Ok - FYI you're far too defensive of a stagnant resort for me to take you seriously. And you're basically an ostrich burying your head in the sand screeching "WDW is great! They don't have any flaws that need to be fixed! I'll enjoy the dated/lackluster effects as is!!"
All of Six Flag's coasters are more fun than Stitch's Great Escape - don't care what you say about the attraction. An off-the-shelf thrill coaster isn't surpassed by an alien AA burping on me.
Why do you think we're grouchy? Was Walt a grouch for looking for what can be fixed/improved in every attraction? I know for a fact he's been quoted to say such a thing. He was always looking for a way to better Disneyland.
You "appreciate what you're getting"? At Epcot, Disney hasn't added anything since 2007. Yet, you're obviously happy Disney even bothered to add anything to the park since 1982? You feel Disney isn't obligated to keep their guests satisfied? You feel Disney doesn't need to keep the parks fresh and expand/build out each park to maximum capacity?
You just belittled my opinions, and then claim Mermaid being a great ride is a fact... okay? Yours is an opinion also, technically. Mermaid might have bigger sets and actual AAs but compared to Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland? It's something I would have expected as a major addition to Fantasyland 10-15 years ago. It's a nice addition and I appreciate that Disney added another people-eater, but I don't have to blindly love the ride. I've ridden it, actually. I thought it was pretty bland - too similar to the "let's retell the movie in ride form" that Fantasyland dark rides tend to take. Ursula was superb, but the rest was just okay. Certainly nothing of a true "wow" factor aside from the facade.
I can't say it's not a "GOOD" expansion, huh? Anything you say is fact while everything I say is an opinion? Smart logic there. For the record, I can think of plenty of better ways to expand Fantasyland than what we got. SWSA stays. Expansion includes Pinocchio water ride, B&TB trackless dark ride and Bald Mountain along with the Wonderland mini-land and a revamped PPF. Relocate IASW to World Showcase and use IASW's old building for a new Tangled ride to go with the bathrooms. A well balanced Fantasyland that would have something for everyone.
I find it strange you're devoted to all things Disney and believe WDW can do no wrong, yet you mock Horizons the way you did. You do know Future World had enough room for Mission - SPACE, Test Track, World of Motion and Horizons to all coexist? And Horizons is significantly more inspired/original than any dark ride Disney has done stateside in the last 30 years. Aside from Mystic Manor, none of the dark rides have surpassed Horizons in charm and ingenuity. Buzz? Mermaid? TSMM? You want to call those great and say Horizons is terrible?
You even stated Disney doesn't update the pavillions at Epcot... and yet you gave them a free pass. As a WDW fan, I can't give any theme park a free pass for stagnation. Just can't. Especially in a park with as many expansion pads/space as Epcot.
Where do you get the idea I like Rip Ride Rockit more than RnRC? I think both are fun coasters, but nothing more. RRR probably more since it's got better drops and more music selection.
Their main audience is "everyone" - not kids. TDO has convinced you 3 to 8 year olds is Disney's bread and butter but Walt never wanted that. He wanted teens/adults to have as much fun as the kids. And SDMT may look beautiful, but in the end, it's a well-themed kiddie coaster. I'm not waiting 100+ minutes for that. Don't care how great it is - any wait over 60 minutes or even 45 minutes would be a ripoff of my time. I'm sure it's nice, but I'm not going to wait that long.
Unique style? Have you seen MIB - AA? It's this shoot 'em up dark ride down the road with full blown sets and AAs that kinda blows Disney's shoot 'em up dark rides out of the water. Look at that ride, then look at Buzz and tell me with a straight face Buzz is a quality dark ride. Or even TSMM. Buzz is a nice family dark ride, but it could be improved. That's the kind of thing Walt was always looking at.
