Magic Kingdom Looks Its Age

[ObscurityPoint]

Bravo, bravo! But dream on, silly dreamer. You must understand that Iger and his toadies think U.S. citizens are all idiots and will happily pay premium prices for broken attractions, dirty hotel rooms, and "special events" that revolve around cupcakes. For my part, after I read about what "upgrades" did to the hotel corridor scene in Tower of Terror, I made a vow that until Iger and the rest of the greedy pigs in Walt's company are gone, I'm not staying in WDW ever again. The most I might do is visit there for a couple of hours to sample any new attractions during my stay in UNIVERSAL. So bravo, Iger, you've finally turned off someone who used to visit WDW every damn year, stayed in the park, and occasionally bought merchandise. Congratulations, you epic tool.

Imagine if an imagineer like Tony Baxter or somebody who actually cares about the experience of the parks took over as CEO...not tryin to say that’s what Walt would have wanted BUTTTT......

 

[PiratesMansion]

I imagine the Florida union maintenance guy costs way more than his Japanese equivalent.

Perhaps, but surely not more than his Californian (or Parisian) counterpart.

And even if that is true, maintenance needs to be done. It's not some optional frivolous expense.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

So DHS will have opened 5 new rides in 2 years by the time Runaway Railway opens, including 3 E-tickets and WDW's best ride in years.

Epcot is getting a major overhaul...with mixed results, but it's a lot.

Animal Kingdom is now a full day park and is obviously much younger than its 3 siblings.

Meanwhile Magic Kingdom is getting a new roller coaster next to its oldest and they're redoing the pavement out front. We're not even getting that indoor theater anymore.

New Fantasyland hasn't been "new" in years and has not aged well at all. No way would it have been built the same if green lit 5 years later. Just compare it to Fantasy Springs coming to DisneySea. That's what the park should have gotten. Or what if instead of a circus we got Frozen Land (with no Frozen in Epcot)? Hindsight is 20/20.

Even the average tourist is going to notice a big gap in quality between MK's aging attraction line up and the new rides at the other parks (let alone Universal's). The park needs help, and not just minor tweaks here and there while they ignore show quality. It's the main reason people come to WDW in the first place and the why the resort was a hit from the start. Can they at least try to make it better?

 

[drizgirl]

So DHS will have opened 5 new rides in 2 years by the time Runaway Railway opens, including 3 E-tickets and WDW's best ride in years.

Epcot is getting a major overhaul...with mixed results, but it's a lot.

Animal Kingdom is now a full day park and is obviously much younger than its 3 siblings.

Meanwhile Magic Kingdom is getting a new roller coaster next to its oldest and they're redoing the pavement out front. We're not even getting that indoor theater anymore.

New Fantasyland hasn't been "new" in years and has not aged well at all. No way would it have been built the same if green lit 5 years later. Just compare it to Fantasy Springs coming to DisneySea. That's what the park should have gotten. Or what if instead of a circus we got Frozen Land (with no Frozen in Epcot)? Hindsight is 20/20.

Even the average tourist is going to notice a big gap in quality between MK's aging attraction line up and the new rides at the other parks (let alone Universal's). The park needs help, and not just minor tweaks here and there while they ignore show quality. It's the main reason people come to WDW in the first place and the why the resort was a hit from the start. Can they at least try to make it better?

If you have to put all of your rides in tier 1 for FP, and only let people choose 1, then you haven't done enough.

And BOG is such a cash cow, I have no doubt Disney sees New Fantasyland as a resounding success.

 

[LuckyOswald]

So DHS will have opened 5 new rides in 2 years by the time Runaway Railway opens, including 3 E-tickets and WDW's best ride in years.

Epcot is getting a major overhaul...with mixed results, but it's a lot.

Animal Kingdom is now a full day park and is obviously much younger than its 3 siblings.

Meanwhile Magic Kingdom is getting a new roller coaster next to its oldest and they're redoing the pavement out front. We're not even getting that indoor theater anymore.

New Fantasyland hasn't been "new" in years and has not aged well at all. No way would it have been built the same if green lit 5 years later. Just compare it to Fantasy Springs coming to DisneySea. That's what the park should have gotten. Or what if instead of a circus we got Frozen Land (with no Frozen in Epcot)? Hindsight is 20/20.

Even the average tourist is going to notice a big gap in quality between MK's aging attraction line up and the new rides at the other parks (let alone Universal's). The park needs help, and not just minor tweaks here and there while they ignore show quality. It's the main reason people come to WDW in the first place and the why the resort was a hit from the start. Can they at least try to make it better?

I think this is a good point. I just returned from my first ever trip to DL after being a WDW regular for years and was thinking about this same thing. The DL quality of show, on LITERALLY every attraction I rode, was top notch. Now, I'm sure that isn't always the case, and I have only been there once, but they left a heck of a first impression. With the 50th rapidly approaching, it seems like the star of the show, MK, is getting shafted.

