No New Star Tours or Mermaid

[aladdin2007]

Okay I know that some of you dont like Al Lutz's articles on miceage, but he has basically confirmed Little Mermaid ride was put in the deep freeze after Christmas for WDW and wont be happening for probably at least a decade if at all...and Orlando managers backed out of greenlighting a brand new Star Tours. Heres a couple of his lines below.

The version of this new E-Ticket proposed for Walt Disney World's tired Fantasyland was originally postponed back in the fall, and then put further into the deep freeze just after Christmas by Orlando executives. The Orlando team's aversion to adding the expensive Little Mermaid any time soon might be where some of the rumors of its delay in Anaheim have been coming from. But the DCA version of Little Mermaid, which might end up being the only version available anywhere for the next decade, will begin its construction in April at DCA.

The revamped Star Tours 2.0 was to debut in spring, 2010 as part of Disneyland's 55th Anniversary celebration, with a nearly identical version planned to open in Walt Disney World around the same time. But when the Orlando executives, who are a notoriously tough sell when it comes to investing in new attractions, put the brakes on not only Star Tours 2.0 but also most other major attraction additions in Florida, it threw the carefully crafted budget into disarray.

Its just sad that the managers here are so tough and dont want to add anything worth while.

 

[GothMickey]

No offense, but, this is already being discussed in the Star Tours 2.0 thread.

 

[wdwmemories]

This is too bad, but with the economy doing poorly and layoffs happening, I can see why they don't want to spend big bucks right now.

The strange thing is that huge corporations like Disney have the money and could spend it now when it is cheaper to get these things done. But I understand their logic...

 

[marni1971]

The decade timespan for Mermaid was pulled from thin air.

 

[jt04]

The decade timespan for Mermaid was pulled from thin air.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! That is what I thought.

 

[SirGoofy]

The decade timespan for Mermaid was pulled from thin air.

That's what I figured. Al just saw an opportunity to put the screws to WDW, and just couldn't pass it up.

 

[hokielutz]

The decade timespan for Mermaid was pulled from thin air.

Not surprising at all.

If the attraction turns out to be very popular, chances are the plans to install it at WDW would thaw out VERY FAST.

 

[WDW Insider]

He's right about the Little Mermaid ride (even if his details about the why part aren't entirely true), but he's full of baloney about Star Tours II. The FL managers are not and have not turned down a cheap refurbishment that automatically changes an existing ride from an oft walk-on to an E-Ticket. They would be overridden even if they tried to pull that crap.

Disney and Lucas didn't sink millions into CGI and audio to scrap it because "FL Managers" decided they didn't want to join in the fun. Once again, that story is total fabrication.

 

[jt04]

He's right about the Little Mermaid ride (even if his details about the why part aren't entirely true), but he's full of baloney about Star Tours II. The FL managers are not and have not turned down a cheap refurbishment that automatically changes an existing ride from an oft walk-on to an E-Ticket. They would be overridden even if they tried to pull that crap.

Disney and Lucas didn't sink millions into CGI and audio to scrap it because "FL Managers" decided they didn't want to join in the fun. Once again, that story is total fabrication.

You are my new hero.

The over the top bashing of TDO is disgusting no matter if it is deserved by some. It's immature and transparent. And by the way, I don't know a single person who works there and have no interest in defending them except for a sense of fair play. Al Lutz will eventually find himself on the other end of things. Constuctive crrticism is one thing but telling lies about people is quite a different matter.

 

[TP2000]

The decade timespan for Mermaid was pulled from thin air.

Well, yeah. When I read that Mermaid bit, it was inferred by the authors words "which might end up being the only version available anywhere for the next decade".

You can't get much more vague than that! :lol:

 

[TP2000]

Disney and Lucas didn't sink millions into CGI and audio to scrap it because "FL Managers" decided they didn't want to join in the fun. Once again, that story is total fabrication.

But Al Lutz never said it was canned permanently. The way this thread is going, it's as if Lutz declared that Team Disney Orlando executives threw the Imagineers out of a conference room with orders to never mention Star Tours ever again. :lol:

All Al Lutz said was that WDW put their version on hold, with no current timeline for when they would restart it, and so Disneyland had to go find another partner to pick up the costs with.

And "Lee", a very reliable insider here on these boards, basically backed up the Al Lutz info on Star Tours here yesterday. So who should we believe?

I'm sure WDW will get both the Star Tours 2 and The Little Mermaid rides eventually. It's just that right now both of those look headed to Disneyland first.

