Chaos Cat
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 8: Magic Journeys - Hype Thread
- Thread starter spacemt354
- Start date
cdunlap
Well-Known Member
Do you think my school has the budget for a real person to mummify?!
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Who said you needed money
this song also slaps 
Simultaneously intriguing yet depressing.
That's pretty cool actually
Returned from a few days at WDW (hadn't been since 2021)
Great
The Epcot overhaul was way better than expected.
Sure, Communicore Hall I still think is a waste of space and makes no sense to tear down a building just to build something similar in its place, but it was closed while I was there because they're turning it into a Food and Wine Festival Center, so I was spared from entering.
Aside from that everything else was a big surprise. The greenery, the music, and the transition from the hub to the Land Pavilion was shocking how good it was. And then turning to Journey of Water which actually wasn't that bad, all in all I was impressed with how good the ambiance is. @Earlie the Pearlie was right!
The music loop also fits perfectly (which says a lot because I have a huge nostalgia for the Innoventions loop)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind might be Disney's best coaster (yes, I said it). It's just a ton of fun. It's ADHD the ride. A perfect blend of Rock n Roller Coaster and Space Mountain -- with an incredibly smooth track. The spinning was mild at best, but it packs more thrill than Tron imo (more on that later). I do wish they would stop the virtual queue (or built more queue space in the first place).
Space 220 was fantastic as well. Tucked in the corner, you really wouldn't know it was there unless you were already seeking it out. The space elevator and food were all top notch. I went at lunch time because it was a bit cheaper.
Luminous was good, not great. Illuminations is hard to top and this did not do that (still an enjoyable show though)
I had gone on Ratatouille in 2021 so won't comment on it here (also because I didn't go on it). It's a D/C ticket with E ticket waits, which wouldn't be the case if...The entire Epcot overhaul was actually completed....
They're doing so well, but I don't think this is enough for the next 10+ years. They need the Play Pavilion, Mary Poppins, Imagination overhaul, Spaceship Earth overhaul, Mission Space Overhaul. The Test Track overhaul helps...but they can't stop here. Everything honestly was so well done but it feels like they stopped at 60-70% rather than continuing forward with the full plan.
Good
Magic Kingdom
Tron was good, but not great. Did they spend the millions of dollars on the air-conditioning? Because how cold it was in the show building was the only thing that stuck out to me about the ride. Aside from the neat feeling on the bike (which you also get on the far superior Hagrid's attraction), nothing about this ride is that 'thrilling' You just kind curve back and forth, with minimal air time, and then the ride just sort of end. All that time and effort for a mid-coaster, it was a one and done sadly. But I will say the building as well as the surroundings brings more kinetic energy to that area of Tomorrowland which is greatly appreciated. Which brings me to...
Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America. May be controversial, but this area is in bad shape. It's Disney's fault for not maintaining it...but even post-announcement, barely anyone was there. While Cars is not my first choice, rennovating the island is not going to bring waves of people to the west side of MK. So...if this trip did one thing, it's made me less salty about the demo of RoA and TSI. I'm interested to see what comes of it and if it brings more kinetics to that area of the park.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
While arguably the most beautiful Disney park, there is still so much untapped potential here. I think Tropical Americas has an opportunity to finally make this a full day park. Because even with the state of Dinoland, you're not spending more than perhaps an hour in that area before trekking elsewhere. But with 2 potentially stand out attractions in the area, it would necessitate a 2+ hour stay in the land, coupled with Pandora and Asia/Africa, we're getting closer to a 9-5 stay in the park.
No So Good
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Oof, this park needs help. Not only does this park have minimal shade, minimal water features, it also has minimal to do. It's stuck in the middle of multiple iterations of the park.
The 90s era led by things like Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Muppets
The 00s era led by Tower of Terror and RnRC led by innovative thrills
The early 10s era which added absolutely nothing
The late 10s era which plopped single IP lands in huge chunks of the park.
The mid 20s era which may erase the 90s era.
