Some Musings From Epcot

[pheneix]

So I went to Epcot tonight so a friend of mine could check out the new Finding Nemo ride. All in all it was a quite enjoyable evening, but I do have to remark on one thing I noticed in the park. It has been widely regarded by most self proclaimed "insiders" online and by countless research analysts and accountants that the reason classic attractions such as Horizons and Journey into Imagination Version 1.0 bit the dust is because they were not sustaining crowds. If this were the case, what does it say about the new Nemo pavilion at Epcot when there are only 20 ppl roaming around the building on a moderately busy evening? I mean, this ride was not just a walk-on, they were cycling empty clamshells the entire time I was in there. This is not the first time I've seen it this way either. I make a point of taking friends there in the evening because it is always slow.

Now, don't take this as an attack on the ride, because it is an awesome little ride and a great addition to the park (even though what they did to the rest of the building is a travesty). I just wanted to put that out there because it has always been my belief that reports of classic Epcot attractions being un-popular were exagerated, and that a large factor in their short waits is the fact that the omnimover ride system is a workhorse that can deliver some awesome counts compared to their thrill ride counterparts. Considering what is going on over at Seas with Nemo and Friends, I still believe this is true.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

Hi. We went during the AP preview and I was thinking while on that cute little ride - how few little children I see at Epcot (compared to WDW). I don't think they are ever going to use that whole queue line for this reason. I am glad they did something new with The Living Seas Pavilion...but wouldn't it be cool to offer a slightly more adrenalized option? ...Hey, if Mission Space can have 2 versions...:lol:

 

[metscool]

It is like first in the morning that it is busy there and then it starts to die down as the day goes on. The friday of the AP preview, the park was packed with people and they were having a hard time telling people that it was only for AP, SP and DVC. So I am surpised that they are not having a lot of people riding the ride. You also have to realize that it is in beginning of the week and everyone has either work or school so that there isn't a lot of people there to ride the ride. Lets wait to see Thanksgiving to see if Nemo will bring people that Disney wants.

 

[pheneix]

Lets wait to see Thanksgiving to see if Nemo will bring people that Disney wants.

But that is not my point. I've seen Nemo's queue maxed out and into the street in the morning. I'm not saying the ride is not popular. I'm just pointing out how the ride has similar guest patterns to other attractions with this ride system. Hell, Spaceship Earth has the exact same guest flow pattern. The point I'm trying to make is that this pattern was always the cornerstone in arguments for knocking down Horizons, and you know what? A shiny new ride with a marketable story has the exact same pattern.

 

[Hakunamatata]

It is like first in the morning that it is busy there and then it starts to die down as the day goes on. The friday of the AP preview, the park was packed with people and they were having a hard time telling people that it was only for AP, SP and DVC. So I am surpised that they are not having a lot of people riding the ride. You also have to realize that it is in beginning of the week and everyone has either work or school so that there isn't a lot of people there to ride the ride. Lets wait to see Thanksgiving to see if Nemo will bring people that Disney wants.

I was going to say that I would be suprised if there were alot of children around this time of year. Especially at Epcot on a Monday.

Further, its the Seahawks and Raiders on MNF. Everyone is watching the game....:lookaroun

 

[v_misses_epcot]

I'm sorry but I work at tipboard every night and ever since it opened up it's always been 20 minutes or less. The only time it's been more then 30 minutes was when the ride went 101 and the people already waiting in there had to wait in there. Well, they didn't have to but they chose to.

Also a lot of people don't even know about it or care too. Just like turtle talk with crush. It's a must see for the children but people automatically assume it's a long wait because they see tons of people in line. What they don't know is that they take a whole bunch of guest into a room. I think the limit is 60?? someone correct me if I'm wrong please. Maybe even less. I do know it's every 20 minutes.

Also, a lot of guest think epcot closes at 7pm ~_~;; I always see a bunch of guest walk out towards the exit at 7pm. I have to sometimes remind people that we close at 9pm every night....well starting in two weeks 9:30. =D

But anyhow, yes. Some guest don't bother to read the times guide and while yes it says future world 9am-7pm.....but right underneath it says which rides close....

Anyhow....that ride is cute =D go ride it sometime.

