American Idol and "I Told You So. . . ."

[Love That Mouse]

Not to gloat from a previous post I made in February where I predicted a huge disappointment with park guests with this attraction. . . . .

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2067441

From what I am hearing (and with the addition of the HUGE sign at the front of the park), it sounds like Disney is struggling to fill the American Idol Experience. Are they actually making announcements during the day on the park PA system? I thought this was ONLY done for emergencies???!?!?!?!?!?! I guess the show has reached "Emergency" status.

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[dawnbu40]

We were there last week and I saw teens crying who did not get in the show. One evening we passed the screen where they "air" the show and we were suprised how rude the "Simon" judge was to the guest. IMO this doesn't fit with the "Disney spirit". Who wants to have their day spoiled because they were told they can't sing or a judge was rude to them. This attraction lacks the magic that we visit Disney for so I hope it is quickly replaced. (I'm not a fan of the real AI either because I don't like the meaness)

 

[BayouMickey]

Not to gloat from a previous post I made in February where I predicted a huge disappointment with park guests with this attraction. . . . .

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2067441

From what I am hearing (and with the addition of the HUGE sign at the front of the park), it sounds like Disney is struggling to fill the American Idol Experience. Are they actually making announcements during the day on the park PA system? I thought this was ONLY done for emergencies???!?!?!?!?!?! I guess the show has reached "Emergency" status.

Anyone else have an opinion?

My be the suspiciousness from the real show spilling over. As anyone who watched a single episode this season, you could see the vagrant act of the show being "fixed". The show is getting ridiculous really and I think it's affecting the attraction.

 

[disgrajak]

We were there on Wed. and my party (kids to old people) loved it!!! The theater was not full, but it was close. I found it more entertaining than the attraction with the cars (Lights! Motors! Action!) which bored me to tears.

 

[rosiep]

I'm with you OP. I thought it was a big "so what" from the get go. I was disappointed that Disney thought to ride the coat tails of a TV show...

 

[disprincessatheart]

We were there 3 weeks ago and the shows were FULL. It's definitely not everyone's favorite, but I don't think it's really hurting for an audience. We saw many other shows that week that had much smaller crowds.

 

[Coach81]

I hope it becomes really popular and keeps people out of my quene lines But I suspect it will be shutting down very soon.

 

[Love That Mouse]

From another website. . .

http://wdwmagic.com/Attractions/The...for-contestants-at-the-park-main-entrance.htm

 

[disgrajak]

We were there last week and I saw teens crying who did not get in the show. One evening we passed the screen where they "air" the show and we were suprised how rude the "Simon" judge was to the guest. IMO this doesn't fit with the "Disney spirit". Who wants to have their day spoiled because they were told they can't sing or a judge was rude to them. This attraction lacks the magic that we visit Disney for so I hope it is quickly replaced. (I'm not a fan of the real AI either because I don't like the meaness)

Our "Simon" wasn't mean, but we had 2 excellent singers and one that was very good, so maybe that had something to do with it. I don't watch the real AI either b/c of the initial weeks where they make fun of people. Why would anyone find it enjoyable to watch people fail? At any rate, our experience was a great one!

 

[Disnsyncey]

we went on Saturday and my family enjoyed the show (we didn't hear any PA announcements??) and it seemed like everybody there did as well.....our show was pretty much full, if not all the way.....

oh, and btw, we don't watch AI at all

 

[LadyZolt]

I was disappointed that Disney thought to ride the coat tails of a TV show...

That's what "Who Wants to be a Millionaire --Play It!" was all about, too -- riding the coat tails of a TV show. And The Great Movie Ride is all about riding the coat tails of famous films. I think that's what Hollywood Studios is all about -- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror makes people think of the TV show "The Twilight Zone"; Muppet Vision -- Muppet TV show, etc. The majority of attractions at DHS are based on either TV or movies.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[bluesky225]

I have a friend whose husband actually made it to the final round. They had a blast! I'll probably check it out when we go in September.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We went in Jan and March and they were basically begging people to go in there...they were trying to make it sound so much better than what it really was

 

[wendy1974]

Can anyone tell me how long the show lasts? Are there alot of singers lined up for each showingTIA

 

[richmo]

The show is about a half hour. There are about six shows a day, then in the evening they bring the six winners back for a final show that lasts closer to an hour.

To get onstage, you have to make it thru 2 auditions. You can sign up for an audition time online or go around to the back of the AI building and check with a CM to see if there are any audition slots left. I would imagine all the auditions take place in the morning.

 

[puffkin]

Our theater was about 75% full last week, but it wasn't really busy that day in DHS. I was not expecting much, but I really enjoyed it! I don't know how much of a life the show will have, but I had fun and would see it again. I like that each show is different.

Now if only they could get rid of that monstrosity called Lights Motors Action. That show is so boring and takes up so much prime real estate.

 

[MamaCrush]

We didn't visit in March, but when we were leaving the park it was time for the finale. I was really suprised at how many people were sitting on the ground outside watching the big screen-- supposedly because they couldn't get a seat inside. I wouldn't mind checking it out sometime, but it's low on my list of priorities so I haven't done so yet.

 

[mocame]

We were there two weeks ago and loved it. The show was full. The talent was good. If anything was fixed, it was Disney picking judges that look/act like the Randy, Paula and Simon from American Idol. There was no announcement to get people into the show.

We would've gone back for the finale if we would've had time. While I was at Disney, I was at quite a number of attractions/rides that I liked less than the American Idol show.

 

[inkkognito]

I seriously doubt they are making in-park PA announcements. Just 'cause you see it on the web doesn't make it so.

I'm neutral on this attraction. I'm not an idol fan, but I enjoy the finale shows at DHS. I won't go out of my way to see it, but if it fits into my schedule I stop in.

 

[demonskrye]

Just looking at what's been said here, it sounds like the crowds for AIE vary greatly. Sometimes they have more contestants than they need and plenty of willing audiences. Other times, the CMs are all but begging for participants. Some people who don't like the idea of this attraction (and I'm not unsympathetic to that view point) seem to be latching on to the reports of nearly empty theaters and desperate appeals for contestants while ignoring the stories that indicate that the attraction is doing well.

My guess is that the crowds at AIE vary depending on the number of guests in the park, among other factors. The fact that it doesn't have hour long queues every day doesn't mean it's a failure. Not every new attraction can duplicate what TSMM does. On our last trip, my DH and I were pretty much able to walk onto PotC. The posted wait was 10 minute and I doubt we even waited that long. But we didn't conclude that PotC is now a failed attraction. Sometimes it's crowded, sometimes it isn't.