 

[jt04]

But Al Lutz never said it was canned permanently. The way this thread is going, it's as if Lutz declared that Team Disney Orlando executives threw the Imagineers out of a conference room with orders to never mention Star Tours ever again. :lol:

All Al Lutz said was that WDW put their version on hold, with no current timeline for when they would restart it, and so Disneyland had to go find another partner to pick up the costs with.

And "Lee", a very reliable insider here on these boards, basically backed up the Al Lutz info on Star Tours here yesterday. So who should we believe?

I'm sure WDW will get both the Star Tours 2 and The Little Mermaid rides eventually. It's just that right now both of those look headed to Disneyland first.

Lee updated his position in the Star Tours II thread. Lee has credibility and has earned respect from people because of it.

 

[TP2000]

Lee updated his position in the Star Tours II thread. Lee has credibility and has earned respect from people because of it.

Yeah, I always enjoy Lee's posts here. I went and looked at Star Tours 2 thread, and Lee's "updated" position doesn't change much. But maybe because what Lee clarified is what I already assumed he was saying to begin with?

"Let me rephrase what I said:
I surely have not heard that the delay in the project for DHS was in any way having an impact on DL. However, knowing that the project is ready to roll, and hasn't, what Lutz said is possible to some extent." -Lee

Makes sense to me. And it still doesn't refute the passing comment Al Lutz made about WDW's position on giving the greenlight to Star Tours 2. Sounds like it is definitely on hold out there in Florida.

 

[MousDad]

He's right about the Little Mermaid ride (even if his details about the why part aren't entirely true)

Meaning?

 

[KingdomHeart]

This whole thing has me a bit bothered. WDW could use a little new blood, especially in something as stale as Star Tours (which i wish now I'd added to my list of things needing work). And for real, we need the Little Mermaid ride.

Here's my thing. People seem to be more obsessed about the magic of DL over WDW. There's countless albums and collections documenting DL, whereas there is infinitely less for WDW, and I know DL has like 16 years on WDW, but come on. WDW has so much more to it, and I dunno. I feel like WDW could use the sttraction more. There is so much negativity aimed at WDW and it could really use the win. I don't believe that "management" has the power to permanantly WDW's needed growth. Sigh. I just....ugh.

I've been to WDW and DL. DL was magical, but the names say it all. Disneyland is a magical, beautiful "land." You can finish it up in 3-4 days (which is how I did everything in the two parks (excepting some of the kiddie stuff, and one or two things closed in DCA). Walt Disney World is just that - it's a massive, sprawling world of magic and fun and you can't hope to do everything in a week. I know that I just said it all - DL needs more to make it last longer, while WDW has a ton, but more people more frequently visit WDW, it needs new things, changes to make the average person want to come back.

Sigh. I hope Al Lutz is wrong. What's his usual accuracy rating?
-Nicholas

 

[CrashNet]

Sounds like they need new blood in there. Way too many approvals for introducing commercialized attractions and then skimping on the bread and butter. Management needs to be reminded what Disney is all about instead of caving to the current "in" thing.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

This is why all my trips the past three years have been re-routed to California.

 

[hoke2007]

WDW management really annoys me. They show no interest in adding new attractions and little interest in fixing their current rides. WDW should have tons of new things being added and/or tons of rides being rehabed. Instead, they seems very happy with letting the parks get stale. There is absolutely no reason why WDW shouldn't be working on at least 3 new attractions right now. And none of this meet and greet garbage, I mean real attractions.

 

[jt04]

WDW management really annoys me. They show no interest in adding new attractions and little interest in fixing their current rides. WDW should have tons of new things being added and/or tons of rides being rehabed. Instead, they seems very happy with letting the parks get stale. There is absolutely no reason why WDW shouldn't be working on at least 3 new attractions right now. And none of this meet and greet garbage, I mean real attractions.

Every major addition is on hold that had not been previously green lighted. The decision did not come out of Orlando but from higher up. So as soon as the economy recovers......oh wait................nevermind.:brick:


I'll get back to you in 2012.

 

[hoke2007]

Every major addition is on hold that had not been previously green lighted. The decision did not come out of Orlando but from higher up. So as soon as the economy recovers......oh wait................nevermind.:brick:


I'll get back to you in 2012.

I'm just so sick of people like John Lasseter who only care about Disneyland. WDW is a much more global destination, thus it should get some sort of attention. Disney execs better get used to lower attendance because people will be much more inclined to go to Universal instead of Disney after Harry Potter opens. If Disney unwilling to spend the big bucks in Orlando, then they deserve to lose money.