 

[pheneix]

The only things in Future World that close early now are Imagination, UoE, and Innoventions, right? They should just drop the stupid "Future World closes at 7" crap and advertise the whole park staying open until 9, with special hours for the three attractions I just mentioned. Better yet, they could just replace the those three attractions with attractions that are actually good to begin with, and then maybe they can get Epcot's attendance back up to where it was in the 90's when keeping the park open all day was a neccessity.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

Close UoE? Maybe make it seasonal (open in August only) - that 45 minute A/C ride is my FAVORITE in 100 degree weather. Now if I could just get a Dole Whip in EPCOT.

But yeah I agree the Nemo ride cranks people on it. Like HM does - it moves the line pretty fast.

 

[v_misses_epcot]

Close UoE? Maybe make it seasonal (open in August only) - that 45 minute A/C ride is my FAVORITE in 100 degree weather. Now if I could just get a Dole Whip in EPCOT.

But yeah I agree the Nemo ride cranks people on it. Like HM does - it moves the line pretty fast.

Dare I say it?? The overrated dole whip =D
I really really do perfer the strawberry swirl in enchanted grove. And yeah!! 45 minute cold air goodness!! lol

The only things in Future World that close early now are Imagination, UoE, and Innoventions, right? They should just drop the stupid "Future World closes at 7" crap and advertise the whole park staying open until 9, with special hours for the three attractions I just mentioned. Better yet, they could just replace the those three attractions with attractions that are actually good to begin with, and then maybe they can get Epcot's attendance back up to where it was in the 90's when keeping the park open all day was a neccessity.

Anyhow And why is it 7pm crap?? People need to know what rides close at that time and it's in clear view. All you have to do is pick up the times guide map....then again you're right....Guest tend not to read while on vacation.

It's not only three rides that close btw.

Imagine advertising that the whole park stays open at 9pm!! HA!! Seriously.....That would be false advertising considering that UOE, Innoventions East/West, Journey into imagination, Honey I shrunk the audience and THE LAND all close at 7PM.

Close Innoventions? *laughs* Are you mad? Trying to get through innoventions today was HELL!! You might not like it, but that's just you.

Innoventions west has very important venues for children and adults.
"Where's the Fire?"teaches the importance of fire safety and how to shoot down those fire hazards. I had full shows all day long!! Both adults and kids love the message and the game. I had a parent come up to me shaking my hand because her house burned down recently and because of our helpful message at Play it safe, the kids were able to get out safetly because they remembered about the game. Now that's powerful and made my day.

Simply Segway starts it's segway tours from there everyday. You can learn about segways and even test them out for a while.

Visa Meet and greet~ The disney visa card holders enjoy that place because it gives them a chance to get a free 5by7 picture with the characters.

Innoventions East:

Forest Paper Maker: Children go crazy for this. They make their very own piece of paper and learn about recycling. I couldn't breathe today with the masses of children at paper today.

Fantastic Plastic: WHO doesn't want a free robot!! Jeez! They also learn about plastic and race!!

opportunity city: Run your own business.
D-MAIL!!

House of innoventions@!!!

So sorry, innoventions can't close. It's CHILDREN CENTRAL LOL

All the rides that close early are for the children and for the adults that do like them. No need to get all bitter now just because you think the rides aren't good enough for you. Or don't meet up to the classic epcot standard. And seriously, if all you're thinking about is epcots attendence, then you seriously need to chill and enjoy life and disney world.

That "rides that are actually good" comment made me laugh seriously. Thank you. Sorry, the kids LOVE THOSE RIDES.

 

[Victor]

So I went to Epcot tonight so a friend of mine could check out the new Finding Nemo ride. All in all it was a quite enjoyable evening, but I do have to remark on one thing I noticed in the park. It has been widely regarded by most self proclaimed "insiders" online and by countless research analysts and accountants that the reason classic attractions such as Horizons and Journey into Imagination Version 1.0 bit the dust is because they were not sustaining crowds. If this were the case, what does it say about the new Nemo pavilion at Epcot when there are only 20 ppl roaming around the building on a moderately busy evening? I mean, this ride was not just a walk-on, they were cycling empty clamshells the entire time I was in there. This is not the first time I've seen it this way either. I make a point of taking friends there in the evening because it is always slow.

