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MAGICal DLP News, Rumours & Thoughts
- Thread starter Animaniac93-98
- Start date
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
I’m not even saying it might happen. But Disney has no qualms about ruining good design and we shouldn’t tell ourselves Disneyland Paris is somehow different. It’s just been lucky that finances have forced focus elsewhere so the park has largely been spared.
parksandtravel
Well-Known Member
While circumstantial similarities may be found, there are also notable differences. For starters, the riverboat was more popular at Paris and Anaheim. The ferryboats provide a similar enough experience to many people, which isn't the case at other castle parks. Lastly, alligators are not an issue at those other castle parks. So while anything is possible, it's far from a one-to-one.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Disneyland Paris has been letting half of its boat fleet sit and literally rot away for years now.
The ferry boats are not a similar experience. That comes from posters being deliberately obtuse.
Alligators were not a factor. This is just peak copium. Disneyland Paris isn’t Disney’s Special little park where they’ll care about the design and thematic intent.
I’m shocked people are so adamant that Disneyland Paris’ river is untouchable.
With so much space available for expansion around the park and especially in Frontierland, and with Disneyland Paris expanding the park once in the last 30 years, it makes sense to think they won't touch the river in many many years. Of course nothing is impossible, but there are many other cheaper ways to expand the park without having to face the issues of touching the river.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
I think it's just people who are quite knowledgeable about the direction of DLP past, present and future think it's a very unlikely option and one that really isn't worth the time and effort to discuss.
For years even decades people have been discussing about how Frontierland at WDW is too much of a dead end and how a loop would make the park easier to navigate and how WDW ops wanted to either increase the utilisation of Tom Sawyer's Island or get rid of it. Whereas I don't think I've ever heard a whisper of the DLP river being removed until it was suggested in this thread a few days ago.
Let’s imagine in 40 years time and (hopefully) Discoveryland expansion pad behind Space Mountain, Fantasyland-Discoveryland walkway, Meet Mickey expansion plot and Adventureland expansion plot have all been built on. Frontierland Theatre and old petting zoo, Autopia, Indiana Jones and Alice Labyrinth have all been bulldozed and built on.
Realistically then the next logical spot will be the river without pulling anything else down.
I mean I don’t believe there ever has been a whisper of taking our DLP’s river. But it’s undeniable it’s a large plot that’s mostly underutilised, it’s certainly not pushing merchandise or Premier Access. Not that I think they should be used to guide park expansion but also I don’t run the place.
Sure not anytime soon I see it being drained and filled in. But also it’s not entirely out of the question. Not all that long ago I’d have said they’d never get rid of WDW’s river either.
Reminds me years and years ago when I used to post on MiceChat I suggested cutting off a slice of Disneyland’s river to make more room for a Big Thunder Ranch plot expansion. I was laughed out the room and told that I didn’t understand Disneyland. Few years later they announced exactly that for Star Wars.
Also @cjkeating I’m quite knowledgeable about DLP’s past, present and future myself
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Despite being owned by TWDC now, saner heads prevail and they understand what a theme park is actually about.
The Orlando decision was political as much as anything else. Much like 20K was.
Saner heads get old and retire or find better jobs elsewhere.
There were saner heads at WDW 40 years ago.
I wouldn’t like to bet a lot of money that DLP’s river will still be there in 40 years time.
I would. If I had it.
You’d have made the same bet about WDW too at one point.
Completely different reasons.
Sure. But still an inconceivable idea to some at one point.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Every single land in DLP has a prominent water feature, be it a lake or a river. This is isn't unproductive space, these are the very spaces that create the land's setting and themes. Frontier exploration - what's around the river bend? Adventure - there be pirates here. Quaintness - old villages by the river. Sci-fi themes - boldly going into the great unknown, whether it be outer space or under sea, or the future.
WDSP didn't have water, that's why it looked like a medium dense office zone as one can find surrounding every mid-size European city.
Only WDW is dense enough to remove a park's main water feature, and even that looks like it might be brought back in a more limited form.
The first thing WDW did was built Seven Seas Lagoon. The first thing they did when building EPCOT was securing a large lake. The first thing Disney-MGM did was dig a lake. DAK sits around a lake, as do the three Orlando Universal parks. And Disney Village / Springs.
One struggles to find a denser creative decision than to kill the MK lake district. Indeed, it seems to be driven partly by logistical reasons, and partly by deeming US history in general and Frontierland politically problematic.
WDSP didn't have water, that's why it looked like a medium dense office zone as one can find surrounding every mid-size European city.
Only WDW is dense enough to remove a park's main water feature, and even that looks like it might be brought back in a more limited form.
The first thing WDW did was built Seven Seas Lagoon. The first thing they did when building EPCOT was securing a large lake. The first thing Disney-MGM did was dig a lake. DAK sits around a lake, as do the three Orlando Universal parks. And Disney Village / Springs.
One struggles to find a denser creative decision than to kill the MK lake district. Indeed, it seems to be driven partly by logistical reasons, and partly by deeming US history in general and Frontierland politically problematic.
Ops have been crying out for help with crowds for over a decade. Add in political correctness and social politics, getting rid of an expensive to maintain and run boat and island, wildlife issues, a large body of water that needed looking after plus the opportunity to squeeze in marketable new attractions that
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
One final extra reason: WDW forever seems to lack proponents within and without TWDC who will fight for it, fight for its historical and creative worth.
DL's growth feels more organic than WDW's parks. All three first WDW parks are now barely recognisable from their original incarnations, and increasingly DAK too. Meanwhile DL, while thoroughly different from Walt's era, has changed more gradually, more effortlessly, aged more gracefully.
Case in point, the very lake district. Which was shortened in DL to create a loop around it, so desired by MK ops. Not ideal, but that Railroad ride around it now does look better than ever and many great vistas remain. Whereas at the MK, the whole area is ripped out completely, in what feels like an act of vandalism.
This one did. The pushback internally was much more than expected.
But it wasn’t enough. And obviously as time passes it’ll get less.
Is Fantasyland station going to reopen soon?
www.threads.com
DLP Works™ (@dlp.works) on Threads
[Live] 🚧🚂 Major refurbishment works at Fantasyland Station nearing completion! ➡️ After several months of renovation, most structural & aesthetic elements appear fully refurbished. ➖ Platform paving and surrounding infrastructure show completed finishing works. ➡️💐 Horticulture teams are now...
www.threads.com
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
And if it does, will they close a different station? Hope not. Such a bizarre way to run the trains.Is Fantasyland station going to reopen soon?
DLP Works™ (@dlp.works) on Threads
[Live] 🚧🚂 Major refurbishment works at Fantasyland Station nearing completion! ➡️ After several months of renovation, most structural & aesthetic elements appear fully refurbished. ➖ Platform paving and surrounding infrastructure show completed finishing works. ➡️💐 Horticulture teams are now...