What if you owned the Disney Parks?

[Pepper's Ghost]

What if you became the richest person on Earth. I'm sure Elon Musk didn't know it would happen when he was in the early 90s. Heck, I graduated high school and he hadn't even started his journey to becoming the richest man on the planet. So let's say you were worth $200B+. Let's forget the financing part of the equation for a while. Would you WANT to purchase the Disney Parks if you could convince TWDC to sell them? With that kind of capital, you could possibly buy TWDC in total, but I want to focus on the desire to own the parks and not complicate things with making movies and those associated revenues, not to mention Star Wars.

And before you answer, like Patrick Warburton says... let's stow your Mickey Ears for a minute.

Let's consider the operational status of the parks. I know EVERY PERSON on these boards would love to own the parks they love so much, but let me remind you that it's a business. Yes, financially they're doing great, but these parks are in disrepair. As a massive Disney Parks fan you would want everything working all the time. That means spending a lot more money on repair, maintenance, and don't forget the desire to install that 5th gate with all the extinct rides that you miss so badly. ME TOO!

Let's assume that your wealth would not be enough to accomplish bringing back all your lost favorites, and maintain the parks at a level you think they should be. Again, putting your Mickey Ears down, do you think the current state of the parks are in a place where you think it can be brought back to former glory? I know most people will probably say 100% yes, but think about the labor and pain. Turning something you love into work, and the pressure of making decisions that will upset or anger so many people. Every topic on these boards is split. Maybe not evenly, but there is a split with a lot of people who will call you the next Bob Chapek, that you have no vision, you don't know what you're doing, that you're running a clown car, or maybe you're even driving the Disney Parks off a cliff. Are all the negatives that will take over your life enough for you to sacrifice the rest of your life? You might do many great things, and make a lot of people happy, but my guess is that the business side of it will completely take over the rest of your life.

I think we all think about how great it would be to be king of Disney Parks, and change things as we see fit like bringing back Alien Encounter, SoC, Wishes, Horizons, GMR, Backlot Tour, keep Splash as was, fix the Yeti, bring back the wench auction and Red in a dress... the list is endless, right? We all want that, but do you think you could do it if you purchased the Parks? At what cost, both personal and financial? I'm just wondering how many of us are realistic in knowing it probably isn't possible, or that some of think we probably could have it done by lunch, tomorrow. I just think so much has been done to unwind the magic of the parks that it would really be tough to bring it back. Some here feel that it will never happen with current leadership in place, but what if YOU were "current leadership" on your own dime... is it even possible? Would you want to even try because of all the grief associated with it? I'm hoping for some typical great dialog from our members.

 

[ppete1975]

All the money in the world.

• I would open a new disney park in texas between dallas and san antonio (weather and infrastructure is there to make it feasible) (splitting the crowds from california and florida)
• I immediately cancel all annual passes. This is to reduce vloggers and locals who go all the time (trying to reduce crowds after all)
• I then re interview every employee that is a decision maker (what have you done, what are your dreams for the parks)
• Allow guests to write in what they want (rides attractions etc) this can be as simple as a sentence or complete architectural plans. If we pick your idea (which we would pick several while also when you enter your applications remove all legalities that you own the concept- you dont want 100 people saying the fox and hound ride was their idea) But we would pick winners... and anyone having their ride built, would get free lifetime passes for 4 to all disney parks in the world (im still getting your hotel, merchandise, food sales and great PR and ads)
• I would close a land in each park.. go over it with a fine tooth combed and fix everything broken or dirty
• I would replace the monorails
• i would install a people mover in epcot and disneyland
• I would have a new ride at each location (not park but location) every year.
• I would remove genie plus or any fast track system
• i would close figment immediately and redo it to a modern updated version of 1982.
• I would stop having limited anything (popcorn buckets, tiki mugs, funkos etc)

I would then take a nap.

I would also rebuild the entrance to Tomorrowland, put alot more fountains including one in front of guardians, that looked like energys.

I would then remove parking fees from hotels.

I would then remove any thing phone related... its there but not nearly as required

Reservations are gone. Or at least the way they are now.. no more waking up at 1am a year before your trip to get a reservation.

25 percent of reservations 30 days out. 75 percent you have to walk up and either get a table or wait (we will text you when your table is avail though so you can spend money).

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I hate to say it but the first thing I’d do is raise prices until demand dropped to meet supply, the biggest problem in the parks is overcrowding and none of their schemes has resolved that, the second thing I’d do after raising the prices is scrap every miserable crowd control and penny pinching scheme they’ve come up with and replace it with Maxpass as it was in DL. (No prebooking, no planning months ahead, you can book on your phone once you’re in the park). Third thing would be massive maintenance projects to get the parks back to pristine condition. As much as I complain about some of the PC changes I wouldn’t undo most of them, Jungle Cruise would stay as it is, Red would be modified to make more sense, things like Figment would be reverted closer to the original ride but not a clone, etc.

