What is most likely to be built between 7DMT and Avatar?

[ford91exploder]

This would also be the longest gap between E-Tickets in Walt Disney World History:
1971: Magic Kingdom
1973: Pirates of the Caribbean
1975: Space Mountain
1980: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
1982: Epcot
1983: Journey Into Imagination, Horizons
1989: Hollywood Studios
1992: Splash Mountain
1994: Tower of Terror
1998: Animal Kingdom
1999: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
2003: Mission: SPACE
2005: Soarin'
2006: Expedition Everest

I'm sure I'm missing some things, but the biggest gap I see is between Space and Thunder Mountain. The infrastructure improvements and the entirety of Next Gen have a motivation other than Guest Satisfaction. This is during a time when Universal has promised to build a new E-Ticket attraction every year. Disney is financially capable of competing with Universal, but there is an unwillingness for them to do so.

It's at the point where I'm trying to determine whether or not Disney executives simply don't care about the parks, or if they're simply too jaded to think that the parks will forever be a cash cow without investment. It took Disney 18 months to build a Meet and Greet inside an existing building. There were no moving parts installed, it was 18 months of demo and staging. Meanwhile, in 14 months, Universal demolished a building and then built Transformers 3D.

Both actually - DIsney executives would rather DIE than visit the parks, On the latter people keep coming to WDW despite price increases and lack of investment. Based on that TDO thinks it will continue forever they will hit a price/quality inflection point and then the revenue decline will be STEEP.

 

[ford91exploder]

Even when they cannot fill the DVC's they already have?

Tried to get a reservation recently???, Needed to bank many of my points this year as NOTHING available and I'm talking low months like september etc

 

[marni1971]

Can't overloook the Animal Kingdom night time show, which was a caveat in my thread. I'm hoping it will be on the level of World of Color, which would definitely satisfy my desire for a new amazing attraction at WDW.

It will not be.

 

[ford91exploder]

No I HAVE not??? It was mentioned here by regular DVC people that the rooms stay empty half the time??? I don't use DVC??? I have no desire TO buy timeshares??? But that is JUST me??? Calm down A little??? You are THE only person I have seen say that the rooms are booked up??? If they are THEN okay???

Sounds like too much coffee!, The RESORTS are not full and many of them as noted by better informed Spirits have up to half the rooms 'out of service', This has had a significant impact on DVC availability - THEORETICALLY a DVC member should be ABLE to use ALL their points in any given use year.

This year is the first year that there appears to be more DVC demand than resources to fuffill that demand, Causing many of us to ask Whatin------- is going on as DVC is sold with the EXPLICIT promise that members can use ALL their points in a UY.

Generally if you are booking 90-120 days out - you will not have much choice in what resort you will be staying at but in the past there has ALWAYS been availability. But this year there is no availability even at 7 months out.

 

[ford91exploder]

Nope. Just responding to you in the same "snappy" way you did me.

You hit a DVC nerve, There have been real problems in getting reservations on DVC points this year.

 

[twebber55]

No I HAVE not??? It was mentioned here by regular DVC people that the rooms stay empty half the time??? I don't use DVC??? I have no desire TO buy timeshares??? But that is JUST me??? Calm down A little??? You are THE only person I have seen say that the rooms are booked up??? If they are THEN okay???

dont want to turn this into a dvc thread but i just got 3 studios at beach club at 7 months....to me it seems easier lately to get ressies..could just be luck for me though

 

[Buck]

It will not be.

Care to elaborate?

 

[Bocabear]

I would not expect to see the Tree Of Life night time show or night time water show to arrive until Avatar... That would be the only reason to stay in the park after dark as there will be no other offerings.
DHS will probably get a Star Wars Meet & Greet and hug Zone, and an expanded shop.
I do not expect much more...
Unless George Kalogridis becomes the new savior of WDW parks......

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

Harry Potter was obviously a big boon for them, but it has not been proved yet if all of their other investments will yield similar results.

Not entirely accurate. After reading some reports about the parks' latest fiscal earnings I think at this point it's safe to say Transformers has also been a hit for Universal. Albeit, not Harry Potter-madness-levels but then again the project was much smaller to begin with.

 

[WDWoptmist]

Obviously we'll see a nighttime spectacular at DAK, but are there any other attractions likely to happen in this period if time? Please spare us the restroom jokes.

Monsters Inc ride at DHS?
Tangled show?
Star Wars phase 1?
JII revamp?

Have to agree with a lot of people I here probably just a few shops restaurants additional dvc villas that's about it

 

[Dfan48]

i got one another themed Disney movie toilet but this time it will add animatronics inside the toilet hahaha
just kidding.

 

[danlb_2000]

But most of those rides were to fill out a recently built park. Pirates, Space Mtn, and Big Thunder for MK, JII and Horizons, Living Seas for Epcot, TofT and RnRC for MGM(DHS), Kilimanjaro and Everest for AK. The only real expansion rides to established parks were Splash Mtn and Soarin (Space replaced Horizon). So now New Fantasy Land has replaced the long extinct 20k Leagues and Snow White with LM and 7D. In a few years there will be Avatar and eventually Star Wars. The pattern is really no different than the last 40 years.

Also remember, Universal is tearing down or retheaming for many of their new rides. Any time Disney does this, the fans revolt. A large population of adults like taking their kids to Disney to experience the same shows and rides they did as a kid. Universal does not have that same nestalgia so they keep reinventing themselves. Harry Potter was obviously a big boon for them, but it has not been proved yet if all of their other investments will yield similar results.

Plenty of fans revolted when it was announced that Jaws was closing. There are people that have nostalgia for Uni, just not as many as for Disney.

