News Walt Disney Company plans to spend $17 billion at Walt Disney World over the next ten years

[doctornick]

With all due respect, how do you remind someone on what has not occurred yet? He stated this would be 17 billion in the next ten years for WDW and that 13,000 more jobs would result of it. This is why I see it as a bragging promise for the shareholders.

It’s a “reminder” of how much money Disney invests in the state and how many people they employ. And it’s putting it in the context of “these are our intentions for the future”

 

[Brer Panther]

I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about this if we got some sort of idea as to what, specifically, this $17 billion will be spent on. If it's on crap like the Moana/Zootopia invasion of Animal Kingdom... no thank you.

And I really hope this doesn't imply that Iger will be CEO of Disney for ten more years. He overstayed his welcome nine years ago.

What expansion of DAK are you willing to give up to make that happen?

The Moana/Zootopia takeover of Dinoland USA. Easy.

Rumors are always leaked on what they are working on, and there has been nothing hinted at for years?

We didn't hear any leaked rumors about the Splash Mountain retheme that was supposedly "in the works for a year" either. Make of that what you will.

Pardon my lack of knowledge, but how does the ideation process currently work at TWDC.

My impression now is a huge amount of groupthink with teams and study groups and forcing an entertainment model into an IP mold. I guess I just don't see Iger waking up one morning and saying "I just dreamed about this, go build this coold new ride concept/show/experience . . ." However, that is my understanding of how things WERE done back in the day. Anyone have the details of what it's like now? Besides being a dog's dinner of process?

Iger walks into the room and says "We need more of this IP in the parks. Get on it!". That's it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Anyone see the new Mickey Views video talking about the huge expansions in MK? Would explain a few billion of this 17 billion. What he discussed also makes complete sense with the destruction of Splash.

Basically, Pecos Bill replaced by Tiana's Palace. Frontier Land replaced by New Orleans street. Big Thunder becomes the entrance area to the new Desert Land / New Frontier Land with Coco and Encanto. He then surmised that Villains Land would go sort of next to Desert Land and behind Haunted Mansion.

Wouldn't shock me at all if this is what happens. The positioning of these changes and the changes in general all make a whole lot of sense.

My guess is if this does happen we're getting a new Western style resort that will have direct entrance to this part of MK the same way Grand California does.

This very thread in which you are posting, only two pages back:

Brayden of Mickey Views is the new source pushing the rumor. What he heard was as follows
Frontierland is cut in half, the section with Diamond Horseshoe, Shootin' Arcade, and gift shop will be reincorporated into Liberty Square.
Country Bears and Peco's Bill will be combined with TBA to make a New Orleans Square.
Country Bears will receive new electric AAs and the show will be changed, possibly to vacation hoedown with some modern references.
Peco's Bill is changed to Tiana's Place, and also a possible dedicated window to order beignets.
Big Thunder will be kept the same, except now part of a vaguely desert/southwestern themed area with the Coco attraction.
Encanto's ride will sit between Coco and Villains, it may or may not be directly part of the "desert" land.
Villains Land will be situated between Encanto and Haunted Mansion, providing a new path for people to walk all around Rivers of America, to do this they would most likely shorten the river's path

 

[celluloid]

It’s a “reminder” of how much money Disney invests in the state and how many people they employ. And it’s putting it in the context of “these are our intentions for the future”

Sounds like the definition of politicians/business person bragging to me.

 

[SpectreJordan]

$17B is enough money to invest substantially in the parks but it's still unclear how they're going to allocate those investments. If I had a wishlist though it would definitely be:

Imagination Rehaul (making it a proper E-ticket and returning Dreamfinder)

Spaceship Earth Major Refurb

That ***** Yeti

Plus DINOSAUR— return the old, darker colors and maybe refurb some of the AAs or add some new effects

Replace Dinorama

Retheme Animation Courtyard

Retheme Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge from the loathsome sequel trilogy to include some of the more beloved Star Wars lore

Villains Land at Magic Kingdom

Beyond Big Thunder doesn't particularly interest me, it's fine but doesn't feel like it warrants a whole land alongside other major story genres (funny enough, superheroes/comics would actually be perfect at MK), and the yeti is obviously a....stretch given Disney's past, but these are imo very reasonable asks I have for Disney given the budget they announced.

Interesting. Why do you think superheroes would work for MK? As a big Marvel fan, I'm not really sure about that. To me, MK should largely be mainline Disney IPs, original stuff & the occasional Pixar IP. Marvel in a castle park just feels odd to me. Hollywood Studios makes more sense for it & that park could use a boost from it tbh.

