I hope no one has posted this already but I found this article dated from today: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-everest2206jan22,0,2295934.story?coll=orl-news-headlines
Disney's $100 million gamble
Expedition Everest roller coaster reaches sky-high for fresh thrills
Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writer
January 22, 2006
Walt Disney World called it nahtazu in its TV ads -- striving to define its Animal Kingdom as anything but a plain old zoo.
But now, Disney is about to try a shot of steel-railed adrenaline to drive home that message in an attempt to attract more -- and younger -- visitors who want a little more of a rush along with the lions, tigers, shows and themed rides.
It's called Expedition Everest, Disney's first large outdoor roller coaster that opens to annual- and seasonal-pass holders late this week and other guests intermittently for the next month.
With a reported price tag of up to $100 million, Everest needs to be more than just a must-ride new attraction, industry observers said.
It must be enough to entice visitors to tack an extra day onto their Disney stays. And by staying longer at Disney -- a key strategy for the company -- those visitors may opt to skip a trip or shorten a visit to crosstown rivals SeaWorld Orlando or Universal Orlando, each of which has added new attractions or rides in recent years.
"It's the whole function of how you get your money back. You don't just get it from the gate," said Orlando-based consultant Steve Baker, president of Baker Leisure Group. "You get it through extended stays in hotel rooms. People who plan to come when something is new, they'll get them. Now it'll take an extra half-day to see everything, and they'll get that extra night in the hotel."
And right now Animal Kingdom -- Disney World's most passive and least popular park since it opened in 1998 -- may be the one that vacationers most likely try to squeeze into a few hours, or simply skip on a tight schedule, Baker said.
While agreeing that Everest should extend visitors' stays at Animal Kingdom, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak dismissed the idea that the park now is often a quick visit that people fit in around the other parks.
"Animal Kingdom, in and of itself, is a full-day experience. It doesn't have the nighttime appeal the other parks have. It typically closes around 5 o'clock," she said. "But it certainly . . . offers an experience that the other theme parks don't have here at Walt Disney World."
Animal Kingdom's popularity has grown the past two years, but the park still has not recovered from the steep drop in attendance it suffered earlier this decade. Attendance fell after the novelty wore off in 2000, and in the following two years because of the international tourism scare.
Animal Kingdom's attendance of 8.2 million last year still was far ahead of all non-Disney theme parks in North America, according to data published by Amusement Business magazine. But that gate was bolstered by the major celebration tied to Disneyland's 50th anniversary -- and the trick is staying popular, Baker said.
"It's critical," Baker said of Everest. "You can't maintain your market share . . . without new inclusions every so often, maybe every 18 months or every two years."
Yet big new attractions don't guarantee more customers. Last year, Universal Studios Orlando opened its Fear Factor Live show but saw a 6 percent drop in attendance compared with a big 2004, when its Revenge of the Mummy ride opened. Likewise, attendance fell at Kings Island in Ohio and Knott's Berry Farm in California despite new coasters.
On the other hand, Mission: Space, which also reportedly cost $100 million, helped turn around Epcot's falling attendance in 2003. The last time a major new roller coaster was added to an existing Central Florida park was 2000 with Kraken. SeaWorld saw an 11 percent increase in attendance that year.
At Animal Kingdom, Everest also may be key to capturing the attention of teens and young adults who can grow tired of animal safaris, shows and slower rides, industry observers said.
"I think they're trying to open the demographic that would be interested in that park," said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. "They have probably . . . determined there is a void in a certain age they want to appeal to."
Spokeswoman Polak and other Disney officials insisted the ride's main appeal would be familywide, driven not by the physical thrills but by the story line and an adventure conveyed through details and special effects.
In fact, Disney officials normally don't even refer to Expedition Everest as a "roller coaster," and the words don't appear in promotional materials, other than with a promise of "coaster-like thrills." It's a "runaway train adventure."
"I guess I would focus more on these storytelling parts," Polak said. "We want to immerse our guests in the experience of the attraction."
The story has riders traveling into the Himalayas, where the mythological yeti -- as the Abominable Snowman is called there -- protects the region.
Yet in some circles, it's still a coaster. And people who love coasters say it's about time.
"When you think of the king of the parks, you think of the roller coaster," said Carole Sanderson, president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. "This is very important. Especially putting it in the Animal Kingdom."
That means appealing to a generation known for self-avowed adrenaline junkies such as Gus Diaz, 22, of Fort Lauderdale and several other visitors seeking thrills last week at Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Diaz, along with Matt Svacha, 23, of Detroit and Eric Copeland, 25, of San Antonio, said they like Animal Kingdom all right. But thrill rides such as Islands of Adventure's Incredible Hulk are the ones they keep riding over and over.
"We are always thrill seekers," Diaz said. "We like anything that punches our adrenaline. . . . Anything, man. We look for the rush."
Disney says the Everest train tops out at about 50 mph with a maximum drop of 80 feet and that at one point it rushes backward.
A database on roller coasters, rcdb.com, compiled by Duane Marden of Brookfield, Wis., reports that the ride will be 4,400 feet long, with a maximum height of 112 feet, figures Disney did not confirm. Disney is setting the minimum-height limit for riders at 44 inches.
None of those features would place Everest among the top 10 coasters in the United States for speed, drop, length or height.
But American Coaster Enthusiasts' Steve Gzesh, who watched test runs in November, declared Everest "a very respectable ride."
"And it goes forward and backwards," Gzesh said. "That ought to be pretty cool."
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
Copyright © 2006, Orlando Sentinel
Disney's $100 million gamble
Expedition Everest roller coaster reaches sky-high for fresh thrills
Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writer
January 22, 2006
Walt Disney World called it nahtazu in its TV ads -- striving to define its Animal Kingdom as anything but a plain old zoo.