I preferred most of DL's versions of attractions, with the exception of Splash Mountain. Space Mountain is an embarrassment at MK compared to DL's Hyperspace Mountain. I rode that ride 4 times in a row because I loved it so much. Meanwhile, I get off MK's version with a headache due to how rough it is. I'm not a huge fan of the Buzz ride, but again MK's is in such rough shape the leadership should be ashamed of themselves. If these attractions aren't going to be properly maintained leading up to the 50th, will they ever? I watched a preview video for Tokyo's new Beauty and the Beast attraction and just got bummed out that WDW is getting...a Tron coaster clone.

 

[Raineman]

I think this is a good point. I just returned from my first ever trip to DL after being a WDW regular for years and was thinking about this same thing. The DL quality of show, on LITERALLY every attraction I rode, was top notch. Now, I'm sure that isn't always the case, and I have only been there once, but they left a heck of a first impression. With the 50th rapidly approaching, it seems like the star of the show, MK, is getting shafted.

I preferred most of DL's versions of attractions, with the exception of Splash Mountain. Space Mountain is an embarrassment at MK compared to DL's Hyperspace Mountain. I rode that ride 4 times in a row because I loved it so much. Meanwhile, I get off MK's version with a headache due to how rough it is. I'm not a huge fan of the Buzz ride, but again MK's is in such rough shape the leadership should be ashamed of themselves. If these attractions aren't going to be properly maintained leading up to the 50th, will they ever? I watched a preview video for Tokyo's new Beauty and the Beast attraction and just got bummed out that WDW is getting...a Tron coaster clone.

What you described is something that has irritated me for a while about the relationship between DL and WDW. DL is the original, the sacred ground, the park where "Walt once walked"-and WDW is the redheaded stepchild cash cow that DL uses as an ATM to ensure that their park always looks good, that their attractions are always refreshed. I'm not saying that some of the $$ that WDW makes doesn't go back into it, but more $$ is needed at WDW instead of funneling it over to Anaheim.

 

[Chef Mickey]

This is unpopular, but Magic Kingdom probably needs to be closed 3-6 months and completely overhauled from a flow and guest experience standpoint.

More bathrooms, more seating in dining locations, and everything somehow widened.

Then, fix everything broken and throw on a cost of paint.

After visiting Tokyo Disneyland, you can tell the MK was built 50 years ago. It’s simply not set up to handle such large crowds. Everything feels so narrow, cramped, and too small.

If it were completely closed for 6 months, I bet they could get everything done.

 

[hanwill]

This is unpopular, but Magic Kingdom probably needs to be closed 3-6 months and completely overhauled from a flow and guest experience standpoint.

More bathrooms, more seating in dining locations, and everything somehow widened.

Then, fix everything broken and throw on a cost of paint.

After visiting Tokyo Disneyland, you can tell the MK was built 50 years ago. It’s simply not set up to handle such large crowds. Everything feels so narrow, cramped, and too small.

If it were completely closed for 6 months, I bet they could get everything done.

Have you been to Disneyland? I could see a huge difference in what they did to WDW as an upgrade for space. It was obvious they adjusted for the crowds from the first park to the second. How they continue to widen it, I am not sure. But the crowds do not help the overall wear and tear on a park. I agree with the preventative maintenance plan.... should have never been changed.

 

[Tom Morrow]

There are a couple of bottleneck points throughout MK that were clearly not meant to see the massive crowds the park sees today.

A bit of love for the attractions would go a long way. Everything in Disneyland is in top notch show quality, so even though they're comparable old rides, they don't feel tired and outdated when they are cared for and maintained.

 

[Hank Hill]

There are a couple of bottleneck points throughout MK that were clearly not meant to see the massive crowds the park sees today.

A bit of love for the attractions would go a long way. Everything in Disneyland is in top notch show quality, so even though they're comparable old rides, they don't feel tired and outdated when they are cared for and maintained.

Would it KILL them to dust the Haunted Mansion? There are cobwebs everywhere.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

This is unpopular, but Magic Kingdom probably needs to be closed 3-6 months and completely overhauled from a flow and guest experience standpoint.

More bathrooms, more seating in dining locations, and everything somehow widened.

Then, fix everything broken and throw on a cost of paint.

After visiting Tokyo Disneyland, you can tell the MK was built 50 years ago. It’s simply not set up to handle such large crowds. Everything feels so narrow, cramped, and too small.

If it were completely closed for 6 months, I bet they could get everything done.

This is so true. I think if they did something like this for 6 months, I definitely think it would get better, it shows how dated it is right now.

 

[larryz]

Would it KILL them to dust the Haunted Mansion? There are cobwebs everywhere.

There's a fan video idea in that... imagine the Merry Maids truck pulling up to the Haunted Mansion...

 

[tampabrad]

When Disney sells 3 different admissions on the same day, there is little time left for maintenance.

I posted something similar about the park looking its age. Dirty, worn out, out dated. CMs looking uninterested and unhappy. Old Fantasyland looks like something out of a community theater, not a billion dollar theme park.