 

[Tay]

Uh I mean it’s a lot but we know they go way over budget and end up cutting out a lot of the concept art. This needs to add at minimum 8 E tickets to the resort & 12 people eaters & more shops, entertainment & unique food places in the parks.

In Epcot, multiple new countries, a Coco show in Mexico, an upgraded Figment ride Mary Poppins area and new home to One Man’s Dream.

In AK, Dinoland replacement(Encanto/ Antonio’s room?) , and a new continent.

In DHS rides that aren’t Pixar or Star Wars unless it’s the door coaster, the addition of an indoor air conditioned play area in TSL, a new show, and a water ride.

In MK, a night time parade, new Space Mountain track, either get electric cars or get rid of the speedway, clones of Arendelle & Tangled from Asia, toss the carpets & redo them and add an Aladdin E ticket in Adventureland that leads to the Villians land.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

In AK, Dinoland replacement(Encanto/ Antonio’s room?) , and a new continent.

I think Chester and Hester's Dinorama should be the one to get replaced, and not the rest of DinoLand alongside. It would feel foolish for AK to kick dinosaurs out, as they serve as the park’s theme of animals past, present, and imagined. They wouldn’t kick dinos out just because they think the creatures are better represented at Universal Orlando.

 

[SpectreJordan]

Real talk though, a land at DAK focused on non-tropical ecosystems would rock. Everytime someone mentions a South America land I think, "well sure, but what about a North America land?" Or even a European/North Asian land. More monkeys and big cats are great and all, but what about wolves, bears, moose, and yes, penguins....would be cool to see something like that brought to the park.

The animals most commonly associated with the North American wilderness like moose & wolves wouldn't do well in Florida's weather. They'd have to be in an in-door exhibits, which... isn't preferable.

Rohde's mentioned this himself, so I think they considered it at one point but shot it down for that reason.

Maybe they could turn into something southern based though? Part Florida with gators, black bears, etc... & part prairie with the likes of Prairie Dogs, coyotes, etc... I'd definitely prefer the forests of the northern US & Canada, but this would be cool too.

Haha, I actually think an ice age or Pleistocene land would be great. DAK loves to talk about man's relationship with animals, well humans had more of a relationship with mammoths and sabertooth cats than T. rex and Triceratops.

Dinosaurs are used as a warning within Animal Kingdom. They're animals that humans have never interacted with but they're a big part of our culture; they're creatures that many desperately want to see (Dinosaur) & that leads to their image being commercialized (the stupid carnival). I think they could've done the latter alot better than they ended up doing though.

I think it'd be a big mistake to remove Dinosaurs. For the messaging aspect, as well as merchandising. I work at one of the resorts & I often see kids with dino plushies or foam figures; moreso than any of the other animal plushies they sell at DAK.

Now I definitely think they need to do something with the dumb carnival though. Turn into an excavation site & add a new ride with awesome Dino animatronics.

Does anyone think that Disney are leaving the Animation courtyard area alone in the hope that long term, they do gain the Marvel theme park rights back because other than opening as part of a new park, there isn’t anywhere else the land could go?

If they were smart, they'd start now. They own enough Marvel characters that are becoming relevant to start now. Build a NYC area that's "canon" with Avengers Campus. You can have a ride in Dr Strange's Sanctum Santorum; make it a modern day Haunted Mansion, similar to how Cosmic is a modern day Space Mountain, that would give HS a nice people eater.

I'd then do a ride that's a team-up of the various other characters Disney can currently use like Shang-Chi, Ms Marvel & Moon Knight.

I don't know if it's possible but maybe they could buy back the rights to characters who have a miniscule presence at IOA like Black Panther & Daredevil. If they were to get BP, do a ride based on Wakanda instead of the team-up idea.

Then they could leave some expansion space for Avengers, Spidey & X-Men if they ever get them back. But I feel like not using what they can currently use (besides Guardians) is leaving money & some cool attractions off the table. I feel the fact they can't use the heaviest hitters might lead them to being more creative with what they could do too; much like Marvel Studios had to do when they started with just Iron Man, Cap & Thor.

 

[BlakeW39]

Interesting. Why do you think superheroes would work for MK? As a big Marvel fan, I'm not really sure about that. To me, MK should largely be mainline Disney IPs, original stuff & the occasional Pixar IP. Marvel in a castle park just feels odd to me. Hollywood Studios makes more sense for it & that park could use a boost from it tbh.

