Missed Opportunities

[Brad Bishop]

I thought it might be cool to have a "missed opportunities" thread (don't think of it as a wishlist of canceled things but more like a "Why didn't they do that?" sort of thing).

For example, the one I think of is the Tron Coaster at the Magic Kingdom:
They should have spent just a bit extra and wound the Peoplemover through it. The Peoplemover is kinetic and it's something that Tomorrowland desperately needs (more kinetic things happening) and it'd have been really cool if they had just taken the opportunity to make some track wind into that covered area and into the dark interior. At the same time I think it would have sent a message to the Disney community that: "We get you."

Another one: They should have built out the Peoplemover in Epcot. They were touting it as one of the things of the future, and it's still a good idea, but imaging getting around Epcot (Future World + World Showcase) via the Peoplemover instead of, say, being at the American Pavilion and having to walk all the way up to Spaceship Earth to get something out of the locker.

 

[Sbk1234]

A couple of missed opportunities I really would have loved if they had done would have been building. the Western River Expedition in Magic Kingdom and the Rhine River boat ride in Epcot. Both of these could have been E-ticket level attractions on par with POTC, IMHO.

 

[Robbiem]

Not building out the monorail / wedway system and a general loss of planning from DHS onwards. As the resort grew from the 90s it became more of a generic sprawl. Being able to travel by monorail or wedway everywhere with no need for buses would have been so futuristic

 

[JIMINYCR]

I wish Disney had built up DHS into the Hollywood park it was meant to be. There was so much more that could have been added regarding the stars and nostalgic films that would interest guests. They could have kept the GMR with a refit to include more modern films or change out scenes as needed to keep it relevant.
I wish Disney would have done more to showcase Walt Disney and his life, display all the memorabilia, feature the Legends, the voice actors, the imagineers and others who have had a part in building what we have.
I wish TSI had been built up better to include a ride and restaurant.
I wish the Castle had been built to include a walk through attraction.
I wish Disney had put as much energy and money into building up the parks at the same time as they have DVC's.
I wish Disney had continued a weekly feature on television like Wonderful World of Disney, with interesting shows. Disney + content just isnt as interesting and doesnt fill the void.

 

[Buck Wheelie]

I wish Disney had built up DHS into the Hollywood park it was meant to be. There was so much more that could have been added regarding the stars and nostalgic films that would interest guests. They could have kept the GMR with a refit to include more modern films or change out scenes as needed to keep it relevant.
I wish Disney would have done more to showcase Walt Disney and his life, display all the memorabilia, feature the Legends, the voice actors, the imagineers and others who have had a part in building what we have.
I wish TSI had been built up better to include a ride and restaurant.
I wish the Castle had been built to include a walk through attraction.
I wish Disney had put as much energy and money into building up the parks at the same time as they have DVC's.
I wish Disney had continued a weekly feature on television like Wonderful World of Disney, with interesting shows. Disney + content just isnt as interesting and doesnt fill the void.

I agree. Disney could have done some much more with DHS. Eliminating the GMR and Backlot Tour was a bad move IMO. They have invested so much into the Star Wars brand that is the future. There are a lot of SW fans and that's great but there are also a lot of people that could care less about SW and sad to see the original "Hollywood" replaced. I like the idea of adding on and improving what is already there and not tearing it out and replacing it. I know there is only so much room and funding but if they want a SW park it would have been nice to see them use some of vacant land and build the fifth park that has been rumored for ages.

 

[NelsonRD]

Not making the deal for Harry Potter, then desperately trying to recover with Avatar.

 

[Brad Bishop]

Not building out the monorail / wedway system and a general loss of planning from DHS onwards. As the resort grew from the 90s it became more of a generic sprawl. Being able to travel by monorail or wedway everywhere with no need for buses would have been so futuristic

Imagine taking the Monorail over to Disney Springs and then using the Peoplemover to get around that area. That would have been great. It would have said, "We're putting our money where our mouth is!"

 

[Brad Bishop]

One that bugs me: the back side of Everest.

Here's the thing:

If you're in the MK or even traveling on the road just past the Contemporary up the side of the MK you can see Space Mountain. You tell your kids, "Look, kids! There's Space Mountain!"

It's a "thing".

If you're traveling along Western Way you can see the back side of Everest and you tell your kids, "Look kids.. There's the back side of Everest."

A few things happen here:
1) You see it's a warehouse
2) It's no longer a "thing" (like Space Mountain) but just a warehouse

It's kind of a downer. To me, this is one of those things that had they just gone a bit further, it'd have been a really nice touch. A missed opportunity. You'd have parents saying, "Look, kids! Everest!"

 

[Brad Bishop]

Another missed opportunity:

I think they ended the new Skyliner (or whatever it's called) in the wrong place or at least missed an opportunity to connect it to the front of Epcot.

To me there is a HUGE gap between where you get off the Skyliner at the international entrance and where you'd continue on at the Monorail.

It's .5mi, as the crow flies, from the current international gate to the monorail station. They could have put the current skyliner station on the other side of the road|waterway that crawls through there and built another station where the current one is and put the other end of that station at the front of Epcot so that if you were a bit late (Epcot closed) and needed to get to your car OR maybe you were heading to the MK for the day that you didn't have to enter into Epcot.

