Will DCA be a Complete, Well Rounded and Full Day Park after the New Rides Open?

[mickEblu]

I don’t think we’ll ever see fantasyland style dark rides again.

And I know people think they want them, but thought doesn’t match reality. Either they have to make them so simple and basic bus bars that they don’t attract much fanfare. Or they put effort into them ala Na’vi or Tokyo’s Tangled and everyone complains they are too short and why didn’t they bother just spending a bit more for an extra two show scenes (they should have).

It’s almost impossible for the modern day company with the masses the parks bring to Trojan horse in C tickets anymore, because lines simply don’t allow them to.

Which is one of reasons the newer/ sister parks don’t have any. Well that and modern building codes + not being a requirement in non castle parks. Shangai has Pan and Pooh but the former is pretty much an E ticket right? Plus it’s a bit unique in that it’s suspended and based Peter Pan. If you think about it, as far as non castle parks go, DCA is doing well with Monsters and Mermaid. How many non E FL style dark rides do DHS, AK and the Studio Park in Paris have? Hong Kong DL IS a castle park and has what, just Pooh?

I think the perception of DCA’s line up is skewed due to the fact that it sits steps away from Disneyland and has a high ratio of flat rides/ Carny rides to non carnival rides. I also think for some when we say “FL style Fantasy dark ride” what we really mean is a D ticket with some charm. Something you can hop on without a Lightning Lane. Not necessarily those tiny attractions over in Fantasyland. But it would be cool to see what one would look like in 2025 even for the novelty. But that begs the question then. Why not an E then if that’s what the majority will be expecting for newer IP anyway which gets back to why Disney isn’t building these. I think there are two scenarios where they could get away with doing some OG Fantasyland style dark rides. The IP has to be based one of their older classic films where people would just be happy to have a ride like Cinderella or Bambi. Or they would have to open a new charming land with a bunch of them simultaneously. I think guests would be fine with that but still don’t know if Disney would see the incentive in any of that.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Unfortunately I think the company just isn’t capable of this anymore. They start to make them expensive and then they start to need to justify costs with line bypass systems and then it spirals into a no-go.

I think we’ve hit 25+ years now since they’ve built a fantasyland style C-ticket ride worldwide? Even Shanghai’s Pan was modeled after an existing attraction and pushed into a D. They just don’t add the capacity they need to, unfortunately.

I think Universal has discovered this problem again with Mine Cart Madness and Yoshi’s. Once a park crests 6-7 million visitors they have to be entirely ancillary in a very dense attraction menu and not propping up any core experience.

It's a shame because it is the solution to the biggest problem at every one of their non-castle parks.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

I also think for some when we say “FL style Fantasy dark ride” what we really mean is a D ticket with some charm. Something you can hop on without a Lightning Lane. Not necessarily those tiny attractions over in Fantasyland.

Not me. I mean definitely mean "those tiny attractions over in Fantasyland." Snow White, Pinnochio, Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland ... that's what I mean. Inexpensive people eaters for young children.

 

[BrianLo]

It's a shame because it is the solution to the biggest problem at every one of their non-castle parks.

It is. And for all the endless hate it got, Mermaid actually was an ok in between solution. It’s not the greatest ride in the world, but I’m delighted to walk onto it.

Tangled in Tokyo doesn’t need to match Frozen next door, but if it had another large scale show scene of the tavern you wouldn’t have so much the “it’s cute but not worth the wait” reaction. And that’s the optimal situation opening with two other headliners. D ticket dark rides without aggressively fancy ride systems, but reasonably high capacities, are a good compromise. C are just too short if you at all trying to throw on a higher capacity system to them.

Which Coco might still be.

 

[Disney Irish]

This is exactly what they need. They need very inexpensive, basic, storytelling rides for children. They need rides that create a reason for families with young children to not be in line for the E-tickets.

That is all well and good to talk about, but reality is different. The FL Dark Rides get a pass by most modern audiences due to legacy and nostalgia. But in general I bet that a majority of modern audience would pass up and ignore a modern bus bar dark ride as being too simple and not up to modern standards for a "new" attraction.

