Two Spirited Quickees...Imagination closing

[montyz81]

I'll go out on a limb here...

I don't think they'll let the pavilion sit empty...if folks threw a fit over a wand up the side of spaceship earth, they'll REALLY hate there being 2 BIG empty pavilions at Epcot. I agree there isn't enough to do... Given the size of the 2 pavilions aforementioned, there ought to be a crap ton of stuff to do. Looking back, killing off WoL had to really sock the attraction count in the gut a bit! No doubt!

Look at it this way also (given that we're not ABSOLUTELY sure they're going to close it at all) there have been far crappier rides stay open despite the gripes...for example, I can sit through imagination like it is now...I CANNOT sit through "Stitches Great Escape"...I bearly (pun intended) make it through Winnie the Pooh, and I openly WELCOMED the idea of tearing down the Snow White Attraction. I STILL think Imagination sucks in it's current form...but they do keep open worse attractions...if they're going to make any move at all, they'll do SOMETHING with it. There's already a lack of things to do in Future World West. On top of that...giant glass pyramids are hard to miss and not ask questions about...at least with WoL there's enough crappy foliage to somewhat hide it...

Somethings gotta give anyway Futureworld needs some serious love...

And screw putting soarin' in a third theater...I say re-add Kitchen Kabaret!

I was watching Martin's Communicore to Innoventions tribute video. If you count all the sponsors and attractions in FW from 1983 to now, I bet you there were 4-5 times the sponsors in 83. I just do not understand the "how long be fore we have to do something " mentality if TDO ? Boggles the mind

 

[flynnibus]

No worse than the 20,000 Leagues lagoon, and we all know how quickly that was filled and replaced with a major new attraction...

That blended in... It was just a lagoon and canopy...

 

[gonnichi]

That's the problem.. Management no longer thinks outside the box...

This is all depressing... Coming back from what was easily my worst trip ever and now reading that Epcot is going completely down the sewer... I think I need @fractal to post another trip report with his wonderful pictures to cheer me up... Then again, that may not even work... Disney has killed the magic...

It has killed the magic for me too. I'm thinking about taking the money I use to spend at WDW and buy Disney stock. At least I know they are working very hard to increase profits short term and are pursuing them at great lengths, even at the detriment of the parks. So maybe I can partake in some of that profit myself. Since losing this Disney Magic obtained by going to the Parks it has crossed over to TV, movies and even video games. I think I'm done with Disney entertainment for awhile. time will tell.

At least I have some new magic coming to keep me very happy, Hurray for Harry!

Hurray for Comcast? I cant believe I said that. lol

 

[RSoxNo1]

The question for me is, is Soarin' a good attraction or is there lack of good attractions in FW that makes Soarin' have high wait times?

Soarin' is a good attraction, but at DCA it doesn't generate the wait times (or Fastpass demand) largely because of a stronger attraction lineup. It's why the Magic Kingdom isn't having the same Fastpass+ distribution problems that the other parks are having. It has the capacity to distribute 3 per guest, per day without much issue while the other parks really can't support that. Ironically, Disneyland Resort is far better suited for this from an attraction standpoint than Disney World.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

FP+ installation on the main ride? Or has that happened already?

Why would a ride with a 5 minute waiting time need a FP+ installation?

 

[NoChesterHester]

This here potted plant building should cause people to forget all about the pavilion, be fairly unobtrusive, and lend a certain je ne sais quoi to FW.

Green toilet brush building. Perfect for an Imagination overhaul.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

Well now we know,,, as spirit stated in his thread the plan is for Imagination to close for good, sit and rott, and mask it with a new soarin, and princess hall announcement and hope the public will forget about it and let it go. Totally unacceptable. This is now the time to send out letters to George K, Staggs, etc. If we dont make a fuss now then theres no hope for it. He said once it closes its too late.

Well, where do we send these letters to Staggs?
And can we get some confirmation on this?

