Blue Sky Rumor: Ride coming to UK Pavilion?

[PuppyJonathan]

I'm actually with you, but I'd want them to be immersively about the attached country, no IPs. Want random tourists to learn about a country? Plop them in a seat, call it a ride, and entertain them while they learn. A Maelstrom for every pavilion! Maybe a little more on the learning part, but the mythology is cool too.

It won't happen, but it would be my "solution" to World Showcase. I would allow IPs on the condition that they act as a host to the actual culture as long as it wasn't overdone (ha).

I know, I know. It won't happen.

The movie part of Maelstrom was totally about the country, the ride not so much. That's why I was surprised with how many maelstrom fans there were when they announced its closing. It's like Tangled where if it weren't for Frozen no one would have really noticed it. Like it bothers me how many "Tangled" fans were the people that shoved Frozen down all our throats and then changed films once they sunk that ship. Kind of dampened my opinion on Tangled to be honest (not Frozen though funny enough, I'm afraid to watch it again though), and for Moana I had to put my guard up since I was afraid of that happening again

In all seriousness I do agree with how the rides should be, but I will say if it is IP I say it depends on what and how it justifies being in the pavilion. Gran Fiesta Tour works a lot better in Mexico theme wise than Frozen in Norway. It just depends on what it is is all I'm saying

You're not in the minority of all Epcot goers. You're in the overwhelming majority. The success of FEA proves that.

The truth is Epcot won't be able to stay the way it is. It's already changing and WS needs to change too. Especially now with how great Disney Springs has become, having just a few gift shops and restaurants under a pretty facade of a country is not nearly enough. How many times can you look at the pickle tree lol?

Don't get me wrong, there are parts of WS that I absolutely love (Mexico pavilion, FEA, Spice Road Table (IMO the best restaurant in all of WDW!), L'Artisans des Glaces (the best ice cream in all of WDW!), Impressions de France, AA), but given the massive size of WS, there really isn't much there. If it wasn't for the near constant festivals, a lot of people wouldn't think it would be worth the 1.25 mile hike in almost constant full sun to do the loop.

I think every pavilion needs a ride and I think Disney agrees. Expect more FEA's....eventually.

My mom personally doesn't like Workd Showcase because she feels it's not worth that trek. I am very eager to see what happens

Is Frozen culturally relevant? How about Three Caballeros?

As much as I love Gran Fiesta Tour, The Three Caballeros are about as relevant to the general public as Make Mine Music and The Black Cauldron. If we're talking how it fits in the pavilion, at least Three Caballeros is about Mexico

Italy had the flag wavers and Germany has the trains (a favorite of mine). I would say food is the biggest draw in Italy and Germany.

The trains are my favorite part of Germany. Can't tell you how many pictures I have of it

 

[TampaDisFan]

My mom personally doesn't like Workd Showcase because she feels it's not worth that trek. I am very eager to see what happens

I know how she feels. I tend to do full days at Epcot and my strategy tends to be to start in Mexico, then FEA if I can get a FP, then head over to Morocco for lunch (3/4ish) and that long gap between pavilions is so brutal in full sun. It really tires me out. It would be nice if they had an indoor pavilion like Mexico around where the African outpost is, or an attraction or sit down film somewhere between there other than AA. It would really break up a walk that can be quite brutal in Florida's 9 month summer.

I really wish the Italy pavilion was like a mini version of the Venetian in Vegas with the indoor canals. That seems like such an obvious missed opportunity. Or if the whole Germany pavilion was like the biergarten. They should all be indoors lol. They'd be much more immersive. It's a shame the only indoor pavilion is right at the beginning lol.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Tiering is the acknowledgment that there isn't Enough things to do...it's pretty straight forward.

 

[Planogirl]

Personally I wish that Future World was more of a focus. People congregate in World Showcase already and it sounds like that might just get worse. I'm not sure if I like the idea of WS being turned into MK lite.

Time will tell. Since Epcot desperately needs help, it might be good. Maybe...

 

[Whatsthegoodword]

Now, this should not turn into a Maelstrom/frozen doesn't belong in WS debate. However, Frozen deserved an E-ticket ride in fantasyland or DHS not a renovated boat ride in world showcase. Maelstrom also had plans for an update which many fail to realize, so it could've been much better if updated. Frozen is one of if not the biggest animated movies of all time. It deserved more than a $100 million renovation.