It would probably price a lot of people out of frequent trips but when you did go you’d get a vastly superior experience.

 

[ppete1975]

I hate to say it but the first thing I’d do is raise prices until demand dropped to meet supply, the biggest problem in the parks is overcrowding and none of their schemes has resolved that, the second thing I’d do after raising the prices is scrap every miserable crowd control and penny pinching scheme they’ve come up with and replace it with Maxpass as it was in DL. (No prebooking, no planning months ahead, you can book on your phone once your in the park). Third thing would be massive maintenance projects to get the parks back to pristine condition.

It would probably price a lot of people out of frequent trips but when you did go you’d get a vastly superior experience.

I thought about that too, but removing aps, building a new park in texas would probably reduce it enough not to kill the lower- middle class and middle class ability to go.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I thought about that too, but removing aps, building a new park in texas would probably reduce it enough not to kill the lower- middle class and middle class ability to go.

True, that would also spread out the crowds without pricing people out, one way or another the parks need smaller crowds or more capacity to eat them though… something Disney seems hesitant to do, instead of investing in physical projects they are investing millions in crowd schemes that don’t work.

 

[larryz]

I'd hire OLC to come in and manage WDW, DLR and DLP.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Im assuming this will be moved. I also have to confess I didnt read your entire post.

I loved most of your post, but don't understand the first comment, and you s&ck for the second one. Going back to the first post, why would the mods remove the thread? Not political at all. Unless people go to battle, which I hope they don't, I think it's great to hear the ideas! Btw, all the money in the world is solely a financial consideration. In reality wouldn't all the work you described completely eat up the years you have left? Or are you more along the lines of "and on the 7th day, I rested... and it was good".

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

#1 -
Add lots of quality live entertainment to the WDW parks. This includes atmosphere actors, live music, on-theme Variety performances and character appearances.

This also includes more live shows. For a start, live shows should be in closed venues such as Diamond Horseshoe and the Little Mermaid theatre. And of course additional venues like Main Street Theatre should be built as well.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Im assuming this will be moved. I also have to confess I didnt read your entire post.
All the money in the world.

• I would open a new disney park in texas between dallas and san antonio (weather and infrastructure is there to make it feasible) (splitting the crowds from california and florida)
• I immediately cancel all annual passes. This is to reduce vloggers and locals who go all the time (trying to reduce crowds after all) I would immediately bring back the old platinum AP with no park pass reservations needed and BAN ALL VLOGGONG in the parks
• I then re interview every employee that is a decision maker (what have you done, what are your dreams for the parks)
• Allow guests to write in what they want (rides attractions etc) this can be as simple as a sentence or complete architectural plans. If we pick your idea (which we would pick several while also when you enter your applications remove all legalities that you own the concept- you dont want 100 people saying the fox and hound ride was their idea) But we would pick winners... and anyone having their ride built, would get free lifetime passes for 4 to all disney parks in the world (im still getting your hotel, merchandise, food sales and great PR and ads)
• I would close a land in each park.. go over it with a fine tooth combed and fix everything broken or dirty
• I would replace the monorails
• i would install a people mover in epcot and disneyland
• I would have a new ride at each location (not park but location) every year.
• I would remove genie plus or any fast track system
• i would close figment immediately and redo it to a modern updated version of 1982.
• I would stop having limited anything (popcorn buckets, tiki mugs, funkos etc)

I would then take a nap.

I would also rebuild the entrance to Tomorrowland, put alot more fountains including one in front of guardians, that looked like energys.

I would then remove parking fees from hotels.

I would then remove any thing phone related... its there but not nearly as required

Reservations are gone. Or at least the way they are now.. no more waking up at 1am a year before your trip to get a reservation.

25 percent of reservations 30 days out. 75 percent you have to walk up and either get a table or wait (we will text you when your table is avail though so you can spend money).

FTFY

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

FTFY

This is obviously one of those where some people love it, some people hate it. We won't find agreement in this thread on that one. We'll just say you'd be happier if @ppete1975 doesn't buy the Disney Parks and leave it at that because his opinion is his opinion. That said, he would fix a ton of problems that Parks lovers want fixed.

 

[Graham9]

For starters;
Ditch Genie+
Ditch park entry reservations
Ditch this 2pm park hopper threshold

 

[Disstevefan1]

This is obviously one of those where some people love it, some people hate it. We won't find agreement in this thread on that one. We'll just say you'd be happier if @ppete1975 doesn't buy the Disney Parks and leave it at that because his opinion is his opinion. That said, he would fix a ton of problems that Parks lovers want fixed.

I was just having fun, playing along in the hypothetical. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

And yes, there are folks that feel all the parks problems can be traced to annual passes and can be solved by eliminating annual passes.

I truly feel @ppete1975 will be right about APs, I think they will be eliminated. I am not at all happy about that.

We will see if eliminating APs does indeed fix everything

And we all know, no matter what is said on these forums, Disney will do what Disney will do, we must just take it or leave it.