Well the themes of Magic Kingdom are fantasy, idealization, and romanticization. Using classic storytelling genres/settings that we have romanticized as a canvas for that. Comic book superheroes fit very nicely under that thematic direction. They even hit the classic Americana notes that MK often likes to touch on as well. Marvel specifically works as an IP because unlike other genres of storytelling, the superhero comic industry has always been monopolized really by two companies, one being Marvel. I think caring about what brand an IP comes from is superficial, all due respect. What matters is theme, artistic direction, etc and comics could definitely be made to fit in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[BlakeW39]

The animals most commonly associated with the North American wilderness like moose & wolves wouldn't do well in Florida's weather. They'd have to be in an in-door exhibits, which... isn't preferable.

Rohde's mentioned this himself, so I think they considered it at one point but shot it down for that reason.

Maybe they could turn into something southern based though? Part Florida with gators, black bears, etc... & part prairie with the likes of Prairie Dogs, coyotes, etc... I'd definitely prefer the forests of the northern US & Canada, but this would be cool too.

Dinosaurs are used as a warning within Animal Kingdom. They're animals that humans have never interacted with but they're a big part of our culture; they're creatures that many desperately want to see (Dinosaur) & that leads to their image being commercialized (the stupid carnival). I think they could've done the latter alot better than they ended up doing though.

I think it'd be a big mistake to remove Dinosaurs. For the messaging aspect, as well as merchandising. I work at one of the resorts & I often see kids with dino plushies or foam figures; moreso than any of the other animal plushies they sell at DAK.

Now I definitely think they need to do something with the dumb carnival though. Turn into an excavation site & add a new ride with awesome Dino animatronics.

If they were smart, they'd start now. They own enough Marvel characters that are becoming relevant to start now. Build a NYC area that's "canon" with Avengers Campus. You can have a ride in Dr Strange's Sanctum Santorum; make it a modern day Haunted Mansion, similar to how Cosmic is a modern day Space Mountain, that would give HS a nice people eater.

I'd then do a ride that's a team-up of the various other characters Disney can currently use like Shang-Chi, Ms Marvel & Moon Knight.

I don't know if it's possible but maybe they could buy back the rights to characters who have a miniscule presence at IOA like Black Panther & Daredevil. If they were to get BP, do a ride based on Wakanda instead of the team-up idea.

Then they could leave some expansion space for Avengers, Spidey & X-Men if they ever get them back. But I feel like not using what they can currently use (besides Guardians) is leaving money & some cool attractions off the table. I feel the fact they can't use the heaviest hitters might lead them to being more creative with what they could do too; much like Marvel Studios had to do when they started with just Iron Man, Cap & Thor.

Oh I definitely think dinosaurs should stay. For many reasons. They're easily the most popular extinct animals for one. However I think Pleistocene land would work well too. They're extinct animals that, while not quite as popular as dinosaurs, have a place in modern culture— woolly mammoths, sabertoothed cats, etc. And more importantly, they had a relationship with prehistoric man for thousands of years, and played an important role in our cultures for most of our history.

Anyways, about the temperate fauna. I definitely believe that as a reason they ruled it out, but a lot of those species live in habitats which are just as hot as Central Florida. Grizzly bears, many species of deer including elk, wolves, all formerly ranged into Mexico. Additionally, other Floridian zoos keep NA fauna also. Moose or caribou or something may be a tough sell but the rest would work imo.

 

[SpectreJordan]

Well the themes of Magic Kingdom are fantasy, idealization, and romanticization. Using classic storytelling genres/settings that we have romanticized as a canvas for that. Comic book superheroes fit very nicely under that thematic direction. They even hit the classic Americana notes that MK often likes to touch on as well. Marvel specifically works as an IP because unlike other genres of storytelling, the superhero comic industry has always been monopolized really by two companies, one being Marvel. I think caring about what brand an IP comes from is superficial, all due respect. What matters is theme, artistic direction, etc and comics could definitely be made to fit in the Magic Kingdom.

Honestly, a lot of that makes sense especially if they do lean into the Americana aspect. I could see Disney being tempted by that because Marvel would make Magic Kingdom an even bigger powerhouse.
They'd have to think about it very carefully though. Going from the normal MK lands into like NYC or something more modern could be jarring if done wrong, but on the other hand it could be magical.

Whatever they eventually do with Marvel, Avengers Campus should NOT be ported over; all of the characters running around is cool, but the theming is so boring.