 

[magicallactose]

This article about abandoned areas of Disney theme parks was just published today on the blog, io9. (For those of you unfamiliar with the site, io9 is one of the largest and most popular online magazines about science fiction, fantasy, and science 'fact'. They don't often have articles about theme parks). Perfect timing, I'd say.
http://io9.com/the-trashed-remains-of-abandoned-disney-projects-1466546591

 

[aladdin2007]

Well, where do we send these letters to Staggs?
And can we get some confirmation on this?

Here are the addresses.

Walt Disney World Guest Relations P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

This is the universal address! For example, if you want to write to the General Manager of All Star Music, or any other resort, address the envelope to the person and use the P.O. Box 10000 address.....or for this case add George K.

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Robert A. Iger Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873

Thomas O. Staggs
Chairman
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873

Meg Crofton
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. & France
The Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

 

[RSoxNo1]

Why would a ride with a 5 minute waiting time need a FP+ installation?

Because in order for every guest to receive "equal" accommodations under Fastpass+ they needed to expand Fastpass+ availability. If an attraction can accommodate 2000 people an hour, and 60% of that hour can be devoted to Fastpass+ that means 1200 more Fastpass+ options an hour or 12K per day (the attraction is open for 10 hours). When you're trying to sell this to people that are unfamiliar with the attractions themselves and the demand it's a much easier sell. They just see that they could get 12K more FP+ reservations in the system at the cost of a sign and some RFID reading polls. The other option is building a third theater for Soarin' that accommodates 650 people per hour. That would give them 390 additional Fastpass+ reservations per hour and at 12 hours for Soarin' they can add 4680 more Fastpass+ daily. The problem is the cost difference, one installation should cost less than $25k, I'm guessing the other costs close to $50 million.

 

[Figments Friend]

The question for me is, is Soarin' a good attraction or is there lack of good attractions in FW that makes Soarin' have high wait times?

I touched on this in a earlier post ...yes, the reason for the long wait times is because EPCOT has capacity issues and needs more offerings for today's Guests to do.
Not enough of that there at the moment.

Adding a additional theater to 'Soarin' is not the answer.

 

[Figments Friend]

I cannot deny the truth to that because I haven't been there since the opening of the "new DCA" but before that it didn't have much of a problem either because nobody went to DCA. Now they have Carsland as a distraction.

DCA's wait for 'Soarin' Over California' is not at all as long/bad as the wait many experience at EPCOT.
A excellent example given by Orky about the capacity issues at EPCOT and why we see such long waits on the East Coast when compared to the same attraction on the West.

I went out to DL this past September and 'Soarin' was a short 10 minute wait, walk up. This was in the late afternoon.
Perhaps i just hit it lucky...but it was a refreshing scene compared to the outright mobbing in Florida.

 

[Figments Friend]

If Figment merch really is that lucrative, I could see them creating a new, elaborate Figment meet-and-greet to maintain his presence in the park.

They tried this already a few years ago...



'Lovingly' referred to by fans as 'Figzilla', the small M&G area used to be to the left of the entrance to the Magic Eye Theatre...in the old Kodak camera shop/gift shop of yore.
It was a neat little spot..had some nice painted walls ( with glitter! ) but poor Figzilla was usually pretty lonely.

I think the scale issue put off fans and kids alike..thus the 'Figzilla' nickname..



The Figment walkaround dissapeared to never be seen again by 2006 or so.
I remember in 2007 i was hoping he would show up again for EPCOT's 25th Anniversary event ...but alas, he remained in hiding.

I enjoyed my interaction with him the one time i met him in 2005.
Had the place all to myself, and struck up a nice conversation with his attendant about the Original attraction back in the day.
'Figment' was quite expressive and you could defiantly see he too missed his 'real' ride experience.
That was a fun moment...seeing him get all 'angry' about what happened.
When he found out i was a Tony Baxter fan during the conversation he would not stop hugging me..!

His attendant too..a older CM...was also quite expressive about the topic.

I know CMs are not supposed to 'have opinions' with Guests, but i will say this - we had a good chat and it was clear fans are not the only ones missing the spirit and tone set by the Original Pavilion.

