The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[ChrisM]

Only way we're getting a theme park or Silmarillion movies/TV show is if Christopher Tolkien drops dead and his heirs decide they want more money. I know one of the younger Tolkiens loved the movies and even cameo'd in one of the battle scenes or something like that.

It's all just a matter of when at this point. Dude is almost 90.

 

[spacemt354]

Diagon Alley raised the bar and set the standard for top notch themed areas. Maybe the Gringotts ride isn't as amazing as Forbidden Journey but it is good and still produces lines on slow days that you'd typically see in WDW on New Years Eve.

Universal was silly to expect huge increases again when they've already grown so much attendance wise from the first HP. They need to realize that as they grow their base average attendance the percentage uptick won't be some huge number anymore. They still hit a home run! Lol... Nobody's perfect though.

I agree.

With WWoHP, Uni hit a home run, and the bases were loaded (it had a lot of hype) so it was a grand slam.

With DA, Uni hit another home run, but the bases weren't loaded.

Still a home run, but to the execs, it didn't drive in as many runs.

I wish Disney had that mindset. They seem to be in the mindset of the sacrifice bunt

 

[PhotoDave219]

I agree.

With WWoHP, Uni hit a home run, and the bases were loaded (it had a lot of hype) so it was a grand slam.

With DA, Uni hit another home run, but the bases weren't loaded.

Still a home run, but to the execs, it didn't drive in as many runs.

I wish Disney had that mindset. They seem to be in the mindset of the sacrifice bunt

Sac Bunt moves the runner to second and even the guy who is 0-for-5 can lace one inside the third-base-line and win the game....

 

[CDavid]

If the DHS Backlot Tour closure had happened at Disneyland, it would have leaked on Miceage about 6 months ago, then been fleshed out in follow-up Miceage updates for a few months until TDA was forced to make a public statement at the 60 day mark, then covered widely by the LA Times with Al Lutz as a quoted and slightly snarky source, and then on the last day there would have been 1,000 or more APs milling around making a small spectacle out of the closure.

I fully get your larger point - certainly there are things at Walt Disney World which need to have a media spotlight shined upon them. What I am wondering, though, is just how far in advance the closure of the Back Lot Tour really was definitively planned (we've long known it was on borrowed time, obviously). It may or may not have been anticipated for months; It is curious that new park maps which appeared a couple days later still show Back Lot Tour as an attraction, while The American Idol Experience was removed from maps (as I understand it) at the time of its closure. I don't want to read too much into that, of course, but it is curious, and again, none of that undermines your major points.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I fully get your larger point - certainly there are things at Walt Disney World which need to have a media spotlight shined upon them. What I am wondering, though, is just how far in advance the closure of the Back Lot Tour really was definitively planned (we've long known it was on borrowed time, obviously). It may or may not have been anticipated for months; It is curious that new park maps which appeared a couple days later still show Back Lot Tour as an attraction, while The American Idol Experience was removed from maps (as I understand it) at the time of its closure. I don't want to read too much into that, of course, but it is curious, and again, none of that undermines your major points.

The national media does NOT care about Walt Disney World.

Unless its business based or something bad happens.

 

[ABQ]

Sac Bunt moves the runner to second and even the guy who is 0-for-5 can lace one inside the third-base-line and win the game....

Last night's game was a perfect example. Repeatedly.

 

[Ranch Dressing]

Standing in AK right now and its a complete ghost town. I have never seen a Disney theme park this empty in my life. Only thing with a line is the meet and greet, everything is is complete walk on.

 

[71jason]

There's no debate that Gringotts is a good ride. But right now, at this moment, it has a 10 minute wait compared to 30 minutes for Minions and 15 minutes for Transformers.

Again, not debating the quality of the ride... just the assertion that it produces lines one slow days that rival WDW on New Years Eve...

I think there's absolutely debate over whether or not it is a good ride--especially when the ride section is divorced from the long, immersive, if highly derivative, queue.

But I completely agree, the lines have not been there for it since it started running at full capacity. Partially because it's a people-eater, but I think lack of re-rideability is also a factor.

 

[71jason]

Standing in AK right now and its a complete ghost town. I have never seen a Disney theme park this empty in my life. Only thing with a line is the meet and greet, everything is is complete walk on.

Food & Wine and Halloween Horror Nights and MNSSHP? Created expressly to counter slow September-October days. Nothing new really.

 

[BrerJon]

Food & Wine and Halloween Horror Nights and MNSSHP? Created expressly to counter slow September-October days. Nothing new really.

Also it's on and off pouring with rain today, and DAK is probably the worst place to be on a rainy day because so much is outdoors compared to the other parks.

 

[Nubs70]

There's no debate that Gringotts is a good ride. But right now, at this moment, it has a 10 minute wait compared to 30 minutes for Minions and 15 minutes for Transformers.

Again, not debating the quality of the ride... just the assertion that it produces lines one slow days that rival WDW on New Years Eve...