Oh I definitely think dinosaurs should stay. For many reasons. They're easily the most popular extinct animals for one. However I think Pleistocene land would work well too. They're extinct animals that, while not quite as popular as dinosaurs, have a place in modern culture— woolly mammoths, sabertoothed cats, etc. And more importantly, they had a relationship with prehistoric man for thousands of years, and played an important role in our cultures for most of our history.

Anyways, about the temperate fauna. I definitely believe that as a reason they ruled it out, but a lot of those species live in habitats which are just as hot as Central Florida. Grizzly bears, many species of deer including elk, wolves, all formerly ranged into Mexico. Additionally, other Floridian zoos keep NA fauna also. Moose or caribou or something may be a tough sell but the rest would work imo.

I'd love a land set in some temperate forests because it's my favorite biome, so I'm down for anyway they could get it into AK.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Absolutely in the family-friendly aspect, but it's also what the masses associate culturally with "DISNEY WORLDDDD."

It's the reason why Tokyo DisneySea, while historically having a higher attendance than all the secondary WDW parks, is still slightly lesser attended than Tokyo Disneyland, even though it's vastly superior. Though, Fantasy Springs might finally give it that final push.

If people want an MK experience, they should instead head to Disneyland Park. It's unreal, modern, more relaxing, overflowing with rides, and just makes MK look like a joke.

As someone who loves DL, DL is not a significantly better park than MK. Sure, there’s more rides but the big drawbacks start to stack up. It’s remarkably evident that the park has so many things crunched into one space that it starts to hamper the experience. The biggest one being that the park feels cramped. Even though it has a smaller attendance than MK, it feels packed everywhere, especially it’s best stretch, the RoA. The RoA looks like a sea of people as there are few indoor queue lines and narrow walkways for everyone else. While there are a few good QSRs, TSRs are very lacking. Few bathrooms. The list goes on. The stigma that MK is far worse than DL is powered by the rose colored glasses of the DL crowd.

 

[doctornick]

As someone who loves DL, DL is not a significantly better park than MK. Sure, there’s more rides but the big drawbacks start to stack up. It’s remarkably evident that the park has so many things crunched into one space that it starts to hamper the experience. The biggest one being that the park feels cramped. Even though it has a smaller attendance than MK, it feels packed everywhere, especially it’s best stretch, the RoA. The RoA looks like a sea of people as there are few indoor queue lines and narrow walkways for everyone else. While there are a few good QSRs, TSRs are very lacking. Few bathrooms. The list goes on. The stigma that MK is far worse than DL is powered by the rose colored glasses of the DL crowd.

My biggest “issue” with DL compared to MK is that California has removed most of their continuously running shows. In addition to the Tiki birds at both, MK has CBJ, CoP, Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, HoP (DL to be fair does have Mr Lincoln). I think those shows that you can pop into and experience with little to no wait really enhance the the park experience

 

[Rich Brownn]

The animals most commonly associated with the North American wilderness like moose & wolves wouldn't do well in Florida's weather. They'd have to be in an in-door exhibits, which... isn't preferable.

Rohde's mentioned this himself, so I think they considered it at one point but shot it down for that reason.

Maybe they could turn into something southern based though? Part Florida with gators, black bears, etc... & part prairie with the likes of Prairie Dogs, coyotes, etc... I'd definitely prefer the forests of the northern US & Canada, but this would be cool too.

Dinosaurs are used as a warning within Animal Kingdom. They're animals that humans have never interacted with but they're a big part of our culture; they're creatures that many desperately want to see (Dinosaur) & that leads to their image being commercialized (the stupid carnival). I think they could've done the latter alot better than they ended up doing though.

I think it'd be a big mistake to remove Dinosaurs. For the messaging aspect, as well as merchandising. I work at one of the resorts & I often see kids with dino plushies or foam figures; moreso than any of the other animal plushies they sell at DAK.

Now I definitely think they need to do something with the dumb carnival though. Turn into an excavation site & add a new ride with awesome Dino animatronics.

If they were smart, they'd start now. They own enough Marvel characters that are becoming relevant to start now. Build a NYC area that's "canon" with Avengers Campus. You can have a ride in Dr Strange's Sanctum Santorum; make it a modern day Haunted Mansion, similar to how Cosmic is a modern day Space Mountain, that would give HS a nice people eater.

I'd then do a ride that's a team-up of the various other characters Disney can currently use like Shang-Chi, Ms Marvel & Moon Knight.