It's a shame because it is the solution to the biggest problem at every one of their non-castle parks.

Is it? Because they had a land just for this that they got rid of in favor of a land focused on action and an older audience. So its clear Disney's focus for DCA was different than the young children crowd, they left DL for that.

Adding Coco and Avatar will meet the needs to the "family" crowd in the near future in DCA.

Its clear Disney is trying to differentiate that two parks, so don't expect them do build out DCA to compete beat for beat with DL.

 

[mickEblu]

Not me. I mean definitely mean "those tiny attractions over in Fantasyland." Snow White, Pinnochio, Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland ... that's what I mean. Inexpensive people eaters for young children.

I know that’s what you meant. Charming D ticket is essentially what I mean when I say FL style dark ride. Something that’s not a headliner but in between that and a flat ride. Something you can do relatively easily without a LL.

 

[BrianLo]

Inexpensive people eaters for young children.

They are not people eaters… that’s the problem.

 

[mickEblu]

It is. And for all the endless hate it got, Mermaid actually was an ok in between solution. It’s not the greatest ride in the world, but I’m delighted to walk onto it.

Tangled in Tokyo doesn’t need to match Frozen next door, but if it had another large scale show scene of the tavern you wouldn’t have so much the “it’s cute but not worth the wait” reaction. And that’s the optimal situation opening with two other headliners. D ticket dark rides without aggressively fancy ride systems, but reasonably high capacities, are a good compromise. C are just too short if you at all trying to throw on a higher capacity system to them.

Which Coco might still be.

I see your point with Tangled but I think you also have a bit of an execution issue there. The fact that it’s so emotionally montone doesn’t help. Those FL dark rides did a lot in very little space. With that said I understand it’s a boat ride and not a busbar with tight twists and turns.

 

[BrianLo]

I see your point with Tangled but I think you also have a bit of an execution issue there. The fact that it’s so emotionally montone doesn’t help. Those FL dark rides did a lot in very little space. With that said I understand it’s a boat ride and not a bus at attraction with tight twists and turns.

Ya it’s the compromise of a high capacity system moves slower and therefore has less scenes. The FL are in fact better overall told experiences because they whip through scenes, but they are luckily grandfathered into a massive lineup and see relatively low demand. Other than Pan.

That’s why it’s more a case of I wish there were 5 FL style dark rides in DCA built 25 years ago. Then it would be great!

 

[mickEblu]

Ya it’s the compromise of a high capacity system moves slower and therefore has less scenes. The FL are in fact better overall told experiences because they whip through scenes, but they are luckily grandfathered into a massive lineup and see relatively low demand. Other than Pan.

That’s why it’s more a case of I wish there were 5 FL style dark rides in DCA built 25 years ago. Then it would be great!

I hear you. I think guests would respond to say some new version of Fantasy Springs on the Simba lot or other expansion area with a major E ticket headliner, two-three busbar attractions and a flat ride. I guess the question is if you can’t get by with the small footprint anymore for the busbar rides does it behoove them to make a large C/D ticket that you can’t really sell LL’s for?

 

[Gusey]

Unfortunately I think the company just isn’t capable of this anymore. They start to make them expensive and then they start to need to justify costs with line bypass systems and then it spirals into a no-go.

I think we’ve hit 25+ years now since they’ve built a fantasyland style C-ticket ride worldwide? Even Shanghai’s Pan was modeled after an existing attraction and pushed into a D. They just don’t add the capacity they need to, unfortunately.

Does the Tinker Bell ride at Fantasy Springs count as a Fantasyland C-ticket style ride? I know its outside and the vehicles spin, but it's probably the closest we've had since Monsters and Pooh in terms of busbar rides?

 

[BrianLo]

Does the Tinker Bell ride at Fantasy Springs count as a Fantasyland C-ticket style ride? I know its outside and the vehicles spin, but it's probably the closest we've had since Monsters and Pooh in terms of busbar rides?