Adding Monsters Inc to this park now (or in the next 3-4 years) doesn't fix the park. This park needs an Epcot sized overhaul, but won't get it given the recent investment in Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story (which ironically is over a half-decade ago but feels like it was yesterday)
Not much else to say on this one - curious if others have the same opinion.
All in all though it was a great trip to get away for a few days!
Great
The Epcot overhaul was way better than expected.
Sure, Communicore Hall I still think is a waste of space and makes no sense to tear down a building just to build something similar in its place, but it was closed while I was there because they're turning it into a Food and Wine Festival Center, so I was spared from entering.
Aside from that everything else was a big surprise. The greenery, the music, and the transition from the hub to the Land Pavilion was shocking how good it was. And then turning to Journey of Water which actually wasn't that bad, all in all I was impressed with how good the ambiance is. @Earlie the Pearlie was right!
The music loop also fits perfectly (which says a lot because I have a huge nostalgia for the Innoventions loop)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind might be Disney's best coaster (yes, I said it). It's just a ton of fun. It's ADHD the ride. A perfect blend of Rock n Roller Coaster and Space Mountain -- with an incredibly smooth track. The spinning was mild at best, but it packs more thrill than Tron imo (more on that later). I do wish they would stop the virtual queue (or built more queue space in the first place).
Space 220 was fantastic as well. Tucked in the corner, you really wouldn't know it was there unless you were already seeking it out. The space elevator and food were all top notch. I went at lunch time because it was a bit cheaper.
Luminous was good, not great. Illuminations is hard to top and this did not do that (still an enjoyable show though)
I had gone on Ratatouille in 2021 so won't comment on it here (also because I didn't go on it). It's a D/C ticket with E ticket waits, which wouldn't be the case if...The entire Epcot overhaul was actually completed....
They're doing so well, but I don't think this is enough for the next 10+ years. They need the Play Pavilion, Mary Poppins, Imagination overhaul, Spaceship Earth overhaul, Mission Space Overhaul. The Test Track overhaul helps...but they can't stop here. Everything honestly was so well done but it feels like they stopped at 60-70% rather than continuing forward with the full plan.
Good
Magic Kingdom
Tron was good, but not great. Did they spend the millions of dollars on the air-conditioning? Because how cold it was in the show building was the only thing that stuck out to me about the ride. Aside from the neat feeling on the bike (which you also get on the far superior Hagrid's attraction), nothing about this ride is that 'thrilling' You just kind curve back and forth, with minimal air time, and then the ride just sort of end. All that time and effort for a mid-coaster, it was a one and done sadly. But I will say the building as well as the surroundings brings more kinetic energy to that area of Tomorrowland which is greatly appreciated. Which brings me to...
Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America. May be controversial, but this area is in bad shape. It's Disney's fault for not maintaining it...but even post-announcement, barely anyone was there. While Cars is not my first choice, rennovating the island is not going to bring waves of people to the west side of MK. So...if this trip did one thing, it's made me less salty about the demo of RoA and TSI. I'm interested to see what comes of it and if it brings more kinetics to that area of the park.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
While arguably the most beautiful Disney park, there is still so much untapped potential here. I think Tropical Americas has an opportunity to finally make this a full day park. Because even with the state of Dinoland, you're not spending more than perhaps an hour in that area before trekking elsewhere. But with 2 potentially stand out attractions in the area, it would necessitate a 2+ hour stay in the land, coupled with Pandora and Asia/Africa, we're getting closer to a 9-5 stay in the park.
No So Good
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Oof, this park needs help. Not only does this park have minimal shade, minimal water features, it also has minimal to do. It's stuck in the middle of multiple iterations of the park.
The 90s era led by things like Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Muppets
The 00s era led by Tower of Terror and RnRC led by innovative thrills
The early 10s era which added absolutely nothing
The late 10s era which plopped single IP lands in huge chunks of the park.
The mid 20s era which may erase the 90s era.
