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New attractions for AK
- Thread starter Walt_Disney
- Start date
yensid67
Well-Known Member
jakeman
Well-Known Member
Conservation Station, while admittedly rather lame on the guest front it does house some functional facilities for animal care. The building is much bigger than what guest have access too.
There is a small area for a path to the expansion pad between the track and the tiger habitat. It would take some creative theming and possibly a bridge over the terminus of Conservation Way.
There is also another area to the right of Mahliharaja (sp?) Jungle Trek, also it is difficult to discern from top down imagery how much of that may actually be the Trek.
If you look at the position of the train station in relation to the expansion pad, it looks like that is intended to be a means to get to the pad; especially when you factor how far you have to walk to get to Conservation Station.
Tigerace81
New Member
You can always move the Conservation Station building farther back. Pretty much, AK is "shovel-ready" for future projects, just no money is going to them yet.
No need. It`s part of the plan.
jakeman
Well-Known Member
Ooo...was I close? :lookaroun
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
The best way to access the large expansion pad is by removing or moving the train tracks. To me it makes sense to demo the tracks completely, but make a path to Conservation Station. You can also move Festival of the Lion King to this pathway (I'd actually put it on the left hand/Africa side), and perhaps a few more animals (or better yet an overlook of the Lion Habitat).
I posted something a while ago on my blog that discusses the best way to access this land. You can read the post here.
_Scar
Active Member
What if they moved all of CM-M, Lion king and campy M&Gs included, to Conversation Station? Putting something in that spot would be closer to the park's entrance, and could perhaps lend some eye candylookaroun) to visitors entering the park...
:sohappy:
That'd also be a perfect L shape of basically no animals to disturb and therefore a reason to keep the park open late without disturbing the animals.
Right?:shrug:
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
What if they moved all of CM-M, Lion king and campy M&Gs included, to Conversation Station? Putting something in that spot would be closer to the park's entrance, and could perhaps lend some eye candy
Looking at Conservation Station on an Aerial map, it is quite a ways away from the rest of the park. While I (And others) seem to think (or know) that the best approach is to demo the train tracks and build a path between Africa and Asia, that path would be ridiculously long. I don't know if there's an easy way to do this, without creating substantially more walking in a park that is already very spread out.
jakeman
Well-Known Member
If they just narrowed the turn of the track that could open up more space for a walking path. Or, since they have to build a bridge over Conservation Way, why not place it a hair north of the Africa station and bridge it over the tracks there as well. It's been years since I've been back there, but I don't think there is much in way of infrastructure. It butts fairly close up to KSR, but I think that could be worked around. Or a hair south of the station and get rid of the small access road that feeds Mombasa. Again, my knowledge is several years old, but I think the only thing back there would be Mombasa's and a place for the character to hang out between sets.
For some reason, I can't see them shuttering the Wildlife Express, especially since the Conservation Station provides an additional entry point to the expansion pad.
imagineer boy
Well-Known Member
Why not rebuild the conservation station on the path between Africa and Asia? There seems to be enough space there, and no train trip is needed.
Tigerace81
New Member
Why not just get rid of it and move the functional portions to a backstage location?
jakeman
Well-Known Member
Because this isn't Roller Coaster Tycoon. You can't simply right click on a building and get half your money back and drop it somewhere else.
Conservation Station is more than a guest area, it is a functional part of animal care at DAK. It is located essentially backstage with easy access to the main perimeter roads. Which brings me to:
You could get rid of the guest accessible areas, but you still have a whole train and it's associated building and tracks.
Conservation Station in and of itself isn't the issue. It is located so far back that it's location would have no bearing on the expansion pad (I would assume). It is the transportation required to get to the pathway that leads to Conservation Station that is the current barrier to unfettered access to the expansion pad.
I could be wrong, but from a financial standpoint and the amount of infrastructure invested in Wildlife Express, every effort would be made to preserve the train.
I guess it would just come down to which is cheaper: building and themeing walkways over the tracks and roads, or tearing the whole thing up.
Tigerace81
New Member
Ive been to AK many times and nothing has ever compelled me to go to Conservation Station. Just saying.
And you dont need to change the track layout either. You do if Disney wants to have an un-interrupted walkway, but all they would have to do is make the section of the track able to walk over but still allowing the train to pass through and add crossing gates. Cedar Point does this.
And you dont need to change the track layout either. You do if Disney wants to have an un-interrupted walkway, but all they would have to do is make the section of the track able to walk over but still allowing the train to pass through and add crossing gates. Cedar Point does this.
jakeman
Well-Known Member
I don't want my post to come off as a defense of the guest portion of Conservation Station. I think there is a great potential back there being squandered (or reserved for Backstage Safari tours), but it was bad when the park opened and it is bad now.
Regarding the un-interrupted walkway, I would assume that's the way they would go, especially since they would have to cross Conservation Way as well. If you think people's heads explode over Chester and Hester, imagine what would happen if guest had to walk across and unthemed street.
Tigerace81
New Member
Haha I dont really know how Disney would try to hide the backstage from a elevated walkway. Maybe an underground walkway would be best?
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
It looks like the distance between Conservation Station and the pathway nearest Flights of Wonder is around 1500 feet if it's a straight line (which presumably it won't be.
Another option would be to expand the train tracks so that they extend around the cleared land. This would have to result in either raised elevation points for the train or pathway, but it would allow for the train to exist as well as a pathway to conservation station.
Another option would be to expand the train tracks so that they extend around the cleared land. This would have to result in either raised elevation points for the train or pathway, but it would allow for the train to exist as well as a pathway to conservation station.
yeti
Well-Known Member
mp2bill
Well-Known Member
Interesting...