Disney's Magic Kingdom expansion and other plans.

What does everyone think of this?

After the hoop-la about the major announcement turning out to be a huge let-down about projecting pictures on the castle, the original plans for the expansion seemed to have been quietly modified - the original expansion was incredibly Princess/Fairy heavy and didn't appeal at all.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-dail ... 3622.story

They are also 'tweaking' the new parade after lots of less-than-favourable reactions to it.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-dail ... 0787.story


And then there is the complete screw-up they have made with Pleasure Island.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-dail ... 948.column


They seriously need some new blood in there with ideas. There is nothing they are doing that will tempt us, as a group of adults, to return to Disney any time soon. And with the IMAX at the Pointe on International Drive, no need to even go to Downtown Disney to see a film anymore. It actually looks like they want adults to go elsewhere unless they are there with kids. Which is just sad.

[Neil]

I wasn't sure about the castle projections either, but watching some of the videos I think it looks really good, and really looking forward to seeing it.

Regarding the parade at DHS, I personally hated BPB, so whilst the new parade is more 'standard' it appeals more to me.

The new Fantasy Land expansion is obviously more aimed at smaller kids, but so is MK in general, and they are still tweaking it, the snow white and dwarf new ride looks good. There is also a lot of rumours about a new eticket attractions at MK, with lots of rumours it is going to be Tron based.

I guess everyone has differing opinions but for me, Disney still does it best. I know the new HP at IOA ride is excellent , but I am not impressed with the overall area, and think overall it was a huge let down.

Disney need an equivalent to IoA - something to attract older kids and adults.
The only problem I had with Wizardng World was it is way too small, and I was lucky enough to be there on a day that wasn't even that busy.

I liked visiting Disney, but really the only things that they have that interests us is the Tower of Terror, Rock 'N Rollercoaster and Soarin' - and when that's three rides over 4 parks you see why we have not been to Disney for a while. Even Mickey's Philharmagic isn't enough to get us back to MK.

If I remember things correctly, there had been talk of a new park that sounded a bit more ride-centric. As things stand, Disney is great for first time visitors or families with kids. But once the kids reach 13/14 they aren't going to want to go back - it's becoming less grown-up friendly (Hyperion Wharf - more shopping and dining? Like there isn't already enough of that there?)
Having an equivalent of IoA and basing it on Disney Classics would be a way of keeping the older fans coming back while keeping the Disney theme alive and well.

I'm reserving judgement on the Fantasy Land modifications - to be honest, my daughter of 8 now considers herself too old for FL these days - although she'll still go on the carasel, bizarrely!

I still love Disney, but WDW in particular - even after 6 visits. There is something totally fun and "out of world"ish about the entire experience that I still enjoy...

IoA is good, but there's a totally different atmosphere there, and I don't think the staff are as well trained. I feel way more relaxed in WDW...

The Harry Potter land thing was massively disappointing - I really didn't rate the new ride very much, liked dualling dragons as it was, and it seems largely focused on drastically over-priced merchandise. I don't think the budget was large enough, they could have made so much of it, but it was a huge let down for me.

When they closed space mountain, as well, I was hoping for an updated attraction in terms of something more inline with DLP space mountain 2 - an awsome ride, or even DL california - which is better than WDW in my oppinion. But, they didn't, and I consider that another opportunity lost.

All that said, it probably is time to to do some revitalisation in WDW, but not too much. The familiarity is some of the attraction to me...

BTW - I wnet to DLP again after an 18 month gap back in October, and found myself not enjoying it at all...I think it's a combination of things - let's face it, cthe staff do not have the same attitude as WDW, the weather isn't as good (as a generalisation), and the service is appalling. I used to love it over there, but since starting to go to Florida, it just isn't the same buzz anymore.

sort of on this topic of news on the Disney expansions Orlando Attractions Magazine now release a podcast show every Thursday on to i-tunes and you tube with all the latest news from the central Florida area and all the parks this weeks shows pictures of the downtown Disney pleasure island/Hyperion wharf project.

link to you tube version HERE

With regard to Disney doing something like IOA, why would they need to. IOA is totally without atmosphere, staff could not care less. Rides are good but Disney is not just about big rides. We have been visiting WDW every year since 1991, still love it, the atmosphere, the friendliness, we became Disney members in 1995 and have not regretted it.
If teenagers want big rides then Disney have enough, yes they are in a number of parks but then most people buy multi park passes anyway.
As was said in a previous post, WDW is all about feeling that you are in another world, away from every day life.
Thanks Walt for your legacy.

Have to agree with dvc, while I love the rides at IOA there is little sense of magic and the staff don't seem to care. The only parts of IOA that come close to the sense of childhood wonder and glee for me are walking through the gate to Jurassic Park (mostly due to John Williams' epic score) and WWHP. Unlike the rest of the park, the staff in WWHP actually seem to be enjoying themselves and have a bit of fun with it all.

My only criticism of WWHP is that it could really do with an expansion, comparative to the rest of the park it's crazy busy and apparently we were there on a quiet day. Here's hoping they just be done with it and expand into the rest of the Lost Continent. Sinbad is a bit tired and could be replaced with a HP themed stunt show and poseiden's fury could be converted into an incredible experience (maybe reenacting the fight between voldemort and dumbledore at the end of order of the phoenix?).

The Beast's Castle is looking good so far:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2 ... gdom-park/