Now, don't take this as an attack on the ride, because it is an awesome little ride and a great addition to the park (even though what they did to the rest of the building is a travesty). I just wanted to put that out there because it has always been my belief that reports of classic Epcot attractions being un-popular were exagerated, and that a large factor in their short waits is the fact that the omnimover ride system is a workhorse that can deliver some awesome counts compared to their thrill ride counterparts. Considering what is going on over at Seas with Nemo and Friends, I still believe this is true.

I think you hit the nail on the head. The new JITI takes the cake for shortest wait on WDW property, because everytime I go it is simply non-existent. Mission: Space? Also a walk-on, less than 10 mins. Only Test Track and Soarin' seem to bring in the big waits now. It seems to me that Horizons and the original JITI brought in more crowds than their current counterparts. But it's all probably due to negative word of mouth.

 

[zeroFantasy]

What? EPCOT will be closing at 9:30 in two weeks? How come I haven't heard about it? Why is the change anyway?

 

[v_misses_epcot]

What? EPCOT will be closing at 9:30 in two weeks? How come I haven't heard about it? Why is the change anyway?

I take it M:S doesn't have meetings in the morning like innoventions does?? *Invites him over for morning donuts and coffee* XD! We have awesome meetings telling us the events for the day, week, month.......And yeah, Epcot stays open till 9:30 starting soon because of the christmas season. Christmas Illuminations or how I dub it is at 9:30 =D

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The new JITI takes the cake for shortest wait on WDW property, because everytime I go it is simply non-existent. Mission: Space? Also a walk-on, less than 10 mins. Only Test Track and Soarin' seem to bring in the big waits now. It seems to me that Horizons and the original JITI brought in more crowds than their current counterparts. But it's all probably due to negative word of mouth.

I agree. the most I have ever waited was for the car in front of me to load 5 people and leave just a second before I arrived. So... 30 seconds? :veryconfu Somehow, with JIIwF, I don't think the large capacity of the attraction has ANYTHING to do with short wait times.

 

[SteveSastre]

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[meanstreak82]

To argue that an omnimover is unpopular due to nighttime crowds is almost always inaccurate. The crowds for every ride in the park are smaller, and a primary reason that the omnimovers seem to be less popular is that the other lower-capacity attractions are still taking care of bloated hour-long lines from the afternoon.

The best comparison is to relate the line length to other attractions with a similar capacity. If Nemo has no line, and SSE has a half hour line, then that indicates that Nemo might be a flop. If Horizons is a walk on, but SSE has a half hour wait, then it is pretty clear that people don't care anymore, and that upgrades/replacement should occur. Or if Test Track has an hour line, and Body Wars (During operation of course) is abandoned. To discuss crowds for one ride without comparing it to other successful omnimover attractions is totally unfair. Moreover, if the new/questionable ride has nobody at it, and neither does the successful ride, then it pretty much indicates a universal trend to that style of ride.

I have never seen an omnimover sustain huge lines after dark (Without Fastpass of course), and the only real way to justify a dead attraction is to compare the numbers.

Very true. Take away FP at Buzz (the most popular ride on property) and you wouldn't have more than a 20 or 30 min wait. Omnimovers are capacity monsters. Like it was said earlier, it's Epcot on a Monday in early November. Plus it was evening... Future World closes at 7 because the general flow of crowds move to World Showcase for Illuminations. Same reason WS doesn't open until 11.

 

[kcnole]

To discuss crowds for one ride without comparing it to other successful omnimover attractions is totally unfair.

It's a mistake to judge a rides popularity based on the average wait time in line anyhow. Especially if you're comparing a fast moving system like SSE or Nemo against a very slow moving system like Test Track.

The hourly potential throughput of any omnimover ride has got to be at least twice that which Test Track can cycle. Omnimovers are line eaters where things like TT and Soarin, by the nature of the ride system, take longer to load and can put less people through/hour than other systems.

So don't judge the popularity of an attraction based on how long the ride is, what we have to know is how many people actually rode the ride/hour over the day and then compare that to the other attractions. As a guest, there's no real way to know that, but the suits do. As an aside, it also seems that people think a line means that an attraction must be better.

One more comment about evening crowd flow patterns at Epcot. Due to the staggered hours, many guests who are only doing Epcot in one day start out in Futureworld in the morning and into the early afternoon riding all of the attractions there and then make their way over to World Showcase where they spend the rest of the late afternoon and evening exploring the showcases, shopping, eating, and waiting for illuminations. When I go, I rarely even make my way back to Futureworld until after illuminations to exit.