerated timeline though. From announcement to completion the current project could take 7 years. If they don’t get moving on the next expansion, we could be looking at 2025+ before any additional expansion opens. HKDL is so close! I want them to just “finish it.” But I worry that neither the government or Disney has the will to get it done. Instead, they’ll keep slowly rolling out expansions.
Though doing the math, HKDL will already have a really strong ride roster. It’s getting solid. Maybe another E-Ticket and another coaster and they’ll be in really good shape.
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
would a rise of the resistance sized ride fit in the blue area? That and hyperspace mountain would give a decent star wars area with some shopping and dining. Maybe retheme the spinner to an x wing and comet cafe to something more appropriate. I’d love to see an original trilogy land with a Jabbas palace restaurant with animatronic jabba and han in carbonite on the wall.
the expansion pad next to grizzly could then be used for a new land or maybe an expansion into more of a Frontierland, maybe add a flume ride, geyser mountain or something new
616.1314
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
While the current expansion should be able to continue as planned, I am quite worried about the park's future plans. Not sure how this COVID-19 will impact WDC's upcoming decisions on Parks & Resorts. Will they spend less resources on theme parks just to play safe? If yes, will this affect HKDL negatively, e.g. giving up the plot of land reserved for Phase II?
DDLand
Well-Known Member
Phase 2 is both an opportunity and a curse. The potential of two fully built theme parks and several new hotels is tantalizing. Hong Kong Disneyland could be a legitimate multi-day destination. Imagine days worth of content and millions of new guests. That is exciting! If the two parks are successful, there’s always the option for a third park too. The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort was built with high ambitions. It was designed to be expanded to a global destination.
The promise of park 2 (and even 3) is exciting, but ultimately carries danger. HKDL Park needs more attractions and investment. An investment equal to or even greater than this last round seems to be the minimum. At that point Hong Kong Disneyland’s gains will be solidified and it will be a Disneyland that could compete with the best of them. Imagine Hong Kong Disneyland with all the current expansions completed AND two new lands and various other attractions. That would be a compelling experience.
The danger is the Hong Kong government gets impatient and insists on something being built on the phase 2 site prematurely. That would be disastrous. If Disney added another park before fully building out the original park,
cannibalization would occur sinking both parks. Instead of two successful theme parks, HKDL would have two parks in need of expansion that are underperforming. That would basically spell the end of continued investment.
The other option is Disney refuses to build park 2. Then we run into the issue of something besides a Disney park being built there. Then Disney could lose out on ever expanding. To make matters worse, what gets built might be out of character.
It puts Disneyland in a weird position. That’s the reason I’m pro expansion of the original Disneyland. They need to keep adding in order to prepare for an eventual phase 2.
They’re just going slow...
Robbiem
Well-Known Member
i guess the worst case is the Paris scenario where Disney builds a bad half baked park to keep the land and cuts investment in the original park as a result. I hope Disney does build a second park but really pulls out all the stops to make it amazing like Disneysea that really would make it a world class resort. I know its very unlikely but I’d love for Hong Kong to become a world class resort
The original expansion plan announced in this year will be postponed. If the marvel e-ticket ha not been built in coming months, I’m afraid they will cancel the ride to retain cash flow. It’s not impossible if the government and disney agreed to focus on operation.