The best place for the Frozen ride was where they put it - in Norway. Where could they have put it in Fantasyland? They could take out Small World (HA) or Pooh (HA again!). Anyplace at DHS would be seen as off-theme, as it doesn't fit the old theme or the feel of the new direction. We'd all be up in arms about either of those places. Putting it in the World Showcase actually solved several problems for Disney: It have them a chance to inject new life in the WS, it gave them a logical place to put an attraction that had to be built, it allowed them to add a popular attraction to ailing EPCOT, it allowed them to spread the crowd out at EPCOT, and it came at the right time as a renovation of Maelstrom was due. People were voting with their feet at the Maelstrom. The place was showing its age and there was hardly ever a wait. The ONLY problem is that Frozen is set in fictional "Arrendale" (which is obviously inspired by ancient Norway) instead of Norway. If they had just made Elsa the Queen of Norway then all of this would be no problem for most of y'all. ...but it obviously IS set in Norway, just as Snow White is set in unstated Germany, so the Frozen ride is exactly where it should be.

 

[Planogirl]

The best place for the Frozen ride was where they put it - in Norway. Where could they have put it in Fantasyland? They could take out Small World (HA) or Pooh (HA again!). Anyplace at DHS would be seen as off-theme, as it doesn't fit the old theme or the feel of the new direction. We'd all be up in arms about either of those places. Putting it in the World Showcase actually solved several problems for Disney: It have them a chance to inject new life in the WS, it gave them a logical place to put an attraction that had to be built, it allowed them to add a popular attraction to ailing EPCOT, it allowed them to spread the crowd out at EPCOT, and it came at the right time as a renovation of Maelstrom was due. People were voting with their feet at the Maelstrom. The place was showing its age and there was hardly ever a wait. The ONLY problem is that Frozen is set in fictional "Arrendale" (which is obviously inspired by ancient Norway) instead of Norway. If they had just made Elsa the Queen of Norway then all of this would be no problem for most of y'all. ...but it obviously IS set in Norway, just as Snow White is set in unstated Germany, so the Frozen ride is exactly where it should be.

The inappropriate placement of the ride aside (that poor beaten horse!), Frozen deserved a better representation than it received. It was basically shoe-horned into a small area and sits next to a restaurant that has princesses from all over. These short-cuts are unfortunate.

 

[dlavender]

EPCOT had it right with rides and shows like body wars and cranium command.

Then they shut em down. And replaced them with........nothing.

They have it sort of right with the seas. I'm ok with the Nemo tie in. Gets kids a ride in that they are excited about, and they then have the opportunity to browse and perhaps 1 out of 10 might learn something.

I don't think it's a terrible waste of an IP if it leads to something relevant about the country. Give the kids something to get excited about, then dump them in a real educational opportunity. It's better than skipping the country all together.

Really anything to take the weight off of MK.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

There's still no valid justification for switching the Norway pavilion to a cartoon land. It is thematically incorrect and there is no way to skirt it. We've been down this road and nothing has changed.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

EPCOT had it right with rides and shows like body wars and cranium command.

Then they shut em down. And replaced them with........nothing.

They have it sort of right with the seas. I'm ok with the Nemo tie in. Gets kids a ride in that they are excited about, and they then have the opportunity to browse and perhaps 1 out of 10 might learn something.

I don't think it's a terrible waste of an IP if it leads to something relevant about the country. Give the kids something to get excited about, then dump them in a real educational opportunity. It's better than skipping the country all together.

Really anything to take the weight off of MK.

x2

 

[SaharanTea]

EPCOT had it right with rides and shows like body wars and cranium command.

Then they shut em down. And replaced them with........nothing.

They have it sort of right with the seas. I'm ok with the Nemo tie in. Gets kids a ride in that they are excited about, and they then have the opportunity to browse and perhaps 1 out of 10 might learn something.

I don't think it's a terrible waste of an IP if it leads to something relevant about the country. Give the kids something to get excited about, then dump them in a real educational opportunity. It's better than skipping the country all together.

Really anything to take the weight off of MK.

This is what I'm saying. Use the IPs to get them in, but use those opportunities to actually teach about the countries and cultures. I don't feel like Donald etc. does that at Mexico, and while I haven't yet ridden it yet, I'm pretty sure Elsa and co. don't do that in Nor-vay.

Jiminy Cricket could be our guide through the canals of Venice and the ruins of Rome. The Cheshire Cat could confuse us through a trip bouncing between spots in the UK and weird places in Wonderland as we go in and out of native species animal burrows while he tries to guide us "back home."

This stuff writes itself. Epcot needs help all over. It was my favorite as a kid. It might be my least favorite now. It just needs so much help.

 

[jknezek]

Can we just stop talking about the Mexico ride as if it is at all a worthwhile Disney ride? Frankly it was built with Mexican money to be a Mexico tourist ad back in the early 80s and essentially never updated. The addition of the Tres Amigos just makes it even more sad. I think it is bordering on inappropriate and insulting to Mexico at this point. As I said before, I doubt most people even know it is there, which is probably a good thing. Frankly, I dragged my wife on it during our last visit so we could laugh at how awful it is. It might be the absolute worst ride at WDW from a theme and execution point of view. And that really sucks, because the rest of the Mexico pavilion and the San Angel Inn is really well done. But once you sail past the volcano, the rest of that ride is and should be embarrassing to Disney, Mexicans and the Mexican government and tourist agencies.