 

[montyz81]

This would also be the longest gap between E-Tickets in Walt Disney World History:
1971: Magic Kingdom
1973: Pirates of the Caribbean
1975: Space Mountain
1980: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
1982: Epcot
1983: Journey Into Imagination, Horizons
1989: Hollywood Studios
1992: Splash Mountain
1994: Tower of Terror
1998: Animal Kingdom
1999: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
2003: Mission: SPACE
2005: Soarin'
2006: Expedition Everest

I'm sure I'm missing some things, but the biggest gap I see is between Space and Thunder Mountain. The infrastructure improvements and the entirety of Next Gen have a motivation other than Guest Satisfaction. This is during a time when Universal has promised to build a new E-Ticket attraction every year. Disney is financially capable of competing with Universal, but there is an unwillingness for them to do so.

It's at the point where I'm trying to determine whether or not Disney executives simply don't care about the parks, or if they're simply too jaded to think that the parks will forever be a cash cow without investment. It took Disney 18 months to build a Meet and Greet inside an existing building. There were no moving parts installed, it was 18 months of demo and staging. Meanwhile, in 14 months, Universal demolished a building and then built Transformers 3D.

Both water parks and the build up of DDD/Pleasure Island are in that mix too.

 

[GLaDOS]

Harry Potter was obviously a big boon for them, but it has not been proved yet if all of their other investments will yield similar results.

I believe it has been: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-comcast-universal-earnings-20131030,0,6068560.story

 

[PorterRedkey]

I would not expect to see the Tree Of Life night time show or night time water show to arrive until Avatar... That would be the only reason to stay in the park after dark as there will be no other offerings.
DHS will probably get a Star Wars Meet & Greet and hug Zone, and an expanded shop.
I do not expect much more...
Unless George Kalogridis becomes the new savior of WDW parks......

I agree, and if the rumors are true, it will take awhile to install the new branches (to replace the old falling kind) and the LED leaves on the TOL. The Tree of Life transformation would seem to be a key part of the show, if it is anything like it has been described.

 

[SJN1279]

Star Tour 2.0 is clearly a new attraction as is Under the Sea with Nemo. If updates don't count, Universal only has two new attractions since IOA opened, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey and Transformers. Even Diagon Alley is replacing Jaws.

 

[SJN1279]

Star Wars Phase 1, Soarin Updated Film, and possible Mystery project at Epcot.

 

[brokedad]

What you need to look at Star Wars Expansion is the details given in location based on part rumors of the Star Wars expansion. From late Sept. of this year according to Martin1971, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and American Idol Experience is on the "see it while you can" category because they are going away for Star Wars.

Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is a spot where construction that a building is needed to be constructed and that means the attraction taking the place of Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular wouldn't be open before 2017.

There also is the rumor in the past of Backlot Express being gone with Mos Eisley Cantina taking its place. If Mos Eisley Cantina is taking the place of Backlot Express, that wouldn't take a lot of time at all for retheming and opening compare to what happened for Be Our Guest Restaurant. Be Our Guest Restaurant took a while because it involved constructing a building.

Dont think back lot is going anywhere in the near future, seversl strings are being refurbished as we speak, a string is one complete tow motor and cars.

 

[danlb_2000]

Star Tour 2.0 is clearly a new attraction as is Under the Sea with Nemo. If updates don't count, Universal only has two new attractions since IOA opened, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey and Transformers. Even Diagon Alley is replacing Jaws.

Star Tours 2 and Nemo where just alterations of existing rides, Diagon Alley is a complete replacement, the only thing being re-used is the land. By this reasoning the Fantasyland Expansion wouldn't count since it replaced 20K Leagues.

 

[WDWYankee15]

I was thinking the same thing! It would seem the best plan of action for the Mouse would be to take this opportunity with SWVII coming soon that they go into overdrive and start some form of work on a Star Wars Land in DHS.

While this may be true, isn't it also conventional wisdom that they know what the current fan base is for Star Wars and those people will and have come for years to see the current offerings (to include Star Wars Weekends). From Disney's prospective Star Tours 2.0 is not the old. The new film coming brings hype to what is currently there and encourages people to visit that.

So my guess mirrors a lot of others comments on Star Wars expansion. I would expect to see smaller scale items, like a Cantina overlay for Backlot Express and an enclosure/expansion of Jedi Training Academy (it is extremely popular and due to weather an indoor venue is needed). Jedi Training Academy is key for Disney because it nurtures the younger generations in their growth of the franchise. An indoor environment would lend to being able to "freshen" up the experience and add some nice thematic and special effects elements. Also, I can see and would thank that it would not be too difficult to add in some scenes from the new film to debut in Star Tours 2.0 to make it Star Tours 2.1 to debut with the opening of the film in 2015.

After the debut of the new film to debut the Disney version of the Star Wars franchise Disney will be able to better take stock of the franchise itself, especially in regards to newer and unexposed generations. At that point (Spring 2016) I would look for them to be knee deep in Avatar building with set plans and construction to then be able turn their sights to going to the shelves to look at the DHS overhaul. It will be at this point they decided what rides/attractions come off the shelves and are placed in their plans. If Star Wars is as popular is they hope, we might see a grand scale Star Wars expansion (like Cars Land in DCA). If not so popular, they may still throw in a smaller Star Wars attraction (because let's face it there is some appeal no matter what) like the "spinner" ride that has been rumored about, but then the DHS remodel may get some other attractions that have been placed on the shelve like a smaller version of Cars Land, MI Coaster, etc.

Reality is they're going to sit back and watch the market a bit. Not what we like to hear, but again what I believe reality and experience dictates.