 

[asianway]

They tried this already a few years ago...



'Lovingly' referred to by fans as 'Figzilla', the small M&G area used to be to the left of the entrance to the Magic Eye Theatre...in the old Kodak camera shop/gift shop of yore.
It was a neat little spot..had some nice painted walls ( with glitter! ) but poor Figzilla was usually pretty lonely.

I think the scale issue put off fans and kids alike..thus the 'Figzilla' nickname..



The Figment walkaround dissapeared to never be seen again by 2006 or so.
I remember in 2007 i was hoping he would show up again for EPCOT's 25th Anniversary event ...but alas, he remained in hiding.

I enjoyed my interaction with him the one time i met him in 2005.
Had the place all to myself, and struck up a nice conversation with his attendant about the Original attraction back in the day.
'Figment' was quite expressive and you could defiantly see he too missed his 'real' ride experience.
His attendant too..a older CM...was also quite expressive about the topic.

I know CMs are not supposed to 'have opinions' with Guests, but i will say this - we had a good chat and it was clear fans are not the only ones missing the spirit and tone set by the Original Pavilion.

And, as you said, you had him all to yourself - so did most people, which is why he no longer meets. I herd he was at one of the 5ks in 2010, but havent seen pics.

Of course, advertising, marketing, location, and a horrible ride had nothing to do with Figzillas lack of popularity.

 

[Figments Friend]

And, as you said, you had him all to yourself - so did most people, which is why he no longer meets. I heard he was at one of the 5ks in 2010, but have'nt seen pics.

Of course, advertising, marketing, location, and a horrible ride had nothing to do with Figzillas lack of popularity.

Yeah, the M&G with 'Figzilla' did not prove to be very popular.

Now..if Dreamfinder was with him...and he was the proper scale...hmmm....
The nostalgia fans would be lined up for hours.
FP+ that, Disney...!

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yeah, the M&G with 'Figzilla' did not prove to be very popular.

Now..if Dreamfinder was with him...and he was the proper scale...hmmm....
The nostalgia fans would be lined up for hours.
FP+ that, Disney...!

Yes, but old fans. New ones have no idea what Dreamfinder with Figment meant and how much different Figment was showcased back then. Either way, the audience with the memory is not the main force anymore. I think it's better that he go completely then have the entire area just stagnate into non-existence. Just give us something good, I can live without Figment, pretty much have been for quite a few years now anyway.

I was in DCA in 2005 and it was a walk on. I don't remember the exact day or time, but knowing me it was probably mid-morning during the week in November. I remember that it was the day after Haunted Mansion reopened with the holiday overlay.

 

[Bairstow]

Crikey, he's HUGE.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

Here are the addresses.

Walt Disney World Guest Relations P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

This is the universal address! For example, if you want to write to the General Manager of All Star Music, or any other resort, address the envelope to the person and use the P.O. Box 10000 address.....or for this case add George K.

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Robert A. Iger Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873

Thomas O. Staggs
Chairman
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873

Meg Crofton
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. & France
The Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Thank You.
You know, given the state of the ride and how much Disney doesn't want to pay to fix it, it may be best to just let it retire and put it out of it's misery but just the same, I'll look into contacting them about this. Let them know the ride has it's fans

Yes, but old fans. New ones have no idea what Dreamfinder with Figment meant and how much different Figment was showcased back then. Either way, the audience with the memory is not the main force anymore. I think it's better that he go completely then have the entire area just stagnate into non-existence. Just give us something good, I can live without Figment, pretty much have been for quite a few years now anyway.

Makes sense actually. I'm more annoyed at the idea that the area may just sit there not being used. Even if they bulldozed the spot and put in a Phineas and Ferb ride, at least they'd be DOING something with the spot.

 

[JEANYLASER]

Put the Phineas and Ferb Ride in the Imagination presented by Nikon!

 

[Brer Funk]

Just playing devil's advocate here (and I'm sure someone has probably already mentioned this), but hearing Iger say this three months ago makes me think that this would not happen... (go to 3:52)