News Round Up

[Andrew015]

Am I the only one who sighs at the addition of more capacity on existing rides? I know I fuss a lot about needing more capacity, but how about innovating something NEW?

Totally agree. So with a 3rd Soarin' theater, we'll be able to get in / out of that ride much more quickly, thus allowing us more time to explore Body Wars.... oh wait that's closed. OK - how about Maelstrom? Oh, shucks, that's gone too. Well, maybe we'll find something cool to do in Innovations.... Nevermind, that hasn't been touched in forever......

 

[rteetz]

Totally agree. So with a 3rd Soarin' theater, we'll be able to get in / out of that ride much more quickly, thus allowing us more time to explore Body Wars.... oh wait that's closed. OK - how about Maelstrom? Oh, shucks, that's gone too. Well, maybe we'll find something cool to do in Innovations.... Nevermind, that hasn't been touched in forever......

Well at least with the Soarin addition that will bring the new projectors and screen. Then after that the other two theater will go down one at a time to get the upgrades. Once all three are done a new film should be put it finally.

 

[mom2rtk]

Well at least with the Soarin addition that will bring the new projectors and screen. Then after that the other two theater will go down one at a time to get the upgrades. Once all three are done a new film should be put it finally.

I agree that will definitely be a nice improvement over what is there now. But really...... is it too much to hope for to have the screens not be full of black spots AND have a new ride or two in that park?

 

[George4]

No mom2trk, you are not the only one that isn't thrilled with this. At this point though, we need to take what we can get. I keep hoping that we are going to hear about major expansions at DHS and EPCOT, but since that isn't happening, we have to accept this as good news - not great news. Increasing ride capacity at least means that we can spend only a half day at the park instead of a half day in line and a half day in the park.

 

[Andrew015]

No argument that the new screens / projectors will be a nice upgrade (provided that the new movie lives up to the current one). But by and large, we are seeing a frenzy of new projects and construction going on around property, from HS to EPCOT, Avatarland in AK to Disney Springs, etc.... but with all of this smoke and pixie dust floating around, has anyone bothered to ask "what exactly are we really gaining? Nothing has been definitively outlined for HS, we have ZERO net-new attractions coming to EPCOT - a park that desperately needs attention, AK - a half-day park by a country mile as of the present - will be gaining a whopping two new attractions in this zillion-dollar, decade long project, and DTD will be getting suburban mall-quality shopping and dinning experiences and lovely concrete parking garages to really enhance your experience. There's an awful lot of time and money being spent all over the property for a net gain of "2 attractions" as things currently stand... Forgot to mention, we have a few new Starbucks though....

Again, some of these projects may turn out to be nice changes / upgrades (i.e. MK hub area), and it's really hard to sit here and gripe about the billions that are currently being spent at WDW after decades of neglect. But at the same time, looking at what we know for sure to be getting for these billions of dollars over X-amount of years, you can't sit there with a straight face and tell me "it's all going to be worth it". Because I haven't seen ANYTHING yet that I am truly excited about. Well I take that back - the $1,200 worth of new "retro" carpet going into Monorail Yellow - now that's money well-spent....

I want to believe like hell that they will do HS justice with Starwars. It's the most valuable piece of IP in their portfolio, and perhaps the world for that matter, and logic would tell you that they HAVE to do it justice. But if you look at every other project that has been done in recent years (NFL), and all of the existing ones that are currently in the works (Frozen, Soarin, TSM, DTD, etc.).... would you bet your life savings on it?

Going back to EPCOT, I have one less reason to visit World Showcase (thanks a lot, Elsa) and will now finish FW 20 minutes faster thanks to the additional Soarin' theater. By my math, rather than keeping me in the park longer, the new changes currently going on in EPCOT are actually going to have me leaving the park quite a bit earlier..... shhhhh..... don't tell the bean counters....

 

[Fantasia79]

Here it is TSMM third track and Soarin third theater

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ory-mania-coming-to-walt-disney-world-resort/

YES!!! Awesome change! Have heard rumors for years.

 

[rteetz]

YES!!! Awesome change! Have heard rumors for years.

It's not really that awesome when you think sound stage one where the third track is going was supposed to be a monster inc coaster, and Epcot needs more rides.

 

[rteetz]

The wonderground gallery is now open in the marketplace co-op.

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2015/03/wonderground-gallery-now-open-at.html?m=1

 

[Fantasia79]

It's not really that awesome when you think sound stage one where the third track is going was supposed to be a monster inc coaster, and Epcot needs more rides.

Totally see how that stinks for what you like in the parks, sorry to hear that. For me, it's a great thing. Not a big fan of those long lines (who is) and I love walking around the World Showcase eating and drinking more than most rides. Huge addition to my stroll count. I fully respect your opinion and wouldn't want to be interpretated as argumentative.