Adding Monsters Inc to this park now (or in the next 3-4 years) doesn't fix the park. This park needs an Epcot sized overhaul, but won't get it given the recent investment in Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story (which ironically is over a half-decade ago but feels like it was yesterday)
Not much else to say on this one - curious if others have the same opinion.
All in all though it was a great trip to get away for a few days!
Love this recap report!
And I agree with everything you said based on what I’ve been able to experience thus far. I haven’t been since 2022, but even from a distance, the EPCOT overhaul feels fantastic. Like I have genuine enthusiasm for the park’s future.
DHS is the interesting one and I could truthfully write a dissertation on that park. It’s fascinating looking back at how we got here and it’s one of the reasons that it’s become my favorite armchair imagineering sandbox to play in.
Dhs is full of fantastic attractions that are some of the top of their respective ride systems (id agrue rise, muppets, and tower are the best of their respective ride type in the world). It’s problem is it needs a unifying theme again, and a huge overhaul. That doesn’t mean to remove what isn’t broken (I feel tower of terror/sunset boulevard and muppet*vision+scifi dine in could be grandfathered in), it just needs to shed the dead weight hanging on from the old MGM days. It should commit to the themed land thing. Also kinetics too. I love doing dhs blue sky, but I never have time to finish it and everything always changes as I do it lol.
Question for yall though, should echo lake be updated or rethemed to something else?
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That's what I'm saying - things like the stage shows are going on 20-30 years old. The Star Tours queue still has the movie set aesthetic. Animation Courtyard has little to offer. I think the first error was replacing the Great Movie Ride with MMRR. That could have easily been a dark ride in Animation Courtyard similar to Toontown in Disneyland (where it fits like a glove). Having it be in the Chinese Theater feels off 5 years later, but there's no going back from that decision.
Yeah. Gmr should’ve stayed. But that’s too late. Honestly maybe though, they should’ve put MMRR where Indy is, and make it so it’s still a Hollywood premiere in a theater, and keeps up the whole “Hollywood” theme. They need to shed the “movie Set” asthetic. Also the hub infront of the Chinese theater needs updating too.
The park needs to feel more like ... a park
Needs more water features and greenery. I'm surprised when designing Galaxy's Edge that wasn't part of the design process.
Also I think a ride like Tiana's would have also worked in Animation Courtyard...it's the only park in disney without a water based attraction.
Dhs needs more greenery. Heck, fill in echo lake if you have to for the addition of a park like area, but add a fountain and trees and benches. Dhs is a mess, which is the shame because it has potential to be a great park. It needs a DCA 2.0 to happen to it.
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
I 100% agree. If I am in WDW for a week, I spend maybe 1 full day in DHS (and that's mostly to stall until Fantasmic). The park is simply not good anymore. It's a park of 2/3 worthy shows and all E-tickets with nothing in between making it a miserable way to spend a day when every single ride in the park will have at least an hour wait and no real way to dodge the heat/ sun for long periods of time. The art of a good B/C ticket is lost in that park and it really suffers because of it.
The perfect example of this is the virtual queue
For Tron I got a virtual queue and my group was like 65 or something. I got to the park and they were taking in the 40s. While waiting, I was able to do things like the Peoplemover, Buzz, and if I wanted to Teacups, Pooh, etc. And then ride Tron.
DHS is like you said waiting in line for E tickets or shows, with nothing in-between. The only B/C ticket in the park is Swirling Saucers which has D ticket waits, and all outdoors, so it's not even worth it
Dhs needs more smaller attractions. Yes. Put triceratops spin somewhere in the park (maybe muppets where the big closed store is?), and replace some of the theatres with people a people eater dark ride/boat ride or two.
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I feel like waiting in line for the E Tickets at DHS takes up the majority of the day than doing anything else. The park needs more rides which I hope is what Monsters bring to the park if it is replacing Animation Courtyard. I also agree that DHS is basically a concrete desert with Echo Lake being the only major water feature and you might as well melt on the pathways.