Possibly the engineers designed the throughput based on reasonable demand projection.? The engineers created an efficient ride.

 

[Nubs70]

I agree.

With WWoHP, Uni hit a home run, and the bases were loaded (it had a lot of hype) so it was a grand slam.

With DA, Uni hit another home run, but the bases weren't loaded.

Still a home run, but to the execs, it didn't drive in as many runs.

I wish Disney had that mindset. They seem to be in the mindset of the sacrifice bunt

UNI wanted a walk off grandslam in the 7th game in the World Series to win by 1 run after gaining entry into the post season on a wild card play in and being down in the World Series 3 games to zero.

 

[BrianLo]

Ride lines are a function of Capacity (First and foremost), Number of Guests in the Park (Secondarily) and Popularity (Least of all). Popularity is twofold- Percentage of guests who will ride in a given day, average number of re-rides per guest. Those two factors are often at the mercy of how the ride is perceived initially (is it new, is it a worthwhile experience, are enough other options present in the park that it is worth potentially skipping).

Unless you control for Capacity (Two rides with similar capacities), Number of guests in the Park (Meaning within the same park) and the total capacity of a park (also once again meaning the same park) - you CANNOT compare two rides based on wait times and claim one is more popular than the other. Really, the only accurate measure of a given attractions popularity would be its own historical trends. If capacity and park attendance have changed drastically (as is the case with Gringotts brief history) you can't trend the ride popularity against itself.

That's why celebrating Gringott's wait times (when capacity was low and park attendance high) and bemoaning its wait times (when capacity is high and park attendance low) is inane.

Really, the only thing that ultimately matters (unless you are a major stockholder) is that the ride is subjectively impressive to you. In my opinion, its a great ride and whatever wait times it pulls doesn't change that.

 

[tirian]

Ride lines are a function of Capacity (First and foremost), Number of Guests in the Park (Secondarily) and Popularity (Least of all). Popularity is twofold- Percentage of guests who will ride in a given day, average number of re-rides per guest. Those two factors are often at the mercy of how the ride is perceived initially (is it new, is it a worthwhile experience, are enough other options present in the park that it is worth potentially skipping).

Unless you control for Capacity (Two rides with similar capacities), Number of guests in the Park (Meaning within the same park) and the total capacity of a park (also once again meaning the same park) - you CANNOT compare two rides based on wait times and claim one is more popular than the other. Really, the only accurate measure of a given attractions popularity would be its own historical trends. If capacity and park attendance have changed drastically (as is the case with Gringotts brief history) you can't trend the ride popularity against itself.

That's why celebrating Gringott's wait times (when capacity was low and park attendance high) and bemoaning its wait times (when capacity is high and park attendance low) is inane.

Really, the only thing that ultimately matters (unless you are a major stockholder) is that the ride is subjectively impressive to you. In my opinion, it a great ride and whatever wait times it pulls don't change that.

It's also why people incorrectly assume the old Omnimovers at Epcot didn't draw crowds—plus your point relates to the reason that Haunted Mansion and POTC don't need FP.

 

[tirian]

Food & Wine and Halloween Horror Nights and MNSSHP? Created expressly to counter slow September-October days. Nothing new really.

Funny thing is, long ago, WDW utilized those slow days for maintenance and refurbishments.

 

[tirian]

The national media does NOT care about Walt Disney World.

Unless its business based or something bad happens.

The media certainly doesn't care like it did about 15 years ago. My work friends and I have speculated the reason is that so many people have interned with Disney at this point, editors and travel reporters know the company is running on fumes left over from 1955 'til about 1999.

The upcoming expansion at DHS should get attention again.

 

[Mike C]

I've heard that after the 27th of September, the rope drop show that they typically do at DHS in the morning was axed? Does anyone know if this is true or not?

 

[Phil12]

I've heard that after the 27th of September, the rope drop show that they typically do at DHS in the morning was axed? Does anyone know if this is true or not?

I hope so! I dislike all those rope drop shows.

 

[JoeCamel]

Just proves that Uni execs are as number driven as the Mouse.

As any theme park exec should be in today's enviorment. They are all slaves to the corporate environment and the only way out is to have it from the top. A great leader will allow the company to bring great things but the average leader will pad the stock price as they collect their compensation and drift off into the sunset.

 

[JoeCamel]

But I completely agree, the lines have not been there for it since it started running at full capacity. Partially because it's a people-eater, but I think lack of re-ride-ability is also a factor.

Sorry for the partial quote but the people eater is showing its head, the stairs are moving as fast as they can be climbed now. I wish they had been able to get this up and running at opening but three months is not bad. Once word is out I think the rider numbers and guest satisfaction will be as high as any ride introduced in the last few years.

The ride requires that you ride again, it is different depending on where you are seated and many of the details do not come out in one ride. Having the opportunity to ride again without obscene waits will allow many to see the whole depth of the ride.