I don't know if it's possible but maybe they could buy back the rights to characters who have a miniscule presence at IOA like Black Panther & Daredevil. If they were to get BP, do a ride based on Wakanda instead of the team-up idea.

Then they could leave some expansion space for Avengers, Spidey & X-Men if they ever get them back. But I feel like not using what they can currently use (besides Guardians) is leaving money & some cool attractions off the table. I feel the fact they can't use the heaviest hitters might lead them to being more creative with what they could do too; much like Marvel Studios had to do when they started with just Iron Man, Cap & Thor.

First, Unviversal ain't giving up lucrative rights. Two, the word "Avengers" is verboten in Florida theme parks, and the word "Marvel" not allowed in any US park. I believe Strange is one of the characters off limits here too. Panther is definetly a no-go. It can't be anyone who is or was a member of the X-men or Avengers family as of 1999.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

First, Unviversal ain't giving up lucrative rights. Two, the word "Avengers" is verboten in Florida theme parks, and the word "Marvel" not allowed in any US park. I believe Strange is one of the characters off limits here too. Panther is definetly a no-go. It can't be anyone who is or was a member of the X-men or Avengers family as of 1999.

Really? Why is that?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Really? Why is that?

Marvel Agreement between MCA Inc. and Marvel Entertainment Group

 

[JoeCamel]

Really? Why is that?

Marvel Agreement between MCA Inc. and Marvel Entertainment Group

Also known as "That darn Marvel contract"

 

[BlakeW39]

I Love DAK!
I don't know if anyone is interested, but over the years, I've done at 8 or 9 part in depth look at the creation and evolution of the park. If you'd like to read it, you can find it here.

Very well done!

From the perspective of someone who has been to WDW probably 40+ times, has family in Orlando, and is VERY nostalgic for the feelings WDW gives...

We’re going to have to wildly disagree.

You can like whatever you want for various reasons, but there are a ton of things you have to overlook to reach that conclusion.

There are double the amount of rides at Disneyland Park versus Magic Kingdom, and multiple headliners unlike Magic Kingdom’s 1, Splash Mountain, and triple the amount of small-scale dark rides. Basically, all the rides there have also actually been updated.

Magic Kingdom is stuck in the 70s. I took friends to WDW last summer and it was fascinating hearing their perspectives on the parks making a ton of things more obvious than otherwise would be.

And don't get me wrong, I still like Magic Kingdom, but there are a ton of issues with it, most notably the overcrowding that massively inflates queue times. Maybe Disneyland "feels" more crowded to you, but outside of fireworks, there is never gridlock anywhere.

The queues on the other hand suggest Magic Kingdom is facing this issue in a much larger way.

Many equivalents that are found on both coasts are significantly better at DL: Pirates, Autopia, the list goes on. The only ride definitely better at MK was Splash. The equivalent rides Orlando has that are marginally improved just haven’t received updates.

The quick-service restaurants are leagues better at DL, like, it’s in another stratosphere. The only park in Orlando that can compete on that front is Animal Kingdom.

The table-service restaurants DL has are more affordable and not a pre-fixe menu. Most of the ones at MK are weak anyway: Blue Bayou’s new menu puts anything at MK to shame.

The service is better with Cast Members seemingly SO proud of their park. I just love striking up a conversation with so many people, there’s this respect for theme parks and attention to detail on a level I generally only find in Tokyo. WDW has great CMs, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not as consistent as DL. It most definitely helps to pool from a larger metro area and having Hollywood so close by. SoCal culture is also just more laid-back than Florida’s locals and especially the tourists since locals are only a tiny slice of WDW.

The crowds are nicer since they’re not touristy that feel like they have to do everything. It’s the difference between going to a tourist spot in Rome, Italy versus a local spot.

It’s cheaper to visit for the same amount of days, and with walking distance hotels for under $150 a night, it’s night and day a better value than WDW. Like we're talking thousands for a 5-day trip if someone wants to stay close to the parks.

Disneyland typically has much longer park hours.

Disneyland has not one but TWO night shows: Fantasmic! and a fireworks show. I’d take Happily Over After over the still excellent Wondrous Journeys, but man, Fantasmic! is elite, and breathtaking the way it comes out of nowhere… while also being better than its Hollywood Studios counterpart. It’s also not as much of a chore to get to, and in an entirely separate park.

My biggest problem with MK is that it has more attendance than DL even though many things at Disneyland Park are found at other Walt Disney World parks instead of MK making it spread thin for the crowds it gets.

Disneyland actually has to invest in seasonal entertainment, unlike WDW, with real ride overlays.