Carousel of Progress is a small show. It doesn't hurt anybody. Leave it alone. It needs an update but it's one of MK's few exclusive attractions. Mission - SPACE was a great concept, but in execution, it's a puke machine. They could have easily revamped/updated Horizons and added a Space pavillion elsewhere in Future World, but they chose to do a motion simulator that makes many guests ill. And the Green version is kind of pointless. I liked M: S but I recognize that thrill rides aren't the answer for fixing Epcot (Test Track, M - S, Soarin'... Epcot still hasn't reached early 90s attendance numbers)
Your post is negative in an ironic way - you've convinced yourself that bland attractions, stagnant sections and dated areas are a good thing and have managed to trick yourself into thinking they're high quality and don't need any changes/enhancements. Yet your post is supposed to be positive.
If you think criticism of any kind towards WDW is negativity... I don't know. Yes, New Fantasyland is a NICE addition. But next to Diagon Alley or even Hogsmeade (in terms of maximizing space)? it's just nice. Nothing particularly special. Just nice. The people on here love WDW but have accepted the reality that TDO has zero interest in providing their customers with the absolute best product possible. Compared Stitch and Laugh Floor (both kiddie attractions) to Alien Encounter and The Timekeeper. TDO only wants mommy bloggers, Lifestylers and little kids (particularly little girls) these days. If you're the type that wants attractions like Fire Mountain, Western River Expedition, Bald Mountain, a trackless dark ride, etc... MK doesn't want you. If you're the type who wants World Showcase and Future World to be constantly changing/growing... Epcot doesn't want you. If you're the type that wants coherent lands and a unifying theme for the misfit park.... DHS doesn't want you. If you would like to see new rides and attractions come to AK that aren't Avatar-themed... AK doesn't want you.
They want your money and hotel stay, of course. But they certainly don't want Disney fans' respect. Look at what the overseas parks get and then look at what WDW gets. Where's our Mystic Manor? Where's our JttCotE? Where's our Hunny Hunt or Ride and Go Seek? Nowhere to be found.
Everest was the last true E ticket added to WDW (TSMM and Mermaid are Cs, SDMT is a D+) and that was all Eisner. I have no doubt Iger would have cut the plans for Everest if he had become CEO earlier (2002-2003) and replaced them with something like Raging Spirits at DisneySea.
Our "grouchiness" is the desire for WDW to return to its gold standard. I know the pixie dust is great and all, but take a break for a while and you'll see that WDW isn't a perfect resort that needs zero improvements. Being in denial of its flaws is not what a true fan would do. I criticize many aspects of Universal Orlando despite my love for both of those parks just as I do WDW. I'm not blinded by either, and when they do something mediocre, I'll call them out.
"Thanks, Disney. For your time in trying to make the most unique, and awesome attraction experiences better than what most parks have to offer"
Like Spider-Man, Popeye, FJ, Mummy, MIB - AA, Cat in the Hat, Gringotts, Hogwarts Express, Transformers and the upcoming Kong E-ticket, right?! Oh... wrong parks
WDW hasn't added anything close to those in the last 10 years aside from Everest. Go back 20 years and you have Test Track, Kilimanjaro Safari, ToT. Everest is broken, so I won't count it. So 3 rides that equal the innovation Universal Orlando has done in the last 15 years (including a 6 year span of basically nothing).
But some tips for the future
- If you want someone to take your opinion seriously, don't act as if yours is fact when you just told them their statement is just an opinion
- Don't assume opinions are facts - I never said my statements on Mermaid, Buzz and Stitch were facts. They were all opinions. It was easy to figure that out.
- Belittling someone's opinion never makes your point more valid
- Have higher standards for theme park attractions (because Stitch is not better than 80% of theme park attractions Sure, its technical features aren't awful, but story and execution wise, the attraction is a total fail. Never seen a wait longer than 5 minutes for it. May as well have kept Alien Encounter)
- Don't assume any sort of criticism of WDW is an outright attack against you or Disney
- Don't completely dismiss the parks' flaws for the sake of absolute devotion to Disney no matter how subpar the product gets