Hey, there's always Universal, IOA, Seaworld and soon Epic Universe.

 

[Poseidon Quest]

It's fun to speculate. I know that Disney is obviously a business and I would treat it was such, but there's a lot of room to spend money on frivolous detail that current management never would.

Operational changes would be:

1. Removing the park reservation system because I just don't care about staffing to the bare minimum
2. Raising starting wages to $19 an hour and expanding Cast Member perks
3. Removing Genie+ in favor of a system like Universal's Express Pass. Charge each individual guest $250 a day to skip the line, but they can use it wherever and whenever. The high price point obviously makes money, but discourages too many people from purchasing, allowing the stand-by queues to keep moving consistently.
4. Removing the VL system. It's not fair to implement what is essentially a lottery system just because the park doesn't want to bother with queue control.

Creative changes are more personal taste, so I'm sure people will disagree, but much of it has to do with fleshing out the parks and adding much needed capacity:

Magic Kingdom

1. Remove the Tomorrowland Speedway in favor of two new showbuildings. On the Tomorrowland side, I would create a spiritual successor to the Speedway by still allowing guests to drive cars, but it would use electric vehicles indoors. It would be multi-level and would have drivers exploring campy and comical alien landscapes in the style of some of the Peoplemover displays or the exit of Space Mountain. On the Fantasyland side, I would put in a dark ride. It's easy to imagine Alice in Wonderland in a similar manner to Disneyland, though there's plenty of other options available as well. I would also take this chance to make the transition between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland better. Perhaps an arch across the pathway that changes subtly to fit both sides of the lands it straddles.
2. I would put something in place of Stitch. I'm not sure what, but anything would be better than just letting the building rot.
3. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not at all a fan of Buzz in Tomorrowland. I don't have any current ideas, but I would replace with with something more interesting and probably take out Laugh Floor as well.
4. In Fantasyland, I would spruce up Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to make it more interesting. Add animatronic critters, more liter scattered around, or really anything to make it more interesting. I would also rebuild Snow White's Scary Adventures, but with improved lighting and projection effects. It would more akin to Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland than their redo into Snow White's Enchanted Wish. I liked the "scary" aspect of Snow White far better even though I think that the new version is still pretty acceptable.
5. I would continue adding in small Fantasyland dark rides, replacing Philharmagic with a Cinderella attraction in the style of the classics. I would also expand Fantasyland, opening up the Beauty and the Beast bathroom area and turning it into an enclosed bridge over the cast member bus route and using the land behind it, which is quite substantial. I know that this is where the fireworks are launched, but I think that with all the land available, we could get logistically creative where they're replaced. In this back area, I would have the village lead into a courtyard that would split east and west. To the east, a small mountain range would portray Arendelle and I would put in a Frozen attraction as a trackless dark ride, loading up the guests in Sleighs. to the west, there's pretty substantial space and I would theme it to something more villainous. That area would be anchored by a Maleficent dragon coaster as a spiritual successor to the one conceived for Beastly Kingdom but would mostly be indoors so as to to interfere with sightlines at the Haunted Mansion. I would also put in a small Fantasyland style dark ride that brings you into the castle of the Horned King. Another boat based attraction would have you sailing through Hades' Underworld. I don't think it's logistically feasible, but I wouldn't be against replacing Be Our Guest and Enchanted Tales with Belle with the actual ride in Tokyo. Fitting it would be difficult, but the trackless vehicles and a somewhat modified ride path might allow it to happen.
6. I would add small improvements throughout different attractions. Hat Box Ghost in Haunted Mansion, TNT scene in BTM, etc.
7. I would expand Adventureland, building another bridge over the parade float return route and creating a whole new Pacific themed area. I would build a Fire Mountain rollercoaster (removing the Moana theme though) and move the Enchanted Tiki Room over here as well, keeping it mostly in-tact but providing new elements to keep it fresh, like an alluring flowery scent or improved lighting and show effects. I would also put in a Moana meet and greet (in the air conditioning) nearby. A new location there would serve Dole Whip and if there's enough space, I can imagine a dynamic, Pacific restaurant reminiscent of a Rainforest Cafe, but obviously with better food.
8. I would remove Aladdin's Magic Carpets and with the TIki Room also removed, I would transform the area into something more vaguely Caribbean/African/Indian to match some themes with the Jungle Cruise. I'm not sure what I would replace the Tiki Room with, though I'm a fan of creating some sort of interactive walk-through animatronic exhibit that incorporates SEA somehow.
9. I would completely overhaul Mainstreet. The version in Disneyland is so much better to the point where it makes the Magic Kingdom look unthemed in comparison. I would add more intimate stores that sell niche and novelty products to create an immersion factor, rather than just generic Disney retail products. I would also expand it east, reviving the idea for the theater and completely theming the current bypass route and connecting it both to the hub and to the side-street.