Fewer bathrooms sure, but I actually never had an issue waiting even though I went during the peak Spring Break crowds (and women didn't seem to have a problem either outside of post-fireworks). As for the walkways, Project Star Dust massively improved the guest experience in subtle ways. They even converted gift shops to rest areas!

The weather is just night and day better in SoCal than in Orlando, which is far too hot and humid for a theme park 4 months out of the year.

I also love that there are more walk-around characters at Disneyland versus just meet-and-greets at WDW, which means more lines I have to wait in and ruin the spontaneity of a good character interaction.

There’s this quaintness in design and an animator’s touch MK just lacks. There’s also New Orleans Square which is the best-themed land out of either park, and DL has Galaxy’s Edge and Toontown on top of all the things MK has (if you swap NOS for LS).

The wait times are far less overall since MK has more attendance than DL but half the rides. You know MK has a problem when Peter Pan’s Flight and Jungle Cruise like to stay at 90+ minutes; that’s why they’re doing the Beyond Big Thunder expansion because the line-up is severely lacking for the attendance making the guest experience worse.

Actually, Disneyland is straight-up like if Hollywood Studios (Galaxy's Edge, Mickey, Star Tours, and Fantasmic!) were thrown into MK, and then still has even more to do (Indy, Fantasyland dark rides, etc.).

I like the random diversions DL has like the Explorer Canoes. The only thing I really would like at DL is the Peoplemover. The Country Bears and Carousel of Progress are so painfully outdated that I would gladly take DL’s updated Fantasyland dark rides over them given the choice. Or Indiana Jones Adventure, Runaway Railway, or Rise of the Resistance. The only thing really lacking from DL is the Hall of Presidents as Lincoln just doesn’t compare, but there’s also a Lion King show at Disneyland. MK doesn’t have a show like that at all.

TRON has the same issues Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has: it’s short. It’s not a headliner. It will have 2+ hours waits.

Maybe you like different things in a theme park, sure, there’s more placement for something like the Tiki Room having a grander lead-up, but for me personally, I could care less about that if it’s still themed well and there’s more to do, which there is.

I’d put DisneySea as the best theme park in the world, and Disneyland Park as the second, or best if you emphasize its ride line-up. MK just lacks on all the fronts mentioned.

For reference
Disneyland Park
Headliners

• Rise of the Resistance (new)
• Indiana Jones Adventure (updated)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (a huge step up over Orlando's)

E/D-Tickets

• Runaway Railway (new)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (updated)
• Space Mountain (updated)
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (probably)
• Jungle Cruise (updated)
• Haunted Mansion (updated)
• Star Tours (updated)
• Smuggler’s Run (new)
• Buzz (updated)
• Submarine Voyage (updated)
• Autopia (updated. I couldn’t believe how much better it was… it feels like a D-ticket)

Magic Kingdom Park
Headliners

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (probably)

E/D-Tickets

• Space Mountain (outdated)
• TRON (new, I rode it in Shanghai, so basing this off of that)
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (outdated)
• Jungle Cruise (updated)
• Haunted Mansion (updated)
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (new)
• Buzz (outdated)

That’s not even factoring in Alice in Wonderland (updated), Snow White’s Enchanted Wish (updated), Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin that MK just doesn’t have, and an actually updated Peter Pan’s Flight (that mind you, rarely gets above 45 minutes) versus the one at MK, that while longer, has curtains as walls instead of fiber optics and laughably bad audio…

And of course, things that aren’t measured in just rides like I already mentioned: lower wait times, better food overall, kinder crowds, longer hours.

Walt Disney World is unquestionably the more impressive resort than Disneyland Resort, but when comparing Disneyland Park to Magic Kingdom, there's absolutely no contest.

Mmm. Well I think some of this is exaggerated. I fully agree Disneyland is the superior park, and find it hard to believe anyone would ever disagree with that. However, MK has better shows (HEA, CoP, HoP), a better tomorrowland, and of course the superior castle. I definitely think people look at DL with rose colored glasses even though I still think it's the strongest theme park in the country. It's just not perfect. No park is.

One think I will stress though is that MK absolutely lacks in rides. It has no major headliners and the E-D tickets it does have are substantially inferior to their DL counterparts.

 

[bmr1591]

Whether DL or WDW is better is all subjective (especially considering the need to invest in six parks vs two). What I think we can all agree on is that MK needs a lot of work that Disney seems unwilling to give it.

 

[Touchdown]

I’m one sentence: WDW is my favorite resort, DL is my favorite park.