 

[rteetz]

Can we just stop talking about the Mexico ride as if it is at all a worthwhile Disney ride? Frankly it was built with Mexican money to be a Mexico tourist ad back in the early 80s and essentially never updated. The addition of the Tres Amigos just makes it even more sad. I think it is bordering on inappropriate and insulting to Mexico at this point. As I said before, I doubt most people even know it is there, which is probably a good thing. Frankly, I dragged my wife on it during our last visit so we could laugh at how awful it is. It might be the absolute worst ride at WDW from a theme and execution point of view. And that really sucks, because the rest of the Mexico pavilion and the San Angel Inn is really well done. But once you sail past the volcano, the rest of that ride is and should be embarrassing to Disney, Mexicans and the Mexican government and tourist agencies.

They did recently add the AAs. I like the ride for what it is.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Can we just stop talking about the Mexico ride as if it is at all a worthwhile Disney ride? Frankly it was built with Mexican money to be a Mexico tourist ad back in the early 80s and essentially never updated. The addition of the Tres Amigos just makes it even more sad. I think it is bordering on inappropriate and insulting to Mexico at this point. As I said before, I doubt most people even know it is there, which is probably a good thing. Frankly, I dragged my wife on it during our last visit so we could laugh at how awful it is. It might be the absolute worst ride at WDW from a theme and execution point of view. And that really sucks, because the rest of the Mexico pavilion and the San Angel Inn is really well done. But once you sail past the volcano, the rest of that ride is and should be embarrassing to Disney, Mexicans and the Mexican government and tourist agencies.

Y'all may feel that way, but I live close to Mexico and truthfully it isn't far off from the reality of the touristy areas.....with the exception of talking cartoon birds. 10 years ago the ride was a good representation of the area near me. It was fun and lighthearted with music and dancing and piñatas and colorful dressed people.
If we wanted an adequate description of what I see NOW it would be the flower shops replaced with pharmacies and small tanks placed in the streets, guards armed with machine gun/assault rifle looking things.

 

[Phicinfan]

There's still no valid justification for switching the Norway pavilion to a cartoon land. It is thematically incorrect and there is no way to skirt it. We've been down this road and nothing has changed.

In your opinion

 

[disneydeegs]

I love the Mexico boat ride, it's one of my favorites at Epcot.

I think a ride would make sense over by the International Gateway, but I really don't want to see rides in every pavilion. World Showcase is one of my favorite things at WDW just because there is so much to look at. The only thing I dislike is how hot it gets back there due to lack of shade and tons of pavement. People talk about how hot AK is, I think Epcot is worse!

 

[Moliphino]

I love the Mexico boat ride, it's one of my favorites at Epcot.

I think a ride would make sense over by the International Gateway, but I really don't want to see rides in every pavilion. World Showcase is one of my favorite things at WDW just because there is so much to look at. The only thing I dislike is how hot it gets back there due to lack of shade and tons of pavement. People talk about how hot AK is, I think Epcot is worse!

I agree about not needing rides in every pavilion. Updated movies would be nice, though.

I think the direct sunlight is worse in Epcot, but AK has the godawful humidity.

 

[TampaDisFan]

Tiering is the acknowledgment that there isn't Enough things to do...it's pretty straight forward.

Tiering really has more to do with the capacity of that ride relative to it's popularity. Maelstrom was a tier 2. FEA is a tier 1. It's capacity didn't change, it's popularity did.

Therefore it's a success...it's pretty straight forward.

Just a reminder. I prefer Maelstrom too. But we can't pretend that Disney didn't make the right decision relative to their bottom line.

 

[TampaDisFan]

I think the direct sunlight is worse in Epcot, but AK has the godawful humidity.

I agree.

Epcot needs WAY more trees. I can understand that around WS they need to keep the view clear for the fireworks but they could at least add shade in Future World.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Tiering really has more to do with the capacity of that ride relative to it's popularity. Maelstrom was a tier 2. FEA is a tier 1. It's capacity didn't change, it's popularity did.

Therefore it's a success...it's pretty straight forward.

Just a reminder. I prefer Maelstrom too. But we can't pretend that Disney didn't make the right decision relative to their bottom line.

Not at all...tiering means there's isn't enough quality attractions for their prebooking systems to work...therefore it's distributed among "classes"

What color is the sky today...by chance?

 

[TampaDisFan]

They did recently add the AAs. I like the ride for what it is.

I like the Gran Fiesta Tour. If the upcoming Dia de los muertos movie Coco is successful I hope they incorporate some elements of that into it.