ClemsonTigger
Naturally Grumpy
It may have been expanded, but when I did it, my understanding was that it was exclusive to the Lodge.
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Jim Hill strikes again PART II-Night Kingdom?
- Thread starter WeLComeHomE OKW
- Start date
It may have been expanded, but when I did it, my understanding was that it was exclusive to the Lodge.
Ausdaddy
Active Member
Personally, I think they can sell this, but I was expecting to see a boutique park come to Anaheim first. I would rather get a boutique experience in the existing Magic Kingdom Park. I would pay a ton to be there with only a handful of others. They wouldn't need to spend the $520 million. 
Thiger
New Member
Personally I think a top of the line night park would be great the only thing is: I thought Disney wasn't about class and that everyone's magic is equally assessable.
That aside, I love PI. There's not much else to do at night in WDW if you're looking to go out and drink. I'd spend $300 for a wild night out in a crazy theme park but what about the other 6 nights I spend in WDW? I guess if they kill PI then I'll be going to the Universal clubs.
It would be great though, having two cast members treating you like gold while walking onto every attraction. Yes I said attraction because you need night rides not amped up AK things. Zip-lining would be cool but the other things don't really appeal to me. A Lost dark-ride or getting to wear Star Wars costume and lazer tag people would be fun. How about some coasters?
That aside, I love PI. There's not much else to do at night in WDW if you're looking to go out and drink. I'd spend $300 for a wild night out in a crazy theme park but what about the other 6 nights I spend in WDW? I guess if they kill PI then I'll be going to the Universal clubs.
It would be great though, having two cast members treating you like gold while walking onto every attraction. Yes I said attraction because you need night rides not amped up AK things. Zip-lining would be cool but the other things don't really appeal to me. A Lost dark-ride or getting to wear Star Wars costume and lazer tag people would be fun. How about some coasters?
djkidkaz
Well-Known Member
Visit Minnies "back door", 300 bucks a night!
Buried20KLeague
Well-Known Member
True, true. And usually I laugh at whatever JH has to say (Pirates water park, anyone??). :ROFLOL:
But this one I could actually see making resonable sense... And not being that much of a stretch what so ever just using common sense. The pricetag for construction isn't crazy insane (especially if they share some facilities), and Disney knows there's a market for this... And like someone else said, usually the highest cost "extras" at WDW are the hardest to book because they're so popular. Lots of people go to WDW trying to come away with the "trip of a lifetime". If done right, this could really add to that experience.
Not everyone would want to do this, or would be able to afford to... But certainly a large enough percentage of people would to make it very profitable. Even with a downturned economy, I'd wager.
ClemsonTigger
Naturally Grumpy
Personally, I think they can sell this, but I was expecting to see a boutique park come to Anaheim first. I would rather get a boutique experience in the existing Magic Kingdom Park. I would pay a ton to be there with only a handful of others. They wouldn't need to spend the $520 million.
As I linked to on the first page, DL already has this experience:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2733279&postcount=21
I'm not sure why this is funny. Hill showed concept art for this park. It's very reasonable to assume considering the success of the films that Disney, or at least some Imagineers, threw this around as a possible idea. Just because it never happened (yet) doesn't mean it was not an idea. Disney has thousands of unused ideas and concepts. I'm not willing to give Jim Hill the credit for coming up with the idea and drawing the concept art himself.
From Hill's column on Pirate water park:
"The very kind person who leaked this concept art to JimHillMedia.com made it very clear that the "Pirates of the Caribbean Water Adventure" park was still very much in its blue sky phase. Meaning that Disney Company management hasn't actually committed to the construction of this project yet."
Oh yeah, I'm rolling on the floor in hysterics.
ClemsonTigger
Naturally Grumpy
You are exactly right. People automatically dismiss this kind of information from JHM because it's JH and his personal agendas and writing style tend to poison a legitimate message. But we do tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to his information. There are tons of legitimate blue sky projects, some of which are spectacular, some are just stupid. But that is the definition of blue sky, isn't it?. We all think the blue sky art is wonderful when presented in Disney Imagineering books and the like, but if JHM shares "pre book" concepts, we crucify.
As Enderikari said, I still don't like JH, but the Disney history that is presented as well as these blue sky maybe's, shoulda and coulda's are interesting reads.
freediverdude
Well-Known Member
If Disney wanted to do a great boutique park, they could do attractions a WHOLE lot cooler than that, and things that wouldn't cost much more, or use existing technologies from the parks already. Like another poster talked about Star Wars lazer tag, well how about having an adult Star Wars light saber battle with a real sword-fighting instructor, on a Star Wars themed set?
Or how would you like to drive one of the real stunt cars from the Lights Motors Action attraction and be trained to do one of the stunts (liability insurance permitting, hehe)? Or how would you and/or the kids like to explore a real castle filled with all the characters from the princess movies doing different activities? Diving underwater in a real lagoon with the little mermaid and all the characters from those movies down there? Doing an actual voyage along a river in a good replica of the Black Pearl with the characters from Pirates for some swashbuckling? The list goes on and on.... People would go nuts over stuff like that, and it would be booked YEARS into the future.......