I suppose I became more ambitious with this than I initially intended, but I would definitely make large, sweeping changes across the other parks as well. I would return Epcot to something interesting and compelling, add new cohesive theming and much needed capacity to Hollywood Studios and continue to add new attractions at Animal Kingdom. I would revive Disneyland's Tomorrowland and put much more interesting attractions into DCA. I believe that Disney water parks could also do with some major additions and I would also make resorts more alluring, other than just using them to sleep and spend a day at the pool in. For example, I feel that Port Orleans French Quarter would be great with a Tiana themed dinner show, bringing guests into Tiana's Place and have a live singer playing Tiana come up on stage with an animatronic swing band of animals playing the music.

 

[ppete1975]

I loved most of your post, but don't understand the first comment, and you s&ck for the second one. Going back to the first post, why would the mods remove the thread? Not political at all. Unless people go to battle, which I hope they don't, I think it's great to hear the ideas! Btw, all the money in the world is solely a financial consideration. In reality wouldn't all the work you described completely eat up the years you have left? Or are you more along the lines of "and on the 7th day, I rested... and it was good".

Assuming it would be moved is there used to be a section for theme park planning etc, and the site used to move stuff if it wasnt more directed at news or direct discussions, wasnt meant rudely.
Everything i mentioned could be done in 5 years (and the longest one is building the new park)
To make the parks better you would want to
lower the crowds
make everything pristine
try not to remove your lower middle class to middle class
offer new things to keep the parks relevant without removing the heart.

And i am only 47 i hope i have 5 years left

 

[ppete1975]

I was just having fun, playing along in the hypothetical. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

And yes, there are folks that feel all the parks problems can be traced to annual passes and can be solved by eliminating annual passes.

I truly feel @ppete1975 will be right about APs, I think they will be eliminated. I am not at all happy about that.

We will see if eliminating APs does indeed fix everything

And we all know, no matter what is said on these forums, Disney will do what Disney will do, we must just take it or leave it.

Hey, there's always Universal, IOA, Seaworld and soon Epic Universe.

only reason i say remove aps is for crowd management. Now if opening the third us park in the us helped alot with crowds i wouldnt mind slowly opening back the aps. Then going from there until you got to a good crowd level.

 

[ppete1975]

This is obviously one of those where some people love it, some people hate it. We won't find agreement in this thread on that one. We'll just say you'd be happier if @ppete1975 doesn't buy the Disney Parks and leave it at that because his opinion is his opinion. That said, he would fix a ton of problems that Parks lovers want fixed.

Pretty sure id get a statue HAHAHA

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

It's fun to speculate. I know that Disney is obviously a business and I would treat it was such, but there's a lot of room to spend money on frivolous detail that current management never would.

Operational changes would be:

1. Removing the park reservation system because I just don't care about staffing to the bare minimum
2. Raising starting wages to $19 an hour and expanding Cast Member perks
3. Removing Genie+ in favor of a system like Universal's Express Pass. Charge each individual guest $250 a day to skip the line, but they can use it wherever and whenever. The high price point obviously makes money, but discourages too many people from purchasing, allowing the stand-by queues to keep moving consistently.
4. Removing the VL system. It's not fair to implement what is essentially a lottery system just because the park doesn't want to bother with queue control.

Creative changes are more personal taste, so I'm sure people will disagree, but much of it has to do with fleshing out the parks and adding much needed capacity:

Magic Kingdom

1. Remove the Tomorrowland Speedway in favor of two new showbuildings. On the Tomorrowland side, I would create a spiritual successor to the Speedway by still allowing guests to drive cars, but it would use electric vehicles indoors. It would be multi-level and would have drivers exploring campy and comical alien landscapes in the style of some of the Peoplemover displays or the exit of Space Mountain. On the Fantasyland side, I would put in a dark ride. It's easy to imagine Alice in Wonderland in a similar manner to Disneyland, though there's plenty of other options available as well. I would also take this chance to make the transition between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland better. Perhaps an arch across the pathway that changes subtly to fit both sides of the lands it straddles.
2. I would put something in place of Stitch. I'm not sure what, but anything would be better than just letting the building rot.
3. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not at all a fan of Buzz in Tomorrowland. I don't have any current ideas, but I would replace with with something more interesting and probably take out Laugh Floor as well.
4. In Fantasyland, I would spruce up Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to make it more interesting. Add animatronic critters, more liter scattered around, or really anything to make it more interesting. I would also rebuild Snow White's Scary Adventures, but with improved lighting and projection effects. It would more akin to Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland than their redo into Snow White's Enchanted Wish. I liked the "scary" aspect of Snow White far better even though I think that the new version is still pretty acceptable.
5. I would continue adding in small Fantasyland dark rides, replacing Philharmagic with a Cinderella attraction in the style of the classics. I would also expand Fantasyland, opening up the Beauty and the Beast bathroom area and turning it into an enclosed bridge over the cast member bus route and using the land behind it, which is quite substantial. I know that this is where the fireworks are launched, but I think that with all the land available, we could get logistically creative where they're replaced. In this back area, I would have the village lead into a courtyard that would split east and west. To the east, a small mountain range would portray Arendelle and I would put in a Frozen attraction as a trackless dark ride, loading up the guests in Sleighs. to the west, there's pretty substantial space and I would theme it to something more villainous. That area would be anchored by a Maleficent dragon coaster as a spiritual successor to the one conceived for Beastly Kingdom but would mostly be indoors so as to to interfere with sightlines at the Haunted Mansion. I would also put in a small Fantasyland style dark ride that brings you into the castle of the Horned King. Another boat based attraction would have you sailing through Hades' Underworld. I don't think it's logistically feasible, but I wouldn't be against replacing Be Our Guest and Enchanted Tales with Belle with the actual ride in Tokyo. Fitting it would be difficult, but the trackless vehicles and a somewhat modified ride path might allow it to happen.
6. I would add small improvements throughout different attractions. Hat Box Ghost in Haunted Mansion, TNT scene in BTM, etc.
7. I would expand Adventureland, building another bridge over the parade float return route and creating a whole new Pacific themed area. I would build a Fire Mountain rollercoaster (removing the Moana theme though) and move the Enchanted Tiki Room over here as well, keeping it mostly in-tact but providing new elements to keep it fresh, like an alluring flowery scent or improved lighting and show effects. I would also put in a Moana meet and greet (in the air conditioning) nearby. A new location there would serve Dole Whip and if there's enough space, I can imagine a dynamic, Pacific restaurant reminiscent of a Rainforest Cafe, but obviously with better food.
8. I would remove Aladdin's Magic Carpets and with the TIki Room also removed, I would transform the area into something more vaguely Caribbean/African/Indian to match some themes with the Jungle Cruise. I'm not sure what I would replace the Tiki Room with, though I'm a fan of creating some sort of interactive walk-through animatronic exhibit that incorporates SEA somehow.
9. I would completely overhaul Mainstreet. The version in Disneyland is so much better to the point where it makes the Magic Kingdom look unthemed in comparison. I would add more intimate stores that sell niche and novelty products to create an immersion factor, rather than just generic Disney retail products. I would also expand it east, reviving the idea for the theater and completely theming the current bypass route and connecting it both to the hub and to the side-street.

I suppose I became more ambitious with this than I initially intended, but I would definitely make large, sweeping changes across the other parks as well. I would return Epcot to something interesting and compelling, add new cohesive theming and much needed capacity to Hollywood Studios and continue to add new attractions and Animal Kingdom. I would revive Disneyland's Tomorrowland and put much more interesting attractions into DCA. I believe that Disney water parks could also do with some major additions and I would also make resorts more alluring, other than just using them to sleep and spend a day at the pool in. For example, I feel that Port Orleans French Quarter would be great with a Tiana themed dinner show, bringing guests into Tiana's Place and have a live singer playing Tiana come up on stage with an animatronic swing band of animals playing the music.

I gotta say, I vote for you to strike it rich and purchase the Parks. I don't agree with every single change, but I like most of 'em, and you're showing a level of imagination we haven't seen come from Disney in a long, long time. Your level of detail kept my engaged that I really did read your entire post. My guess is that some of your ideas might not be possible, but hey, if you have the kind of money, figure out a way.

Just a couple of points I want to comment on:

#3... I could not agree more. I can't stand the Buzz ride. I get that I'm not a child, but it just sucks IMO. To me it's like being in a mall arcade, and the parks should be better than that. I know people love this ride, but I don't get it. The first time I visited, paper FP were impossible to get because they'd give them out so quickly, and the lines were normally 2+ hrs and that was during a slow season for the parks back then. Given the popularity, my then girlfriend (future wife) wanted to ride it to see why it was so popular. We just weren't willing to wait in a queue that long. So we were eating lunch at Cosmic Rays and a very nice woman walked up to us and offered us their FPs because they were leaving the park. It was like finding a Golden Ticket wrapped in a Wonka chocolate bar. We probably could've sold it for someone's first born. Giddy when our return window opened up, we got on with a short wait, and while we rode it.... I thought it just s&cked. I didn't understand the craze. I dunno. I'm not saying no one should like it. It's just one of those things that I "don't get". So happy I experienced it without needing to wait, because I would've hated it for wasting my time.

#9... I love the feel of Main St in WDW. I'd be okay with an overhaul with four exceptions. Leave the 4 corners alone. Leave the Confectionery, Emporium, Casey's Corner, and the Ice Cream Parlor alone... in their current state, if not just cleaned up and maintained, but no changes. Those 4 corners are iconic and I look forward to visiting each and every time I've visited. All the shops between.... yeah, they're all throwaway IMO. There may be hidden gems that don't attract attention that I've never noticed, but to me it's like the flight from L.A. to Vegas. All you see is some pretty stuff from far away, but you don't really think about taking the long trek through because it ain't worth it. This is only my opinion though. No offense to anyone who likes the in-between shops. I couldn't name a single one.