 

[rteetz]

Totally see how that stinks for what you like in the parks, sorry to hear that. For me, it's a great thing. Not a big fan of those long lines (who is) and I love walking around the World Showcase eating and drinking more than most rides. Huge addition to my stroll count. I fully respect your opinion and wouldn't want to be interpretated as argumentative.

I respect yours as well but wouldn't you like a new ride or experience as well? That would most likely also decrease some of the wait at TSMM and Soarin as well. DHS has closed a lot over the last year or so that park needs more to do. I'm not against adding capacity and decreeing waits but when new attractions are needed in a park that's where my concern is.

 

[ArwenMarie]

No argument that the new screens / projectors will be a nice upgrade (provided that the new movie lives up to the current one). But by and large, we are seeing a frenzy of new projects and construction going on around property, from HS to EPCOT, Avatarland in AK to Disney Springs, etc.... but with all of this smoke and pixie dust floating around, has anyone bothered to ask "what exactly are we really gaining? Nothing has been definitively outlined for HS, we have ZERO net-new attractions coming to EPCOT - a park that desperately needs attention, AK - a half-day park by a country mile as of the present - will be gaining a whopping two new attractions in this zillion-dollar, decade long project, and DTD will be getting suburban mall-quality shopping and dinning experiences and lovely concrete parking garages to really enhance your experience. There's an awful lot of time and money being spent all over the property for a net gain of "2 attractions" as things currently stand... Forgot to mention, we have a few new Starbucks though....

Again, some of these projects may turn out to be nice changes / upgrades (i.e. MK hub area), and it's really hard to sit here and gripe about the billions that are currently being spent at WDW after decades of neglect. But at the same time, looking at what we know for sure to be getting for these billions of dollars over X-amount of years, you can't sit there with a straight face and tell me "it's all going to be worth it". Because I haven't seen ANYTHING yet that I am truly excited about. Well I take that back - the $1,200 worth of new "retro" carpet going into Monorail Yellow - now that's money well-spent....

I want to believe like hell that they will do HS justice with Starwars. It's the most valuable piece of IP in their portfolio, and perhaps the world for that matter, and logic would tell you that they HAVE to do it justice. But if you look at every other project that has been done in recent years (NFL), and all of the existing ones that are currently in the works (Frozen, Soarin, TSM, DTD, etc.).... would you bet your life savings on it?

Going back to EPCOT, I have one less reason to visit World Showcase (thanks a lot, Elsa) and will now finish FW 20 minutes faster thanks to the additional Soarin' theater. By my math, rather than keeping me in the park longer, the new changes currently going on in EPCOT are actually going to have me leaving the park quite a bit earlier..... shhhhh..... don't tell the bean counters....

I like your comment and agree with it, but I think this is where Disney's first-timer focus comes through.

Take your example of AK...AK, even right now, is not a half-day park, if you go and see all of the shows and look at all of the exhibits. Ditto for DHS. Also not a half-day park if it's your first visit and you go and see all of the shows, even in its current state. Especially when you include Fantasmic. And then the same for Epcot really. If you never saw Epcot before, you could easily spend 12 hours there. And when you take into account that first-timers are generally not efficient at touring, even moreso.

 

[Fantasia79]

I respect yours as well but wouldn't you like a new ride or experience as well? That would most likely also decrease some of the wait at TSMM and Soarin as well. DHS has closed a lot over the last year or so that park needs more to do. I'm not against adding capacity and decreeing waits but when new attractions are needed in a park that's where my concern is.

Hate to say it, but I think the lines for Soarin' won't get that much shorter with more attractions, esp if they update the film. Having been at EPCOT on NYE and they were still letting people in.......the more stuff people want to do there, the more that can pack the park.

I get to travel with a group of 130+ HS kids every few years, which puts me there always at peak times when I can't pre-book a fast pass plus (group ticket), and I rarely get to do much. So, getting on my (and my wife's) favorite ride is a huge bonus. During the last 4 band trips I've taken, I've gotten on Soarin' once.

More to do does sound great though! Always interested in what Disney cooks up.

 

[rteetz]

Hate to say it, but I think the lines for Soarin' won't get that much shorter with more attractions, esp if they update the film. Having been at EPCOT on NYE and they were still letting people in.......the more stuff people want to do there, the more that can pack the park.

I get to travel with a group of 130+ HS kids every few years, which puts me there always at peak times when I can't pre-book a fast pass plus (group ticket), and I rarely get to do much. So, getting on my (and my wife's) favorite ride is a huge bonus. During the last 4 band trips I've taken, I've gotten on Soarin' once.

More to do does sound great though! Always interested in what Disney cooks up.