Plead the 5th as I skipped it because it didn’t seem worth the priority over the other three. From the sounds of it, probably?

 

[PiratesMansion]

Where’s DCA’s 25th Anniversary Celebration?

Tokyo DisneySea Announces Details for 25th Anniversary 'Sparkling Jubilee' Celebration

Tokyo DisneySea's 25th Anniversary “Sparkling Jubilee,” announced new details with new shows, decor. exclusive merchandise, and more.

mickeyblog.com

As much as attendance at DCA has shown sustained improvement over what was, I don't think they're confident people would get all that jazzed about a DCA anniversary.

Shangai has Pan and Pooh but the former is pretty much an E ticket right?

It's a nice, solid update of a classic but I still wouldn't call it an E ticket. It is nicely plussed up and slightly longer but not all that different from what exists at Disneyland or Disneyland Paris.

 

[ThemeParkTraveller]

It's a nice, solid update of a classic but I still wouldn't call it an E ticket. It is nicely plussed up and slightly longer but not all that different from what exists at Disneyland or Disneyland Paris.

I would also classify SDL Peter Pan as D-ticket at best. For me, it's below other modern D-ticket dark rides like Frozen Ever After or Tangled due to the smaller scale (very basic AAs and abundance of painted flats).

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I think we’ve hit 25+ years now since they’ve built a fantasyland style C-ticket ride worldwide? Even Shanghai’s Pan was modeled after an existing attraction and pushed into a D. They just don’t add the capacity they need to, unfortunately.

SDL opened with (yet another) copy of WDW's Pooh ride, so that's about a decade ago and counting

I think it was only built because it was an easy clone. Doubt they'd invest in making a new one from scratch

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I think the perception of DCA’s line up is skewed due to the fact that it sits steps away from Disneyland and has a high ratio of flat rides/ Carny rides to non carnival rides.

HKDL and WDSP have the same problem. Even after Lion King is done WDSP will have 7 of its 15 rides be flats.

HKDL currently has 7 with less than 20 rides total. Another was planned for Frozen until it was replaced with the coaster.

 

[mickEblu]

As much as attendance at DCA has shown sustained improvement over what was, I don't think they're confident people would get all that jazzed about a DCA anniversary.

It's a nice, solid update of a classic but I still wouldn't call it an E ticket. It is nicely plussed up and slightly longer but not all that different from what exists at Disneyland or Disneyland Paris.

So you don't think they re going to celebrate? I think they'll do something even if its lackluster.

Yeah I guess based off scale alone its more of a D/D+ Looks really cool though. Off the top of my head, its the creme de la creme of a modernized old school fantasyland dark ride while Alice in Wonderland at DL is still the best of example of modernizing an old one

 

[Disney Irish]

So you don't think they re going to celebrate? I think they'll do something even if its lackluster.

Honestly thinking about it now, isn't the 70th more of a 70th/25th combined Resort celebration anyways?

Also do any of the secondary parks get much of a celebration these days, or only the primary Castle Park and/or Resort?

 

[mickEblu]

Honestly thinking about it now, isn't the 70th more of a 70th/25th combined Resort celebration anyways?

Also do any of the secondary parks get much of a celebration these days, or only the primary Castle Park and/or Resort?

No because there is no mention of DCA or 25 anywhere.

That Im not sure about but TDS is getting some love.

 

[Disney Irish]

No because there is no mention of DCA or 25 anywhere.

That Im not sure about but TDS is getting some love.

At this point I would think most guests just see any celebration for Disneyland as a combined celebration for the entire Resort including DCA.

Heck most of the marketing for the 70th lists it as for the "Disneyland Resort" anyways -

Plus as was discussed in the 70th thread, the 70th wasn't isolated to just DL, DCA got in on it too with TSMM and WoC.

So really does DCA need a separate celebration that'll amount to just some bunting with "25" on it when its included in the Resort wide celebrations?