Or how would you like to drive one of the real stunt cars from the Lights Motors Action attraction and be trained to do one of the stunts (liability insurance permitting, hehe)? Or how would you and/or the kids like to explore a real castle filled with all the characters from the princess movies doing different activities? Diving underwater in a real lagoon with the little mermaid and all the characters from those movies down there? Doing an actual voyage along a river in a good replica of the Black Pearl with the characters from Pirates for some swashbuckling? The list goes on and on.... People would go nuts over stuff like that, and it would be booked YEARS into the future.......
Very correct on all fronts. Jim Hill is his own worst enemy. If he could ditch his agenda and revised his writing style I would be glued to his site. As it sits now I go there when pointed to by a thread on this site.
KingStefan
Well-Known Member
You are correct. The Sunset or "Wanyama" Safari does not appear on the official Disneyworld web site as an option, however. This costs $150 as you said.
There are two other "Excursions" available. The Wildlife Discovery Excursion and the Sunrise Safari Breakfast Adventure. They are $45 and $55 respectively. The Wildlife Discovery Excursion leaves twice a day and is available to any concierge guest.
The Sunset or "Wanyama" Safari and Sunrise Safari Breakfast Adventure are available only to AKL concierge guests.
A writer with an agenda? What is his anyway?
Brian_WDW74
Member
Right. And in that DISboard member's post (which I crossposted here, and, oddly enough, JH links to in his article) it's stated that the survey included a video presentation for Night Kingdom by Joe Rodhe himself. I won't speak to the validity of that initial post but, if true, there was more involved than just a simple survey.
Thiger
New Member
Ah i like your 'plus' on the star wars laser tag. A realistic light saber battle on the set of the death star would be awesome! Or, they could film you pretending and then they SFX the saber in and give you the DVD.
Imagine playing a 'capture the flag game dressed as pirates storming port orleans? How fun would that be???
Or a Super Spy escape thing where you ride jet skis while CMs dressed as european terrorists chase you down?
Or, you get to a part of the AC and you go on 'safari'. Make it a lot liek KS except all of the animals are super awesome animatronics and you have to blast them like TSM or BL with some kinda old skool musket?
Or my favourite idea: Superhero. You get hooked up in a harness and can leap super high. You get a choice of different 'gloves' each with different powers. Through the use of wii-like tech and 3d goggles, it woudl look like you're shooting ice or fire or whatever at each other.
ooo and dont forget a wild west O.K. Corral type fight too
ooo,
we should just make our own theme park
ahhaa
Buried20KLeague
Well-Known Member
I used the Pirates water park example because I seemed to recall that the piece of art he pointed to was determined to be unofficial and from a source other than Disney. Or maybe it was the night time changeover of Pirates. I don't recall.
Either way... It seems much more of what he says is at the very least impossible to prove correct or otherwise. That's why I don't get into him.
But thank you for degrading this into another "why we do or do not believe what Jim Hill writes" thread. We really needed another one of those.
I made a lot of other comments... And one line about Jim Hill. Yet that's the one you grabbed on to. Bravo.
A writer with an agenda I really have no issue with but a news reporter with one really rubs me the wrong way. Articles such as the one this thread are based on are news articles and not opinion pieces, works of fiction or philosophy. The agenda he seems to have, or at least the one I take from his writing, is that he thinks that he should be running Disney but instead of touting his merits he chooses to point out Disney's missed opportunities to prove his own worth. I have no clue if that is the way he feels but it is what I take from his writing. The article on Disney's Night Kingdom is unfortunately for me a bad example. It is actually fairly straightforward with very little agenda attached to it. However, if you read any of his "why for?" articles many of them seem, at least to me, to be laced with "look at what you could have had if I was in charge" finger pointing. That I can do without.
But thank you for degrading this into another "why we do or do not believe what Jim Hill writes" thread. We really needed another one of those.
I made a lot of other comments... And one line about Jim Hill. Yet that's the one you grabbed on to. Bravo.
The one line was the lead, in a separate paragraph, with a rolling laughter emoticon. It was begging to be grabbed onto.
As for Mr. Hill's agenda, all I read on Disney boards are people who believe that they could run Disney better than Disney. Hill hardly has the corner on that market. And his Why For? columns often show original concepts vs. finished product. He's not showing what he could have done, but rather what Disney could have done. How many posters here cried for years over the omission of Beastly Kingdom? For a guy who's his own worst enemy, Hill draws considerable attention and his musings are instant fodder on these boards. Personally, I wish he'd tone it down. I mean, he's an internet columnist. He should not be inciting controversy.
Brian Noble
Well-Known Member
The general framework of the rumor sounds at least vaguely plausible.
The Mouse has a long history of watching competitors create new markets in Orlando, and then capitalizing on the established market by going the competition one step better. Discover Cove could turn out to be yet another example. Busch has shown that a $300-a-day boutique experience is possible in Orlando; they've created the market. It would not be uncharacteristic of Mickey to swoop in and try to capture it.
The Mouse has a long history of watching competitors create new markets in Orlando, and then capitalizing on the established market by going the competition one step better. Discover Cove could turn out to be yet another example. Busch has shown that a $300-a-day boutique experience is possible in Orlando; they've created the market. It would not be uncharacteristic of Mickey to swoop in and try to capture it.