It's just a weird gap in their transportation system that didn't have to happen.

Also, along these lines, and along the lines of the putting the Peoplemover into Epcot: Some kind of park transportation would have been nice here: skyway, Peoplemover, train... Something because having to walk around a lake in, essentially one park (World Showcase), and to have to walk all the way through the other park (Future World) to get to your locker or whatever.

 

[FutureCEO]

One that bugs me: the back side of Everest.

Here's the thing:

If you're in the MK or even traveling on the road just past the Contemporary up the side of the MK you can see Space Mountain. You tell your kids, "Look, kids! There's Space Mountain!"

It's a "thing".

If you're traveling along Western Way you can see the back side of Everest and you tell your kids, "Look kids.. There's the back side of Everest."

A few things happen here:
1) You see it's a warehouse
2) It's no longer a "thing" (like Space Mountain) but just a warehouse

It's kind of a downer. To me, this is one of those things that had they just gone a bit further, it'd have been a really nice touch. A missed opportunity. You'd have parents saying, "Look, kids! Everest!"

Splash Princess and the Frog Mountain is a warehouse

 

[FutureCEO]

Not building out the monorail / wedway system and a general loss of planning from DHS onwards. As the resort grew from the 90s it became more of a generic sprawl. Being able to travel by monorail or wedway everywhere with no need for buses would have been so futuristic

Such is America. All sprawl and no planning. But you think Disney would have been different.

This and Epcot that never was would have to be tied for first place.

 

[Brad Bishop]

Splash Princess and the Frog Mountain is a warehouse

It is but it's not easily viewable from the road. From the vantage points where you'd see it it just looks like Frog Mountain. Even from the Contemporary you still see Frog Mountain.

 

[JohnD]

One that bugs me: the back side of Everest.

Here's the thing:

If you're in the MK or even traveling on the road just past the Contemporary up the side of the MK you can see Space Mountain. You tell your kids, "Look, kids! There's Space Mountain!"

It's a "thing".

If you're traveling along Western Way you can see the back side of Everest and you tell your kids, "Look kids.. There's the back side of Everest."

A few things happen here:
1) You see it's a warehouse
2) It's no longer a "thing" (like Space Mountain) but just a warehouse

It's kind of a downer. To me, this is one of those things that had they just gone a bit further, it'd have been a really nice touch. A missed opportunity. You'd have parents saying, "Look, kids! Everest!"

Now you can see the backside of:

1. GOTG
2. Tron
3. World Showcase (from Skyliner)

 

[networkpro]

Now you can see the backside of:

1. GOTG
2. Tron
3. World Showcase (from Skyliner)

Dont forget FoP/NRJ in Animal Kingdom.

 

[Brad Bishop]

Now you can see the backside of:

1. GOTG
2. Tron
3. World Showcase (from Skyliner)

Yep. Those were things that popped up in my mind.

The viewable warehouses is not a great look. It starts looking like Six Flags.

I can, in my head, make some allowance for the Skyliner as there isn't much you can do about it other than keep those back stage areas clean. The original skyway had the same problem in the MK. I remember riding up in it and realizing: It's all just warehouses! - it took some of the magic away. They managed to do really well with the Monorail, however. You really don't see much in the way of back stage on that.

I think that they no longer care about sight lines but, in my opinion, anything seen by the public should be themed or well hidden (I think they did a good job with Soarin' or maybe the millennium building (maybe both) in Epcot. Basically you don't notice either of them.

 

[Robbiem]

Such is America. All sprawl and no planning. But you think Disney would have been different.

This and Epcot that never was would have to be tied for first place.

I agree. One of Walts reasons for wanting so much land was to stop the development around Disneyland by creating a planned resort, its a pity that got lost in the rush to expand and the whole ‘WDW as a whole is EPCOT’ which the company used to follow was lost

 

[KaliSplash]

Once upon a long time ago, there Was a restaurant on TSI. (admittedly a fast food place with limited choices, but it was available. Apparently, not enough people used it.

 

[networkpro]

Once upon a long time ago, there Was a restaurant on TSI. (admittedly a fast food place with limited choices, but it was available. Apparently, not enough people used it.

It has been seasonally available.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

Such is America. All sprawl and no planning. But you think Disney would have been different.

There is actually a lot of planning that goes into suburban growth patterns; its just not always good. The problem is that community visions, economic goals, political priorities, and market preferences are often skewed, misaligned, or too focused on the short term. Good planning can also be wasted with poor (or no) execution.

Another challenge is that American laws and courts tend to favor a more laissez-faire approach when it comes regulating and restricting private property rights. Zoning exists but its hands are often tied and is not as effective in unincorporated, non-home rule communities that do adopt it, especially if they don't do it properly.

But I digress...

 

[SteamboatJoe]

I often find myself wondering what WDW would have ended up looking like had Walt's E.P.C.O.T. concept been abandoned and the primary focus shifted to just the parks/resort earlier in the planning and design process.