Well just for comparison DCA has a lot more attractions than Epcot does and wait times are considerably less than an hour most of the time. Soarin and TSMM are usually always above an hour at Epcot and DHS. I think if Disney did both increase capacity and add new rides that would be best.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

It's not okay that WDW has neglected EPCOT and HS (and some would argue they've neglected more than that) over the years. We all know Walt simply wouldn't have stood for it. But increased capacity is actually moving the needle in the right direction.

In a way, it's hard to gripe about them not doing enough when, in truth, they are doing a lot. We just don't know what else is in the pipeline and we aren't happy with the current state of things. If that dead portion of HS looked a little more like the construction zone at AK, and if Disney announced their long-term plans for EPCOT, in terms of FW refreshment and new attractions, you'd hear a lot less discontent from the hardcore fans.

Hopefully, we get a peek at the plans for HS this year, as it's the most in need. EPCOT -- as nice as it would be to see some refresh -- is already a large park, but it would be a reassurance that they are on the right track. Maybe the construction at AK and DTD are just the beginning of a new era for WDW.

 

[atricks]

Hopefully, we get a peek at the plans for HS this year, as it's the most in need. EPCOT -- as nice as it would be to see some refresh -- is already a large park, but it would be a reassurance that they are on the right track. Maybe the construction at AK and DTD are just the beginning of a new era for WDW.

'

Pleasure Island closed in 2008, one false start, and we have Disney Springs. This alone is enough for me to doubt it. That's 7 years! A lot of the rumored hollywood studios work won't be done for 5-7 years, animal Kingdom starts to see things in 2017, but probably not complete until later. Much of the rumored stuff that was talked about in that period never happened. (Or in the case of the Monsters Inc. coater, now is being used to expand an existing ride). Kids won't be kids by the time this is done.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

No mom2trk, you are not the only one that isn't thrilled with this. At this point though, we need to take what we can get. I keep hoping that we are going to hear about major expansions at DHS and EPCOT, but since that isn't happening, we have to accept this as good news - not great news. Increasing ride capacity at least means that we can spend only a half day at the park instead of a half day in line and a half day in the park.

Boy...costs ALOT of money to go to WDW for that mentality...

And the prices do seem to go up quote often...

 

[lockedoutlogic]

'

Pleasure Island closed in 2008, one false start, and we have Disney Springs. This alone is enough for me to doubt it. That's 7 years! A lot of the rumored hollywood studios work won't be done for 5-7 years, animal Kingdom starts to see things in 2017, but probably not complete until later. Much of the rumored stuff that was talked about in that period never happened. (Or in the case of the Monsters Inc. coater, now is being used to expand an existing ride). Kids won't be kids by the time this is done.

100%

 

[lockedoutlogic]

The other problem is...

What is a new theater and track on those two rides gonna accomplish?

If you theorize that it even cuts the wait by 1/3 - best case scenario...

Then you're looking at a "new improved" 45-60 minute wait on 9 and 7 year old rides that are really...lets be honest...not really spectacular rides by modern amusement standards.


I know...I'm a hater

 

[George4]

Boy...costs ALOT of money to go to WDW for that mentality...

Not sure what you mean with this? If it was in reference to my looking forward to spending a half day in the park, I was just referring to the fact that I would rather not spend 3-4 hours in a line for one ride. I can do the things in that park that are enjoyable and move on to something else. As much as I see improvements available at MK, that is still a 2-3 day park for my family. With our family, we usually go for 2-3 weeks each summer plus occasional mid year trips of a few days. With several kids aged 6-13 plus 3 sets of grandparents that travel with us periodically, there are still lots of things we haven't done at MK. We did EPCOT in less than a day and say most everything the kids wanted to do. A 6-year old has little interest right now in walking through the countries, watching circle-vision and eating food. That's okay, but now, DHS is sort of in the same boat. We've lost backlot tour (kids LOVED this) which took 30+ plus minutes wouldn't go on Pirates (thank goodness that waste is gone), and most everything else is in and out in 20-30 minutes. Saving us the 2-3 hours wait at Soarin and TSMM (fast passes were a little hard to get) just means we can spend more time in places like MK where we haven't even seen everything yet or can spend time at our resort, which the kids love.

Look at the Disney map of attractions. There are 41 listed for MK, 28 for AK, 35 for EPCOT (except that is a real stretch since The Seas restaurant is listed as an attraction along with 3 art galleries among many others), and 11 at DHS. I'd rather spend the time at MK or swimming in the pools, or even in the Lego store in DD. My family loves these things and everything doesn't have a 2-3 hour wait.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Don't take offense...

I'm agreeing with you. Just commenting that that is what they are/have been giving us...and it's not good for the consumer