 

[ppete1975]

FTFY

All about reducing crowds. Im opening a third

It's fun to speculate. I know that Disney is obviously a business and I would treat it was such, but there's a lot of room to spend money on frivolous detail that current management never would.

Operational changes would be:

1. Removing the park reservation system because I just don't care about staffing to the bare minimum
2. Raising starting wages to $19 an hour and expanding Cast Member perks
3. Removing Genie+ in favor of a system like Universal's Express Pass. Charge each individual guest $250 a day to skip the line, but they can use it wherever and whenever. The high price point obviously makes money, but discourages too many people from purchasing, allowing the stand-by queues to keep moving consistently.
4. Removing the VL system. It's not fair to implement what is essentially a lottery system just because the park doesn't want to bother with queue control.

Creative changes are more personal taste, so I'm sure people will disagree, but much of it has to do with fleshing out the parks and adding much needed capacity:

Magic Kingdom

1. Remove the Tomorrowland Speedway in favor of two new showbuildings. On the Tomorrowland side, I would create a spiritual successor to the Speedway by still allowing guests to drive cars, but it would use electric vehicles indoors. It would be multi-level and would have drivers exploring campy and comical alien landscapes in the style of some of the Peoplemover displays or the exit of Space Mountain. On the Fantasyland side, I would put in a dark ride. It's easy to imagine Alice in Wonderland in a similar manner to Disneyland, though there's plenty of other options available as well. I would also take this chance to make the transition between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland better. Perhaps an arch across the pathway that changes subtly to fit both sides of the lands it straddles.
2. I would put something in place of Stitch. I'm not sure what, but anything would be better than just letting the building rot.
3. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not at all a fan of Buzz in Tomorrowland. I don't have any current ideas, but I would replace with with something more interesting and probably take out Laugh Floor as well.
4. In Fantasyland, I would spruce up Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to make it more interesting. Add animatronic critters, more liter scattered around, or really anything to make it more interesting. I would also rebuild Snow White's Scary Adventures, but with improved lighting and projection effects. It would more akin to Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland than their redo into Snow White's Enchanted Wish. I liked the "scary" aspect of Snow White far better even though I think that the new version is still pretty acceptable.
5. I would continue adding in small Fantasyland dark rides, replacing Philharmagic with a Cinderella attraction in the style of the classics. I would also expand Fantasyland, opening up the Beauty and the Beast bathroom area and turning it into an enclosed bridge over the cast member bus route and using the land behind it, which is quite substantial. I know that this is where the fireworks are launched, but I think that with all the land available, we could get logistically creative where they're replaced. In this back area, I would have the village lead into a courtyard that would split east and west. To the east, a small mountain range would portray Arendelle and I would put in a Frozen attraction as a trackless dark ride, loading up the guests in Sleighs. to the west, there's pretty substantial space and I would theme it to something more villainous. That area would be anchored by a Maleficent dragon coaster as a spiritual successor to the one conceived for Beastly Kingdom but would mostly be indoors so as to to interfere with sightlines at the Haunted Mansion. I would also put in a small Fantasyland style dark ride that brings you into the castle of the Horned King. Another boat based attraction would have you sailing through Hades' Underworld. I don't think it's logistically feasible, but I wouldn't be against replacing Be Our Guest and Enchanted Tales with Belle with the actual ride in Tokyo. Fitting it would be difficult, but the trackless vehicles and a somewhat modified ride path might allow it to happen.
6. I would add small improvements throughout different attractions. Hat Box Ghost in Haunted Mansion, TNT scene in BTM, etc.
7. I would expand Adventureland, building another bridge over the parade float return route and creating a whole new Pacific themed area. I would build a Fire Mountain rollercoaster (removing the Moana theme though) and move the Enchanted Tiki Room over here as well, keeping it mostly in-tact but providing new elements to keep it fresh, like an alluring flowery scent or improved lighting and show effects. I would also put in a Moana meet and greet (in the air conditioning) nearby. A new location there would serve Dole Whip and if there's enough space, I can imagine a dynamic, Pacific restaurant reminiscent of a Rainforest Cafe, but obviously with better food.
8. I would remove Aladdin's Magic Carpets and with the TIki Room also removed, I would transform the area into something more vaguely Caribbean/African/Indian to match some themes with the Jungle Cruise. I'm not sure what I would replace the Tiki Room with, though I'm a fan of creating some sort of interactive walk-through animatronic exhibit that incorporates SEA somehow.
9. I would completely overhaul Mainstreet. The version in Disneyland is so much better to the point where it makes the Magic Kingdom look unthemed in comparison. I would add more intimate stores that sell niche and novelty products to create an immersion factor, rather than just generic Disney retail products. I would also expand it east, reviving the idea for the theater and completely theming the current bypass route and connecting it both to the hub and to the side-street.