But now, Disney is about to try a shot of steel-railed adrenaline to drive home that message in an attempt to attract more -- and younger -- visitors who want a little more of a rush along with the lions, tigers, shows and themed rides.
It's called Expedition Everest, Disney's first large outdoor roller coaster that opens to annual- and seasonal-pass holders late this week and other guests intermittently for the next month.
With a reported price tag of up to $100 million, Everest needs to be more than just a must-ride new attraction, industry observers said.
It must be enough to entice visitors to tack an extra day onto their Disney stays. And by staying longer at Disney -- a key strategy for the company -- those visitors may opt to skip a trip or shorten a visit to crosstown rivals SeaWorld Orlando or Universal Orlando, each of which has added new attractions or rides in recent years.
"It's the whole function of how you get your money back. You don't just get it from the gate," said Orlando-based consultant Steve Baker, president of Baker Leisure Group. "You get it through extended stays in hotel rooms. People who plan to come when something is new, they'll get them. Now it'll take an extra half-day to see everything, and they'll get that extra night in the hotel."
And right now Animal Kingdom -- Disney World's most passive and least popular park since it opened in 1998 -- may be the one that vacationers most likely try to squeeze into a few hours, or simply skip on a tight schedule, Baker said.
While agreeing that Everest should extend visitors' stays at Animal Kingdom, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak dismissed the idea that the park now is often a quick visit that people fit in around the other parks.
"Animal Kingdom, in and of itself, is a full-day experience. It doesn't have the nighttime appeal the other parks have. It typically closes around 5 o'clock," she said. "But it certainly . . . offers an experience that the other theme parks don't have here at Walt Disney World."
Animal Kingdom's popularity has grown the past two years, but the park still has not recovered from the steep drop in attendance it suffered earlier this decade. Attendance fell after the novelty wore off in 2000, and in the following two years because of the international tourism scare.
Animal Kingdom's attendance of 8.2 million last year still was far ahead of all non-Disney theme parks in North America, according to data published by Amusement Business magazine. But that gate was bolstered by the major celebration tied to Disneyland's 50th anniversary -- and the trick is staying popular, Baker said.
"It's critical," Baker said of Everest. "You can't maintain your market share . . . without new inclusions every so often, maybe every 18 months or every two years."
Yet big new attractions don't guarantee more customers. Last year, Universal Studios Orlando opened its Fear Factor Live show but saw a 6 percent drop in attendance compared with a big 2004, when its Revenge of the Mummy ride opened. Likewise, attendance fell at Kings Island in Ohio and Knott's Berry Farm in California despite new coasters.
On the other hand, Mission: Space, which also reportedly cost $100 million, helped turn around Epcot's falling attendance in 2003. The last time a major new roller coaster was added to an existing Central Florida park was 2000 with Kraken. SeaWorld saw an 11 percent increase in attendance that year.
At Animal Kingdom, Everest also may be key to capturing the attention of teens and young adults who can grow tired of animal safaris, shows and slower rides, industry observers said.
"I think they're trying to open the demographic that would be interested in that park," said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. "They have probably . . . determined there is a void in a certain age they want to appeal to."
Spokeswoman Polak and other Disney officials insisted the ride's main appeal would be familywide, driven not by the physical thrills but by the story line and an adventure conveyed through details and special effects.
In fact, Disney officials normally don't even refer to Expedition Everest as a "roller coaster," and the words don't appear in promotional materials, other than with a promise of "coaster-like thrills." It's a "runaway train adventure."
"I guess I would focus more on these storytelling parts," Polak said. "We want to immerse our guests in the experience of the attraction."
The story has riders traveling into the Himalayas, where the mythological yeti -- as the Abominable Snowman is called there -- protects the region.
Yet in some circles, it's still a coaster. And people who love coasters say it's about time.
"When you think of the king of the parks, you think of the roller coaster," said Carole Sanderson, president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. "This is very important. Especially putting it in the Animal Kingdom."
That means appealing to a generation known for self-avowed adrenaline junkies such as Gus Diaz, 22, of Fort Lauderdale and several other visitors seeking thrills last week at Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Diaz, along with Matt Svacha, 23, of Detroit and Eric Copeland, 25, of San Antonio, said they like Animal Kingdom all right. But thrill rides such as Islands of Adventure's Incredible Hulk are the ones they keep riding over and over.
"We are always thrill seekers," Diaz said. "We like anything that punches our adrenaline. . . . Anything, man. We look for the rush."
Disney says the Everest train tops out at about 50 mph with a maximum drop of 80 feet and that at one point it rushes backward.
A database on roller coasters, rcdb.com, compiled by Duane Marden of Brookfield, Wis., reports that the ride will be 4,400 feet long, with a maximum height of 112 feet, figures Disney did not confirm. Disney is setting the minimum-height limit for riders at 44 inches.
None of those features would place Everest among the top 10 coasters in the United States for speed, drop, length or height.
But American Coaster Enthusiasts' Steve Gzesh, who watched test runs in November, declared Everest "a very respectable ride."
"And it goes forward and backwards," Gzesh said. "That ought to be pretty cool."
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
Copyright © 2006, Orlando Sentinel
Like many stories run in the Orlando Sentinel about Disney, I'm not a big fan of how it was written. Basically they tried to convey the message that AK was an unsuccessful park in need of big-time thrills to increase its attendance to match the thrills that the competition, such as IOA, give. Attendance at these parks shows that isn't necessary, but I digress. That said, AK did need a big adventure ride that does punch some thrills and Everest delivers that. Why it would have to rank in the top 10 for speed, drop, length or height to be good and why they make it seem that Disney has to defend itself with the "it's about the story" line is beyond me.
My little baby AK has grown up. It was such a nice secret the park empty and all to our selves.