I suppose I became more ambitious with this than I initially intended, but I would definitely make large, sweeping changes across the other parks as well. I would return Epcot to something interesting and compelling, add new cohesive theming and much needed capacity to Hollywood Studios and continue to add new attractions and Animal Kingdom. I would revive Disneyland's Tomorrowland and put much more interesting attractions into DCA. I believe that Disney water parks could also do with some major additions and I would also make resorts more alluring, other than just using them to sleep and spend a day at the pool in. For example, I feel that Port Orleans French Quarter would be great with a Tiana themed dinner show, bringing guests into Tiana's Place and have a live singer playing Tiana come up on stage with an animatronic swing band of animals playing the music.

I hate any of the classism that is caused with a pay to skip line and it seems very cheap amusement park to me. (six flags etc), but i understand where you are coming from. To me everyone should stand in line regardless of financial ability. Disney should be one of the place where the billionaire is the same as the people who saved up 5 years to take their families.

Thats just a difference in opinions and know where you are coming from.

The biggest issue I have with your ideas, is that you would make the magic kingdom so good that the crowds would only get worse!!! LOL

 

[Poseidon Quest]

I#3... I could not agree more. I can't stand the Buzz ride. I get that I'm not a child, but it just sucks IMO. To me it's like being in a mall arcade, and the parks should be better than that. I know people love this ride, but I don't get it. The first time I visited, paper FP were impossible to get because they'd give them out so quickly, and the lines were normally 2+ hrs and that was during a slow season for the parks back then. Given the popularity, my then girlfriend (future wife) wanted to ride it to see why it was so popular. We just weren't willing to wait in a queue that long. So we were eating lunch at Cosmic Rays and a very nice woman walked up to us and offered us their FPs because they were leaving the park. It was like finding a Golden Ticket wrapped in a Wonka chocolate bar. We probably could've sold it for someone's first born. Giddy when our return window opened up, we got on with a short wait, and while we rode it.... I thought it just s&cked. I didn't understand the craze. I dunno. I'm not saying no one should like it. It's just one of those things that I "don't get". So happy I experienced it without needing to wait, because I would've hated it for wasting my time.

#9... I love the feel of Main St in WDW. I'd be okay with an overhaul with four exceptions. Leave the 4 corners alone. Leave the Confectionery, Emporium, Casey's Corner, and the Ice Cream Parlor alone... in their current state, if not just cleaned up and maintained, but no changes. Those 4 corners are iconic and I look forward to visiting each and every time I've visited. All the shops between.... yeah, they're all throwaway IMO. There may be hidden gems that don't attract attention that I've never noticed, but to me it's like the flight from L.A. to Vegas. All you see is some pretty stuff from far away, but you don't really think about taking the long trek through because it ain't worth it. This is only my opinion though. No offense to anyone who likes the in-between shops. I couldn't name a single one.

Perhaps Buzz doesn't need to be removed, so much as improved. It's just too static. Even the Disneyland version improves it significantly with the many moving effects triggered when you hit the targets like I would expect from a shooting gallery. While not the best solution, I would be happy with an overhaul that allows the ride to be more kinetic and have more props that aren't just cardboard cut-outs.

I would also definitely keep all of those elements in place for Mainstreet, but just seriously refurbished. I hate the new sterile mall aesthetic of the Confectionary and I would probably make it look more like a traditional soda counter. The Mainstreet Theater would go back to actually being a theater, Casey's Corner would start playing the baseball shorts again, etc.

All about reducing crowds. Im opening a third

I hate any of the classism that is caused with a pay to skip line and it seems very cheap amusement park to me. (six flags etc), but i understand where you are coming from. To me everyone should stand in line regardless of financial ability. Disney should be one of the place where the billionaire is the same as the people who saved up 5 years to take their families.

Thats just a difference in opinions and know where you are coming from.

The biggest issue I have with your ideas, is that you would make the magic kingdom so good that the crowds would only get worse!!! LOL

I'm not inherently against a skip the line system, as long as it only impacts the stand-by in a minimal way. That's why I think that making it prohibitively expensive works as I've seen it keep the lines moving at Universal and having used it myself, it's great to have the flexibility to walk up to any attraction when I feel like it. I think that Disney knows that the current price point of Genie+ is alluring enough that more people will purchase it regardless of whether their capacity is equipped to handle it. Until people stop, I doubt anything will change.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It's fun to speculate. I know that Disney is obviously a business and I would treat it was such, but there's a lot of room to spend money on frivolous detail that current management never would.

Operational changes would be:

1. Removing the park reservation system because I just don't care about staffing to the bare minimum
2. Raising starting wages to $19 an hour and expanding Cast Member perks
3. Removing Genie+ in favor of a system like Universal's Express Pass. Charge each individual guest $250 a day to skip the line, but they can use it wherever and whenever. The high price point obviously makes money, but discourages too many people from purchasing, allowing the stand-by queues to keep moving consistently.
4. Removing the VL system. It's not fair to implement what is essentially a lottery system just because the park doesn't want to bother with queue control.

Creative changes are more personal taste, so I'm sure people will disagree, but much of it has to do with fleshing out the parks and adding much needed capacity:

Magic Kingdom

1. Remove the Tomorrowland Speedway in favor of two new showbuildings. On the Tomorrowland side, I would create a spiritual successor to the Speedway by still allowing guests to drive cars, but it would use electric vehicles indoors. It would be multi-level and would have drivers exploring campy and comical alien landscapes in the style of some of the Peoplemover displays or the exit of Space Mountain. On the Fantasyland side, I would put in a dark ride. It's easy to imagine Alice in Wonderland in a similar manner to Disneyland, though there's plenty of other options available as well. I would also take this chance to make the transition between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland better. Perhaps an arch across the pathway that changes subtly to fit both sides of the lands it straddles.
2. I would put something in place of Stitch. I'm not sure what, but anything would be better than just letting the building rot.
3. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not at all a fan of Buzz in Tomorrowland. I don't have any current ideas, but I would replace with with something more interesting and probably take out Laugh Floor as well.
4. In Fantasyland, I would spruce up Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to make it more interesting. Add animatronic critters, more liter scattered around, or really anything to make it more interesting. I would also rebuild Snow White's Scary Adventures, but with improved lighting and projection effects. It would more akin to Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland than their redo into Snow White's Enchanted Wish. I liked the "scary" aspect of Snow White far better even though I think that the new version is still pretty acceptable.
5. I would continue adding in small Fantasyland dark rides, replacing Philharmagic with a Cinderella attraction in the style of the classics. I would also expand Fantasyland, opening up the Beauty and the Beast bathroom area and turning it into an enclosed bridge over the cast member bus route and using the land behind it, which is quite substantial. I know that this is where the fireworks are launched, but I think that with all the land available, we could get logistically creative where they're replaced. In this back area, I would have the village lead into a courtyard that would split east and west. To the east, a small mountain range would portray Arendelle and I would put in a Frozen attraction as a trackless dark ride, loading up the guests in Sleighs. to the west, there's pretty substantial space and I would theme it to something more villainous. That area would be anchored by a Maleficent dragon coaster as a spiritual successor to the one conceived for Beastly Kingdom but would mostly be indoors so as to to interfere with sightlines at the Haunted Mansion. I would also put in a small Fantasyland style dark ride that brings you into the castle of the Horned King. Another boat based attraction would have you sailing through Hades' Underworld. I don't think it's logistically feasible, but I wouldn't be against replacing Be Our Guest and Enchanted Tales with Belle with the actual ride in Tokyo. Fitting it would be difficult, but the trackless vehicles and a somewhat modified ride path might allow it to happen.
6. I would add small improvements throughout different attractions. Hat Box Ghost in Haunted Mansion, TNT scene in BTM, etc.
7. I would expand Adventureland, building another bridge over the parade float return route and creating a whole new Pacific themed area. I would build a Fire Mountain rollercoaster (removing the Moana theme though) and move the Enchanted Tiki Room over here as well, keeping it mostly in-tact but providing new elements to keep it fresh, like an alluring flowery scent or improved lighting and show effects. I would also put in a Moana meet and greet (in the air conditioning) nearby. A new location there would serve Dole Whip and if there's enough space, I can imagine a dynamic, Pacific restaurant reminiscent of a Rainforest Cafe, but obviously with better food.
8. I would remove Aladdin's Magic Carpets and with the TIki Room also removed, I would transform the area into something more vaguely Caribbean/African/Indian to match some themes with the Jungle Cruise. I'm not sure what I would replace the Tiki Room with, though I'm a fan of creating some sort of interactive walk-through animatronic exhibit that incorporates SEA somehow.
9. I would completely overhaul Mainstreet. The version in Disneyland is so much better to the point where it makes the Magic Kingdom look unthemed in comparison. I would add more intimate stores that sell niche and novelty products to create an immersion factor, rather than just generic Disney retail products. I would also expand it east, reviving the idea for the theater and completely theming the current bypass route and connecting it both to the hub and to the side-street.

I suppose I became more ambitious with this than I initially intended, but I would definitely make large, sweeping changes across the other parks as well. I would return Epcot to something interesting and compelling, add new cohesive theming and much needed capacity to Hollywood Studios and continue to add new attractions at Animal Kingdom. I would revive Disneyland's Tomorrowland and put much more interesting attractions into DCA. I believe that Disney water parks could also do with some major additions and I would also make resorts more alluring, other than just using them to sleep and spend a day at the pool in. For example, I feel that Port Orleans French Quarter would be great with a Tiana themed dinner show, bringing guests into Tiana's Place and have a live singer playing Tiana come up on stage with an animatronic swing band of animals playing the music.

I would like to thank the new owner, @Poseidon Quest for not eliminating the AP